second, smaller boy came into view for the first time remorse started to rise within Daniel. The boy dove down beside the prone shadow named Jimmy.
Despite the guilt mounting a charge, his anger did not want to give up its absolute control so easily. It squashed down the rising regret by clouding Daniel’s vision with a red veil. As soon as the second boy stopped moving, having struggled to cradle the now dead body of his brother in his arms, Daniel approached from behind. The smaller boy heaved giant sobs as he rocked the corpse back and forth.
“Why?” the kid managed to ask between choking stutters. He stared pitifully up at Daniel, tears coursing clean swaths down his dirty cheeks.
Daniel did not know what to say as he watched the juvenile entwine with the bloodied wreck of humanity.
The anger knew precisely what to say.
Daniel’s finger pulled the trigger repeatedly until the gun misfired. Calmly clearing the weapon, Daniel continued firing. The pistol finally clacked open, having blown the slide back into the locked position. The pistol was empty. Now covered in sweat, dust, and splattered gore, Daniel started to shiver as a result of the adrenaline dump.
Still, the anger wanted more. It felt as if it would never be sated. It continued to burn stronger than ever.
Daniel thought about the fact that he heard no approaching shouts. No neighbors were running over to see if his family was alright. No one was running up to console him. Nothing but the moaning of the dying bearded man could be heard, and it pissed him off.
Ignoring the glass cutting into his bare feet, Daniel stomped back into the house through the busted door. He ripped the drapes and rod down for interfering again, and he threw the empty pistol down on the glittering carpet. He picked up the cinder block, which was made into an instrument of destruction by the intruders, and went back outside.
He stood over the writhing, gurgling bearded man, staring coldheartedly at the consequences of his actions. The man had bright, arterial foam spurting and frothing at the corners of his gaping mouth. He looked like a fish trying to breathe out of water and was having about as much success. With all his strength Daniel raised the block up over his head. He proceeded to smash it into the man’s skull until it broke into pieces several blows later.
Daniel stood upright, and stared at the nearly-full moon. He could feel the wet blood on his skin cooling. He asked the moon, “Why does all of this feel like it’s my fault? Why do I have to deal with this shit? Why didn’t I close up that damn door when I had the chance?” The moon held none of the answers he was looking for and his head dropped. “I knew, absolutely knew something like this was gonna happen.”
His whole life suddenly felt so unfair.
He stood fully erect again and howled spite-filled ruination at the world. He screamed unanswered questions into the emptiness which seemed to surround him, even penetrate him. The moon and everything it shown down on incurred his wrath. Everyone he had ever known received a misplaced and miserable cursing, without exception.
Daniel had no idea of how long it took for the liberating shouts to finally soothe his temper. He just found himself kneeling in the grass with dried blood on his body and fresh blood flowing from his feet. Pain and shame were now his only companions. His anger had abandoned him at last.
Chapter 7
Corinne sat shivering in the dim basement. Rebecca was painfully clinging to her side in silent angst; she was also the cause of the shivering. They heard Daniel creeping around upstairs then silence. They heard the gunshots followed by what sounded like a child yelling angrily. More gunshots and the sound of something crashing to the floor inside preceded the next short silence.
These things had frightened Corinne. What came next was far worse. She heard her husband screaming violations at the world, at her, their daughter, at anyone and everything that had ever crossed his path. The horrible things that Daniel shouted gave Corinne her first reason ever to be afraid of him.
Corinne’s mother, Susan Davis, had warned against getting involved with Daniel. Susan had known Daniel’s father and had helped him to rebuild the town. Susan told Corinne all sorts of sordid tales from those early years. Allen Moore was what she would call a “necessary evil”. Allen gathered together