This is a little thing ive been working on....well guess u can call it little. Right now I'm on chapter six. I know trying to read all of this off of a computer will give you a headache, so please: take it slow!
FEEL FREE TO SAY ANYTHING (positive, negative, its okay, its just a draft.)
Its about a young adult who falls into a cult and gets something very special robbed from him. Not finished yet. not closed to being finished, but I hope you guys will follow along as I work on it further and offer your input.
If you have ideas for me, speak your mind!
(sorry about any funky spacing, lining, and proper dialogue locations, because I copied and pasted it from my text edit on my mac.)
Here we go: (sorry be patient as i figure out how to get this on in the portions it needs to be cut into)
Post Merge: June 16, 2011, 11:18:40 PM
Within these pages you will find the tragic fantastic story filled to the brim with treachery and double crossing. You will not find a book written by a clever author trying to explain the meaning of life within hidden metaphors and allusions, but instead you will read these pages for your own entertainment, finding too a desperate plea for help. I have written this book to restore faith within the reader, and hopefully myself. The following is an autobiography written years ago, and is only being released now because my kind would not permit it. Now however since you are reading this, it means that I am one of the last, and I plan to make ourselves extinct. We are savage misleading beasts that need not to be drawn back up into existence ever again. The devil himself has kissed my forehead and anointed my feet, preparing them to tread the fiery path I now walk upon as you are reading this. However I ask a favor from the reader once he or she is done. It is a simple task and will take a few seconds of your time, but the task itself will be revealed at the end of my tale. I must warn you though that I am not responsible for any hardship that come upon you for having these pages in your possession. I suggest you start reading now and keep this book in a safe concealed space; and no the drawer of your nightstand is not safe enough.
1
I opened my eyes and looked down at my shoes, and a couple inches in-front of me was the start of a train of paw prints in the snow. The wind and fog started to pick up, and with no signs of shelter in any direction, I decided it best follow the tracks. I picked up my pace and stride, and followed the path of prints. Running blindly through the thick fog i could barely keep track of them. The air felt like pure moisture, like i could swim through it, and with each breath I got a painfully cold mouthful of water. Before i knew it i felt the snow below my feet begin melting into water, and just in time i dove into a clearing free of fog and cluttered with tall dead trees and punctured the clouds. With the thought of drowning out of my mind I realized just how fast my heart was beating. I crouched down in the snow to re-catch my breath. I realized that I had lost sight of the tracks. Even without the fog there was no sign of them as far as I could see in any direction. Then I realized what the point was. I didn't know where I was, or how I ended up in this wasteland. I realized just how strange the dramatic change in environment was. As i got back up on my feet i could see the fog rolling in from the distance. The snow evaporated as the fog rolled over it like an avalanche and trees exploded into splinters as they were engulfed. This was not reality. I realized I was dreaming and tried to focus on controlling my rambling imagination, but it was all in vain. The fog shot past me and i was blinded immediately by the glaring white cloud collapsing my world. For the split second of my consciousness during the white flash, I saw a jet black wolf with red glassy eyes leaping right at me. As it opened its mouth to bite my face, our eyes met. Instantly the red eyes shattered into what looked like bits of glass and its body evaporated into a shadowy mist. The glass shards span wildly towards me and time seemed to freeze as they spelled out the number 600.
I never realized how obnoxious my glaring red alarm clock was, and just how close I slept next to it. I hated that thing, especially at six in the morning. I grunted at it while we were face to face. I thought about hitting the snooze button, but froze out of fear at the thought of falling back asleep. I rolled my legs off the bed and sat up. Rubbing my eyes i focused on the wooden shutters damming the sunlight. Golden rays pierced through cracks in the old rotting wood. I stood up and braced myself as I opened them. I could feel the pain of my retinas stretching even while squinting my eyes shut. The sunshine illuminated the dark room, bounced off the dull grey wall paper that was beginning to peel, and poured down the hallway through the open door. I had about twenty minutes to get to work. I threw on my jeans, shirt, and jacket and painfully marched down the stairs. Seventy hours of work a week was hard enough without having insomnia followed by dreams and vivid nightmares that haunted me all day. I poured myself some water from the faucet and downed it. I grabbed my thin wallet, zipped up my jacket, threw up my hood, and stepped out the door, closing it quietly behind me.
I had lost my key a long time ago, but there was no need for it anymore. I remember when my dad handed me that key to my first apartment, and said, "Just don't set the place on fire, and study hard. Im not paying for you to party every night." My parents and sister still lived on the East coast. I was in California for school, and was officially cut off from them when the gas companies went under, followed by the airlines. With the news of depleting gas reserves, it was impossible to book a flight with millions of people making their final flight. The only cars and trucks out there were fully electric, but no one for fifty miles of me owned one themselves. Only the high class owned them, and of course there were police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances in every town. Strangely crime had dropped significantly in Southern California after the economy collapsed. No one in Orange County had anything worth stealing anymore. In these times you were better off making friends than enemies anyway. I used to talk to my family over the phone every day, but i couldn't afford to keep up with the bill. There were still enough jobs to go around too, however they all barely managed to pay rent and keep food on the table, but everyone got by.
