Come Get Me

==Four Years Ago  == “Please, Damian,” she said. “Just give me a second chance!”

“You don’t know me, okay?” I said. “I don't give second chances! So fuck off. Just leave me alone!”

I turned around and opened up the front door to my house, putting one foot in the doorway, leaving my now ex-girlfriend in tears.

“Damian, wait,” she yelled. “Just talk to me. This isn’t like you at all! What’s going on with you right now?”

Don’t listen to her, Damian , said the voice in my head. '' She doesn’t care about you. She just wants to trap you in a dead-end life. Fuck her. You were more fun without her anyway. ''

“Just go, Sarah,” I said. “Get the hell off my porch and get the fuck out of my life.”

<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I went into my house and slammed the door in her face. My mom poked her head out from the kitchen, a worried expression on her face.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Everything alright, Damian?” she asked. “I thought I heard Sarah’s voice. Did you two fight again?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Yeah,” I said, a frown tracing its way across my mouth. “But this time it’s final.”

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;">''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Don’t tell her any more than that, Damian. She doesn’t really care about you. You were the bastard child of her husband’s affair sixteen years ago, after all. Honestly, she’s probably waiting for you to go off to college. ''<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“I’m going up to my room for a while. Don’t bother me.”  Ending the conversation there, I stalked toward my room, slamming the door behind me when I got there. I powered on my computer and waited for the home screen to load. When it did, I pulled up Google and searched “ways to deal with break ups for men.”  After a few bogus links, I clicked on the fourth link that was provided to me. It brought me to a dark page with white writing. In big, bold text at the top of the page, it read, “So, you’ve broken up with your significant other?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“You guessed it,” I muttered, then continued reading.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“This is probably depressing for you. But do not despair. There are plenty of fish in the sea, or, if dating isn’t entirely your thing, there’s always hookers and the school sluts.” I chuckled lightly at that. “But what you have to do is forget about your relationship with this person. The video below is a hypnotism video designed to help you do just that. It will make you happy, but make sure that you are not interrupted while watching the video.”

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I read the rest of the page, which was just the legal crap, and scrolled down to the video. I thought to myself, '' What a crock of crap. I can’t be hypnotized. I’ve tried it a dozen times before, and it has never worked. I wonder if this one is going to be any different. ''  I clicked the play button and the video started, a simple black and white swirl design spinning on the screen.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Sound came from the speakers: a male voice, very calming and tranquil. “Welcome. If you have headphones, please plug them into the computer before continuing. We wouldn’t want parents getting hypnotized and forgetting about their marriages. Please pause now to get some headphones.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I paused the video and grabbed my earbuds, plugging them into my computer. I put the buds in my ears and pressed play on the video.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Did you grab headphones? Great. Now, relax. Let all of your worries flow out of your body. Let the stress of the day escape through deep breaths. When I snap my fingers, you will go into a deep sleep. It will only be for an hour or so, but when you wake up, you will feel as if you’ve just had a tremendous eight hour sleep. Make sure that you’re uncomfortable. Are you ready? In three, two, one…”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I heard a snap, and I blacked out.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">-

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I woke up, a pounding at my door, the audio from the video still playing.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Damian,” I heard my mother say. “Dinner is almost ready.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Alright, Mom,” I said. “I’ll be right down.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I paused the video, but not before I heard something strange: a female voice, different from the male one that started the video, saying, “Hello, Damian. Come get me.”

