The Job

"You scared?" the old man asked.

"No," Dylan replied, "why would I be?"

"'Cuz it's your first day at the aquarium. And there's no going back after this."

Dylan thought about it for a second. Maybe he was right. He's getting to see the inner workings of an aquarium and that would probably ruin the magic going forward. But, maybe it'll be a catalyst for bigger change. Like, for instance, he could bring Abby behind the scenes and maybe she'll finally talk to him. And perhaps even kiss him.

He went back to scrubbing the tank, the sponge squeaking against the glass. The old man sat back, the lawn chair he was sitting in looking like it could give out at any second. He considered Dylan while he played with the toothpick in his mouth.

"I gotta say son, I think you're the perfect fit," the old man said, "The right size, good hair. Strong, young body. I think you'll work out just fine. I think they'll be satisfied."

His stare lingered a bit too long, so Dylan broke his gaze and returned his focus to his work.

The old man continued, "No need to be scared, son. Just sayin'. I think you'll fit in just fine."

Just then, a middle age woman came out of a small room in the back carrying a big jug of small orange fish. She climbed a ladder to the left of Dylan and dumped the fish into the large tank. As she did so she spoke, "Don't let Wallace scare you. You'll learn to love him eventually." She picked up the jug and started walking back to the small room. "When you're done, come here, I want to finish showing you around."

He put the sponge back in its bucket, hoisted it up and followed the woman back into the complex of small rooms. Most of them were filled with shelves of chemicals and large tanks that ran to the various enclosures. Wrapped around the top of all of the rooms was a maze of different fish tanks. It gave the rooms a 360 degree view of the aquarium.

At the back of the complex was another small white room, again with fish tanks surrounding it on the top part of the wall. On one wall was a small door that led to a room that as of yet, Dylan had not been shown into. There was another on the opposite wall that read "Feeding Room." A small table lay in the middle of the floor and on the adjacent wall was a row of small lockers. A tiny bathroom and slop sink were in one corner and what looked like an emergency shower was in a second.

"Welcome to paradise," the woman said, "this is where you'll be spending all your time when you're not scrubbing or cleaning or fixing. You can have locker #4. Feel free to chill in here for a bit and I'll call you in a few if I need your help." She left out the door they came in, back towards the filter rooms.

Dylan sat on one of the four dilapidated chairs at the table and looked around. It was amazing to see an aquarium like this, it was like nothing he had ever seen before. He reckoned it made sense and was easier to keep an eye on the fish at all times, just in case. It certainly was beautiful.

After several minutes, the woman came back. "Alright, come with me. I'm gonna show you how to change the filters. And pay attention. The fish are very picky, they only like it done a certain way."

"You're joking, right? They're just fish," Dylan said.

The woman just widened her eyes and did not respond. She waved him on and led him to the filter room. She began showing him how to work the gear. "Ok, what you gotta do is remove this washer first. Do not - and I repeat - do NOT try to break the seal first. I learned that the hard way. Once it's off, you have to lubricate the joints so that it slides back on easier..."

Dylan tried to listen but his attention was caught by something. The fish in the tank above him were all grouped together at the bottom and facing him. It was if they were watching him. A big blue and red fish in the front seemed to notice him staring and swam off. The rest of the pack quickly followed suit and dispersed.

"...and then just twist it back on. OK? Make sense?" the woman finished.

Dylan hesitated, but then eventually responded. "Um - yeah. Sure. Just twist and then you - Hey. Were those fish staring at me?"

The woman followed his gaze. Another school had formed in the opposite tank. As before, when the woman looked their way, they all scattered.

"Yeah, they do that. They like to watch us. I told you, they are very particular about the filters," she said, then under her breath, "and everything else."

Dylan kept looking at the tank. Weird, he thought.

The woman spoke, "So, it's very important that you learn to do this right. But, don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to learn."

The woman moved on to the next filter. "I'm going to continue here for now. Why don't you go back with Wallace and see if there is anything else he wants you to do."

Dylan went back to the big room he was in before and Wallace was doing something that resembled cleaning a pipe. He looked up when Dylan came in, but said nothing and just returned to his work.

"She sent me back in here," Dylan said, "to see if you need help with anything else."

"I'm good over here," Wallace said, "but everyday we take inventory in that closet there to make sure we're all caught up. Why don't you work on that. That'll probably take you up to the rest of the day."

