The Resident

DAY ONE: THE LATE NIGHT

        The Resident felt a strong sense of satisfaction when 11:50 rolled around. His work was over halfway done, so he decided to reward himself with some coffee. As he pushed back his chair, he heard the rain growing louder and louder, but he decided to ignore it. He walked to his kitchen and flicked the light switch. The light was dimmer than usual so the Resident looked to the ceiling and noticed one of the bulbs had burned out. He sighed and reached up to get a mug out of the cabinet. He noticed a chip in the porcelain rim that he hadn’t noticed before, but he set the white mug on the counter anyway. He pulled his favorite coffee blend out from behind the coffee pot and nodded to himself. He then added the water, spooned the black grounds into the filter, and started the machine.

        Leaning against the grey marble countertop, the Resident noticed how tired he really was and decided it was a good thing he was making coffee. After several minutes of jaded standing, the coffee was done and the Resident poured the black coffee to the rim of his mug. He sipped just enough of the scalding dark liquid to walk back to his desk without spilling any. As he left the kitchen, he turned the light off and went to sit back in his desk chair. The Resident leaned back, eyes closed, gripping the mug in his hand. When he opened his eyes, he watched the time change to 11:59, and he braced himself for the torrential downpour he knew was on its way.

        The Resident sipped his coffee and listened to the mild rain. He felt a pinch on his lip and pulled the mug away. Red now stained the rim of the chipped white mug. The Resident licked his lip and frowned, but he continued to drink the strong coffee, disregarding the chip on the mug and the blood slowly escaping from his lip.

        The analog clock on his wall ticked to midnight, and he stared at his computer in anticipation, waiting for its digital time to do the same.