Bestial Planet

Chapter 1: Spearhead Eulogy

On that day, I was oblivious to

the war we were about to be pulled into.

We all were.

I was happy, jamming along to a new drum and bass cd I picked up a few nights before while piecing my Subaru STI back together. I'd shredded 3rd gear the night before while at an... "unsanctioned" race. A pastime my girlfriend disapproved of but not for the reason you might think. She thought that the main reason I went out to race was to cheat on her; which is why she was in the car last night, which is also why my transmission is currently in pieces in this Manhattan warehouse.

To be honest, doing things like this... I was at my happiest. No one around, music playing and getting completely pulled into working on something; forgetting about everything else...

Out of the corner of my eye I caught my phone flashing just as it vibrated off the engine and into a pan of oil underneath. "Balls!" I raced over to the pan, fished around, ripped my phone out and wiped at the screen just in time to see my friend's name, Jaison, disappear. Then I notice the time, 2 hours past the time I told Cindy I'd be back. A silent rage simmered. I kicked some exhaust tubing off the coffee table and pushed the anger back down. "Cindy's gonna kill me. I can't..." At that moment the cd finishes and and I chuckle half-heartedly to myself. "Perfect timing." I grab a few shop towels and wipe my phone off before slipping out of my mechanic's gear and tossing it on top of the transmission housing. I wash up a bit, grab the keys to my RX7 and make my way home.

The key slides effortlessly into the apartment door and I turn it after taking a deep breath, hoping she doesn't flip out on me. It's an empty hope. "Where the fuck were you?!" Is the first thing I hear, something dropping to the floor in the kitchen as I shut the door was the second..

"Cindy, can we not right now? I just want to change my clothes and hangout with my family tonight." I slip my keys into my pocket as I look at the mail on the table.

"Why couldn't you meet up with them when you were with your real family Mannie?! I'll tell you why, it's cuz you were too busy having sex with some slut you met at one of those 'races' you go to!"

"That's preposterous o- " A vase collides with the wall next to me. One of the pieces from the explosion of ceramic meeting brick slashes my cheek as I lunge into the living room. "SHIT! Jesus Christ! I thought we tal..."

I'm cut off as something else hurtles toward me. This time I don't just dodge, I run to the balcony and jump down to the sidewalk. While rolling out of the landing, something crashes into the ground behind me as I run back into the RX7. I fire up the still warm engine and it screams as I crush the gas pedal, tires protesting the sudden acceleration. If I had been paying attention I could've seen her, holding a knife while clutching at the balcony railing, in my side-view mirror. I tap on the in-dash-screen and a picture of my best friend pops up. I spoke at it, "Call" and my speakers start to ring.

"What's up biddie, you comin over now?" He sounds like he was just laughing.

"Yeah, um - Cindy... Cindy said she'll stay home..."

"Of course she did."

Neither of us say a word as I shift up a gear while fighting back tears. I turn to get on the Horace Harding Expressway and after a few more seconds of silence he speaks. "Listen, I..." I cut him off before he can talk some kind of sense into me. "I'll be there in about 30, kay?" He exhales in defeat before answering. "See you when you get here, then." I tap the red phone on the screen and drive for a few moments in silence until I punch the steering wheel. I fight back the urge to just explode and glance at the touchscreen.