Horror Story-- M, cold (1/2)

[kendisima]

Hello!  It's been about an eternity since I've posted anything on here, but I'm trying to get back into writing, so here I am.  This was supposed to get posted on Halloween, buut that didn't happen, so here's an extremely belated Halloween-ish fic.

I've written a short story with these characters before-- Elijah owns and operates a Gastropub, and Mark is a floor manager at the restaurant. This is part 1 of most likely 2... I'm having a hard time finishing it, so I'm hoping that posting this part will motivate me to finish it!

Let me know what you think

 

Horror Story

It was Halloween at four in the afternoon, and Elijah Jacobs had just had his third server of the night call off.   “I fucking hate this holiday,” he said, putting his head in his hands and fighting off the urge to scream.   

“Sorry, boss,” Mark, Elijah’s lead manager at the restaurant he owned, fidgeted nervously across from his supervisor, itching to leave the room.  “I mean, to be fair, we only have like, ten covers on the books.  No way we’re going to be busy enough to need all the servers.”        

He pressed gentle fingers against his forehead and tried to stave off the oncoming headache he’d been nursing for the past two hours. The ache had taken hold deep in his sinuses, and Elijah had hoped he’d be able to go home early tonight and crawl into bed; a desperate attempt to dodge the nasty cold that had been circulating throughout the restaurant over the past few weeks.   “Yeah,” Elijah said from behind his hands, “but we’ll need more than two, and that’s what we’re working with now.”

“I mean…” Mark said, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously, “yeah.  But, I can always serve, if that’s what we need.  We can run without anyone managing—”      

“Nice try, bro,” Elijah said, looking up from his hands and attempting a smile. “My restaurant is not running without a manager; not even on a slow night.”        

“Well, then I’ll just help them, and stay on their asses all night,” Mark said, shrugging. “I swear, Lij, we’ll be fi—” 

“HXTSH-uhh!”  Elijah cut Mark off with a stifled sneeze caught in the crook of his elbow.  He sniffled a little to keep from sneezing again, only to feel another desperate itch take him over: “HTSHH-ue!” …not quite as subtle.

“Bless,” Mark said, his face crumpling in concern.  “Boss…”

“Don’t say it,” Elijah growled from behind his elbow.  “I already know.”

Mark rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment, feeling awkward.  Eventually he retreated from the office, not shutting the door behind him.  Elijah assumed that his employee had given up on trying to make Elijah feel better about how the night was going to go, and had returned to the restaurant to rally the—admittedly very few—troops in preparation for the evening.  Elijah was attempting to give himself his own get-out-there-champ pep talk, when Mark returned to his office—this time, bearing gifts.

“Mbark, what the—” Elijah started to say, but Mark but him off.

“Look,” the younger man said, “we both know you’re gonna have to manage tonight.  It isn’t ideal, but there’s really no other choice.  So, I’m going to make sure it isn’t too much of a living hell.”

Mark spread the supplies on Elijah’s desk; a feast for someone in the throes of a really horrible cold.  He had boxes of tissues, when Elijah’s nose had barely even started to run, Dayquil and Nyquil gel capsules, robutussin, even though Elijah hadn’t coughed once, and those 800-miligram ibuprofens that were the size of a toddler’s thumb and not given out to the general public unless you’d just been privy to some sort of minor surgery.  Elijah’s head thumped in time with his heartbeat as he realized that maybe those weren’t such a bad idea.

“Mbark,” Elijah said, laughing a little bit, “this is very sweet, but I really feel okay right ndow.” Elijah sniffled a little, attempting to clear the congestion that had apparently decided to take up residency right behind his face.  “I know I’m probably catching whatever everyone else has had, but honestly it’s not… this bad,” he said, motioning to the pharmacy his employee had placed in front of him.

Mark smiled knowingly.  “You say that now,” he said, crossing his arms.  “But this is no ordinary cold, Lij.”

Elijah raised his eyebrows at Mark, unamused.  “Mark, seriously?  I’m not in the mood for ri—HehUTTCH-uhh! Snf.  Riddles,” Elijah said, begrudgingly pulling a few tissues out of one of the boxes and gently blowing his nose.

“Not a riddle,” Mark continued, sitting in the rolling chair across from Elijah’s desk.  “More like a horror story.”

Elijah gave Mark a death look, fully not in the mood to play.  “A horror story,” he deadpanned.

“Yes,” Mark said, rolling his chair closer.  “Allow me to tell you the story of The Week I Was Supposed To Be On Vacation.”

 

“It all started… with a sneeze.”

“Mark.  How long is this story going to take.”

