It was a real joy to share the first chapter of my novel here. For the new readers, here is the link to it. I got this very, very generic novel "logo" thingy that I think I can use as a placeholder until I get a full novel cover.
Without much further ado, here is the second chapter of our protagonist's journey.
Chapter 2
The piercing sound of the bullet-rain deafened Arcadius' ears. He was glad that he had taken cover behind the tall bookcase instead of the thin wooden table that was now ridden with bullet holes. Confusion overcame Arcadius. He couldn't figure out what was happening. All he knew that he had to stay in cover. Shootings weren't too common in Rome. In fact, this was the first in months, even years.
It was a massacre. The bullets came in through the window and wreaked havoc inside the library. When the rain of bullets stopped, Arcadius took a breath of relief with the knowledge that it would be quite a while that he would get to breathe relief again. The sight of blood was not unknown to Arcadius. He, like, many other Romans who had fought in the war of 2035* would have grown accustomed to its sight and smell. The bloodbath in the library had cost the lives of innocents, many of whom were deeply immersed in reading. Some were chatting about life itself, relishing its ups and dreading its downs. In all the chaos, something captured Arcadius' eye. I am afraid I do not know what he saw then and there, as he never told anyone. Arcadius collapsed to the floor and burst into a sob. Without a doubt, it must have been a powerful sight.
The police and the ambulances soon reached the scene of the massacre. The grilling sound of the bullets was still fresh in Arcadius' ears. The scene was burnt into his mind. The gray matter of innocent men, women, and children splattered across the floor, books, and tables. He started to repeatedly wipe the crimson blood that stained his white shirt but in vain. He was starting to fear that his head might explode.
"Are you okay, man?" Leonidas rushed to Arcadius' side and hugged him.
With blood smeared all over his hands and white shirt, Arcadius replied, "I'm okay."
"The media is going crazy with this one. Boy, the police are in some deep shit." Leonidas commented.
Along with the ambulances and police cars, there were cameras and TV reporters. Their wish finally came true Arcadius chuckled. It had been a while since anything big happened. The TV News stations mostly covered the weather, finance, celebrity gossip, and sports which had resulted in drastic fall in the ratings. This mishap gave them the very boost needed. It seemed like everybody wanted a piece of the action. For every victim, there were two reporters and cameras. A detective in black trenchcoat walked up to Arcadius, with a writing pad in one hand and a pen in the other.
"Mr... Straton. I'm Detective Caius, RPD." The detective pulled out a badge from the left pocket of his trenchcoat and showed it to Arcadius.
"Do you know what happened?" The detective asked.
"I was reading this book, and ugh... all of a sudden, there was blood everywhere. I ran and took cover." Arcadius replied. "Do you have any leads on who might have done it?" He continued.
"We're working on that, sir. It'd help us a lot if you dropped by the police station." The detective said. Arcadius nodded in reply.
As the detective started to walk back to the crime scene, Arcadius asked, "There was uh... the librarian. Do you know what happened to her? Her name was Axia." He hoped that the universe had saved him even a slither of good news. A part of him had analyzed the patterns in which the universe worked, which meant that he would have to hear something he doesn't want to.
The detective started to turn pages of his writing pad. After a few pages, he stopped at a page which seemed to have the names of all the victims. The suspense was crushed Arcadius. The detective noticed that. Perhaps, he took so long just to observe Arcadius' reaction. His grin - which seemed to be a proof of that - annoyed and angered Arcadius. Just as he was about to snap, the detective finally spoke.
"Hm... Axia. No one on this list by that name." The detective curiously spoke.
Arcadius was taken aback. He knew that he could trust his senses, but ultimately he decided to play along and said, "Oh, nevermind." The detective gave Arcadius a stare and walked back to the crime scene, scribbling something on the pad. Arcadius knew that the detective had either written his name or Axia's under the Suspects section.
Leonidas took out his vibrating Daelus Corp phone. "Sorry, I gotta take this. I'll talk to you later." He said and went back to his car. Arcadius decided to walk back to his apartment which was only a few blocks down. Everyone used Daelus Corp phones, everyone that Arcadius had ever known. The Daelus Corp was leading in almost every technological field. Their phones, computers, and laptops were light-years ahead of their so-called competitors. And a thousand times cheaper. The corporation was like a conspiracy theorist's paradise. Though, their involvement with the military was far more than a mere conspiracy but still treated like one. Arcadius himself kept a flip-phone. Those were thought to be long-obsolete but were easy to find online. Perhaps he kept it as a memento of his father. Coincidentally, while pondering over the life and times of D Corp, his flip-phone vibrated. A text message from an unknown ID. Meet me at the square at 8. Don't bring anyone. The message read. It was equally thrilling and terrifying for Arcadius. Who is this? He thought to himself.
As ominous as it was, it led Arcadius to more paranoia. Arcadius was exhausted, he needed to rest. He had reached his apartment after what seemed like a decade-long day. He went up the stairs, to the right, and unlocked his apartment door.
The apartment was an untidy mess. He stopped to admire the setting sun from the window in front of him. He remembered the bloodbath in the library, from which he had miraculously escaped unscathed. He wondered if he could fathom the pain the families of the victims must be going through. He remembered a dead body he saw in the library. Jesus Christ, this day... he thought to himself, dreading his luck. He lowered the white blinds on the window and wiped his tears with the tissue on the glass coffee table behind him. The kitchen was to the right while his bedroom and study were towards the left. The empty boxes of pizza, burgers, cans of soda and beer only added to his throbbing headache. He let out a sigh and went towards his bedroom. Falling down on his bed, the only thing that seemed to make sense at that moment was that he needed to fall asleep. And so he did.