The Prologue

‍ ‍

‍

When the light’s always on, the shadows grow strong.

‍ ‍

‍ ‍

‍ ‍

"No, YOUUUU come back inside," Knight said, slurring his words. "I need to get her chocolate, I forgot to on Valentine's Day. That's why she's leaving, I know it. I bet if I go bring her those good chocolates, she'll stay here. She's just testing me."

‍ ‍

"Okay, well, we're drunk as hell, and we wouldn't even make it halfway to Cali before passing out. Let's head out tomorrow and get them when we're sobered up," John replied.

‍ ‍

"No, no, no, we don't have time, man, she's leaving next week, so we have to go now!"

‍ ‍

"I know, you've told me seven thousand times, but you're not leaving right now, so give me your damn keys," John said trying to snatch the fob from Knight's hand.

‍ ‍

"Get the fuck away from me! I can take care of myself!" Knight yelled.

‍ ‍

John persisted, going in for the keys again. "Come on, dude, don't be an idiot."

‍ ‍

"I said, get away!" Knight shouted, and threw a looping overhand that connected squarely with John's nose.

‍ ‍

John stumbled back, blood starting to leak. "Okay, motherfucker, I see how it is," he growled. "This is the thanks I get after everything I've done for you? Go on then, get out of here, you selfish little prick. Have fun getting a DUI!" Turning around, he stormed back into the house.

‍ ‍

Knight stood swaying alone in silence for a few moments before heading to his car. Why does nobody listen to me? He thought, almost tripping over himself opening the door.

‍ ‍

"Okay, first things first, music. Let's seeeeee."

‍ ‍

Driving off, he found the playlist called Heavy Mood, hit shuffle, and a Tool song started blasting. Singing loudly to the song, his favorite part was coming up. "I'm praying for rain! I'm praying for tidal waves! OOO, I wanna see the ground give way! Wanna watch it all go downnn."

‍ ‍

"Seeee, there's a sign about going to the ocean right there. It's clear I'm righttt where I need to be," he said aloud, slurring to his car. "How can she leave a man who's willing to drive one thousand miles just to get her chocolate?" The freeway heading west was just ahead, and without another thought, he swerved into the right lane.

‍ ‍

‍ ‍

It was a cool autumn night, so Knight turned up the heat and rolled the windows down, the cool breeze hitting him like a pillow of feathers.

‍ ‍

His body began to immediately relax, and the tension started to fade away. He closed his eyes and imagined standing at the beach feeling the cool ocean breeze.

‍ ‍

Taking a deep breath through his nose, he started talking to his car again.

‍ ‍

"This is just what I need right now. This is…"

‍ ‍

THUNK!

‍ ‍

Knight's eyes shot open. He saw a cement barrier right ahead and instinctively turned the wheel.

‍ ‍

Drunken instincts forced him to slam on the brakes too, causing life to spin out of control.

‍ ‍

When the car finally came to a stop, his vision told him everything was still moving. After several deep breaths, the world steadied, but Cillian Knight's heart was ready to explode.

‍ ‍

The car had spun to face in the direction he'd just come from, allowing him to see the dark streaks his tires had burned into the pavement. Both eyes traced the path of burnt rubber, and what he saw turned his blood to ice.

‍ ‍

There, at the start of the skid marks, a human figure lay motionless in the street.

‍ ‍

He turned off the blasting music, and thoughts came rushing into his mind like a dam breaking loose.

‍ ‍

Air! He needed air! Frantically opening the car door, he tumbled out and hit the ground hard. After tasting asphalt, a full bottle of rum in his belly decided it was time to hit the road.

‍ ‍

On his hands and knees, Knight's stupid decisions from the evening were putting on a violent display, and trying to breathe between the dry heaves was nearly impossible.

‍ ‍

After what felt like an eternity, it was possible to stagger to his feet. Wiping the bile from the corner of his mouth, he stood on shaky legs staring at the figure lying fifty feet away. He slowly started walking over while chanting under his breath, "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead."

‍ ‍

Reaching the body, he observed a weathered man dressed in ragged clothes. One of his sneakers had come off, which revealed a big toe poking through his sock. As he bent down to check the man's pulse, Knight's nose filled with unpleasant smells.

‍ ‍

"Yeah, you're homeless, alright," he mumbled after confirming a pulse. The awkward way the man's body was contorted suggested a broken leg and maybe a rib or two. Knight pulled out his phone and spoke to the unmoving man, "Well, better get you to a hospital."

‍ ‍

Then a realization hit him: I'm drunk, and this is going to be a damn DUI. "John, you bastard, of course you would be right." He attempted to seal the curse with a wad of spit to splat on the ground, but his mouth was so dry, all that could be mustered up was a small mix of saliva and bile.

‍ ‍

After getting spittle all over the front of his shirt, Cillian Knight found himself looking around. He saw no cameras and no witnesses. There was nothing to pin him to the scene.

‍ ‍

"Nah, that's messed up, I can’t just leave you here."

‍ ‍

Opening his phone, he saw his News app, and remembered feeling pretty annoyed after recently reading an article about the ongoing homeless crisis.

‍ ‍

"You're a freaking bum," he said suddenly to the unconscious man. "You rely on working people like me! I pay my taxes, I give back to my community. What do you do? Sit in your stupid makeshift tent and get drunk and high all day. I should leave you here, and if the universe wants you to survive, it will provide a way. If not, that's one less problem for society."

‍ ‍

Those last words echoed through Knight's mind, and his shoulders slumped when he realized how judgmental he was being. "Gah! This is so dumb! Who knows why you became a bum anyway? I don't know your story, and would it even matter if I did? You're still human for the most part."

‍ ‍

The unconscious man did not respond.

‍ ‍

Knight dialed 911 but hesitated before pressing the call button.

‍ ‍

"Wait, wait, wait. Let's just think about this for a second." Trembling, his thumb hovered over the green call button.

‍ ‍

"If I press this button, I'm screwed. I'll lose everything. I'll be a criminal. I'll ruin my perfect record! What if you end up suing me? You've got nothing to lose, and I've got everything to lose!”

‍ ‍

Standing there panting and head spinning, Cillian Knight glimpsed a future filled with paranoia, guilt, and shame if he abandoned the man.

‍ ‍

Could he really live with himself if he chose that path?

‍ ‍

The question would never be answered, as he sealed his fate and pressed call.

‍ ‍
‍ ‍

‍ ‍