Retrograde

Her fast-beating heart felt like ice against her chest as she stared at the empty body on the floor. She felt nauseous from the adrenaline racing through her veins. Darlissa Reed Holley had just committed a heinous act.

The thin, tall woman had never even been expelled from school let alone being involved in something violent. She never lives edgy and goes with the motions of life.

Therefore, shock took over her body and all she could do was be stuck in the moment. She felt no emotion and her body was shaking uncontrollably.

24 Hours Earlier

"Why do you just let people run all over you?" - Darlissa's mother asked irritably. "You and your boyfriend have been dating way too long for you all not to have gone on some type of date. You are overqualified for your current job yet they pay you pennies, and to put the icing on the cake, you are all of your friend's scapegoat! The relationships that you build with individuals are solely based on what you can do for them and how they can use you. When are you going to realize you deserve better?"

Typically, when her mother lectures her about her personal life, she just stares into space. Her mind of wonders is her favorite destination. In her mind is where she feels the most at home. Never really longing for much and actually has an overall low standard of life. She is extremely nonchalant and almost always shows no emotion. When she would get bullied back in school, the bratty girls and boys would call her "Dull Darlissa" because nothing ever seemed to excite her.

She hardly ever showed passion or ambition for anything. The young woman did not expect anything from anyone. Why did people expect so much out of her? Emotions, wishes, expectations, all seemed to be too much to deal with, so the young woman almost always has a wall up. She never lets people get too close. She does not long for acceptance and doesn't need anyone to understand her.

She still did not understand the reason why she and her boyfriend were even dating. Everyone that is apart of her life just seems to be background characters waiting to be interacted with. No fire, no spice.

Her views on feelings were the reason why every relationship in her life is so mediocre. She does not wander or dream of the things that typical people wish for. She does not care about sex, stimulation, progression, or really anything to be completely honest. Literally, nothing drives her to make decisions each day. Darlissa is the spitting image of 'going along to get along.'

"Darlissa, Darlissa.....Darlissa!" Have you listened to a word I have expressed? Or are you just going to sit in your thoughts?"

"My thoughts are where I rather be. What is there to say? Am I supposed to defend myself? Because I don't really care to. Everything you have expressed, I am already well aware of." -She answered in a bland but sarcastic voice.

Her mother shook her head in disbelief and stormed away.

...

As she entered the parking garage of her mother's complex, she noticed a mysterious small black book with no writing on the cover right next to her vehicle. The book was strangely out of place and seemed to have been put onto the cement purposely. Slowly, the curious woman grabs the book and flips through the pages. The entire book was empty and only the middle of the mysterious item was filled with strange words on one-page front to back.

She skimmed the book once again only to discover that one page. She began to read the words out loud.

"Come See The Cats Parade At Noon Singing Rhythms, Beast Of Doors Feast Your Noon Seed....?"

It was complete nonsense. Was this a notebook that a child doodled in? No, it couldn't be. There were no pictures or funny-shaped stick figures that filled up the pages. She flipped through the pages for a third time to make sure that she didn't miss anything.

Again, she ended up back on the same mysterious page. The young woman also discovered a small faint line under one to two letters in each word. The strange sentences communicated small phrases to the receiver.

Darlissa looked around to make sure she was alone. She suddenly began to put the small sentences together to make out what the strange coding translated to. In simple terms, on the front page, the communicator wanted the receiver to meet them at a location on Ninth St. downtown to collect a special package. On the back page, there were weird directions that secretly pointed out where this "package" was being held.

How could someone just leave this book lying around? It was obviously important and extremely confidential if it is encoded. The woman shut the book and without hesitation decided she was going to find out what the strange collection of pages led to. For the first time in her life, she was actually full of excitement. She was eager to go on this secret quest to gain clarity on this strange situation. She felt as if it was something that she needed.

The Quest

"THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK!" The sound of the alarm abruptly disrupted the melancholy dame's sleep as she wacked at her mobile device. She stared at the little black book on her nightstand sleepily but intrigued. Today was the day she would choose excitement over safety. She could not believe how impulsive she had become all of a sudden. It's as if the words of her mother subconsciously triggered her. Could this be the first time she actually feels as if she has something to prove?

As she walked to her bathroom, her heart was in the pit of her stomach and her footsteps were heavy. She examined herself in the mirror and stared for some time without blinking.

For the first time in a long time, she actually felt something.

...

Two hours had passed.

