Shadowstrike

I blinked groggily and looked around the dimly lit basement room. My head was pounding, banging along with the blurry lights and sounds of last night. "What the hell..." I clutched at my throbbing temples.

The inside of my mouth tasted like shit.

Fishing my phone out of my discarded pants, I searched for the name Jace. The last thing I remember is... I'm not sure. "Hey bro, what happened last night?"

My eyes climbed up the screen as I finished sending the text, 8:...43?!

"Oh shit! I'm late" I rushed to the bathroom, turned the nobs on the sink to release the cool flow of water into the ivory bowl. Two hands full of water hit my face as part of my routine as I kept my hands on my cheeks, rubbing them up and down, as if the residual water holding my dead skin cells would clean my face.

I pulled my face out of my palms, looking up into the mirror expecting to look like crap, another routine I picked up since I started going to bars, but the bags under my eyes were gone. I rubbed my face to make sure I'm not seeing things, but as my skin flowed with the pressure of my fingers, there was a smoothness I haven't once felt as an adult.

The sound of a notification dragged me back from being mesmerized by my own face. I turned off the water as I ran back to my bedroom, my eyes landing on my phone for a brief second as I grabbed my 7/11 uniform.

One new message.

I pull my head through the buttoned collar, T-Rex arm my way through the sleeves, then picked my phone back up.

"I dunno Kelvin, but when you came back from the bathroom, it was like you were another person, it was fuckin' awesome!" Jace replied.

A dull pain echoed my scull as the words brought back my memory of going to the bathroom before it all went dark. Trying to dig for any more returned nothing but static.

I grab my keys and wallet then shoved them all in my two pockets along with my phone as I made my mad dash towards my car. Chances are, I'm already going to be late, but I have a good feeling for today and I can't let myself get in my own way.