August 24th, 2016

Half the day had passed as I sat on the couch, my head was down as the TV blared. A robotic droned monotone voice talked about various products for sale: land, cars, and various other expensive commodities. Things long ago I would have no interest in or desire to hear about. It only came across to me as depression. Now I listened with piqued interest. To believe at one point when I was still a youth at Chelston School this was someone's job, AI the future of mankind, I thought. I wonder how Zora is doing?

I felt a vibrating force against my pants as I pulled out my phone from my pocket. The name, changed my facial expression to scorn. I couldn't believe he was still calling me, Andrew.

I merely listened to the phone ring until it went silent again and again. I gripped my phone tightly as I got up from the couch. Opening the door to my apartment and stepped outside, I had to know how she was doing. I scrolled to the bottom of my contacts and clicked the number as I raised it to my ear.

My heart thumped as a vision of the old man came before my eyes. No, I could never tell her about that.

"Hello," said the voice on the next side.

"Zora?" I asked.

"Hey, Domenic... listen, I am sorry about earlier... I just am really worried it's not like my father to just not reach out."

"I am sure he is fine, are you going to be at the bar tonight, maybe we can talk there?"

"No, I can't go there right now, I am just a mess right now, I had to ask for the day off."

"Oh, well would you at least like to meet up then I owe you that much at least?"

"Domenic," she paused, "I won't be leaving home... I just can't right now... I would ask if you would come over but your wife might not approve nor do I want to impose on you."

"Don't worry, it's fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, where do you live?"

"I live at 28 Lucas Spring Avenue, just give me some time to get myself together and you can come by in two maybe three hours. You know the area, right?"

"Yes, I will find it."

"Okay, no problem Domenic, call me when you get near."

The phone clicked out and a smile came to my face as I rested it back into my pocket. I stretched my arms before turning towards my apartment and re-entered.

I slowly walked passed the living room into my bedroom, there seated on the floor, curled with a book in her hand was Rainbow. It was one of my old philosophy books. She gave the faintest acknowledgment of me entering the room as the snake hissed on the bed.

I swallowed my saliva and hid my hands behind my back. "I am leaving for a while, but should come back a little later." Please don't say you're coming too I thought in my head, trying to shut out my thoughts I tried to keep my mind empty.

She gazed up once at me and just replied, "Okay." Returning her eyes back to the book, she was reading. I slowly took my steps back out. My head was lowered with a smirk upon my face. Retracing back to the living room, I left the apartment and locked the door.

At the end of the stairs, standing next to Betty in the carpark, was Ms. Glenbrook. She was blankly staring in one direction and as I approached her, I saw a high degree of tension upon her face.

"Good day Miss---," I said, but my words did not seem to faze her the slightest it was like she was in a world to herself.

I opened Betty's door gently sat down inside while still looking at her strange behaviour and slammed the door shut. She woke up out of her trance state. She looked back at me, but the usual expression that she normally gave me was gone; in its place, I saw worry and concern. She said nothing as she stormed pass Betty and me to her apartment.

"Weird," I said as I adjusted the rearview mirror and pulled out of the carpark.

I had a general idea of where I was going, but that was it. Static greeted me on this ride, nothing but beautiful static. I sighed to myself as I realized that I would have to ask for some directions to where I was going. I dare not tell Zora I didn't exactly know where I was going.

When I thought I was close enough in the area, I entered a gas station, hopped out the car, and asked a few questions about the area she had given me. It seems like I wasn't too far off from what the man working the gas pump had told me.

I got back into my car, pulled off slowly, and heading back onto the main road, slight traffic greeted me as I gripped the steering wheel and tapped my finger.

"It's been a while, Domenic," said a voice behind me.

A voice I knew quite well it was Samael.

I chuckled. "Now you decide to show yourself. Why not come by my apartment again?"

"Oh Domenic, I think you forget who is in control of whom."

My hands moved on their own, slowly drifting me across the road. 

"Do you think she will save you now?" he asked, "I wonder if you can even save yourself."