Ninth street downtown usually flourished with buzzing business, joggers, and skateboarding teens. But today, it was oddly quiet. No sun shined but there was a calming breeze that whistled through the trees. The few people she did see seemed to be distant, like shadow figures painted in the background.

As she took in the ambiance, she reached into her purse to feel for the small black suede book. She felt so in the moment. The tranquil tone of the day calmed her beating heart.

Suddenly, she referred to the small journal and fixed her eyes on the building mentioned in the strange riddle. It had a golden-like lining in the architecture and large distracting metallic iron doors.

She read further trying to focus only on the letters with a line hidden in each word.

"B O O K S U I T E 999 W A I T F O R A K N O C K"

As she finished piecing the words together, she slowly approached the infrastructure. She noticed there was no sign or logo. A few strangers passed by, walking in and out of what appeared to be a hotel. Business seemed to be operating normally and nothing appeared to be out of place.

"May I help you?" The receptionist asked briskly as she continued to complete a number of other tasks behind the desk.

"Yes."-Darlissa stammered.

Her caramel skin turned blush red and her heart began to race again.

"I am actually looking to book Suite 999."

Was it her or did that take an eternity to blurt out?

The young receptionist continued to busily book her without a clue or care for what she had going on. She treated the entire transaction as if Darlissa was just a distraction she needed to get rid of so she could continue to buzz around her work area.

"Would that be all mam? -She said as she continued to look narrowly into her high-tech mother-board.

"That's all." -Darlissa said quickly and sharply.

What a bitch, she hadn't looked up the entire time, she hadn't acknowledged her at all actually. This made this experience seven times more uncomfortable.

Suddenly, her mind began to race and an explosion of what-if scenarios popped up in her head. Sweat began to perspire from her lips and she had the sudden urge to use the restroom.

"Mam, are you ok?" She had finally gotten the busy bee's attention. The way the woman looked at her kind of threw Darlissa off because she did not expect her to look so concerned.

"Yes. I'm fine." -She said trying to reassure her with a smile.

The receptionist smiled back warmly and didn't look so bitchy after all. "Enjoy your stay."- She said excitedly.

Darlissa became calm again and made her way to the rose gold brass elevators.

The decor in this place was quite flashy but classic at the same time. Very old-fashioned with a modern flair. If shit were to hit the fan, this wouldn't be a bad place to leave with a bang...

She'd finally reached the ninth floor. As she entered the long corridor of repetitive doors, her glass heels clacked obnoxiously loud.

"Why the fuck did I wear heels?"

Then she quickly remembered she did not want to look too out of place. However, she did wish that she had worn something a little bit more stealthy.

Finally, she made it to the infamous Suite 999. She tapped the card onto the room's door and quickly slid into the luxurious space. For a room just a little over 70 bucks, this wasn't bad.

Almost as soon as she began to scope out the place, there was a solid knock on the door.

Darlissa stopped in her tracks and fixed her eyes square on the entryway. Her heart began to pound in her chest once again and she quickly reached for her pocketknife. It was a fine weapon gifted to her by her great-grandfather that had her initials engraved on the spine of the small knife.

The sterling silver finish of the dagger glistened in the dim light as she approached the door. She looked through the peephole and discovered a man that oddly looked familiar but she was certain she'd never met him before in her life. She hid the knife in her skirt and quickly opened the door.

"Who the fuck are you?"-She said bluntly.

The man looked startled and at a loss for words.

"Why don't you let me come in and explain." -He said smiling nervously.

"How am I supposed to trust that you won't try anything?"-She asked with a firm tone.

"Well for one I am your father..."

Nothing he said after that quite mattered, the man who had been nonexistent in her life was such a coward that he created strange riddles to meet her 25 years later.

She took the knife and without thinking rammed it into the strange man's stomach. He grabbed her face softly as he plummeted to the floor.

She had no desire to learn anything about someone who would leave her and her mother abandoned.

Darlissa snapped out of her rage and noticed a briefcase near the cold body. In it, held 20 grand cold cash.

"And then the motherfucker thinks he can buy me! Classic!" -She said hysterically.

"Great I'll need it anyway."

She left the hotel suite with the lifeless body lying on the floor and scattered blood dripping from the fancy curtains. Now she could start fresh, leave this old, bland miserable life behind her and travel far away from here. She became an entirely new woman just overnight, it was fascinating. As she left with her father's blood splattered all over her skirt, she felt numb with no remorse.