Other Places 1: Shortcuts (3 page)

Zack pointed behind him at the front of the store.

"Lenore, the Vampire from across the way? I went to try and get a job, which I did, but it's only a few hours a week. She suggested that I come and get you to hire me, since you need help and no one else wants the job for some reason."

He waited for a few seconds and then stuck out his right hand.

"Sorry, I'm Zack Hartley, and I can fix this store. If you want me to." This time he stopped before going on about how odd he was at least. After about ten seconds she started to nod.

"Zack? I'm Lisa Weis, and if you can start today I'll be your new best friend."

"Deal. First, are there some lights in here? I'm going to need to see what I'm doing."

She chuckled and showed him to the back, where there was a big gray panel box full of switches. He turned them all on, which didn't make the place pretty, but did let him see exactly what he was going to have to deal with, just as the phone in the woman's office rang twice. She ran toward it, so it was probably important. That wasn't his business.

No, Zack only had one mission now, which was to fix Candles and More as quickly as possible.

Hurrying he started by finding the gear needed for cleaning. They had a lot of it, most sitting unused and unopened in plastic wrappers in the supply closet. Whatever Lisa was in to, she wasn't going to be a micro-managing boss it seemed, which was where
he
was at his best. No one worked well being watched constantly, and people doing that to him had cost him more than one job in the past. Too much attention caused ripples in space, after all. People just didn't realize they were doing it.

First he dusted everything, not even bothering to move it, then he swept, twice. It barely made a difference at all. There was just too much grime. Still, now he wouldn't kick up as much dust when he did the next part, which involved him unloading all the boxes of product and organizing the shelves. Nothing in the place had a price on it at all, he noticed, as he did that.

Of course, they hadn't had a customer either, so it probably didn't matter. Not yet.

He was on his second mopping when Lisa came out and applauded, getting his attention.

"Wow. So, my new best friend, can you open tomorrow? I know it's a bit of a hardship, but we need to be open at nine in the morning and it's going to be a late night. There's an emergency going on, hence the warding I did earlier." She looked at him and shook her head, smiling. "I just meant... the mess."

Zack shrugged, "I didn't break the ward line. It means we have some boxes up front that I can't move however. I covered them with some material I found under the counter and built a little display. It sucks, but it's still better than nothing. Let me know when you plan to redo them and I'll fix the displays first next time. We should get something seasonal going anyway. A tree or something maybe?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"I didn't recognize you, so I figured you for a regular person. Are you in the guild?"

He shook his head.

"Um,
no
, I'm not a Mage at all. I'm just a shopkeeper. Now anyway. But yes, get me the keys and I can open the store on time." Or he could come in through the back, using the node that he'd carefully not looked at all day. He
really
wanted to, but then he wouldn't get anything else done at all. It would be like gazing into pure splendor, he figured. The giant rift called to him, but Zack resisted, needing to keep his new job, if possible.

The woman just blinked at him, her blonde hair and slightly round face, that way due to bone structure, not fat, a little pale from lack of sunlight. That or it was just the way she was built. He didn't exactly have dark skin either.

"O...K... Well, as long as you can open and take care of things it should be fine. Most of our work here is over the phone, but when I'm out it transfers to my cell automatically. There shouldn't be a problem, but if there is, common sense will normally fix it. Worse comes to it, just ask them to wait, or come back later. Now, go home so you can sleep. I don't want to scare you away on the first day."

The woman looked nervous and licked her lips a lot. It could have been the drugs Lenore had mentioned, or it might have been the emergency. Either way, she'd be better off with him around he decided.

The parking lot was actually a little busier than it was when he'd gotten there earlier. The keys in his pocket made him feel nearly trusted and important as he left the mall. A feeling which lasted all of twenty seconds. It was the three people walking toward the old car that got his attention first, the woman inside, who looked to be in her seventies at the very least, locked her doors as they closed with her.

Each of the three had an even gait, almost rolling and not exactly human. They stared at the woman intently, a thing that anyone could have seen without trying. They would have known it wasn't good as well. The car should have moved, but when the woman tried to start it, the stubborn thing just made chugging sounds. They weren't that far away, so Zack could hear the laughter. It wasn't enough that the Vampires were planning to eat the woman, they were making fun of her fear first. How obnoxious was that?

He wasn't feeling all that brave himself, but if he started making a big enough fuss, maybe some other people would come and scare them off. It
could
work. As he passed a very nice sports car, a cream colored thing that looked like someone had shined it minutes before, his mirror-self stared at him from the window.

"What the freaking hell do you think you're doing, Zackie boy? Are you going to crazy them into submission? Look, if you have to pick a fight, why don't you take on someone more your speed... Say the old lady in the car? No, wait. I kid... She'd easily kick your scrawny ass. Let me know if any of this is getting through to you."

"Fine, I'm stupid, I admit it. I won't let her be killed though. Not without trying to stop it." He walked toward the group one of them, a man in a blue jean jacket and eighties hairstyle jumping on the car hood, stomping a couple of times, making the woman inside scream just a bit, afraid.

