Work Text:
Boots? Muddy.
Hook? Baited.
Bucket? Empty.
Fridge? Empty…
The job wasn’t paying well. Anna’s paycheck was late. Again. Her first job just barely covered rent, and the second wasn’t paying. Sure, she could cut Matt the slack, but she was starving! She can’t survive on milk and mustard all week!
Her parents had taught her the rules of nature. Eat or be eaten. Be thankful for the animals that have died for your food. The spiel. Over and over, again and again. Her shotgun was out of bullets. Worms were only $10. Something could come out of this.
She slung her rod over her shoulder and shot the hook into the creek’s waters. Crickets chirped into her ears as she waited. Frogs came close and hopped along their trails. Birds chirped. Blood rushed in her ears.
SNAG!
REEL!
… Bluegill.
She swung her hook once more, sighing slowly. At this rate, she’ll starve to death! She groaned to herself quietly, failing to notice… a new friend… in her sights…
A grizzly bear had entered the scene. Large and gnarled, ears perked. Anna was too busy juking around her rod to notice the other mammalian in her sights.
Too much focus on the fish.
Not on the bear’s slow pursuit towards her.
It growled in hunger, it too starving. Humans are never a threat, but the deer and squirrels were gone. A perfect totem of meat sat before it. Easily rippable. Easily digestible.
BANG!
Anna jumped as the once-alive bear flopped into the water. The fish in the area all scattered away as it hit the rock. The red life force leaked out of the bear’s head in fervor.
“WHAT THE FUCK???”
She threw her rod down into the mud. Her hands shook as the bear’s eyes rolled into its head. She put a hand on her belted machete, slowly sliding it out of its leather. She saw movement in the distance, scaring her further. Why didn’t she bring her fucking bow? There’s a BIGFOOT IN THE WOODS!!
“S-STAY BACK!! I’M ARMED!”
The shadow walked closer. A man dressed in brush and leaves. Wielding the largest shotgun she had ever seen. She swore that there was a red glint from under the brush.
“DIDN’T YOU HEAR ME??? I’M ARMED!!”
The man stopped in his tracks and cocked his head to the side.
“Anna? The hell are you doing here?”
Anna opened her mouth a few times, closing it each time. She knew that voice. She knew it well. Like the back of her hand. She hears it.. every week…
“L. Lance??”
“Yeah. The hell are you doing here.”
Lance stepped out in the sunlight, taking the helmet off of his gillie suit. He was covered in mud and remnants of face paint, made to look like a bush. He wore polarizing sunglasses and had a half burnt cigarette between his fingers.
“… Fishing? What are YOU doing he-”
Lance jeered his thumb towards the bear.
“That.”
He went over and drug the beast out of the water with his bare hands.
“Good size, good weight. Could fetch a few hundred.”
“… You hunt bears?”
“Always did.”
He shrugs.
“Could you help me with this? It’s heavy. Can’t drag it.”
“O-okay.”
Lance grabbed the front legs, and Anna grabbed the back legs.
“Car’s not far. We’ll dump it in the back and haul it.”
“We?”
“Yeah.”
Lance swore under his breath as they trekked the trail back. Anna regretted not properly putting her pole and bait away. The skunks and other animals would get to the worms! And the bluegill! Then, there’d be ZERO dinner!
“Stop.”
They both stopped next to a rusted red truck. The bed was already open, various tools splayed out. A deer was already in the bed, with just enough space for the other.
“On the count of three.”
“Okay.”
“One.”
“Two…”
The duo had gathered their strength and pushed the ursine anomaly into the vehicle. It still bled, but much less than before.
“Thanks.”
“No pr-problem! Haha.. now..”
Lance fidgeted with his shades and shoved the butt of his cigarette into a suit pocket.
“I should.. get… back to the creek…”
“Wouldn’t recommend it. Jeff comes down around this time, rod’s probably gone.”
“… Jeff?”
“Neighbor. Just- Just don’t worry about it. I’ll get another one for you. Get in the truck.”
“...Wha?”
She stepped back a bit, confused. This isn’t Lance. He’s usually timid and scared! Refuses to talk! To even look into another girls eyes! And here he is, offering her RIDES?
“You’d really give me a ride??”
“Do you not want one.”
They both stood there for a second. Anna thought about it. It was a hell’s worth of a hike here, and she had hours worth of hike back. Plus a shower AND the fish might not even be there anymore.
She slid into Lance’s passengers seat without a word.
It smelled of cigarettes and gunpowder. It was not super clean, with the ground below her caked with blood and grass. A picture laid on the dashboard, which Lance had quickly turned away from her when he got in.
Anna was quiet as he drove. He lit another cigarette in the meantime, making sure to keep as much smoke away from Anna as possible. He wasn’t timid or scared, or full of anxiety. He was just some white guy now. Anna could see him holding up a bass for a dating pic. Eugh. She doesn’t want to think about that.
“We’re going to my place to process the meat. You grew up with all of that, if I remember?”
“Ye-yes! All summer with my grandparents!”