“Hush,” Mark said, pushing the supplies closer to his boss.  “This is going to make you feel better, trust me.  I mean, not as much better as the medicine, but…”

Elijah sighed, already a little bit wheezy, and swallowed an ibuprofen.  “Where the fugck did you eved get these?” he asked, motioning to the huge pills. 

“Well, if you’d let me tell the story, you’d be able to find out,” Mark said, pointedly.  Elijah rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair.  He motioned towards Mark, then crossed his arms.

“You have the floor.”

“Thank you,” Mark said, smiling.  “So, where was I?  Ah, yes: it all started with a sneeze.

“I was on the floor about two weeks ago; a slow Sunday night that you were off.  It was quiet, and damp outside, and people were lingering, but it was fine because no one was really coming in.”

“Whend do we get to the poindt of this story.  I already have to pee.”

Mark widened his eyes at his boss, thoroughly annoyed.  “Are you going to listen to my incredibly well-crafted horror story, documenting a very important part of my life and also honoring this, the Most Holy Of Horror Story Holidays, or are you going to continue to interrupt?”

Elijah responded with silence, barring a short, tight cough.  Mark was pleased.

“Thank you.  As I was saying, no one was coming in.  Which was fine with me, because it was the day before I was supposed to drive to Vegas for Matt’s bachelor party.”

“Waidt, you’re telling mbe I gave you five days off ind a row, add you didn’t evend go to fuckigg Vegas?”  Elijah asked.  Mark gave him another look, and the older man retreated once again.  “Sorry.  Proceed.”

“So, I was supposed to leave the next day, and I was anxious to get out of here so that I could pack.  And before you interrupt, no, I hadn’t packed yet even though I was leaving the next day. 

“Anyway, I was walking around the dining room, helping out a little bit, when out of nowhere, this huge sneeze sneaks up on me.  Like, so obnoxious that one of the servers literally started laughing in the middle of the floor.”

“Thadt’s disgustigg, don’t do that on the fl—fluh… HEPTSHH-uu! Ugh, snff, sorry,” Elijah wiped his nose on a tattooed wrist, and Mark winced.

“Yeah, I’m disgusting,” he said, laughing.  Elijah flipped his employee off, but yanked a few of the tissues out anyhow, blowing quietly.

“So,” Mark continued, “I sneeze, and then literally everything starts happening out of nowhere.  As in, one second I’m fine, the next I’m literally a walking zombie.  No kidding, like, The Sneeze was at about 7pm, and by ten I’m blowing my nose every five seconds, sneezing like it’s my job, I have a cough like—”

Elijah, as if on cue, started coughing into the sodden tissues he’d just blown his nose in, the slightest hint of congestion behind the barking hacks.  Mark couldn’t help but laugh.

“Like that!” he said, pushing the cough medicine closer to his boss.  “Take some, the cough only gets worse.”  Elijah, fire in his eyes, snapped open the bottle and took a swig. 

“Cand we pause the story?” the older man asked, pushing his chair out.  “We ndeed to gedt up there add start service.”

Mark shrugged.  “Sure,” he said, getting up. “But I’ll warn you: it only gets scarier from here.”

“I cand only ima—ah…TSCHHue! HATSCHH-uu!”  Elijah groaned, cleared his throat, and stuffed a few tissues into his pants and vest pockets.  “I cad odly ibagine.”

 

***

Edited November 19, 2016 by kendisima
I think I must be a moron because 2 of the sentences were literally backwards *facepalm*

[Oolia]

2 hours ago, kendisima said:

“It all started… with a sneeze.”

Oh man, this story is so well written! There are basically two cold stories in one, with a little mystery thrown in. How cool!  I feel like I'm sitting around a campfire, listening intently to a tale and wanting to know what happens next... You hooked me so quickly! And the words really flow. Love it.

2 hours ago, kendisima said:

“Thadt’s disgustigg, don’t do that on the fl—fluh… HEPTSHH-uu! Ugh, snff, sorry,” Elijah wiped his nose on a tattooed wrist, and Mark winced.

“Yeah, I’m disgusting,” he said, laughing.

I must say, I also love the banter

I'm really enjoying this so far and I can't wait to hear about this "incredibly well-crafted horror story, documenting a very important part of Mark's life and also honoring this, the Most Holy Of Horror Story Holidays", but with Elijah's interruptions, of course.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Oolia

[MaiMai]

I'm loving this so much, aaahhh!

3 hours ago, kendisima said:

"It all started… with a sneeze."

I'm also going to quote this, because Mark sounds so serious and it's so suspenseful, but it also kinda made me giggle. I also think the story within a story concept is really cool!