"Stop!" Zack kept moving toward them, trying not to shake too much. He didn't have anything else, not even a witty follow up line. For some reason the truth inside him came out, like it normally did, when he bothered to speak. He couldn't stop it, almost like a type of truth Tourette's syndrome. "If you don't leave her alone, you'll have to fight me. It probably won't take long, but that's what will happen."

They laughed. Even the girl, who looked no larger than he did. One of them, the man that was hanging back a bit, sniffed the air. "Oh? The
food
is going to fight us? How scary." Just so no one missed the sarcasm, he pretended to shake, cowering a bit, pretending to cower away from Zack. It was like something from a b-movie about high school.

He saw the step that started the rush toward him, the man, who was dressed in black, coming at him faster than he could see. There was a missing place in the movement that the Vampire didn't notice. A looping rift in space that Zack spun through in comparative slow motion, causing the man to miss him totally. Before he could turn all the way around the other two were on him, their crossing paths making even more chances for him to get out of the way. After three passes, him spinning and turning, but not running away, there was a laugh. It was dark and deep, sounding smooth, but wasn't mocking as far as that went. Zack moved back, so he could see the new man, who turned out to be another Vampire. Of course.

"I'd suggest you kids run along now, before this man stops playing so nicely with you. It shouldn't be lost on any of you that he hasn't tried to strike any of you yet, even as you attacked. If you can't touch him, what do you think that means as to your long term survival if he changes his mind?" The smooth voice belonged to a well dressed, and muscular, black man, in a charcoal colored suit that was probably pretty expensive. Instead of listening to the obviously brilliant person that had walked up, one of the men tried to rush the new fellow instead.

That did
not
work at all well for Eighties Hair.

The man was struck down so hard Zack wasn't certain he hadn't felt it himself. The Vampire actually bounced when he hit the pavement. No blood poured from his skin as he stood, a snarl on his face.

"Fuck you big man. You're days are numbered! We own this world and we will not be denied!" Then he ran away, the other two following along at a much greater speed than would be possible for a human being.

The woman in the car still looked really scared as the remaining Vampire knocked on her window, pulling out a cell phone, one with a metal case that had that dull shine that real silver did if cared for well enough.

"Ma'am? It looks like you're having car trouble? Can I call someone for you?" He'd sounded cold and hard before and looked it, but now he sounded polite and soft. Smiling, with his mouth closed. The lady was very afraid it was clear, but she rolled her car window down nervously, just a bit.

"I... don't have anyone to call. I was trying to get to the store for some cat food, but... My car died on me. I managed to coast here. I don't know what to do."

Instead of putting the phone away, the dark skinned man smiled and nodded, made a fast call and then hung up after saying that he could use assistance for a tan car in the Westfield parking lot. That was all. Then he turned to Zack the smile dropping just a bit.

"I have to go to work, but those three might come back. I doubt it, but the young can be foolish at times. Would you be available to stand guard? My auto service will take care of this." He walked to the window smoothly, waving a bit.

"I told them that you're on my Triple A plan. They'll send a truck out and make sure to get you home, and fix the car for you ma'am. This man here..." He didn't ask for a name, since it was clearly what was expected.

"Zack. I'll stay here just to make certain those three hooligans don't come back." As if he could really
do
anything if they did. Mirror Him had been right about that, Zack didn't know how to fight at all. He could tell where not to be, but there were limits to that. He couldn't have gotten away from them if they kept after him for much longer, he didn't think. He'd get tired and they probably wouldn't. The woman seemed to feel better though, and the Vampire nodded to him then walked into the mall.

If he was the evening manager, then Zack needed to try and get
his
job. His car was one of those things that people normally mocked as being a substitute for a penis, even as women climbed in to ride back to the driver's bedroom. The suit was nearly as nice, clearly tailored, if not handmade. Looking down he realized that he looked a bit like a very poor street person. Well, maybe one that was only down on his luck, but it wasn't a nice comparison. It was cold, but the truck came along faster than seemed normal and the two men were friendly, as well as clearly human. One of them actually had the thing running in about five minutes and got the woman's address, so they could replace a few worn parts the next day for her.

After she drove off, Zack went home, noticing that the woman hadn't remarked on the superior speed of the attackers at all. For the most part that was normal. People thought they could see what was happening around them. They didn't. Most people barely looked at the world and were so blind to it that they didn't even realize it was happening. That was just the way they were, so it wasn't a failing, just a fact. Part of the human condition, for the most part.

He
saw
. Most of the time things that people didn't want him to. Zack hit the shortcut smoothly and then had to wait for the traffic to clear a little before going across to his own door. The yard needed work and the house needed to be painted, but for all that, it was home.

"Be it ever so humble." He hummed the words as he let himself in, using his house key, which didn't have a ring, just a piece of string to make it a little easier to get from his pocket.

