The Way It Is

unexpected - part 1

My head is pounding. Either I went on a serious bender last night, or I got my ass kicked.

It feels like someone drop-kicked my face.

I want to open my eyes, but at the same time, I don't. They feel gritty, and it hurts to move them even with my eyes closed. My eyelids weigh a tonne, and even the smallest eyelid movement is taking more effort than I have energy for.

I roll over onto my back, spreading my arms and legs wide, flopping over like a dead fish. My palms touch poured stone path, or maybe a road under me. It's damp and gritty.

What the hell happened? And where am I?

Luckily wherever I am, it's shadowed. Or maybe it's dark out?

I will have to open my eyes to find out. Understanding the pain of letting any amount of light hit my pupils has me procrastinating like a kid doing chores.

I let out a heavy sigh, finally rubbing the grit off the right side of my face with my left hand. My hair is stuck to my cheek, so carefully peel it off, flinging it out of the way.

Wait. What?

Why do I have hair? I should be bald! And I definitely shouldn't have long hair. I haven't had long hair since... Well, since my parents died.

What in the blazing stars?

Something is seriously wrong. My heart kicks up about 900 notches, and goosebumps break out over my cold, damp skin. Fear is crawling out of my belly, and it grips my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs.

My eyes fly open, pain forgotten.

What in the dead stars is going on?

I stare up into the bright sky, framed by grimy walls of old stone buildings with broken windows and stinky leaky drain pipes.

Panting heavily, I quickly survey my surroundings. I am in an alley of some kind. Looks like an unkempt back alley of a Zukrog city. The bright white and gold buildings, blindingly reflecting the sun to my right, are all the confirmation I need.

There is only a few large cities on Zukrog, most choosing to live in and around nature. And yes, the Zukrog come from a planet called Zukrog. If nothing else, the Zukrog aristocracy are pretty arrogant.

In truth, Zukrog only has two classes. The elite, which were super-wealthy and privileged, and the poor. The poor outnumber the elite tenfold, and usually, except for the traders and shippers, never see a city.

In my opinion, the poor have the better deal. They stay close to nature, more connected to their K'ai with ancient beliefs and religion, making their communities strong and rich with culture. The closer you are to your K'ai, the stronger your connection to the Universe is.

The Zukrogs in the cities just care about social status, fashion and all things superficial. Nothing of real importance. Well, in my opinion anyway.

The question is, why am I here now? I wouldn't willingly come to Zukrog. Especially not to one of their mega fancy cities.

The fear gripping my chest grows, and I start to panic a little. An overwhelming feeling of plain wrong consumes me.

Rolling over onto my knees, hands braced on the hard stone path, and I ready myself to stand. This is no small feat considering the pain in my head still pounds something fierce.

I wince at the effort it took to bring myself this far. I need a minute to build up strength.

Me and my damn drinking.