3 hours ago, kendisima said:

Mark widened his eyes at his boss, thoroughly annoyed.  “Are you going to listen to my incredibly well-crafted horror story, documenting a very important part of my life and also honoring this, the Most Holy Of Horror Story Holidays, or are you going to continue to interrupt?”

I love Mark and Elijah's dynamic, and how they're so casually snarky to each other.

3 hours ago, kendisima said:

“Sure,” he said, getting up. “But I’ll warn you: the story only gets scarier from here.”

I just really love how serious Mark is about his story, like yeah, this is really terrifying. I'm really curious to see how it continues!

And since you said you've written these two before, I might have to investigate and read some more.

Edited November 19, 2016 by MaiMai
Grammar failure...

[M214186]

What a great way to incorporate two sneezy colds. Will wait for part two.....

[starsoup]

This is really fun!  Can't wait to read more.

 

 

[queenie]

This is precious! I love their camaraderie. You're off to a great start!

[Juniebee]

On 11/19/2016 at 1:08 AM, kendisima said:

Hello!  It's been about an eternity since I've posted anything on here, but I'm trying to get back into writing, so here I am.  This was supposed to get posted on Halloween, buut that didn't happen, so here's an extremely belated Halloween-ish fic.

I've written a short story with these characters before-- Elijah owns and operates a Gastropub, and Mark is a floor manager at the restaurant. This is part 1 of most likely 2... I'm having a hard time finishing it, so I'm hoping that posting this part will motivate me to finish it!

Let me know what you think

 

Horror Story

It was Halloween at four in the afternoon, and Elijah Jacobs had just had his third server of the night call off.   “I fucking hate this holiday,” he said, putting his head in his hands and fighting off the urge to scream.   

“Sorry, boss,” Mark, Elijah’s lead manager at the restaurant he owned, fidgeted nervously across from his supervisor, itching to leave the room.  “I mean, to be fair, we only have like, ten covers on the books.  No way we’re going to be busy enough to need all the servers.”        

He pressed gentle fingers against his forehead and tried to stave off the oncoming headache he’d been nursing for the past two hours. The ache had taken hold deep in his sinuses, and Elijah had hoped he’d be able to go home early tonight and crawl into bed; a desperate attempt to dodge the nasty cold that had been circulating throughout the restaurant over the past few weeks.   “Yeah,” Elijah said from behind his hands, “but we’ll need more than two, and that’s what we’re working with now.”

“I mean…” Mark said, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously, “yeah.  But, I can always serve, if that’s what we need.  We can run without anyone managing—”      

“Nice try, bro,” Elijah said, looking up from his hands and attempting a smile. “My restaurant is not running without a manager; not even on a slow night.”        

“Well, then I’ll just help them, and stay on their asses all night,” Mark said, shrugging. “I swear, Lij, we’ll be fi—” 

“HXTSH-uhh!”  Elijah cut Mark off with a stifled sneeze caught in the crook of his elbow.  He sniffled a little to keep from sneezing again, only to feel another desperate itch take him over: “HTSHH-ue!” …not quite as subtle.

“Bless,” Mark said, his face crumpling in concern.  “Boss…”

“Don’t say it,” Elijah growled from behind his elbow.  “I already know.”

Mark rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment, feeling awkward.  Eventually he retreated from the office, not shutting the door behind him.  Elijah assumed that his employee had given up on trying to make Elijah feel better about how the night was going to go, and had returned to the restaurant to rally the—admittedly very few—troops in preparation for the evening.  Elijah was attempting to give himself his own get-out-there-champ pep talk, when Mark returned to his office—this time, bearing gifts.

“Mbark, what the—” Elijah started to say, but Mark but him off.

“Look,” the younger man said, “we both know you’re gonna have to manage tonight.  It isn’t ideal, but there’s really no other choice.  So, I’m going to make sure it isn’t too much of a living hell.”

Mark spread the supplies on Elijah’s desk; a feast for someone in the throes of a really horrible cold.  He had boxes of tissues, when Elijah’s nose had barely even started to run, Dayquil and Nyquil gel capsules, robutussin, even though Elijah hadn’t coughed once, and those 800-miligram ibuprofens that were the size of a toddler’s thumb and not given out to the general public unless you’d just been privy to some sort of minor surgery.  Elijah’s head thumped in time with his heartbeat as he realized that maybe those weren’t such a bad idea.

