It all started when I lost my job at the hotel. I was late a few times and even though I had good reasons the point system management used didn’t care. I started applying to more fulfilling jobs. I tried art studios and local bookshops just trying to find something I might actually enjoy. After a couple of weeks of random interviews that always ended in rejection emails, I got desperate. Rent was due. I saw a post on Craigslist for a local pub called Carters. The pay was good for the job and I’d get tips as a bartender. I applied.
Dan called me the next morning. He sounded nice enough and after a quick phone interview I was hired. He was the owner and only employee of Carter’s.
“So is your last name Carter?” I had asked. “Ha, no, actually. I just thought it sounded legit.” He responded.
I laughed at his little joke but I wondered why he picked that name, if it wasn’t a last name. I guessed everyone would just assume it was and he was okay with that.
My first shift was the very next night. I entered the dimly lit bar and it was average. Green lights hung from the ceiling, there was a bar in the back, booths along the walls and some tables and chairs here and there to fill the extra space. Dan was behind the bar. He waved at me as I walked towards him. I noticed he wore a glove on his left hand. Maybe an offensive knuckle tattoo?
“Sylvia! Welcome!” He smiled. “This is Carter’s. We don’t get very busy but it’s steady. We close at midnight. All you need to do is stay up here. Don’t worry about the back, I’ll handle everything there. You can put your purse down here,” he gestured to a cabinet below the bar. “You said you bartended before?”
“Yes, before my last job.” I told him as I shoved my purse below the bar. Along with my water bottle. “I know most drinks and anything I don’t remember I’ll Google and remember soon.”
Dan smiled at that and said “I love a quick learner.”
After that, he stalked to the back. He was right, they were never busy. A steady but slow flow of people came in and out. I never felt overwhelmed by the amount of drinks I had to make. It was easy and people tipped well. Dan mostly kept to himself unless we needed something from the back. He’d always get it quickly and honestly I thought he was really helpful and easy to work with.
I always had to bring a jacket to work. It was cold in there, even though I never really heard the AC going. Maybe that’s why Dan always wore that glove. But then again, just his left hand? Whatever. Not my business.
Months go by and I’m making my rent. I’m never there past midnight when we close. Dan did all the cleaning and closing duties himself. He lived in an apartment above the pub, he said, and he didn’t mind the extra work especially since I didn’t get tips after close. I didn’t complain.
The only thing I didn’t like was that I had to take all of my breaks out front. It’s like I wasn’t allowed in the back. I tried to go out the back door for a cigarette one night when we were particularly slow. I didn’t make it two steps before Dan rounded the corner. He looked sweaty, despite how cold the bar was.
“Hey, I just wanted to take my break-“ I had said. But Dan wasn’t pleased.
“Use the front door.” He said curtly. “It’s a mess back here. No need for you to see it.”
As he led me back out I noticed a padlock on the freezer. Weird… but I let it go. Maybe the man had some of his own stuff in here, he did live right above here after all. Maybe he just wanted to work alone back here and not be bothered. I immediately felt bad.
“I’m sorry, Dan.” I told him once we closed the door. I didn’t want to lose this job for a stupid mistake. He paid me more than he should have, honestly.
He gave me a smile and said “no worries. You’ll get trained to work back there one day but right now it’s a total mess and I have to clean it up. Just use the front door for your breaks, kay?”
And I did. I didn’t step foot in the back again. Things went really smoothly after that. Dan was a nice boss and didn’t care if I was late here and there as long as I got there and did what needed to be done.
One night, exactly 3 months after I started working at Carter’s, Dan seemed unwell. He was coughing and had gloves on both hands.
“Are you okay?” I ask. “I could close up and you can go upstairs and rest.”
He was below the bar restocking napkins and other items. “No thanks, Sylvia.” He said. “I’ll be okay.”
“Dan, why do you close at midnight? We could make more if we hired someone else and stayed open later.” I said, trying to make conversation. I liked this job. It was a real and logical suggestion.
“Ah, that’s an idea.” He laughed, it ended in a cough. “I’ll think on it.”
He stood up. His keys jingling in his pocket. “I think I’ll close a little early tonight. You wipe down the counter and head out?”
I looked around the empty bar and nodded. Honestly, I just wanted Dan to rest. He looked bad. I didn’t even ask about the gloves. It has to be because it’s so damn cold.
I did as he said and pulled my phone from my pocket. The bus didn’t run yet and it was early. I called my friend Stephanie to see if she wanted to get drinks somewhere. She agreed eagerly and came to pick me up. A few hours later it was 2 AM. Our Uber dropped Stephanie off first and then me. The car waited on the street as I walked up to my front door, my hands searching for my keys. They were gone. I must’ve left them at Carters because I left my purse at the front of the club Stephanie and I went to, so I know they didn’t fall out while i was dancing.
I pulled out my phone. I was a little drunk at this point but functional. I text Dan.
‘Hey. You still up? I think I left my keys below the bar. I need them. I know you’re sick. I’m sorry.’
‘Hey. Yeah they are here. I just went and checked. Come on and get them.’
He usually sounded nicer, even via text. But he must have felt like shit. I hated bothering him but I had a dog in my apartment I needed to feed.
I stalked back to the Uber and gave him the address for Carters. He didn’t care as he was getting an even bigger tip now.