I heard the first beep and swerved as oncoming cars moved out of the way. Betty avoided them only by a hair. Curses came from my left and right, horns blew in enraged protest of my actions. I couldn't stop myself. My heart beated uncontrollably in my chest at each car that I missed, every instance of death that flashed before me. Sweat ran down my face as Samael kept taunting me in the back.

"Save yourself, save yourself." He kept saying, while he laughed loudly in my ears. "I wonder what will happen to you if you die?"

It was almost like a well-rehearsed script. A car came with flashing lights, beeping its horn, and refused to turn away. My foot pressed down further on the peddle. Betty roared in response. Was this it for me, was this my end?

I closed my eyes, too afraid to see it, to look upon the impact and my hands guided me back into my lane.

"You see Domenic, who is really in control?" he came forward to my face as the car slowed down from my foot and eased off the peddle.

I still continued to drive. "Where are we going?"

"Where you want to go all along to Zora."

The mention of that name made my face contort.

"What?" he asked, "despite you being so rude, I am just trying to be a good friend. Don't worry, you don't want her to know that you gave her father a drug. Do you? And that you may or may not have killed him."

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

"I would like you to do what I asked you, send more people there. Believe it or not Domenic, we both want the same thing, but don't think about it too much."

I was unable to speak and all I could do was drive without my consent, I made turns followed roads as Samael hummed in the back. Finally, the car came to a halt. "Well then Mr. Domenic, here we are and where you wanted to be."

My hands had now returned to me, whenever he took control of me my body parts felt like they were under some intense pressure and refused to move to my commands but move easily to his. How can I regain control of my body? This is really dangerous, how does he know about Zora and where she lives? It couldn't be that he can see everything. My head hurt from all the thinking as I slumped down on the steering wheel.

"Well then what are you waiting for Domenic. I am sure she's in there waiting for you."

I slightly glanced back at him as my thoughts stumbled out of my mouth, "Are you going to be waiting here?"

"No, Domenic, I have other things to do than watch you trip over yourself."

He opened the door slowly and closed it back before disappearing after a few steps on the road.

I ran my hand through my hair."Fuck!" I shouted at the steering wheel as I hit it a few times. The last hit caused it to honk, drawing attention from people in the area.

Get it together, I have to be cool.

I looked towards the house to the right of me before pulling out my phone. I scrolled down to Zora, clicked, and listened to it ring.

"Hello," Zora said.

"Hey, Zora, I am here."

"You're here already, was that you that blew the horn?"

I scratched my neck. "Yeah, I am outside."

I heard her rushing with something, but I was unsure as she quickly responded.

"Just give me one moment."

"No problem, I will come to the front door."

"Ok."

It was an upstairs and downstairs house, it had pale yellow walls with a red roof seated on top. A small worn gate was the entrance as I opened it, I hoped that there were no dogs. I walked to the front door of the house, taking in the surroundings. The plants littered the small patio and hung from the walls. She seemed to live in a really good neighbourhood. Did she really make all this money through bartending? Maybe family or something, I thought. Wait, maybe it could be her boyfriend, I hadn't even thought about that once before I got here, I had just assumed. Why did that thought make me feel so uneasy?

I went to knock on the door, but before my hand touched it, the door came wide open, and in front of me stood Zora.

She was... She was beautiful. There was an awkward silence as my eyes drifted up and down her body as if making as many mental notes it could process. She is normally always beautiful, but in those small black shorts and top, her figure far more pronounced.

"Are you planning to come in," she said to me with a smile on her face.

"Ah yeah, sorry, just was caught a little by surprise."

"I wonder what caught you by surprise."

"Ah, you know how sudden you answered the door the same time I was about to knock."

"Oh is that all?"

"Yeah," I said as I stepped inside she made way for me.

I was greeted by a staircase, the inside was neat and tidy on my left was the kitchen it made mine look like a joke in comparison, and on the right was a living room it was smaller but the TV was definitely not.

I headed towards the living room after taking off my shoes.

"I am really glad Domenic that you came, thank you so much, I have really been a mess all day."

"It is no problem, anything for you," I said as I took my seat on the couch.

"Can I get you something to drink or to eat?"