“Mbark,” Elijah said, laughing a little bit, “this is very sweet, but I really feel okay right ndow.” Elijah sniffled a little, attempting to clear the congestion that had apparently decided to take up residency right behind his face.  “I know I’m probably catching whatever everyone else has had, but honestly it’s not… this bad,” he said, motioning to the pharmacy his employee had placed in front of him.

Mark smiled knowingly.  “You say that now,” he said, crossing his arms.  “But this is no ordinary cold, Lij.”

Elijah raised his eyebrows at Mark, unamused.  “Mark, seriously?  I’m not in the mood for ri—HehUTTCH-uhh! Snf.  Riddles,” Elijah said, begrudgingly pulling a few tissues out of one of the boxes and gently blowing his nose.

“Not a riddle,” Mark continued, sitting in the rolling chair across from Elijah’s desk.  “More like a horror story.”

Elijah gave Mark a death look, fully not in the mood to play.  “A horror story,” he deadpanned.

“Yes,” Mark said, rolling his chair closer.  “Allow me to tell you the story of The Week I Was Supposed To Be On Vacation.”

 

“It all started… with a sneeze.”

“Mark.  How long is this story going to take.”

“Hush,” Mark said, pushing the supplies closer to his boss.  “This is going to make you feel better, trust me.  I mean, not as much better as the medicine, but…”

Elijah sighed, already a little bit wheezy, and swallowed an ibuprofen.  “Where the fugck did you eved get these?” he asked, motioning to the huge pills. 

“Well, if you’d let me tell the story, you’d be able to find out,” Mark said, pointedly.  Elijah rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair.  He motioned towards Mark, then crossed his arms.

“You have the floor.”

“Thank you,” Mark said, smiling.  “So, where was I?  Ah, yes: it all started with a sneeze.

“I was on the floor about two weeks ago; a slow Sunday night that you were off.  It was quiet, and damp outside, and people were lingering, but it was fine because no one was really coming in.”

“Whend do we get to the poindt of this story.  I already have to pee.”

Mark widened his eyes at his boss, thoroughly annoyed.  “Are you going to listen to my incredibly well-crafted horror story, documenting a very important part of my life and also honoring this, the Most Holy Of Horror Story Holidays, or are you going to continue to interrupt?”

Elijah responded with silence, barring a short, tight cough.  Mark was pleased.

“Thank you.  As I was saying, no one was coming in.  Which was fine with me, because it was the day before I was supposed to drive to Vegas for Matt’s bachelor party.”

“Waidt, you’re telling mbe I gave you five days off ind a row, add you didn’t evend go to fuckigg Vegas?”  Elijah asked.  Mark gave him another look, and the older man retreated once again.  “Sorry.  Proceed.”

“So, I was supposed to leave the next day, and I was anxious to get out of here so that I could pack.  And before you interrupt, no, I hadn’t packed yet even though I was leaving the next day. 

“Anyway, I was walking around the dining room, helping out a little bit, when out of nowhere, this huge sneeze sneaks up on me.  Like, so obnoxious that one of the servers literally started laughing in the middle of the floor.”

“Thadt’s disgustigg, don’t do that on the fl—fluh… HEPTSHH-uu! Ugh, snff, sorry,” Elijah wiped his nose on a tattooed wrist, and Mark winced.

“Yeah, I’m disgusting,” he said, laughing.  Elijah flipped his employee off, but yanked a few of the tissues out anyhow, blowing quietly.

“So,” Mark continued, “I sneeze, and then literally everything starts happening out of nowhere.  As in, one second I’m fine, the next I’m literally a walking zombie.  No kidding, like, The Sneeze was at about 7pm, and by ten I’m blowing my nose every five seconds, sneezing like it’s my job, I have a cough like—”

Elijah, as if on cue, started coughing into the sodden tissues he’d just blown his nose in, the slightest hint of congestion behind the barking hacks.  Mark couldn’t help but laugh.

“Like that!” he said, pushing the cough medicine closer to his boss.  “Take some, the cough only gets worse.”  Elijah, fire in his eyes, snapped open the bottle and took a swig. 

“Cand we pause the story?” the older man asked, pushing his chair out.  “We ndeed to gedt up there add start service.”

Mark shrugged.  “Sure,” he said, getting up. “But I’ll warn you: it only gets scarier from here.”

“I cand only ima—ah…TSCHHue! HATSCHH-uu!”  Elijah groaned, cleared his throat, and stuffed a few tissues into his pants and vest pockets.  “I cad odly ibagine.”

 

***

aaahahhhhhh <3 So cute I'm melting I love the way he keeps  apologizing for sneezing and how annoyed he is and sheepishly blowing his nose.

Can you refresh us on the physical descriptions? Please and thank you