Shitty Thoughts Pt. 01

All characters in this story are above the age of 18.

Chapter 1 -- The Fight

"Saunders!"

Chad's yell scared the shit out of me. I turned to see Chad and his gang of drop outs walking towards me. I started running away, afraid of getting my ass kicked yet again by these goons. Everyone on campus began watching, anticipating what was to come. They didn't try to stop Chad. Why would they? As much as everyone hated Chad, they saw my impending beating as socially just.

During the freshman year I had loaned my phone to my best friend Ashley because she needed to call her parents. Her face went white upon seeing the screen. She shoved the phone back in my chest and said, "You need help, Saunders," before walking away. I must have forgotten to close my internet browser from the night before. Looking down at my screen, I saw the website I usually go to. There was a picture of a girl taking a shit on someone's face. I remember the humiliation vividly, and my cheeks burn red just thinking about it. Ashley didn't talk to me after that. She was my best friend growing up, and now she won't make eye contact with me in the halls.

She must have told someone, because people stopped talking to me after that. The exception being Chad, who saw my vulnerability as a predator see's prey. He started bullying me mercilessly, taking every opportunity to humiliate me. It started with him calling me "Shit eating Saunders." In class, he would sneak up next to me and fart, then taunt me by saying, "Oh no Saunders! You gonna get hard?" The whole class would laugh. I would just sit there and take it, trying not to cry. As we got older, Chad's bullying got worse. If he saw me in the hall, I'd get shoved against the wall. He'd yell, "No shit eaters in my school!" and his friends would all cackle like hyenas.

Normally, I could take Chad's abuse. I would tell myself, "Just one more month until graduation," and then fantasize about getting out of this garbage high school. But yesterday, Chad crossed the line. I was walking home from school when Chad drove up beside me. He slowed down, and one of his friends leaned out the window and threw something at me. It hit me square in the chest, liquid exploding everywhere.

"Don't get pissy, Saunders!" Chad yelled while driving away. The stale smell hit me, and I realized what happened. They threw a water balloon filled with piss at me. Some of it splashed in my mouth, and my stomach turned at the taste. I quickly took off my shirt and threw it on the ground. Luckily, I had my gym shirt in my bag. I put it on and ran home, in shock from the attack. When I got home, I was livid. This was the last straw, and I wanted revenge.

In the morning I left my house later than I usually would. By the time I got to school, classes had already started. I scanned the parking lot until I found Chad's car. I snuck over to it, and pulled out a cheap steak knife from my bag. I went around to each of his tires and slashed them. I thought I was so clever, he popped the water balloon on me, and now it's my turn to do the popping. I threw out the knife and went to class.

When the school day came to an end, I started to walk home. I couldn't believe I was getting away with this. I felt powerful. That is, until I heard Chad yell my name. My stomach dropped, and my body turned cold with fear. Looking behind me, I saw Chad and his posse walking aggressively towards me. Chad looked furious, and I knew I was about to get beat. I started sprinting away as quickly as my legs would take me, but it was no use. Chad tackled me to the ground, knocking the air out of my lugs.

"You slashed my fucking tires?" Chad screamed, his face red.

"I don't know what you're talking about Chad, get off me!" I yelled, trying to get out from under Chad. He held me down by my wrists, and I couldn't wiggle free. Chad was stronger than me.

"It's time you learn there's no place for shit eaters at my school!" Chad growled his words at me, and I watched him raise his fist, and hammer it down on me. I was instantly disoriented. All I could hear was the ringing in my ears, and the smacking sound that Chad's fist made when he hit me. He punched me repeatedly, and warm blood trickled down my cheek. My body was going limp. Chad stood up and his friends moved in to kick me. They kicked my stomach so hard I could taste blood. The kicking stopped, and through blurred vision, I saw chad bend over and bring his face close to mine.

In a low, threatening tone, he said, "Time to say goodnight, shit eater." I saw his foot coming towards my face. Suddenly, everything went black.

Chapter 2 -- The Hospital

At first, all I could feel was pain radiating throughout my body. It was a dull ache, just bad enough to be impossible to ignore. I opened my eyes, but they wouldn't open all the way. I started to panic and tried to sit up.

"I'd relax yourself if I were you. Seems you took quite a beating." The voice came from next to me. I couldn't turn my head to see who spoke, but it sounded like an older man.

