Prologue.
It was a sad feeling, returning to my apartment alone. Again. It seemed like forever since someone had come down the hallway and knocked on my door, just to come in and say hi. But that was probably for the best. After what had happened, with Mark, it wasn't going to be the same. I loved him. That simple revelation had changed everything. I had only met him for a minute, and it was like a cheesy love seen, one of those 'love at first sight' things. Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it! I shoved all the papers off of my desk and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the mess.
It should have been just a normal day. Go to Uni, catch up with friends, go to work, and then come home. But no. Of course it couldn't. This is ME we're talking about.
Instead of my usual routine, my friends had decided to go scare the crap out of each other in some old warehouses. This of course meant my being dragged along with them. Not exactly what I had in mind, but I went along with it. Their usual ploy is to set up a race through the warehouses and out the other side; the winner gets free drinks all night, the loser buys all the drinks. So tonight, I was one of the participants, (after caving into considerable peer-pressure) with James being the other, having apparently won the last race and our place of choice was an abandoned steel mill. I sighed. I never liked these races, which is why I was always coincidentally busy when invited, but I also didn't want to be the one paying for my extremely heavy-drinking friends all night. James was going down.
So after the usual pep talk, we lined up, and set off at the mark. James went straight for the door, slamming hard into it and falling back, clutching his shoulder. Idiot. He should know by now that these mills are barricaded off from the public;not to mention hobos and such. I went for the drain pipe, up and through one of the many smashed windows, landing lightly on the over-viewing platform above. I could hear James' curses and his footfalls running for another entrance. the whole point was to go through the mill, as fast as you could, and come out the other side where the group was waiting. And yes, this is what usual university students do in their spare time. Or something equally as stupid.
I sped along the platform and down the ladder to the mill floor. It wasn't long before I was charging headlong through the corridors in the general direction of north, although I could no longer hear any cheering of my friends or the footsteps of James; but I was to busy concentrating on orientation the mill's maze of corridors to pay much attention to these thoughts. when I finally reached the last open floor of the mill before I reached the outside, I finally spied some sounds. But these weren't the sounds of rampaging footfalls or the sounds of the road outside. These were closer, softer. I paused for a moment to analyse what my ears were telling me.
The sound was breathing. gentle breathing, like when you are asleep. I scouted round for it, keeping low to the ground and moving as quietly as possible. With what little light was available from the street lamps outside, I made my way round to a small office like area to the west of the mill floor. I poked my head round the corner of the semi-closed of area to see the source of the noise. Now what I was expecting was a homeless guy, with less teeth then hair, but what I found was quite the opposite. A man, in his mid-thirties I would have guessed, lay on a camping bed against the far wall, his face turned towards me.
I don't think I evn breathed for those first moments as I gazed at him, taking in his appearance bit by bit. this wasn't your run of the mill homeless guy. A jacket was slung over a office chair, with not so cheap steel-capped boots underneath. He wore dark, stained jeans, with a plain dark top. It was hard to see in the dim light, but I could see his closed eyes, and his dark (I'm not sure of the colour) hair which fell lightly over one eye.
Suddenly, I heard my friends cheer which snapped me out of my trance-like gaze. Looking towards the window, I knew I must have been bested by James. Damn it. I turned back before leaving to look at the stranger; and was caught in brilliant blue eyes. My heart quickened, and I ran quickly from the building before he had a chance to properly register my presence. Shit.
I stood outside the door, my back pressed against it, heart racing. When I didn't hear any signs of a pursuit, I moved round the side of the building to my friends, who had crowded round James,whooping as I came within view.
"Drinks are on you River!" Kerry shouted, before grabbing my arm and steering me towards the road. Whatever I thought, glancing back at the Mill. Just get me out of here, quick.
