CHAPTER 3

A YEAR LATER

*Television playing*

'Horrific killings take place, and no one has seen or heard about them. No trace of the killer. Who is it? Why are they killing? Let's ask the victim's parents, the news reporter handed the mike to the parents. 'We make sure the killer is found and punished harshly!', sobbing.

* turned off the television *

Took a deep breath, closed the door behind and walked out. It's lighter outside.

Walking slowly looking around. It's the same place, same scene. Broken branches and dried leaves on the ground make crunching noises as I walk. It's silent and peaceful, the silence is, with a sad heavy breeze. The policemen had moved the body, and the blood on the ground stayed, blending with the dust day by day. I was walking around, looking for any minor evidence. Sighed, it's the same way as James's case.

I sat by the lake nearby, moving my fingers in the cold gentle water, thinking of my childhood days.

'James Daniel, go out and play.', Mom ordered us. At least we spoke with each other back then. James and I went to play with the neighbours, our friends. They didn't like me much as I was poker-faced, but they had a problem with James too! That always got me fired up as he was young and too sweet to be treated like that. They would bully us by purposely pushing us as we played and sometimes even used harsh words. James would often cry, and I would pick fights with them and get beaten and beat them up too.

'You should look at your kids, fighting with our innocent kids.', Viktor's Mom complained.

But we had worse bruises than them, it used to be fours vs two, perhaps one. James was not violent. Yet, Mom would correct us and I would treat James's and my wounds. Dad mostly stayed out for work. Mom did care, but she wasn't mother material. We were again sent to play with those neighbour kids. At one point it got so troublesome that our parents decided to send us away for further studies. We avoided playing with them but no use. They would come to our house and stir trouble.

We shifted the very next year and Mom stayed with us for a month or so, getting us a little used to the new place and surroundings. She then left and went back to Dad. We stayed alone in the care of our neighbours. They were one nice couple with no kids. Unfortunately, they had to shift far away for work but till then we were grownups, so by then we had learned how to live on our own.

* phone buzzed * I was made to come to reality.

' Hello, how are you my darling?', I glanced at the phone. 'Yeah, I am fine ---

That's all for now. Hope you people are liking it. (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

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