"Alright Riley, speak your peace." My fists clenched were clenched into tight balls, and the Book thumped in my back pocket, as if sensing my agitation and concern. I was always bad at hiding discomfort, and I knew that it showed in my face.
Riley sensed this adrenaline spike and was startled by it, and he took a small step back, holding his hands up in a show of peace. "Hey man, it's nothing bad, I just wanted to have a heart to heart with you. Sorry if I came across kind of strong with the whole dragging you outside thing."
I took a deep breath and let some of the tension leave my body. I was being needlessly belligerent and was probably terrifying the only person from work that actually liked me.
"I'm.... really sorry about that Riley, I don't know what got into me a second ago. I'm pretty plastered right now, and I guess I just went off the handle."
That felt like a lie. For some reason, my mind was crystal clear, and my vision crisp and sharp. In that moment, somehow, I had been sober. Riley laughed and gave me a weary smile, clearly glad to see the tension resolved.
"I just wanted to say that I've noticed a change in you recently. I can tell you're trying to be friendlier with us at work, and the work you've been doing lately has been pretty exceptional. You seem like a genuinely good guy, and if you want to get more involved with us, I would be glad to have you on board."
I was completely thrown off guard. I came out here expecting some kind of verbal or physical altercation, but instead I was being offered friendship. I felt extremely touched by the gesture, and for the first time in months or years, a genuine pang of happiness.
Suppressing the emotional tears that threatened to emerge at any moment, I nodded and did my best to make eye contact. "I... would like that a lot. I really do feel lonely, but I have trouble... making friends, I guess."
I wasn't sure why, but I felt like I could tell Riley anything. It was like he had read my mind and picked the very words that would move me most. "That's awesome Bryce. And really, it's a honor to help you. I'll start introducing you to some new people Monday, and I think they'll like you a lot. For now, let's head back in, we're both way too sober."
I was most certainly not sober, and additional alcohol was probably an awful idea. But swayed by the power of friendship, I prepared my heart and liver for additional abuse. We returned to the table to find Jess and Peter sitting in relative silence.
There was an awkward, tense moment, and Jess blurted out "What were you doing out there so long, kissing?" I jerked my thumb at Riley. "Yeah, he wishes." We all burst out laughing again and just like that, the good times resumed.
After another hour or so of hanging out, and relaxing, I was startled by the sharp noise of another table colliding with ours. "Wasn't expecting to see any of my esteemed colleagues in a place like this. Mind if I pull up a seat?" I turned to face the voice, and I was dumbstruck by the person it belonged to.
In front of me stood the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was a little bit shorter than average, with wavy brown hair that fell just past her shoulders. Her facial features were small and delicate, and her eyes were huge, deep, and green like emeralds. I tried to find words, but my newfound charisma failed me, and I only managed to gape at her.
She giggled and looked over at Riley. "Does this one talk, or does he just stare?" Riley grinned. "Bryce talks alright, but he's pretty far gone right now. Looks like you have some catching up to do, Laura." Laura laughed and shook her head, giving me a sideways glance. "I'll enjoy myself, but catching up to him is probably impossible."
Emotions chaotically swirled around my head, and I tried to sort them out, but to no avail. How was I so enamored with a person I had just met? It felt like there was a spell cast on me. To make matters even more confusing, the Book began to thump more eagerly in my pocket. Usually it only did this when I was nearing a target, but as far as I knew, I was far from any targets.
Suddenly, Laura spoke, and I found myself gravitated towards the sound of her voice. "Hey guys, my friend Monica might stop by soon, is that cool with all of you." "Yeah" Peter said, "The more the merrier, right?" Jess nodded her consent, and Riley let out an affirmative hoot.
My blood froze. Monica was the next name on my list. What were the odds that it was the same person? There had to be a thousand people with that name in New Carthage, and I couldn't picture such an angelic figure having such an evil and morally reprehensible friend.
The Book began to beat and shake faster, and faster, and it was becoming impossible to ignore. I wasn't sure if the Book's motions and sounds were perceivable by others, but I really didn't want to take a risk. I cracked the best smile I could. "I've got no issues with it." She chuckled. "Of course you don't, you're completely inebriated."
The Book was becoming increasingly active, and would soon be impossible to ignore. If her friend was the person I had to kill next, I wouldn't be able to sit next to her or even be in the same room as her. The Book's rage would drive me to attack her the instant she walked in.
"So uhh, what's your friend's last name? She has one right?" Laura gave me a weird look. "What's wrong Casanova, are you already over me? Trying to size up my friend?." I shook my head profusely, knowing that any words of mine would probably just make things worse."
"I forget to be honest, I don't see her very often, Fiends, or Felds, or maybe Fields? I'm not sure." A wave of pure panic washed over my mind. This was the person written in the Book. I needed to escape as quickly as possible; if I laid eyes on her, we were both as good as dead.