Dear God,

I'd just like you too know that of all the evils in the world, the cold is one of the most annoying.  It is a sickness that isn't enough to actually keep you bed ridden, but it is just sick enough that people don't want you around.  Also the coughs and sniffles are just that annoying.  I don't blame you for this and all but I do have to applaud the design to it, quite annoying. 

Anyway for the rest of you who aren't Him but still reading this, here's chapter 4 of my story for this year's NaNoWriMo, and I am getting better I think, slowly but surely.

Chapter 4:

Time meant nothing when one was unconscious.  Had it been hours, days, or even weeks Cody didn’t know, but when he woke up he was confused and had to blink several times to clear his vision.  He could feel warm sheets around his body and a soft mattress under him, but other than that he couldn’t tell much about his surroundings other than a soft glow coming from the side of the room he was in.

He threw off his covers and stumbled out of bed towards the light.  He felt stiff and sore but the shock of being in an unfamiliar place left him wanting answers and spurring him on.  He reached the light and found that curtains were covering up the source of light coming in from a window.  Pulling the curtains back quickly, Cody became blinded by the sudden bright light streaming into the previously dark room.

After his vision cleared Cody looked out at the scenery from the window of his room.  Looking out he saw a wide range of mountains and fields covered in trees.  From what he could tell his window was coming out from the side of a mountain.  Looking down from the window he saw the rocky precipice that lead down to more jagged edges until they reached the foot of the mountain and the flatter lands below.

“Just where the hell am I…?”  Cody looked around the rather barren room he was in and noticed other beds with curtains that could be drawn between them to offer some privacy to each.  Cold end tables and some trays that carried gauze, vials, and various other medical supplies lead the man to figure that he was in some kind of hospital ward.  The one next to the bed he had been sleeping in had his shirt that he reached for before he noticed he felt something around his body.

Looking down he saw that his body had been wrapped in a strange feeling gauze that had strange patterns written all over it.  It was an odd series of symbols that he had never seen before and they were written on every inch of the gauze.  What was particularly strange was that when he was last awake his ribs and head had still been hurting but now he felt almost completely fine.

A sudden sound of a door opening up behind him made him jerk and look back to see the strange Howard Nickles walking in with a cart of food and bottles of water.

“Ah, awake at last are we?  How are you feeling?”

“That a rhetorical question, you, ass?  What the hell did you do to me, where are we and give me one good reason why I shouldn’t punch your face in?”  Cody pulled his shirt on and  clenched his fist in anger.  He had been drugged, kidnapped, beaten up, and robbed in a very short amount of time and his patience and good nature had effectively been lost at last.

“Well I was hoping that you were feeling better at this point.  Our medical abilities are far beyond what most people can imagine so you should be almost completely healed by now if not totally.  You can tell, can’t you?”

Cody blinked in surprise, he had just been realizing that very thing when Howard had came in.

“Yeah… I feel great actually, just how long have I been out and again where am I and why?”

“All very good questions and all I shall answer in time but first if you will please follow me, I think you could use some exercise.  You’ve been asleep for almost 18 hours after all.”

Cody looked at him for a moment and looked into those eyes again.  They were the same color and held the same warmth as before, and despite all his better judgment he walked up to the man and looked at the food.  His stomach rumbled from hunger and his mouth felt dry with thirst.  He picked up a bottle of water and examined it carefully.

“There’s nothing in this is there?”

“Haha, no, and I am terribly sorry about having to drug you like that but it was for your own safety that I knock you out and bring you here I hope you’ll come to understand.”

Cody looked at the bottle once again before he twisted the cap and opened it.  Taking a sniff of the bottle once to make sure it was fine before just going for it and taking a few deep gulps of the water.

“Ok, so start talkin’ then.  Are you with that guy that attacked me?”

A sudden sad look came across the man’s face, “I’m not with that man, and it is by sheer luck that he didn’t outright kill you.  That man was sent to assassinate you and likely take your music book.”

“WHAT?!  Assassinate me?  Wha- Like assassinate, assassinate like what John Booth did to Lincoln?”

“Oh is that what they’re telling you kids in school these days?”  Howard chuckled seemingly amused, “Next thing you’ll be telling me is that they still think Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.”  He laughed amused as he turned to walk into the hallway motioning for the now very confused Cody to follow.

