Trainers.Inc

a breakthrough weight loss program promises drastic results. But what are the consequences?

I read the ad in the Sunday paper. There’s a clinic down in Pontiac city that claims they can help you lose weight in mere weeks. I’m not talking a little weight either. The claim is ten or more pounds a week until you’re happy. The strangest thing is that they claim it’s with absolutely no effort on your own part. Of course I was skeptical. I’ve been trying to lose weight for years to no avail. At this point though, I was willing to try almost anything. So, with doubt in my heart I decided to pay them a visit.

The waiting room is nice. The floors are made of a dark marble, and there is a beautiful fountain in the middle. There are little fish in the fountain. Above it are before and after pictures. The results, if they are to be believed, are astounding. There are near a hundred pictures, all of them showing people in varying states of obesity with the picture next to it showing them thin and toned. All of them are signed by the people in the pictures as if to make us believe the pictures are fact. I’m not the only person in the waiting room looking at the pictures. There are two women, one man, and a teenage girl. They all look as nervous as I feel. The wait is not long from my entrance. I’m only waiting for about half an hour, not even long enough to find out which celebrity is pregnant now.

“Mr. Wilson, the doctor will see you now.” The nurse is an attractive young lady, not the type that would be interested in me with my weight. I groaningly stand up and walk into the office.

“Well Mr. Wilson, My name is Dr. Krast how can I help you today?” the doctor is an older, balding gentleman with a soft German accent.

“I saw your ad in the paper Dr. Krast. I’ve been trying to lose weight for a while. I’m not sure what your camp does exactly, but I think I’m willing to try anything.” He nods with understanding as I say this.

“So, how long have you been trying to slim down> and what methods have you tried?” he pulls out a notepad to take notes.

“I’ve been trying for two years off and on. I’ve tried diet and exercise, diet pills, and a few cleanses. Nothing seems to work. I’ve gotten checked out by another doctor to see if it’s a hormone problem or something. They found nothing out of the ordinary.” He writes all this down while nodding. He then looks up at me.

“Our process here is… unusual. In fact, its state of the art. The point I’m trying to make here is that even if you decide against our procedure, you cannot speak of it outside this facility. You will have to sign a release form if we go any further. Going against this contract will result in lawsuit as well as some jail time. Do you understand?” he slides a form over to me along with a pen. I scan over it, just to see that it says more or less what Dr. Krast had just said. I decide to go ahead and listen. Why not, right? I sign the paper and hand it back.

Dr. Krast walks over and slides the paper into a flap in the door and then turns the deadbolt. Seconds later the far wall slides open and a physically imposing man walks in. he’s wearing a blue hospital gown, but even with that I can see the man’s physique. He’s ripped like a champion body builder. He must weigh about as much as me, but where I’m soft and doughy he is hard as granite.

“This is Frank Branson. He will be your…Trainer if you decide to stick with this. Mr. Branson here has trained many of our most successful clients. In fact, he has personally worked with some action stars in preparation for their big roles. Isn’t that right Mr. Branson?” The large man looks me up and down and nods.

“Yes, it’s true Mr. Wilson. Do you mind if I call you Ray? You and I will be spending a lot of time together, might as well get to know each other. The process we have here is very controversial. It’s a little scary at first but I will essentially be taking your body from you, and you mine. I will be doing all the work for you while you enjoy my body. Let’s call it a sneak peak at what you could someday have.” He says this all while feeling my various muscles. It gets to be too much when he bends down to grab my thigh. I jump up, bumping the table on my way up.

“Hey man. I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing. Get your damn hands off me.” He takes his hand from my thigh and steps back. Neither of them looks alarmed.

Dr. Krast smiles at me. “We understand your discomfort Mr. Wilson. My associate here is to the point. He is merely familiarizing himself with your body. If you would feel more comfortable, he can wait until after the switch is made.”

“Wait a minute. I don’t even believe that this is possible. Why do you think I will be saying yes?” they share a knowing smile.

“We deal with people with your incredulity all the time. And to be honest with you, they all say yes. In cases like this though, we offer a one two hour trial. You will have full use of Mr. Branson’s body for these two hours, while he will have control of yours. He will not be working out with your body today to avoid any soreness in the event you say no. So, how about a test?”                                                              How could I say no?

