Shattering Normalcy

The tapping of keys, the shuffling of feet, the heavy sighs and yawns of workers, the jingling of keys, the shouting of superiors, were all normal sounds for Conduit Tech's main branch office building.

Just like the boss always says, "Be the Bee. For a Bee never rests, never takes a day off for sickness or play. The Bee is the ideal worker, so strive to be the same," or something along those lines.

Pharrus would always laugh when his boss, commonly known as the Witch of the Office, would present that line to a new employee. She had taken it from an old video game she had played as a kid. He often wondered how she had remembered such a phrase, guess the mindset must have inspired her in some way.

Unfortunately humans don't have the willpower to be the Bee. Most are weak, greedy, lazy, complacent, arrogant, or entitled.

Nonetheless, the Witch had turned Conduit into a multi-billion dollar company less than a year after she had taken control from the previous CEO. Whether it was her mentality, her authority, or just plain old luck, results were results and Pharrus couldn't help but admire her for it, but he still refused to work harder than necessary.

In his mind, the greatest thing about working for a massive company like Conduit was that he could linger in its shadow while basking in its sunlight all at the same time. The hard working Bees around him made it possible for him to simply watch from the sidelines, all the while just doing whatever he was told to do.

"Hey, Pharrus! You ready for the worker bonding trip tomorrow?" Pharrus's friend Damion was standing in the entrance of his cubicle, a stupid grin was plastered to his face. He knew all too well that Pharrus despised the "bonding trips" the Witch insisted on.

"Yeah, I'm so excited for it." He replied, his voice thick with sarcasm. "I can barely contain my enthusiasm, it's been a struggle for me to just sit here and do my work. I have half a mind to start running laps around the office yelling with glee at the top of my lungs."

"Pffft. Wow bud, I know you dislike the trips, but damn I never realized it was to this extent."

Pharrus sighed heavily before turning serious.

"It's not that I dislike the trips, it's more so that I don't want to put in the effort for something that I see as completely pointless. Going camping with a large group of my colleagues every few months is definitely something I could live without doing, and I don't see how it applies to the workplace."

"Well, we have to go, unless you want to be on the receiving end of the Witch's fury. Best to suck it up and just try to have some fun." Damion chuckled slightly before continuing, his expression turning perverse. "At least we might get to see some hotties at the lake this time."

Pharrus couldn't help but laugh. "It's not like you'll have the courage to talk with any of them. You're going to be a virgin for life my good friend. But don't worry, I'll be by your side through it all to make sure you remember that fact."

Damion stood for a moment with his mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with a retort. Pharrus could almost see the gears in his head turning as they worked harder than they had ever been forced to.

He decided on a simple, "I'll prove you wrong one day," before he turned and stormed off back to his own cubicle, which happened to be the one to the immediate right of Pharrus's.

The rest of the day went by without incident, following the same pattern it usually does. Work ends at 7:00, Damion, Pharrus, and a few other friends go out for dinner, Pharrus returns home and watches TV or reads until he falls asleep. Rinse and repeat, for the past five years he had lived his life in this way.

A sliver of sunlight shining through the partially drawn curtains above his bed roused him from a deep slumber the next morning. As he rose from his bed he surveyed his small flat closely, savoring the sight because he would soon have to depart on a weeklong camping trip.

There was the hole in the wall his little sister had made after her first breakup had forced her to stay with him for a time, the elegant armoire his father had made for him when he graduated, the large couch in the center of the living area that had been left by the previous owner, the wall of pictures his mother had forced him to put up, the small kitchen that never saw any use, and the small corner he had designated as his sleeping area. All in all it was more than enough space for a single person, but the blasted camping trips made Pharrus appreciate it all the more.

After breakfast and a quick shower, Damion buzzed in from below.

"Hey sleepyhead, it's about time to go. Hurry up you lazy shit."

With one last backward glance, Pharrus grabbed his small duffle and headed downstairs to meet his colleagues.

His place was the closest to the city gate, so he was the last to be picked up. To save time and money the Witch would rent a bus for the trip so that everyone could go together. It always reminded Pharrus of school field trips, just without the childlike excitement.

They were headed for Evergreen forest, one of the only remaining nature preserves left in the nation. The drive took nearly four hours, but most everyone slept along the way. Pharrus was one of the few exceptions. Damion was a restless sleeper and would always harass him while he slept. The last time Pharrus had dozed off they both ended up falling off of their seats, so he had begun forcing himself to stay awake to not cause a repeat.

Despite his negative feelings surrounding the trip as a whole, the drive was actually something he quite enjoyed. It was calming in a way, an escape from the concrete jungle of the city and the cramped office building.

