Chapter 1

Evan left work at 5:00pm and headed home to collect his things before going to Linda’s. His apartment was in a real shit-hole part of town. Even though his car was old and crappy, he hated having to park it on the street, but he didn’t have much choice. There was always a chance he was going to come out and find his forty dollar radio missing, or his tires slashed by some asshole just because.

He carried a grocery bag inside.

He undid the doorknob lock and both deadbolts securing his front door. Once inside, he called out to his roommate, Steven, but got no reply. He tossed his keys onto the shelf beside the door and saw that Steve had left a mess of the living room again. His dirty pants were on the couch, dishes sat on the floor, and an empty pizza box sat on the coffee table. He sighed as he picked up the empty box and brought it to the trash barrel in the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, he discovered that Steve had finished off the leftover fried chicken from the night before as well. He sighed again. Luckily, he had had the forethought to bring home a loaf of bread and some bologna. Easy access to food was one of the few perks of a grocery job. Not that he got a discount or anything.

He sat on the couch with his sandwich and stared at it for a moment while he pondered the job that night.

If the tattoo that night was elaborate, he might be able to get $250-$300 for it, possibly more if it required multiple sessions. His take home pay from the grocery store was only around $350 a week as it was so this could be a nice score for him. Perhaps he would even make enough that he could spring for a dinner fancier than deli meat.

After finishing his sandwich, he went into his bedroom to change. He stripped out of his work clothes only to find little that was clean to change into. He ended up putting on a plain solid-color button down and a pair of jean shorts. They weren’t exactly “professional” looking but at least they were freshly washed. Sometimes that was the best you could hope for.