Destruction Road

Chapter 6

The telephone was cold against Tom's ear. The kid sat across from him, clothed in an orange jumpsuit. The face on the other side of the glass was not one of a murderer. He looked like a normal boy which, in a way, made it harder for Tom. In his mind only a monster could have done this.

The kid's reaction was different than Tom had expected too; he wouldn't look at Tom. Was it out of shame? He'd expected a cocky young man, who would explain to Tom that his family was just in his way—a confession without remorse. Something entirely different happened on the other side of the glass. Before Tom even had a chance to ask him why he'd done it, the kid had begun to cry.

He dropped the phone and placed his face in his hands. Tom didn't know what to do, so he just waited with the phone held up to his ear. Then Will looked up. His blotchy face held a shuddering mouth and wet eyes. His left hand gripped a chunk of his thick black hair.

"I'm so sorry," he said into the phone. "What I did, they didn't deserve it."

Tom was surprised by his tears and heartfelt confession, but it didn't change Tom's feelings about the kid.

"Then why did you do it?"

"I don't know. I was just so angry."

"But why shoot my wife? You must of had some reason!"

Will sighed, and Tom could see the guilt in his eyes.

"Why did you do it?" Tom asked again.

The kid wasn't looking at him anymore, but he started to respond.

"I was running away from home. I wanted to finish high school, but my dad was, well, I just couldn't handle living with him anymore."

Tom's expression back told Will he didn't catch the meaning, so Will pulled up his shirt sleeves.

"I tried blocking his punches with my arms. Sometimes, like last time, it's enough to get away before he lands one on my face. Look, I'm not trying to make excuses: I'm just trying to explain why I did what I did."

"Ok, go on," Tom said.

Will told him how he was already really upset when his wife cut him off and then gave him the bird.

"I lost it."

His head sank and he pressed the phone into his forehead, then brought it back and looked up with red stained eyes.

"I'm so sorry."

Tom was fighting back tears as he said, "She wasn't the best at paying attention while driving, but she never would have flipped you off. She was probably doing the motions to a kid's song with our son."

At hearing this, Will's eyes filled with tears once again and his gaze dropped back down to the floor.

"I'm so sorry," he said.

Tom just held the phone up to his ear, staring blankly into the glass. His emotions were so conflicted, because even through his rage he had started to hear from God. God wanted him to tell Will that he could be forgiven. Not just by Tom, but by God as well.

God wanted Tom to tell Will how he could be forgiven of everything if he accepted Jesus into his heart; but Tom couldn't take it. He hated this and could never tell the kid these things. Without another word Tom got up and left; leaving Will on the other side of the phone with his pitiful tears. He went straight to his car and drove home in silence.

Tom had been prepared for something else. He wasn't ready to feel sorry for the person who murdered his wife and child, and at the same time hate him. He was not expecting to find out that she had been the victim of another victim, and that her killer had been set off by something as innocent as hand motions to a kid song.