Batshit by Merrill David

By all outward appearances, Rod Stargell is living the American dream. He has a well-paying Information Technology career working for one of the larger police departments around, he makes good money, and owns a nice home which he shares with his lovely wife of seven years. Rod’s life seems perfectly peachy.  In reality, most often the man is miserable. He hates his job and everyone there. Well, nearly everyone. The lone exception is ‘Crab,’ a diminutive dwarf janitor with abnormally developed middle parts of his hands, the webbing of his fingers looking a lot like lobster claws. So, although the men are very different in appearance, one commonality Crab and Rod share; their overwhelming disgust for their employers. Rod’s saving grace is that safe haven he calls ‘HOME.’ That is, until the day he agrees to let his pesky in-laws stay awhile. Not realizing he’s been set up as the victim of some stupid prank for a hidden camera reality show, the family and some uninvited guests take total advantage of their host's hospitality. Even Rod’s wife seems to be on their side. Their trashy, scumbag antics are driving Rod mad, but when their slut friend ‘Pink’ moves in and turns his mancave into a whore-hut, it’s the final straw.  Between his contempt for that workplace and the fact that he now feels like a prisoner in his own home, Rod senses a change brewing within his body. Plagued by subtle shifts in perception, his brain is being diluted with disturbing hallucinations, conjuring up abnormally violent and bizarre, sometimes outlandishly kinky thoughts. He’s suddenly walking a very fine line; a virtual tight rope on the edge of insanity. With the rope wearing thin, it's tattered, starting to uncoil, and about to SNAP!!!  Will Rod just try to dodge the drama and elude the abuse as he always had in the past? Or, with the help of his crustacean friend, will they deliver vengeance on those wreaking havoc on his sanity, driving his steady descent into psychosis? B A T S H I T WARNING; this short story contains repulsive, graphic sexual situations as well as disturbing violence. Readers may find this material offensive.