A Cold Winter Night
December 24th, 2014
19:40, Fairview City
The city of Fairview's skies reached pitch black, the darkness of night settling down on the city. People had returned to their households to rest for the next day. Sure, it was Christmas Eve, and people would begin their final preparations for tomorrow, but ultimately the city fell into silence. Few cars remained on the roads, as the bustling city began to be covered by a thick blanket of snow.
I walked along the streets, wearing my white coat, shirt and trousers, still shocked at the events that had transpired at the docks. Chris' pained expression, the calling out of someone's name, the disdained look on his face before... I was lucky to only lose my job. I'd killed an unarmed man. That moment would scar my mind for years to come. I'll admit it - I was screwed. I'd shot one of my friends, lost my job, and nobody gave a damn. Just another guy who was stupid enough to get fired. But the one thing I still asked myself is 'Why?'. Why did I shoot? Was it anger that pushed me over the edge? Shock? Even I couldn't tell. But I was certain nobody would want to hire me after that whole fiasco. I stopped walking next to a bench, already covered in the pristine white snow, a street light above making it stand out. I wiped the crisp snowflakes off part of it, and sat down, deciding to mull things over to myself.
I remained sat there for a while, some of the snow settling on my jacket. I began to start thinking about what I should do next, when someone else sat down at the end of the bench. He had a long, black trench coat on, covering most of himself up. A lot of his face was covered by a Black fedora hat, a few spikes of blond hair escaping slightly into sight on the sides. He had a beard as well, but that was the only distinguishable characteristic he had. He stayed there for a while, until I decided to get up and leave.
"Hey. You Tom Blakely?" He asked. He had a gruff, deep accent, telling me he was serious. He had a tone of authority, and I had no choice but to respond.
"Yeah. Got a problem with the name or something?" I responded, trying to make myself less intimidated. He smirked slightly, before continuing.
"I heard about the docks." Great, just what I needed: Someone to rub it in. "I also heard you were a detective."
"Cut the crap, what do you want?" I asked, my patience wearing thin.
"Well, you're out of a job, right? No source of income, you won't be able to keep a roof over your head for long. I have a little 'gig' going on which could use guys like you. One that isn't afraid of consequences, that can stare Death in the eye and ignore it for your line of work." He told me, handing me a small card. The way this guy was making it out to be, I most certainly didn't want to be in this job. Inspecting the small text, I read the text 'SALESMAN SERVICES' at the top. Really? What kind of guy did he think I was?
"Salesman?" I asked, laughing slightly. But I was really feeling pissed off that he was wasting my time. His eyes narrowed, gritting his teeth slightly.
"Mister? I don't think I like your attitude." He said slowly. I started taking him a bit more seriously. "It's just my contact. What I really want you to do is find stuff. Now, sometimes that stuff doesn't want to be found. Some people will do everything in their power to protect it. You'll get past of all of it. It's a bigger business then you'd think. Lots of travelling, but you'll be near somewhere to rest yourself overnight. I'll give you some time to think it over." The man said, adjusting his hat slightly, and promptly walking off into the darkness. "Oh, and Merry Christmas."
"What's so merry about it?" It didn't really matter what job it was anyway. It was a job offer, and one I was planning on taking. I put the card in my jacket pocket, before walking towards the town square. They had decorated the huge tree in the square ages ago, but this was the first time I had seen it properly. It was massive, with stupid amounts of tinsel hanging from all directions. The lights were blinding, lighting up the entire plaza. As I stared up the tree, I thought about what Christmas really meant to me. My father was killed the day before Christmas, and my mother lives in a different region to me. I remember the time when we got the news about my father's death. My mother cried for weeks on end, never fully recovering from her loss. Then, we moved. I was never told why, and I didn't ask. Whatever it was, it was for a serious reason. This day, 5 years ago I nearly even lost my own life.
December 24th, 2009
I walked up and down the streets of Maxbrook, aged 17. I was minding my own business, walking back to my apartment. It had been about a month since I moved regions to start up work as a detective. Casually checking my watch, I took no notice of what was ahead of me. A door slammed open, and I raised my head to take a look at the commotion. Somebody tripped over the steps, falling flat onto their face, a bottle of alcohol smashing onto the floor. He'd obviously got himself pissed at a party.
