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12:22 pm

12:22 pm, September 10th, present year.

             “Wait, I’m confused. I know how you were able to do everything in my house now, but when we were driving back, somebody was shooting at us, and then you talked on the phone to who I thought was Unknown. How did you do that? You were clearly with me then!” I wasn’t sure how that worked.

            “Ah, Chase, how right you are! How did I do that? Well, the shooting was pretty simple. I set up the sniper rifle after I kidnapped you, and set up a marker on the side of the road for me to know when to remotely fire the rifle. And to eliminate the risk of serious injury, or death, I used be-be pellets. Somewhat amateur, but it got the job done.

            “But the window shattered! Be-be pellets don’t break glass!”

            “They do when they’re shot from the type of rifle I used.” He grinned.

            “You’re insane. But I still don’t know how you talked to…yourself!”

            “That was trickier.” He paused for effect. “You know how you were upset that Unknown didn’t answer your questions? It’s because it was a recording. I pre-recorded Unknowns voice, with pauses for responses, and timed it out perfectly. That I also set off remotely, from my phone. I knew exactly what I had recorded, so I knew how to answer, how long to make my answer, and when the conversation was going to end. So when you asked your questions, he didn’t reply because I didn’t record answers for them.”

            “So you planned out and timed an entire conversation with yourself? Why go to all that trouble?”

            “Because logically, how could I, Detective Damian Hunter, be Unknown if I was talking to him on the phone? It’s call a diversion, a false scent, a lie!”

            “So let me see if I got this right.” I took a breath before continuing.

            “You were my dad’s son, and Terri was your mother. So my dad and Terri were once married. You saw my dad, in his alter personality, abuse and almost kill his wife, Terri. You were obviously separated from my dad, and Terri disappeared. You became a detective, and you told me that you solved a big crime that got you promoted quickly. This whole time you were either following my dad’s life, or you randomly came across him.”

            Hunter cut in. “I was following him.”

            “Alright. So you followed my dad’s life, and you trailed him through his second marriage, my birth and Riley’s. For some reason, you waited until now to start ruining his life. You could’ve stalked my dad when he was first married, or when he was a bachelor even. You waited until I was 17, and decided to pursue me, not my dad?”

            Again he interrupted. “Because a father, and mother, would rather die then see his loved ones die in front of his eyes. Why kill the heart, when you can kill the soul?”

            I continued. “So you convinced my dad while he was in his other state to aid you in your plan. He got into my Facebook account, planted the food, the puzzle and all that. You kidnapped me, I wandered in Fahlstown, and then you drove me back. The car exploded, you talked to yourself, and then I’m guessing you also released all the prisoners? How am I doing so far?”

            Hunter nodded. “Keep going.”

            “One of those criminals was Terri Johnson, your living mother. You implanted her into your plan, or she was part of your plan the whole time. Anyway, your mom posed as Sophie Richards, and she spent the morning with us. You detonated my phone, without harming me oddly enough, and then you came here, and now you’re going to gloat and kill me.”

            He mockingly applauded me. “Very good, Detective Chase Mitchels. You forgot one thing though. I also killed Daniels. Good partner, but unfortunately, he had to go. Tragic, but necessary.”

             This guy was a nut case. “Tragic, how is that tragic, but killing me not!”

            “Daniel’s sins didn’t affect me.”

            “But mine did?”

            “You were born to this,” he glanced at Dad, “monster.”

            “I’m the monster? Look at yourself. Holding us captive and murdering without a second thought. You’re the monster.” Dad spoke incredulously.

            “You may be right, but remember, you created me. And then you decided to beat the woman who was my mother!” Hunter yelled.

            His suddenly loud voiced silenced all of us. Hunter’s breaths were starting to come in short bursts. He turned his back on us, and calmed himself down.

*          *          *

            Hunter’s heart was beating, pounding. His adrenaline started to funnel through him while Chase was re-telling his plan.

            Was he a monster? Most people who saw him now would agree with that. Only a monster would kill, kidnap, murder and destroy like Hunter was doing now.

            But he wasn’t a monster. No, he was just a product of unfortunate situations in his house.

            Not a monster.

*          *          *

            Terri Johnson hadn’t been watching the events taking place behind her, but something was happening in her. The plan, when first brought to her, was brilliant, magnificent, lovely.

            Now though, when she heard the conversations and identifying the emotions behind each word, she felt different. Sure, revenge was sweet, and the Mitchels definitely deserved this, but now it seemed a little…extreme.

            No, she was wrong. She thought back to the day when she was abused. Anger fueled her body again.

            She hated the Mitchels.