They lead me into another room. I was expecting the Frankenstein lab complete with zaps of electricity. I am pleasantly surprised. All there is in the room are two stainless steel tables with some kind of mechanical mobile hanging over them. Krast directs me to one table and Branson to the other. Branson has obviously done this before as he hops onto his table and pulls the mobile down over his face. It looks like some bizarre alien attached to his face. I hesitantly clamber onto the other table and Dr Krast pulls my Mobile down.

“Now, try and relax Mr. Wilson. Some people tend to get claustrophobic when on the table, but I can assure you it is completely safe.” The Mobile covers my eyes and mouth and I do feel smothered at first. I calm myself and listen to the doctor.

“You will feel a slight case of vertigo and maybe some tingling in your extremities. This it normal as well. Let me know if you feel any pain, no matter how slight.” There is a slight hum and I feel the vertigo he described. It’s not slight though. I feel as if I’m falling from the highest diving board. My insides feel all mixed up and I feel weightless. Just when I think it’s getting too much to bear, it ends. The face hugging mobile retracts from my face on its own. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. I reach up to rub them but my motion seems off somehow. As if my arm isn’t the right length. The doctor comes over to my side and helps me up.

“Any nausea or light headedness? Pain or blurring of vision?” I shake my head and even that feels wrong. Then I catch sight of myself in the mirror on the wall. Looking back at me is the body of Branson. Still disbelieving I look back. My own body is standing next to the other table smiling at me. god, did I really look like that? I was used to seeing myself in the mirror, but compared to this body I was now inhabiting it was shameful. Branson nods understandingly.

“I understand how you feel Ray. It’s perfectly normal to feel that way. But I will help you. Now, you may never be as fit as I am. That would take years. But I can help you to look into the mirror and feel happy with what you see. What do you say, Ray. Give it a shot?” I look back at the mirror and then to my own body.  “You still have fifty minutes to decide. Why don’t you go to the gym down the hall while we prepare the paperwork?” he points to the door we came in through. “It’s the third door to the right.”

The gym is rather large. I see a lot of people there in various states of fitness. There are some like me, some a bit fitter, and finally the gym rats. For the first time I am part of the third group. I walk over to the closest bench set. A giant of a man is standing near it curling barbells bigger than my head. He drops them when he sees me and grabs me in a bear hug. “How are you today Gerald? You working your Pecs today?”

I pry myself from his grip. “ uh… y-yeah. I’m gonna press some uh… iron” he chuckles and claps me on the back.

“Relax buddy. No need to be nervous. I know you’re not Branson. I take it you’re his newest client?” I nod my head.

“You want some help with this? Gerald can max out at about six hundred, but if this is your first time in his body o would suggest starting at four hundred. How long you got today?” I lay on the bench as he loads more weight than I could ever have hoped to lift in my own body.

“Uh. Ive got an hour. Do you train people too? I mean, the way Mr. Branson does?” I lay back on the bench. He adjusts my body slightly so I’m lined up with the weights.

“Yeah. I’ve trained about twenty people myself. Okay. Try to keep the bar even. If you feel it’s too much for you i'll help you rack it.”

I push up on the bar expecting to feel an immense weight. Instead it rises smoothly. I don’t even feel any strain. I’m actually lifting more than my own body weight! The weight comes back down, then back up. The trainer is giving me pointers and letting me know what I’m doing right. After a while, the hour is up. Never before have I exercised for more than ten minutes without gasping for air. As I sit up though I feel no less tired than when I entered the gym.

“Thanks for stopping by. If you come back anytime soon, come see me.” I shake his hand and head back to the doctor’s office.

“Doctor Krast, Mr. Branson. I’ll do it.”

They return me to my body to sign the rest of the papers. After, I leave. I have to make arrangements for me being “gone” for a while. I call in some vacation time at work and let my close friends know I’ll be gone for a while. All in all this takes a week. All this being done, I head back to the Facility. This time it’s very quick and straightforward. The switch is fast, and a soon as it is done Branson shakes my hand and leaves.

