*City Bound

Intro: I have a paper chain hanging at my desk at work. I like the idea of writing about someone being chained but not a strong chain, more of a reminder of something.

Neil pulled on the chain binding his body to town's obelisk. The black flecked stone stood in the middle of the town courtyard. No one knew where it came from but everyone knew to avoid it, everyone smart anyway and Neil did not often fall into the smart, or even the mildly intelligent category. He wasn't the only one who was bound to the obelisk but he wasn't the cream of the crap. That title belonged to Manse.

Manse had graduated from college at the age of eighteen; Neil hadn't even set foot in a school building since he dropped out his junior year of high school. Manse, now twenty-two, worked in a prestigious office as a chief financial officer; Neil, thirty-two, worked as a pizza delivery man. Manse had the looks, the girls, the money, the future, and the confidence. Neil, he had the stubbornness.

As Neil turned the corner down Elm Street he could feel the chain tighten, he was like a puppet on a string. However much like the wooden toy he felt, he refused to act like one. He pulled his arm again as if he were testing the strength of the chain. The chain kept those who were bonded to the city. It was the obelisks way of making sure the city was always occupied.

He parked his pickup, which was the same height as a lot of sedans, and scooped up the bag of pizzas. His car smelled like pizza. All he could smell was pizza. And the fact that people wondered why he didn't eat pizza made him shake his head. The night had a bite to it and Neil pulled the collar of his coat up a little more trying to block out the sting. Small lights lined the paved path up to the house and for a moment Neil thought he could see the ethereal white links of the chain stretching into the darkness. He tugged on the chain and continued walking. He'd tried to get out of the delivery earlier, but that was impossible since he was the only deliverer who actually knew how to get to the house.

The mansion loomed above him and he pressed the doorbell. For good measure he pressed the doorbell every second for a second until the door was answered. This normally meant he wasn't ignored. Tonight it only took half a minute.

"Hello, Neil," Manse said opening the door.

Neil handed over the pizza and held out his hand. Manse tried to shut the door but Neil's foot was in the way.

"Pay up," Neil said. "And don't forget the tip."

Manse scowled but pulled out his wallet. Neil noticed that the younger man moved with a jerkiness.

"You alright?" Neil asked as he counted the money Manse gave him.

"Your job here is done, get out."

That was when Neil could smell it, stronger than the ever present pizza smell.

"You're drunk."

"Get out," Manse said, this time his voice was slurred. The smell was so strong Neil wondered how he could not have smelled it. Manse didn't drink. Everyone knew manse never took a drink.

"What is wrong with you?"

Manse stepped away and pulled him arm in a way that made Neil think of someone being caught. Neil had touched the obelisk because someone bet a thousand dollars. He didn't know why Manse had touched the obelisk but in the darkened hallway he thought for a moment that he could see the chain. Only Manse's chain wasn't the white almost gravity-defying chain Neil saw around himself. This chain was black, and dragged along the ground. It was something out of A Christmas Carol.

"Get out!"

Manse picked up a bottle and threw it at Neil who stepped out of the way. The bottle crashed into the door, the amber liquid running down the wood and pooling on the floor. In the years that Neil had known Manse, never once had the man lost his temper. That was one of the reasons why Neil couldn't really bring himself to hate him.

"You're nothing compared to me," Neil said.

"Hey, now. Wait a minute."

"You're nothing but a pathetic looser who has no future."

"That isn't true."

"Than what have you done?"

Neil paused.

"See, nothing. You are stuck here just like the rest of use and you will never amount to anything."

Neil headed for the door but another bottle smashed into the door. In that moment, Neil lost his temper.

He moved towards Manse, the chain tightening as he did. The obelisk did not like its bonders fighting. With a quick tug the chain snapped. The two ends, visible for a few seconds, fluttered to the ground like confetti. Manse only had time to wheeze out a call for help before Neil slammed the man against the wall.

"You may own the rest of the city, but I will not put up with this. You are better than the rest of us."

"You don't understand what it is like, to be weighed down."

Neil merely shook his head. "You aren't the only one who is bonded."

Manse scoffed and Neil finally released his hold.

"I guess we see who is the one who is really bonded."

Neil turned on his heel and walked out. The paper chain reformed around him as he moved but he didn't mind it. He never had any intention of leaving the city. He liked what he'd accomplished in his life. He was alive and making an income was more than the rest of his friends. As he climbed into his car he tested the strength of the chain thinking of the links that to him looked like a paper Christmas decoration. Life could be a lot worse.