literature

The (Kinda) Murderer

Deviation Actions

blackrosesbleedrouge's avatar
Published:
189 Views

Literature Text

...

...

...


Another boring, lazy Monday, where the only thing really happening is the summer's heat steadily rising. In a shit supermarket, with a bunch of jabbering people reluctant to go back out into the scorching heat, 'Fucking A/C theives', stood a girl. One of the only three cashiers working that day was Sarah Larson. Her auburn hair tied haphazardly into a ponytail, eyeliner slightly smeared around her eyes and the quirk in her brow was the only thing showing her agitation with her job. Her white collared shirt, bleached, starched and ironed; courtesy of her mother's insistence of a nice appearance,  was beginning to really irritate her skin. At 19, she decided to wait three years and save some money before college.


'Fifteen more minutes, she thought. Fifteen more slow-as-fuck minutes and I get to FINALLY go home.'


Sarah had finished checking out two people in her line when Theodora came bouncing in.


Theodora Larson, otherwise known as Teddy, came into "Quick Shop" market with a flush on her cheeks from the heat and a blinding smile. Theodora's hair was fluffed up from humidity outside. Pulled into what was once a sleek and perfect ponytail and adorned with a red ribbon now had rebellious strands springing out in disarray.


'So much for a good hair day, it must look like a bird's nest now.' She thought dejectedly.


It was routine to come in to the super market at noon; she had just came from the recreational center up the street. She had been attending a few painting classes to avoid the dreadful summer boredom.


Of all the things her parents could have named her they had to pick Theodora. It was so long, but she did have a nice nickname: Teddy.


She'd stop by the run down store and wait for her sister's shift to be over then the two would walk home together. It wasn't a short walk, but it wasn't  awfully long either. It was enough to bring out the lazy and make people take the car on a walkable drive, though. The complaint worthy walk was even more bothersome coupled with the heat. Yes, now they'd go home feeling even more sluggish. The walk would drain the physical energy, while the heat would steadily fry their brains and the humidity that would force every drop of water in their bodies to be sweat out, it looked so tempting. It was enough to make even the most proactive and productive of people lethargic, but Sarah wasn't lazy. Period. Sarah had a car but she claimed to just like walking, but in reality she was just saving gas money for college.


'Dad offered to help with college, I don't know why i couldn't  just accept the money.' She thought as she observed her sister dealing with a woman who insisted her coupons were not expired. But I guess i always liked doing things the hard way. Her smile widened as she saw her sister's passive aggressive witt get the better of the annoying woman.


Teddy made her way over to Sarah's side and asked "Time?". Sarah glanced at her watch before going back to ringing up another customer. "Let me finish this line then we can go. Go wait at the food court. I'll  come get you later." Teddy hummed in response and went on to the eating area of the store.


It was small, about 8 tables or so. Not many ate the cooked food from here, no one was brave enough. It was notorious for making you sick. Teddy glanced around;  watching the different people mosey around in the store. She could wait eight minutes.


Sarah felt relief wash over her at the sight of only three more customers left, all with a relatively small amount of items. She turned to click off her cashier number, signifying that she wasn't taking anymore customers. She was scanning the can of tuna for a middle aged woman when she caught sight of it.


Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sleek gleam of the black arbalest. The flickering fluorescent lights reflected off the black finish of the revolver. Sarah's blood ran hot and cold all at the same time. Everything in her body felt like it was electrocuted. Her head was pounding out the squawking of the woman she had been checking out. Her ears and fingertips had blood pounding continuously with such force that she hadn't noticed she had been gripping the counter of her station. She hadn't even registered her actions until she found herself walking down aisle number 4.


She had excused herself from the badgering woman, gave some excuse about checking the price of her cabbage and went on autopilot.


She was walking through the aisles, her strides swift and cut. She was headed to the eating area, where Teddy was waiting. Teddy was kicking her legs back and forth and humming a tune under her breath before Sarah came by and grabbed her arm hastily. Before she could ask what was wrong her sister muttered 'Stay Quiet' and the question died on her tongue. Her sister was sweating, despite the cool air in the store, her eyes were wide, and her hands were impossibly cold. Was she shaking? Teddy could only watch her sister as she began to slightly jog to keep up with her sister's pace. Teddy watched as they reached the back of the store, into the employee's area.

She watched as her sister hastily went through her

Locker and grabbed her earbuds, ipod and phone.


"Hey, what's going on-"

"Shhhh!"

"Something doesn't feel righ-"


Sarah had whirled around and grabbed her sister's arm before she could finish and was now dragging her to the a room further back. They were now in the supplies area of the store. Sarah had led Teddy to the middle of the room before swiftly turning around and closing the double doors, then proceeded to secure it by sliding four broom and mop handles in between the doors' handles. After making sure the door wouldn't give without a struggle, Sarah grabbed Teddy's hand, shushing her again when she tried to speak.