“John Booth was not the man to kill Lincoln, he was a scapegoat set up by the real assassins who wanted to put a stop to Lincoln’s plans for the country and while they did succeed in stopping several of the things he had planned at the very least the transcontinental railroad was started and slavery was abolished so it wasn’t so bad.  But that is not the matter at hand, my boy.  The fact of the matter is that yes that man had been sent to kill you and based on your injuries it was going to be made to look like a mugging gone bad.  It’s not that untypical of their style, but that’s not important either.”

“WILL YOU JUST STOP!”  Cody screamed in frustration, “You’re talking in God-damned riddles and I just want a straight answer that’s not frickin’ crazy!”

The older man turned and looked into Cody’s frustrated face and nodded before he put his hand on the wall and pushed on it to open a path to a small sitting room.  On the one side of the room were books set upon shelves, and a small repurposed window box garden with flowers of various colors growing set on the other side which faced more mountains and fields with a town miles away.

“Very well.  I will answer your questions honestly then.  To start with, yes, someone wanted to assassinate you just like your parents were assassinated.”  Cody’s eyes went wide in shock hearing this.  His parents were killed in car accidents from what he had been told, he had never even thought that their deaths could have been more than mere accidents.

“I see this comes as a shock to you, I guess your father really didn’t tell you anything about your heritage or purpose in this life.”  He sighed and shook his head, “Did that fool really think you’d be safe being blindly ignorant of everything…”

“Yes your parents were assassinated and it was made to look like an accident.  They were a part of this organization that I am a part of called The Order of the Muse as you are also a part of rather you like it or not.  We protect the arts and help humanity progress.  We inspire others with our various powers and abilities and from that inspiration people accomplish great things.  The creation of society, the exploration of the world, all inventions and progresses can all be traced back to what we’ve done.”

“And what exactly is it that you and your… organization… does?”

“We use special arts to inspire humanity like I said.  While many people can draw, write, and play music we have an innate ability where what we do actually has a greater affect on the hearts of others.  If someone else was to play a sad song it might make people around them feel a bit melancholy, but when you play a sad song it will actually make everyone around you feel that sorrow.  You will bring people to tears and make them feel such sorrow that it would be as if they were experiencing it for themselves.  People like us can sway the heart and still the soul and if we work in conjecture with other arts and use our full abilities we can perform feats of legend that many would call miracles or magic.”

Cody scoffed at that and snorted out his nose, “Magic?  You expect me to believe that you can do ‘magic’ and have power over people’s hearts and all that other crap?”

“Oh?  Perhaps a demonstration is in order then?”  Howard stood up and went to his shelves and pulled out a glass, a flask, and a violin case.  He set the glass and flask down and opened the violin case and picked up a strange looking violin that had various patterns and symbols written all over it.

“These symbols and runes were made by our scribes to imbue my instrument with various powers.  Add to that an ancient song and a peaceful state of mind and watch what I can do.”

Howard readied the violin on his shoulder and rested his chin on the chinrest before he pulled the bow across the waist and tested the sounds.  After a slight twist of the tuning pegs to tune it he placed his bow on the strings and pulled it across the waist to let out a melodious sound that made Cody feel much calmer and relaxed than he had since he woke up.

A few notes were quickly played in succession that changed the mood of the song to a more intense melody.  While slow and spirited it made Cody feel calm and almost like he was floating.  A few more notes were played and the flask that Howard had set out started to rise into the air and the cap unscrewed itself.  Cody stared stupefied as the levitating flask was opened and the gently poured into the glass that had also started to float in mid air.

“Is this a good enough demonstration for you, boy?”  Howard smirked.

“It’s… it’s just a trick, something with magnets or something.”

“Heh, so cynical despite how strong a spirit you process… interesting, but let’s see if this helps prove my point.”

A quicker series of notes started to be strung across the waist and the liquid that had been poured out started to rise out of the glass and form shapes.  Musical notes formed and moved through the air before they formed stars that shot out all around.  The water caught the light and refracted it across the room casting colors all around the walls.  It was an impressive sight that left Cody completely speechless and unable to think of anything else that this could be other than ‘magic’.

“Okay… I honestly have no explanation for that so I’m going to just shut up and go along with this, because you’re either telling me the truth and this IS magic or those pain pills the doctors gave me were REALLY good and this is just some crazy dream.”  Cody pinched his arm and flinched, “Nope, not a dream…so this is real… Now… how did you just do… THIS?”

