//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: The Loss Of a Lifetime 
// by 456got 
//------------------------------//

The cold was seeping through my sweater, taking the heat from my body. I shivered as I walked to the store to buy food. The town seemed quiet, almost dead quiet, but it was a small town with a population of about 1500 people, so this quietness was not unusual. I headed down the slippery sidewalk, when I ran into the thing that changed my life forever. But before I explain what that thing is, I should probably explain about my life.

I am Michael Goodwin. I am a writer, artist, and musician. I am 24 years old and live by myself. Where I live isn't really that important; it’s a rundown town where businesses close all the time. I work at a shop that sells used electronics. It’s not a great job, but it’s a job. Ever since I was younger I have been neglected and bullied. Life wasn't really good for me. When I was seven my entire known family died. My parents—who were killed at the store in which I work today—were my only friends, the only people I truly trusted. One of the reasons I don’t leave the store is because of them, and also because there are not many businesses open anymore. The only thing I have left of my parents is a cross, which was lost when I moved into my apartment. In my spare time all I seem to want to do is write about my life like I am now.
I was walking to the store and had seen an old cross, much like the one that had become lost to me. I picked it up and looked at it. When I closely examined it, I realized that it was my father’s cross! I forgot about the groceries and rushed back to my apartment, washed it off and held it. I thought about my parents, how I missed them. How they were always there for me. I got angry and screamed.

“WHY DID THEY HAVE TO LEAVE ME?” I said, throwing the cross across the room.

It bounced and landed next to my couch. I lay down crying on my bed and whispered, “I just want to forget all of this”
I fell asleep crying, wanting the same thing. I remember having a dream, but it was really more of a nightmare; I was reliving the day that my parents had died. It wasn’t the first time I had had this dream. My parents were walking into the store, when somebody had pulled a gun on the store clerk. He had asked for the money from the register. My dad told me to go and hide, so I did. I heard the guy yelling at the clerk when my dad took out his phone. Before he could dial 911 there was 4 shots, then I woke up….