Chapters Chapter 1
I was never really a man of extravagance. I never wanted the nicest car. Never wanted the nicest house. Hell, I didn’t need to have the nicest clothes. I never ask for much in life. I’m content with my own company and a few simple objects. Once in a great while, however, something magnificent falls into my lap. Only problem is that I screwed them up. Well, not every time I suppose. But often.
My name is Murray. I live in Great Falls Montana in a 2 bedroom apartment with my childhood friend Nikita. Don’t get me wrong, he’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had, but our lifestyles are different to say the least. Nikita is a lady’s man. A suave guy hailing from Russia. He swoons girls with his fluent Russian and overall good looks. He loves his parties, packing 100 people into our apartment at times. I don’t like parties. In fact, I hate them. During his parties I’m usually in my room. I lock the door and turn on a small lamp. Sometimes I lie there motionless for hours until the guests leave. Other times I just sift through my nightstand. All my old photos, letters, wallets, and assorted coins and junk. It’s comforting really. I tend to dwell on the past. And my past was the happiest time of my life. Jumping from planes, fighting for freedom. All that bullshit. Call me crazy, but I long for my days in the army. I was happy then. Nowadays, it feels like I’ve burned out completely. I don’t feel sad. I never really feel happy either. I guess I saw one too many friends die. I don’t know. I know I shouldn’t ever be complaining about my life. I have more money than I know what to do with and I get three meals a day. But I guess I just want more excitement in life. No more of this going through the motions.
Chapter 2
I woke up at about 5:25 am this morning. A bit later than normal, but hey, we all need our beauty sleep right? My alarm was just you average loud, blaring nuisance that I had grown to detest. The off button was broken on the clock so I had to roll myself out of bed, unplug the damn thing, plug it back in and reset it. I would buy a new clock, but this is a surprisingly good way to wake yourself up in the morning. I walked out my door and into the bathroom. A quick flick of the switch and my vision was taken by the bright fluorescent lights on the ceiling. After wincing and rubbing my eyes, I looked in the mirror. I honestly was always proud of my appearance, even when I was completely out of shape. I ran my hands under the faucet and splashed some water up into my face. A quick refreshment to start off the day. I reached over and turned the shower on and sat by it to wait for the water to heat up . The benefit of sleeping naked is that you don’t have to waste time getting undressed before a shower. You just walk right in. The water only takes a few seconds anyway. I’ve always had the strangest habit of whistling in the shower. I never knew why. It was never really an actual tune. It was just something I did.
After a nice shower and getting dressed, I sat down on the couch and flipped the TV on and to the Outdoors channel. Here in Montana, hunting and fishing are huge. I didn’t need to be to work by seven so I just settled in for some relaxment. I lazily walked over to the pantry and grabbed a small pastry out for breakfast.
“Why the hell do I get up so early?” I quietly muttered to myself as I plopped back down on the couch.
After a bit more time in front of the TV and several pastries wolfed down, I got up and walked outside. It was summer so it was a nice crisp morning. A cool breaze wafted over me as I walked down the steps towards my truck. I’d had the same truck my whole life. A 2004 Dodge Dakota that I had gotten from a friend of the family back when I lived in Colorado. A gas guzzler sure, but it seated six people comfortably so I couldn’t complain, not like I drove far anyways. Another great thing about Montana is its gun-friendly population. I had a Glock 22 handgun on my hip almost everywhere I went, completely exposed, and no one thought anything of it. Probably because everyone else has a gun on them though. I set my Glock on the console next to me in the driver’s seat and started up the engine. I loved the sound this truck makes. A nice throaty rumble. Sounds a lot better than my neighbor’s Fiat. Pulling out of the apartment parking lot, I met a wall of fog.
“Oh for the love of god.” I lamented. I liked fog, but driving through it when it’s this thick is nerve racking to me.
