big man in town | sabriel

16 | flashback

gabe.

some days are better than others.

this is just a fact of life. some days getting out of bed and putting a smile on your face is easy, and sometimes it's the hardest thing in the world. today felt like more like the latter.

my bed was cold and empty. sam doesn't stay over on workdays, and since i've lately been skipping out on my job to be with him, i felt like i owed it to the members and workers at the warehouse to show up more often. i do have a reputation to uphold, after all.

i went through the motions of what was once my favorite part of the day; waking up and getting ready alone. now it just felt wrong. like why the hell wasn't sam in my kitchen making breakfast?

i didn't have the energy to shave my beard that was getting scraggly. instead, i just flattened the unruly hairs with water. i looked... okay. but i'd have looked better with sam on my arm.

jesus christ, who am i? who is this person? this sappy, lovesick softie. i needed to get in the right mindset to go to work.

just as i thought that, i heard the door creak open and saw munchie's head peek through before the rest of his body followed behind.

"mrow." he said as he scampered up to me. he started rubbing on my pant leg and i didn't have the heart today to tell him no. i could always just use a lint roller to get his fur off of my clothes.

my phone dinged and i checked it to see benny's usual "i'm outside" text. i gave munchie a couple more scratches behind the ear before getting up and trudging out the door to go to work.

***

nothing important happened on the ride to work. nothing important ever really happens. i began to realize that despite what my occupation is, i don't get involved in much of the dirty work anymore. i've hired people to do all that for me. part of me misses it.

i've been sitting in my office for an hour now, managing our budget on my laptop. easily my least favorite part of the entire job, but someone has to do it. cas and anna both suck at math and i haven't found anyone i trust enough for that yet.

i poured myself a small glass of vodka despite it being only 10 in the morning because fuck everything. i leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes to give myself a break.

at first i thought about simple things, like what to order for dinner, where i can find new recruits, etc. but then my mind started drifting toward a place that it hasn't been to in a long time.

i sat at the dinner table with mom and the twins. cas and anna were only toddlers, still in high chairs. uncle mike saw us today and sneakily gave me a small toy race car that i currently had smushed between my thigh and the seat. mom is always extra mad when uncle mike visits us, so i tried to be on my best behavior. i didn't want to leave my car in my room though. i was afraid something would happen to it, so i wanted to keep it as close to me as possible. uncle mike said it was extra special, and he knows a lot about cars so i took in every word he said like it was straight from the bible.

the food tasted disgusting, but i did my best to choke it down. i must have not been doing a good enough job though, because mom brought it up.

"gabriel." she began as i looked up from my plate. "is there something wrong with my cooking?"

"no mommy, not at all." i took another bite and swallowed to prove i wasn't lying. "it tastes delicious."

she turned her attention back to her own food, seeming satisfied. i was just about to silently congratulate myself on dodging a bullet when the unmistakable sound of aluminum hitting the hardwood floor rang throughout the quiet dining room. i froze mid-bite, my eyes widening with realization. my car fell.

"what was that?" she asked, her tone both curious and accusatory. when i stayed silent she got up from her chair and walked around the table, bending down to pick up the small car between her long fingers.

"did michael give this to you?" she asked, saying his name like it left a bad taste in her mouth. the twins continued eating their food like this was a common occurrence, probably because it was.

"yes mommy." i said in a quiet voice, watching my hands that were now folded in my lap. she clenched the car in her fist and i could almost feel the rage induced heat radiating from her.

"you know the rule about toys at the dinner table, gabriel." she said, my name sounding more like a growl than a word. "to your room, now."

i got up and tried not to flinch as i walked past her, knowing that would only make her even angrier. i walked down the long hallway to my room and waited for her on the edge of my bed. the waiting was always the worst part. nothing to do but listen to my panicked heartbeat grow louder in my ears. nothing to think about besides what she was going to do to me.

i was thrown back into the real world by an impatient knocking on my door. it scared the shit out of me. i jerked and breathed deep when i remembered where i was.

"come in." i called.

the door opened and it was revealed to be garth who stood in the doorway. "mr. novak, we need your help. there's a guy here— i don't know how he found the place— but he's here and he looks like he's up to something and is resisting everyone who's tried to restrain him.

it took me a moment to fully snap back from my daydream-like state and process the information. i downed my glass of vodka and stood from my seat.

"show me where he's at."

a few thoughts ran through my mind as i followed garth through the maze of the warehouse. firstly, who was he and how did he find the place? why did he come alone? secondly, how was i going to be able to handle this when i'm in such a weak mental state? lastly, why didn't i drink more vodka?

we approached the corner of the warehouse closest to the door. there were two of my guards standing in front someone tied to a chair. the first thing i noticed was surprisingly, one of them had a black eye and the other was holding his ribs like they hurt. my guys were trained well. whoever barged in here must've known what they were doing.

as my garth and i drew closer, my anticipation grew significantly.

"what happened here, fellas?" i asked once i was close enough for them to hear me.

"a guy just sauntered in here like he owned the place, mr. novak." one of them said.

"yeah, what he said sir. and as you can tell, he put up quite the fight. but we managed to restrain him for questioning."

"one guy nearly took two of you down? remind me to get you yahoos a better trainer." i replied. i was standing about 10 feet away now, but the guards' bodies were still in the way of any identifying features of the mystery man. "let me see him." i ordered.

they hastily stepped out of the way and what i saw literally made my jaw drop in front of everyone.

there was sam tied to a wooden chair, long legs stretched out in front of him. he was wearing the smuggest smirk on his face and looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"sam?" i asked rhetorically. i was undeniably angry that he was here without telling me he was coming. "what the hell are you doing here?"

"well, it's good to see you too, mr. novak sir." he said mockingly.