Prologue
Awards:
🏆 Honourable Mention in The Mysfic Awards (December 2020 - January 2021)
13th of May 2005
The man shoved the clutch all the way to the floor. Without being conscious of the showery weather or the road, the car ran over the lit highway. Steve took a moment to observe the rain droplets reflecting the bright yellowish lights, drawing diffuse yellow spots on the surface of the windscreen. He diverted his attention to the shifting scenery. It was three o’clock in the afternoon; the ominous sky was throwing thunders and outbursts of lightning frantically into perfectly aligned areas. Man’s thoughts were mixed and turbid, flashes of his preceding days marching in his mind.
The ringing of his mobile woke him up from fantasising. He located it behind a bunch of clothes flung on the passenger’s seat, snatched the phone with his left and without looking at the screen, answered.
“What did you do?” a voice lamented in the receiver.
“What I had to,” he said, letting out tears of sorrow.
“You didn’t have the right to. Please bring her back. Please, honey,” the woman whined.
“I won’t!” he replied, determined. “I cannot.” He finished the conversation but held the phone to his ear, only to hear her cursing, imploring. As Steve ended the conversation, he found himself in an industrial area on the outskirts of the city. The rain stopped, filling the air with an electrical heaviness that made him feel awkward in his own skin.
The dashboard started fluttering, buzzing, sending errors on its screens. Steve smacked the solid plastic.
“Damn car!” he bustled. He turned the key on, yet the automobile refused to start. The lights continued flickering, making him nervous. The man got out of the car, taking his time to search for a particular number in his phone list.
He couldn’t make the call; the signal was off. The air turned tropical, getting excessively hard to breathe. Suddenly, the ground split, bringing at the surface tremendous hot steam. He looked back, skin bunching around his eyes. A dense red mist crawled at his feet, clothing him.
Steve picked up a growl and quick steps resounding close to him. He felt the oxygen cut off by a scaled hand squeezing his throat. Through the thick smog, he saw a face gaining contour. He longed for screaming, but his body refused to listen.
Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned.
