The Box

Chapter III

She awakes the next morning later than she wanted to and her mood has gone back to what it's normally at. She lays in bed for a moment before sitting up with a groan. Her hair is fizzy, almost as if lightning had struck her while she slept. She checked her phone for the time and checked anything from her job. She had no new notifications so she opened up Spotify to get her workout playlist going and ready. It had a variety of EDM, Rock, and several artists she likes. She gets up and takes a warm shower. As she showered she couldn't help but notice this one seemed a little better than usual. The way the warm water ran down her back and her body seemed to take the heat away from the water. She got out and got her active clothes on and went to eat. She ate toast that was very close to being burnt but she didn't mind because as her father would say “peanut butter makes everything better”. She finished eating and turned on a show while she stretched. The news was also hyped up for the Olympics in previous years. It showed highlights from the last game and she was in it. This made her smile as she was now famous. She finished warming up and got her coat on and stepped out the door. The gym was the closest thing to her so she could walk for 15 minutes and be there. When she walked in she was greeted by the woman at the counter. She seemed cheery and delighted to see another person. “Good mourning, ready to feel the burn”? The woman asked. “I guess so,” Rachel said. Even for someone who was up early and ready to work this was too enthusiastic for Rachel as no one should legally be up as early as she was. She looked at the clock on the wall to make sure she wasn't just jumping to a conclusion too soon. 7:30am was what it read. She shook her head, wanting to go back to sleep now more than ever. However she ignored this feeling and entered the main part of the gym. It had a variety of tools and equipment. Treadmills lined the wall with the windows and behind that were benches, deadlift squares with belts on a rack. Along the back wall were many racks with weights on them running from 20lbs to 200lbs. There was one lonely tool sitting at the corner. It looked old and dusty, as if it hadn't been used since it was brought here. A part of Rachel felt bad for it but that wasn't what she was here to do. She took her coat off and put it on the rack by the entrance and walked to a treadmill. She started off slow and watched the passing cars. She turned the speed up to a jog and enjoyed the pace there. Her eyes focused on many things outside the gym. Birds flying by, people arguing, cars passing by, children running along with their parents following soon after. The gym began to fill with others working out and it was harder for her to focus. She put her earbuds in and listened to music while observing the outside still. She was going pretty fast at this point but it was still a good pace for her. Someone got onto the treadmill beside her and began using it. “You come here often”? The person wondered. Rachel's music was too loud to hear so she didn't answer. She could feel their eyes on her so she took an earbud out to talk to them. “Im sorry, did you need something”? “Oh no I was just looking for a conversion but I can see you’re busy so I’ll leave you be”.  “Oh I can talk, it’d be better than spacing out all day”. “Well alright then I’m Atlas, what's your name”? “I'm Rachel, nice to meet you”. “So, you come here often or is this rare”? “Oh definitely rare, I’m just training for the olympics”. “Really!? Me too” Atlas said. “May the best woman win then”. Rachel smiled at this knowing she would recognize someone at the competition. “Well it looks like you might beat me, you're going pretty fast on that treadmill”. She looked down at the speed she was going. “Alright sure but that doesn't mean you can still beat me”. Atlas laughs “I doubt it, this will be my first year doing this”. “Oh really? Need any tips”? “Sure,” Atlas said. Rachel thinks for a moment before responding. “Use your nerves to your advantage”. Atlas thinks about that for a moment. “That makes sense, I'll do my best. Thanks Rachel”. “No problem Atlas”. “Say would you wanna hang out again”? “Sure if you want I don't do much though”. “That's ok,” Atlas said. The two of them exchanged numbers and continued working out. Atlas left before Rachel did and an hour later Rachel left as well. “Man I’m gonna feel this tomorrow”. She smiled at the receptionist and walked out. She walked back home and sat down for a bit. When she arrived home she thought about getting her Xbox set up so she had more to do when she was alone. She started to set it up. Each cord seemed like it was a device from a different planet and she had to translate it. Eventually she got it figured out and booted it up. Before she could play she received a text from Atlas. “Hey sorry if you're busy I’m bored and thought of you”. “Hey what's up”? Rachel responded. “Nothin much just sitting here, might play some games”. “Oh I just got my Xbox set up, wanna play”? “Sure”!. They both played games like Fallout 76, Minecraft, and PUBG. They played well into the night laughing and playfully making fun of each other. It was around 12 o’clock when they both finally logged off for the night. Rachel sat back afterwards and sighed. She made herself a small meal and turned on her tv to actual channels instead of games. She flipped until she found a show called The More of Them. She watched a few episodes while she ate. After a while she was beginning to fall asleep so she got up and went to bed. The next morning she awoke to her alarm groggily. Her calves were burning from the previous day but she still had motivation to move. She checked her phone for a few messages and saw only Atlas had messaged her. “Hey cya soon” it read. She smiled and got up to get ready. She did her usual routine and headed to the gym to meet up with Atlas. When she arrived Atlas was waiting in the same spot as before. They exchanged pleasantries and began to work. As they chatted Rachel noticed something outside. There was a gray-ish black van with a man watching them inside. “H-hey Atlas, do you see that”? She points to the van. “Hm that is strange '' Atlas said “I’m sure it's nothing though, probably people being weird”. As those words escaped Atlas’s mouth the van pulled out and parked in front of the gym’s window and headed towards the front.