We pulled up and I told the Uber to wait for me. I tried the door and it was unlocked. I opened it and stepped inside.
My first red flag should have been how my breath frosted in the air. Then the light. The blue green light coming from the small window on the door to the back.
“Dan?” I called. No answer came.
I went behind the bar shivering and checked the cabinet. No keys.
I called for Dan again and heard a groan. It was coming from behind that door. My worry for Dan in this icy place trumped any weird vibes I had. My body seemed to be screaming at me to leave. Something felt wrong. As I pushed the door open I saw the light was coming from the freezer. How did it fill the entire pub? Dan was laying on the floor, blood coming from the corner of his mouth.
“Dan!” I yelled, running to him.
“Sylvia,” he smiled. “Thank god you’re here.”
“What happened? Are you okay? What’s that-“ I began to gesture towards the freezer but he stopped me.
“Help me up.” He said. “And I’ll show you.”
Was this a fever dream? What the fuck was going on? I reached for his right hand, still gloved, and as I did his left hand shot out faster than a half frozen bloody man’s hand should have. Something sharp hit my thigh. I gasped and jumped backward hitting the wall. “What the fuck, Dan?!” I screamed. A small needle jutted out from my leg. I didn’t try and remove it. It felt deep.
“Sylvia.” He said, standing on his own. He wiped the blood from his mouth on his sleeve and went towards the freezer door. As he opened it the light blinded me. Was I asleep? I had to be. I felt more drunk than I did before I arrived here.
Inside I saw 6 light blue ovals. Large. Shiny. The light… was coming from these things. Dan propped the door open and came to my side. “I’m not going to hurt you again.” He whispered. “That was necessary. I’m sorry.” I was too weak to protest. My back hurt from where I hit the wall. My thigh hurt. My head spun from… the alcohol, I thought. He helped me up. He was all gentle hands. He led me to the freezer. The ovals were… gelatinous. Not frozen. They were pulsing. “What are these?” I asked.
“Eggs. My eggs. I didn’t… lay them of course. But they’re mine.” Dan frowned. “I’m sick, Sylvia. Who will gaurd them when I die?”
“DIE? Dan what are you-“ I stopped. He was taking off his gloves. His hands were black at the tips and slowly changed to a blue then to his flesh tone as it went up his arm.
“I’m dying.” He whispered. “I need you to look after them for me.” I stared in stunned silence. Suddenly, all at once, fear entered my body. Was the needle drugged? Why was I listening to this insanity? I stepped away from Dan and grabbed the needle. I took a deep breath and ripped it from my thigh. It was long. And deep. I gasped at the pain. It barely made a noise as it clattered to the floor. “I’m leaving.” I said, limping as fast as I could to the door.
“Sylvia, wait,” Dan said. I don’t know why, but I did. “Your keys.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out his- no. My keys. He fucking stole them. I snatched them out of his black hand and ran, ignoring the pain, to the front door. The Uber was still waiting. I got in and told him to go. I clutched my leg but tried to hide it from view. I got home, went inside, and locked my door. I put a chair under the handle for good measure.
Going to the shower and peeling off my jeans revealed a small puncture wound but barely any blood. Good. I put the water as hot as it would go.
I couldn’t sleep that night. My brain was full of fractured images of those… eggs. Whatever they were. They weren’t frozen despite the cold. What were they? They looked firm but like jello at the same time. And what was wrong with Dan? His eggs? I’ve never seen anything like that.
~
Weeks have gone by and Dan texts me once a day.
‘Please.’
‘Sylvia, you don’t get it.’
‘I thought I could trust you.’
Until one day they stopped. I’ve been a recluse since the night Dan fucking stabbed me with a needle. But my dreams remain haunted by the eggs. Everytime I close my eyes I no longer see darkness. I see that cold light.
3 days after Dan’s last text I risked leaving the house. I drove by Carters and it was closed despite it being the busiest hour we had usually. I walked around back and noticed the back door was ajar. Thankfully, I went inside.
~
I live in Dan’s apartment now. I run Carters. I take care of the eggs. That’s my life. I rehomed my dog, and cut my lease short at my old apartment. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my dog. But I couldn’t risk it. When I came in that night what I saw will always haunt me. Dan, half absorbed into one of the light blue eggs. The inside was tinted red with his blood. It was weird, but I felt proud. Like a mom who got her kids to eat a food they normally refused. A note was taped to the door of the freezer. Instructions.
Sylvia. Thank you.
Close at midnight. They get colder after about 1 am… too cold to justify to customers.
Don’t spend too much time with them. You will want to. I know you will. I could feel how maternal you were from our first phone call. But you’ll get sick.
Keep them safe. I only hired you because I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. Don’t make my mistakes.
-Dan
I follow those rules. I run the bar. But when I close at midnight I can’t help but sit with them for a bit. Sometimes 10 minutes. Sometimes 20. I wear a hoodie and bring a blanket so I can stay longer. I love them. They fill every second of my dreams. I don’t know what they will be when- if- they hatch. But I know I love them. Sometimes the men that hit on me a little too aggressively while I bartend end up back there, too. Dan left me a stash of needles that makes most people willing to listen long enough for me to knock them out. I try to feed them equally. Sometimes hacking a man into 6 pieces so they all get some. I don’t know if they need it but they seem… happier. Brighter. Besides, I’ve only started to cough a little. It’s worth it.