Chapter 2:
Chapter 2: The Club
The 30th of February
It was the Nurse again, holding a syringe with a not-so-friendly grin."Not again. I swear you just jabbed me yesterday. Isn't that too often?" I complained.
"Nope. Your memory is wrong, again. We give you the shots only once a week. Everything here is legal. So stop complaining and give me your arm. Or I'll just stick it up somewhere else," the Nurse said, slowly shaking the syringe in front of my eyes.
I complied. As always, the needle itself wasn't that painful. But when she injected the liquid into my body, it felt like something was burning under my skin. A quiet fire was spreading through my veins. I gritted my teeth, but I didn't scream.
Fortunately, my younger brother Ben didn't have to take this shot. He was otherwise a very brave man, but for some reasons, he was so afraid of injections. When we were kids, mum and dad had to hold him down to get him vaccinated. And he'd scream like the world was ending.
"Where is the Bound Man? I didn't see him around," I asked the Nurse when she was pulling the needle out of my arm.
"How dare you ask me this question after what you've done to him?"
What the hell did I do to him?
That evening, I finally met the Bound Man in the open area where inmates gathered before bed. He was obviously avoiding eye contact when I approached him. And he looked afraid when our eyes eventually met.
"I want to join your club. Could you let me in?"
He studied my face for a while and asked if I had just got jabbed. I said yes. And then he said, "We talked. Some of us like you. Some don't. But the majority agree that we should give you a chance. I need to ask you a few questions before officially inviting you in, though. Is that okay?" said the Bound Man.
I nodded.
"Question one: Why are you so sure that February used to have 30 days?"
"Because I was born on February 30th, thirty years ago. And I celebrated my birthday on that day every year since."
"Question two: How did you know that our world had supernaturally changed?"
"I don't remember the exact details. It was like February had 30 days before I fell asleep — and there were only 28 days left in the same month after I woke up. It just happened."
"Okay. We all have similar experiences. So that's not a problem. Final question: What other major changes — besides the number of days in February — have you noticed?"
I paused. This question hit closer to home than I expected.
"The biggest change,” I said slowly, “is that I can't find my brother Ben anymore. After the shift from 30 to 28, he just disappeared."
"Tell us...tell me more about your brother," the Bound Man demanded.
"No. Why should I tell you about my family? You've already asked too many questions."
I could clearly see the fear in his eyes when I raised my voice. I didn’t know why he seemed to be so afraid of me.
"Let me in," I said, stepping closer. My voice was quiet, but firm.
The Bound Man shut his eyes. His lips moved slightly, as if he was talking to the air. After half a minute, he opened his eyes and gave me a nod.
“On one condition: later whenever we meet in a room, you cannot stay for more than 10 minutes. Time’s up and you need to go,” said the Bound Man.
"Nope. Your memory is wrong, again. We give you the shots only once a week. Everything here is legal. So stop complaining and give me your arm. Or I'll just stick it up somewhere else," the Nurse said, slowly shaking the syringe in front of my eyes.
I complied. As always, the needle itself wasn't that painful. But when she injected the liquid into my body, it felt like something was burning under my skin. A quiet fire was spreading through my veins. I gritted my teeth, but I didn't scream.
Fortunately, my younger brother Ben didn't have to take this shot. He was otherwise a very brave man, but for some reasons, he was so afraid of injections. When we were kids, mum and dad had to hold him down to get him vaccinated. And he'd scream like the world was ending.
"Where is the Bound Man? I didn't see him around," I asked the Nurse when she was pulling the needle out of my arm.
"How dare you ask me this question after what you've done to him?"
What the hell did I do to him?
That evening, I finally met the Bound Man in the open area where inmates gathered before bed. He was obviously avoiding eye contact when I approached him. And he looked afraid when our eyes eventually met.
"I want to join your club. Could you let me in?"
He studied my face for a while and asked if I had just got jabbed. I said yes. And then he said, "We talked. Some of us like you. Some don't. But the majority agree that we should give you a chance. I need to ask you a few questions before officially inviting you in, though. Is that okay?" said the Bound Man.
I nodded.
"Question one: Why are you so sure that February used to have 30 days?"
"Because I was born on February 30th, thirty years ago. And I celebrated my birthday on that day every year since."
"Question two: How did you know that our world had supernaturally changed?"
"I don't remember the exact details. It was like February had 30 days before I fell asleep — and there were only 28 days left in the same month after I woke up. It just happened."
"Okay. We all have similar experiences. So that's not a problem. Final question: What other major changes — besides the number of days in February — have you noticed?"
I paused. This question hit closer to home than I expected.
"The biggest change,” I said slowly, “is that I can't find my brother Ben anymore. After the shift from 30 to 28, he just disappeared."
"Tell us...tell me more about your brother," the Bound Man demanded.
"No. Why should I tell you about my family? You've already asked too many questions."
I could clearly see the fear in his eyes when I raised my voice. I didn’t know why he seemed to be so afraid of me.
"Let me in," I said, stepping closer. My voice was quiet, but firm.
The Bound Man shut his eyes. His lips moved slightly, as if he was talking to the air. After half a minute, he opened his eyes and gave me a nod.
“On one condition: later whenever we meet in a room, you cannot stay for more than 10 minutes. Time’s up and you need to go,” said the Bound Man.
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