Joel walked for a long time after he left his house. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he would know when he found it. The way he saw himself, his anger was causing him to grow. However, he didn't understand the difference between growth and deformity, and that was ultimately what caused the events that would inevitably change his life.
He found himself approaching a pride parade he hadn't even known was taking place. He reminded himself that it was a small town and he rarely left his house or kept up with the news, so he wasn't surprised he hadn't heard about it. However, as he was observing the event from afar, he saw something that usually would have taken him by surprise and made him feel disappointed with the current state of the world; today he was only struck by a need to belong.
He approached the group throwing stones at members of the parade and, I'm sorry to say, instantly conformed.
In a world full of terrorism, crime and prejudice, our society needs naturally good people. And I have made it my duty to weed out the younger members of society that contribute to the parts of society that corrupt us. The younger generation is our only hope for the future; if none of them are naturally good, then how can we expect society to improve as it needs to? The search for teenagers who will make a change that will benefit future generations is worth shedding blood for if it gives those future generations a better chance in the future.
Killing is wrong; I know that. The media has twisted my image and recreated me in the eyes of the public as a cold-blooded psychopath. Killing is wrong, but so is prejudice, and hurting other people just for the sake of it. I have never hurt anyone for no reason. Maisie Hall, for example? She and her loyal band of followers bullied a twelve-year-old boy. As if his mental illness wasn't punishment enough. I won't attempt to justify the things I have done, but I also can't justify things other people do. And if they do those things from such a young age, God only knows how much pain they would bring to those around them after they left school.
I thought Joel was different. I thought he was good; not just good enough to give change to a homeless woman, but completely good. And now here I am, watching him assault a vulnerable group of people because of his petty rage. One of this group included a nurse who indirectly tried to save his life - not because he owed him anything, but because he felt that it was the right thing to do. It wasn't even his job. And even though he would fail in his task, he would still try to do right by other people - and he would succeed.
Perhaps the younger generation has just been so corrupted by society that finding a teenager willing to perform an act of kindness for nothing in return is an impossible task. But human life is precious, whether the person it belongs to is naturally good or not, which is the reason I marked the arms of victims with blood infused with silver.
But I won't give up. I will continue the search, and if I die before I find what I'm looking for, then so be it. I didn't begin this crusade thinking I would be successful; I simply wanted to know. And now I know that Joel is not what I was looking for. So I know what his fate will be.
Joel's story has come to an unfortunate end. But there is still hope, if we treat each other the way we should and value our lives. There is so much beauty in the world, and we have such little time to experience it.
If Joel has taught you any lesson by the time you have reached the end of this manuscript, let it be this:
A few small acts of kindness do not create a kind person. If you need a serial killer to teach you that, perhaps there is truly no hope for humanity. I thought there might have been.
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...
