George heaved. The trash barrel scraped across the pavement. By the time he got it to the dumpster he was pretty sure he’d worn the other wheel flat, too. He tossed both lids open and stopped for a breather while he figured out what to do next.
He knew he should just call Jarvis and tell him to send Mark over for an assist. He should’ve called ten minutes ago, but the thought of listening to Mark ramble on about the life he was supposed to have seemed especially grating at the moment.
If he could get the barrel off the ground, even just a little, George was pretty sure he could work the top of it up onto the edge of the dumpster. Then he could just push it forward and tilt it until the whole thing tipped. It was the same move he’d used with the couch last week.
The couch that had been so much lighter than he’d expected.
Madelyn’s lunchtime stories flashed through his mind. That he was strong. It was nonsense, but right now he wouldn’t mind if it were true. Unfortunately, he knew the barrel weighed a lot more than the couch.
He gave the top edge of the trash bin a nudge. It bent away from his finger. The weight had settled to the bottom of the container, but the top was still just plastic. He could feel the barrel resist as his hand slid down and pushed.
He shook the thoughts from his head and tightened his lifting belt. The Velcro flaps rustled into place over his abs. He got behind the barrel, bent his knees, and pushed at the top with his left hand. It tipped forward just enough for him to slip his fingers underneath it. He tightened his fingers, braced his arms, and heaved up with his knees.
The trash barrel jumped two feet into the air.
George fell back for a moment, convinced his grip had slipped, then lunged back in to grab the barrel. It crashed down on the ground. It was so bottom heavy there was no chance of it tipping.
A last few passing students glanced over at the noise of the impact. It had been loud. Over five hundred pounds loud, easy.
George straightened up. The click-clack-click of newly broken tile echoed inside the bin. A faint haze of dust circled the top. He gave it another prod with his hand.
Are you strong in your dreams? Really, really strong?
Most of the students were gone now. Class schedules weren’t exact, but there were periods of high and low foot traffic on campus. At the moment, there was no one nearby to watch him try something dumb.
He bent down again. With one move, without thinking about it, he scooped up the bin. It came away from the ground and fell into his arms. It weighed nothing.
He held it by the mouth and the bottom. He tipped the whole thing forward and shook it out. A wave of trash poured out into the dumpster. Soggy papers, wet plaster, ceramic tiles. It all crashed down inside the metal container.
George dropped the plastic bin and looked at his hands. His gaze traveled up his arms. There weren’t any bulging muscles or swollen veins. His shirt didn’t feel tight. His limbs didn’t look any bulkier or more powerful than they ever did in the bathroom mirror.
He looked at the old tiles and plaster chunks piled up in the dumpster. There was also a bunch of old pizza boxes, a dozen or so plastic trash bags, and what looked like some shelving with twisted brackets. The dumpster wasn’t full, but it’d need to be emptied in a day or two at the most.
Still no one nearby. He stepped to the side of the dumpster and put his hands on the big sleeve the trash trucks slid their forklifts into. They used them to flip the dumpsters up and over the cab. He slid his fingers under the sleeve and lifted.
The end of the dumpster rose into the air with a squeal of stressed metal. The wheels went one-two-three feet in the air. Half a ton of steel and trash, easy. Hell, the dumpster alone weighed over five hundred pounds. Even considering two of the wheels still sat on the ground, he had to be lifting five or six times his own weight.
And it barely took any effort at all. He was aware of the weight, but it felt like nothing. He could’ve been lifting a bag of groceries.
George set the dumpster down. He didn’t want to make any noise. Any more noise, at least.
The life he was supposed to have.
He reached down and grabbed the underside of the steel bin with one hand. The rusty bottom flaked away beneath his fingertips. He felt something small and slick skitter away from the tip of his pinky. His other hand grabbed the edge of the dumpster’s wide mouth. The pose put his head almost against the forklift sleeve.
“Just like picking up the trash bin,” he whispered. He took in a deep breath. His fingers tensed.
A car horn blared out three quick beeps. He fell against the dumpster. Its side echoed with the clang.
One of the department trucks sat in the walkway a few yards behind him. It was covered with dust. The front tires were flat, and it made the whole vehicle lean forward. Behind the wheel was the body of a man. Its skin was gray with a few freckles of black. Its eyes were dull pearls. The body was dusty, too. A cobweb stretched from the brim of its department cap to its nose, then down to its collar.
The dead man’s head rolled to the side to look at him. Withered fingers reached up to paw at the steering wheel and the half-open side window. One arm pushed through the opening and it stretched out, trying to reach George. Its
