Again

Waking up in the rhythm of the day, each morning like the one before. Rising up from the same small bed in the same small bedroom in the same small apartment. Showering with the same bottles of shampoo and body wash, drying himself with the same towel and eating the same toast. Joe gets dressed in the same outfit. A white button-down shirt with a dark brown tie tied with the same knot every day with the same black dress pants and with the same black dress shoes. It's always cold in the wintertime so he grabs his jacket from the coat rack, picking up his suitcase he steps out of his apartment, locking it with the one key on his key ring. The light in the small hallway is flickering, something different. The light always shines too bright but not this time. Outside walking down the street, some cars driving by, streets buses stopping and going, some shops starting to open up. It's still dark this early in the morning. Joe with his face down down on his chin using his overcoat collar to shield him from the chill and slight gusts of wind. He steps into the same coffee shop he always go's to. The bell on the door ringing, moving his head up from his coat he approaches the counter. "Good morning, Jane" Joe says "Good morning, Joe" Jane says giving him a smile "The usual?" she asks knowing the answer to the question. Jane then gives him his black coffee and Joe pays with a five-dollar bill, dropping the change in the tip jar before heading out back into the cold streets, his coffee will keep one hand warm. Still walking down the sidewalk for a few more blocks Joe finally arrives at the bus shelter. He sets down his briefcase and sips his coffee. While waiting for the bus a woman in a red coat approaches the shelter (something that is also different) and stands on the far side of it, also waiting for the bus. The bus arrives. Joe gets on the bus. So does she, the woman in the red coat. Sitting near the back Joe is looking out the bus widow as it drives down the street. Though there are plenty of people on the bus Joe can see the woman in the red coat from where he is sitting, her back towards him. The bus eventually comes to a stop, and Joe gets off at this stop. The same spot he gets off at everyday. The bus stops outside a large building home to an array of grey cubicles. Many cubicles and very few offices. Joe sits down in his after walking the many rows of others to finally reach his workspace. On his desk is; a desktop computer, a mug holding three pens and one pencil, a mouse pad and a mouse. Also, a poster to his right with a kitten holding onto a branch with "Hang In There" written in bold black letters (every cubicle has this poster) Joe sits down on his grey swivel chair and places his briefcase on the desk, opening it and pulling out papers, folders, and papers in folders. Setting all of them on his desk, he begins working. The day is gone because the night has come. Joe is standing outside his office building in the cold, slightly shivering while waiting for the bus. It comes. He gets on it, but it is busy, so he has to stand. Looking around the bus he sees the woman in the red coat, sitting down in the spot he was in this morning. Finally, the bus arrives at the shelter and he steps off the bus from the front exit and the woman in the red coat steps off from the rear. He pauses slightly taking a breath before walking home, the woman in the red coat walks away too, in the other direction. Joe walking down the street, the same side of the sidewalk he walks everyday and every night, passing by the coffee shop at the same time every night. He looks through the window of the shop and sees Jane, wiping the counter (as usual) and keeps walking back to his apartment. The light in the hallway is still flickering as he opens the door with his key. Entering the the room, he sets down his briefcase, takes off his coat and hangs it, removes his shoes, loosens his tie and walks into the small bedroom, laying down on the bed he stares up at the ceiling.

Again. Waking up, showering, eating, getting dressed, tying his tie, putting on his coat, picking up his briefcase, opening the locking the door. Joe leaves but before he does he takes another look at the flickering bulb in the hallway, staring at it. Something inside him draws to it like a moth. Outside walking in the cold, walking into the coffee shop "Good morning, Jane" Joe says "Good morning, Joe" Jane says giving him a smile "The Usual?" the sound of the change dropping into the tip jar is heard and so is the sound of the bell ringing from the door opening. Now standing outside the bus shelter, briefcase on the ground coffee in his hand waiting. The woman in the red coat arrives too. This time she looks at Joe and smiles, standing closer than the previous day. The bus comes and they both get on. Again, at his work now Joe opens his briefcase pulling out the papers, and folders and papers in folders, he begins working. Again, Joe waits outside his work for the bus until it comes, and he gets on and again seeing the woman in the red coat and again they both get off at the same stop and again walk in separate directions. Looking in through the coffee shop window and finally arriving back to his apartment. He takes off his jacket, takes off his shoes loosens his tie and lays down on his bed, starring up at the ceiling.

