Pulling the Daisy Chain

“Huh… we’re such a small town it’s weird we get someone in here we don’t know,” Arnold the mortician muttered as he wheeled the newest body out of refrigeration. “Even weirder we got one that looks just like you, Lucas.”

Lucas looked over from where he had been prepping the tray of tools, freezing at the sight of his exact image laid out on the frozen gurney. If ever there was a client he was hoping wasn’t going to follow him home, this was the one.  It was supposed to be his day off, he was supposed to be at home alone, with his cat, not prepping his doppelganger for burial. Arnold’s mellow tone broke Lucas from his thoughts.

“You got a twin no one knew about?” Arnold tried to joke. Lucas hated when he joked around the clients, but managed a tense smile; Arnold wanted more.

“Not unless I also didn’t know,” he responded, nose wrinkling as soon as the elder mortician’s back was turned. Luckily, that was the end of the banter and they began the process of embalming the body. For someone who was unknown Lucas thought it was strange they were bothering to embalm him, he didn’t have to wonder long, however​​.

“I know what you’re thinking… everything was paid for by an anonymous donation. Don’t know where it came from, it just showed up with a letter,” Arnold explained. Whether he actually knew what Lucas was thinking or if he was just trying to break the silence Lucas would never know.

“And that isn’t weirder?” Lucas regretted asking as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

“Of course it is, whole thing is weird, but they left a big enough tip that I might retire early. You could be a full-fledged mortician by this time next week,” Arnold snorted. Any alarm bells that had been going off in Lucas’ head silenced at the mention of a promotion. “You’ve been a good assistant these 15 years or so, if a bit quiet. I think you’re gonna do just fine.”

That earned Arnold a small smile from Lucas. In fact, the compliment was so distracting Lucas didn’t recall having removed one of his latex gloves and touched the client’s arm to check the tubing connection. The instant his bare skin touched the client’s arm Lucas felt as if he had been struck by lightning, hair standing on end as the lights flickered. Arnold was startled, but only for a moment before he left out a howling laugh.

“You okay? Must have been a hell of a static charge to do that!” Arnold’s laugh only grew as Lucas scowled at him. “Oh, don’t give me that look! You are the one who forgot his glove! Turn the machine on and go fix your hair, I’m gonna go outside for a smoke.”

Unable to get his nerves under control Lucas flipped the machine’s switch and heard it chug to life, swapping the client’s fluids for a concoction of chemicals; Lucas had yet to meet a client who enjoyed the process. The loud clang on the heavy metal back door only served to scare Lucas once again, the man nearly jolting out of his skin before steadying himself on the counter. Giving the client one last glance Lucas took a deep sigh before heading towards the bathroom, fishing in his pocket for his phone.

In the bathroom, he could see just how badly the shock had mussed his hair, his normally well-combed blond hair standing on end as if he had stuck his finger in an outlet. Setting the phone on the sink he hit the button for his mom and put it on speaker, if anyone was going to be able to calm him down it was her.

“Hey bud, what’s up?” the pleasant voice of his mother came through, soothing some of the goosebumps on his arms. “Got some new friends tonight?”

“Not yet,” Lucas replied, turning on the sink just enough to wet his hands so he could begin trying to fix his hair. It was stubborn, however, and refused to adhere to his usual style. He frowned at his reflection, it looked like something a model would do to their hair, windswept and spiked; was he lucky or unlucky? “Really hoping to go home alone tonight.”

“Oh? Bad one tonight?”

“Not really… not even sure what happened to him,” Lucas leaned against the sink, pulling his glasses off he wiped the lenses clean with his lab coat. “He just looks like me. Could've been my twin.”

There was a long silent pause on the line before a single, tense, “what?”

“The… the client looks like me?” Lucas repeated. More tenses silent put Lucas on edge.

“Lucas, sweetie, you need to listen to me and try to keep calm,” his mom started, instantly spiking his anxiety. “You need to get out of there, now. Don’t go home, come here and I can get you to safety. Understood?”