There was a clipboard hanging inside the cabinet with a detailed list of everything that needed to be checked each day. He got to work.

After several hours, Wallace began talking to him from across the room. "What was your last job?" he asked.

"A dog rescue shelter," Dylan answered.

"You like animals, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess. Just kinda worked out that way."

"Did you like it? Your old job?"

"Ehh. It paid the bills. The boss was a real bitch, though. I couldn't get away with anything. She must have had secret cameras everywhere. It felt like she was always watching us."

Wallace laughed. Then spoke, "Why'd you leave?"

"Just wasn't for me. I didn't see myself doing it forever so, I wanted to try new things while I'm young, you know? Before I get stuck somewhere."

Wallace laughed again and said, "And you chose here?"

"I mean, it worked with my job experience. And it's certainly interesting."

After a moment Wallace asked, "Do you see yourself doing it forever?"

"I mean, I don't know. It's just my first day."

"Well, you better," Wallace said.

"Why?" Dylan asked.

"Because," said Wallace, 'This place is not like any other place you've ever worked. It's a keeper, whether you like it or not. They won't let you go."

"The owners?"

Wallace laughed again. "Ha! The owners? I've never even met the bastards. No, I'm talking about - "

A loud bell rang.

"Oh, look at that. It's feeding time," Wallace said, putting down his tools and standing up. He started walking back towards the other rooms. Dylan followed. They entered the break room again and sitting in two of the chairs were the woman and a younger man he had met briefly earlier. Leonard, he remembered.

When Wallace and Dylan entered the room, the other two stood up. The woman nodded to Dylan and led the party through the door marked "Feeding Room." A light flickered for a moment, but then Dylan could see it. On the opposite wall was a large metal bin similar to a pig trough. After a few seconds, a rushing sound was heard and tons of what looked like fish pellets came rolling down the chute and into the trough. The other three people threw themselves forward and started ravenously eating the feed.

Dylan stood in horror. "What are you guys doing?" he shouted.

"Eating," said Wallace through mouthfuls of food, "you should too."

"Are you insane? Why would I eat that? It's fish food!"

"Well, it's all you're gonna be getting so you better get used to it. And don't complain," said the woman.

Leonard just continued to shovel in mouthfuls of the pellets like he had never eaten before, not saying anything.

Dylan's mind started spinning. What is this place? He stepped out the door and back into the break room. He felt nausea rise in his stomach. He looked for something to puke in. Where is the bathroom? he couldn't remember. He stumbled his way across the room and pushed open the unmarked door that he had not been in yet. He flicked on the light.

The nausea escaped his body and was instantly replaced with a feeling of shocked terror.

"So you found it," the woman said as she made her way in behind him, " I was meaning to show this later."

Wallace and Leonard slid their way in as well.

Dylan stood there motionless. Speechless. Eyes agape, staring at the monstrosity before him.

In front of him were two sets of bunks on either side of the room. Three were piled with belongings and the fourth was empty.

Above him, extending to all corners of the room - just like all the others - was a fish tank. As before, a group of fish were gathered around the bottom and seemed to be watching him.

"What's th-th-that?" he asked, pointing to the empty bed.

"That's your bunk," said Wallace.

"My-my-my-what?"

"You're bunk," he repeated, "for sleeping."

"I-I-no. I will go home. When I leave. I have a- a- a-" Dylan stuttered.

"You have no home. There is no leaving," Wallace said.

Dylan's heart was racing.

"I was trying to tell you," Wallace continued, "they won't let you leave."

"Who?" Dylan managed to get out between shuddering breaths.

"The fish."

Dylan turned to Wallace, all color draining from his face. The old man continued, "This ain't no ordinary aquarium. I was trying to tell you. These fish," he gestured all around him, "they ain't on display. It's us, kid. We're the exhibit."

Dylan tried to speak, "No, no. That can't be possible. How is that true?"

"It is," said the woman, "Try to escape. It's impossible. Trust us. We've all tried."

Dylan stepped back and teetered. The others grabbed him.

"Honey, I don't know how to tell you this," the woman said, "but you are living in a human aquarium. There's no getting out. We work to keep the tanks clean and the fish happy, and in return they feed us and give us this housing. That's all there is to it."

Dylan could feel the light fading, his body slumping to the floor. But, just before he blacked out, he swore he could see the face of that same blue and red fish from earlier staring right at him. Smirking.

Dylan passed out.