Beasty | First Draft Sample

03

The definite clicks of my footfall against the stone pavements sounded cold and sharp in the scarcely occupied underground parking lot.

With every step, the dread increased. With every footfall, the fear I had spent almost a month conquering, almost a month forgetting, become stronger.

It was humiliating. And yet, somehow, I had expected it.

I was scared of driving. Especially during nights.

My eyes found the spot my new car stood parked at, and I pushed away the damp feelings down my crazily thumping chest as I willed myself to keep walking towards it.

One step left...

I stopped.

My matte black car just a grasp away — I stopped and stilled.

The thumping in my heart was increasing, and with an absolutely mortifying realisation I noticed my palms were now sweating really badly. I cringed as I automatically wiped my hands on my pants, gulping down another puff of air in the process.

Just do it. Extend your hand. It was just an accident.

My hand lifted slowly, my fingers flexing slowly for the door's handle — an inch away and my fingers froze. My chest chilled with fear and I found myself recoiling my hand back.

The familiar feeling of the boiling anger and desperation slowly began seeping in again, like it had so many times before — and I cussed myself for being weak. Never strong enough to face my fear completely no matter how much I tried. It was useless. There seemed to be no way out.

Getting into the car today morning I had been so sure that driving back home at night would be no big deal at all. But now? It clearly was.

One would think that I would learn from all the other times. After all, how many times had I been in this same position? How many times had the same panic attack strolled in. Like a very persistent foe —always in the shadows, waiting for even the smallest of cracks in my defence before making itself known.

"Any problem?"

My head snapped towards the speaker and immediately my eyes widened as I noted who he was.

"Dominic?"

A very similar dressed — to what he had worn yesterday — Dominic stepped closer as he analysed the scene between my innocent car and I.

Still distracted looking — he smiled, "Funny, we're colliding way faster than normal pendulums. Yesterday at your place and now here. Is there something wrong, Olli?"

Normally, I would have cringed at the nickname Jaydin had one day decided to curse upon me — but I was admittedly distracted counting the chances of finding Dominic in my university's parking lot, and already embarrassed at the fact that he looked smart enough to find out what the accident had done to me psychologically.

Thinking quickly, I changed the topic.

"What are you doing here anyway?"  I wondered aloud, taking a step away from the car and towards the guy in light a pink buttoned up shirt and black formal pants. Dominic's fancy pointy formal footwear seemed just as expensive as all of my current outfit cost combined. Maybe even my existence too.

Dominic's smiled flattered a little, but he quickly glued it back. I felt a little taken back by the realisation that all wasn't what met the eyes when it came to Dominic. Maybe it wasn't as such strange though-- this was our second meeting after all.

"Work purposes. My... superior is one of the governors of this university. I came to fill in for him today. He has been — on the edge lately."

Hmm...