"I guess you have to come into the office and do it then!" The man angrily mocked, his hands nearly white from clutching the steering wheel.
"It's a fucking Sunday afternoon, Sam!" The man argued back. "ZBT Industries isn't going to collapse if they don't have their quarterly report before their morning coffee. I'll come in early Monday and get it done!"
Rain spit wildly against the windshield as he drove a bit too fast for his own comfort. He didn't quite care, though.
"Alex, we all play a critical role on this team." He continued to mock. "When you don't do your part, It makes you seem not very considerate of the team's responsibilities."
"Oh yeah?!" He lowered his foot a bit more on the gas pedal. "As considerate as making me drive into the office during a thunderstorm?!"
KRAKOOM!
The crack of lightning shook him from his imaginary debate. He exhaled slowly, allowing blood to return to his fingers while easing off the accelerator.
"Ok. Ok. Ok. Relax." He calmed himself. "This job sucks. But, it's not worth dying over."
Edward Smith LLC was only a couple of exits away and planted less than 100 feet from the highway, so each and every employee could enjoy the local traffic patterns. It stood a meager three stories and was brushed with the finest 'rhino gray' paint; the same gray as every other building in the Clark Industries Business Park.
"So, I get to the office by 4:15," He plotted. "Finish the stupid report by 7, Have a pizza ready for pickup by 7:10, get home by 7:30, and devour the entire thing while finishing last season of The Office."
Alex needed this internship. The pay was fine, but he really just needed to appease his parents. He'd been on the job search for months before finally making it past the first round interview. His lips were beyond sore from kissing so much ass. He had to take the job whether he liked it or not.
It was his last year at university. Well, it was his second time trying at least. Accounting with a minor in Combinatorics. Just saying the title made him bored. He tried Actuarial Science initially hearing that the money was great. It was... If you could pass. The number crunching didn't do it for him, but he was pigeon holed into this. His parents expected a successful son and success had a very rigid definition in his family. They loved him. He knew that. But, he never really had a choice in the matter.
The 22 year old straightened his back and exhaled deeply again. His short brown hair was still matted to his head from the short dash to his car from his apartment, a few strands covering his soft blue eyes. He stood about 5'6" on a good day and was a bit on the heavier side, but he made an effort to stay in shape… Somewhat. There was no shame in falling asleep with your hand buried in a bag of cheetos after a long day every once in a while.
KA-KA-KAKOOM
"Jesus," he shuddered. "It's supposed to be like this all night?"
It was fortunate he knew the route by heart. Visibility was so low he barely saw the exit signage fly past him. Turning into the business park, he huffed at the empty lot next to his building.
"I bet everyone else gets to enjoy their Sunday night pizza in peace…"
He pulled into a spot closest to the entrance, turned off the car, and re-stuffed all the items that had fallen out of his backpack during transit.
KAKOOM!
Another lightning strike zipped across the sky. It sounded much closer than the last couple of cracks, but what really stood out to him was the color. A vibrant violet hue illuminated the air briefly as it traveled.
"Purple lightning?" He pondered, furrowing his brow. "I need to get a shot of this."
He unplugged his phone from the car charging port and opened the camera feature. Holding it horizontally, he scanned the area where the last bit of lightning hit from the dry safety of his car. The sound of rain sputtered in the background of the video while he captured the harsh gray scene in front of him. He waited nearly a minute before his interest in the subject began to rapidly decline.
He ended the recording and started to lower his phone when the device slipped out from between his fingers. It didn't fall, though. Instead, it dangled freely in space for a moment before Alex snatched it from the air.
"What the hell?!"
He inspected the device as if he'd accidentally bumped the 'zero gravity' button. Turning on the video camera again, he re-scanned the area. This time, he spun the camera in every direction, making sure to get a full 360 degree coverage of the dreary downpour surrounding his vehicle.
Suddenly, a strange video artifact blipped across the screen. Then another. Then, the video began to stutter accompanied by a sharp whining noise emanating from the speaker. Alex then started to feel very physically strange. It was as if the air was gently prickling each bit of exposed skin while his clothing clung tightly against the rest of his body. He briefly glanced up in the rear view mirror to find his wet brown hair rapidly expanding into a stringy afro accompanied by a deep whirring sound building in his ears.
The phone was completely spazzing out at this point, the red recording dot still barely visible amongst the screen static zipping across the screen. He was beyond freaked out but maintained calm by repeating to himself that the metal cage of the vehicle is safer than making a run for the building door. He repositioned the phone against the window hoping to at least capture a snippet of the unique experience.
ZZZZZZZZZ….
The bassy buzz in his ears was growing louder and louder. Outside of the vehicle the ground began to vibrate, small stones dancing across the pavement like popcorn. Then, they stopped bouncing altogether and began to float. The concrete took on a familiar shade of purple, growing in intensity that matched the almost nauseating static-y whir.
That's when he felt the driver's side wheels leave the pavement.
"Uh oh…"
KAPANG!
An explosion of purple light no less than 50 feet from his car shook the earth. The driver's side of the vehicle raised about a half foot before crashing back to the ground when the bolt struck. He experienced a shockwave pulse through his body that felt almost exhilarating if he wasn't stricken with fear.
With his heart pounding in his chest, he gripped the vinyl upholstery to the point he felt it would tear. The car was feeling less and less like the safe option as each second passed. His eyes darted around the area looking for signs that another strike was imminent but all he saw was the gray sheet of rain engulfing his vehicle. He stuffed the phone back in his pocket and readied his things. He was going to make a break for the building.
"You're fast, and the door is right there," he tried to hype himself up then started repeating his newfound mantra. "You won't get zapped as long as you don't stop… You won't get zapped as long as you don't stop…"
Alex latched onto the car door handle, took one final deep inhale, and burst from the car door and into the gray abyss. It only took a few stomps across the pavement before he was completely soaked from head to toe. Visibility was already bad when peering through the car windshield, but now he could barely keep his eyes open with the stinging jabs of raindrops against his face. His feet slapped against the pavement as he dashed for the nearest entrance, the mixture of slosh and thud from his shoes almost entirely drowned out by the howl of the wind and rain.
Suddenly, the sound of his feet stopped altogether. Probably because they were no longer making contact with the ground. He flailed his arms and legs wildly trying to connect with something solid, but that only proved to discombobulate him. His body began to spin while his mind began to scream. Pebbles flew past his face in all directions. He felt his backpack slide up and off his body, looked up to follow its trajectory, and found the purple pavement glaring back at him. A familiar static cling feeling welled in his body as the violet hue grew in intensity.
ZZZZZZZZZZZ…..
Everything went black before he hit the ground.
Over 10 years ago, I attempted to write a Human x Anthro romance fanfiction for a series I didn't particularly care about. It is awful, and I implore you to avoid it at all costs.
Over 4 years ago, I wrote another Human x Anthro romance fanfiction for a film series I love. It was a bit rough around the edges, but I'm still proud of it.
Today, I present to you one more Human x Anthro romance fanfiction centered around OCs for a film I'm very fond of. I hope the writing stomps my other 2 into dust.
I hope you all enjoy Stuck: Redux.