I slowly pulled into the parking lot of my job. I was a gunsmith for an old friend of the family at his shop, Twisted Wire Tactical. It paid really well and I worked with things I loved. I’ve been shooting and working on guns since I was six so over 20 years of experience has made me an expert. I put my Glock back on my hip and walked into the store. The owner, Kyle, was behind the desk. He waved to me with a big smile on his face.
“Murray! Your dad called today.” He said. “He hasn’t talked to you since you left the Army. Think you should call him back?” He smiled at me while he polished a rifle barrel. I shook my head and walked behind the counter.
“Nah. I doubt he wants to talk to me.” I said.
“He said he did.”
“Maybe I don’t want to talk to him.”
Kyle shrugged as I walked into the back and sat at my workbench. A disassembled AR-15 lied in front of me. Kyle followed me back.
“What’s up?” He asked. I shrugged and started putting the rifle together.
“I don’t really have anything in common with my family anymore.” I said.
Kyle sighed and walked back to the shop floor. “Okay.” He said. “It’s time to open up though, so we’ll talk later.” I nodded and kept working.
Work went by slow. Not many people came in, so I just worked on a few of my bigger projects. Making rifles for stuffy rich folk is harder than you’d think. I stayed after work for a half hour, which gave me the honor of locking up. Upon taking a step outside the back door, I was drenched in water. There was a ridiculous rain storm tonight. The street became illuminated by a flash of lightning. I sighed and started walking to the parking lot. It was just around the building.
I always keep a few dog treats in my pocket at work. A small group of dogs living in the dumpster demanded it. I passed the dumpster and expected the dogs to rustle about, but tonight, there was nothing. No noise at all. The last 2 years I’ve worked here there has always been 4 dogs greeting me and begging for treats every single night. I was a bit worried. I thought of these dogs as my buddies. My chums. I walked over to the dumpster and kicked it gently with my foot.
“Hey puppies!” I said in a more cutesy voice. “Come on out.”
I heard something shift inside. Something alive was inside, but it didn’t really sound much like a dog. My first thought was a homeless gentleman, but he would have been chased off by the dogs. Slowly, I opened the dumpster. Inside, it was pitch black. With my free hand, I grabbed my tac-light from my pocket and shined it inside. What I saw next stopped my heart for a split second. A little purple creature with big lavender eyes stared back at me. I gasped sharply and dropped the lid back onto the dumpster. I couldn’t believe what I just saw.
After some deep breaths and collective thoughts, I opened the dumpster again. Whatever this animal was stared back at me in fear. It seemed more scared of me than I was of it. I gently reached out and touched the end of it’s nose. It jumped back a bit and into a corner.
“C’mere.” I said softly. “I won’t hurt you.”
It looked a bit hesitant but walked over to me and allowed me to pet it. I rubbed its head a bit and down it’s neck. It seemed to calm down by this point so I hoisted it out of the dumpster and onto the street. I could see better now. It looked very feminine and curvy. It had a tattered and dirty mane and tale. Upon inspecting a bit closer I was able to figure it was female, though embarrassing as that is, looking back on it. I knelt down to her, she was soaking wet, and still looked a bit scared. I removed my coat and wrapped it around her and then picked her up, cradling her in my arms. I carried her into my truck I set her in the passenger seat before going around to the driver’s side. I hopped in, started the engine.
The ride was eerily silent, other than the sound of rain pounding my truck. I kept my left hand on the wheel and my right hand petting her. Finally, I broke the silence.
“When we get home...” I said. “I’ll clean you up and get you fed and you can hang out on the couch.” I really didn’t think she understood, but she nodded to me anyway.
The rain seemed to pick up as we drove. Lighting lit up the night and thunder ripped through the quiet. She seemed a bit scared so I rubbed her mane a bit more and smiled at her. A few minutes rolled by and I could see my apartment in the lighting’s flashes.
“We’re almost home.” I said with a warm smile. “I’ll take good care of you. Whoever you are.”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle.” She said. I swerved on the road a bit and slammed on the breaks. I couldn’t believe what I just heard.
