Dead Cable Walking

The elevator cable hummed as Marcus descended to the parking garage, another midnight shift at the call center ending. His brain felt like it had been reanimated from a permanent stupor—three years of troubleshooting internet connections for minimum wage had turned him into something resembling a zombie, shuffling through life without truly inhabiting it.

Then he saw the dog.

A golden retriever sat alone near the concrete pillar, tail thumping rhythmically against the ground. No collar, no owner in sight. Marcus approached cautiously, and the dog pressed its warm side against his leg, as if recognizing a fellow lost soul.

"You too, huh?" Marcus murmured, sinking to the ground. The dog licked his hand, and something cracked open in his chest.

His phone buzzed—Brenda, his on-again-off-again girlfriend, probably wondering why he hadn't called. Or worse, his father, whose voice always carried that bull-like quality of forced enthusiasm and disappointed expectations. Marcus had stopped answering either of them months ago.

The dog nudged his pocket. Marcus laughed, surprised by the sound. "Sorry, buddy. I don't even have treats for myself."

A figure emerged from the shadows—an older woman in a security uniform. "There you are, Buster!" The dog bounded toward her, and Marcus felt an irrational pang of loss.

"He's yours?" Marcus asked, standing.

"My ex-husband's," she said, studying Marcus with knowing eyes. "Walks himself whenever he senses someone who needs it. Smartest creature I've ever met."

She snapped the leash onto Buster's collar, then hesitated. "You alright, son? You look like you've been carrying something heavy for a long time."

Marcus opened his mouth, closed it. The truth was, he'd forgotten how to speak the truth.

"The cable company," he finally said. "I work for them."

She nodded slowly. "Ah. That'll do it."

As they walked away, Buster looked back once, tail still wagging. Marcus watched them go, then pulled out his phone. His thumb hovered over his father's number, then moved to Brenda's. He pressed call.

The elevator cable hummed again as he rode back up, but this time, Marcus stepped out of the car like a man who intended to actually meet himself coming the other way.