Shifter: Genesis

By Viktor Koszo

Trapped in an apparently endless cycle, Jeff Carter wakes up in a new body each time he awakens from sleep. His unsettling journey takes him through all walks of life throughout the world, but the only help he can find progresses far too slowly. It becomes his responsibility to decide how to treat each of those lives, but the longing for his own

• Language: English
• Publisher: Viktor Koszo
• Release date: Apr 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781838390709

Book preview

SHIFTER

GENESIS

VIKTOR KOSZO

Publisher: Hatched Eggs Books, 2021

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-1-8383907-0-9

All rights reserved

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I like to thank just a few people, since no one knew about this work until the feedbacks and the publishing, only two out of these amazing people below. I'm grateful for all of you.

Kirsty Louise Goodchild for her bits and bobs, but mainly for understanding the importance of my writing days. That boosted this project greatly.

Balog Magdolna Ramona for the valuable lessons, edits, and for the majority of the translation. She spent a great deal with this book.

Maria Tariq for her pleasing formatting, great suggestions, her professionalism and her care about this book.

Hajdu Robert for his genuine help with feedbacks, critiques and suggestions. You're a good friend.

Arihant Tripathy for valuable feedbacks and for his enthusiasm for this book, which further motivated me.

And lastly thanks to that time in my life years ago, which inspired the spark to start on this journey, to imagine this condition that on one miserable morning

I wished to possess…

...only to realise down the road, that this condition might not actually be such a blessing...

ONE

D

eep in the country of Mongolia perched a man on a botched up chair in his front garden. Experiencing the exotic tastes of his dinner while leaning on a rustic table, admiring the peaceful view. The village was formed in the side of a mountain range, therefore the garden overlooked the endless-looking steppes. Behind him the mountains, front of him the steppes drew a sharp contrast. The light wind and warm temperature made life perfectly enjoyable.

Around him traipsed a few chickens and other animals. The dog gave up trying to beg for food upon the second request, and with a few longing looks, he went to sniff around.

As the man finished eating, he went for a walk. He greeted the neighbour politely. The village wasn’t more than an elderly community which just about survived from their own produce. You couldn’t see young ones. It was quite a deserted place, but imbued with its own peaceful charm. You can’t find anything interesting, just the peaceful nature, gardening and the livestock.

After the short walk, the man arrived at the village’s little square where they kept the horses, donkeys and goats, tied and cared for collectively.

Hmm ... he murmured to himself and walked back to his house. He enjoyed the peace and the view and the company of the well-behaved dog. Sometimes a neighbour would walk by and ask how everything was going.

He was pondering until sundown, which turned out to be visible from the same spot as the sunrise. It cast heavenly gradients in the sky.

All right, buddy. He pet his dog. It’s time to go get some rest. Take care buddy. You’re a good dog. And he went to sleep."

* * *

Bobby! shouted a sweaty, muscular, middle-aged man with a cowboy hat. What the hell are you doing? You know we herd the cattle today! but Bobby couldn’t have heard his last words because by then he was in the truck, ready to drive away without letting the Texan dirt settle after him. On stressed days like these, he’d just rather disappear.

What’s gotten into this boy? Murmured the one with the hat, and with a dismissing wave, he turned back to work.

Bobby drove for a while on the scorching heated main road. He looked for calming music on the radio and enjoyed the airflow through his window. The road in front of him seemed endless.

Bobby stopped at the next petrol station. He found some toothpicks in his car and after taking one out and starting to chew on it, he climbed out of the truck to fill it up. Meanwhile, he was looking around, but apart from a foreign family, he only saw the store worker. However, Bobby’s eyes caught on a telephone. He twisted on the toothpick in his mouth like a llama. This was a habit he couldn’t control, because it did not belong to him. He finished filling the truck up and went to pay.

Bobby! said the cashier happily.

This is what I was trying to avoid. Thought Bobby. Hey, man, how’s everything?

Everything’s fine. The cashier’s eyes shone. How’s the thing going?

Ah, here we go, murmured the cowboy and tried to shove the change into his back pocket. Here came a little improv with a neutral answer: Good, but I don’t feel too productive today. I think I’ll drive up to town to relax, but if you call me tomorrow, I promise we’ll talk it over. He winked and waved while he backed out of the store. I don’t need too much interaction.

The cashier looked after him with a frown. But you don’t have a phone! he called after Bobby, but he was long out of the store by then and went towards the phone booth.

He dialled. It rang for a while, more than he ever waited for someone to pick up. He almost ended the call when someone answered.

Yes? asked a female voice.