“I could use the help.”
“Sure..!”
Silence again. The sun slowly sunk under the horizon as a trailer park came into view. She could see a few families gathered around a barbecue grill, the glow illuminating everyone. Stray dogs played along with the kids. Other trailers seemed to shut their blinds and shun everyone who joined.
Lance parked near a larger trailer and hopped out. Anna followed suit.
“You live here?”
“Always did. This place used to..”
He stopped in his tracks.
“Nevermind.”
“Here, I’ll grab a cart and some tools.”
Anna couldn’t organize what she really felt as Lance worked besides her. She had the deer, and he had the bear.
He was skilled in the field! Sharpened tools! Precise cuts! Immense knowledge on each cut and steak! He was teaching her as well, asking her to pinpoint certain areas and pieces. While the area reeked of iron and grime, there was something pleasant about seeing Lance this open.
Matt and Natalie would never believe her if she had even shared this day. She placed her own processed meats into vacuum seal bags, with Lance sealing them off. As they worked into the dark, they finished up as the last few neighbors retreated into their houses.
The smell and mess finally hit her. Oh fuck. Oh god.
“Shower?”
“… Yeah..”
“…”
Lance nodded and turned to the entrance of his house.
“……”
“You’ll keep all of this-”
He gestured to the house.
“You won’t tell Matt about it, right?”
The uncertainty on Anna’s face sent the man into his usual fearful self.
“It’s not a murder shed! I’m- I just don’t-”
“He doesn’t need to know that I live like this.”
“… I won’t..?”
Lance unlocked the door and gestured for Anna to enter.
… Oh lord.
Clothes everywhere. Dirty clothes. Tools strewn about. Microwave meals, already eaten, stacked on top of overflowing garbage cans. The couch had sweat stains all over. The TV and console was kept clean, oddly enough. A few stacks of mecha anime DVDs were placed on top of it.
There was a pathway to the kitchen, which had been recently cleaned to keep all of his tools in tiptop shape. Another pathway led to the bathroom, which thankfully, wasn’t covered in shit. It was actually the cleanest room in the entire place!
Another pathway led to a room with a shut door. Anna could already assume that the room was Lance’s, but didn’t dare prod.
“I’m going to.. put the stuff in the community freezer. Might be.. gone for a bit. They’ll want to talk with me a while. I have a purple EVA suit onesie. You can use that for the night. It’s on the top of the toilet lid.”
“Soap is a 3 in 1. Sorry about that. Don’t go into my room.”
Lance shut the door behind her and headed off. Anna immediately went to shower the day off.
…
Anna took the time to take Lance’s garbage to the curb as he was gone. She also took the time to pile his clothes in a hamper, wash her hands, clean his coffee table, wash her hands, and organize his DVD collection! And wash her hands.
Lance re-entered as she was finishing up her last handwash.
“…”
“… There’s no reception. Thought I might as well.”
“……… Thank you.”
He went to shower himself, leaving her alone again. She laid down on the couch. It had a strong stench of sweat. And a noticeable divot across the cushions as if someone rotted here 24/7.
Great. Now work’s gonna be weird. You were just trying to get dinner. You’re still hungry, but now you know A LOT about your coworker. The one that sleeps under his desk. The one with stitches and bandages on his hands. The one that’s off putting.
He’s a country boy. Lives off the grid in a small community near the woodlands. Seemingly has a strong rapport here.
Much different than how you saw him before. Will this change your mind on how he’s weird? No. Absolutely not. He’s still weird.
Anna can hear him exit and immediately enter the kitchen. The familiar sizzle of meat fills the house, the smell covering the overbearing rot sweat.
“You fine with burgers?” He shouted across the house.
“Yeah! Cheese?”
“Cheese.”
The ceiling is nice and clean. Lance turns on the overhead light and gestures for Anna to move. She scoots over and sits up.
Lance is in a tanktop and shorts, holding two plates.
“Here. Yours. We have enough for more if you’d like.”
He sits next to her and eats his food quietly. Anna doesn’t eat yet, but kind of stares indirectly at him. He wolfs down his food without a second thought, as if it can be taken from him at any time. He’s also as skinny as a twig! His hands aren’t bandaged, showing the extent of the scarring on his hands and arms.
“… You need somethin’?”
“No! Just.”
She takes a gigantic bite out of her burger. Lance shrugs as she eats, grabbing the TV remote and turning it on.
“I don’t invite people. I… really don’t like having others in my house. This is… new… to me.”
He turns to a random cable channel. It's playing a movie about zombies.
“I’m sorry if it’s awkward. I. Yeah. Awkward. Um.”
“I am not a people person. You…”
Anna chews her burger and looks at him earnestly.
“Go on.”
“What else- What else even is there to say. I have someone in my house. The end! Surprise! My therapist will b- SHIT.”
He shoves his face into his hands, gripping at his skin with some regret.
“I wasn’t supposed to know that?”
“No.”
She giggles, but stops when he glares. He looks down into his hands.
