"Oh my God." Cliff thought to himself as he glanced at the bottom of the computer screen. It was 2:30 in the morning. Work would come early AGAIN. He hated his day job and the mask of compassion he had to wear every day. Once home from work, the night and all it's darkness would consume him. His computer had become his research lab and the newspaper his night time boss, churning out assignment after assignment. For hours he would study Google maps, white page listings and various search engines. Referencing and cross-referencing until he was certain. Without ever printing a thing he kept a storehouse of information locked within various email addresses. Once the assignment was complete he simply deleted the information and emptied the trash. Cliff logged off and forced himself to go to bed.
For most of the next hour he laid in bed unable to turn off his mind. His thoughts still calculating and organizing the fresh data from the night's research. Cliff was sure other people had dark thoughts not unlike his own. Thoughts driven by nagging spouses, over expecting bosses, or the justice system itself. Given the deteriorating nature of the world he lived in, Cliff would rationalize his behavior as the norm. He was raised to believe "crime does not pay" but grew up to realize just the opposite. He tossed and turned until the night eventually released him into sleep only to start the viscous cycle over in just a few short hours.
The shower seemed to be his life-blood each morning. Hopefully washing away the night and waking up the day within him. He stood there as the hot water washed over his naked body. As his body came to life so did his mind. The previous night's work mingled with his thoughts of the day ahead. He even considered taking the day off and succumbing to the night again. He felt as if he was half human and half monster, half night and half day. As he toweled himself dry he peered out the bathroom window. It had started to rain and it was going to be a miserable day. He cursed to himself as he realized he had forgotten to check the forecast on the internet the night before. He would definitely have to go to work now. He proceeded to get dressed for work fighting back the urge not to. The darkness did not use to have such a strong force in his life as it did now. I'm not crazy he thought to himself as he pulled his socks on over his shoes. Doctors and nurses do this everyday. Sometimes walking miles on their sock shoe-ed feet. He smiled as he humored himself with his thoughts. Yes, but it was raining today and the reasons for dressing this way would be wasted in the mud. He pulled the socks off and threw them in the corner of his bedroom. With disdain for the weather he thought, "The first time it hadn't been raining though. The first time it came without a hitch. The first time there were no tracks left behind."
He just wished there had never been a first time.