The road ahead was paved. There was no reversing the decision that was at hand. Standing on top of a hill, Eric looked down with ecstasy and delight, for he felt freedom for the first time in a long while. He looked down at the town of Glenwood Springs scouting out the potential spots for where he would commit this action. Once he did this, he settled on an alleyway, similar to the one that JJ was shot in. Now it was all about getting the candidate in the alleyway. Eric then walked towards the town ceasing to abort, and committing fully for what he signed himself up for.
The mayoral candidate began his riverside speech with dozens of people participating in his run for ecstasy and power. Eric was one of the bystanders in the crowd. He watched the candidate like a hawk, even when the candidate made eye contact with him. The candidate talked about how he would stop criminal activity in the town, but through the cracks, the vines of greed and envy were the only decision makers of the fate of crime altogether throughout the valley. The candidate then finished his speech, a thunderous applause sent the candidate into sheer excitement. This was Eric's moment, all he could think about was the word, "commit." He went towards the candidate, and presented his hand to him.
"Hi Mr. I don't believe I know your name." Eric introduced himself slyly to the candidate.
The candidate shook his hand and replied. "Oh, Well hi there sir. My name is Paul Jefferson, how bout yours?
That last name sent sheer terror to Eric. His face became as white as a ghost and his fingertips turned blue.
"Why, my name is Alex Camino." Eric tried to hide his name away from Paul.
"Well, you don't look that Spanish."
"Oh well, that's because it's from my mother's side of the family. I'm really not that Spanish."
"Well, alright. If you really are who you say you are, then I guess there's no harm in talking to you." Paul replied
"Mr. Jefferson, would you care to take a walk with me?"
"Please, call me Paul, and no I would not mind that at all." The two of them started walking towards town which was where Eric needed him to go if he was to assassinate him.
"You said in your speech that you would do something about the crime."
"I mean we have to as a town. I don't know if you know about this, but my brother was killed by some deranged lunatic named Eric York. That was right here in this town. I mean no one thinks about getting killed until someone you know ends up dead, and this Eric guy, police say he's still out there somewhere, think there is some connection with him and an attempted robbery that happened in Moab.
"Who was your brother?"
"A good man. His name was John. He had an alcohol problem, which is how he ended up in that Goddamned situation in the first place."
"Tell me about this robbery. What's that all about and why does Glenwood Springs have anything to do with it?"
"Well, Attempted robbery first off, but it ended absolutely horribly. From eyewitness accounts there was supposedly five guys that tried to pull over this armored truck. Well, the driver was having none of that and alerted the police. One of these crooks pulled in front of the armored truck with his car, and the driver pushed him off a bridge killing the guy. I hope that son of a bitch burns in hell. One of the other crooks started shooting at the police and killed one of them, but not long before he was killed himself." Paul said in a heroic fashion. "That police officer is a hero. In fact, I wanted to talk to the mayor of Moab to see if he would build a memorial in honor of that brave officer. I just hope one of those dead sons of bitches was that Eric York guy."
With those comments Eric was sent into a fit of rage.
"Hey Paul, let's cut through this alleyway."
"By all means."
Eric let Paul lead a little bit, and started reaching for his knife. He pulled the knife from its holster, and found a grip that was suitable for his hand. Then, with the force of an ant, he pierced the dagger through Paul's flesh. Paul then gasped for air, and Eric pulled the blade out of Paul's body.
"What the hell?" Paul said to Eric.
Blood then spurted everywhere creating an endless river of red. Eric stabbed Paul again, this time in the heart. Paul fell to the floor and breathed his final breath. Bolting off, Eric realized the absolute magnitude of the action which he had caused. Shortly later, however, he was consumed by carelessness and the attitude of doing what had to be done.
Eric was pushed off of a cliff of intoxicating rage. He never wanted to kill anyone, but this was what needed to be done if he ever wanted to free himself. This was the carousel of the universe. Order precedes man, built like a trail in the mountains, but man chose to confuse himself and follow the loose gravel on the hills. He found deeper understatement of the world which he lived in, but strayed further away from any form of sanity. Thus man believed that his tendencies superseded all. This was the way of things. The order of this world, this speck of sand in the fabric of the universe, was ordered by nature and not man, but cities were built. Societies were forced into place, and law never felt so disconnected. Man lied to one another that he was the one that made law, and they all believed it. It seemed like he did, but he was blinded by the arrogance of human nature and the tendencies for those to look out for themselves before others.
Once Eric had arrived back at the syndicate headquarters, running the whole way, he was greeted by two guards who escorted him down the endless stairs into the darkness of reality. Eric then entered the hall of the syndicates seeing the same golden floors and red walls, but this time he was filled with rage, hatred and despair at it. It was almost like he wanted to kill again. The doors opened to the meeting room, and Eric was presented to them.
"I did it. Are you happy now?" Eric angrily addressed the heads.
"Congratulations for following through with this. We are willing to reduce your sentencing to half." The first head of the syndicate replied to him.
"You are all a bunch of heartless bastards!"
"Mr. York, this was your decision. Nobody but you decided to do this." The second head of the syndicate replied.
"And you are only willing to reduce my sentence to half. That's still fifty years! I'll be dead!"
"Quiet! Mr. York, you already were a dead man. These tasks that we present to you are your only hope of freedom. Now, I have had enough of his argumentative behavior. Take him away!" The third head of the syndicate spoke.
Eric was then taken back to the pit. They opened the big metallic trapdoor and forced him down the ladder which lowered anyone into the lower pits of hell. Once Eric made it to the bottom of the ladder, a voice filled Eric's ear with noise.
"Did you kill him?"
"Yes."
Hope was a lost force in the universe. It was forgotten from everything but the land, the trees, the mountains, the desert, the prairie, and the air.