Chapter One:
With the first ring of his alarm, John wakes up, searching for his mobile phone in the darkness. Every night, he can't remember where he put it before sleep overtook him. There it is, under the pillow, almost falling to the floor. He steals a glance at the phone screen. It's seven in the morning, his wake-up time for work. He turns off the alarm, goes back to bed, and switches on the light. His eyes are fixed on the ceiling, and he says to himself, "Another day like any other." He sighs with regret, then gets up to wash his face in the bathroom.
John goes to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, as he's home alone today. He doesn't know where to begin; he usually finds everything ready on the breakfast table. He opens the refrigerator door and finds a bottle of milk, some eggs, and a handful of rotten tomatoes. He hasn't opened the refrigerator in two days. He closes his eyes and says in a strained voice, "What a difficult start to the week!" Then he hastily decides to fry the eggs and quickly drink a cup of coffee so he won't be late for work, as he has a twenty-minute drive to his office. He changes his clothes, sprays on some cologne—though he doesn't usually wear it, it's a gift from someone dear to him—and then leaves, closing the door behind him.
At the door, he always carries the garbage bag. He always gets scolded for leaving it there. He smiles slyly, remembering an old incident involving the garbage bag. He heads towards the car, glances at his watch, and suddenly someone puts a hand on his shoulder. John turns around quickly. "Ugh, it's his neighbor, Edward."
"You scared me, Edward! I always tell you to make a noise when you're near me, please..." Edward laughs mockingly. "You coward, John! I just wanted to say hi. Have a nice day, little John..." How I hate being called "little John." Anyway, I have to get to work. I have a long way to go.