Joel finally arrived back at his empty house. Walking home alone was probably the worst thing he could have done; he wasn't particularly scared of being attacked anymore, but it had given him time with his thoughts, which had in turn only fueled his anger. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he needed to do something, something purely channeled by his rage.
He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, collapsing to the floor. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he felt so small. He was such an insignificant part of the world; who would care if he lived or died? He had so many negative thoughts in his head, and their presence was so loud that it was almost impossible to believe he was surrounded by silence - surrounded by the absence of other people.
That was until he heard a peculiar sound; he came back to reality for a minute to find the cat in the living room, playing with the wooden rolling pin. He'd forgotten to return it to Lauren and he found that every movement, every sound in the real world was just an irritation.
"Stop doing that!" Joel raised his voice and didn't like the way it sounded, but he couldn't control it; he still didn't want to. He liked the idea of being something more than a teenage boy with so few friends - he liked feeling powerful. "STOP IT!"
He suddenly felt an urge to pick up the rolling pin. The cat recoiled and Joel hurled the rolling pin across the room. It made contact with a large family photo on the wall. The glass in the frame smashed upon impact and the framed photo fell to the floor with a loud clatter.
"Figures." Joel began to yell, seeming quite deranged. "A broken photo for a broken home."
He was utterly consumed by his feelings. The more damage he inflicted upon the house, the more his emotions seemed to be spiraling out of control, and that was exactly what he wanted to feel.
After approximately twenty minutes of destruction, he'd left his mark on the house. He wasn't just a stereotypical teenager - he was a form of destruction. But he still wanted more. The more he destroyed, the less he cared. There was no turning back. This was who he was now.
His phone buzzed multiple times in his pocket. He pulled it out, not wanting redemption for what he had done and become, but still wondering if it was possible anyway.
Lauren 12:04
You left your laptop at my place
Lauren 12:05
Is everything ok??
He began to feel himself soften, the new persona he had created beginning to melt to reveal who he still was inside - until he saw another message.
Mum 12:05
Joel. I've had a call from the police about you today
Mum 12:06
I hope you're ready to explain yourself when I come home.
Mum 12:06
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. Again.
Mum 12:07
Joel?
He walked over to the windowsill, bashing his phone against it. "Just - LEAVE ME ALONE -" He heard the screen crack and tossed it aside. He was perfectly happy with having no contact with the world outside his mind.
At that moment, a note slipped through the letterbox. He froze for a moment, knowing full well who it was. And he was right.
He collected the note and read the neat handwriting upon it.
'Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured' - Mark Twain
Joel screwed the note up instantly, not even processing what was written on it. He dropped it on the floor and stepped outside.
"I know you're out there! And I'm here! So come and kill me!"
He was met with no response with the exception of a few judgmental glares of witnesses. "I'M RIGHT HERE! WHY AREN'T YOU FUCKING DOING ANYTHING?!"
He appeared completely demented. Discontent with making his house a mess, he strode away down the road, leaving the front door wide open. He didn't care if he lived or died, he didn't care about the consequences, he didn't feel anything except the energy that had driven him to do this. He didn't think about the past or the future; he only cared about the present, and how much pain he could bring to other people who didn't deserve it.
YOU ARE READING
X Marks the Spot
Mystery / Thriller"Realistically, the world is so much better at eradicating the good in the world than the evil. We live on a blighted star, which is full of so much beauty - but for every single good thing out there, there is a thousand bad things infinitely more p...