“Mom?”

“Lucas, I love you so much. Please, just listen to me and get out of there!”

There was a loud pop, a gunshot, and a cry Lucas knew was Arnold. Rushing back to the morgue Lucas took just two steps towards the back door when something, or better yet someone, stopped him.

“He’s dead, you idiot!” It was a voice identical to his own. Directly in front of him the spirit appeared, the nameless client with whom he shared an image and now a voice, appeared. Out of every client who appeared to Lucas, begging for help moving on, this client was the most disturbing.

Lucas wanted to argue, to say anything, but another gunshot forced him to remain silent. It was close, shattering the morgue’s back window and wheezing just inches from Lucas’ head. Despite his panic and confusion he managed to get down, hiding in a gap between the counter and the door where he would be out of sight. He knew if he acknowledged the spirit, spoke to it, it would be bonded to him and…

“Too late, you’re already stuck with me,” the client said affirmatively. Lucas’ heart ached as the annoying tick reminded him of Arnold.

“Who are you? Why the hell are we being shot at?” Lucas demanded. Before the client could answer the door that connected the morgue to the lobby began to creak open slowly. Lucas could feel his body tighten, ready to pounce or fight for his life. When the barrel of a gun became visible he could feel fear power something inside of him.

It was as if time slowed, Lucas moved quickly, grabbing the person’s arm and flinging them towards the gurney with a supernatural strength. In the flurry of everything there was no shot fired from outside and Lucas took the opportunity to move to the basement.

“Good choice, there is a gunman out front and out back so going out the front wouldn’t have worked,” the client said with a nod of his spectral head. Lucas took a moment to notice the client’s well-styled hair.

“Were you going to tell me that before or after I tried to open the front door?” Lucas grumbled, blocking the basement door with a broom they kept nearby but always somehow out of reach.

“Before… hopefully. Anyway, is there a side exit to this place?”

“There are old storm doors that open a few hundred yards from the woods, I’m going to try and make it there.”

“You’re pretty smart. Guess that is why Fate made you top of the Daisy Chain,” the client said, his voice teasing. Everything about his demeanor made Lucas feel sick, he was nothing like any other client who had discovered they were dead and stuck in the mortal realm. Daisy Chain? Was that why he was suddenly being targeted for his ability? Why now? Why him at all? Again, before Lucas could ask any questions the client cut him off. “I’ll explain more later if you can get out of here without a bullet in your head.”

Lucas tried to picture the area in his mind, which direction they needed to go to safely get to his mother’s house. Deciding which path was easy, following it would be more difficult. The last rays of sunset trickled in through the cracks in the old cellar doors. Peeking out Lucas could see the dense tree line and knew if he made it he would be scott free. With a push of the doors he made a mad dash towards the woods. 

Just like when he had taken on the attacker inside Lucas felt a new power well up inside himself, fueled by fear that seemed to spark from him every time he heard a gunshot that should have hit him but seemed to be reflected by some invisible shield. He didn’t stop running when he hit the woods, he didn’t stop running when his coat caught on a bramble bush, he didn’t stop when a low-hanging branch cut his cheek, and he wasn’t stopped when he tripped over a fallen log. 

Nothing stopped Lucas until he broke through the tree line to the street that split the woods, traveled only to get to the morgue. It wasn’t until he went to cross the street that he was finally stopped by a blaring horn and a pair of headlights. Much like a deer, Lucas froze and watched the car try to come to a desperate screeching halt.

“Lucas!” It was the voice of the client and Lucas could feel something yank at his coat, moving him out of the car’s path just in time.

“L-Lucas?!” He heard another familiar voice call his name, it was his coworker Penny. “Are you okay? Oh my god!”

She rushed over to him, looking him over and touching his cheek. The sting of her fingers touching the shallow gash on his cheek shook Lucas back and reminded him exactly why and where he was running.