“Mr. Branson doesn’t like to waste time. We will give the first phase two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, come back here to inspect the results. If they are not what you want yet, we can negotiate for more time.” Doctor Krast shakes my hand and I leave. They had given me a duffel bag of clothing that will fit my new frame. My car is right where I parked it, but I have to adjust the seat quite a bit. Even with the adjustments my new body can barely fit in the car. Part of the package is a stay in one of many local hotels. I guess so there are no awkward incidents with the people we know in our own town. The hotel I chose was right off the beach.

My own room is one of the mid level suites. I check in and go up to my room. It’s a pretty nice room. The bed is a queen with burgundy blankets ant far too many pillows. I put my bag down and fall back on the bed. The remote is on the night stand, so I pick it up and flick through the cannels. I begin to get into a made for TV movie about a giant frog fighting a giant turtle when It hits me. The very first thing I do with this body is lie about and watch TV? With that mindset, it would be no time at all before any work Branson does for me is reversed. No. I have to change. I turn off the TV and throw the remote to the other side of the bed. Without the usual groan of effort I stand back up. The duffel bag is lying on the floor, still closed. I pick it up and dig through it. Swim suit, swim suit, give me a swimsuit. I paw through it until… you gotta be kidding me.

The sun beats down on my exposed flesh as I walk out onto the beach. Even in my own body I’ve never felt more self conscious. The small red Speedo Branson provided me leaves nothing unseen. I’ll have to get some real trunks soon. People stare at me as I pass on my way to the water. It takes a minute for me to realize it’s not for the usual reasons. I’m in the best shape on this entire beach. I’m still self conscious, but I stand up straighter and feel a little swagger enter my step. These people were looking at me in admiration. They wanted to be as built as me. I know it’s not my body, but I still feel a sense of pride. I still feel the eyes on me as I hit the water. The water is warm. God, why don’t I come to the beach more often? The water is soon over my waist and I dive in. I was on the swim team in high school, but it was nothing like this. It was hard, grueling work.  This is cake. I cut through the water with such ease it’s no time at all before I’m far from shore. That is the only reason I see her. A woman is floundering to stay above the water. She’s getting visibly weaker as I look on.

“Help…gblgblb… Help me” her head goes under. I power over to her and dive down. I can see her thrashing below the surface. The last bubbles of air leave her lungs. I dive down and grab her around the middle. I kick off the sea floor and feel the surface break over my head. I still have the woman around her middle, so I begin swimming backward making sure her head stayed above the surface.

“Try to stay calm miss. I’ve got you now.” I drag her up onto the beach. The life guards are already sprinting over. But I’m already performing CPR. It was part of the swim team requirements to know how.  I press down on her chest one, two, three times and then I blow into her open mouth. I do this twice more when she starts coughing. She rolls to her side and vomits onto the beach, coughing up sea water. The Life guard takes over from there and checks her to make sure she’s okay. After a few moments he decides she’s fine. The crowd that had gathered during all this disperses and I help her to her feet.

“Thank you so much. I thought I was going to die out there. What’s your name?” her voice is a little raspy, but I barely notice. I’m just now able to see what she looks like. This woman is gorgeous. She’s tall and lithe like a gymnast. Her eyes are bright blue and her hair is black as the night. I’m not used to women like this talking to me.

“My name? it’s…. My name is Ray. Ray Wilson. What’s yours?” she looks me up and down like I had just done to her.

“I’m Jessica. Jessica Silver. Why don’t you take me to dinner?”

The next day I wake up just as Jessica is leaving my room. I lay back and smile. The night before is almost a blur, but it was a good blur. This is the kind of life I could be looking forward to. I get up and put some clothes on. The Bag is full of stylish clothes, so I choose a purple dress shirt and grey slacks. The clothes are tailor made for this body. I leave the room, taking the Do Not Disturb sign off the door. Leaving the hotel I go to one of the local breakfast joints. There is a Jenny’s a block away, so I jog to it. The day is just starting to warm up, so I only break a light sweat by the time I’m there. I take a booth near the window and grab a menu. Usually I would have a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, but one of the rules is to try to eat healthy. It’s only a loaner body. Instead, I order a light omelet and a side of bacon.

