Sympathetic Apathy by Tyler McAlister (best books for students to read .txt) 📖

over to my mother's house.  It's been awhile since I've seen her but surely she'll help me.  My mom has also remained in the same house since we were kids, it's only a few blocks away from mine, the drive over there is usually pleasant but the pleasance is over shadowed by the harrowing situation that I can't find my brother after I heard him kill himself and now some man is trying to tell me that he was never there at all?  This is madness, madness on madness.  

I'm outside my mother's house now, I walk up to the door and knock, my mother of course, answers the door, she's a sweet old lady, only standing about 5'2" in height, small in comparison to her children.  Which is me, Stephen, and Raymond.  

I ask her if I may come in for a bit to discuss something with her, she of course is fine with it, I assume she knows the circumstances too.  I have a seat in our living room where my mother sits across from me, we start it off with basic garble about how one's day is, and so on.  

I finally ask her, mother?  Have you heard the news?  "Yes it's terrible isn't it?"  Yes!  She knows!  I'm not crazy after all.  So she knows all about Raymond.  "Who's Raymond?"  Waves of terror followed like a fucking tsunami.  "Raymond, my brother, the middle one."  "I only have two children Thomas."  Fucking Jesus.  

This can't be real, I storm out of the home, lost, confused, unaware of my suroundings.  I need help.  I can feel the panic surging over me like steak knifes on every particle of skin on my body.   I get in my car, my mom seems to be rushing out the front to catch me, but I'm too quick for that.  

I need to move, I need to get somewhere, I don't know where, I'll go as far as I can, I just need some where to think for awhile.   Just to think things over.   I've had my whole fucking life to think things over, what good is a few minutes going to do me now?  How could this happen?  Why does no one remember Raymond?  Given he's not known for making appearances, how would our own mother forget who he is?  

I've driven my car somewhere out of town, a few miles out, merely taking a moment to think over what happens.  What has happned.  

My entire reality being shattered before my eyes.  I never put forth the effort to take care of someone because I felt like Raymond had taken care of that.  But now I realize, no one was taking care of anything.  I had left people out with my cold cruel self.  I will change, I must go home, make some important phone calls, apologize.  

Chapter 9: Seeking Forgiveness

 

 I arrive to my house and immediately get on the phone to talk to my mother and apologize for this evening, I suppose I should also call Vivian but we'll call my mother first.  Apologize for running in unannounced and causing a commotion.  She, as always is the understanding mother that she's always been, we talk for a few hours discussing what we can do bout the situation at hand and how I can better my behavior, I'll also be seeing a psychologist about Raymond to see what can be done there.  

I tell my mother that I love her and that I will see her very soon.  I call Vivian shortly after, disregarding it's late, I have to tell her hwo very sorry I am for my behavior earlier, And that I only wish to improve now.  The tone rings about 3 times and she picks up with a surprised "Thomas"?   "Yes, this is Thomas".   I apologize for everything, and promise that I'll make it up to her tomorrow, I'll spend all of tonight planning out the next day.  Which isn't exactly what I plan to do tonight, but I will make it up to her tomorrow, I need to find out where Vincent went to.  

Apologize to him and Douglass and give them both their jobs back, I really have no other option.  Tie up all loose ends, since Vincent is missing, I'll call Douglass first, I call him but I only get his voice mail so I leave him a lengthy message to get my point across and hope that works.  

Mason will probably be the first person to ask about this, so I'll give him a call to let him know Vincent is welcomed back on to the team.   Mason isn't picking up either, I leave a similar voice message with some words directed completely for Vincent. In the hopes that I can make things better then what they were.  

I won't be able to sleep now so I go ahead and make myself something to eat.   Perhaps I'll read a book while I'm here, I had plenty laying on the bar yesterday before I attended work.  I feel a sensation I haven't felt in a long time, relaxation, freedom of worries.  This is what I've been missing out on for so long.  With fixing my relationships with other people brings this whole new cosmic sheen of happiness.  I could get used to this.  

