In the October/November '99 issue of House of Pain. Link is on my main page.
The poverty and filth disgusted him. Everywhere he looked, wretchedly poor excuses for human beings stumbled around. The stench was nearly overpowering, but he forced himself to continue on. Somewhere in this pile of human refuse was the man he was looking for. It was time for the switch.
The man continued to wander through the crowd of the homeless. He kept a slow pace, but even the casual observer could tell he had a purpose. The derelicts stared at him through tangled, dirty masses of hair that covered much of their face. How he hated these people.
Their stares were understandable at least. He was a handsome man, strikingly so. Close cropped black hair, square chin, and smooth skin. He was a nearly perfect specimen. His clothes were of the finest quality as well. He wore a dark gray three-piece suit that probably cost more than any ten of these people had seen in their lifetime. He practically reeked of prosperity, especially when compared to those around him.
Despite his obvious wealth, none of the derelicts confronted him. He could tell that many of them would usually have no qualms about mugging a lone man. He knew many of these people had killed for less than half of what was currently in his wallet. Yet none approached him. In fact, after glancing curiously at him, most turned their eyes away. Prosperity wasnt the only scent he was giving off. He also gave off another very clear message. I am not a person to be trifled with.
Over the years, he had been called many things. He almost always changed his name after a switch. But to himself he was Jonas, the name he was born with. Of course, there was no one left on this planet that knew his real name anymore, which suited him just fine.
He didnt like having to do the switch this way. Ordinarily, he would plan it out long in advance. Searching for and studying the perfect specimen. But this time he was rushed. He had gotten careless once again, and needed to switch quickly. After the last time, he shouldve learned to be more careful. But it was too late to worry about that now. He needed something fast. When he wasnt able to control every aspect of the switch, then this was what he resorted to. Trolling the homeless masses for his next candidate.
A drunken bum stumbled across is path, oblivious to Jonas presence. As he passed directly in front of Jonas, something managed to make its way through the alcoholic haze in the derelicts mind. He looked up, warily, into Jonas face. The homeless man trembled slightly, but didnt move. He was a deer caught in headlights.
Something in the mans eyes sparked the faintest hint of memory in Jonas. There was something there that reminded him of himself. A self that was long in the past and nearly forgotten to the man he had now become.
The country had been at war. Not with another world power, but with itself. Jonas lived with his family in a rural area of Southeastern Kentucky. They lived in a house he had built himself, but not very well. He had been a much different man back then. He possessed no where near the skills and education that he now had. But that had been out of his controlling back then.
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