“Anything else sweetie?” the waitress is obviously flirting with me. She keeps touching my hand and smiling. Well, What the hell. I flirt back.

“I would like your number too. When do you get off beautiful?” I smile and look into her eyes. She visibly blushes. She tears a blank ticket off her pad and writes her number down.

“I get off at 3. I’m free all night. Call me?” I take a sip of my coffee and smile at her. She blushes again and heads to the back to put my order in

After breakfast I decide to go back to the beach. This time I wear trunks that I picked up on the way back to the hotel.  The water is warm again. This time there are no damsels in distress, so I enjoy a good swim. Off to the distance I see a cruise ship going by, dolphins leaping in the wake in front of it. After a few hours, I towel off and lay in the sun. I order a drink from the bar. It’s some fruity drink with chunks of pineapple in it and a lot of rum. The sun feels good on my tanned skin as I lay back drinking my drink. A lot of the women walking by slow to admire my body. They try to be inconspicuous, but I do the exact same thing. I know what it looks like. I enjoy the attention though. After my drink is finished I head back to the hotel. I shower off the salt water and then towel myself off. It’s only about noon at this point. I put my clothes back on and leave again. There is a museum a few blocks away that I have wanted to go to, so I do. After, I call the waitress and take her out. She sneaks out of the hotel the next morning.

The next two weeks fly by. I hang out at the beach, take women back to the hotel, and go to fancy restaurants. I have a great time. I’m almost sad to consider giving it all up and going back to my life.  But, I definitely want to see how Branson is doing with my body. The drive is uneventful and I am soon in the waiting room again. After a half hour my name is called. I’m lead back to the same room, and Branson is already waiting on me.  The body in front of me is almost unrecognizable. He has his shirt off to show the results. I’m amazed. The gut is gone, and there is the hint of a six pack. His, or my, Pecs are defined as are his shoulders and arms.

“Wow Mr. Branson! This is amazing!” I just stare at the changes.

He chuckles and nods. “It is quite dramatic. Almost constant exercise and no food other than a vitamin paste we patented. I’ve lost twenty five pounds so far. You’re looking at a nice on hundred eighty pounds. If you decide to end it here, we will provide a month’s worth of out Vitamin paste and round the clock access to our facilities so you can get the hang of the techniques required to keep and even improve our efforts.” He pulls on a shirt a she talks. “So, do you want to go another two weeks, or would you like to end it here? Of course you can also see how you like the changes before deciding to go further with it.”

I look over the results and then decide. “I think I want to take my body back for a bit. See how I like it and then maybe do some more.” He smiles and motions to the tables. I get on one and he comes over and straps my arms down. I begin to pull at the straps and he pats me on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Ray. Sometimes the trip back is stressful. I’ve had some clients hurt themselves. Ill remove them as soon as were done.” He then lies down on the other table. The Mobile feels heavy against my face.  The hum starts and the vertigo returns. This time though, I start to feel my consciousness slip. I begin to panic, but even that fades away to blackness.

I wake up what feels like hours later. I’m hit with a bout of severe nausea and roll off the bed I’m on to vomit onto the hard stone ground. The impact of the stone on my knees aches like hell. I barely notice. After I purge everything from my system, I shakily stand to my feet. I’m surprised to see I’m still in Branson’s body. What’s more, I’m in some sort of cell. It’s about ten feet by ten feet, with nothing but a cot and a toilet/sink combo. The only door is solid steel with a safety glass window at head height. The wire mesh inside twinkles in the light. At floor level there is a slot which I imagine is to push food through. Did something go wrong with the transfer? I pound my fist against the door and yell out for Branson. Hours pass, or maybe minutes. I can’t tell time in this monotonous cell. Finally, I hear the slot on the bottom open up. I scurry to it and see the feet of my captor.

“Why am I here? Please, what happened?” I try to reach out to the feet, but I can’t reach. The feet then move away, and I fear the person is leaving. I hear a rustle and then I see a face in the slot. My face.

“Branson! Thank god. Get me out of here.”