“I feel weird. I feel. Free? But I feel like everything’s.. wrong.”
“I’m not. I am not supposed to see. See YOU. Out of work. Work is work. I go. I make 7 dollars. I leave. Every weekend, I come back here.”
“You live at the office all week??”
“It’s quite a long drive. I can’t waste the gas in that guzzler of a truck. It’s nice to not be bothered.”
Anna puts her empty plate onto the coffee table, wanting to listen to Lance more. He’s never going to be like this again. Might as well bask.
“Can you tell me about here? I’m really curious!”
“It’s an extension of Redpine. Down the road. Pretty in autumn. Tourist attraction for when the leaves fall out. All the trees look this nice reddish brown, they don’t shed easily. Leaves em’ looking pretty. That’s where the name came from.”
“Oh! That Redpine?? It’s right there?”
“Yeah. You lived in Greenwood, right? Red’s down the road from here.”
She nods and leans back into the couch. She holds in a gag.
“Anyway. Redpine. Grew up there. Mom and. Mom and dad settled in this nice cabin. Had me. Things were.. supposed to be nice.”
“Dad got… angry. And Mom got angry. Mom would always ramble on about my dad’s drinking, and dad would be like ‘I’m not drinkin’ you whore!’ and… You know.”
“He taught me all of these skills. Hunting, trapping, gathering, shooting. Although he was… sloppy with his techniques.”
He lifts up a bit of his hair to show a large laceration scar around his neck.
“Snared me into a trap once or twice. I can barely remember. I think I have a pretty gnarly one on my ankle?”
“… Mom wasn’t happy with us. I always chose him, and I listened to his lies about her. He… died when I was eight.”
She can hear his voice waver as his hands shake. She stayed as quiet as she could.
She wanted to hear him rant and ramble. See this side of him.
“… I don’t remember what happened that day, or for... a few months after. It was like. I skipped a whole entire part of my life suddenly. One moment, dad was alive. Setting everything for a hunt. The next, I was in this.. child counselors office. Putting a puzzle together?”
“My mom wanted answers, I couldn’t give them to her. I was raised to be volatile and angry, because she always was. My head kept fucking itself over. Couldn’t remember. Mom was yelling. I would yell back. She’d leave. Cycle repeats.”
He stands up, plate clattering to the floor. He grips his arms tightly.
“THE CYCLE. IT BEGINS OVER AND OVER.”
“IT ALL CYCLES! OVER AND OVER AND OVER!”
“Lance?”
He looks around in a frantic haze. Anna steps back cautiously.
“People don’t STAY. They realize what I am. I’m Lawrence. That Lawrence. I hurt people. I don’t want to, yet I do.”
“Mom left. Dad died. The therapist resigned BECAUSE of me.”
“Everyone I’ve met has left. I can’t keep anyone for shit. Ever! Because I’m too muddled in the head! Too.. No, I can’t say that.”
He paces back and forth. His nails dig into his skin as Anna watches.
“Matt will leave me, You all will too. Then I am at stage one. Again, it repeats.”
“We.. we wouldn’t!”
Anna blurted it out on impulse. Lance stops his pacing and looks at Anna.
They both hold eye contact for quite a while. Lance picks at his skin, while Anna frowns. He seems to mellow out quickly, sitting back down.
“I. Did it agai-”
“I won’t tell Matt or Natz, okay?”
“Please.”
“I.. I can’t have them interpret me like… that.”
“I’m sorry, Anna. I.. it won’t happen again for the night. I’m.. going to bed.”
He swiftly gets up and wanders over to his room. Anna tries to follow, but Lance blocks her.
“I don’t want you near me anymore. For the night. I.. I don’t want to hurt you. It’s better if I sleep in here. A-alone.”
“I’m sure-”
“No.”
“I don’t want to hospitalize you. Please, for the love of god, stay in here.”
“I’ll see you in the morning, I’m sorry.”
SLAM.
…
It was a pretty sleepless night. Anna turned and twisted about. Whenever she’d get a wink of sleep, she’d remember.
He didn’t want to hurt her. He was self aware of himself. To a degree.
He thought of himself as a dangerous animal, having to be caged. Or that’s what Anna imagined. That he would have to compress himself.
She could hear him in the other room as she laid back. He was restless. Incomprehensible mumbling. Anna swore that he heard him shout “GOD, PLEASE FIX ME” at one point. They both fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, sleeping deep into the afternoon.
Anna was awoken by a set of jingling keys by the door. She cracked her eyes open, taking a sharp inhale as she sat up.
“… You are. Still here.”
“AH???”
Lance was near the door, all dressed up to go back to work.
“Well duh!! I don’t think uber exists over here!”
“It does not.”
“HA!!”
“Wait.”
Anna took a few slow blinks, before jumping to her feet.
“WE WORK AT THE SAME PLACE! OH MY GOD!”
Anna scampered over to the door, following Lance out into the open and into his car. He chuckled as she dove headfirst into the passenger seat and said not a word as he drove.
But that could never stop her thoughts.
What is up with Lance?