The man whose car was hit by a possum

Chapters 1, 2 and 3

I

Dave Lemming was driving down an unlit road when his car was struck from above by an overweight possum. He didn't have a clue as to where the possum came from, or how far the poor animal had fallen into its untimely death. Dave heard the collision and saw the possum smack right into his front bumper, and might have even heard the animal make a little yelp if his radio hadn't been so loud. He swerved his Ford Ranger left, right, then left again, nearly driving himself into a ditch. After a series of uncharacteristic curses and a brief period of hyperventilating, Dave slammed the car's brakes and hopped out of his truck to assess the damage. His lanky body looked pathetic running around his truck, and his awkward height didn't help either. By the age of 14, Dave was six feet, three inches tall. By 17, he had added an impressive five inches to that number. His weight? A measly one hundred thirty-five pounds. He was, to put it simply, lame.

The front bumper was covered in blood and guts, with the dead possum's carcass laid out across the blue Ford logo. Dave kneeled down to inspect the possum, and saw a mixture of bones, muscle, fur and - metal? He let out a gasp, gagging at the smell of the dead animal and the horrific sight before him.

Dave stepped back and ran his hands through his hair. Why was there metal inside of a possum? And why had a possum fallen onto his car? Dave struggled to recall anything he might have known in that moment about possums. He came to two hasty conclusions, that possums definitely do not live in trees, and contain anything but metal. He kneeled down again to take a closer look at the animal. Strips of silver metal intertwined with crushed bones, with shiny metal bits and pieces producing a reflection of his wide eyes and gaping mouth. Dave stood up, walked to his truck bed and searched for his toolbox. He stretched his arms out with ease and pulled a red metal box closer to him, popping the top and rummaging for a pair of gloves. Dave threw the gloves on, and ran back to the front of his truck.

Taking a deep breath, he dug into what was once a possum, and pulled out a small chip - about the size of a fingernail. It was in this moment where Dave knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that this possum had been sent by the government. This possum wasn't a regular creature, but a spy; one that was sent to destroy Dave's life and bring him down in the process.

How could anyone come to such a conclusion so quickly? More importantly, had the possum actually contained metal? Or was Dave experiencing hallucinations of some form? The truth is, Dave had slipped into a form of psychosis, and had begun to lose his mind. This event was the catalyst to push him over the edge; his life spiraling out of control in the process. His pathetic, boring life was set to take quite an interesting turn.

II

Dave Lemming is a young man, somewhere in his late twenties. He lives alone in a small apartment in downtown Cleveland, working as an accountant for a large firm that doesn't make a whole lot of money. Everyday he wakes up, eats the same breakfast, drinks the same coffee, and rides his bike to the same office. Dave hates his life, but he doesn't realize he hates it. To him, this is just the life of a working class adult. It's repetitive and void of any flavor. Dave starts his day with a black coffee - no cream, no sugar. He eats three hard boiled eggs and a small cup of plain yogurt. His daily commute is five minutes, which he takes on his bike he found outside his apartment one morning.

It was laying outside his front steps, and a note was taped to it. It read: To whoever finds the chariot, do not hesitate to take a ride. Sincerely, Sean.

Dave didn't know anyone named Sean, and didn't have time to waste. He hopped on the bike and went to work, and bought a lock on his lunch break, opting to skip his meal.

Dave hasn't had a girlfriend since high school, and that was quickly ended before the first date even began. Marissa, a short Italian girl, had first period Chemistry with Dave. On the first day of school, Marissa chose Dave as her lab partner. Towering over her, she saw Dave as extremely attractive, a guy with a whole lot of sex appeal. Dave didn't know what sex was, due to his extremely sheltered and homeschooled lifestyle. His parents are to blame for that, as they kept Dave from experiencing much up until high school, when he was thrown to the wolves. "The wolves" can also be referred to as public high school.