Solitary Shell (A Shadow of Doubt Part 1)

Brent was a weird guy. And a loner.  
 
He’d spend most of his time studying and staring at random things from within his local library. Outside he would eat fresh ham and salad, then go back in and study once more. He could always taste the fat on the meat, but never removed it, as if he was punishing himself for something. Something was on Brent’s mind, but now was not the time for problems, nor ham fat.  
 
Brent was slowly turning 20. Within a few weeks, it would be official. At the same time, he also felt as if he was dying, piece by piece, every day that had passed. This was normal, even human, so it didn't bother him too much. Brent was in college, but worked small time as a video store clerk. Whenever he wasn't studying in school, the library or in his sleep, Brent worked at the video store. He wasn't much of a socialite, so he kept himself to himself; when he wasn't helping out the occasional customer. Brent didn't like to think too much, aside from studying. His situation didn't favor him. His home life was slow, and lived with his single mother. His father disappeared when he was a lot younger and never seemed to look back since. This didn't bother Brent. What bothered him was the impact it had on his mother. His mother was the type of woman who would be very pleasant to guests, always having a smile on her face, but deep down you could see there was something wrong.  
 
Today Brent was studying. This time, it was law. He had aspired to work as a police officer when he grew up, an ambition share with his best friend Jacob. Brent and Jacob were inseparable, but mainly kept in contact through the phone. This was an odd trait for two people who lived 2 blocks away from each other. A trait they both enjoyed, which in-turn, made them friends to begin with. Brent would spend a good few hours studying, then go off and eat lunch. For the rest of the day he would simply scour the library for a book that would catch his fancy, and simply study on the random topic.  When Brent was done he would usually walk himself home, books underarm, ready to begin a night mixed with more studying and the occasional video game.  
 
As he walked down the street, he noticed an odd occurrence in his pocket, knocking at his leg with each step he took. The first few minutes of him noticing were generally shrugged off, until it eventually played too much on his nerves. He rummaged through his pocket, only to find a hard and smooth object, one with an unusual shape-feel to it. He pulled it out and examined it. His confusion did nothing but increase. It was a black chess piece. A pawn to be exact. He had no clue of who had put it there, or where it could have came from. Besides, he normally played as white, seeming more comfortable with the idea. He began to think if the piece had come from an old set given to him by his math teacher Miss Wilbert. He remembered that day clearly, suspecting it to be the sudden cause for his erratic studying. He studied on the bus before school as he didn't want to be the only student incapable of doing his seven times tables. That day he scored an even 10/10 with the chess set prize and the words “Hope you do just as well next week” from his teacher. He went on to score 3/10.  
 
Attempting to keep his mind off the mess that was his life, Brent then took a coin from his other pocket and began flicking it into the air with his thumb and catching it in his opposing palm. Since he was a child, he never liked having his hands still. He would always be poking, or prodding or causing trouble to avoid the inevitable boredom. Every day from college was the same. It would either consist of the library, college or the video store. It was astonishing that this hadn't bored Brent to death. He continued on with his walk home, flipping the coin occasionally, until he heard the scream that would change his routine and perhaps his life, forever.