A soft chuckle came from Howard as he started to play a bit more slowly and let the liquid fall back into the glass, “As I said before that was a very special song that was written well over 200 years ago.  Its capable of levitating objects and manipulating things on a small scale.  If played with more ferocity and passion with a different intent it can be used to lift heavier things and attack.  Of course there’s a better song for attacks and such,” a dissonant shrill rang from the F-holes and the glass that had held the liquid suddenly was split in half from the top to the base.

“That is what I like to call the ‘song of slicing’ it’s very useful in cutting things like stone, glass, and the occasional ham.”

Cody chuckled at his joke and looked at the glass, “Okay, that I will admit is really cool and all, but what was that about assassinations now?”

The happy look on Howard’s face turned sour at the mention of something so depressing, “It is not something any of us like to talk about, but I suppose the story should be told to you now.”

Howard got out another glass and poured himself a drink from a bottle of whisky before he took a sip, “This is not something new.  The man who attacked you, the people responsible for your parents’ deaths, this has been happening since the mankind started to record history.  You could say they are our polar opposites, the darkness to our light, the yin to our yang, the death to our life.  We call them the Silent, they are a group of assassins who serve to stop the progress of mankind and to drag us all back into a new dark age.”

“Why would they want to do that?”

“Mankind was easier to rule when they were stupid, scared, and ignorant.  The Silent want to create a new dark age, eliminating all the knowledge and progress mankind has made over the millennium so that they can rule with an iron fist.  The best way to do this is to first destroy us, those that can inspire hope and emotions for people to act on.  They seek the destruction of our lineage as well as the destruction of those who oppose the tyrants in power who stifle the freedom and souls of others.  Destroy their passion and thirst for life and they can be controlled like meek little sheep.”

Cody nodded softly, “Okay… and these Silent people want to kill me because I’ve got some special ability inside me?”

“Exactly,” The old man nodded and threw back the rest of his drink, “And even if you never discovered your abilities you’d still be a threat to them.  Your most basic songs hold great power over others and that most simple of an ability makes you as great a threat to them as if you had a bomb hanging over their heads.”

“Wow… so what happens to me now?”

“Well for your own safety we’ve collected your things and moved them here where you are free to stay for as long as you wish, though you will be taking some “classes” to learn how to defend yourself and use your powers.  I don’t think it will be a good idea for you to leave here for awhile, but when you learn some of the basic abilities I think it will be safe for you to go out on your own.  Until then I think it’d be better if you were with someone.  They really wanted something from you and I don’t think they are going to stop looking for it until they get it.”

“So, what I’m going to be a prisoner in this place until I can learn how to beat up people with my guitar or something?”

“Not as eloquent as I’d say it, but even so not really.  You can come and go as you like, it would just be safer for you to be with someone until you could defend yourself against the Silent’s assassins.”

“Hey I think I can hold my own against people, I’m not some wimp or kid after all.”

“Oh?  So what happened with that man who attacked you was…?”  Howard leaned forward and rested his chin on his hand as his elbow was placed on his leg waiting for an answer.

“He just… Surprised me is all.”  Cody drummed his fingers on his arm as he looked away, his argument completely put down.

“These are assassins, Cody, now that they know what you look like they won’t ask questions first.  They will use poisons, bullets, bombs, and more.  The next time they find you, if you do not learn how to stop them, they will kill you and anyone around you and associated with you.  Friends, companions, even strangers on the same bus as you will mean nothing to them, they will kill anyone to get to you.”

Cody looked ahead at what he had just been told.  He could either stay here and work to make himself stronger, or he could risk going out into the world, being found again, and then being killed along with anyone around him.  It was either his freedom or his life and while he longed to not be cooped up here in some strange area he had never been to he did not want to die.

“Okay… fine I’ll stay here and do what I need to do…”  Cody said the words and while he knew it had to be done the emotion and tone in his voice said that he regretted his decision as soon as he had made it.

“I know it’s hard, Cody, but it’s for the best.”  Howard stood up and put his hand on Cody’s shoulder.  “It’s not forever and I think you’ll enjoy it here.  Think of it as a vacation.  Why don’t you go explore our little home for awhile and after dinner we’ll get you settled into your room.”