Again, Again, Again. Joe continues with the same morning, nothing changing. Walking into the coffee shop and hearing the bell from the door he walks up to the counter. "Hi, what can I get for you?" asks the male barista behind the counter. Joe pauses and can't think of what to say until he finally tells him "A black coffee" another pause. "Um, where's Jane" Joe asks the barista. He looks up and turns his gaze to Joe "She didn't come in this morning" he tells him "Oh" is all Joe says before leaving and dropping his change in the tip jar. Walking to the bus shelter was full of anxiety for him. He didn't know how to cope with his daily routine, his everyday rhyme not matching the same beat after all this long. When he arrives, there is something also different. The woman in the red coat is already there and she is closer to where he stands everyday. "We meet again" the woman in the red coat says while giving a small laugh "Hi" is all Joe says in response "What's your name?" she asks politely "Um, Joe" Joe says "Nice to meet you Joe" the woman in the red coats says smiling while looking down at his shoes. Nothing else is said and when the bus arrives, they both get on, Joe sits down and the woman in the red coat sits next to him. Again, nothing more is said.

In his cubical working Joe can overhear the men in the cubical across from him speaking "So, I brought her home, fucked her and kicked her out before the sun same up" one of the guys say while the other two laugh "Max you are the king" one of them says giving him a high-five and they all continue laughing. Joe from his cubical starts mumbling about their conversation. Max stops laughing, and peaks his head over the barrier looking down at Joe "Did you say something Joe?" Max asks acting intimidating. Joe looks up from his desk "Oh. No" Joe puts his head back down "That's what I thought" Max looking back at his friends and leaning on his desk "Fucking loser" he says loudly and brushing his fingers through his long, slicked back blonde hair shaking his head and the other two men start laughing again too. "Alright let's go walk by the break-room. Lauren from sales is wearing a skirt and I want to drop something and see if that cunt is wearing underwear" Max says and they leave. Waiting outside for the bus Joe is looking down at his feet, not shivering from the cold. When it comes, he gets on and takes a second, not to look for a seat but to look for the woman in the red coat. He doesn't see her. So, he begins walking to the back of the bus until a hand reaches out and touches his "Joe sit next to me" the woman in the red coat says, patting the empty seat next to her. Joe sits down and gives her a small smile, but avoiding eye contact or dialogue for the rest of the ride.

Again it's the next morning and Joe is in the coffee shop and again he does not see Jane. He gets his coffee and leaves without putting change in the tip jar and leaves for the bus stop. When he arrives at the bus shelter, he sees the woman in the red coat in the spot where he always stands "Hi again Joe" she says "Hello" Joe says back, feeling uncomfortable. Uncomfortable with the fact he is not waiting in his spot, the rhythm is wrong here. The bus comes, they both get on and they both sit beside each other. When the stop at Joe's work comes, he gets up to get off and the woman in the red coat says "See you later Joe" before he exits. Now in his cubical doing his work he overhears the guys in the cubical across him talking "You haven't heard anything from Max either?" one of them asks "No. Nothing" the other says "I'm sure he is just with a girl or something" after that is said both of the men laugh but with a worried tone. The bus comes while Joe is waiting outside his work and he gets on, seeing the woman in the red coat near the rear, sitting. She locks eyes with Joe and waves him over to the empty seat beside her. He sits down and nothing is said between the two, but a comfortable feeling is sparked inside Joe, like a small candle in a large dark room as he sits there. When the bus reaches the stop, they both get off at the same time and begin walking in their separate directions. "Joe" the woman in the red coat says, Joe stops and turns around to see her right in front of him "Joe, I-I don't want to intrude but...I can't be alone tonight. May I come home with you?" she asks. They begin walking down the dark street together, the same path that is familiar to Joe but strangely more familiar to the woman in the red coat. When they walk by the coffee shop Joe doesn't look through the window. Instead, he looks down at his hand which is now being held by the woman in the red coat. It's cold out, her hand is the cold too, colder than the winter weather, even in his hand. They arrive at Joe's door. The woman tightens her grip on his hand while Joe gets his key "Sorry" she says "I'm just afraid of the dark" she tells him this because the light in the hallway is no longer flickering. The light is dead. The light is dark, there is no light. They walk inside the small apartment "Here, you can hang your coat here" Joe points at the coat rack while taking off his coat and walking deeper into the apartment "Red is nice. I like your coat a lot" he says to her. He turns around and she is right behind him "It's white" "Pardon?" Joe asks not understanding "The coat Joe, It's white" the woman in the red coat tells him this and then proceeds to put one hand on his shoulder and the other on his face, spreading them part, tearing the skin and exposing his neck, then exposing her knife like teeth. She takes a bite out of Joe's neck and the blood from the open wound squirts over her face and jacket, all over her lips too. She stops and licks them. Joe falls to the ground trying to scream but no sound comes out as he lays there in a pool of his own blood. The woman in the red coat continues her feast and puts her mouth on his opened neck again, sinking her teeth deeper this time, absorbing as much of his blood and meat that she can.