studiobondurri Chapter 1 Prologue
Chapter 1 Prologue
Prologue
"Huu~" In a small, rundown apartment, a guy entered wearing a cashier's uniform.
There were bags under his eyes and his hair looked disheveled, still he had a small smile on his face.
"Thankfully, I was able to get home early. So I won't keep Joan waiting." He mumbled to himself.
He got into his bathroom and washed up quickly before picking out the best clothes he could and fixing his hair.
He dressed up and looked at himself in the mirror and nodded to himself. Taking away the bags under his eyes, his was quite handsome. Sharp square jaw, well shaped nose, thin lips and nicely arching eyebrows. And with his curly hair, he looked very appealing.
He looked outside the window and saw that it was drizzling. It was very light so it shouldn't hamper his plans at all.
He took a breath and got his small phone out and dialed a number. After it rang a few times, Someone picked.
"Hey J, I'm ready, should I start going or not?" He asked cheerfully, however, the response he got made his smile fade from his face.
"Oh Christopher I'm so sorry." The first thing he heard was an apology and his heart dropped slightly.
"It was sudden but I have a horrible cold and my head is banging seriously. I'm sorry but I can't go." Hearing this, the guy, Christopher was silent for a moment.
"Babe?" Joan's voice asked.
"Ah? No, it's fine. It's good that I asked beforehand. If that's the case then I'll come.over and look after you, maybe we can hang out that way." He said again, his voice cheerful once more.
"Sigh. I'm sorry but I'd like to be alone at the moment. Even as I'm talking to you know my headache is getting worse." She immediately replied and Christopher flinched.
"I see. Well, in that case. I won't keep you any longer, please get better soon." He forced a smile and said.
"Thanks a lot babe. I'll make it up to you when I get better." She said and he heard her blow him a kiss over the phone before cutting the call.
The moment she did, Christopher sat on his bed with a dim gaze. Then he closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair with a sigh.
"Damn it. I need to clear my head." The negative thoughts were already beginning to proliferate and he wanted to avoid that, so he got out of his fine clothes and wore a plain shirt and shorts before leaving his apartment.
He spotted his old but functional bicycle and got on it before he began to ride.
He didn't go to fast or too slow, and the number of people on the sidewalk wasn't too much as a result of the drizzling.
The tiny droplets of water as well as the cool breeze blew on his face, making him feel refreshed and reducing his indignation somewhat.
'Well, it is what it is. I can't blame Joan for suddenly getting a cold, it can happen to anyone. Besides, she said when she gets better, we'll properly go out.' He thought and continued to ride.
Christopher, of it wasn't made clear already, was not very well off.
First of all,.he was an orphan, and he grew up in a pretty poor orphanage as well, hence he got the barest minimum for education.
Moreover, the moment he turned eighteen, he was made to leave the orphanage and had to make a living by himself with a small allowance.
Still, since he lived his whole life without a lot, he was able to survive without a lot either. He got a very rundown apartment with a very low rent and after some searching, managed to get the job as a store cashier.
Nothing much changed and he never seemed to progress much despite working his back off, so it was it was inevitable that he faced depression.
While he never contemplated suicide, everyday was a struggle and with each one that passed, he felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into a hole he had no idea if he could get out of.
This continued for 5 years, and by that time, Christopher was still alive, but he wasn't living. He felt like a robot on repeat which was never meant to achieve anything more.
Still, the status quo never changed, and he just kept moving as he always did. And that was when he met Joan.
It wasn't anything special, the virus that shook the world finally died down and people could move freely. Thus, as he was working with his head down, the next person he was to attend to came.
His head was down as he didn't want anyone to see his eyes that had no light in them. So he just kept scanning the items.
"Hey, aren't you going to look at me?" A slightly energetic and annoyed tone entered his ears causing him to flinch.
"S- Sorry." Christopher stuttered, and while somewhat averting his gaze, his hesitantly looked up.
"There we go." However, when he saw the wide, innocent smile on the most beautiful face he'd ever seen, he felt like he'd just stared directly at the sun and was star struck for a moment.
"Well why're you looking all gloomy?" She tapped his head snapping him out of his stupor.
"I- Well-..." Christopher stuttered like a broken recorder causing the girl to giggle.
"You're cute, what's you name?" She smiled and asked.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"... Christopher." He answered after hesitating. He'd never spoken to anyone this long other than his boss.
Thankfully there wasn't anyone else in the store, so they weren't taking anyone's time.
"Hmm. It matches you face." She hummed and Christopher blinked. Was that supposed to be a compliment?
"Anyway, I know I don't have the right to pry, but I can't just look at someone who's not happy and be on my merry way." She said and tapped his head again.
"My name is Joan. I don't have a whole lot to do, so why not hang out with me after you're done?" The offer caught him off guard and he blinked.
"But my shift doesn't end until a few hours." He said and glanced at the clock.
"Then I'll wait." Her reply surprised him.
"... Why?" Why was she even talking to him, why was she being nice? She could clearly see that he wasn't well off. Doesn't she have other things to do?
The 'why?' had a much deeper meaning than he let on.
"Well, like I said, I don't really have much to do, and you seem pretty lonely." She said freely.