Cody nodded and stood up.  He felt a great deal of confliction stirring inside him but he decided not to let that deter him from this new challenge in his life.  He felt things starting to overwhelm him, but as he walked out of the door he thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, and hoped he was right.

What is this, three now?

So... many... words... gah... also votin' time tomorra so gotta go cast a vote that won't matter in the slightest.  So here's more of that story, enjoy it or don't that's up to you.  Uhhhg is it December yet?

Chapter 3

It seemed like the universe had a twisted sense of humor for Cody today.  Being attacked by a random stranger and then coming home to find his apartment torn to shreds was one thing that he could handle well enough, but having to fill out the paperwork, sign forms, and figure out what to say on some forms was enough to make him want to throw his head through the table.  Each form asked for the same things in different parts, his name, his address, the date of the crime, all things that he had to fill out so that he’d be able to file an insurance claim later.  It was a wonder anything could get done with society these days with all the paper work that had to be done to do anything.

“Uhhg…”  Cody let his head fall onto the table he was writing on and stretched out his arms, “I don’t need this sort of junk in my life…”

“Problems, son?”  Cody lifted his head to see a strange man with well trimmed grey hair swept back and dressed in a finely tailored black and white suit standing next to him.

“Ehh just this paper work is all, sir, I’ve had a long day and I really don’t want to fill all this out but I need to if I want my insurance to pay for anything that was broken.”

“Hmm… that is a tough situation for a lad like yourself seems to me like you’ve got better things to do than to fill out paper work.  I think you look like the type of man who would much rather be picking strings on his guitar than sitting around worrying about insurance policies.”

Cody jerked at hearing this, “How’d you know-“

“I saw your left hand when you were stretching there, you have calluses on your finger tips that only a dedicated musician has.  You must have a real passion for your art, right?”

“Yeah I guess so,” Cody looked at the man closer.  He seemed friendly and all and looking at his steel blue eyes Cody saw a bit of his fatherly in him.  Against his better judgment something deep inside told him that this man could be trusted.

“My dad taught me to play from a young age and I try and play at bars and places sometimes for some extra cash on the side.  It doesn’t get me a lot of extra cash or anything but it’s fun and people really seem to enjoy my playing style for some reason.  Seems that when I play people just are happier and it makes me happy to see them happy.”

“Ahh… you have the soul of an true artist, son.  Here, come by here tomorrow and I’ll help you with your insurance problems and maybe be able to help you out some more.”

The man pulled out a card from his pocket and offered it to Cody.  Before he took it he noticed a strange cuff link on the man’s sleeve.  It appeared to be a golden nine sided shape with a music note inside of it, but Cody thought nothing of it as he took the card and looked it over.

“Howard Nickles, musician, artist, motivational speaker.  Hmm… well you do seem like a good talker, sir, in fact-“ Cody looked up and saw that the man had already left without a trace.  The only evidence that he had even been there being the card Cody held in his hand.

Upon looking at it he saw an address on the other side of the city that he could easily get to with a few bus rides.  It would take maybe an hour at the most to get there but since he was off for the next few days it didn’t really matter how long it took.  If nothing else if this man could help him then it would be worth the trip.

After finishing his paperwork an officer drove him to Bart’s place where he was crashing for awhile.  It was late when he walked in and as soon as Cody saw the made up couch with his dog laying there he sat himself down and fell over letting his head hit the pillow.  Covering himself up he let Bella lay on his legs as he faded into sleep letting the warm blanket soothe away the pain of the day.

The next day Cody told Bart about the man he met and said that it wasn’t a good idea to go and meet him.  Cody however said that the man seemed like he was ok and on the level so Bart left it at that.

Around midday Cody boarded a bus and set out to the address on the other side of town.  The only thing to keep him company on the trip was the music he played inside his head.  The melodies and rhythms were a pleasant distraction against the monotony of the surroundings.  With each transfer he continued to think about the strange occurrences and the strange men that he had come across.  The man at the police station was the one who particularly stood out in his mind.  Him and that off nonagon cufflink, it was strange but Cody felt like he had seen something like that before but for the life of him couldn’t remember.

