Strange Boys

Chapter one:

          Thomas sat on the dirty subway seat, checking his jacket pocket for his fresh pack of cigarettes. The year was 2017. Modern times. He was sure of it. He laughed in his head at that thought. Of course it was modern times. But, the atmosphere felt very 40's like for some reason. Maybe it was the jazz tune stuck in his head, or perhaps it could be the drinks he had before leaving work getting to his head.  He shrugged off the thought.

        Thomas was only 22 years old and he already felt unsatisfied with his life.  He didn't know exactly why. Perhaps it was because his life lacked purpose. He sighed as he got up, his stop was next. He put a cigarette in his mouth once he exited the subway, realizing he lost his lighter earlier that day. "Fuck!" he said aloud. He turned to an old man trying to light a old fashioned smoking pipe with matches. "Hey, can I borrow one of those, please?" The old man nodded and handed him the whole pack of matches. "Keep them. I need to stop smoking anyway," the old man wheezed and walked off. Tom smiled and thanked the man. He would definitely enjoy this smoke. Thomas always loved the taste of smoke from a match. It tasted like the comforting, yet scary promise of getting closer to death.

       He smoked as he walked, thinking about his life. He honestly didn't even have a bad life. He had a pretty decent one in fact. He worked as a photographer for his favorite Alt-Rock magazine in Downtown Trippoct. He had a nice apartment with his best friend who he went to high school with. He even made a decent amount of money. What could possibly be wrong in his life? He pondered upon this as he walked out into the street. His life just seemed boring. He felt lonely at times, even though he was surrounded by friends and family. He was drowning in a pool that was completely empty. He needed something to fill the pool and teach him how to swim. He needed involvement in something new. Something abnormal from the every day life. He shook these thoughts off once he reached his apartment. Now was not the time to think about these things. Not this late at night. He fumbled for his keys, stomping out his cigarette.

       Upon opening the door, he discovered his roommate, John, was just getting ready to leave for his job. He was a bouncer for a famous night club downtown. "Hey Tommy! Glad you're here. Brought you a little dinner. Also left you a little something in the Darkroom," he said, pointing to some Chinese takeout. "Thanks, man. Have a nice night,"  John chucked and ruffled his hair. "Don't drink too much tonight, okay Tommy?" Tom nodded and fixed his hair back. "I won't" he said as he picked up the bag with the takeout. Of course that was a lie. He was already drinking too much when he got home. He just shrugged and went to the Darkroom.

       Tom leaned against the door of the Darkroom for a moment. He always felt at peace in the Darkroom. He was lucky to score it with the apartment. He entered the room with a smile, inhaling the smell of film and old coffee. He set his stuff down and started unpacking his work bag. Then, he noticed a package on his desk. It was lazily wrapped in newspaper. He tore it open and took out a record. John has gotten him a Bill Evans record. He reminded himself to thank John later.

       He went outside to the balcony for a smoke before putting on the record. The scenery was perfect. The lights of the city battled with the moonlight. He leaned against the railing as the music played. It made the atmosphere so perfect. Now he really felt like he was in the '40s. Even though the specific Bill Evans song playing was from the '60s. He wished someone would take a picture of him like this. He smiled at the moon and the moon smiled back, filling him with warmth. And for the first time in a while, he felt like things would be okay. 

       After he finished his smoke, he decided to go for a walk to get a drink, disregarding John's plead for him not to drink too much. When he was walking home, he took a shortcut through an alley, which was a mistake. Four thuggish looking men surrounded him. "The fuck you doing here?" one shouted at him. "Yeah, you have no business here," Another one shouted. Tom glared at them and shoved one of them. "Fuck off pal. I just wanna go home," The Demons loomed behind them in the shadows. Probably smiling under their masks. Thomas could almost make out the Demon's whisper. "Kill him. He can see," Thomas almost laughed. He wished the Demons would just leave him alone. The first guy looked taken aback. Goon number 2 shoved Thomas to the ground, kicking him a couple of times. "Let's teach him a little lesson about self respect boys," They all grinned and laughed, as Tom started to scoot backward, his hands finding a broken pipe. He hid the pipe behind his back, in his belt loop. The goons flicked out switchblades and one pulled out a gun. Tom chuckled nervously. Heck, he sometimes carried a piece too. Because there's only so much a pipe can do in this town.....