Ossie stumbled to his car, slamming the door shut. He opened up the small chest of lost dreams once more. He gazed at the solitary ring, that would never be adorned upon a finger. It was supposed to be the usher of a better life. He screamed snapping it shut, slinging it to the side in despair. It clacked against the window bouncing off into the darkness of the car, the shadows greedily eating it. With a turn of the key the engine chided and he sped off, without a second glance at the apartments.

He drove and drove, as the rain drummed above. He didn't have a direction in mind, he had nowhere left to go. Thinking hurt he, was dizzy, and everything appeared blurry, whether it was the miasma circulating around his mind, or the rain he couldn't tell. It was all so unfair. He worked hard, he scraped, he met each expectation and at times exceeded them. Nothing was ever good enough for Oscar Godwyn. The title of his last name was heavy, but he had borne it, just as Atlas bore the sky. Ossie swore his hubris would be the death of him. Maybe he was right.

The mustang whizzed through the intersection, a four way stop. Nothing. He had tempted fate, dangled himself in front of it, he was a worm on a hook, and he didn't squirm, no he didn't even flinch as he drove through the next intersection. Blowing right through the stop light. Just one more thing to fail at he thought. One after the other he went through stop sign and traffic light never halting when they begged him to do so. Ossie grew disappointed at the lack of cars. He couldn't blame them, who else would want to be out in this rain, at this dark hour. No one, there was no one... except his demons.

"your right, your always right." He mumbled to himself, trying to ignore the face in the mirror. "She was a distraction, there I said it. And I loved her, more than this life, your legacy."

"Be honest with yourself." The mirror boomed at him "nothing was greater than my legacy, and you lost it. Lost it for her"

"Maybe I didn't do it for her, or myself, you think I wanted this?"

"No. You needed it. Than you turned tail to hide, a weak pup."

"What do you want me to do!" Ossie screamed at the mirror. The car jerked upwards. Two wheels on the pavement, the front end up in the air as it vaulted over the curb. For a second everything slowed down, he watched as his father's face disappeared, the only thing left in the mirror was a reflection of himself. Ossie realized something, at that moment, but that moment was only a second.

A metallic crunch sounded, as Ossie crashed back into reality. He felt the dashboard, or the air bag he wasn't certain which, connect with his face. His body jerked side to side the, the restraint on his chest holding fast. The wreck happened suddenly but halted abruptly. Ossie scampered out of the vehicle tripping as he did so. Stumbling backwards he surveyed the damage. The front had caved in on the passenger side, a tree having sprouted at some point through the hood. Ossie shrugged and crawled back in. Just what he needed, he turned the key over in the ignition, and to his surprise the car wheezed back to life. He switched gears and it creaked backwards into reverse complaining as it dropped back over the curb. Again Ossie spilled onto the pavement pushing himself up he looked at his hands.

They were scraped, bloody, and they stung slightly. He touched a hand to his face, sticky. There was a large cut under his cheek, the rain water licking it but preventing it from sealing itself. He put his hands out in front of him, like an artist visualizing a canvas. It wasn't a straight park job, but whether that was the bottle talking or the front of the car he decided that was the best it was going to get It would have to suffice. The wreckage was thus organized and he could move on. Looking up at the building he gawked, to see where exactly it was that he had moved on too. Big letters were illuminated on the top of the sky scraper. He scoffed, staring up into the light. How ironic. Godwyn Towers, and tower it did. Ossie patted around his body looking for his keys, searching for his jacket pocket. Till he remembered he had left it back at the apartment, where Faye had likely taken it off. He tried his pants pockets, there was the familiar jingle. The doors yielded to him, granting access after the presentation of his card key.

It was quiet inside the building, in an ominous way. The immense walls muffling the rain outside. Ossie walked on. His feet mocking him, in the otherwise silent building. On, through the emptiness. Each step brought a hollow echo, a reminder to him of the life he had, of the life he dreamed of. All of it laid in the past. Each slowly growing quieter till it was no more.

Minutes passed as he leaned against the elevator, waiting for the steel doors to open. It was a short while before it dawned on him that the power was switched off on the elevators. Of course. Ossie started towards the stairs, not exactly sure why he was heading the way he was. He opened the door exiting the main hall, and entering into the stair well. He looked up a slight case of nausea catching him briefly. He covered his mouth and put a hand on his stomach to silence it, and took his first step.

A big three was painted on the wall in black, on a yellow plaque. he continued towards the fourth floor despite being tired. Each step became a burden, and each flight became just more time for him to dwell, slipping into the back, dark corners of his own mind. Floor four, the realization of being single. The loneliness, the lack of love that he felt all his life.

Floor five, even the love he had managed to find was ripped from him. Like everything else in his life, he was destined to come close, but fall short when it mattered the most. Faye was to become just one more person to walk out on him. On floor six Faye was no longer the one that got away, but the whore he had left behind. How he wished she understood his plight, had she truly cared she would have waited for him, if only she understood what he was working toward. Floor seven, he was visiting the thought that he was jobless. That he was a fallen Godwyn, and now would never amount to anything in this town. However, seven was a lucky number right? Perhaps he'd start his own business, and then he could become bigger than ever. Than anyone. No. Impossible, there was no one bigger than his father. The great Oscar Godwyn. Even in death he had thought of everything. Ossie was destined to forever stand in the colossal shadow of the business tyrant.

By the twelfth floor he was blaming Malcom who was always "looking" after him, the business partner of his dad. That shady Malcom who descended with him. It bothered him. Malcom could flourish anywhere, a bug you couldn't kill, if he fell he could slither his way back, he'd probably smooth talk his way right back into a bigger office. He tried to be happy for him, but still.

By the time he finally reached the top, he ran out of people to blame, he had even lost count of how many times he blamed them. There was only one person left. Himself.

Ossie pushed his way into the hall way and parted the doors into the conference office ahead. He stood for a second before slowly entering. He walked through the open floor of desks, and papers still skewed about across the floor, from the chaos that ensued earlier that night. It was the room where he came to the cold hard realization that everything he told himself he cared about, slipped right through his fingers...

Ossie took a running start, he stumbled bumping his hip on the corner of a table, he cursed out loud, picking up more speed. The desks fell behind him and the windows grew closer. He kicked off. He felt the earth leave beneath his feet as he ascended into the air, crashing into the side of the building. He heard a cracking sound as he collided with the glass, he felt the impact on his head. Next came the spinning, dizzying, sickening feeling. He was no longer standing perpendicular he was falling, and it all felt better than the pain that was still leaking through. Than all was black.

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Hello, sorry to interrupt, but that's the end of the chapter. Don't stop there though, please continue on to the other side. And always feel free to critique, comment, or leave feed back. Thanks for making it here, and I'll see you in chapter four.