“We have to go! I… Can you give me a ride? Please?” He knew it was risky, knew it was selfish to ask but if there was ever a chance he was going to get away this was it. Penny didn’t seem to have to think about it long and nodded, helping him up and into the car. He knew as soon as they started driving he was going to have to explain himself. “Take me to my mom’s… please.”

For several minutes they drove in uncomfortable silence. While Lucas knew Penny would consider them to be good friends he had always held everyone at arm's length, terrified they would find out about his strange ability and he’d be shunned… so he shunned himself. Finally, Penny gathered the nerve to ask what he had been dreading.

“Lucas… what is going on?”

“I don’t… I don’t know,” he admitted, the admission took a weight off his shoulders. “Some people… came to the morgue and began shooting they… they got Mr. Arnold and I just barely got out…”

“Wh-What? People… Mr. Arnold is dead?”

“He went out to smoke and they shot him…”

“Why are people trying to kill you two?”

“I think… I think it was just me that they wanted, he was just there…” the words came out and with it the realization that if Penny had been there that day too she might also have been… “I’m so sorry…”

“What? Why are you sorry?” Penny asked, swerving a bit as she tried to both comfort Lucas and focus on driving. “You… You didn’t do anything, did you? Why do you think it was you they were after? W-We both know Mr. Arnold did all kinds of shady shit.”

“Like accepting my embalming fund,” Lucas could hear the client mutter from the backseat of the car. Lucas felt like his head was splitting. Reaching up he gripped at his hair, anything to ground himself and keep the swirling emotions of terror and frustration from building into a nauseous explosion. 

“L-Lucas, it’ll be okay…”

It was too much.

“No! No it won’t! I don’t know why any of this is happening or why I am being targeted now! I don’t know why I can see these people or why one that looks just like me just appeared out of nowhere!” He was shaking, Penny staring wide-eyed at the road. He had never lost his cool around someone let alone raised his voice. Taking deep breaths he tried to steady himself.

“If… if it makes you feel better I am glad I ran into you before I got all the way to the morgue or else I could have been caught up in everything,” Penny said softly, trying to change the subject gently.

“Too late,” another unwanted quip from the client.

“Why… why were you headed there? You were off, this was just a sudden call job…” Lucas suddenly found himself feeling nervous about the answer and Penny seemed to mirror the sentiment.

“I… I don’t know. I was reading then I suddenly got really tired… like so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open and ended up falling asleep. I had a dream that I had to come see you and when you didn’t answer your phone I started panicking so I drove out…” She wouldn’t look at him while she spoke. 

“You had a premonition?” 

“Don’t say it like that, it sounds weird!” He could see her cheeks flush with color. Silence fell between them again before Penny decided she had built up enough courage to finally ask what had been on her mind. “So… so when you said you can see people, are you… are you talking about dead people?”

Lucas felt like the wind had been knocked out of him as he desperately tried to keep his eyes on the road. Had she been aware? Had he done something before his little outburst to clue her in? Why did she sound so unbothered? Did she not think he was crazy?

“Lucas… it is okay I… I kinda figured I mean…. I saw how you acted. I’ve even.. Heard you muttering before…”

For just a moment Lucas wished he had been shot back at the morgue.

“Is there one with us now?”

“... yeah, the one from tonight that started all of this,” Lucas confirmed. “I don’t know why but he looks just like me, like he could be my twin and I’ve… I touched him by mistake and I’ve been feeling weird ever since.”

Reaching over Penny pressed her hand to his head, hissing and recoiling the instant she touched him. “You are burning up!”

They took a turn down a gravel road and Lucas knew his mother’s house wasn’t far away, just a few more minutes. He knew she had told him he couldn’t go home and he mourned for the thought that his car would be very upset and very hungry that night. All he had wanted to do was go home, alone, and watch TV with that cat. Now he was pulled into whatever the client had called the Daisy Chain and he couldn’t have been more peeved.