That morning began like all the others: the thermos of black coffee that always seemed to smell fine and taste stale, the pack of cigarettes that always seemed to be half-empty, and the sunrise that always seemed to beat him to the lake. Like everyday, he sat on the box that always seemed to grow colder as the sun rose, and, like everyday, he tapped the cigarette on his leg before grinding it into the single burnt patch of ground he had used since day one. The light of the morning sun barely managed to filter its way through the shifting but never thinning cloud of mist.
And Snake was listening closely. Because something about that day hadn't followed the strict pattern normal days should. Someone else, or, more specifically, two someone elses, were by the lake. And they were fighting.
Snake, slightly on edge, stood. The voices were recognizable, and, as they drew closer, he realized one was of Samus and the other was of Captain Falcon, whose voice was slurred.
Samus was trying to speak calmly, and as they neared Snake, he saw both clearly for the first time.
Samus' had a black eye and a limp, there was some sort of nasty bleeding on he rforehead, and her arms were bruised.
There was not a single scratch on Falcon. The Captain raised one of his hands, and Samus closed her eyes, flinching away from the hit that never happened. Snake calmly caught the hand mid-punch, and swiftly delivered a combination of blows, bringing the already-intoxicated Falcon down.
He then raised his eyes to look the woman her eyes, and when he did, he saw what he never expected. He saw nothing but fear.
And that day, and all those following it, crashed down.
Shattering.
So... I'm back. Miss me? Maybe not a stellar piece of writing but whatever.
No telling if I'll ever finish my old stories. We'll see.
Chapter Two coming soon.