I tried to speak, but my jaw was stiff. All that came out was a stifled groan.

The man spoke again, "just relax, I'll call a nurse for you." I took his advice and relaxed. Trying to move caused only more pain. I lied back, trying to process my situation. I sat in my confusion until I felt a warm touch on my arm.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Saunders. I'm Nurse Jennifer, and I'll be taking care of you. You suffered some serious injuries. Two cracked ribs, full-body muscle bruising, and a hairline fracture to your skull. You're lucky to be alive." Her voice was relaxing, but her news was unsettling. I felt a rush of emotions wash over me. Fear, anxiety, anger, but all I could do is let out another pathetic groan.

The nurse empathized with me, "I understand how you must be feeling. Getting hurt so seriously can be scary. However, I hope your take comfort knowing that the people who did this to you are facing criminal charges, and cannot hurt you anymore." She was right, I was happy to know Chad was in trouble for putting me in here.

The nurse continued, "You need rest to recover. I know you're in a lot of pain. I'm going to give you an intravenous drug that will help with pain management, and make you sleepy." She removed her hand from my arm, and through my impaired vision I saw her get up and move beside me. "All done. Rest well Mr. Saunders."

I immediately felt the drugs, and right before I passed out, I heard the nurse say, "How are you this morning, Mr. Equinox?"

I heard the male voice from earlier say, "Better than him." He let out a laugh. The drugs were taking their full effect, and I couldn't focus anymore. I faded out.

For the next few days, I would fade in and out of consciousness. Each time I awoke, Nurse Jennifer would appear and ask me how bad my pain was. I would point at a 1-10 scale, and she would give me more drugs. One of the times I woke up, I heard a moaning sound coming from the bed next to me. It sounded like someone having sex, but I was too high to focus, and I fell back asleep. It was probably just a dream. After all, I had no idea how long I'd been in this dazed state, and my mind could be playing tricks on me.

I woke up some time later, and Nurse Jennifer came in and said, "Your pain levels have been receding, I'm going to start weening you off the pain killers." The next day my focus was more attentive. My jaw was looser as well, and I could talk.

Without the painkillers, I could feel my body. A wave of particularly bad nausea hit me, and I mumbled, "For fuck sakes," in reaction to the pain.

The old man laughed loudly beside me, and through his laughs he said, "Two weeks without a word from you, and the first thing you say is 'for fuck sakes.'" He kept laughing. His laugh was contagious, and I started laughing too. It felt good to laugh after all this misery.

When we both calmed down, I introduced myself. "My name is Kyle, but people call me by my last name, Saunders."

The man replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyle Saunders. The name's Vernel Equinox. But you can call me Vern."

"It's nice to meet you, Vern. Sorry if my groaning bothered you." I sincerely felt bad. It's bad enough to be in a hospital without some kid making noises beside you.

"I'll tell you what Saunders, I'll forgive you if you tell me what the hell happened to you." He said.

I had no problem telling him. "Some school bully thought I slashed his tires. He and his friends beat the shit out of me." I couldn't turn my head and look at the guy, but I liked the sound of his voice. It sounded deep and raspy, like a 50s jazz singer. It had charm to it, and that made me comfortable talking to him.

"Damn kid, that's rough. Between you and me, did you do it?" he asked.

I paused for a minute. I shouldn't incriminate myself, but I found it hard to lie to this man. He inspired honesty in me. It almost made me feel like I was acting out of character, but I figured it was probably the drugs. Quietly, I said, "The guy has been tormenting me for years, and I just took it. It wasn't until he threw a piss-filled water balloon at me, I just snapped."

"The kid threw a piss-filled water balloon at you? God damn. If he did that to me I'd slash more than his tires. Good for you for sticking up to a bully. Even if it landed you here."

"Thanks Vern." After that, we watched TV in silence for the rest of the evening, and eventually I fell asleep.

The next morning my body felt considerably better. Nurse Jennifer came in and told me that we're going to start physiotherapy, and that I had to get out of bed and move to a wheelchair. She wrapped her arms around me and helped me to sit up. It was a struggle, and my abdomen radiated with pain. Jennifer pulled my legs and moved my body so I sat on the edge of the bed. I looked up, and saw Vern for the first time. The sight was beyond unexpected. Vern was an ancient looking man. His wrinkled skin was a dark shade of black, and he was bald. What were especially unusual were the markings on his skin. He was covered in white symbols. I could only see his arms and head, but they appeared to be all over his body. The symbols looked like hieroglyphics, and I could swear they were glowing. Vern looked at me, and his eyes looked demonic. They were black with white pupils. He looked like a monster.