I slowly stepped down my door steps and landed on the sidewalk. I began walking with the rising sun at my face. I pulled down my hood farther to shade my eyes. It only took about ten minutes for me to walk to work, but it always seemed more like thirty. Time always goes by slow when its just you and your mind. Each morning my walk to work reminded me of my past life. The rusting street lights and traffic signs. The cracked streets and rotting telephone poles all reminded me of it. I used to love my car, and I loved driving. However one morning i found it dismantled for spare parts to be sold. It reminded me of a carcass after lions have had their fill. I finally arrived at my work on a street corner just a few blocks away. I worked in a cubicle all day finding people extra cash on their tax returns.
There was only one person I really liked at work. "Hey Corbin." I looked up but realized my hood was still over my eyes. I pulled it back and looked at my friend Roland. "Hey," I finally responded. We have been working together for a number of years, and we even had almost every class together when we went to school. He was a tall, popular, guy around the office. I don't know how in these times he managed to stay so happy. He always talked about his girlfriend who lived with him, but I didn't see how it mattered when you lived in a dump. I didn't see what the point of this was when there was no hope. I wasn't sure why I even bothered working so much. I would probably be better off out on my own, hunting for my own food and water out in the country. I guess I never just found the courage in myself. "You look like crap man," he said. "Yeah I haven't been able to sleep that well lately. Been having the weirdest dreams too," I said back to him. "Maybe you should buy some sleeping pills. I know where you can get some safe ones, I use them myself," he said. I laughed at him as i shook my wallet upside-down. "Here," he said. "You need this more than I do pal." Roland took two wrinkled dollars out of his pocket and dropped them on my lap. "You know i cant take this," i said. "Listen dude, my girlfriend works and helps pay for my rent too," he reasoned. "I don't know how you do it on your own. Look at how damn skinny you are. When's the last time you ate something other than peanut butter sandwiches?" I looked down at the money starting to fall over my knees. I picked them up and jammed them into my pocket. Then i stood up and shook his hand with both of mine.
"Thanks, I owe you one." I said looking him in the eyes.
"Actually you owe me two," he said jokingly as he walked around to his cubicle. At least i think he was joking. I turned back to my computer screen, and got to work.
Twelve Hours later i found myself at the drug store. I told the lady behind the counter that i hadn't slept more than twenty hours this past week. She said she had just thing for me, and came back with a small sized bottle. "Take two a night for two weeks and this should take care of your problem." She said. "Will the effects last even after i stop taking them?" I questioned. "Your body just needs to remember what it feels like to have a long sleep again. No one has come back to me unsatisfied," she said in a proud tone. I gave her a skeptical look and paid with Roland's money. I stepped out of the store into the pouring rain. I thought it was funny how such a clear and beautiful morning could turn so grim. I put up my hood once more and walked a cold two miles to my apartment.
When i got to my doorsteps my neighbor across the street called to me. Her name was Ava. She was about the same age as me, she was even in a couple of my classes too back when we still went to school. She was a thin, nice, attractive blonde, who always liked to wear red scarves for a reason i knew i probably would never find out, and she had the most inspiring personality. "Riley!" She yelled one more time. I turned and started to run across the street. We embraced and she invited me upstairs for coffee. I told her I didn't have time right now, and that i still hadn't eaten dinner. She apologized that she didn't have any food to offer me, and after a short friendly conversation about our days, we exchanged our farewells.
Ava was still on my mind when i opened my door. We have been through practically everything together since the economy went down, and her story was practically the same as mine. I was actually going to ask her out, but It surprised me how drastic of a change she has undergone since the economy sunk. She was becoming a whole different person. My train of though was instantly broken when i heard my stomach growl again. I opened my refrigerator and took out a can of jelly and peanut butter, and made a quick sandwich, remembering what Roland has said to me earlier. The thought of meat and almost every other food item that can make you drool floated through my mind, making that sandwich the hardest thing to eat in my entire life. However, the small portable television in front of me took some of the pain off of every bite. I checked the clock on my cheap microwave that was collecting dust on the counter. It was already time for bed, and I was eager to try out those pills. I ran upstairs and took a fast shower. I took a glass of water with me to bed, and threw back a couple pills. I laid down once more, facing my alarm clock, and set it for its usual time. I shut my eyes and turned over, praying not for another dream.