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Finding it strange that a random video on the Internet would know my name, I closed out of the tab, then put my computer to sleep mode. When I opened my door, a face flashed in my mind: bright, electric green eyes, full, red lips, a small nose, not overly small, but cute, and blonde bangs with a few red highlights. Even though it was only there for a second, that face was one that was burned into my memories forever. The voice from the video taunted me: '' Hello, Damian. Come get me. ''

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I walked into the kitchen and took my seat at the table. My mom was reaching into the oven, pulling out a stone pan, filled to the brim with what looked like rotini noodles, chicken, cheese, and bacon.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“I found a new recipe online and decided to try it out.” She smiled at me, and I took a rather large spoonful and placed it on my plate. I took a small, unsure bite of the dish. It wasn’t the best dish, but I smiled through it, and the rest of dinner went off without a hitch. At the end, she put on her trademark ruby red lipstick, saying that she was going to a work meeting.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I went back up to my room and woke up my computer from sleep mode. Once again, the face flashed in my eyes, but there were more details this time. Her hair was more present, the locks more like a dirty blonde color with red highlights, which fell softly past her shoulders. Her lips curved up in a slight Mona Lisa smile: if you didn’t know it was there, you wouldn’t even notice it. The voice taunted me again: '' Hello, Damian. Come get me. ''

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">After trying, and failing, to get the face out of my mind, I figured Facebook would do the trick. So I logged on and scrolled through my feed. I scrolled through a few posts when I noticed something strange: one of my female friends had decided to dye her hair. That wasn’t the strange part, as she dyed her hair quite often. No, the strange part was that she had decided to dye her hair the same colors from the face. The caption said, “I don’t know why, but this color just feels natural for me. J I think I’m going to keep this one for a while.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I put that out of my mind and scrolled through post after post until I got to where I’d left off. I quickly went to my timeline where I changed my relationship status from “In a relationship” to “Single” with the caption of “for good this time.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I was about to close out of that tab and go over to Imgur, another site that I frequented, when a friend request popped up in the window. I clicked it open and scrolled through the person’s profile. Nothing too strange, so I clicked accept and went over to Imgur.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">After browsing through pictures, gifs, and albums until I got to where I was before, I browsed Random for a while before I decided it was time to go to sleep. Without changing my clothes, I crawled into my bed, put my head on my pillow, and was out like a light.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">-

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">The woman turned to the man.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Hello, Damian. Come get me.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">She turned away, her hair swaying behind her back in slow motion.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Wait,” yelled the man. “Who are you?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">The woman giggled, a cute laugh that sounded like Christmas bells jingling.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Come get me.” She smiled. “Wake up and come get me.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Damian.” A different voice from the woman’s. “Damian.” Still sultry, but higher. “Wake up, Damian.” The voice was growing louder. “Wake up!”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">-

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I shot up in my bed, drenched in sweat. Looking at my clock, I saw that it was midnight, only two hours after I had gone to sleep. I tried for the next half hour to go back to sleep, and ended up failing miserably. My mind was racing, a million questions racing through my mind: Who is the woman? What does she want with me? And, the most important question of all: Why me? Was it because I was now vulnerable? Was she some kind of time travelling assassin and I was her next target? But if that was happening, why did she want me to go after her? It should be the other way around.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Too many thoughts,” I muttered. I got out of bed to leave my room. My original destination had been the kitchen for a midnight snack, but I lost control over my body and went to my late father’s gun cabinet, grabbing a simple pistol and silencer. I attached the silencer to the pistol and checked the amount of bullets in the magazine. Only one.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Just let go, Damian <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">. It was the lower woman’s voice. '' Just let this happen. No harm will come to you. You will get away safe and sound. ''

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">And I did. I let my brain stop, just going through the motions. I walked to my mother’s room, slipping through the open door. I walked up to her bed, a malicious smile etching its way across my mouth. Putting the mouth of the gun a few inches away from her forehead, I slid my finger over the trigger. If I were to pull it now, she would have no clue what had happened. Just a few pounds of pressure, and…

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">No. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill my own mother. I lowered the gun and flicked the safety on.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">But Damian <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">, said the male voice,''  she isn’t really your mother, remember? That buxom secretary your father had the affair with is your real mother. Haven’t you ever noticed how much you look like her and not this woman in front of you? This woman doesn’t even love you. She just wants you out of this house so that she can have the memory of infidelity wiped from her mind. ''

