Free Zero II by Jonathan Yanez Page A

He
poured himself a generous portion. As the glass traveled from the table top to
his lips he thought back to the first night he realize that life would be more
of a mystery than he ever thought possible.

2
Four Years Ago
    Alan’s whole body tingled. He felt
warmth emanating from the very core of his being. Air leaked slowly, almost
painfully into his lungs as his mind fought for an answer. The fall that should
have killed him, the plummet from the business building dozens of stories up
left him standing on his feet rather than a stain on the cold cement ground.
    Alan’s eyes darted around him, above
him, everywhere, anywhere that would provide an answer to why he wasn’t dead. There
was nothing that could have stopped him. Alan never felt so alone. No one would
believe him even if he could explain what happened.
    He searched desperately for any
pedestrians, anyone to confirm that he wasn’t crazy, that he had flown or at
the very least hovered. There was no one. The business district that teemed
with human traffic during the day was a desert of tall buildings and empty
windows.
    Alan would have stayed there, stuck
searching for an answer that seemed unexplainable if not for the wails of
distant sirens. It came back to him in a second, the security guard on duty
must have called the police. 
    Waiting and trying to explain to the
police what transpired seemed like a joke. Maybe they could have helped him but
adrenaline was surging through Alan’s veins at a sickening pace. In that moment
he decided to run.
    Tuxedo jacket trailing behind him Alan
ran away from the sounds of the nearing sirens and to a future that seemed more
bleak and alone than ever.

3
Four Years Ago
    Going home wasn’t an option. In a
weird kind of way Alan felt like he was starting his life from the beginning. He
had nothing. Any money he once owned was spent on the tuxedo and haircut that
night for the school dance. He was alone, vulnerable and above all confused.
    The wind that pushed him over the top
of the building reminded him of how alone and helpless he really was. Even now
it buffeted him from side to side. Alan wrapped his slender arms around himself
forcing his body not to shiver against the cold.
    He was in the heart of the city. The
business district was only a few short blocks from downtown. Alan made his way
down the street.  So wrapped up in how he managed to escape death only
minutes before, his current destination seemed the least of his worries.
    This is crazy. You’re going crazy.
There is no way you should have survived that, no way. How… But…
    Alan felt as though his mind was
tearing. Synapsis were firing at a frenzied speed and theories ranging anywhere
from some kind of cable or net he couldn’t see hindering his fall to an alien
being catching him out of some kind of intergalactic pact with humanity filled
his head.
    Alan shivered despite his best efforts
as cars drove by and lights passed him. The downtown district of the city
played to its rough reputation with harsh brick buildings and cement walls.
Hotel and motel lights blinked off and on, welcoming any visitor with signs of
vacancy. Hot dog stands and all night diners reminded Alan of the last time he
ate and at the same time his current lack of money.
    “Hey, hey, kid. Where ’ya going?”
    Alan looked to his left. In a dark
alley between two closed buildings stood two men. The one that had addressed
him was easily twice as wide as he was. A hooked nose and deep scar on his left
cheek told Alan all he needed to know. Alan knew what a bully sounded and
looked like even if he wasn’t at school.
    Instead of trying to reason with the
man or engage him in conversation, Alan put his head down and quickened his
pace. His eyes searched up and down the block for anyone that could help, but
much like his fall from the building, there was no one around.
    “Hey, did you hear me!? I’m talking to
you clown.”
    Alan refused to look back yet he could
hear the footsteps of