Knight Casefiles Book 0: Genesis

Genesis [Chapter 1]

Chapter 1

Life is a funny thing. One second you’re on top; the next, you’re down so low that Satan’s filing for a restraining order.

Philosophers, scientists, comedians, and biblio-nerds everywhere have tried to append a rightful definition to this concept called “life” to no avail. You could look at a dictionary or search Google and find the answers less than satisfactory. However, there’s always been one universal truth to it – something that everyone from every culture and even species can agree to: It is freaking hard.

Sadly, there’s always a point in someone’s life that they start thinking this. That the whole idea of living becomes such a tedious chore that all you want is to let go. Somehow, suicidal people seem less, ah, eccentric now. But we keep living. Because that’s just how it is. Even if it means living aimlessly for whoever knows how long. That was probably how I found myself sitting in a bustling diner, the thick and oily atmosphere threatening to choke me, with a cold cup of coffee in my hands in the middle of the afternoon.

“So, do you stalk people on a daily basis or is that just a today thing?”

The sudden noise interrupting my reverie made me jump, which was probably a very impressive feat considering I was sitting down. I rubbed at the sore spot on my hip where I’d hit the table and glared at the one who’d spoken. A pair of green eyes stared at me in wry amusement that only served to heighten my annoyance. It took me a few seconds to place the familiar face and when I did, all that irritation simmered away into embarrassment.

I knew her. And she knew me. Kind of.

“I’m not stalking you,” I protested and despised how pale I was because it probably made the heat in my cheeks more visible.

The woman gave me a patronizing smile and slid to into the chair opposite me. She twisted a bit, presumably to make herself comfy, and tucked a stray strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. The entire ritual made me aware that I was only wearing an overused white shirt and jeans whereas she was decked in business attire that served to emphasize her shapely body. It made me even redder, which I’m sure she was happy with.

“Of course you aren’t,” she responded in that same condescending tone, crossing her arms as she scrutinized me. “You just so happened to be in a diner right in front of the building where I work. Not suspicious at all.”

I scowled. “New York’s a small city. Don’t you believe in coincidences?”

“Not really,” she said flatly. “But you see, I have this trouble with men following especially after a…an interesting night.”

The recall made me wince and probably made me even more scarlet than was humanly possible. Normally, I’d have made a funny comeback, maybe something to even the odds. I could have also fallen back to simply ignoring her and returning to staring at my half-empty cup – my more favored defense mechanism. I could have put on a variety of my masks – something I’d gotten good at ever since my parents died.

To my surprise though, I started laughing. It was an odd reaction given the situation. The hostility and awkwardness between us seemed to dissipitate and she actually joined in, her chiming chuckle setting me off even more. I couldn’t help it. My life’s been crap recently for the most part and laughing felt good.

It took us a few minutes to settle down. “Yeah, sorry about that,” I said, blinking tears from my eyes.

“You should be,” she said breathlessly. “I’m thinking of burning my shirt.”

Now that her tone wasn’t all that hostile, it was a lot easier to bear her presence. A human presence that I was actually comfortable with. Maybe it was the partial anonymity between us that made it easier. I wouldn’t have minded sitting and talking with her the rest of the day, actually. It’d been a long time since I’d made an effort to socialize, at least outside of a bar, club, or infirmary setting. But unfortunately, I had business to attend to.

A woman and her companion several booths from us stood and made their way out the diner’s door. I pretended to tie my shoes as they passed, hoping they didn’t notice me. When they’d gone out, I gathered myself and stood up.

“Hey, um, I have to go,” I said awkwardly to the girl.

“Isn’t that a bit counterproductive for stalkers?” she asked.

I grinned at her. “I told you – I’m not stalking you.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I needed the ego boost.” She said it with a smile on her face, but I could almost hear the disappointment creeping into her tone. Or was it just my imagination? Stupid libido.

I squeezed her shoulder – I don’t know why I did – before I made my way to the door. I paused for a second and looked back to find the girl idly flipping through the provided menu. Perhaps it was the subtle hunch of her shoulders, the strain on her neck as she attempted to hold her head high that made me pause. Without much real thought, I doubled back to the counter and ordered a milkshake.

“Give it to the girl at that booth,” I said to the waitress, pointing at the booth I’d just come from. “And give her this, would you?” I scribbled something down on a napkin and gave it to her. The waitress gave me an odd look that screamed suspicion but nodded, accepting the note and payment.

My conscience clean, I stepped out into the noisy streets of New York City and instinctively covered my nose to keep the noxious fumes brought about by the afternoon rush-hour at bay. After checking my bearings, I turned and headed to the direction the woman and her companion went.

Don’t look at me like that. I said I wasn’t stalking the girl. Not that I wasn’t stalking anyone else. Technically, I guess, it wasn’t really stalking. She knew me, I knew her. At least I think I did. Plus, I had justifiable reason.

She’d been lying to me and I wanted to know why.

It wasn’t a lovers’ quarrel if that’s what you’re thinking. The mere suggestion of it would probably win me a black eye from her. That, and several broken bones and possibly a few ruptured organs. So, why was I doing something that could have been equally detrimental to my health? Simply put, at that point in my life, I needed something to believe in, and if it wasn’t her, I didn’t know what that would be.

I rounded a corner and passed a dark alley. It should’ve been a tip-off to anyone who knows the least bit about horror pop culture. The last thing I heard was someone shouting, “Wait! It’s Chris!” before my sight gave birth to stars and extinguished them, somehow at the same time.

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A/N: Sorry if the start seems rather slow, but trust me, the action only gets faster as you go on. ;)

This is admittedly a very rough draft of something I whipped up last holiday season but never got the chance to upload. Any and all critique is welcome :)