"What do you have to drink?"

"Do you want Bacardi and coke?"

"Ah yes, that would be great."

There was a popping and a clanking noise as she opened the cupboard and the fridge, the clanking of glasses being shifted around and the gushing sound of the pipe being turned on. I wipe my hand on my pants as my eyes jolted around the living room.

"You could turn on the TV."

"Ah, it's fine, I will wait for you to get here."

There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere or even anything out of place, the complete opposite of my home. It was almost as if it wasn't lived in by a human either that or she had a perfectionist mentality.

I heard her footsteps thundered as she held both our drinks in hand and two coasters she placed mine in front of me as she took a seat beside me causing me to pull at my shirt. She was so close that I was fighting for space and with that intoxicating honey scent it left me entranced for a while.

"Some things never change, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess that's why you're my favourite bartender."

Zora laughed as she took up the remote that lay between us on the couch. "Well then, anything you want to watch in particular?" she asked as she leaned in even closer.

"No, not really, I think I would just like to talk to you more or anything you want to do is also fine... I just want you to know that I am here for you... Always... I mean when you need me. You looked out for me in my own troubles, it's the least I can do."

"Thanks, Domenic that means a lot to me, how was your day besides this morning? Is work going okay?"

I thought about it for a while, work, I saw my depressed self-sitting down slaving for hours watching people lose their jobs for the slightest mistake being cut every end of the month.

"Work, well, I was fired from the monthly cuts... Don't worry about it though things will work themselves out in the future."

"I see Domenic, I didn't know you were having to bear all of that pressure upon you." She placed her hand gently upon my back. "How does your wife feel about all of this... Sorry if this is too personal you don't have to---."

"It's fine, she's no longer there, she left me... When things started to get rough," I balled my left fist at my side. "I don't even know why I still wear this ring."

"I see Domenic." Her hand slide further upon me into a hug as I took a sip of my drink. She had not even touched her white wine as yet. Her eyes met mine for a moment, causing me to instinctively look away.

"Am I that ugly?" she asked me as she laughed.

"Ah, no, nothing of the sort the complete opposite in my eyes, you're so beautiful, sometimes I find it hard not to stare at you... Uh sorry I know that was inappropriate just ignore my comment... I don't want to create any fric---."

I felt her lips brushed against mine. It was so sudden it caught me off guard as the kiss was landed with a smack. Her head moved back slowly as my eyes couldn't shift from off hers. Our gazes were locked as the TV played in the background.

"Sorry about that." She looked into my eyes and smiled. "I just have always liked you and even knowing that you're hurt or suffering affects my heart."

My heart thumped in my chest, as my mind took in these new words that I had not expected to hear. It made me weak, my body melt, and I tried my best not to show it. I couldn't let her see how weak that I was as though I was forever waiting for this one moment, wanting but never actually thinking it would happen. She showered me with praise and my pride swell if only I could tell her that to stop working and come live with me but that would be too crazy. I can't even live a normal life like that.

Mallory, her face flashed before my eyes, almost drowning out the words that were coming from Zora. Why was I thinking about her now? I couldn't stop wondering where did she go was she with Andrew and why did it hurt me so much. Why did I feel defeated about the thought of it? Why did I care? Why did I feel to one-up her? After all, we have been through she should look up to me. She should thank me. She didn't have any idea what I went through.

"Thank you, Domenic, for being here with me, you don't have to overthink it, those are just my feelings for you. You don't even have to say anything, I know that you feel the same way... I knew it from all those times in the bar, all the looks you gave me at the bar. I liked you since that time, but I was always afraid of talking to you because you seemed like such a proper man. The way you carried yourself and the way you dressed I guess I wasn't surprised to see that you were married. It made me feel hurt somewhat to know that I wasn't that person to you. If only I knew you were suffering so much."

She embraced me deeper as my gaze flickered from the ground to her. She brought herself closer to my face. "I would have told you how I felt long ago."

She got up from the chair and smiled. "Come with me Domenic, let us wash away all of our misery tonight, just you and I." She wrapped her hand into mine as I was led to her room.