Bobby leaned against the booth and closed his eyes. His heart started to beat faster, and different feelings swirled inside him.

Yes!? asked the female voice again. The man felt like this moment was too short. He didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to swim in the woman’s voice, which felt so calming to him, like a mother’s voice to a lost child.

Darling? asked the woman, hopefully. I talked to the doctors. They are asking you to call them. You have to– the sentences flooded him. Still, the man wasn’t paying attention anymore, his focus was on a growing dolorous feeling.

No. Not yet. I can’t. Not yet, he thought. However calming her voice was, and the signs of development, he himself not understanding why, ended the call. His eyes filled with tears, but not enough to overfill. He looked around, inhaled the hot air, resulting in coughing. After all, this was a dusty petrol station in the desert. This helped the tear to roll down his cheek.

He slapped his hands on his face, and dragged them down to wipe away the tears, and went back to his car. Before he sat in, he saw that the cashier was staring at him. Bobby waved to him, and he waved back. Then he drove to the nearest town.

* * *

He woke to the sounds of gunshots. His second sense was that the air was very humid. The third was that it could be the middle of the night.

He got out of what was called the living quarters, which had two smaller junk beds and a junk table with all sorts of things on it. The ground was simply the soil of the rainforest. Half tent, half found objects made up the hut. At least, this is what his sleepy eyes could make-out in the dark.

There was a shout and more shots, getting closer and closer.

Carlos! C’mon, we gotta go! said a skinny and poor-looking man from the doorway.

Damn it! thought Carlos, feeling the hangover of his body and thus the extra balance problems. He swore, and as he finished, a nearby explosion shook the area, followed by shots of another automatic weapon, with more shouting and moans.

Come on! Come with me. the other gestured and ran into the night in a bent pose through the curtain used as a door.

Damn it! escaped Carlos’s mouth and followed the man.

The dark was only broken by the moonlight that shone through the canopy of the trees in places. He had to pay close attention in the dark to find the man.

You! What’s-your-name, where are you? Do we not have a car to get away in? he said while looking for him.

Not too far away, the lights of the muzzle fires illuminated the surrounding like flashes. They were in a thick forest, that was for sure. Bigger, smaller huts like theirs were scattered around the area. Without roads, it was as if it were an abandoned settlement built by homeless people overgrown with vegetation.

Out of nowhere, the man grabbed Carlos’s arm, which scared him more than the gunshots.

What the hell? he shouted at Carlos in a whisper. Come on! he dragged him as they started to walk. The man’s face was barely visible in the dark.

For some reason, Carlos couldn’t forget about the vehicle’s absence, and he continued to voice his concerns. Perhaps it was the doing of his days-old sleeplessness. He was still very disoriented. This must be a nightmare, he thought.

What are you on about? We don’t have a car, we’re manual workers, and if you don’t start running, they’ll shoot you! snapped the man at Carlos, turning around, like a snake that was poked.

What?

We’re doing what the cartel told us in this case. He ran into the jungle.

Listen, maybe this’ll sound weird, but I don’t remem–

He couldn’t finish the sentence. He heard the gunshot, but he didn’t feel anything. He couldn’t comprehend that a bullet has flown through his head, everything just became dark and muted suddenly. The experience of a sniper equipped with a night vision camera stopped both of them.

He woke up with a small cry on a cramped bed in a room lit by blue light. A dark-haired, light-skinned, Eastern Asian looking woman lay next to him. The woman didn’t wake up, fortunately, just changed positions while humming. He was still panting because of the events that happened just now, so he gave himself a minute. He played the events back, in his head, trying to process what was happening.

A place in the middle of the jungle? Cartel? War? He couldn’t tell if this was a dream or not. He also couldn’t tell if everything could have happened differently or not. Like his life right now. He felt very strange, lost and damned.

He got out of the bed and rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t see clearly yet. The clock on the wall said it was 6:13 in the morning. He realised immediately that the house was tiny, and though things were crammed in, they were neatly arranged. The green plants’ creative placing decorated the place nicely. Cleanliness, order and design characterised the place that he wouldn’t even call a studio.

In the dim, blue light, provided by the fluorescent light, he walked to the only large window that was in the room. Quietly, he opened the shutters to look out.

He saw several huge panel houses built relatively close to each other. They looked horrible, and it all looked awfully crowded. He scanned lower as much as he could, but they seemed to be very high. Making some noise while opening the blinds, he leaned out more and tried to look further down but only got to a big advert poster. He could make the writing out on it, which was Chinese. He thought so, for some reason.

