Part IV: The Inevitable

After finishing a long series of emails, Johnathan lies on his sofa, watching a news broadcast of an upcoming winter storm. 

"I should probably find my coat" he thinks to himself. 

So far this winter, there hasn't been a single snowflake falling outside. It's odd considering that the year prior, winter arrived early. There was a pretty intense blizzard that kept most people inside for several days. Maybe it'll be a repeat of last year. "Hopefully it doesn't get that bad this year."

Jonathan rises from his seat, dragging his feet toward his bedroom. He remembered he was out of orange juice, but didn't want to leave the house. Maybe he could have something delivered? Yea, that seemed like a good option. He wouldn't have to cook dinner either. Pizza maybe? Decisions, decisions.

He checks his pockets. That's right, he left it upstairs to charge. "I should probably check my messages while I'm at it" he thinks to himself.

Entering his bedroom, he glides toward his nightstand automatically. It's where he always puts his phone and keys. "100 percent. Good." 

Jonathan spots movement out of the corner of his eye, but he isn't startled this time. He just ignores it as he watches his phone power on.

"Hey, I just had an amazing idea. Wanna hear it?"

Jonathan sighs. "What are you, some kind of magician? I didn't even hear you walk in."

"Still not getting it huh. You're pretty dense. "

"Whatever. I'm getting food, so unless you're paying then get out already."

"Oh come on now, don't you want to hear my idea? It's a bit wacky, but hear me out okay?"

Jonathan is partly ignoring him as he looks through the different menu options. "Uhuh, just say it already."

Felix claps his hands and plops down on Johnathans bed. "Okay, so you know that storm that's coming? Mighty big one I'd say. Probably gonna get snowed in."

"Probably" Jonathan continues typing away on his phone, half listening, half contemplating whether to purchase regular or cheesy bread sticks.

Felix continues. "So I say, go get as many groceries as you need, maybe pick up a cutie along the way and some video games. You remember those, right? After that, turn your phone off for, let's say two to three weeks. Don't show up to the office, and lock your doors while you're at it. "

"So a vacation? Yea I don't do those."

"Not exactly. Anyway, I'm thinking that by the three week mark everyone you know will start to actually get worried about you. Shocking, I'm sure. You'll have missed a few meetings, but it's whatever. First time for everything of course. Hell, people will probably start to think you died! And of course, after trying to contact you for so long, they have a look around and eventually make their way down to your precious basement. And there you will lie, slumped over on that desk you love so much! Next to you, there's going to be a letter telling whoever happens to find it how sad and pathetic your life really was, and how you were so full of regret, haha"

"...The fuck is wrong with you?"

"Better question is, what's wrong with you? I mean think about it, if you want things to change, and you want to be loved for once, how about you get a pair, then go ahead and blow your brains out. I'm sure you'll make a nice juicy splatter all over the room while you're at it - "

"Shut the fuck up!" Jonathan throws his phone at Felix, who dissipates into black smoke while laughing. The smoke begins to twist and form again, throwing the phone back toward Johnathan who takes it straight to the face. That split second of confusion is enough for Felix to materialize again, slamming Johnathan against the wall. 

"Use your head man! The only way people are going to love you as you are, is if you're dead you bozo." Felix's words echo around him. Jonathan struggles to get up, attempting to swing at the smoke around him.

"It'll be all over the internet for about a week, hell maybe two to three before people will begin to forget about you of course. That's just how things are these days. People don't really know what they have until it's gone, and once it's replaced with something else then it's gone for good!"

Jonathan continues frantically swinging left and right, trying to hit anything. Doing so, his foot gets caught in the mess of clothes lying around and he falls face first onto the floor. His head is ringing from the impact, and as he tries to stand he finds himself unable to move. Felix stands above him, foot on his chest, and it feels as if he weighs hundreds of pounds. Johnathans breathing becomes ragged, and he struggles to move something. Anything. But he can't.

"Now, see you're taking your anger out on the wrong person my friend. How about you give yourself a nice big hug when this is all over, maybe have a nice cry in the shower as you reflect on your pathetic little life, and just go along with my plan. Because while you may think the life you're living is awesome, it's really not. It's a waste of time of course, and you're going to just end up alone with nobody by your side at the end. You literally have nothing to live for."

Struggling as he might, Johnathan is unable to move. He slowly begins to accept his fate, as the crushing weight makes him lose consciousness. There's nothing he can do now, and as his world fades to black he sees Felix staring at him with the same cold dark empty eyes that seem to stare straight through to his soul.