“I’m sorry Ray. I can’t do that. I’m sorry to say you won’t be getting this body back. It’s nothing personal buddy. I’ve been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and I’m not ready to die. All the body switching takes its toll I guess.  I’m really sorry man.” With that he closes the slot. I don’t see him or anyone else for days.

By now it’s been nearly a…. month? I think. I really can’t say for sure. I get fed once per day it feels like. The food he gives me is all from frozen dinners. He won’t even give me utensils. Maybe he thinks ill kill myself before I have a chance to die of the brain cancer? I’ve been marking time on the post of my cot. Every day at meal time I scratch a little line. That’s as close as I can come to knowing I’ve been here for 35 days. On the 36^th day, the door finally opens.

I’ve hallucinated the door open enough times that I didn’t react when it really did. I had seen old high school crushes, characters from cartoons, and even old dead family members. Of course I had seen Branson too. It took me a few seconds of him just standing there in my body before I really noticed him. When I finally focus on him and know he’s really here, my body reacts. A red haze fills my vision and I lunge.

I come too some time later. I’m on my knees on what feels like gravel. There is a coppery taste in my mouth and my hands are tied behind my back. I look up and see Branson standing with a gun in his hand, pointed at my head. The left side of his, or my, face is covered in blood. His left ear is gone. I guess that explains the coppery taste in my mouth.

He waves the gun in my face to get my attention.

“I really wish you hadn’t bitten my ear off Ray. It hurts my image. How am I supposed to get clients when I look like a freak? I’m going to have to pay for reconstructive surgery now. But hey, at least I can use your bank accounts, right? Maybe I’ll get this ridiculous chin fixed too.” He rubs his chin and seems to lose concentration for a second. I try to lunge again, but I feel the gun crack across my face, splitting the flesh.

“Now, did you really think I would let you get the drop on me again? Come on ray. We don’t have to make a big deal of this. I told you it’s nothing personal. You were just the client that happened to be on tap.”

I glare up at him, my eye swelling where he had hit me. “You won’t get away with this Branson. Doctor Krast won’t let you.”

Branson Laughs. “Krast? I’m his best employee! He has my back on this entirely. In fact, it was his idea. What’s one client when compared to fifty percent of his income? And you won’t even be dead as far as the world knows. I’ll quit your job, yes. But face it. You have no life, No family, Next to no friends. Nobody will miss you. While I, my body that is, will be the victim of a mugging gone wrong. It’s a perfect crime Ray.”

In the movies the hero usually gets the bad guy while he’s doing his monologue. He would use the distraction to break the ropes and get away. I tried. Despite my new musculature, I couldn’t even cause them to fray. Branson stops talking and looks at me again.

“I guess I shouldn’t put this off any longer. I can’t say this enough, but I’m sorry buddy.” With that he pulls the trigger. There is the sound of thunder, and a hammer blow to the left side of my head. Numbness spreads, and the blackness envelopes my being.

It’s the pecking that wakes me. I was having a nice dream of relaxing at the beach, the sound of gulls in the distance and the waves crashing on the shore. Then the damned pecking. I feel it on my neck. I jerk awake and the gull that had been trying to eat my neck meat flew of screaming. I try to sit up but the waves of pain tearing my skull apart are too much to bear. I immediately black out again. Its maybe minutes before I waken again, but for all I can tell it could have been days. This time I sit up slower. I gingerly put my hand to the side of my head and feel the ragged flesh where the bullet violated my flesh. I don’t know how I’m still alive. As far as I know a bullet to the head is always fatal. I slowly stand, and look around. I am indeed on a beach. I’m not familiar enough with the local beaches to say where. My memory is fuzzy. How did I get here? I know I was shot, I can even vaguely remember the man that shot me. His face looks very familiar in my mind. Like someone I’ve known my entire life. But why did he shoot me? Did he intend to kill me? I just don’t remember.

A week later I still have no idea who I am. Small things have come back, such as where I used to work and where I used to live. I went to the place I thought I used to work but nobody there knew who I was. In fact, they all insisted I never worked there. I convinced the manager to look up the files for all recent employees, but none of the ID pictures looked anything like me. After that I had to leave. The manager would have had me arrested otherwise. I guess I can’t blame him. I’ve been living on the streets for a week. I’ve been washing at a local shelter, but there is only so much that can do. The wound in my head is healing, but the memories still won’t come.

