Of course Tracy didn't show up to school that next morning. Dolores was still in the
hospital but she had her classmates visit her. I was there with her.
I asked Mother if I could go to school later in the afternoon so I could visit Dolores.
She looked anxiously around for Tracy and breathed a sigh of relief when she wasn't
spotted. I lean against the doorway and smile to myself. The news was on.
Nothing on Tracy, her brother, or her brother's friends just yet.
That abandoned pharmacy was on a lonely street off an intersection. The whole street was
rumored to be haunted and bad stuff happened there all the time. In most cases, people
made an effort to avoid the avenue.
The bodies wouldn't be found for another week. Tracy and her brother were reported
missing that same day when they were marked absent from school and were nowhere to be
found at home that morning.
The two boys took a bit longer. Obviously they were all found at the same time in the same
spot, but the boys weren't reported missing until two days after the fact in November.
Dolores felt bad. I asked her why.
"Because. Maybe I got her and her brother in trouble." She said tearfully. That pissed me
off to a degree. I take a deep breath. "Dolores. You have nothing to feel sorry for. They
hurt you. You are in the hospital because of them. Do not feel bad." I said.
I gave her a kiss to the forehead, surprising both her and myself. I can't even tell if the
tenderness is real or staged. I can't tell if it's still just an act.
She was up and out of the hospital within the next morning and she was advised to keep
her workload light. She was given a doctor's note to be exempt from physical activities
and her tests were postponed until her concussion became mild.
I visited my crime scene. The bodies were in the same place I left them. Their physical
conditions had deteriorated from being exposed to the elements. We had a bad storm
today and the stench of death made the air stagnant and hard to breathe in.
I walked over to Tracy's body and bent over her. "Got something to say?" I jeer. I laugh.
Of course she says nothing. She's dead. Dead as a doornail.
I made the trip to the gym and paid my dues.
I was as chipper as a bird in that place. I went to the punching bags and punched with all
my might. I continuously punched and kicked until I had to stop. There was a tear in the
leather. I walked sheepishly to the front desk and explained what I had done.
I picked at the boxing gloves nervously.
The receptionist just smiled. She was eyeing me. I not-so-subtly puffed out my chest.
"It's quite alright. We'll have someone come in and patch up the leather."
As I walked off, I looked at her from the corner of my eye and saw her watching me as I
made my way toward the boxing ring. I believed now was the time. I was ready.
I made three knockouts and came to a draw in my last round. I shook my opponent's hand.
We joked around and I believed I had made a new friend. "I see you around a lot." He said
after a moment's silence. "Do you?"
He explained we had a class together. He didn't blame me for not noticing him, as neither
of us spoke in the class and we sat on opposite ends of the classroom.
"I'll know you when I see you." I remark. He chuckles. Something about him made me feel
like I needed him to stick around. He seemed like he would be helpful to me.
We were walking to the liquor store down the street for snacks. "Did you hear about Tracy
and Daryll Edwards?" He asked while we chugged our cokes.
"Who?" Was Daryll Tracy's brother? I wonder.
"They were reported missing. They're siblings. Daryll goes to our school. He's known to be
a bit of a douchebag." I nod. "And what about Tracy? Does she go to our school, too?"
"No. She's in her first year in middle school."
"So is my sister. She was pushed off a playground by a girl in her class. She was sent to
the hospital." I say. I'm absent-minded. To be honest, that was quick. They must have
parents who care.
"Damn."
"Do you know anything about what happened to them?" I ask.
"All their parents said was they were there one moment and gone the next."
Interesting. Very interesting. News outlets depicted the siblings as absolute angels. Kind
children who were a part of the Baptist church who helped the local community. They were
described as such until they interviewed students.
They weren't glorified anymore.
Dolores was interviewed. She had no shame. Good girl.
"Tracy was a bully. She bullied me and excluded me from everything. Then her brother
Daryll pushed me off the big slide and I had to go to the hospital! They are not good
people in the slightest!" She stomped her foot.
People began to talk.
Especially when the friends of Daryll were also reported missing.
Then the bodies were found in the alley. No more talk. Just panic. I got a kick out of that.
"On November 2nd, siblings Daryll and Tracy Edwards were reported missing. Two days
later on November 4th, Ryder Evans and Garrett Ike were reported missing. And today,
November 9th, four bodies were found behind the old pharmacy off west avenue.
"The bodies have been positively identified as the missing children. Tracy has been found
with a bullet wound to the head. However, no bullet casing have been found at the scene.
"Daryll is believed to have died from blunt force trauma to the head and asphyxiation as
several rocks have been found shoved in his oral cavity and down his epiglottis. His left eye
hangs out of the socket.
"Ryder was discovered with a deep stab wound to the throat and Garrett was found with
his throat messily slit open and a knife wound on his shoulder. If anyone has any
information about these gruesome murders, we urge you to come forward. Contact the
local police department or send a tip at 1-800-"
I turn the TV off. My chest heaves. My mind clouds and my stomach feels warm. I don't
feel sick. I feel euphoric.