Medicine Probably Won’t Work

Bryant Jeffers slowly drifted awake in his bedroom to a delightful scent: his wife’s freshly baked apple pie. Although he was slightly disappointed to not feel her in bed beside him, he was more than excited about what was to come in a couple rooms over. Bryant turned to lay flat on his back, rubbed his eyes and allowed his eyes to flutter open. He blinked rapidly a few times until his vision came into focus and he now stared at a plain white ceiling with a dome light-fixture in the middle. The light was off, and he looked to the right wall adjacent to him to see a door with light peeking under it from the hallway. Right beside the bed sat a lengthy dresser pushed up against the wall, and his phone sat on the edge closest to him. The time on its screen read 12:62. He sat up and stretched his arms above his head, extending his back and stretching his toes onto a fuzzy red carpet right beside the bed.

Bryant stood and popped his lower back by putting pressure on his lumbar spine with his palms, then swiftly twisting his upper back by swinging his shoulders one way, then the other. As he walked to the door, he glanced to his right for a moment at the mirror sitting atop the dresser. His short, salt and pepper hair really contrasted his icy blue eyes. Somehow, his hair was perfectly spiked in the middle and tapered down on the sides. His wife, Stephanie, always reminded him how jealous she is that he can put literally no effort into looking good in the morning. Hell, there weren’t even any bags under his eyes right now. There never were, he never looked ill-rested. Stephanie blamed his accidental good will on him being a man. But, that didn’t exactly make sense because of the…

Anyway! Bryant turned the doorknob and exited the bedroom. Their room was at the end of a rather lengthy hallway. A small set of dome lightbulb fixtures lit up the hall, spaced out throughout the length of its’ ceiling. Bryant could see a faint trail of what appeared to be smoke, which carried the scent of the apple pie. Their bedroom was the last door on the left, he passed by two doors on the right for each child’s room, and one on the left that led to a bathroom. He passed them all and turned right into their kitchen. There was no door here, just an open area from the hall to the glorious smell that had driven him here.

To the left side of the kitchen sat a tall refrigerator and a big oven beside it where the smell was clearly coming from. To the right, a beautiful woman with curly blonde hair was washing dishes in the sink right in front of her. She wore a white sundress with light blue flowers covering its majority and a black apron in front. She turned to look at Bryant, her hazel eyes practically glowing from sunshine that etched through the window above the sink. “Hello, sleepyhead,” she teased. Her voice was as smooth as butter on toast. “I know what you’re thinking. I made that pie as a practice run since thanksgiving is coming up. But you are not eating that for breakfast, mister. You need real food on your stomach first.”

Bryant walked over behind Stephanie and wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her right shoulder. “Aww, you’re no fun.” Bryant smirked mischievously. “Lord forbid I don’t want you wrecking your stomach first thing in the morning,” Stephanie said with a chuckle. Bryant kissed the side of her neck gently. “How about now?” Stephanie turned to look at him, lifting her eyebrows in question. “You gotta do better than that, little boy.” Bryant reached up and cradled her chin, turning her face a bit more towards his own. “Don’t mind if I do.” He leaned in and gently kissed her lips. They were supple as always. Kissing her beautiful face was always a golden experience. When his eyes closed, he could see rainbows and sunshine behind his eyelids, just like every other time they kissed.

He slowly pulled away after about ten seconds of smooches. “Does that help?” His wife sighed. “I’m not sure I’m convinced just yet.” She couldn’t hold back a smile despite her cocksure. “Don’t fret, my beloved. I can sit here and convince you all day.” Before letting her respond, he leaned back into another kiss. The kiss was deeper and more passionate this time. Stephanie placed her hands on the edge of the sink to stabilize herself.

After a few moments, she pulled away. “If you wanna eat any time soon, you’d better stop right there.” Bryant leaned back and chuckled. “If you can’t handle the heat, stay outta the kitchen, sweet cheeks.” He firmly grabbed her ass for a quick moment. Stephanie gasped at the touch and Bryant stepped back. “Anyway, I should probably leave that there in case the kids come bursting into the room.” He walked further into the kitchen and sat at the dining room table a short ways down. He glanced back at Stephanie and saw her cheeks were pinkish-red. Yes, just the reaction he wanted.

“Where are the kids, anyway?” He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through a few articles. He transitioned from reading the news in actual newspapers to reading the tragedies of this world online. Evolution, people. “Lee and Angelo are at the neighbors down the street for a while, you know the couple that has five kids?” They looked at each other for a moment. Bryant gave his wife a devious smile. “I know what you’re thinking! You need to eat food first regardless!” She finished the dishes and dried her hands with a paper towel. Bryant still held a mischievous grin at the thought of devouring his wife instead.

