Where Have I Seen You Before?

Vynn was sitting at the counter of the bar, sipping whiskey and watching the people chatting and dancing. It’s something he’ll never have a chance to do. Chatting, mingling, and enjoying others’ company? To him, it’s nothing but an obstacle. All he needed to do was complete his missions smoothly, swiftly, without any interruptions. He was the smart guy, the one who carefully calculated everything before he made a move. Smart guys didn’t need any friends.

As he was plotting his next plan, a man sat in the empty seat beside him. The stranger was wearing a black hood that covered most of his face, but a part of a big scar was still visible on his chin. That jaw seemed very familiar to Vynn for some reason. It was a very well-sculpted jawline, like those that belonged to ancient statues. He felt like he had seen it before, maybe during that large-scale mission a few years ago.

After the man ordered a glass of scotch, his eyes met those of Vynn, who said to him, “Hey.”

“Hey.” the man said in return.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Have we met before?”

“I…don’t think so.”

“Oh…okay. Sorry.”

“No problem.”

Vynn turned away from the man, searching through his own memories again. There’s no doubt he saw this man before, or at least someone with a similar jawline. He never failed to remember the smallest details, especially people’s facial features. There’s no way he was wrong about this. 

He turned to look at the man again, saying, “You know what? I think we have met somewhere. My instincts are telling me that I know you.”

“Really?” the man said, sounding a bit confused.

“Yeah, I know I’ve seen that mighty jawline before.” Vynn continued, partly talking to himself. His voice became a bit quieter at the last part. “Were you in the city a few years back? Like, three years ago?”

“I was, actually.” the man replied after thinking for a moment.

“What were you doing there?”

“What specific day are we talking about?”

“Thursday. July 18th. In the morning.”

“I was driving to my office. I think I had a headache that day, and I was running a little late.”

Vynn looked to the side to think before asking, “What time were you supposed to leave for work?”

“7:30.”

“And what time did you go to work on that day?”

“I’m pretty sure it was around 8:20.”

8:20…Vynn was probably in the middle of a chase at 8:20. He was running after a guy with a flamethrower, who was burning everything in his path and cackling like a devil. When he pointed the flamethrower at Vynn, and Vynn did a dramatic dodge like they do in the movies, the flames went to…

Vynn’s eyes widened as he said, “Wait, were you driving a black SUV?”

“Yeah.”

“With a red bumper sticker of a snake?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Holy shit, Vynn thought, his jaw dropping like a cartoon character. Hence the scar, or rather, the burn on the man’s face.

“Oh my God…I’m so sorry! I was supposed to deal with that guy with the flamethrower, and when I dodged, the flames went to…”

“Oh, I see.” the man said, finally understanding what Vynn was getting at. “No, no. It’s fine. I honestly don’t really remember that part. My doctor says it might be because of the shock. Besides, I’m all better now.”

“I’m sorry. It’s all because I dodged…”

“Anyone would dodge if someone’s pointing a flamethrower at them.”

“Damn, I suck at my job.” Vynn said with a swing of his fist and a little stomp. “You want me to buy you a drink? I can buy you ten.”

“Oh, no! It’s fine, really. I was just planning to take a quick sip and leave.”

“You sure? Is there anything else I can do for you? Maybe drive you home or carry your things? Like a hotel guy?”

“No, no. It’s all right. Don’t bother.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Hundred percent sure?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Okay…okay.” Vynn said with a few nods, calming himself down. His cool, composed self in the beginning of this bar scene had flown away somewhere, and now he was just a stupid, clumsy guy. 

The man finished up his drink and said with a sigh as he stood up, “Well then…I guess it’s time for me to go now.”

“Again, I’m so sorry.” Vynn said in the most sincere tone possible, enunciating every word.

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t even feel the pain anymore. See?”

The man demonstrated by lifting up his hood a tiny bit and poking at his large burn. Vynn winced a little at how painful it looked.

“Good night, my friend. Hope to see you again sometime.” the man said with a wave as he walked towards the door.

“Good night…” Vynn responded, awkwardly waving. He honestly didn’t want to see the man again. He had never felt so guilty and uneasy before, not even when his boss got mad at him. It made him feel like shit.

But wait a minute. Something still didn’t seem right. He felt like he saw the man at a different point in time, even further back. He looked back to a certain moment when he skimmed through the papers describing the most wanted criminals in the state. One of the pictures depicted a man with a similar jawline. And Vynn also remembered something his boss was saying to his colleague.

“The Viper has a lot of strange men in his arsenal. One of ‘em’s got a flamethrower, for God’s sake.”

Oh my gosh, Vynn thought. The man and the guy with the flamethrower were accomplices. Hence the shocked look on the guy’s face when he accidentally burned the SUV.

Vynn shot up from his seat and ran out of the bar, rapidly looking around like a…well, it would sound better to say a predator that missed its prey by accident, but he probably looked like a nervous meerkat. But the man was already gone. He had vanished into thin air. The street was dark and empty, and Vynn was alone, still stuck in his maze.