He heard movement from the bed. "Oh, no," he thought. I have to get out before she wakes up. While as quietly as he could, he looked for the door that led out. He couldn’t stop but wonder if he belonged here. If so, was that woman his girlfriend or a stranger that he spent the night with.

When he saw two doors, he thought if he should look for keys and take them or just leave without it. One of it was the toilet, so the other one had to be the front door. Unfortunately, however, everything was too close to the sleeping woman, due to the scarcity of space. He was able to open the lock softly and successfully step out. He closed it behind him as quietly as possible.

Quickly, he thought. This is not the end. She could wake up at any moment and come after me. Who knows how temperamental she is? He did meet a few ...

He saw two lifts on the narrow corridor, but he didn’t want to wait anxiously for them in case the woman stepped out, so he walked down a level and called the lift from there.

As he traveled downstairs, he just stared ahead of himself with glassy eyes. Memories and visions took place in his mind.

Stepping out of the lift and onto the street, he took a deep breath. He was over the stressful part, as he needed to do in some mornings – in worst cases.

The sun was very low, but the street was already bustling with life. The air quality could have been better, but at least the temperature was tolerable. He didn’t have to worry about still wearing pajamas: a white shirt, bamboo-patterned, long but light trousers and the slippers on his feet.

With a constant heartache of loss, he set off down the street, merging into the masses going on about their day, not knowing that they were walking past a miracle.

* * *

A few hard days later, he found himself in a beautiful place. This happened for the first time. As he woke up, he could see the sea straight away. He could see the terrace through a huge glass wall that overlooked an infinity pool. It blended in with the sea behind it, there was no difference in the colours between the waters.

He looked around the huge room, which distributed the natural light evenly with the dominant white walls and design. He was admiring the skylight metres above him when a woman came in with a beautiful smile, holding a tray.

Good morning, Mr Ciccopiedi. How did you sleep? she asked as she put the tray full of food and drinks down on the unique table near the bed.

Uhm, good morning. Thank you, well ... I think, he answered in his calming voice. He thought if this was the maid – given her polite greeting, her outfit and behaviour –, or his girlfriend or wife is playing with him. Looking at the place, both could be an option.

Playing with the life of a man like this could result in complications, so he’ll have to disappear soon, his rule popped into his head.

And you? How did you sleep? he asked back in case he found out who this woman was.

Oh, fantastically, Mr Ciccopiedi, thank you. Perhaps I could do something else for you?

No, it’s perfect. Thank you.

Mr Beneventi says he’ll be here soon, he just had to make a detour.

All right. Thank you.

She turned with an angelic smile and left. It seemed she was really a maid. Mr Beneventi? Here soon? This didn’t sound that good, be that whoever, he thought. Maybe he had less time than he thought he had. But that breakfast was very welcoming. Perhaps he’ll take some bits with him.

He went and looked for the bathroom quickly, which was equally as luxurious. He was about to do his morning routine, but when he took it out, he was astonished.

My, God! he said. How does anyone stay conscious when the blood starts flowing into something like this?

The next moment he jumped because he thought he saw someone from the corner of his eyes. Indeed, he did. He saw his own reflection in the full-length mirror. He still couldn’t get used to it. The reflection looked back with the proportions and muscles of an athlete. Handsome looking, with curly blond hair that reached to his ears, maybe twenty-eight years old.

When he was done, he found a massive wardrobe. It was full of suits and shirts and shoes and everything else that could be needed for any occasion. He found some leisure clothing that he thought would do for the day. He looked like he was about to hit the gym. Though it seemed as if the size was not his.

He went back to the room to start eating. He got ready to make the escape easier as well as the rest of the day. He needed the energy. There were so many different things on the tray it looked like they didn’t know what he needed in the mornings. Are they always eating this wastefully? Perhaps it’s something to do with the athlete look.

While he was eating, he thought where his purse could be. If he could take a little money, it would make food shopping, or maybe a motel, a bit easier later. With a full mouth, he stood up to check the nightstand by the bed. He only then noticed that there was an also white designer chair with clothes on it. Because he only found sex toys in the nightstand drawer, he started to look through the pockets on the clothes because he assumed it was his.

Bingo. A wallet with cards and cash. Many euros. Sweet, time to go. He packed his pockets with food. While looking for the front door, he heard a vacuum cleaner and laughter. The corridor by the bathroom got lost to a hall, which seemed like to be full of brown furniture. He only saw it from afar, he didn’t go closer. Adjacent to the bathroom, a designer circular staircase led upstairs. It seemed like the noise was coming from there.

