Percy Slate spent the last 24 hours dodging work for the mob, drinking himself into a blackout, and fighting his ex-best friend. When he wakes up in his apartment he attempts to piece the night together while fighting off a persistent hangover. A half packed suitcase laying open on his couch brings with it the crashing realisation that he's running out of time to leave his apartment and disappear into the streets of North Bay.
Sudden sober memories surface from his past threatening to stall Percy with tales of heartbreak and death. The ghost of his wife clings to everything around him and the spectre of The Great War trips him up while he tries to stuff his life into the battered leather suitcase. Time and whiskey are running out as Percy decides to gamble his head start to the streets by visiting his old office. His hopes are stuck to the stash of liquor that will cast him from his stark reality and slide the nagging memories behind a curtain of black.
Maybe then he can think straight enough to make a plan.
This Week Second Saturday Stories returns with Chapter 2 of Skeleton Unburdened. It's a noir thriller that focuses on one's capacity for empathy, the horrors of war, and what human life means to all of us. If you missed the prologue and Chapter 1 you can catch up by following the link below. Catch up now and be ready for chapter 2 today at 3pm.
