Reverse Time

CHAPTER 2_ Broken Clock

(Several months earlier)

A splash of cold liquid hits my skin.
I jolt awake, gasping.

For a few seconds I don't know where I am or who's standing over me.
Everything blurs-noise, shadows, darkness pressing on my skull.

A voice cuts through it like an echo inside a steam-filled bathroom.
Deep. Distorted.

I blink hard. My head feels full of insects crawling, biting at nerves.
I press my palms to my face and shake my head.

The voice sharpens.

"Are you deaf? This is the thousandth damn time. Close. The. Door.
If someone walks in and steals half the systems here, you're so out of it you wouldn't even flinch. Your brain fights understanding like it's a full-time job."

Time snaps back into place.
The room.
The smell of alcohol.
Him.

I open my eyes fully. Kamyar stands over me, arms crossed.

"You were dreaming?"

I ignore him. His gaze drops-widens with disgust.

"Ohhh. Someone was having fun, huh?"

I drag myself upright, pull my legs in.

"Your grandma," I mutter.

He kicks my shin.

"Watch it."

He tosses his bag aside and scans the floor-bottles, cigarettes, an empty pill blister.
He exhales sharply.

"You wanna swallow all these? Fine. But mixing that crap with alcohol is a good way to die from an overdose."

I snort.
"Die? Really?"

He scoffs.
"Don't act tough. You and the Grim Reaper are close personal friends these days. I'm worried about your wife-two days without hearing from you and she'll break my SIM card in half."

I rake a hand through my hair. Every muscle aches like metal plates are tied to me.

"When you come to hang out in this dump, at least text her. Tell her: 'Hey babe, still alive. I ditched you to come here and have technicolor dreams. Don't wait up.'"

He starts singing dramatically:
"Let me stay in my ooown vibeee..."

I glare.
"Why are you here, Kamyar? To piss me off? You never show up mid-week."

He rolls his eyes.
"You forgot? We have work to finish. I came to see where the hell you left things."

I push myself up, leaning on the wall. The room tilts.
My legs cross like they're arguing with each other.

He clicks his tongue.

"And I actually counted on you today. It's Thursday. Who the hell is gonna-"

"Wait... what day did you say?"

He lifts his hand. Five fingers.

My stomach drops. I bend down-nearly falling-and grab my phone off the tile.

Missed calls from Yashar.
A long, raw groan escapes me.

"Shit..."

I type with shaky fingers:
Be there in an hour.

I grab my T-shirt from the floor. It's damp, reeks of alcohol.
I curse and throw it back down.

"I need a shower."

"Here?? We still don't have a water heater. It's freezing."

I ignore him and walk to the bathroom. He follows, gripping the doorframe.

I undo my belt and drop it.

"You got a T-shirt or something? I don't have time to go home and change."

I eye his outdated pullover and wrinkle my nose.
He frowns.

"What? Doesn't fit your aesthetic? Sorry we don't wear fancy brand tees or keep up with your trendy crap."

He hooks a finger under the waistband of my underwear, pulls, lets it snap back.

"Not all of us walk around in Calvin Klein, buddy."

I jerk away. Turn the water on.
Glance back.

"Get in. Let's shower together."

His grin spreads.
"Yeah... you go ahead."

He shakes his head.

"Cold water might actually cool that temper of yours."

He points at a small wooden shelf.
"There's soap and shampoo too. Knock yourself out."

I yank off my pants and throw them in his face.

"What do you think I am, desperate enough to use your crappy soap? Not everyone's like you."

I shut the door on his annoyed face and step under the freezing water.

Cold hits my skin.
I close my eyes.

Something's wrong with me.
I'm a broken clock-stuck between past and present, unable to tick in either direction.

Every time I close my eyes, those years-those moments with her-flood back.
I don't know what's real, what's memory, what's nightmare.

Time runs backward for me, dragging me toward that single moment where everything stopped.

I stayed there.
Only my exhausted body kept moving.

I need to pull myself together.
Before the nightmares return.
Before I forget why I'm still alive.
Before I lose my purpose again.

I need to pull myself together.