Quiet Time

Chapter 1

NOTICE: This chapter contains attempted suicide as well as suicidal thoughts, if that bothers you, you should skip this chapter. Between the prolouge and what will happen in the next chapter you should be able to piece together what happens in this one without getting the details. You have been warned.

     Emma had just finished putting the last of her things neatly away into boxes. She wouldn't be able to stay, so things had to be packed to move, not that she planned on moving either. Emma opened her purse again as she had done several times that day to confirm it was still there. Sure enough the black, unforgiving, nine millimeter, hand gun with only one bullet in it greeted her.

"God what am I thinking? Am I really doing this?" Emma thought to herself. She had similar thoughts throughout the day, but she roboticly moved as though the outcome she detested was inevitable.

     All of her things were packed neatly in boxes, making it easy for whoever happened to get them when she was gone. And the day had passed quickly as she was packing. There was only one thing she had left to do, get drunk.

     While she had her typical reasons for wanting to get plastered, forgetting the loss of her job, and tiredness from a long day of packing, the real reason was she was getting drunk was that she didn't want to feel it. Didn't want to leave a chance for her to stop herself when she did, plus it conveniently god rid of the rest of the money neatly settling the last of her affairs.

     So Emma made her way down to the closest bar, a hole in the wall place that was much too dirty to trust with food, not that Emma was concerned about getting sick at this point. Emma walked to the end of the bar and set down burying her head in her hands.

"Whatchya need?" The bartender asked uncaring.

"Tequila," Emma said plainly, sliding the bartender a hundred dollar bill. "Keep them coming."

"Yes ma'am," the bartender said with only a hint of concern. He laid down a series of shot glasses and impressively filled them all up with one motion though Emma didn't care.

"Stop please don't do this there has to be another way," the voice in Emma's head was drowned out by another shot of tequila going down into her stomach and clouding her brain. She kept going and going until half the large bottle was gone.

"No please I don't want to die," Emma's mind shouted but Emma's body and will was already being taken over by the alcohol. She soon was a giggling mess at the end of the bar, finding inane enjoyment in the simplest things.

"I think you've had enough," The bartender said, his concern finally becoming significant.

"I tell you when I've had enough miser," Emma slurred. "And I haven't yet so keep em comin."

"I legally can't serve you any more ma'am I'm sorry," he replied with a bit of a threat.

"Well screw you I'm leavin'," Emma blurted loudly. She shambled to the exit of the bar, while some of the patrons looked on with concern, none of them were concerned enough to stop her though as she made her way outside with a few burps and hiccups.