But, what's this?  A knock on my door?  It's fucking 2 in the morning?   Who would becoming here at this hour?  Steadily skeptical I make my way to the door.  Slowly open it, and peer through the glass door that comes before it.  But there is no one there?  I step outside to see if it's possibly some teenagers playing a prank of sorts, but to no avail.  

They're probably in the distance watching me wandering about my exterior like an idiot.  I wandering back inside, but wait?  My back door is open.  This has to be some sort of trickery of some evil bastards.  I begin walking toward the back door, but as I past the opening of the living room, a loud pop, and then darkness.

Chapter 10: Vincent's Revenge

 

 I'd done it.  I killed the evil bastard, popped him right in the side of his head.  Only problem is I think the gun is going to cause a commotion amongst the neighbors, I must be quick, while I'm already stained with the blood that surfaced from the side of Marcus' head, I certainly haven't left any trace of me, all that's necessary now, is to make it look like a suicide before making my quick exit.  

We'll just assume he left no note. Put the gun in his hand, aim it toward the point of contact, no, slightly off since he wouldn't be able to hold it still after blowing his brains out.  Okay, turn off the television in the living room which was playing American Psycho by this point, fitting for the mood.  

Check out front for any signal of commotion, none so far yet.  I feel like a mistake has been made somewhere.  Almost like I was set up to kill him, no time for that.  Confirm that I've left everything untouched, all is well, make sure the body's position makes it liable to be a suicide, everything should be clear.  Leaving is the objective now, make my way to my car in the alley way.  

Take off the gloves and the mask.  These have to be ditched somewhere.  Take them home and burn them I suppose.  Don't speed off, but also don't look to comfortable.  I've driven my car out of the alley way.  But I'm not scott free yet.  

The cops might follow my tire marks which is why I can't make a straight burst for my house, I'll stop at a fast food joint after I change my clothes at the park because, the blood covered burgarly attire just doesn't seem fitting for an average Tuesday night.  Especially around 2 in the morning.  

Was anyone open around this time?  There!  A sign is lit up, I'll go back there after I hit the park.  It's just down the road here, okay.  Park.  Confirm no one's around to see this.  It appears to be clear from what I can see, grab the clothing in the back, rag off any bodily fluids or brain matter on my skin.  

We're almost free.  Change quickly, take the car out of park.  Begin driving to that diner we saw earlier.  Walk inside, have a seat at the counter, be straight foward, don't act suspicious.  

"Hey there honey, what can I get for you?" she asks, I order just a cheeseburger with a Sprite and some medium fries, be casual.  The woman was about 40 years old, with red hair.  Her tone of voice half made me want to kill her but I'm not in the mood to clean this one up.  

She brings the food in record time.  "Heard we had a suicide up in Richmen"  Shit, news is traveling fast here, have to act ignorant to it, "Really who?"  I asked.  "Some suit, CEO of some company.  Apparently shot him self in his house".  I nod to her and it appears our conversation is over.  

Killing her would be difficult but not impossible, of course news of Tommy boy is moving fast.  He's big shot CEO, this southan broad wouldn't be missed after a week or two.  No, no Vincent, we have to carry on.  Go home.  Before the cops start pinning you as a possible suspect, I pay my bill and leave.  I've done what I had to do.  I'd go see Mason about it in the morning and see if he'd suspect me.  

 

It'd been 5 hours, I hadn't sleep on account of the situation.  I sent Mason a text message.  He knows I'm coming or at least he should, I would knock on the door this time.  Be normal.  We start the morning with some small talk, the weather, the job, then I bring it to his attention that Thomas committed suicide, he seemed unaware that I killed him, or he knew and just didn't want to acknowledge it, I was going to question it, but I couldn't help but have this smirk over take my face.  "What're you so happy about Vincent?  WE still have a job to do."

 

Oh Mason, I've already got a job done.