When they finally arrived he couldn't help but marvel at the massive expanse of forest before him. Trees stretched in every direction for what seemed like forever, and a beautiful lake centered it all.

"All right everyone." It was the Witch who spoke. "Like usual, today will be a rest day. Make sure to set up the camp before nightfall, but other than that the day is yours. Try to enjoy yourselves."

"Come on Pharrus. Let's head to the lake and go for a swim." Damion tugged on Pharrus's shirt and sent him a blood curdling wink.

"Fine, let's go. But you have to promise that for the rest of our friendship you will never wink at me again."

The path to the lake was well established, marked every twenty of so meters so that people wouldn't get lost along the way, well, they were mostly for when someone was drunk.

The lake shined brilliantly in the afternoon sun, flowing roughly a mile from where Pharrus and Damion now stood. There was a large area roped off for swimming, but most of the lake was for fishing though only official boats were allowed in the lake. And just as Damion had predicted, the majority of the people in the water were women.

Pharrus sighed heavily, making a silent prayer that his friend wouldn't make a fool of himself. As he looked over, to his dismay, Damion hadn't stopped staring at the lake, and he was all but drooling at whatever it was he was looking at.

"Why don't you start by changing into your trunks big guy." Pharrus said, planting a heavy slap on Damion's back. "Just act like a normal human being for once and don't embarrass yourself before the trip truly begins."

"Fine fine. I'll try my best for your sake."

Pharrus nearly face palmed, wondering how shameless a person could be.

After rummaging through his backpack for a moment, Damion pulled out his trunks and skipped over to the bathroom. Pharrus had known they would be going to the lake so he had put his trunks on underneath his sweats.

When Damion came out the two set there things aside and waded into the water together.

"I'm going to go for a swim, so try not to do anything stupid while I'm gone." Pharrus said, glad he had an excuse to put as much distance between himself and Damion as he could.

The swimming area was large enough that the latter half was too deep for the average person to want to venture that far, leaving enough space for those that wanted to exercise. Luckily, there was no one else out so Pharrus had the entire space to himself.

After a few laps, a bright light below caught his attention. The water was too murky, so he couldn't tell what the cause of the light was, only that it was there. After another lap, his curiosity got the better of him and he dove down to get a closer look.

He reached the bottom quicker than he had expected, it seemed that this part of the lake wasn't quite as deep as most people thought it was. The source of the light was partially buried, so he had to dig a little to unearth it. After a short while he grabbed the object and shot to the surface, nearly out of breath.

It took him a couple of gasps to finally recover before he inspected the black gemstone in his hand. It was a palm sized disc delicately etched with characters and symbols he could not recognize. It made no sense how such an object had created the bright light he had seen, but there was no use in thinking about it.

He needed to go check on Damion as it was.

To his surprise, his friend was casually chatting with a small group of people in the shallow area. There were three girls and one guy, and so far it appeared that Damion was trying his hardest to not be himself.

"Ah, Pharrus, what took you so long man. Come here, let me introduce you to my new acquaintances." Damion called out when he saw Pharrus approaching.

"No need, I'm going to head back to the campsite after I dry off to set everything up. Excuse me everyone, but I am tired and would like some time to gather my thoughts alone." With that, Pharrus grabbed his things and made his way back along the trail to the campsite.

By nightfall, Damion finally returned. Pharrus had already set up their tent and was waiting inside.

"You missed out on a fun time Pharrus. Those four were quite the partiers. Reminded me of the good old days in college."

"Stop talking like we're so old, we only graduated five years ago." Pharrus smiled slightly, reminiscing about those day himself. "Anyway, now that I know you're not lying dead in some ditch, I can go to sleep."

"Awe, that's so sweet babe. You stayed up just because you were worried about me?"

"No, I stayed up so I would know whether or not I would have an excuse to get out of this trip. Think about it, if you die then I as your friend would be obligated to take your body back to the city and prepare your funeral." Pharrus's smile turned sinister as he spoke, his silver eyes shining in the light of the small lantern strung above their heads.

After a small pause, the two both burst into laughter.

"I would expect nothing less from you my dear friend." Damion said before crawling into his sleeping bag. "All right, best get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

The two turned off the light and quickly fell asleep.

Unfortunately for Pharrus, come morning Damion's final words would hold an entirely new meaning for him alone.

As his eyes opened, he was staring up through what looked to be palm leaves, the sun shining through the small opening directly onto him. As his mind slowly adjusted he was going to chalk it up to a practical joke before a jolt of pain shot through his entire body.

The source of the pain was a sudden barrage of memories that torrented through his mind. As the pain reduced to a small headache, all Pharrus knew for sure was that he was in a completely new world.