Joe’s Horribly Kept Secret
Iskall grunted around the screwdriver in his mouth, hands preoccupied with the wires in front of him. He had to work fast to get the electricity back up, or everything will get messed up quickly. A sigh of relief escaped him as the lights turned back on and the hum of electronics surrounded him. He quickly cleaned up the small mess he made and shut the panel. Spitting out the screwdriver, he stood up and stretched.
The distant sounds of rain and thunder accompanied him on his walk around the aquarium. The Swede checked everything to make sure everything was working smoothly. It’s a good thing they finally got enough funds for a backup generator. Big storms like this one used to really screw up their whole business.
Iskall rounded the corner to the back, pausing when he heard the sounds of someone struggling. Continuing, he saw Joe struggling to pull a cooler behind him. While Iskall couldn’t see what was inside, the fact Joe had it made him suspicious.
“What do you have there?” Iskall asked, walking up.
Joe paused, blinking up at Iskall. “Oh Iskall my good friend. It’s nothing to worry about. “
Iskall looked at his friend, squinting slightly before shrugging. “Okay. Do you want any help?”
Joe seemed to consider the offer for a moment before shaking his head. “I got it all under control Iskall. “
Iskall just nodded again before stepping back. He watched Joe struggle a bit longer before he figured it out and managed to pull it along further. He gave a salute to Iskall before continuing on his way.
Iskall stayed still for a moment, trying to process what just happened. While it wasn’t the weirdest thing Joe has done, it was up there. Man just doesn’t show up with a cooler during a big thunderstorm. But he couldn’t dwell on it too long. Gotta continue his checks. So he moves on, heading into the employee only areas.
It wasn’t until he neared the med wing he saw something even more suspicious. One of the bigger operating rooms, ones used for seals and the like, was closed. Iskall paused outside it, listening for anything amiss between the sounds of the storm above. There was the slight sounds of metal tools, but nothing else. It was probably nothing, someone might just be organizing the tools for Joe. But the interaction earlier made that seem unlikely.
So Iskall knocked. It was a short and simple knock. And immediately following it he heard a muffled swear and the sound of metal. There was a pause afterwards before Joe’s voice came through the closed door. “What is it?”
“Just checking on you dude. Is everything okay?” Iskall had to raise his voice slightly over the sounds of the storm.
There was no answer for a few beats, making Iskall even more suspicious. Finally Joe responded. “Yeah everything’s fine. Just cleaning up. I’ll be out and about in a little bit.”
He was definitely hiding something. That much Iskall knew. But he also knew he wouldn’t be getting any answers, so he just said his goodbyes and moved on. Maybe he should get Stress to ask him. She usually can get an answer out of anyone.
He was pulled out his his thoughts by the operating room door opening behind him. Iskall quickly ducked behind a pillar, peaking out enough to see just what was going on. He watched as Joe walked out of the room, towing the cooler behind him. The lid was partially open, with what looked to be octopus tentacles spilling out. Joe quickly went back into the room, leaving the cooler.
That is what he was hiding? An octopus? Iskall’s curiosity grew until he felt propelled to walk forwards. Joe didn’t seam to hear him come, preoccupied with cleaning the operating room. Iskall slowly and carefully lifted the lid and held back a scream as he saw what was inside.
Laying in a small amount of water was a women. And from what Iskall could tell, she had no legs but the lower half of an octopus. She was unconscious, with bandages wrapped around her stomach.
“Please tell me I’m dreaming” Iskall couldn’t seem to look away from the finding in the cooler. His eye must be playing tricks on him. There’s no way this was real. He heard a gasp next to him and was finally able to peel his gaze away.
He looked up to see Joe standing in the doorway, panicked. “This isn’t what it looks like I swear.”
Iskall took a shaky breath, staring Joe dead in the eye. “Then tell me what it is”