Days later, approximately two weeks since I woke up I remember something else. I was in the middle of mopping floors at the shelter to try and earn my keep when it hits me like a bolt of lightning. I’m not sure what made it surface. Maybe it’s the repetitive task. My mind always wanders during my chores, but this is the first time I actually remembered something from it. It’s a face with Blue eyes, black hair and a silky voice. I remember where I saw her also. It was at one of the local beaches. A beach not far from where I am now, and less than a mile from where I woke up. The mop falls from my hands with a clatter. The attendant on duty looks up from his newspaper at the noise, but soon loses interest. He sees people high as a kite and drunk as a skunk all the time. One scruffy mad make a racket is nothing new to him as long as I’m not harming anything or anyone. I don’t bother picking the mop back up. I simply turn on my heel and walk out the door.

It takes an hour to reach the beach. By that time the sun is high in the sky and the salty sea air is invigorating. The beach looks just like I remembered it. There are people everywhere, so I start scanning the crowds. There are tons of women, but none of them stand out. I begin walking around the beach. The sand beneath my feet is soft and difficult to walk in. I’m not dressed for the beach, and my clothes are soon sticking to my back with the sweat. I walk for almost an hour when I finally see her. The lithe figure, the black hair. As I look at her stepping out of the crashing surf, little fragments of memory come tumbling down my neural pathways. I see her in a hotel room taking her clothes off. Then I see her floundering in the ocean, finally I see her standing in front of me. I hear her speak. I hear her tell me her name. Her name is Jessica.

I approach her slowly. She hears my footsteps in the sand and turns. She smiles when she sees me, but just as fast the smile drops.

“What are you doing here?” her eyes dart over my shoulder.

“Your name is Jessica, right?”

“Look, you can’t be here. My boyfriend is here and he can’t know about what happened between us. You have to go” she looks over my shoulder again. Before looking back at me. “He’s coming over here. Please don’t say anything Ray. Please.”

“Wait, my name is ray?” she opens her mouth to speak, but at that moment a man walks up. Presumably her boyfriend.

“Hey Jessica. Who’s your friend here?” the man is built, but not as large as I am. He eyes me with a sneer, trying to stake his dominance.

“This is Ray. He was just asking for directions to the theater.” She looks into my eyes pleadingly.

“Oh. Well get the hell out of here then. Stop harassing my woman.” He crosses his arms and looks at me threateningly. I ignore him.

“Jessica. Just tell me anything you remember about me. please.” I take her hand in mine. Again she starts to speak but before she can her boyfriend shoves me.

“I said get the hell out of here, man. She doesn’t want to talk to you.” He shoves me again.

I stumble back, and he comes in to shove me again. This time I try to dodge it, but he swings his meaty fist and cracks me across the face. The pain of the hit is nothing. The pain from my brain tearing itself apart is agony. I fall to my knees and cradle my head. I hear people around me screaming. It takes a few seconds to realize that I am the one screaming. Stars burst in my eyes and waves of nausea work my guts like a chainsaw. I feel myself vomit, the taste of bile like acid in my mouth. Finally it fades, and with it come my memories. I stand, and see Jessica and her meathead boyfriend looking at me in fear. I’m sure they thought I was seizing. I couldn’t care less about them though. I know who I am, and I know why I was shot. More than that, I knew that I had to kill Branson and get my life back.

I found the clinic later that day. It wasn’t hard once I remembered everything. By the time I get there it’s just past dark. I hide in the bushes as I see everyone leave. Krast is first, getting into a Ferrari and driving off. Then I see the receptionist, the other trainer I met and many more. Branson doesn’t leave. I had hoped he wouldn’t. I’m sure he is working overtime to get my doughy body up to his standards. As the last person is leaving, I jog up to the door. My approach is concealed by the decorative trees around the entrance, so I make it to the door without being seen. I open the door and see the familiar lobby. There are no security cameras in this facility. I would assume that is because the things going on here are very illegal. Regardless, it makes my infiltration far easier than I expected. The hallways are empty, and all the doors on each side are locked. Except for the door to the gym.

