Prolog
The sound of loud explosives, flashing lights filled the night air and intruding through the open window of the semi-lit room where cheers and celebrations of party folks flooded in from other rooms, on an outside couch there sat a young man coughing up a lung from a massive bong rip announcing,
"Happy New Year!" coughing hard Jacob's voice was horse and out of breath grabbing his beer from the table outside.
His friends Steeve, the scruffy almost ginger beard made him look like a lumber jack that works as I.T “Cheers buddy. To a good year!”
Jacob Cheered his housemate and friend quickly more cheers were made by the rest of the party goers. This was Jacob's place, well, technically its Jacob’s. Steve's, Colton and Zoe's place, Inside was a mess of National flags hung from the ceiling beer pong was being played bloodhound gang was being blasted in the back where a skate bowl sat.
Zoe passed over a long black box to Jacob “I saw this and I had to get it for ya here”
Jacobs eyes widened know just what was in this familiar box, almost a foot long the smoker's pipe with a wooden hand carved dragon, tears flowed down my face as I held Zoe in a warm embrace “Happy New year Zoe..” Jacob looked into her eyes “when I move out, whatever I leave is yours”
Zoe almost looked offended “you said that to literally all of us tonight. Do you work tomorrow”
Jacob nodded “yeah it's an eight O’clock start” Jacobs eyes widened “Shit, what time is it?”
Zoe checked her phone “two am”
Suddenly, Jacob felt really tired, “I’m Gonna go to bed. It was late."
The sun peering over the city, its ember light landing on the side of the house, or what was left of it. Something about the hundreds of house parties you go to and it's always when you most expect and nothing happens and when it's least likely to, something goes wrong. Everyone had left the party, Steve, Zoe and Colton were at work, no one got a call or a text back from Jacob, all thought he was just at work, he was a Barista at the moonstone cafe, Colton stopped by for a coffee and noticed he wasn’t there
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Yō!” He called out “Is Jacob on break?” A woman with short black hair, Colton thought her name was Sarah
“Nah he almost never calls in sick, but I did try to call him. Did he have a big night?” Tears flowed down Colton's face, his heart pounded and sat down “What's wrong? Is Jacob, okay?”
“Our house Collapsed this morning; I don’t think Jacob got out”
Back at the house was collapse roof, parts of the floor missing busted pipes leaking and live wires all the while Music from a speaker was still blearing Free bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, fire fighters and other clearers removing what debris they could being as cageful as possible in search of survivors.
317 Group Chat:
Colton- “Guys I DON’T THINK HE MADE IT OUT!”
Stevie- “WHAT?! DID THEY FIND HIM?”
Zoe- “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me he's okay”
Colton- “I’m just leaving Moonstone now, he wasn’t at work, heading home”
Zoe- “God fucking damn it”
Steve- I'm on my way too I'll see you soon”
Colton- “5 Minutes out”
Zoe- “See yous soon”
The three met at the destruction on the small street looking at their destroyed home meeting the barrier where a police officer was waiting, “Are you the homeowners?”
Zoe chimed in “We’re the renters Did you find anyone”
“How many would we looking for how many live here?”
“There was four of us”
the Officer reported in, and the minutes felt like hours. The house was a two-story cottage style house now you can see through the whole building “We Haven’t found anyone yet”
Zoe, Colton and Steve were escorted through the building “Please be careful everyone” one of the firefighters informed and the three stood carefully through picking up what they could salvage
“Hey guys” Colton called out “look at this” above the living room was an almost perfect square,
“Now that's a new one ” one of the firefighters said. Sunlight shined through the roof all three looked at
“Isn’t that Jacobs room?"