"Get out of the fucking way, you god-damn alcoholic." I jeered, walking around him. He stared back up at me, his infuriated expression striking fear into me. He grabbed the bottleneck half of the bottle, and started running at me. With my back turned, I had no idea what he was doing, until it was all too late. He swung the bottle at me in a drunken rage, barely scraping my forehead. I tripped up in an attempt to run off, desperately attempting to kick him away. I was certainly doomed, until one of my work colleagues threw him off, and helped me onto my feet. The drunk began to flee, as I thanked my friend for saving me.
December 24th, 2014
20:30
I decided to stop reminiscing about the past, and continued on. Christmas to me wasn't the religious day it originally was. Now, all it delved into is commercial propaganda and rising gas bills. Hardly a time I'd want to celebrate an average day. Every time I see some beaming kid staring in a shop window, grinning at the toys or gadgets or whatever-the-hell's-new it sickens me. Barely anyone in this town even remembers what Christmas' original purpose is any more, and it's all down to those greedy bastards that call themselves 'business men'. They can take their sales and adverts and stuff where the sun doesn't shine, if you ask me.
I was getting close to the apartment block I stay at. Out of the corner of my eye, I heard and saw something rustle amongst some of the bins. Initially cautious of this, I at first ignored it. But curiosity was getting the better of me, so I crept slowly towards it. I couldn't see anything out of order at the beginning, until a small patch of red showed underneath some of the snow. Crouching down, I reached out towards it. It shook it's head, the snow falling off onto the ground around it. It was a Vulpix, absolutely covered from the snow. It must have fallen asleep and woken up when I passed by. I continued moving my arm out towards it, as it backed away and cowered.
"Hey, there's no reason to be scared." I told it, rubbing some of the snow off of it's fur. The small vixen looked up at me weakly, it's eyes clear in the darkness. I tried to act tougher, but it just simply crumbled at the sight of this. I couldn't just leave it alone here, freezing to death outside, it would be immoral, even for me. I pushed the rest of the snow off, holding out my arms for it. Climbing into my arms, it was then I realised how warm it was. Covering it from the snow with one side of my jacket, it smiled slightly to me. As tough as I was, I'd at least try and look after it. After all, with all this travelling I was going to be doing, a companion would go a long way. I stroked its fur again, before walking off back towards my apartment. Hell, maybe Christmas isn't that bad after all...
19:40, Fairview City
The city of Fairview's skies reached pitch black, the darkness of night settling down on the city. People had returned to their households to rest for the next day. Sure, it was Christmas Eve, and people would begin their final preparations for tomorrow, but ultimately the city fell into silence. Few cars remained on the roads, as the bustling city began to be covered by a thick blanket of snow.
I walked along the streets, wearing my white coat, shirt and trousers, still shocked at the events that had transpired at the docks. Chris' pained expression, the calling out of someone's name, the disdained look on his face before... I was lucky to only lose my job. I'd killed an unarmed man. That moment would scar my mind for years to come. I'll admit it - I was screwed. I'd shot one of my friends, lost my job, and nobody gave a damn. Just another guy who was stupid enough to get fired. But the one thing I still asked myself is 'Why?'. Why did I shoot? Was it anger that pushed me over the edge? Shock? Even I couldn't tell. But I was certain nobody would want to hire me after that whole fiasco. I stopped walking next to a bench, already covered in the pristine white snow, a street light above making it stand out. I wiped the crisp snowflakes off part of it, and sat down, deciding to mull things over to myself.
I remained sat there for a while, some of the snow settling on my jacket. I began to start thinking about what I should do next, when someone else sat down at the end of the bench. He had a long, black trench coat on, covering most of himself up. A lot of his face was covered by a Black fedora hat, a few spikes of blond hair escaping slightly into sight on the sides. He had a beard as well, but that was the only distinguishable characteristic he had. He stayed there for a while, until I decided to get up and leave.
"Hey. You Tom Blakely?" He asked. He had a gruff, deep accent, telling me he was serious. He had a tone of authority, and I had no choice but to respond.
"Yeah. Got a problem with the name or something?" I responded, trying to make myself less intimidated. He smirked slightly, before continuing.
"I heard about the docks." Great, just what I needed: Someone to rub it in. "I also heard you were a detective."
"Cut the crap, what do you want?" I asked, my patience wearing thin.