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Damian?” My mom opened her eyes. “Damian, is that you?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Yeah.” I tucked the gun into my waistband. “Yeah. It’s me.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“What’s wrong?” She flicked on her bedside lamp.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“I thought I heard something. I was checking to see if you’re okay.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Thank you, Damian. I’m fine. You can go back to your room now.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Okay. Love you, Mom.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Love you, too, Damian.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I walked out her room, closing the door behind me. Realizing that I wasn’t about to sleep any time soon, I went back to my room and logged onto Facebook. There was only one notification, a message from the woman who had just friended me. I clicked open the message box and only five words appeared in the text bubble: “Hello, Damian. Come get me.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Thinking that this might have had something to do with the video, as that was when I first heard the voice, I went back to the website and downloaded the video as an audio file. After doing that, I put the file through a sound-to-text program I had as a favorite website. The sound was placed into a Word document, and I opened that up as soon as it was done. I skipped the first two paragraphs because those were said before the snap that put me to sleep. The next few pages were normal, saying things like “Forget about this painful experience” and “Don’t worry about the future. Be outgoing and women will break down your door.”  I skimmed through the rest, not finding anything strange until I found these paragraphs in the converted text:

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“You are an incredibly violent person. No one you love actually loves you. You must eliminate them from your life. Eliminate any female or male presence that would make you remember your most recent relationship. Just let go and relax. Let your body go through the motions. Eliminate them. Eliminate them from the face of the earth. They don’t love you. If they did, then why would they have broken your heart? Oh, and make sure you wear gloves when you are eliminating your memories, of clean the weapon well afterward. Don’t worry. You won’t get caught.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“And remember. There are plenty of fish in the sea. She will call to you. You just have to be ready to answer.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">So that’s what this was about! My mom was the one who had set me and Sarah up in the first place, so she would be a reminder of our relationship. Then I realized something: the gun still had my prints on it. I ran down to the kitchen and grabbed a dish towel, frantically scrubbing the gun of any evidence showing that I had held it.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;">''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">You have to be more careful next time, Damian. ''<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"> The male voice was back. '' If you keep doing stuff like that, you and your true love, who obviously isn’t Sarah, will never meet. Go tell Sara how you feel. Oh, and this time, bring gloves. ''

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Right now?” I asked the voice in my head. “It’s barely twelve thirty in the morning.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">The voices in my head were silent.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Screw you, too, then,” I muttered, and went back to my room, carrying the gun with the towel over it. I hid the gun in my sock drawer and crawled into my bed. I spent about fifteen minutes trying to figure out why I couldn't kill my mom when I realized it: I couldn't kill her because I didn't want her out of my life. As soon as I realized it, though, I was out like a light.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">-

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Hey, Damian,” Sarah said, “why don’t we do Joker and Harley this year?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Why?” I asked, going through the costumes.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“I don’t know, something different. We’re always Superman and Wonder Woman. It’s getting kinda repetitive.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Okay. Sure, why not?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I grabbed a Joker costume and changed into it, immediately adopting the persona of Joker.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Harley, baby, are you ready yet?” I yelled. Hearing no reply, I went searching for her. I heard moaning coming from one of the dressing rooms and went to investigate. When I got to the room with the moaning, I threw the door open. Inside, Harley had her mouth pushed up against that of an Arkham guard.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Harley, just what in the  fuck  are you doing?” I yelled.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Mistah J!” She pulled away from the guy she was sucking face with. “What are you doing here?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Searching for you. Are you cheating on me?” I asked calmly, giggling a little.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“What?” she asked.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“I said, are you  cheating  on me?” I yelled.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Harley started crying. “Yes, Mistah J, yes. I’m cheating on you.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I started full on laughing and said, “That’s just what I wanted to hear.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I pulled out my gun and aimed it at her head.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">-