After an hour of riding busses and walking towards the address on the card Cody eventually found himself right outside a small music store.  It looked fairly high end with lots of room for large pianos and to show off grand ballroom class instruments.  Large brass instruments that could shake a person’s body, small woodwinds capable of producing a full range of octaves, even large drums and pianos were inside the store all set about in ways that a person could try an instrument without having to worry about knocking something over.  It seemed like a great place for musicians as Cody walked around and examined the store’s items when he came to a section of string instruments and found a very fine acoustic guitar like the one he had had before it had been smashed.

He felt along the sides of the fine instrument and admired the fine dark finish given to the wood.  Cody picked it up and felt the body before he noticed a strong sweet scent coming from the body.  Upon laying his fingers upon the frets along the neck he gently strummed the strings and was pleased to hear the note resonate from it. 

Unable to help himself Cody plucked a few chords and let the soft sounds flow around him like a soft spring wind.  Each note that he played sounded better than any he had ever heard before making him wonder about his old guitar.  The sounds were so different and each twang was like a sweet wine to his ears; intoxicating, haunting, and in perfectly harmony.  Even the strings seemed to be strong but soft enough that he didn’t have to bear down to hard and hurt his fingers with too much pressure.

Cody became so enthralled with his playing that he never even noticed Howard Nickles walk up behind him until he stopped playing and heard applause.

“That was very well done, son.  The best playing I’ve heard in a long while I’m sad to say.  At least on a guitar that is, I’ve heard other great musicians on other instruments but you have a fine gift for the six-string.”

Cody chuckled embarrassed for a moment as he put the guitar back on its stand, “Yeah, thanks I’ve been playing a long time, but I gotta say that this is the best guitar I’ve ever heard.  What’s this thing made from, and why’s it smell so sweet?”

“All very good questions, my young friend, but follow me to the back and I’ll answer them.”  He bowed to Cody and waved his arm towards the back room.

“To answer your questions though,” Howard smiled as they walked to the back, “The guitar is made from various woods such as spruce, willow, and maple.  The principal is similar to what the Stradivari used to make violins but my family has created ways to make wooden instruments just as good if not better than theirs.  The varnish though is made from honey, emu egg white, and tara gum.  It has a very pleasing aroma that tends to last for a few weeks.  That guitar you were playing was just finished the other day.  The strings are made from a special alloy wound around a strong polymer.  It has taken generations of experimentations, countless trials with innumerable combinations, and dozens or formulas before we came to what we currently use, but as they say all good things take time.”  Howard laughed as they walked into the back where there were several work stations with unfinished instruments laying about.

 “You make instruments?  Your card said you were just a musician and an artist.”

“Don’t forget inspirational speaker, kid, but hey making these instruments and playing them is an art.  Maybe one day I’ll teach you a few things and you can make your own too.”

“Ehh I don’t have the time, patience, skill, or money to actually try to make my own guitar like that.”

“Heheh, don’t sell yourself so short, my boy, you’ve got a lot of talent and quite a legacy in you if you said your father taught you how to play.  Please sit down, though, and let me get you a drink before we discuss your financial and insurance problems.”  Howard motioned towards a small dinner table with a few chairs about before he went to the side where there was a small sink and fridge.

Cody sat down and looked around the workshop some more as he waited.  Various tools that he had no idea what were for were sitting near blocks of wood and sheets of metal.  He could almost see this man moving about this place, making the instruments that he sold out front.  It would be an amazing thing to see him at work and he wondered if he would be able to see that for himself today.

“Here’s your drink, hope you like tea” Howard smiled as he set the glass of tea in front of Cody before he sat down in an opposing chair.  He brushed his hair back and looked around to see what Cody was looking at, “You like my workshop?”

“It’s pretty impressive, I can’t believe you make all those instruments out there in here.  Do you have any help or do you do it all alone?”

“Well to be honest I do get a bit of help making several of the instruments out there and some I have to have shipped in from someone else.  The pianos, cellos, and the drums are brought in from friends of mine who make them for me to sell, but I make things like the varnishes, polishes, and the oils here in my workshop.”

“Wow, you must have been real good at chemistry in school then huh?”  Cody chuckled as he drank down the rest of his tea and shook his head feeling like it was suddenly a bit cloudy.

“Indeed, I was very good in chemistry and even earned a masters degree in chemistry and music in college to better my art.  In fact I’m so good at chemistry that I can make my own knock out drugs that I can slip into a person’s drink with no after taste for them to detect.”