I woke up and stretched out my arms and legs. I felt amazing, the pills seemed to work. I slept for an entire night, and with no dreams too! However i quickly realized something dreadful that interrupted my victory. My alarm clock was not going off. I turned over and looked at it. "Seven o' six," it read. I yelled a profanity so loud that no doubt the residents all around me heard it. I jumped out of bed and threw on my usual attire. I ran out the door and slammed the door behind me, shaking the wall of the complex. Something even more disturbing dawned on me while i was sprinting to work. Today was my boss's evaluation. This was going to be my third tardy as well. If he were to not punish me heavily his supervisors would frown upon him. I walked through the door with my head held low, and punched in at the clock. "What the hell is this?" I heard from behind me, sending a bone shattering chill through my spine. I turned around and looked at my boss, and slowly took down my hood, trying to show some respect. I caught a glimpse of two men sitting close behind him wearing expensive suits. "I…." "Save it," he interrupted. "Three tardies, slacking effort, and on an important day like this. You really screwed up this time Corbin." I saw Roland peek his head from behind his cubicle. I was infuriated with him for even suggesting the pills. I put all the blame on him. My boss snapped his fingers in front of my wandering eyes. "RIley! For Christ's sake you cant even pay attention for five seconds! You're fired!" He yelled in my face. "Get your crap out now, and never come back!" I nodded at him, and walked to my desk. As i walked by the men in the suits i could see them nod pleased at my boss out of the corner of my eye. I grabbed my photos of my family, the only things I had now, and a few supplies i had boughten myself. "What happened?" Roland whispered to me, looking over the low wall that separated us. "Your pills happened, piss off." I growled at him. He just stared at me as i turned away and walked out the door.
Walking down the street back to my apartment i kept hearing his voice in my head. "You need this more than i do pal." I knew he only wanted to help me, and that it wasn't close to being his fault. Later i decided that i would go to his house and apologize, maybe with a couple expensive beers. That word ricocheted around my brain and hit me in the face. Expensive. What the hell was i supposed to do more money now? Every window i passed i looked for a help wanted sign. To my disappointment the windows were empty. I got to my apartment and laid my stuff on the counter and looked out my living room window. I noticed Ava's lights were on. I put my shoes back on and walked out the door again. Then I walked across the street and called her room from her complex lobby. "Hello?" She answered. "Got any more of that coffee?" I asked in a playful tone. "Come on up Riley!" She said excitedly. I stepped in the elevator and tapped the button for the third floor. The lame music was finally interrupted when the doors opened, and i walked to the left and all the way to the end of the hall. I knocked on room 333 and was greeted by a relieving face. Ava and I hugged once again and I started to cry. "Whats the matter?" She questioned, sounding concerned. "I was fired today, and I blamed it on Roland, and I spat in his face." I said, trying to sound more emotionally stable. Ava had known Roland for almost as long as i have. The three of us would always get together and play poker at his house. I told her about the entire situation, and about the dreams I have been having.
"Those are some certainly strange dreams," she said, pouring us some coffee. "But its good your telling someone about them. You know once you tell someone about a dream you had, you will never have it again." I remember my mom saying that to me before when I would go crying to her about a dream I had, but i had completely forgotten about it, most likely because it was about sixteen years ago. "Well i will certainly come to you next time I have one. By the way, can i borrow your newspaper? I need to start looking for a new job before my landlord kicks me out," i pleaded. "Sorry," she said. "I don't pay for a newspaper." I told her not to worry about it. "By the way, how do you make so much as a waitress?" I questioned, looking around at all of her costly appliances. "Tips," she said quickly. "How much can people afford to tips these days anyway," I said laughing. "You'd be surprised," she said smugly, taking a sip of coffee. I noticed I had already drunken mine, and politely asked for another cup. She gladly got up, and took my cup into her small kitchen. She moved swiftly, causing the arms of her scarf to swing around violently. I got up walked into the kitchen after her. I leaned over the opposite end of the counter and looked at her. "You like the scarf don't you," i asked. "I've notice you haven't stopped wearing it since you got it." "I love it," she responded. "It was a gift, and i promised i would wear it everyday." I smiled at her loyalty to her friends, as she handed me my cup back. "Mind if i take this to go? I have some urgent things to take care of," i asked. "Absolutely!" she said. We said our goodbyes and i went down the elevator and out the lobby doors.
I needed to walk down to the bank and pick up my final paycheck. I stepped down the street in the cold morning air, sapping the heat off of Ava's radiating coffee. I passed a house and noticed a newspaper on the driveway. It looked like a wealthy family lived there, and i checked to make sure no one was looking as i approached it. I bent down as i passed it and picked it up, and kept walking. I justified my crime thinking to myself that I needed it more than they did. Suddenly I heard a voice behind me. "Where the hell do you think you're going with that?" It said angrily at me. I refused to stop and look over my shoulder. Instead i sprinted straight ahead, ran around the street corner and into the small bank next to all the small businesses.
Continued....(scroll down).
Topic: My Book (Warning! Scary Dragons!) No title yet. (Read 1716 times)