“Would it help if I made you something myself?” He sighed in response, “since you insist, I don’t think I can oblige.” Stephanie rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky it’s your birthday.” Oh, right, today is July thirty-first. “Just soak it up while you can. I’ll be going back to my regularly scheduled bitch-itude tomorrow.” Bryant laughed. “Whatever you say sweetheart.” Stephanie started searching the pantry on the other side of the oven. Bryant scrolled through articles on his phone again. He clicked on one titled ‘Reports of a Dream Demon are back…’

It’s strange, normally superstitious tales never grabbed his attention but he felt compelled to read this one. He read the first paragraph that told a tale of a man in his 30’s claiming a succubus was haunting his dreams. Apparently it gave him dreams with a pitch perfect life with a wife that always looked like the types of women he found most attractive. ‘I’m just a sucker for redheads, can’t help it’ said a quote from the man that was interviewed.

Before reading any further, a shining green light caught Bryant’s eye. He looked up and saw the strange light coming from the window right above the kitchen sink. The light was only there for a mere five seconds before it vanished. Stephanie was now standing over the stove, stirring one of the two pots burning in front of herself. She didn’t seem to notice the light. “Huh, looks like there’s UFOs outside again,” Bryant said sarcastically.

Stephanie turned her head to look in her husband's direction while still stirring the pot. Her brows were furrowed with confusion. The room stood quiet for an uncomfortable few seconds. Bryant shrugged at her, hoping she’d say something. Anything would do. He wanted confirmation that he wasn’t crazy here. “Umm, what’s a UFO?”

Bryant’s mind suddenly went blank. He had no idea what he was talking about. “I …have no idea. I must be losing my mind, as always.” Stephanie chuckled and turned back to her stove. “That’s nothing new,” she teased. Bryant reopened his phone and the article about that new bakery coming to town opened again. He scrolled until he saw a few menu items listed. ‘Triple berry pastries, banana muffins with chocolate chips and neapolitan cake, just to name a few items on their future menu…’

“Huh, never would’ve thought to put banana and chocolate together, but I could give it a try.” He spoke his thoughts aloud to himself. “Hey, Bry?” His wife began. “Why don’t you sit on the couch and watch that new drama you like, uh, what’s it called?” Bryant cut his wife off, already getting out of his chair. “I know the one, already on it.” He walked right out of the kitchen to a recliner sitting a few feet away from a flatscreen mounted on the wall. “Hey, you haven’t told any of your girlfriends I watch this, right?”

“Don’t worry, Bry. I’m aware you don’t wanna seem too fem. Although there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a modern soap opera regardless of gender.” Bryant listened while reaching for the remote and turning on a streaming service. “But, what do I know? I’m just the wifey.” Bryant found a housewives show he’s been delving into and put on the next episode before responding. “Not saying you’re dumb by any means, but you just wouldn’t get it.”

Stephanie walked over and stood next to her husband for a moment. “Hey, I’m making you chili cheese nachos. Do you want that shredded Mexican cheese blend melted into the nacho cheese dip? I know it’s a lot of cheese, but— “

Bryant yelped as he turned to look at his wife. Her eyes were completely black. Not just the iris, but the entire eyeball itself. He blinked a couple times, and her eyes were suddenly back to normal. She tilted her head and rested her hands on her hips. “What’s gotten into you?” She questioned. “You didn’t hear me walking this way?” Bryant’s heart was beating out of his chest. Did he just see that correctly? No, of course not. They’re back to normal now. His mind is just playing tricks, that’s not super strange. “Uhh, yes, I mean, no. No, I didn’t hear you coming. Yeesh,” he laughed nervously and forced a smile. “You certainly woke me up for the day.”

Stephanie put her hands in the air, palms open and forward, as if she was caught committing a crime. “Okay, well I’m gonna just add that damned cheese. You seem on edge, so I’ll just do it.” She stepped away and back into the kitchen. Bryant shook his head and allowed himself to tune into his show. He zoned in rather quickly. So quickly in fact, he noticed his heart still thumping and forgot why it was doing that.

