So I'm writing this story right now and I figured why not post it to tumblr chapter by chapter... So here goes! Chapter 1 The ambiance of the pub seemed to fade into a distant blur of muffled noise. Mike's senses went numb as the familiar figure entered the rowdy pub and floated through the shadows across the room towards the bar Mike was seated at in the back. A ghost from his past. Everything around him was drowned into the back of his mind, as the only thing that suddenly had any importance was the newest presence in the pub. He tried to avoid staring. The blur of the bar ambiance buzzing by his ears, unnoticed. The silence screamed at him. As he was grasping at the farthest reaches of his mind trying to find his senses, one question burned into his detailed train of thought: Why was this man familiar to him? The man took a seat next to him. Mike quickly averted his eyes hoping the man hadn't noticed him. Suddenly his hearing flooded back as one sound pierced is numb state of mind: "Dimple-pinch. Neat." said the man. As the bar-tender went to prepare the man's drink, Mike looked into his almost empty glass before draining it. He set his glass down on the bars surface forcefully and rose to his feet. Tossing some cash on the bar he turned and quickly scuffled through the crowd toward the back door. He stumbled out into the brisk night as the door slammed shut behind him. The few street lights illuminated the fog down the alley way creating an erie atmosphere. Mike's quick breaths against the cold night air gave him a thought. He anxiously slapped all his pockets searching. He was desperate for a smoke. As he felt something in his lower jacket pocket his scattered brain remembered where he had stored his cigarettes. Mike flipped the top off his lighter and held it up to the fresh smoke now dangling from his quivering lips. *click click* a flame sparked to life at the tip of his cigarette as Mike inhaled. Exhaled. Smoke exiting through his nostrils along with his nerves. The cloud of smoke in front of him dissolved into the night. His spinning mind slowed to an ease. He leaned back against the alley wall. His back slid down the wall until he was sitting on the damp pavement. Staring into the black sky he tried to forget the shadowy memory he just encountered in the pub. But the fact that he couldn't remember the man was eating away at him. He squeezed his eyes shut. The mans face was all he could see as if it was burned onto the inside of his eyelids. "Close em as tight as you want, it's not gonna make a damn thing go away." Mike's heart leaped into his throat as his eyes flew open to see the shadowed man from in the pub standing over him. His sharp features cast shadows across his face, contrasting with the street lights. He quickly fumbled for his .38 snub. "Ah ah ah, that won't be necessary, friend. If I came to kill you, you'd already have a fucking bullet in your skull" chuckled the man. "No. I came to deliver a message. 3682 willow street. I guess that's supposed to mean something to you-- I don't know." It did mean something to Mike. Something that he hadn't stopped thinking about since that day five years ago. "Like I said... I'm just a messenger. Anyways, you're to be there, tomorrow, 11:00p.m. don't be late." The man explained. "And what happens if I don't come?" Mike questioned skeptically. "If you don't come... I come back, and you'll wish you would've pulled that fucking snub on me when you had the chance..." Replied the man. He reached inside his coat, an pulled out a carelessly wrapped package. He tossed it down towards Mike who clumsily caught it with his arms against his chest. The man turned and slowly walked down the alley way, leaving Mike in his thoughts. The man called back to him, "Oh yeah, for future reference... If you see me, or someone like me, don't try and run like an asshole. Obviously I have something to say, and nobody wants to deal with a fucking coward." Mike watched the man's figure fade into the fog, still struggling to match the man's face with the missing memory somewhere buried in his brain. Exhaling smoke once more he let the night's events sink in. The neon sign burning bright from the building next door flicked from "Open" to "Closed". Mike remembered the package in his lap. With steady hands he cautiously removed the already unraveling packaging. A small box was concealed inside and Mike removed the lid. A bullet casing... .50 caliber, brass, made in Portland. The cold metal burned in Mike's warm palm. To anyone else this would've meant nothing. But to Mike, it meant everything. The last five years of his life had been a jigsaw puzzle and this was the final missing piece. Without a second's thought longer he scrambled to his feet. Flicking his stub of a cigarette to the damp pavement he searched the depths of his pocket for his keys. Exiting the alley, the night began to feel more surreal. The streets of Boston seemed even more a blur than the pub interior. Mike squeezed the worn "unlock" button on his keys, and the headlights of his black '12 Jeep Liberty sparked to life. He climbed inside the vehicle and tossed the repackaged bullet casing in the passenger seat. He slid the key into the ignition and turned it as the sound of engine cranked into existence. He checked his watch. 11:00p.m. All he could think of was how much his life was going to change in the next 24 hours.