The Chivalrous -Pilot Episode 28-

Prologue

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, 4:40 P.M

     The sirens of guilt blared in the thoughts of Hannah's mind, as she stepped into the comfort of her apartment, in hopes to escape the deafening noise. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against the doorframe, to breathe in the quiet and comfort of her sanctuary. She kicked off her white muddy boots and sweaty socks, then flipped on the light to find her apartment as welcoming as she had hoped; with the cream-colored walls guarding her against the noise of the bustling city of Norfolk, and the cozy couch and blankets inviting her to join them. She felt like collapsing right there, in the doorway. She thought of letting her white soft carpet soak in her exhaustion, but decided to slip into something more comfortable than her Air Force greens, before turning to such drastic measures. 

Hannah's apartment blinds were closed just as she had left them that morning, with the empty cereal bowl still lingering on her kitchen table, opposite of the apartment doorway. She remained on her living carpet, letting her bare feet rub up against it's soft, relaxing fabric. And while Hannah's eyes perused her apartment, an unnerving sense settled upon her, and she knew she wasn't alone. She wasn't one to be paranoid, but lately, her choices had her looking over her shoulder more often then she felt comfortable with.

Suddenly, Hannah's misty-colored eyes fell upon her mahogany coffee table centered between her couch and armchair. She relaxed, letting her breathing resume a steady course when she spotted a wine glass filled with a scarlet syrup, tempting her with its glistening beauty, sitting on the table. Hannah smiled with delight, taking off her Air Force cap and placing it next to the glass.

     "I knew you would come around." She unbuttoning her dark jade Pilot's jacket and brushed back loose strands of her brown frizzy hair.

She rolled her eyes at the silent reply and picked up the glass of wine to recline in her favorite chair. Her eyebrow raised when she heard in the next room, the screeching of coat hangers as they scratched against the metal pole in her closet.

     "So, where did you tell your wife you were at this time? New York? ...Dallas?" Hannah probed, waited a few moments as she sipped the gorgeous wine, "Awe, I don't care."

The girl relaxed, leaning her head back to rest against the blue, soft cushion of her armchair.

     "This has got to be the most delicious wine that I've ever tasted." After a moment of silence, her eyebrows furrowed, "Where's your glass?"

When no reply came, blood drained from her face, leaving a ghostly pale tint to her Filipino skin. She stood up, a thought trying to navigate through the wild jungle in her mind, as her eyes darted around the apartment. She looked at the glass, paranoia creeping into her sanity. Hannah bent down to return the wine back to its original resting place.

     "Charles?..." Her hands started to shake, and she almost knocked the wine glass over, but when she straightened the shaking stopped. Her eyelids slowly closed and heart quickened, as she heard a sharp click of a gun's chamber slipping back into place. She whipped around to face her intruder, staring wide-eyed down the barrel of a damning pistol. The pace of her heart quickened. All she could think about at that moment were the choices that had brought her to this end. Regret and guilt clouded her thoughts and they caused her to not even flinch, as the hand in which held the gun tightened. The intruder's finger brushed up against the trigger. She knew she deserved this. She knew that she deserved to die.

It only took a little squeeze from the beholder of the weapon, for the bullet to propel out of its chamber, down the barrel of the gun, and out into the air like a missile to claim the ninety-ninth victim.