015. The Red Pill

“What is it?”

Nora eyed the red pill in her hand.

“This, my inquisitive dear friend-Nora, is quite possibly the ride of your life”.

Zack poured three glasses of water out of a plastic bottle and handed Nora and Billy one each. Billy cradled his with both hands and gently swayed back and forth where he sat. He still hadn't picked up his pill and now he eyed it with suspicion where Zack had placed it on a paper napkin on the floor in front of him.

“Dave from the factory got it for me. Says it's military grade. That it messes with your temporal perception or some shit like that. Anyway. Supposed to be super freaky hippie-tripping. It's also a pain in the ass to procure and will be super-illegal next week so enjoy it while it's available”.

Zack rapped his fingers on the table in a gesture of impatience.

“I'm talking to you here, Billy”.

“Yeah, I know, Zack.”

“So you with us?”

Billy looked from the red pill to Zack and to the red pill again. He licked his lips. Looked at Zack and then contemplated the pill one more time.

“Yeah, whatever”.

Billy snatched the pill from the floor and washed it down in a large gulp.

“Well, alright”.

Notably pleased, Zack smiled and did the same.

Nora shrugged. Just another rabbit hole, I suppose, she thought and downed the red pill. A sting of regret hit her almost immediately and she fought it back. She'd done enough hallucinogens to know that her own mind was her biggest enemy. Negative thoughts would just lead her down Shitcreek Alley with a plethora of What The Fuck-Images playing her brain theatre. In a bad way. But what the hell, anywhere's better than right here.

“Hey Nora, check it”.

Zack had his hand through Billys now transparent head. His fingers visible below Billy's eyeballs.
Nora blinked. The fuck?

“Billy's my hand-puppet!”

“Woah”, said Nora. “Does it hurt?”

“Can't feel a thing”, Billy replied with Zack mimicking his mouth movements with his hand inside Billy's skull.

“Hey, is there less of me?”

“Definitely”, said Nora, “I think I'm going too”.

She looked at her hands and her feet as they faded away from her.

“Hey Zack, what did Dave say about this thing again...?”

But she was talking to an empty room. Zack and Billy were gone and the room itself had turned alien. A second ago there had been night but now sunlight beamed through the windows. The tattered crates that had served as furniture in their occupied flat were gone. This room had wooden panels, real tables and chairs and a book shelf. It was well-kept. Neat as she'd only seen in those magazines she sometimes found on the subway. On one of the tables stood several framed photos. A woman, a man, and three children appeared in most of them. The woman, tall, healthy, with long brown hair and dark eyes. She had no piercings and wore no leather. Instead of that trademark scowl she had a smile but Nora still recognized herself. The children and the man were unknown to her but from the looks of it they must be her family. Her children and her husband.

Nora walked to the window and opened it. It was summer outside and it smelled of newly cut grass. A swing set hung from an apple tree. Birds sang and crickets hummed. Somewhere in the distance the sound of children laughing. She closed her eyes.

Voices broke the silence and filled the room. Zack and Billys. She had returned to her own time. Hard cut this go around. No fade-in.

“Hey Nora”, Zack and Billy were sitting on the floor, covered in ragged blankets and burning newspapers to keep themselves warm.

“Billy was just telling me about his trip. He saw his grandfather chase away wolves with a shotgun while his grandmother gave birth to his dad up in their cabin”.

“It was tripping weird, dude”.

“Where'd you go?”

“Some rich girls home”, said Nora, “I didn't recognize it”.