Troy wasn't there, working nights at the dance club. The "Terran 2 LA". It was a stupid name, but the club did good business, and as a bartender his friend actually made decent tips on the weekends. Not as good as if he'd been a hot blonde woman, but , as he liked to point out, he had to work with what he had. That kind of summed him up after a fashion.

The man did his best with what he had, and didn't seem bothered by anything overly. Zack knew
he
probably seemed like that to a lot of people too, but with him it was a trick to keep from freaking out every ten seconds.

From across the room there was a movement in the wall of mirror tiles.

"Right...
That's
why you went and confronted those three goons hassling that old lady. You're a coward that runs around squealing like a little girl.
Please
. Now, I'll grant that you're a moron from time to time, but a chicken? No. Perish the thought." His reflection waved a hand lazily. "Now, good job, over all. You need to make sure you keep showing up like that and, do the people stuff too, not just the day to day work. Maybe bang that boss of yours a few times or something. Oh, wait, that's not very PC... Let me fix that... Hmmm... Oh, I know, do her doggy style. Animals are politically correct, right? PETA and all that?" Zack ignored the voice and headed to the kitchen. It wasn't fair, but he was hungry again anyway.

The single packet of Ramen wasn't exactly filling but his spine was in less danger of being digested after he ate it and washed everything. It wasn't hard to keep the kitchen clean when you ate noodles twice a day and nothing else. As a treat he had it with a single pack of hot sauce that Troy had stolen from Taco Bell for him. Well for both of them. It was delicious. Not as good as the caramel thing that Lenore had given him earlier, but that kind of thing probably wouldn't be happening all the time. He needed to remember to appreciate what he had. Right now that was a distinct lack of starvation. It wouldn't last long, but it was a good thing.

Soon, if everything went well, he'd get to have real food again. Meat. Maybe something with a vegetable. A little part of him didn't really believe it, since keeping a job was hard, but at least he had a bit of hope now.

Almost as if actually doing what he'd said earlier, Mirror Him wasn't a huge bother, meaning he got to listen to the radio for a little bit and get to bed early. The guy could be a pain when he didn't get what he wanted. Right now though, it was all about sleep, for nearly ten glorious hours. It was probably the lack of calories, but he'd taken to sleeping a lot in the last few months. Starvation... or depression. The idea that he might not be perfectly happy wasn't exactly a stretch. After all, he had nothing.

Except for two jobs. That was a start, if he could manage to keep them.

The morning was better than the one before. He was able to get up and shower, shave and brush his teeth by seven-fifteen, which meant he had a bit of time to get into the shop. He had to open by nine, which meant sweeping and tidying before he did that. At least that was going to be his rule from now on. Get there early, stay late and make sure nothing was left undone. If he couldn't be sane, he could make an effort to get everything else done right.

His reflection waved, but didn't chat with him, yawning instead, being a bit of a bastard. It got him to do it too, which defeated the purpose of a reflection totally. Someday soon he was going to have a talk with that guy about what was actually normal.

"Morning, Sunshine! Ready for another day at the mine?"

Zack ignored him and finished up as quickly as possible, not wanting to engage with the guy. Ignoring him never worked, but it was the only thing he had really, so he did it anyway.

In the living room he found Troy playing a video game. It was an old one that they'd gotten at least a half year before. Zack was wearing the same clothing as the day before, which couldn't be helped for a bit really, but his roommate looked at him, already in a pair of pajamas, since he actually wore those to sleep in, and wearing a pair of purple slippers. It was a tidy look that didn't really fit their place. They were clean enough, but nothing they had was new.

They kept things looking as nice as possible, just in case either of them ever brought a woman home with them. That had been a while for Zack, but Troy managed once or twice a week to have company. Not always a different girl each time, but mainly.

"You're up early. Going job hunting?" He tried not to sound too hopeful about it, but it had been a rough bit of time for both of them.

"Going job
doing
. I actually got two yesterday, one full time. Both at Westfield mall? Candles and More, as well as a part time thing over at Yoghurt World. Not exactly rocket science, but it pays." How much he hadn't asked, assuming it would be minimum wage. It seemed his roommate was going with the same thought, but congratulated him anyway.

"Alright! I hadn't wanted to say anything, but your butt was starting to leave an imprint on my favorite cushion here." He grinned and hopped up without saying anything. A few minutes later he came back in, a nice purple silk shirt, with a lavender tie draped over his arm, as well as a pair of dress slacks, a slim black leather belt and a pair of shoes that would end up being much too large for him. They were about the same height, five-ten, but Troy had giant feet, nearly three sized larger than Zack's were. He'd have felt inadequate, but his were normal enough. Size ten. Troy was just a freak that way.

"I have a lot of clothes that you can wear, until you get paid a few times and we can go and get you some of your own. It will class this place up a bit. Or... Do you have to wear a t-shirt with a logo there? That's mainly chain store thinking isn't it?" Even as he kept talking a slightly dark hand passed the clothing over. "If so, they're missing out, you'll kill in this."