When we made eye contact, I felt a spike of anxiety rise up through my body. I felt like I shouldn't be looking at him, and had the overwhelming sensation to avert my eyes. Luckily, Nurse Jennifer pulled me out of my transfixion.

"I'm going to lift you into the wheelchair. Ready?" She said, and she took my arm around her back and eased me from my bed to the chair. She started to wheel me out of the room.

Vern said, "Good luck."

I replied, "Thank you."

Nurse Jennifer replied, "No problem," as if I was thanking her.

That's when I noticed that I didn't actually hear Vern say 'good luck' with my ears. I heard it through my thoughts. It was like he spoke directly to my mind. I was feeling uneasy.

"Nurse Jennifer, do the drugs you gave me have side effects? I feel like I'm hearing things that aren't there." I asked.

"Well, the drugs don't have any psychological effects, but everyone reacts to them differently, so it's not impossible. You also sustained a head injury, and it's common for thing to feel out of place while your mind recovers. Let me know if you want further testing."

"I'm sure it's nothing." I brushed it to the side. Nurse Jennifer was right, it's probably nothing serious.

Nurse Jennifer rolled me into an exercise room and started showing me some light exercises to strengthen myself. I began the process of retraining my muscles. After a while, Nurse Jennifer gave me a break. I was thinking about Vern. He looked so unreal.

I thought I'd try to find out more. "Nurse Jennifer," I asked, "do you know anything about the man I'm roommates with? Vern?"

"He's a just nice elderly man. Doesn't seem to have any visitors—no friends or family. But, he keeps his spirits high. His voice is delightful too, eh?" She said. I wondered if she was actively avoiding talking about his appearance.

"Yeah he is really nice. But, do you know anything about those tattoos on his body?"

"What tattoos are you talking about?" Nurse Jennifer replied.

I was confused. "You know, those white symbols on his body?" I asked. Nobody could possibly see him and miss the symbols. She must be messing with me.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Saunders. Vern doesn't have any symbols on his body." She said, sounding as confused as I was. I didn't know why she was ignorant to the obvious markings on Vern. I decided to drop it, and continued with my physiotherapy.

It may have only been a few hours, but it felt like an eternity of exercise took place before we finished. It was painful, grueling work, and I would have to do it daily for the next few months if I was to recover. The thought of it was depressing. Nurse Jennifer wheeled me back to my room, and I was nervous to see Vern again. He may have been nice, but seeing him again made me feel uneasy. However, when I got back to my room, his bed was gone. Nurse Jennifer helped me back onto my bed, and told me to get some rest. After the workout I did, I needed rest desperately. The second I shut my eyes, I was asleep.

I woke up several hours later, and the first thing I noticed was the TV playing in front of me. I looked over to see Vern flicking through the channels in his bed. I looked at his markings, pretending to still be asleep. That way, I could study him. Apparently, I was unsuccessful.

"You like my Milestones?" Vern said, without taking his eyes off the TV.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be looking. I've just never seen markings like that," I said,

embarrassed to have been caught.

"Don't worry about it, Saunders. Other than me, you're the first person to see them in a long time."

I had no idea what he was talking about, and I wanted to know everything about him. "Do you mind if I ask what they mean?"

Vern turned off the TV and sat up on the bed. "Look kid, you wouldn't believe me if I told you.

"Let me decide that." I said, enthralled in the suspense.

"Very well. I am a Time Numen. I was blessed with the ability to control time, and with it, people's minds." He said bluntly. "I call these symbols on my body Milestones. They mark my age like rings around a tree."

I was trying to process whether this man was crazy or not. "If you're so powerful, can you prove it?"

Vern smiled. Nurse Jennifer walked in the room, and looked at me. She didn't say a word, she just blankly stared. She started to pull up her shirt. She lifted it over her head and tossed it down next to her. Then, she unclipped her bra, and let it fall to the floor. Her breasts hung freely in front of me. My jaw hit the floor.

"What the hell?" I mumbled to myself. Vern chuckled. Nurse Jennifer reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out a pen.

