The alarm had chosen a piercing G-sharp, far enough off to irritate his perfect pitch. Brian Lindly pawed his way out of the covers and grabbed for it. His arm flapped against empty air. The clock had moved during the night, along with the night stand, which now stood three feet from the bed.
Brian sat up, warm feet on cold floor, gritting his teeth against the buzzing which was winding its way up the scale at an accelerating pace. He reached carefully to depress the button, recalling the electric shock it had given him a few days before. Outside his window the fall sky held the hue of dead ash. The waking city was already spitting out a jagged array of noise.
Brian lurched forward, robe in hand. His momentum carried him to the bathroom, where for once everything was in place. He managed his shower without slipping, his shave without drawing blood.
Breakfast was another matter. The light in the refrigerator had failed and the orange juice played incognito in the shadows. The toaster refused to release his seeded rye until it was charred to an inedible lump. The coffee first accepted the cream, then denied it. What had begun as a milky amber blend began to separate as he drank. White globules appeared, then flakes like small shreds of paper. He thought he saw writing on some, but was afraid to look more closely.
His clothes were where he had left them, except for his shoes, which had shifted in opposite directions during the night. One was under the couch and the other perched atop the stereo. After he had them on, cursing the laces which slipped through his fingers, he rose and headed for the door.
The telephone rang.
A voice within warned him not to stop, but it wasn't in Brian's nature to leave a call unanswered.
"Hello."
"..."
"Hello ... hello!"
"...you have reached a number which is not in service at this time. Please check..."
Brian slammed the receiver back into its cradle. A vein pulsed in his temple. With a rigid gait he proceeded to the door, into the hall, and down four flights to the street, choosing the stairs over the elevator since he didn't want to chance getting trapped between floors.
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