She motioned for Teddy to sit on some pallets, making sure shed be out of view if someone came through the door.


"Okay put these on, Kay? Don't take them off till I say so." Said Sarah as we handed the music player and earbuds to her sister.


Teddy had every intention of protesting and demanding what the fuck was going on, but the expression her sister wore stopped her. Sarah was petrified. Of what, Teddy had no clue, but if Sarah was scared, she should be too. Sarah was never scared of anything, at least she had never let it show. She had barely registered the ear buds being placed in her ear. At full blast she couldn't hear anything, only the blaring track that was playing  on the iPod that she vaguely recognised as her favorite song. Sarah was now looking at the door, with her arms wrapped protectively around Teddy. Shielding her.


Then the shot rung  throughout the building, the walls practically shaking from the sound. Teddy's eyes widened when she registered the loud bang. She ripped out one bud before nearly screaming. Nearly screaming because Sarah had covered her mouth, muffling her outburst.


"What was that!?" Her voice a distressed whisper. She could hear the screams of hysterical people and the desperate heavy foot falls of those running for cover.


Sarah didn't answer her, she didn't have to, Teddy knew the sound of the gunshot like her own voice.

Their granddad was a retired police officer, he would take them to a shooting range when they went to go visit.


Sarah merely put the ear bud back in, hoping to drown out the sounds of the screams and gunfire and held her sister tighter. Teddy had her face buried in the crook of Sarah's shoulder. When Sarah felt the junction between her neck and shoulder become wet, she wrapped her arms tighter around her sister. Where it was to comfort her or herself she wasn't sure.


---


It continued for 17 minutes. 10 minutes of the gunman wreaking havoc and 7 for the police to take control of the situation. Throughout that time, not once did the gunshots cease. They had now been sitting in the supply room for 25 minutes, Sarah was beginning to wonder if anyone knew they were even there, when she heard the loud bang on the door. Her heart pounded, someone was trying to get in, but then she quickly reevaluated her though panicked thoughts and calmed herself before rising to open the door. She was stopped by Teddy, eyes puffy and red from crying, checks stained with tear tracks, she was still scared. Sarah opened her mouth to assure her that it was okay, when the cop on the other side beat her to it.


"Anyone in there, it's the police. Open the door, don't worry you're safe now"


The girls shared a look before both rising to open the door. When Sarah removed the makeshift barricade and opened the doors, the first thing they were asked was if they had injuries. The next was if anyone else was there with them. Afterwards, they were led out of the store. Sarah had Teddy under her arm: kept close in case anything else happened. As they made their way to the front of the store, everything seemed to move in dream-like essence for Sarah.


It all seemed too slow, too vivid, to be real. When they passed someone's covered body with crime tape and markers surrounding the scene, she was hit full force with severity of the situation. Some lunatic had come into the store to kill innocent people, and for what? For fame? For fun?


Something within her ribcage had tightened painfully, and within a few seconds, two steps towards the exit out the massacre building, did what had been suffocating inside her chest combust.


The automatic sliding doors of the entrance were visible. And they were only few mere seconds from freedom when she saw the hand of the badgering women she had been checking out before the chaos. Her pudgy hand with and odd birthmark and the gold bangle and wedding ring. The sight haunted her, it was just the woman's hand peeking out from the plastic sheet laid over her body but it made the blood in her veins feel as if they had been ignited. Her skin felt as if it was blistering and all she wanted was to rip it right off!


She felt a tug on her sleeve, Teddy was looking up at her, brown eyes rimmed red and skin slightly blotchy, she didn't hear her ask if she was okay but she saw her mouth move. Sarah could only manage to swallow the bile that had risen in her throat before nodding, forcing a broken smile on her face.


Her face hurt from the action of smiling. It hurt so much that she could almost feel her complexion cracking in two. The only thought she had was that she was of how selfish she was, before being enveloped in a bone crushing hug by her mother. Her mother was thanking god and anything else that came to mind for having her babies still alive and unharmed.  Sarah could feel her mother's tears dripping onto her shirt, she could feel every pound of love her mother had to offer from the tips of her fingers digging into her. The smell of garlic and home baked bread that lingered on her mother's clothes made her being melt at the reassurance of home. She was safe, she could go home and watch boxing with her dad and watch her mom work magic in the kitchen as she prepared for tomorrow's breakfast.


Sarah stared at 'Quick Shop's parking lot, all the people and cars becoming heady blurs as her tears finally broke through her resolve. Her breath coming out in shudders, and her throat burning from her silent sobs, the sight of the two bodies, corpses that were only few minutes old, burning in her mind.


I killed them.


She had given no warning, she had just gone and saved herself and Teddy. She left them to die.


I murdered them.
Flight or fight? I'm not a hero either way.
© 2015 - 2024 blackrosesbleedrouge
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In