After a few minutes of the rich-wife-life on screen, Stephanie carried a small coffee table over and sat it next to Bryant. He was so locked in, he didn’t notice she brought it over. Then, she came over with a fresh apple pie in one hand and a bowl of chili cheese nachos in the other. She set them down on the table beside him. Bryant’s attention suddenly shifted. His eyes widened and mouth watered. “Ooooh, looks and smells delicious as always, Steph.” He grabbed a chip and scooped chili and cheese onto it before taking a large bite. The food was almost euphoric, like he hadn’t eaten in ages and received manna. Stephanie handed out a fork. “For the pie,” she stated simply. “Thank you,” he said through a muffled mouthful before setting it down between his two food items.

After eating a few more bites, he made a decision. “Hey, I’m gonna be bad and get some apple pie before I’m done with my actual meal.” Stephanie moved over and knelt down in front of him. “That’s fine, dear.” She was suddenly putting her hair into a high ponytail. He was a bit shocked but didn’t question it. Bryant put a fork full of warm, juicy apple pie into his mouth. He may as well be experiencing nirvana at this point. Delicious pie and even sweeter TLC below his belt. Couldn’t ask for better.

Until he started choking.

The food in his mouth became grainy and heavy all of a sudden, and tasted like sand. He tried asking for water, but the words wouldn’t come out. His wife pretended not to notice. The air became slim, dots filled his vision. He reached for his throat, clawing at its sides in desperation. He coughed and coughed, but nothing would escape his mouth. Everything slowly faded to black.

——

Heavy breathing and screaming filled the room. The scream was higher pitched than Bryant would’ve intended. He was suddenly in another room. What had happened? He was just enjoying a scrumptious meal his wife had created. Last he remembers, he didn’t want the moment to end.

He sat up in bed in a room he didn’t recognize. The space was small, he could hardly imagine more than three or four people standing in the room at once. The cot he lay on took up half the room. It felt very cramped. “Where am I?” His voice sounded different. Like, way different. He reached up to touch his throat and saw hands that were chocolatey brown. Bryant screamed in confusion. He looked at his palms, then the back of his hands. They were indeed darker and very petite. “What the hell is going on?!” He looked down to see he was in a pure white hospital gown with a thin, white blanket covering his lower half. He patted his sides and midsection and was shocked to find big lumps on his chest. “Do I have boobs?!” He gasped and reached for his crotch. “Where’s my dick?! My precious jewels!!”

He stood up, stumbling towards the door in the room as he had to adjust to a different, lighter body weight. He banged on the door. “Hello? Hello! Where’s my wife?! Where’s my wife?!?” He was hyperventilating at this point. What on earth is going on? He heard footsteps outside the door and two men burst in. “Miss Cassie, we need you to sit down,” said one of the guys.

Bryant was breathing so intensely he couldn’t get a word out, he just stuttered about being confused and asking about his wife and kids. The second guy sighed with clear exhaustion. “She’s going on about the wife and kids again.” Cassie started banging on the first man’s chest. “Help me!” A sharp inhale. “Something is going on! My wife!” Another sharp inhale. “Where am I?!”

The men detained her in a very organized fashion. They strapped Cassie to the cot she was previously laying on with buckles that were hiding beneath her usual wrist and ankle placement. Flailing her limbs frantically seemed to pose no threat to these men. They fastened the belts around her appendages. Despite the screaming from Cassie, the men conversed with each other without much tension. “We have to sedate her again,” said the first man. “But she’s been asleep for almost a week now, hasn’t she?” They both looked down at her, watching her attempt to break out of the restraints. “What choice is she giving us? The doctor isn’t having luck finding the right meds, so do you have any bright ideas?” The other guy sighed. “I’ll get the vial, hang tight.”

Cassie’s screams somehow got louder as the second guy left the room. The first guy tried calming her down with a condescending spiel about how everything will be fine and the wife and kids she’s asking for will be around shortly. When the second man came back with a long needle in hand, she wriggled around even more somehow. The first guy held her chest and one of her arms in place with flat, sturdy palms. The syringe was painful and the liquid was warm. Before she knew it, Cassie’s world went black.

——

Bryant sat upright in bed quickly, his chest heaving. “Is everything alright?” Stephanie said from beside him. Her dirty blonde hair was in a messy bun. She rubbed her eyes and sat up sluggishly. Bryant turned to her and sighed with relief. Looking into her light green eyes just always made his heart settle. “I just had a terrible dream. I’m not sure what even happened, I’m just glad it wasn’t real.” Stephanie smiled. “Well… the kids are sleeping over at their cousin’s house this weekend. Wanna get some stress relief and make me scream?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Bryant said cheekily before laying back down and diving into a deep, intimate kiss.