"Way to say it straight." He mumbled but she still heard him.
"Haha, there we go. Now that's a proper reaction." She laughed and Christopher stared at her. She seemed so genuinely pleased with getting him to react that he didn't know how to respond.
At that moment, another customer came in and she saw them.
"Okay then. I won't bother you much more, so I'll be outside, okay?" And in a flash, she paid for her tjings and was out of the store.
Christopher was rooted to his spot for so long that it was until the customer caught his attention that he remembered what he was doing there.
The next few hours went by and he was done with his shift. As he put on his jacket, he thought to himself.
'I wonder if she actually waited. Probably not, she has better things to do than entertain a bum like me.' He shook his head and left the store. However.
"Finally you're done!. I thought you'd be there forever." Christopher's eyes widened when he saw the girl, Joan again. She actually waited for him?!
"You seem surprised. Well I'm just saying it now, unless I absolutely can't, I don't break my promises." She said and smiled, her eyes closing and forming crescents.
She looked up towards the spot he had been in. Not there.
"Dammit!" She said through gritted teeth and got up hastily.
"Joan, is everything alr-" The guy was surprised by her sudden action.
"Zip it Marcus!" She snarled at him and ran out of the the restaurant.
She looked left and right and cursed.
"Heavens, Guide Me." She muttered and she felt energy flow and enter her eyes.
Right then and there, her vision changed and it shifted. She could see normally, but there were now lines everywhere.
Her eyes shit around and she quickly grasped a dark red line. And without hesitation, she chased after it.
***
Christopher continued to ride.
There was absolutely no thought in his mind, he kept riding.
Slowly, the drizzling started to pick up until it was fully raining. He got drenched and was cold. But his brain didn't even register the feeling. He simply rode.
That was until he suddenly came across a crowd on the side of road.
He blinked and almost didn't register them. He was about keep riding. But then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
He turned towards it and frowned slightly. There was a little girl crying on the road, and by the looks of things, she was hurt.
He looked at the other side of the road and saw another crowd, though this time, a woman could be seen crying and shouting as she tried to run to the road, but the people were holding her back.
'It must be her daughter.' He noted.
'Why isn't anyone going to grab her.' He thought. Then he heard the horn.
His eyes moved, and down the road he saw a red car speeding down , and right at the kid.
'Crap!' A thought that actually registered in his brain appeared.
In that very instant, he didn't think, he just did.
He left his bike and sprinted past the people into the road. He heard some exclamations but paid them no heed.
He raced towards the girl and swopped her up. However, from the headlights, he knew the car was already upon them.
'I won't be able to get by in time!' He shouted inwardly. Time seemed to slow down and for some reason, his mind became exceedingly calm.
'If I let her go, I'll be able to jump out of the way. With her weighing me down, jumping will get us both killed.' He reasoned. And in that instant, his life flashed before his eyes.
'Nah, I'm not that big of a bum.' With that thought, he used his strength and threw the kid. Then the pain came.
Pain unlike anything he felt crashed sown on him like a tsunami as he tumbled over the roof of the car, feeling a fast majority of his bones shatter before hitting the ground.
His brain buzzed and adrenaline pumped through his body lessening the pain somewhat, still it felt like all of his nerves were on fire.
He couldn't even scream as he felt one of his lungs was punctured by his rib. His mind hazy.
He barely noticed the crowd gather around him, and he turned his eyes as they were all he could move at the moment and saw the woman cradling the crying child.
'Thank... God.' He thought, his mind hazy.
"....opher!" He blinked as a familiar voice entered his ears.
Before he knew what was happening, he was in someone's arms.
"CHRISTOPHER!" Ah, he knew that voice.
He looked up and saw Joan's tear stricken face.
"Please, no no no NO!!" She shouted and hugged him to her chest, ignoring how his blood stained her clothes.
Christopher blinked. You don't react like this to someone you're cheating on.
'Guess it was more complicated than I thought.' He thought. His mind becoming clearer, even though his body was beginning to lose its feeling.
"Y- You'll be fine. Stay with okay!" Joan said while panting.
Feeling her tears, Christopher sighed.
"Jo... an." He barely croaked out. He could make out someone shouting for 911, but he knew it wouldn't be any good. He was dying.
"Yeah? Hold on help is coming!" She breathed and sniffed.
"Tell... me... like... again." Christopher said with his dwindling strength, blood leaking from his lips.
"What?" She didn't understand at first.
"Please." He said and she realized. And amidst her tears, she smiled a painful smile.
"I- I like you." She barely managed.
"Again." Christopher said once more.
"I like you." The tears increased as Joan spoke again.
"A... gain." Christopher wheezed.
"I like you!" She said louder and buried her head in his chest.
"A..." He wasn't able to get the last one out.
"I love you!!" She cried out and buried her head in his chest.
Christopher sighed as his heart slowly came to a stop.
'I guess, I was pretty lucky.' He thought, a small smile creasing his face as his breathing ceased, and his heart stopped.
His eyes became lifeless and his body went limp. Joan felt this and her body flinched.
"Christopher!" She shouted and looked at his face.
"CHRISTOPHER!!!" She screamed and shook his body, but it was no use. Christopher had died.