Subject Me To Life [Book One] ✔️ *EDITING*

Chapter Three

*Edited* Not proofread*

(Very short filler chapter)

Chapter 3– What's the catch?:

        I stroll up to the open garage doors of the auto shop, studying my surroundings as I do so. The inside is neat and surprisingly tidy for a garage; the space is small but big enough for a town like Raven Hollow. There are two cars currently being fixed; one has its bonnet popped open as a greasy-looking man leans over it with what I assume is a wrench; the other vehicle has a leaner man laying underneath it, grunting about people never taking care of their cars nowadays, his voice muffled.

        "Ah, Chevy," a scratchy voice hollers behind me, causing me to spin on my heel. The same man I had met earlier today approaches me as he stuffs a screwdriver inside his back pocket before wiping his hands on a dirty rag that he slings over his shoulder once he's done. He's tall, scruffy looking, with a head of greying hair. His smile is slightly crooked and he has facial hair growing around his dry lips and round jaw.

        Who the fuck is Chevy?

        "My car ready?" I decide to ask instead, ignoring his comment, my tone hinting my impatience. I skip the formalities and small talk. I don't care about his name, nor do I want to hear about his busy day and how he can't wait to get home. I just want to leave.

        He chuckles as he stands in front of me with a smile on his dirty face. "Straight to the point, huh?" He asks teasingly as his grin broadens. I roll my eyes and grit my teeth before focusing on the patch of oil above his bushy eyebrow.

        "Is it or not?"

        Again he laughs before jolting his head backwards, a sign for me to follow him as he walks over to his box-like office. He leans inside the room, not actually stepping in, before puling back out and turning to face me. A pair of keys— my keys I guess— dangle from his meaty fingers as he holds them in front of him. "Here," he chucks them to me. I swiftly catch them in the palm of my hand. "Follow me."

        I don't like the fact that he throws around the order like he has any authority over me, but I keep my mouth shut and will my mind to shut up long enough to focus on not smashing his skull in with a hammer.

        He walks with me to my car, his strides larger than mine due to his taller height. "So about the job," he starts, shoving his hands into his front pockets. "Do you have any experience fixing cars? Or even working in an auto-shop?"

        I nod my head, still refusing to look at him as we both keep our eyes trained ahead. "I worked at an auto-shop where I used to live," I elaborate vaguely— and it technically isn't a lie, just a tweaked version of the truth. 

        We come to a stop beside my car, the black coat glinting underneath the weak sunlight. It's the middle of September and it's begun to get colder as the days pass by, the heat of the sun not as strong as it had been the months before. "Alright then, just drop by tomorrow for a formal interview at around noon," he pats me on the shoulder for a quick second, not long enough to give me time to snap his fingers. "The jobs pretty much yours, it's just a formality."

        I stare at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds, looking for a trace of a lie on his pale, ageing face. "What's the catch?" I ask accusingly. It had been too easy.

        The man laughs a heart laugh, "No catch, Chevy," he assures me. "One of my employees has just left and there's an open spot. No one seemed to be interested, though. That is until you showed up like a little miracle," he smiles, and from what I can tell, he's being genuine. Though I'm not sure how I feel about him calling me a fucking miracle. "Just stop by tomorrow and we can work out your shifts and go over a few things."

        I open my car door, resting my arm against it as the other lays across the roof, eyeing the man suspiciously. Finally, after a few moments go by, I let out a sigh and nod my head once I realise he's being serious. "Alright."

        I'm probably going to end up regretting my decision in the long run, however I don't bother to dwell on the thought. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

*

        A short drive later, I pull up to the rented house and park my newly fixed car into the driveway. The time is only around two o'clock in the afternoon but I'm already worn out from the days events. I haven't been sleeping well— these past two nights have been the only sleep I've gotten in the last week or so— but it's only now starting to catch up to me as I open the front door and kick my shoes off with a relieved sigh, taking the knife out and resting it on the wooden table in the hall.

        "I'm back!" I yell out to the small pup I share a house with. A thump is heard from above me and then Rey comes racing down the stairs in excitement, his tail smacking on the floor frantically when he reaches me at the bottom.

        I walk into the kitchen with him following behind me and let him out into the back garden. As Rey is outside chewing on a small bone I had bought him yesterday, I pour some food into his bowl and fill the other one with water. I, myself, decided to skip lunch and opt for chilling out on the sofa scrolling through the channels on the tele.

        The day trails by slowly, and at twelve o'clock I'm laying in bed with Rey sleeping soundlessly by my feet. My bedroom window is open and the curtains are drawn. I can hear the hoot of an owl and the chirping of the crickets. In the distance, I can faintly hear the barking of dogs and the engines of cars as they drive along the now empty roads. It's fucking annoying, and frankly, I want to shoot myself in the ear so I either become deaf or die, but I'm too comfortable to move. Therefore I spend the hours it takes for the sun to come up listening to the combined sounds of Raven Hollow.