“Whaaaa…”  Cody looked up at the man but had to blink as everything started to go fuzzy.  He looked around and tried to get up from the table but stumbled and fell to his knees before he fell completely over looking around and trying to focus on anything.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be harmed…”  Those were the last things that Cody could hear before the world around him faded to black and all noise faded to nothing.

So this is another part

Man I really gotta get my chapters to be longer...

Chapter 2:

The day was warm for autumn, the sun was bright and the sky was blue with a slight wind that kept the air at a pleasant temperature on the construction site.  Cody was busting up concrete with a jackhammer letting the heavy shaking create a pleasant white noise which he could think of things.  At the forefront of his mind were notes and chords that floated around in a wild cacophony that needed to be properly arranged to create a pleasant melody.

“CODY!”  Cody jumped in surprise at someone yelling and touching his shoulder causing him to look to the side to see Bart one of the other workers.

“Geeze, man, you scared the hell out of me, what is it?”  He turned off the jackhammer and leaned against it.

“Time for lunch, man, next time don’t day dream so much you forget to look at the clock.”  Bart chuckled, “Some of us are going to grab a bite from the food truck, you comin’?”

“Nah, I brought my own stuff, I’m just gonna go and eat it on the west side of the lot and enjoy this nice day for a bit, maybe do some writing.  I’ve had this song in my head all morning and I’d like to get it down and arranged before I forget it.”

“Alright, alright, maestro, you go do your musical thing and have a good lunch.  Keep an eye out on your time though.”

“I will, don’t worry.”  Cody chuckled to himself and laid the jackhammer down before he went to grab his stuff from the trailer that was on site and went to eat. 

Walking along the quieter part of the construction site Cody couldn’t help but look up at the sky.  It truly was a great day to eat outside.  Not too warm nor too cold and little wind meant that he could write in his father’s old music book without the pages being blown about.  He walked over to a small pile of cinder blocks and sighed happily as he looked about.  Tall buildings that housed any number of people and businesses stood across the street from him and looking down the dead end road he saw what looked like road construction being set up.  It seemed the area was going to be getting a lot more renovating than what just he and his fellow workers were doing.

As he got out a sandwich he started to write down the notes he had been hearing in his head all morning.  Just a few simple chords with a few notes from picking were all he had come up with so far, but as he wrote them down and started to eat he saw a way that could make them work into a pleasing melody.  With a sandwich in one hand and a pencil in the other Cody wrote down the notes and hummed with pieces of bread and meat in his mouth trying to find the key to his new song.  Time seemed to stand still for the young man and nothing could draw his gaze from his notebook until the shadow of a person fell over his lap.

Looking up Cody saw a wide shouldered man wearing a black suit with a black tie and a grey shirt.  The man gave off an air of seriousness and his look was like something you’d see in a funeral home.  He wore a pair of reflective sunglasses that looked to be high end and were so clean that Cody could clearly see himself in the reflection.

“Are you Cody Johnson?”

Cody nodded concerned.  The man’s voice was serious and deep and his tone made it feel like he had something bad to say.  The air suddenly got a lot more tense as the man looked around the area.  It was at that point that Cody noticed that he was completely alone and there was no one around to help him should things get bad.  Not that Cody was by any means unable to take care of himself in a fight, but this had all the makings of something a lot more serious than a just a couple of guys throwing punches.

The strange man turned back towards Cody and reached inside his jacket to pull out a long unfolding metal cane.  Before Cody could react he was struck in the side of the face by the cane and sent spiraling to the cold ground below.  Blow upon blow came down upon the young man as he instinctively curled around the notebook he had been clutching.  After several blows the stranger reached down and grabbed at the book but it was held tight under Cody’s arms.

Just as the dark man stood up to rain down more blows a shout came from down the side of the road followed by several more voices shouting.  Cody kept his face down and covered until the man started to run off when he relaxed and looked to the side to see Bart and several other of the construction workers rushing towards him.  Feeling safe for the moment Cody let his body relax and fall to the side flinching in pain as he felt what was likely a cracked rib or two on his side.

What followed next was a standard course of action despite the strange and seemingly random turn of events.  Cody was taken to the foreman’s office where he was examined and made comfortable until an ambulance and the police could get there.  The questions of who the man was and what he wanted were asked as he was examined by the EMTs but Cody barely had an answer for them.  It had seemed as if it was a completely random act of violence brought on by nothing.  When asked if he knew the man, Cody honestly answered that he did not, but did mention that it seemed the man knew him.

