The Knightstick Chronicles, Rough Justice

Ch3, Rude Awakening

The drive home was a blur. I don't recall parking, walking back up the stairs, or opening my front door. All I remember was flopping face-first onto my bed, exhausted. As I lay there, the events of the evening circled in my head, trying to work themselves into something logical. I must have been hallucinating, yes that was it. I never left my apartment. Seeing Maria's picture made me delirious, that's all. I had only imagined the scary cave with the creepy stranger. With a satisfactorily sain explanation cementing in mind, I finally drifted off to sleep, faintly aware this was the first time in months I had gone to bed without the help of a drink.

***

When I finally woke up the next day, out of habit I reached for a bottle, taking a whole minute to remember I had run dry the day prior. Annoying as it was, I was mildly surprised not to have my usual morning hangover to contend with. I rolled over onto my back and gazed at the ceiling as my thoughts drifted back to the insane dream of the previous night. It seemed so real. I shook my head and got up, yawning. I began stretching but stopped instantly because it freaking hurt.

"Agh!" when I had lifted my arms above my head, my back kinked and stiffened. I started rubbing my lower back and tried to stand up, only for my legs to scream out in protest. My whole body was sore, I felt like a fated roadkill who barely managed to crawl off the road after being hit by a semi. I looked down and was greeted by the sight of my battered legs, covered in dried mud, scrapes, and bruises. My mental gears shifted as I tried to work through what I must have done in my drunken state. Clearly, I went out since I looked like I ... like I'd hiked through a riverbank... oh what the hell.

I hurried into the bathroom to the grimy mirror over the sink and looked myself over. It wasn't pretty. I might have been better off if I had been dropped into a dryer set to tumble along with a few boulders. My face was battered and bruised, there was more mud in my hair, and a cut above my left eyebrow with an accompanying black eye underneath. I started to feel anxious, had I really fallen into the river? Worse... did I really try to kill myself? My heart sank. More to distract myself from that disturbing line of thought than anything else, I checked the rest of my body for other injuries. As I did, my hand brushed against my shorts pocket. There was something small and weighty inside. I blinked, reached into my pocket, and pulled out a small, pointy metal disc. 

It was a silver brooch in the shape of a seven-pointed star, etched with angular intricate knotwork, and in the center was set a blue stone, a sapphire. It was slightly tarnished and looked like some kind of antique, but where the hell had I gotten it? I stared at the brooch as I walked back out of the bathroom and sat down on a bar stool near my cluttered counter. I turned it over in my hands, looking for clues to its origin. A vague memory flashed across my mind. Falling in the dark cave... the voices... a metal disc in the dark...

My heart skipped a beat and I jumped up out of my chair, dropping the brooch onto the counter like a hot stone. That wasn't real. It couldn't have been, I was seeing things, drinking too much.

"Relax, It won't bite you." came an amused voice from behind me. 

My butt clenched up so hard and fast I'm sure it caused a hernia. I spun around on the spot, and nearly fell over to face whomever had just spoken. A man stood across from me looking calm and collected leaning against the wall near my living room window like he owned the place. He looked particularly distinguished and well groomed with wavy gray hair, wearing an expensive dark-tailored suit, complete with cufflinks and a pocket square. He was a stark contrast to the disaster area that was my apartment. It was the homeless guy from my dream. Sort of. 

Heart hammering as I faced off against the stranger in my home, I searched about for something to defend myself and found one of the empty bottles I had previously discarded on the floor nearby. I grabbed it and raised it high over head, "Who the fuck are you!" I shouted, "Get out!"