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I opened my eyes and found myself staring down the sights of my silenced pistol. Looking around at my surroundings, I noticed that I was in a room that I had been in only once before: Sarah’s bedroom. As I glanced at her bed, I noticed two people: Sarah, of course, and an unidentified male, who was probably the man she had cheated on me with. I then realized that I had no control over my motions, like when I had almost killed my mom.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I held my pistol up to her forehead and said, “Hello, Sarah.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">She cracked open her eyes, and those magnificent electric green orbs of joy and laughter that I had adored so much widened in shock when she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Damian, what are you doing?” she asked, fear seeping into her voice.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Just checking in. Oh, and I’m going to kill you and your new boy toy by the end of tonight.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Sarah opened her mouth to scream, but I shoved the silencer in her mouth before she could. “Please don’t do that. I only have one bullet and would hate to waste it on your mother. Do you understand?”  When she nodded, I took the gun from her mouth.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Why are you doing this?” asked the man, sitting up in the bed.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Because I was told to eliminate any memory from my most recent relationship. When I eliminate the person, any memory of them will be gone from my head.”  I walked over to the man and extended my hand. “I’m Damian, as Sarah said. And you are?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“D-David.” He grabbed my hand and received a small shock.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Never gets old. Nice to meet you, David. Good to meet the person who fucked up the most serious relationship I’ve ever had.” I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. “Both of you, on your knees, on the floor, now.” When neither of them moved, I showed the gun. “Do you need any more motivation?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">They both got up and knelt on the floor in front of Sarah’s bed.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“You know what?” I said. “I’m feeling generous tonight. Plus, I’m feeling a little like the Joker right now. Tell me your best joke. Whoever tells the best joke gets to live. The other… Well, they die. Are the rules clear?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">They both nodded.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Excellent. Sarah, you go first.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Okay. Uh, what did Hitler get his niece for Christmas?” she asked.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“What?” I questioned.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“An Easy Bake Oven.” A slight smile graced the lips I had kissed only days before.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Offensive does not always mean funny, Sarah!” I trained the gun on her. “David, I believe it is now your turn.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Okay. So, uh, a teacher was teaching her second grade class about the government, so for homework that one day, she told her students to ask their parents what the government is. When Little Johnny got home that day, he went up to his dad and ask his what the government was. His dad thought for a while and answered, ‘Look at it this way: I'm the president, your mom is Congress, your maid is the work force, you are the people and your baby brother is the future.’ ‘I still don't get it,’ responded the Little Johnny. ‘Why don't you sleep on it then? Maybe you'll understand it better,’ said the dad.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“‘Okay then...good night, ‘said Little Jonny went off to bed. In the middle of the night, Little Johnny was awakened by his baby brother's crying. He went to his baby brother's crib and found that his baby brother had taken a crap in his diaper. So Little Johnny went to his parent's room to get help. When he got to his parent's bedroom, he looked through the keyhole to check if his parents were asleep. Through the keyhole he saw his mom loudly snoring, but his dad wasn't there. So he went to the maid's room. When he looked through the maid's room keyhole, he saw his dad having sex with his maid. Little Johnny was surprised, but then he just realized something and thinks aloud, ‘OH!! Now I understand the government! The President is screwing the work force, Congress is fast asleep, nobody cares about the people, and the future is full of shit!’”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">A big smile grew on my face. I turned to Sarah, retraining the gun on her face. “See, Sarah?” I said. “That’s how you tell a joke without offending everyone in the room. Okay, David, you’re safe. Scoot back a little, but bow your head.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">A questioning look appeared on his face, but he was wise in not asking whatever question he had in his head. He scooted back a little and bowed his head, which was now even with Sarah’s.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“When I woke you up, I said, ‘Hello, Sarah.’ Now, when putting you to sleep, I will say, ‘Goodbye, Sarah.’ And good riddance.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I walked over to the side of her head and pulled the gun even with her head and David’s.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">The male voice in my head raised its voice. '' Just a few pounds of pressure, Damian. A few pounds of pressure, and these two will be out of your life, and your memories, forever. Just a few pounds of pressure, and this will all be over. ''

