The Egg Said Nothing - Caris O'Malley [24]
“They disappear.”
“Poof?”
“Yep, only silently. Sans poof.”
“Very interesting,” she said.
“Yes, it is. Now, what do I do about it?” I demanded.
“You must travel into the future and do battle with yourself,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Um, yeah. I don’t know how to do that.”
“If what you say is true, then there is some disturbance in space and time. Your future self’s knowledge should be available to you. You just need to focus and utilize it.”
“How do I do that?” I asked, warming to the idea. Following what had already happened, it wasn’t too much of a stretch.
“You must look inside yourself. Turn the lights off, close your eyes and visualize your future self. It will work. You must trust me,” she insisted.
“Okay, I’ll do it.” I slammed down the phone. It was worth a shot, and I felt it was possible.
I went back into the living room and sat down on the couch. After closing my eyes, I tried to visualize my future self: philosopher, smart guy, father. I gathered a picture and began to slide into his brain.
I was jarred back to the present by a pounding on the door. I got up and ran over to it. “Now is really not a good time!” I shouted.
“Open up!” a voice screamed. I looked through the peephole and saw my face staring back at me.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Someone saw me,” he said.
“So?”
“So, we’re changing the future! We’re fucking things up, you goddamned asshole!”
“Sounds like you’re fucking things up,” I said. “I’m just sitting in my apartment, minding my own business.”
“Do you have any idea what potential psychological damage could come about after spending a significant amount of time with your girlfriend’s corpse?” he shouted shrilly.
“Leave me alone.”
He kicked the door.
“Stop kicking the door,” I said.
He increased the frequency and intensity of his attack. “I’m not stopping until you let me in!”
“Alright, kick the fucking door then. I don’t give a shit.” I looked around. “I’ve got earplugs in here somewhere.”
“I’ll go get the super!” he threatened. “He’ll let me in!”
“You have no idea who the super is.”
“Do, too. We learn it in 2012. May. Right after our birthday, a pipe breaks and he has to come investigate.”
“2012?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He stopped kicking.
“It’s probably not the same guy,” I said.
“It is,” he responded.
“Okay. Go get him then.”
He started kicking the door again.
~Chapter 12~
In which the narrator attempts to short circuit time.
I had no idea what to do. The creepily methodic pounding on the door was getting to me; I couldn’t think, and I had to think.
Perhaps what I needed to do was figure out how to go back in time and stop myself from hitting Ashley in the face with a shovel. In hindsight, it seemed wise that I didn’t destroy the version of me who had killed her. I might need him. Though I had started to put a plan together, I needed things to be quieter if I were to do any real thinking. I picked up the shovel from the floor and leaned it against the wall, facing the door.
“Hey, fucker!” I yelled through the door. “I think I’m ready to talk.”
“You are?” The kicking stopped. “So soon?”
“I think so, yeah,” I replied. I unlocked the door and held it open.
He seemed hesitant to enter. “Really?”
“I can’t stay mad at you, can I? You’re me. We have to deal with this, and you might be able to help me set it right,” I said.
He looked relieved. “I’m glad you’ve seen reason.” He walked into the apartment. “I think you’ll see…Oh, shit.”
A look of embarrassed recollection crossed his face a second before I clanged him in the back of the head. He hit the floor next to Ashley.
I went into the kitchen and rooted through my junk drawer until I found a roll of duct tape. Then I set to work taping his limbs together, thereby preventing him from doing anything I didn’t want him to do.
Sitting down with my back to the rear of the couch, I tried to let my limbs relax. They were hesitant. Attempting to clear my mind, I concentrated on my breath. In