"Well, you're out of a job, right? No source of income, you won't be able to keep a roof over your head for long. I have a little 'gig' going on which could use guys like you. One that isn't afraid of consequences, that can stare Death in the eye and ignore it for your line of work." He told me, handing me a small card. The way this guy was making it out to be, I most certainly didn't want to be in this job. Inspecting the small text, I read the text 'SALESMAN SERVICES' at the top. Really? What kind of guy did he think I was?
"Salesman?" I asked, laughing slightly. But I was really feeling pissed off that he was wasting my time. His eyes narrowed, gritting his teeth slightly.
"Mister? I don't think I like your attitude." He said slowly. I started taking him a bit more seriously. "It's just my contact. What I really want you to do is find stuff. Now, sometimes that stuff doesn't want to be found. Some people will do everything in their power to protect it. You'll get past of all of it. It's a bigger business then you'd think. Lots of travelling, but you'll be near somewhere to rest yourself overnight. I'll give you some time to think it over." The man said, adjusting his hat slightly, and promptly walking off into the darkness. "Oh, and Merry Christmas."
"What's so merry about it?" It didn't really matter what job it was anyway. It was a job offer, and one I was planning on taking. I put the card in my jacket pocket, before walking towards the town square. They had decorated the huge tree in the square ages ago, but this was the first time I had seen it properly. It was massive, with stupid amounts of tinsel hanging from all directions. The lights were blinding, lighting up the entire plaza. As I stared up the tree, I thought about what Christmas really meant to me. My father was killed the day before Christmas, and my mother lives in a different region to me. I remember the time when we got the news about my father's death. My mother cried for weeks on end, never fully recovering from her loss. Then, we moved. I was never told why, and I didn't ask. Whatever it was, it was for a serious reason. This day, 5 years ago I nearly even lost my own life.
December 24th, 2009
I walked up and down the streets of Maxbrook, aged 17. I was minding my own business, walking back to my apartment. It had been about a month since I moved regions to start up work as a detective. Casually checking my watch, I took no notice of what was ahead of me. A door slammed open, and I raised my head to take a look at the commotion. Somebody tripped over the steps, falling flat onto their face, a bottle of alcohol smashing onto the floor. He'd obviously got himself pissed at a party.
"Get out of the fucking way, you god-damn alcoholic." I jeered, walking around him. He stared back up at me, his infuriated expression striking fear into me. He grabbed the bottleneck half of the bottle, and started running at me. With my back turned, I had no idea what he was doing, until it was all too late. He swung the bottle at me in a drunken rage, barely scraping my forehead. I tripped up in an attempt to run off, desperately attempting to kick him away. I was certainly doomed, until one of my work colleagues threw him off, and helped me onto my feet. The drunk began to flee, as I thanked my friend for saving me.
December 24th, 2014
20:30
I decided to stop reminiscing about the past, and continued on. Christmas to me wasn't the religious day it originally was. Now, all it delved into is commercial propaganda and rising gas bills. Hardly a time I'd want to celebrate an average day. Every time I see some beaming kid staring in a shop window, grinning at the toys or gadgets or whatever-the-hell's-new it sickens me. Barely anyone in this town even remembers what Christmas' original purpose is any more, and it's all down to those greedy bastards that call themselves 'business men'. They can take their sales and adverts and stuff where the sun doesn't shine, if you ask me.
I was getting close to the apartment block I stay at. Out of the corner of my eye, I heard and saw something rustle amongst some of the bins. Initially cautious of this, I at first ignored it. But curiosity was getting the better of me, so I crept slowly towards it. I couldn't see anything out of order at the beginning, until a small patch of red showed underneath some of the snow. Crouching down, I reached out towards it. It shook it's head, the snow falling off onto the ground around it. It was a Vulpix, absolutely covered from the snow. It must have fallen asleep and woken up when I passed by. I continued moving my arm out towards it, as it backed away and cowered.
"Hey, there's no reason to be scared." I told it, rubbing some of the snow off of it's fur. The small vixen looked up at me weakly, it's eyes clear in the darkness. I tried to act tougher, but it just simply crumbled at the sight of this. I couldn't just leave it alone here, freezing to death outside, it would be immoral, even for me. I pushed the rest of the snow off, holding out my arms for it. Climbing into my arms, it was then I realised how warm it was. Covering it from the snow with one side of my jacket, it smiled slightly to me. As tough as I was, I'd at least try and look after it. After all, with all this travelling I was going to be doing, a companion would go a long way. I stroked its fur again, before walking off back towards my apartment. Hell, maybe Christmas isn't that bad after all...