Genetic Anomaly (Intro)

Worse than the fact that Cal failed his 700 pound squat attempt was the fact that a small crowd had gathered. Cal had never wanted to create a spectacle at the gym, but when a guy his size starts stacking that many plates on a bar, people stop to watch. None of the onlookers had the guts to speak up in front of him, but the whispering was just as disconcerting. He tried to ignore it as he undid his belt and tossed it aside.

Sonny, Cal’s coach, shook his head as he patted a chalky hand on Cal’s back. “I really thought you had it that time,” he said. “No dice in three attempts. I thought you had it that time.”

Cal just shrugged. “I’ll get it next time.” He’d said that three weeks ago, the last time he’d attempted. Cal was 26. His powerlifting career was just getting started. He considered for a moment the idea that he had hit his limit, but he swept that idea away.

“You’re done for the day,” Sonny said, thumbing at the sauna. “Go sit in the steam for awhile and focus on recovering.”

Cal nodded and the two headed in that direction. A couple of the gym regulars, smaller guys who envied Cal’s size, fist bumped him before walking away. He kept his eyeline down, not in the mood to chat about his public failure.

“Thing is,” Sonny said, “as your coach I gotta say, you’ve been distracted for a few months now. We’ve talked about it before, but I gotta say… Is it that girl of yours? Because if she’s ruining your focus…”

“It’s not her,” Cal snapped. “I’m just at a plateau. That’s all.”

“Buddy, seriously, I’ve been your age before,” Sonny said. “I know what it’s like when you’ve got testosterone blasting through your body like that. You’re big as a house, balls the size of grapefruits, you move massive weight, your joints hurt like hell, your lady gives you a massage… Next thing you know, you’re banging her for the fourth time...”

“It’s not her,” Cal repeated. He lowered his voice. “We haven’t… fucked… yet…”

Sonny’s eyes went wide. “For real? You’ve been dating her for a month now. You haven’t hit it yet? The fuck you waiting for?”

Cal just shook his head. “Trying to stay focused, is all.” He grabbed the door to the sauna and flung it open. “I’ll hit the sauna. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

The stillness and dim light of the sauna did nothing to ease Cal’s mental distress. He tried to clear his head, focusing on the steam fogging his vision, with no success. Three months, Sonny had said. Cal had put all of his energy into upholding the image that everything in his life was fine, but Sonny bulls-eyed the moment that everything had spun out of control. He wondered who else had noticed.

The door to the sauna opened and Cal’s blood went cold. His whole body tensed as he waited--for HIM--but it wasn’t who he had feared. Trevor, Cal’s old lifting partner, came in and sat down next to him.

“What’s up, big guy?” Trevor said as he leaned back and breathed in the hot humid air. “I saw that PR attempt out there. Tough break guy. I figured you’d be way past that by now.”

Cal nearly sobbed. He wanted to explain to Trevor that he couldn’t focus at the gym anymore, that every time he was there he was constantly scanning the area to see if he was watched, terrified that he would see the man who had been tormenting him these past few months.

“You ever think of changing up your coach?” Trevor suggested. Sitting next to him on the moist bench, Trevor’s eyeline only came to Cal’s shoulder. He was a little brick of a man, nearly as wide as he was tall, built to squat heavy and pull massive weight off the floor. He was nearly a foot shorter than Cal’s 6’6”. Despite his impressive thickness, Cal’s huge densely packed frame made Trevor’s look puny.

Cal shook his head. “Sonny’s a genius. He’s not the problem.”

“What about your gear? You think you need to up the dosage a little bit? I mean you’re a mostly natty guy, aren’t you? Maybe it’s time you get that extra boost so you can stay competitive.”

“I’m 100% natty,” Cal said. The doctors said he had a genetic anomaly that allowed his body to build muscle more easily than most. He was built to be big and strong, they said. But that wasn’t the only genetic anomaly in his system.

“Then what the fuck is it?” Trevor said. 

Rick. Just thinking that name filled Cal’s stomach with ice, even in the heat of the sauna. The idea of that skinny little fuck without an ounce of muscle on his frame, prancing into the gym barely dressed, winking at Cal when he thought no one was looking, shooting him heart and kiss emojis just to taunt him… He wanted desperately to explain to Trevor, who had been his best friend for the past three years, exactly what he was going through. Instead he just kept his mouth shut and let the feelings fester.

“I think I’ve had enough heat,” Cal said. He stood up and headed for the door without even a fistbump to his buddy. Trevor just let him walk away.

In the locker room Cal jumped every time the door opened. Rick hadn’t hit him up in two weeks. It was time, he knew, and the fact that he never knew exactly when was maddening. He checked his phone. No text message. He walked to the parking lot with his hood pulled up, glancing around to make sure Rick was nowhere to be found.

Part of Cal just wanted Rick to be there, standing outside his car (or sitting in it, which he had done once before). That way it would be over, he’d let Rick have his fun and when it was over he could enjoy peace for a little while.

As he was getting out of his car, Cal’s phone vibrated. “Seeing a guy your size all skiddish and shit is weird. Like an elephant scared of a mouse or something. Let me know if I can help.” He wished he could.

Cal’s door was unlocked. He knew he had locked it. He knew it was Rick, and part of him was relieved. Let’s get this over with, he thought as he opened the door and turned on his kitchen light.

“Rick!” he called. No response. The silence taunted him. “Rick, you here?” He checked in his bedroom, peeked in the bathroom, but his apartment was empty. Maybe he had forgotten to lock the door. Maybe Rick was hiding, waiting to give his arrival even bigger impact. Cal shook as he stood in his kitchen, desperate to hear a footstep or a floor creak. Nothing.

The alarm on his phone went off. It was time for his meds. Inside his fridge he saw the orange pill bottle with a little post it note attached to it.

“You don’t write and you don’t call. I’m starting to think you don’t deserve my friendship. You certainly don’t deserve these pills! I’ll see you soon.”

Cal’s eyes went wide. He unscrewed the container and shook nothing out onto his hand. Rick wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t have. He dialed Rick’s number as he darted into his bedroom. It went straight to voicemail. Cal rummaged through his closet, finding the small metal safe in the back. He lifted his mattress to get the key, but the safe was empty. Rick had stolen his backup meds too.

Other than Cal’s doctors, Rick was the only one who knew about his other genetic anomaly. Cal had to take a pill every 36 hours to prevent his body from producing a chemical that caused massive cellular reduction. It was reversible with medication, of course, but without his meds Cal was going to start to shrink. Within the hour he would be six inches tall. He would be alone in his apartment, tiny and helpless, and the only person aware of his condition would be the one person he didn’t want anywhere near him.