Page 16 of Evil Hearts

Chapter Three

T he drive home is uneventful. There aren’t many people on the road, braving the storm, so the drive passes quickly. I pull into the apartment’s parking lot, groaning in annoyance when I notice someone parked in my spot. It would be one thing if they weren’t clearly labeled by apartment number. Looks like there’s another sprint through the rain in my future.

I pull into the back parking lot, a whole football field away from my door. Instead of rushing out of my car, I take a minute to just breathe. I watch as the storm rages around me, hammering against my car windows as I kill the engine. I take a deep breath before climbing out of the car. I don’t bother locking it, no one would steal it anyway, and take off toward the front door. My knees groan in protest, and my clothes stick to my skin, but the thought of a warm shower and my favorite PJs is enough to push the discomfort aside, urging me on.

Inside, the quiet of my apartment embraces me like an old friend. The dim glow of the living room lamp casts a soft light over the space and it feels like I can breathe again. Here, I am safe. Here, I can just be me.

I hang my keys on the hook near the front door, and notice for the first time, a tiny Orc keychain. That’s bizarre. I squint, getting a closer look, and can’t help getting the eerie feeling that someone is watching me. I don’t usually use keychains, already having too many keys between work and home. But there’s a mysterious beauty to the tiny Orc Warrior staring back at me.

I shake my head, putting the keychain out of my mind. I’m sure it was just Tim or something I forgot I bought with how crazy the day has been.

I strip out of my wet clothes, tossing them in the laundry basket. My knees are raw, but nothing I can’t ignore. I head to the bathroom, changing into my cozy, oversized PJs. The soft fabric wraps around me like a hug, welcoming me home. And for the first time today, I feel just a semblance of peace.

I stare around my sparse apartment as I open a bottle of wine, pouring myself a hefty glass. I don’t have a pet or any friends who might check on me. I’m alone, and I used to say I like it that way. But today has me questioning the last few years. Who would miss me when I’m gone? Would anyone even notice?

The wine goes down smoothly, warming me from the inside, and calming my frayed nerves. With the full glass in hand, I limp over to my small computer desk in the corner. The computer sitting there is the nicest thing in this apartment, and it boots up quickly. Haven’s Edge screen title flashes across my monitor, and I settle into the plush seat. A real smile pulls across my face for the first time today.

My body fills with an eagerness to escape. And an eagerness to pick up where I left off. The game is a refuge for me, a world where I can be someone else, someone important. Tonight, I’m not Katie the tired barista. I’m Aelia Delafosse, Esteemed Human Rogue on a mission to save the missing Orc Innkeeper, Gashna. Taken by bandits and hidden away within the Devilwood, a place where the War of Races hasn’t quite reached, yet. Though, I have a sneaking suspicion the war will make it here in the next expansion.

The storm beats against my windows, and lightning fills the sky, but with the help of my headphones, I ignore it all. Settling into the peace the game brings.

It’s not much, it never has been, but it’s enough. As the hours slip by unnoticed, I can’t help but forget about the dying mall, the strange encounter in the parking lot, or the restless feeling today has brought me. It all washes away because here in this world, I’m a hero, a force to be reckoned with.

And for tonight, that’s enough to put my heart at ease.

A sudden, deafening crash of thunder shakes the apartment, rattling the windows and breaking through the steady hum of the video game. I’m so close to the town where my last major quest starts, that I can feel it. But the sound is so intense, so close, that for a moment I thought the storm had somehow crawled inside the thin walls of my building. I flinch, the shock pulling me out of my trace as my focus snaps back to reality.

I take a deep breath, glancing around. Lightning flashes through the blinds, casting quick, eerie shadows across my room. My wine sits warm and forgotten on the desk in front of me, and I’m not even sure how long I was out. The weight of the world comes rushing back in.

And then the next sound hits, a loud glass-breaking pop.

There is no time to even react before my mouse and keyboard, still connected to the computer in front of me, start throwing electric sparks. The air around me hums with an unnatural energy. Before I can pull away fully, my fingers feel like they’re on fire as the electricity jolts through my body. My hands clamp down involuntarily, sending shock waves up my arm and through my chest.

My muscles seize, and I can’t seem to move. My vision fades to white, as everything fades away. This is how I die, isn’t it? This is not the adventure I thought I would go out on.

The world around me warps and dissolves as my eyes roll back into my head. I faintly hear the sound of glass shattering, the storm outside growing louder as if it feeds on the chaos.

Then, there was only darkness.