The police were puzzled by the strange occurrence but had little that they could say.  Normally random violence was done by lower class people and not normally done by someone who would be so well dressed and proper looking.  They thought that Cody might have something the man wanted but there was nothing that stuck out about him that seemed valuable.  Common clothes, no jewelry, and even his cell-phone was looked at to see if it had something the man could have wanted.  Everything that Cody had on him was gone through, even his father’s music book but there was nothing about any of his things that seemed to stick out to them.

In the end the police had no choice but to call it a random act of violence and tell Cody to call them if something else came up.  It was a harsh turn of events for him but as he was taken away for an X-ray all Cody could think about was why someone would want to attack him.  He wasn’t worth anything, he had no enemies, no real money, and as far as he could remember there was no one that would have hated his father either.  As the hours passed nothing he could think of made any sense to him and it frustrated him to no end.

Hours later after several tests to see if he had any broken bones or internal bleeding Cody was dismissed from the hospital he had been taken to.  The final verdict was 2 broken ribs, a sprained wrist, several bumps and bruises, and a very mild concussion.  Bart had been asked to go with him with his things for when he was done and to drive him home after and was more than willing to help the poor guy.

“You sure you’re ok, man?  I mean that guy seemed to really have it in for you the way he was hitting you.”

“I’m fine, Bart, you can quit askin’ me that already.  The doctor says I just need to take it easy for a few days and to not overexert myself.  Thankfully they gave me some of the good stuff.”  Cody chuckled as he held up a bag that held his pain killers, “This stuff’ll knock me out good and I’ll sleep well tonight.”

“Well okay, I’ll come over tomorrow to bring ya some food if ya want.  I know you don’t cook much after all.”

“Thanks, man, ‘preciate that.”  Cody smirked as they pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex.  It was hard to walk after all the hits he had taken, and taking deep breaths hurt his ribs, but Cody managed to walk up the steps towards his door when he stopped.

“What’s wrong?”  Bart came up behind him carrying his stuff when he saw the door leading to Cody’s apartment knocked in.

Cody walked in as fast as he could, holding his side and looked around at his home.  It had been completely ransacked and it seemed like there was nothing that hadn’t been gone through.  The couch was tipped over, the tv was knocked over, cushions were ripped open, and even his kitchen was ransacked with food boxes open and dumped all over floor.  As Cody walked around he heard a small whimpering and walked into his bedroom not surprised to see everything he owned thrown everywhere and torn apart and his guitar apparently smashed against the wall.  He walked into his closet and found his dog curled up.

“Hey girl…”  He scratched her ears and looked around sadly at his home, “Guess we’ve both had bad days huh?”

Bart called the police as Cody sat on his sofa after it was turned back over.  It seemed like he had been cursed with all that had been happening.  First he had been randomly attacked and now he came home to find his place torn to pieces.

The police came by and asked more of the standard questions.  Was anything taken and was the door locked among other things.  Cody could barely pay any attention to these things as he just muddled over it all.  He didn’t have much and what he did have wasn’t worth much.  His TV wasn’t anything special, his guitar was a simple one, he didn’t have many movies or an expensive game system to play, and his mattress and sofa were definitely not something so special to warrant tearing them apart.

The police figured that whoever had attacked him had also likely gone through his apartment looking for something.  What someone could be looking for however was beyond the scope of Cody’s imagination though for the night.  He had nothing anyone could possibly want; the only things that he even truly treasured above all else were his father’s music book and his guitar and that had been smashed to pieces.  Everything else was just small mementoes; pictures, a few books, picks, guitar strings, and a few knick knacks he had collected over the years for decoration.

It was hard looking around his home as the police officers made notes of everything.  It actually frightened him that something like this had happened to him for no real reason.  It was a long time and while all Cody wanted to do was go to sleep he said he would have to go to the station to finalize some paperwork. 

Bart said that he’d take Bella to his place and that Cody could stay with him for awhile until things settled down.  Packing up a few of his things in a bag to take with him, Cody took one last look around his place before walking down to the squad car.  The day had started so bright and warm, but now Cody just looked around and felt cold in the darkness of the night.