After further searching, he came across the white front door, which also looked very expensive. The lock system looked nothing like he’d ever seen before. He figured out how to open it, and the light and heat from outside blinded him for a second. Had to give himself a moment to get used to it.

There was a big and empty car park in front of the house with a circular garden with a fountain in the middle. Further, maybe a hundred metres away, he saw the main gate, by which there was a building that secured the lot. Everywhere else he saw a garden full of manicured plants. Through a small section — looking beyond the plants at the corner of the house — he saw a long stretch of beautiful beach. Along the beach stood equally extravagant houses.

Amidst his wondering, he didn’t notice that a car came through the gate which opened silently. The engine roared, as the driver saw him at the front door.

Fuck, the curse slipped out of him.

It was a convertible Maserati which looked brand new. A middle-aged man sat in it, wearing sunglasses and a suit, with a confused but happy look on his face. He stopped in front of the stairs of the front door as if waiting for him to join him in the car.

Good morning. You really want to come like this? asked the man with a sly smile, pointing to his whole being.

Good morning. Yes, I decided to take it comfortable today. Why, is there a problem with it? he asked, using his potential. Who could this man be? Friend, brother, business partner? The man in the car frowned for a second, then scoffed.

No, of course not. Come in already and let’s go. We have until three to spend the day together then I have meetings. If you want, I can drop you off anywhere you want. Sorry that I had to pop out, I’m not a breakfast person. Well? asked the man with his sunglasses now off, looking at the other man.

I’m sorry, but I’ll have to cancel today, I can’t go. He tried the diplomatic approach, whatever it was about.

The man felt that something was off and immediately turned the engine off and got out to walk up to him. What happened? He placed a hand on his arms. Did I do something you didn't like? He was studying the other, trying to work out what could be going on. The athlete felt incredibly uncomfortable because of this. What the hell is going on here? he thought as well.

No, you’re all right, I just feel like being alone today. He said, feeling sorry. He tried to stay under the radar, going around everything with positive bluffs. Look, don’t get this the wrong way, but I’d rather stay home today. He pointed behind himself.

Mr Beneventi got surprised at this, his face visibly glowing, then he began to laugh. Oh, okay! Then you like it here, at my place. I’m glad. he stared at him with radiant happiness.

Fuck.

Beneventi just stood there, scanning his eyes again with a smile. The whole thing was very uncomfortable, but he smiled back. Beneventi took his hand, and he was beginning to guess what was going on here. Then he walked back to his car.

Well, then, Nicholas, enjoy yourself! Relax, go down to the beach if you like. I’ll be here in a few hours, then we’ll talk about what to be. Lily is here for you. He sat in the car. Also, how did you like breakfast? Over the course of the few days, these were my observations that you love those best in the morning.

Nick’s cogs were turning to put in place everything he had just heard and experienced. He needed the right answer and fast so that the man could go just as quickly.

Oh, I loved it. He put his thumb up and with his other hand, stroked his stomach. Thank you very much and the opportunity, too, to stay here. I appreciate it. Then see you in a few hours.

The man's face in the car shone with those words.

Bye, he said, and sent a kiss, as if he knew all his bodyparts, then drove off.

All right, the difficult part is over. I just need to leave. Damn it, he thought. Compared to the days he usually had to live through, he would much rather spend a little more time here, in a rich one. It was like a luxurious holiday, given as a gift, and yet, he couldn’t enjoy it. Can’t believe it’s not my house. How unlucky. Instead I’m the new gay boyfriend of that magnate. Or who knows; might just be an escort that he tries to win over?

He spent the next few hours to get as far away from the place as he could, and he spent the rest of the day exploring and talking to strangers. He spent the night in a cheaper motel.

* * *

Something happened in Switzerland that changed everything. The place was a town, which was scattered with buildings on the hilly landscape. An early bird, an older man with a beer belly, woke up in one of those mountain-side houses. From the windows of the living room, he could see the small town sitting in the valley, that was just visible in the early darkness. He seemed to live alone, though there were pictures here and there of himself and the assumed family.

He thought of trying to do something useful and talk to some doctor again, as he always did somewhere every few days. If not in this small town, but his health seemed to allow him to travel anywhere in the area. He had a long day for it, thanks to the early morning rise.

Oddly, on the hallway furniture was a yellow pages book, so that made the search easier. He went into the tidy kitchen to make some breakfast for himself, and while he was eating, he looked through the book for a more serious doctor. He found a practice, but he didn’t like it for some reason. He doubted that a little town’s practice could help him. After all, he was facing a more complex problem. He thought he needed some kind of mind doctor.

Maybe a psychologist, or something.

He didn’t know