Prologue - Part 3

From the corner of my vision I could see myself in the rear view mirror.

What the hell? That’s been in my back seat since I got this car.

Looking back at me from the mirror were my own extremely tired looking eyes. I tilted my head back to get a look at the inch of beard I had on my chin with a little bit of stubble going up the rest of my face. A cold breeze from the open window beside me chilled my earrings briefly. This was one of those times where nothing memorable happens but you find yourself getting nostalgic about it a few years down the road. Take another drag to fill my lungs. My right hand rubbed my thin face with my bony fingers and then went up and started scratching the scalp of my thick brown hair. I always kept my hair nice and shaved so it was only a couple of centimetres long otherwise it was sticking out all over the place no matter what I did.

As I went to put my lighter and smokes back into my pocket a piece of folded up scrap paper fell from between my hand and the lighter. After I put the lighter back in my pocket I picked up the paper and unfolded it. Scrawled frantically inside it were the words, “QUIT SMOKING!!!” Right away I put my smoke up to the paper; slowly it began to turn to embers until a flame finally started licking the edges engulfing it.

“Quit this.” I said to no one since I was alone. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I started getting a headache behind my right eye that radiated to my teeth. Slowly I grabbed the object in my pants pocket, tilted me head back while closing my eyes.

“You should really follow your own advice Chase,” said a voice that sounded like it was coming from inside my head, I knew better than that, I knew I wasn’t imagining it and that there now sat someone in my passenger seat, “and take your hand out of your pocket, it’s disturbing and the way you’re sitting there right now looks like you’re masturbating.” The voice belonged to a ‘being’ that went by the name of Jacinto. I say ‘being’ because...well, you’ll see in time.

Not moving from how I was sitting I took another drag, “I was wondering when you were going to show up.” Jacinto had a tendency of appearing at random times, usually when I needed him least. What made it worse is that I was the only person who could see him which meant he liked to talk to me in public for the express purpose of making me look schizophrenic.

“So you were able to get them back?”

“Yeah, I was just about to go over and see what they found out.”

            “You chose to come to the bar by yourself instead of questioning them at the most opportune time?”

Prologue - Part 2

            He laughed, “You’re sure right about that, you know...”

            Fuck! Just shut up! Just because I answer your questions doesn’t mean I like you or want to converse with you.

            “...that’s why I can’t stand them little people.”

            What? Never mind, it’s not worth it.

            “Thanks again for the drinks,” I put the object back into my pocket and pulled out enough cash to pay the bill plus an insult of a tip, “I hope I don’t see you next time.” Picked up my leather jacket from the seat of the bar stool I was sitting on, put it on and reached into my pants pocket and grabbed my car keys and turned to walk out.

            “And I hope you fucking crash.” He laughed; I turned my head to the side and gave him a sneer. He didn’t see or care that I had.

            Anyone who didn’t know us or didn’t visit the bar that often would have thought we hated each other. Truth is we see each other almost every day so we kind of had to put up with each other. He put up with me because of obligatory customer service and I put up with him because he was the only bartender in the only decent bar in town. Love-hate relationship, they’re everywhere and we all have them.

            It was getting dark and the alcohol wasn’t helping me concentrate, I was losing my grasp on my mind which isn’t good when the night is starting and you still have to drive.

            Come on, you can do this. Alcohol is in my body, my body is controlled by my brain and I control my brain!

                Just like that my vision focused and I was standing firm. I was once again sober and ready to drive. How did I do that? You aren’t ready to know, not yet anyway. You have to learn the same way I did.

               I gave a look around for my car and spotted it right away, after all how could you miss a yellow 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass? I got in and turned the key far enough to just turn on the radio. I sat motionless staring out the window for what felt like forever but must have only been a couple of minutes. There was no way for me to know since my car had no clock and I didn’t care enough to grab my cell phone from the passenger seat. Instead I cracked the driver side window an inch then reached into the right pocket of my jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes with about seven left in the pack and a lighter. Slowly I took one out, put it up to my lips, lit it and inhaled. As I exhaled, watching the fresh air from outside mix and manipulate with the cigarette smoke.

Prologue - Part 1

            “You want another beer?” the bartender asked me, his name is actually Damon but I like to refer to people by their profession. He’s a tall Aryan looking bastard that’s built like a brick shithouse.

            I let out a silent chuckle, “My glass is empty, isn’t it?” I was annoyed; the music that was blasting near to the point of not being able to hear the person right next to you was an annoying rap or techno song that just repeated the same noises for seven and a half minutes with very slight changes. Not only that but it was dark in there. Let me correct that, dark I have no problem with, I have a problem when they set the lights somewhere between ‘ambient’ and ‘we-want-this-to-be-a-club-for-douche-bags’. In my opinion, it counteracted the whole point of making the place look like an old school Irish pub.

            ‘Bartender’ didn’t seem to fully appreciate my smart-ass comment as he took my glass and filled it up with a mix of water, coke, and beer. I hate it when he does that but then again I am used to it by now. It tastes like a watered down ashtray and it’s his passive-aggressive way of saying, ‘Get the fuck out’. It’s really my fault he does that, the first night I met him he said he could drink any shit mix without throwing up. Long story short, I proved him wrong with the very same mix. I could stomach that drink even though I didn’t enjoy it but every time he got annoyed or pissed off at me he would try to get even with me by giving me that drink.

            As I lifted the glass up to my lips to chug it down I could see him stifle a shudder at the memory of the time I made him drink the same mix. It’s always funny for me when I see this hulk of a guy cringe at something I find so easy.

            I put the empty glass down with my right hand and at the same time grabbed something out of my pants pocket with my left hand. Carefully I brought it up over the bar and kept it hidden in my hands. Thumbing it and feeling the now smooth texture against my rough skin, slowly training my eyes on it.

            “What’s that in your hands?” the bartender asked.

            “Same thing I always have when I come in here.”

            “Yeah, but you’ve never told me what it is or let me have a look at it.”

            I let a smirk spread across my face, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you and if I showed you you’d just think I’m crazy,” I paused, letting my mind get a grasp over the alcohol for a second, “Crazier then you already think I am that is.”

Welcome 2.0

This may seem redundant, but welcome! again! The point of this update is that as I was writing more of the prologue I noticed how long it is. Not in terms of that it drags on, in terms of that to post the entire thing completed would just be way too big of a post on a blog especially considering I can't use stand alone pages on this blog for each page of the actually prologue (that was a horrid sentence). SO, in the interest of not posting huge blocks of text and also to enable more frequent updates on this blog I'll post a page every couple of days, most likely 2 posts a week. I'm thinking Wednesdays and maybe Sundays? I'll figure it out.

Sorry I haven't actually posted any of the actual story though. I will post the first page this coming Wednesday (March 23, 2011) so check back then for the first page! I am very excited about this. Take care.

Welcome

This is my blog dedicated to my work in progress story. I have started writing a story and have worked out most of the details, I still have to iron some things out and get a good story arc started. Right now I have begun writing the prologue, I will post it in the next couple days, just remember, it may not be complete but I strongly encourage feedback, opinions, and critiques.

Once my prologue is up and done I will upload the rest of the story at a faster pace (ie. not waiting till I complete a chapter). So please be patient with me as this is not my only project at this time, but it is one I am very invested in and am very excited to see completed.