Resisting Him (Book 3 - SAMPLE)

Chapter 1 ~ Jay

"In his face there came
to be a brooding peace
that is seen most often
in the faces of the very sorrowful or the very
wise. But still he
wandered through the
streets of the town, always silent and alone."

~~Carson McCullers

***************

~~Jay~~

Despite the early morning hours, the air was warm, even for the month of August. I could detect the light scent of rain to come as my feet steadily hit the concrete, a thin layer of sweat coating my skin. Music blasted from the tiny speakers nestled in my ears as I jogged the same route I did every morning, my lungs barely feeling the strain. The streets were quiet and empty except for the occasional fellow jogger, most houses silent as the sky remained dark. It was my favorite time of day, the calm moments before the world came to life and I could count myself among the normal people of the city.

It wasn't true though, because I wasn't normal, at least not what most considered normal. Then again, who I had become was not the same person I had been 3 years ago. I'd made choices, some had been mistakes, that hadn't been the best or had the greatest outcomes. There was no going back, although sometimes I wished I could, if only to erase moments that never should have existed to begin with. Instead, they stayed trapped inside my twisted mind, festering in the darkness.

I portrayed myself as strong, emotionally untouchable, devoid of a conscience. Those things were true, for the majority of the human population, and I had accepted that fact long ago. However, I wasn't a cruel man, not to the innocent at least, but many of my pleasures would be perceived as horrors to others.

The first few years of my adult life had been spent in the Marines, earning myself the position of Sergeant with a squad of my own. For a while, it sated my cravings for bloodshed, soothed the monster that begged for the screams of vile men. It wasn't until the order came to infiltrate and destroy a village, consisting of women and children more than anything else, that it no longer did the trick. That was a choice I would never regret.

It led me to a young girl, hellbent on protecting her family after a horrible night had changed her world. She was fierce and loyal, but didn't let her demons snuff out the spark of life and energy she still had. Joining her, and the Southside Crew, was another choice I'd never wish to take back. As unexpectedly as it was, they had become my family, just as much as my own blood was. For them, I would do or give anything.

The cool drops of rain hitting my flushed skin brought me out of my reverie and into reality, and I found myself almost to my driveway. Mentally slapping myself for getting distracted, I jogged up the steps and inside, suddenly starving. The past was in the past and it needed to stay there. Nothing good would come of remembering.

A solo sparring session and a protein shake later, I jumped in the shower to finish getting ready for my day. For the last year, each day had started the same, and it was both a blessing and a curse. I was growing restless without the violence that had come with being part of the Southside.

My phone rang as I was lacing up my boots and I put it on speaker when I saw Mason's name lighting up the screen.

"What's up, kid?" I greeted him.

"Are you ever going to stop calling me that?" Mason asked with a bit of humor and irritation.

"Probably not," I answered as I moved about my bedroom, gathering my things to leave.