That night Jim had to work the shift.
He was horribly hungover.
Jim was no stranger to the world of the hangover, but G-Juice hangovers were on a whole new level...
His heart was pulsating so far it felt like it was going to burst.
And for the first time ever his hands were shaking.
He found it really difficult working.
Then there were the sweats.
He took a look at himself in the mirror, and a pale ghost with dark eyes was looking back back at him.
"Next time I might put some G-Juice in a flask before coming to work," he said to himself.
He new it was illegal to drink at work but: "The G-Juice will help me focus. I will work better with a drink..." And that was all the justification he needed to enable his habit.
He undid the top buttons of his short and sat at his desk and continued to sweat like a dead pig slowly roasting on a spit.
He had never felt more miserable in all his life.
To think only a few seconds ago he was drink with Jo and making up all these fine plans for a video web series...
Look at him now?
Shaking and barely alive.
He didn't even feel human.
Unfortunately for Jim things were about to get worse.
His co-worker Jon had turned up for work early, and saw the horrible state the man was in.
He laughed because he knew what the problem was. he had seen Jim come and go in nights passed all bleary eyed and flustered with the old evil. But he had to admit: 'You look like hell today!'
Jim wanted to say something sarcastic but he was too ill for that sort of business.
He just wanted to be left alone.
'I was wondering,' said Jim, finally finding a small amount of strength to enable him to talk, 'if I could go home early tonight.'
'Not a chance,' Jon replied.
'Then could you be so kind as to not talk to me for the rest of the night. I am not good company right now.'
'We have got a job to do. So stop messing around.'
'You won't be able to push me around forever,' said Jim.
And Jon said, 'I ain't pushing no one around.'
'You always play these damn mind games,' Jim retorted. 'I am sick of it! But let me tell you something! I have a plan. And it will get me out of this infernal place, and off of this horrible shift once and for all.'
Jon heard this and laughed. 'You talk some trash,' he said.
'I mean it Jon,' Jim returned. 'I have got an idea. And it will make me enough royalties to support an early retirement without the need of a damn pansion.'
'Tell me about it. I am interested.'
'I am not telling you my ideas!'
'Why not? As far as I know you could be talking a lot of hot air. Tel me your great idea that's going to make you the big money!'
'Alright. Listen to this. I am going to start a mystery web series. That's right. it will go viral. You will see.'
Jim was surprised by Jon's reaction.
He was expecting the big man to laugh him off but actually Jon seemed very interested and explained that he loved computer and the internet and that he was actually really into all that kind of thing, saying it was the future of business.
Finally Job asked whether or not he had a website.
'No yet,' Jim replied.
'Why not?'
'Because... Well to be honest I don't know how to build one... not yet... but...'
'Look here. I have got a shortcut for you. And it's free. I'll introduce you to Rig the PC guy. I met him while I worked for Intel back when I was a contractor.'
'Right, whatever.'
Rig got the website sorted really quickly.
Jim had to admit he was very impressed.
When Rig first turned up Jim rushed to the phone. The man was huge and looked like a thug out of a 1980's gangster movie. Jim thought he needed help from the police, and was minutes from calling when a soft voice spoke through his door, 'I am here to help!'
Rig was actually he softest person he had met in a long time.
Six fought tall and built like a bear, he had the personality of a teddy bear. Jim felt that he could have bullied the big around he felt inclined to. He met very few people in his day to day business that actually had lower self esteem than he did.
'I hope that this website is to your standards and to your like sir,' said Rig after the job was completed.
'Well I will see in the next few days won't I?' Jim replied.
'Well if it doesn't work like you want it to this is my number,' said Rig. 'I hope you will be happy with my work. And if you decide that you are satisfied then a like on my business page would be appreciated.'
'If I have time I will do it,' said Jim. 'Now get out! I have work to do.'
Jim and Jo had been working like mad with the camera.
They already had several videos ready, and when the website was finally up and running Jim uploaded all of them.
Tunnel Mysteries was no truly live: up and running and on the map for all the world to see!
'Good times be these,' said Jim, rubbing his hands together.
Later that day, with the G-Juice flowing, Jim started telling Jo about his future plans for videos.
Jo might have actually said something, if his brain hadn't unravelled so badly before the march of the Juice. But at that time he was a barely breathing mushy corpse of a man.
'We are going to be famous,' said Jim. 'You will see. Things are going to turn around for us. Tunnel Mysteries is going to be the next big thing. I can feel it. We are going to make this work Jo. And G-Juice is going to be the key. I don't know what it is but I feel inspired whenever I drink it. All these ideas start to grow. These ideas grow like plants, and like trees. Right now there is a jungle swaying to and fro inside my brain- a jungle of thoughts! All I have to do is cut back the thicket, and root out the finest crops. Pick the best ideas.
'One more drink and I am done here. I shall go home and sleep. Rest well, Jo. I am going to need you at your best in the morning because tomorrow we have a lot of work to do!'
Jim check the website before he went to bed. There was a message waiting for him.
He opened it.
It was sent by anonymous and read:
I AM WATCHING YOU.
Jim thought it was a joke.
Before he went to bed he looked out of the window.
Someone was standing by the lamplight below.
They were standing on the opposite side of the light so the stranger was swathed in darkness. They stood there like a statue, and to Jim it felt like they were looking up at his window.
Jim closed the blinds and got into bed.
'I am just being paranoid,' he said. 'No one is watching me. I am not that interesting a person!'
And then he remembered the website, the videos, and the email message he had just read.
It all seemed to bleed together.
What if someone had seen his videos and was tracking him?
But why would anyone do that?
Jim struggled to sleep that night, and the hangover the next day made him feel even worse.
Previous part here
[This story for me is an experiment in spontaneous writing. I am just doodling about with this one, throwing down ideas and see where it will lead me and the characters. Scroll down to see the earlier parts of this story. Thank you.]
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