PREFACE: I couldn't decide which genre to put this story in, and some people might not see this as a Romantic story. It is a sign of our times that everything is well categorised and tagged in an easily searchable way. But what to do with the stories which don't fall neatly into any of these categories?
Assigning clearly defined labels makes it easier to seek out the things we like. But it also stops us venturing outside of our comfort zone, and a good story should make you uncomfortable at times.
Romance for me is about finding love in unexpected places, it is about forming deep and loving bonds which stand the tests of time. And so that is why this story finds itself in the Romance section.
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James Lock stood at the front door of the run down old house and let out a big sigh. Every day was a lottery in his job; one day he was working in some luxury mansion being entertained by a bored housewife; and the next he was having to come to some shitty old house, in a shitty neighbourhood, to sort out some creepy guy's electrics.
He hadn't even wanted to do this job, he got a bad feeling about the guy during the phone call, and the journey had taken over an hour. But the guy had been so insistent, and offered such good money, that he really couldn't turn it down.
He knocked again, louder this time, and looked around the front yard with disgust. It was completely overgrown and resembled a junk yard. Old car parts littered the ground, an old bath sat across the main path filled with dirty brown water, and a pile of garbage bags next to the porch producing a stench that made him want to vomit.
What kind of person could live like this, but also afford to pay him $1,960 for a days work he wondered. He didn't have to wonder for long as he heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming to the door. He heard the clanking of a lock being undone, then another one, then a chain being disconnected, and then finally a key turning from the inside - apparently this guy took security very seriously.
The door creaked open and James suddenly found himself face to face with a real life ogre. James was by no means a small guy, 6 foot tall with an athletic physique that he worked hard in the gym to maintain. But the man standing before him towered over him, by almost a foot James guessed.
What was more, his body looked like it was half gorilla and half troll. There was no muscle tone, in fact no definition whatsoever, just one huge mountain of mass. Huge broad shoulders with hulking great arms and fists like giant hams.
He was wearing a dirty white vest with stains down the front and old, faded dungarees which stretched over his big belly.
Most noticeable of all though were his eyes. Dark, sinister eyes that stared unblinking like a predator watching it's prey. A chill ran down James' spine and he took an involuntary step backwards.
The man just stared down at James for a few moments before finally saying "You the electric guy?" in a slow, gruff voice.
Throughout James life he had always enjoyed the ability to charm anyone and everyone. His good looks and easy going nature allowed him glide through most situations with ease. He took a deep breath, fixed a winning smile on his face, extended his hand out to the man, and said "Hi, James Lock - great to meet you sir"
The man looked down at James' hand but didn't move to shake it, then he spoke again in his low, rumbling voice "Understand this: there is one rule that you must follow in my house - don't ever leave my sight. Understood?"
James realised that his offer of a handshake was not going to be taken up and lowered his hand. He really wasn't sure that he wanted to go inside the house with this strange guy who could probably snap James' neck like a twig with just one hand, but he really really needed the money. His mortgage was due in two days and if he missed another payment he could lose his house. Fucking Covid and fucking lockdowns.
"Ok no problem" said James, sounding more certain than he felt inside.
The man continued to stare at him for a few seconds more before finally stepping aside so he could enter the house.
James stepped past the guy into the dark house and let out an involuntary shiver as he looked around. The windows were all covered in brown dirt and dust which prevented almost any light coming through into the room. The floor was covered in a carpet that was so old, dirty and worn that it looked like leather in some places. It was impossible to tell what colour it was meant to be but with the stains, and low light, it looked almost like compacted mud.
There were plates of old, half eaten food on every surface and the floor was cluttered with trash. Worst of all was the overwhelming smell that hung in the air all around him. It was a mixture of mould and rotting food and it made James feel completely nauseous.
The giant shut the front door behind James and told him to follow. Then he walked to a heavy door on the other side of the room and undid two, large bolted locks. James followed nervously and wondered why on earth someone would need locks like that inside their own house. The giant pulled the heavy door open with ease and walked through.
James picked up his tool bag and started to follow but stopped when he saw the giant disappearing down the the stairs into a pitch black basement. The scene was like something out of a horror movie. James stood with his feet rooted to the floor at the top of the stairs, too scared to follow the giant down into the pitch black basement, but also too proud to run.
The giant disappeared completely into the darkness and then after a few seconds appeared again as he switched on the basement light. He turned at the bottom of the stairs and looked back up towards James, "I said follow me" he growled. The illumination of his face by the dull, yellow strip light in the basement made him look even more sinister, but James found his legs following the man's command even as his brain screamed warnings.
He walked slowly down the stairs towards the giant, who continued to watch him without blinking. As he reached the last few stairs he felt the air turn cold and damp. There was a stale smell all around and something unpleasant which he couldn't make out.
The dim lighting at the bottom of the stairs didn't extend to the edges of the basement. The surrounding dark shadows, together with the cold, stale air, made the space feel deeply oppressive, and isolated from the world above.
James noticed his heart racing and made an effort to calm down, taking slow deep breaths. The giant was watching him closely and gave him a nasty, little smirk when he saw him doing controlled breathing.
James gave him a weak smile and tried to make his voice sound relaxed as he said, "So, what exactly is the problem with your electrics?"
The giant raised his massive arm and pointed into the shadows, "Over there, the fuse board keeps tripping" he said.
James took out his torch and walked over to where the giant had pointed. He heard the heavy footsteps as the giant followed closely behind him.
The fuse board was ancient, probably the original that came with the house. Someone had added additional circuits to the various fuses and the result was a dangerous mess of wires that was hard to follow. The whole thing was a massive health hazard - water trickled down the basement walls and over the boxing, bare wires were left exposed threatening to electrocute anyone who touched them, and the whole thing was drawing far more power than it was designed to do originally making the whole thing a huge fire risk.