I slowly open the door and wince as it squeaks on its hinges. I hold my breath and wait. I hear nobody approach, so I continue through the door. I can see Branson on the far end of the gym. He’s on the track running faster then I knew my body could run. I pause for a second at the sight of my body. It’s so much more fit than I had ever seen it. The muscles stand out and the pudge is gone. It’s by no means the body I currently inhabit, but it was astounding. I crouch down behind some treadmills and wait. He comes around the curve of the track and when he is within ten feet I step out. His face is a mask of shock right up until I smash the weight I grabbed into his skull.

The body is easy to move. His loss of weight, coupled with this bodies increased strength, makes it an easy trip. I soon have him laid down on the table that he had used to take my body so long ago. I had to use a general anesthetic so he couldn’t move. Had I strapped him down I would be trapped as soon as I m back in my body. He begins to awaken right before I pull the mobile down on his face. His eyes open and focus on me.

“I killed you. How… how are you here?” the words come out in mumbles. I hope I didn’t cause any brain damage.

“You really should make sure a person is dead before you run off with their things Branson. Oh, for a while there I thought I may have been dead. I thought I was in hell and I had no idea why. But I finally remembered. I remembered what you did to me and why. And Krast is in on it. I may have to pay him a little visit later.” Branson struggles against the strap, coming further into consciousness. It’s futile of course. They had made them for this exact reason.

“You can’t do this Ray. It wasn’t personal. I told you that. I’m sorry, man. If you let me go I’ll give you money. I have millions! Please, ill even help you get Krast. Please ray, I beg you. Have some mercy.” There are tears in his eyes. I almost feel sorry for him. I actually consider, for a second, letting him go. I don’t of course. There is no forgiveness for what he has done.

“Just shut up Branson. You’re not getting out of this. I’ll be seeing you soon ‘buddy’” with hat I lie down and activate the auto straps. The mobile pulls down automatically and fits over my face. The darkness and vertigo hit. It’s quick as it was the last time.

When I open my eyes again I feel pain in my face, but I don’t feel the ever present ache in the side of my head I had lived with for weeks. My arms and legs are numb, but it’s already passing. Across the room I can hear Branson struggling and cursing. As the Deadness in my body fades completely, I stand. I stumble slightly with the lingering effects, but I don’t fall.

“Okay ray. You have your body back. Now let me out. I won’t bother you again okay? And I’ll give you money. It’s already in your accounts. I couldn’t exactly use my old account in your body, right? Please just don’t kill me. I don’t want to die.” He begins crying. God I can’t stand crying.

“That’s enough Branson. I won’t kill you. I forgive you.” I walk to him and see the relief on his face. I see that relief turn to horror as I plunge the knife into his heart. He gurgles in agony and a little bubble of blood bursts on his lips. I quickly write a note and leave it on his body. The note is to Krast telling him not to come after me or I will expose the whole operation. I know he won’t come after me. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he left the country. And if he does come after me, He can join Branson.

After

I used the bountiful funds now in my account to fix my teeth. The weight I used on Branson knocked most of them loose. There was some slight Plastic surgery required for the lips and face, but I decided to leave my ear. I don’t know why, but it seemed like a trophy from my ordeal. My job was still there too. Branson had called to request more time off. Thankfully I had so much vacation time banked that it was no big deal. Of course I didn’t need the money. Branson left millions in my account. The Clinic didn’t shut down after the disappearance of Branson and Krast. I check on it from time to time. It seems there is a new man in charge. The man who helped me that first day at the gym. I’ll be keeping an eye out. If he tries to follow in Branson’s footsteps, ill stop him.

 

 

 

Author's Note

there are likely small flaws, and will all be addressed in due time. feel free to leave constructive criticism.

Reviews

[Mila]

Very nice! It kept me engaged the whole way through. I have a pathetic attention span, so keeping is actually an achievement. Good job with that! :)
I can't wait to read more of your work. Thanks for sending this to me! :) Well done!