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;">''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Just because these people ruined my life doesn’t mean they have to die. ''<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"> The gun started growing heavy in my hand.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;">''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">It’s now or never, Damian. Pull the trigger. ''<span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">My finger slid over the trigger.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;">''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Do it. ''<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"> The voice was getting more forceful.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">My thumb flipped the safety off.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;">''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">DO IT! ''<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Goodbye, Sarah.” '' Just a few pounds of pressure. ''

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Click.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">A slight popping sound emerged from the gun. Sarah slumped backward and David forward, both dead where they lay.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I regained control of my body just as I blacked out.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">-

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">The woman started to kiss the man.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">She pulled away and said, “Thank you, Damian. Now we can be together. All you have to do is come get me.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">-

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I opened my eyes and glanced at the two bodies that lay on the ground, dead. I frantically looked around for the person who had shot them when I felt something heavy in my hand: a silenced pistol. Why would I have a gun? Unless…

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Unless I had been the one who had shot them.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“No, no, no, no!” I whispered. I couldn’t live with myself like this. I raised the gun to the side of my head and pulled the trigger.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">CLICK.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Empty.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">A male voice spoke in my head. '' Well done, Damian. You have successfully gotten rid of your own memories. You now have only one task: find her. ''

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Find who?” I asked. “Who are you talking about?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">The voice was silent.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;">''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Rattle. Rattle. ''<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">The doorknob. Someone was trying to get into the room. Had someone heard the commotion? No matter. I opened the window, climbed out, and started running just before the door opened.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I could hear the scream halfway down the street.

==<span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">Now <span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"> == <p style="margin:4.8pt0in6pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">They still haven’t caught me. I’ve been laying low for the past four years, waiting for them to find me and put a bullet in me. Their faces still haunt me. The look of shock on their faces, the small holes in their heads.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">And the other face. Oh, that beautiful face. Those bright, electric green eyes staring into my soul. Those full red lips, just begging me to kiss them. Her long blonde hair, the red highlights complimenting her eyes perfectly. Her voice taunts me every day when I wake up and every night when I go to sleep: “Hello, Damian. Come get me.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Throughout the past four years, I have made an effort to avoid that house. If I had to walk past it for any reason, I wore a hat, never the same one, low over my eyes. On the news, the mother of the girl said she hadn’t even seen the face of the person, and the gun was unregistered. They had zero leads. For some reason, my mom had brought me to the funerals. She must have known them because I sure didn’t.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Then, one year ago, on the third anniversary of the night I killed those two, my mom passed away unexpectedly. Doctors found nothing wrong with her. I was devastated. I moved away for about six months but moved back about five and a half months ago. For some reason, I felt as though I had to go back.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I felt as though I had to go back to the house.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">When I walked by was when everything went straight down to Hell.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">-

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">It was on the fourth anniversary of the deaths when I decided to walk by without a hat. The weather was cloudy, so a hat wouldn’t have made any sense on that day. Knowing that the mother of the girl would be crying, as she normally did on this day, I got four white roses from the local floral shop and walked over to the house.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">When I got there, I knocked on the door and waited. About ten seconds later, the mother opened the door. Mascara ran down her face, running from her bloodshot eyes, evidence that she had been crying.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Damian,” she said. “What do you want?”  A scowl started to grow on her face.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Just to say that I apologize for your loss. I, too, know what it’s like to lose a loved one. My dad died when I was ten, and my mom died just last year.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I hadn’t registered my mistake as I handed her the roses. I hadn’t registered my mistake when I saw her eyes widening after what I had said. I hadn’t registered my mistake until I had gotten home. If I had, well, then, I wouldn’t be in this mess.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">A good catchphrase popped into my head: “I’m sorry and I apologize mean the exact same thing. Unless you’re at a funeral.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I hadn’t realized that I had said “I apologize” instead of “I’m sorry.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I had just confessed.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I was screwed.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">About five minutes after I had returned home, sirens sounded outside my door.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“This is the police. We have you surrounded, Damian. Come out with your hands in the air where we can see them.”