"Catch," she said in a monotone voice. She threw the pen at me, and right before it reached me, it stopped in midair. Bewildered, I reached out and touched it. It moved to my touch, but stayed in the air. It was frozen in time. Then, the pen flew back into Nurse Jennifer's hand. She said some gibberish sounding word before putting the pen back in her pocket. Her shirt jumped off the floor, back into her hands, and she put in back on. She stared at me for a second, and then walked out of the room backwards.

"Holy shit," was all I could muster. I turned to Vern, who was smiling.

"What do you think?" He asked, almost nonchalantly.

After I took a second to process, I quietly asked, "Vern, why are you showing me this?"

"Kyle, I'm dying. My family is long gone, and I have no friends. These powers have given me a truly unique and wonderful life, and I want to offer them to you."

"Why me?" I asked. I was still in disbelief of the whole situation.

"You remind me of myself when I was young—the underdog. Someone gave me these powers when I was downtrodden. I feel it's time to pay it forward. Besides, they won't be of much use to me when I'm dead." Vern chuckled, but not out of humour. It felt good spirited, but I could tell it was wistful as well. He spoke again, but this time his tone was more somber. "Today is my birthday, did you know that? I was born in South Africa, in the year 1390. Today, I turn 629. I can't believe it myself. It feels like I've been around forever. Yet, it feels like a blur. I'm going to die tonight." Vern let out a solitary tear. While he was talking, his markings started to glow. They were now bright, and radiating light.

"I don't know what to say, Vern. I'm sorry." I let out a tear too. I wasn't really sure why. Vern's mood seemed to control the room.

Vern looked up at me. "Do you want my powers, Kyle?"

I stared at Vern. I felt so conflicted. My mind couldn't process all this information. I froze up. Suddenly, I felt calm, relaxed even.

"Do you want my powers, Kyle?" Vern didn't say that out loud, but his voice echoed throughout my head. He was in my mind.

"Yes." I thought. Then my world went white.

Chapter 3 -- Recovery

I awoke in my hospital bed, and the first thing I noticed was that I had no pain. I felt strong, as if I fully recovered. Suddenly, memories of the last night rushed into my mind. I looked to see Vern next to me, but he was gone. Nurse Jennifer walked into the room.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Saunders. I'm Nurse Jennifer, and I'll be taking care of you. You suffered some serious injuries. Two cracked ribs, full-body muscle bruising, and a hairline fracture to your skull. You're lucky to be alive." She said.

"What the fuck?" I thought. "Where's Vern?" I asked her.

"I'm sorry?" Nurse Jennifer asked.

"Vern! The old guy who was in the bed next to me?" I said frantically.

"Mr. Saunders, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. This is a single room, and you're only just waking up from your surgery now." She said, looking concerned.

I sat up quickly, pulled my blanket off me and stood up out of the bed. Nurse Jennifer rushed over to me.

"Mr. Saunders! You need to stay in bed! You've suffered serious injuries!" she was freaking out. "You shouldn't even be able to stand up!"

I didn't care about Nurse Jennifer or her instructions. I felt fine. All I cared about was learning what the hell happened to me, and where Vern was.

I spoke sharply to Nurse Jennifer, "How do you not remember Vern? We spoke about him yesterday? I asked you about his markings?"

She looked distressed, and in a confused tone, "Mr. Saunders, this is the first time you and I are speaking."

"Was it all a dream?" I thought to myself. I sat back on my bed and rested my head in my hands.

Nurse Jennifer tried to console me, "Mr. Saunders, I see that you're feeling frustrated. If you just try to get some rest, you may feel better. I have pain management drugs I can put you on."

"No!" I quickly replied. There was silence for a moment. I tried to calm myself, and spoke again, "No, I want to be discharged."

"I'm afraid you cannot be discharged so soon after a surgery, you risk furthering your injuries. You'll need to stay here for at least 48 hours. It's the law."

I found this unacceptable. The idea of staying in this hospital bed for 48 hours was a nightmare. I felt anger rising up in me, and I stood up to face the nurse.

"I want to be discharged today." I said with authority, smoldering at her.

Nurse Jennifer's expression turned from being upset, and she looked at me blankly for a second. Unexpectedly, she smiled and said, "Yes sir! I'll draw up your discharge papers right away. Sit tight." She turned around and walked out of the room.