Death by Pop Rocks

Andy sat in his cubicle staring at the monitor. The week was almost over and he was watching the clock, counting down the minutes until he could leave. The ambient buzz of computers faded away as co-workers shut down their machines for the weekend. The absence of the white noise felt odd to him. He listened to the people around him chatting as they gathered their things to leave. Margaret’s weekend would be spent driving her kids to various sporting events. Ryan has been finishing his basement for the past four months. Paul was happy that he finally had a weekend with no plans, he could relax and do nothing at all. Andy could relate to that last one, though he never had plans for the weekend. A small group stopped near his desk debating over which bar to patronize. Andy rolled back in his chair, stretching and yawning loudly. This drew no reaction from the group and they continued on their way. Looking down at his shoes, he slowly scooted back to his desk. No longer in a hurry to leave, he returned to his computer. The only application running was his social media feed. One contact appeared, with the name “Mother,” and the status of “offline.” He heard the office door open and then a moment later the lights turned off. Andy now found himself in near darkness, the monitor acting as a spotlight showcasing that he was all alone.

Andy owned a car but he was not comfortable driving. Occasionally, he would call a cab, but this evening he was riding the train. There was a stop at the edge of town, just a few blocks from his apartment and he thought the walk home would be pleasant. He was sitting near the front of the car with his briefcase on his lap. The weight of it, if applied to the correct spot, caused one of his legs to bounce involuntarily. His mind drifted and he stared off into the distance, staying there for quite some time. When his focus returned he noticed a woman was looking at his bouncing leg. For the remainder of the ride he avoided all eye contact and sat as still as he could.

The sun was setting as Andy left the station and started walking towards home. Before long the street lamps flickered, buzzed, and then filled with steady light. He walked past the end of the city, crossing at the last stoplight, and transitioned into the residential district. As he crossed this threshold the green light of the stoplight changed to yellow and then to red. This area was filled nice, but older, homes. A couple walking their dog approached him from the opposite direction. They made no attempt to make space or avoid him. He politely stepped to the side, allowed them to pass, and then continued on. Feeling the cool breeze on his face was pleasant. He had been right about that. Approaching the apartment building, he noticed the curtains of the first floor window shifting colors. The glow of a television painted them from the inside. He wondered what they were watching. Andy lived on the second floor of this building, but he had not worked up the courage to introduce himself to the neighbors.

He entered the apartment and set his briefcase next to the door. The apartment was small and clean. He walked to the kitchen taking his shirt off as he went and then draped it over a chair. Glancing at the answering machine, the bright red message counter displayed zero messages. He sat down at the kitchen table. Several minutes passed as he studied the grain of the wood. This was the hardest part, passing the time before he could go to bed. He decided that this was the night. He stood up and calmly walked to his bedroom where he slid a small metal case out from under the bed. The case had rounded edges, with small grooves running lengthwise across the surface. Back in the kitchen Andy carefully set the case on the table and flipped open the two latches. He seated himself again, directly in front of the case, and then slowly opened it. Inside was custom molded foam, built specifically to keep the contents secure. He stared at the items embedded in the case. On the left was a metal can. On the right a bundle of small packages. He took the packages out first and set them on the table. They were colorful, the contents originally meant to bring joy. He took out the can and set it beside the packages. After some time he built up his nerve. Andy opened the packages of Pop Rocks and quickly poured the entire contents into his mouth. Then he opened the can of cola and took the largest gulp he could, washing the pop rocks down into his stomach. He chugged the rest of the cola and then waited. A searing pain grew in his gut. The pain intensified until at last it was unbearable. He placed his head down on the table and did not lift it back up. Blue foam escaped from the corners of his mouth. This is when Andy knew the truth. The legend that says eating pop rocks with cola would kill you, it was absolute bullshit.