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I complied. Even though I wanted to die, I knew I couldn’t. I still needed to find  her . They slapped the cuffs on my wrists, threw me in the back of one of the squad cars, and transported me to the police station.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">They put me into an interrogation room. I crossed my arms over the table and put my head down in my arms, closing my eyes. I heard a quiet argument outside the room, muffled because of the heavy wooden door separating us. Finally, the door cracked open, and one set of footsteps entered the room.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Hello, Damian.”

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">My eyes shot open.  No,  I thought to myself. '' No, this cannot be happening to me! ''

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">Slowly bringing my head up, I studied the person seated in front of me. A simple grey tee hugged her body, and a red leather jacket fit snuggly over her shoulders, with her badge situated perfectly over her heart. She wore no makeup, save for the ruby red lipstick which I’ve seen for the past four years and have been literally dying to kiss. Her bright, electric green eyes hadn’t dulled since I had first seen them. Her blond hair had the red highlights that I just loved.

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">It’s her, Damian, <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif"> the male voice said excitedly. '' You’ve finally found her! ''

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“You,” I said, awed.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Me? You know me? Because I think I would know the person who had hid perfectly under the radar for four years after committing two murders.”  She raised her eyebrows, which were half red and half blonde, waiting for my answer.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Uh, yeah. I’ve seen you patrolling around town.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Interesting. So, Damian. Are you going to lawyer up, or do you want to tell us everything right now?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">My lips went numb, and I lost control of my voice, the voice in my head making me say “I’ll tell you everything I know, but only under two conditions. The first is that my confession not be recorded. The second is that you kiss me for ten seconds afterwards. If those two things happen, and those things have to happen together or not at all, I’ll tell you everything that I can remember.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">She left the room, presumably to talk to her superior. Another cop came in to watch me.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“She seems kinda young to be doing this kind of thing. How old is she?” I asked.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Right. Like I’m going to tell you that.” He glared at me, his face stoic as stone. I never broke eye contact with the guy. Less than two minutes after the girl left the room, she came back in.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Alright.” She nodded to the other guy, and he left the room. “We’ll do both.”  She sat back down at the table and switched off the microphone.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I told her everything I could remember, from waking up in the girl’s room, to leaving and hearing the scream. I told her about the voice in my head at the very end of my confession. “It said, ‘Well done, Damian. You have gotten rid of your own memories. You now have one task: find her.’”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“And who was this voice talking about?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“You,” I sat back in my seat finishing my statement.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">She was taken aback by my final words. “Me? Why me?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“I don’t know. All I know is that I had to find you, and now I have.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“But there are still more questions, such as: why did you kill them? How did you get into their house without making any noise or alerting anyone of your presence? And how did you keep off the radar for four years?”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“I don’t know, I don’t know, and by being careful. I didn’t leave any evidence at the scene of the crime, so I wasn’t even a suspect to begin with. It’s pretty easy to lie low if you aren’t under any kind of surveillance. Now, since I’m done with my confession…”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Right.” She got up and walked over to me.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Before we start, I would like to know two things: your name and your age.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“I’m twenty-two, and my name is Carly.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Such a sweet name. Whenever you’re ready, Carly.”

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">She sighed and placed her lips on mine. The next ten seconds were the most blissful ever in my life. When she pulled away, her eyes were different, brighter, and more electric.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">I smiled. Finally, after four years of being taunted by her face, I had done it.

<p style="margin:12pt0in;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">“Hello, Carly. I’ve got you.”

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border:1ptnonewindowtext;padding:0in;">FIN <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif">