Bob Smith 2: Fear and Self Loathing

Consultation

It had been a rough few weeks for Alexandra Petersen.  She had been kidnapped twice, lost her job, gone hunting for a new job, and had a difficult meeting with her bank about a late mortgage payment because of the missing job.

After all that, things were just starting to turn around.  She'd landed another office job, which she had just started that Monday.  All she had to do was keep herself occupied for a few more days.  Besides that, she had met a most interesting man.  To be honest, he wasn't really a man, but he looked the part and had a very unusual way of looking at things.  So unusual, that he seemed to overlook her most obvious feature, a feature that was a deal-breaker for most men.

It was too bad that this was a Thursday.  Despite his inhuman past, Alex really felt safe with Bob Smith.  Twice he had come to her rescue like a knight in shining armour, minus the shining armour.  Even the first time he had seen the old scar cutting a swath across her face, he had never so much as flinched.

Alex could hardly wait for the weekend when she could be near him again.

As she sat on the couch relaxing, Alex heard the doorbell.  Of course, she got up and checked the peephole.  When she realized who it was, she opened the door.

Even though it lifted her spirits to see him again before the weekend, Alex was still confused.

"Bob?"

"I have a problem."

"I know you've got problems.  You're paranoid.  You don't let people get close to you.  And that doesn't even cover..."

He didn't let her finish.  "No, I know.  But this is worse."

"Worse than alien bugs trying to kill you for money?"  It was difficult to believe that life could get any worse than what he already had.

"Much worse.  Do you mind if I come in?"

"No, of course.  Come on in."

Alex locked the door behind him and took him through to the living room.  Once there, she turned and headed into the kitchen.

"Have a seat there, Bob.  I'll get some tea and we can talk about it."

Within a few minutes the tea was brewed and Alex returned to the living room with two cups.  She put one down in front of Bob and then sat down next to him on the couch with hers.

"There.  Now, what's wrong?"

"Timmy saw me."  When they had first met, Bob had a habit of dancing around the truth, but over the weeks, he had softened to her and was now able to come out and tell her.

"Who's Timmy?"

"He's the boy who lives upstairs.  He saw me."

"I assume you don't mean the way you are now."

Bob looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers in memory of what had happened earlier.  As he stared down, he began absently picking bits of gore from under his fingernails.

"No, he saw the worst."

"Do you know how it might have affected him?"

"He didn't scream.  He didn't even move the whole time he was there.  I'll never forget that look.  He just stared at me like I was the most terrible..."  He buried his face in his hands, too distraught to even look at his friend.

"You know you have to talk to him."

"I know, but I don't know what to say.  He's a good kid, and I really don't want him to be afraid of me.  I was thinking about it the whole way here, and everything leads back to showing him, well, this."

Bob lifted his head, and it only took a second for his hands to sprout razor sharp talons.  Alex's eyes bugged out.  This was the first time she'd seen those claws up close and personal.

"Look, Bob.  You told me they've been through a lot.  Was this really that bad?"

"I couldn't help it.  It didn't matter what I did, I couldn't stop it.  There were pieces of it all over the yard.  Even after I ripped out its sternum, it just kept coming."

"Wait."  Alex could hardly believe what she'd just heard.  "Pieces?"  She was having trouble forming complete sentences.  "You ripped out..."  She put her hand to her chest, indicating.  "its..."

Bob looked at her face.  Alex was more stunned than horrified as Timmy had been, but this was too much.

"I should go."  He said it plainly.  It was just a matter of fact.  Bob got up to leave.  Alex followed with less enthusiasm than usual.

"I don't know what to say that might help."

"Thanks anyway."

Bob turned to walk away and the door closed behind him.  Just inside the door, Alex thought she heard him talking to himself before walking away.

"That just made things worse."