I tried not to enjoy the feeling of laying in my bed. Originally I was supposed to return to work today but the text from my boss saying I could have a few more days of was a really great thing. He really hadn't explained my that was though. Getting out of bed finally I walked down the stairs to my mother sitting on the couch drinking a cup of coffee. She normally wasn't home at this hour, It was odd.

"Mom, How come your home?"

"My work is being cleaned it seems someone broke in and stole a bunch of stuff last night. "

"Oh. Okay."

Flicking on the tv I flipped through our channels until I got to the local news. Four bodies strung up and gutted hanging in the front of my beloved bookstore. No wonder I got another bunch of days off. It didn't take rocket science to take a well-placed guess who those four bodies were. Looking through my phone I found his number under the title, The Boss. As if that wasn't the largest giveaway ever. I texted the number.

It's Emerson. You fucking promised you wouldn't kill them. You lied.

My phone rang. Looking down it had "The Boss" is calling on the screen.

"Excuse me. I have to take this."

"Of course."

Leaving the room, I found I had a touch of anger inside of me. I called him right back, once I was out of earshot of my mother.

"Hello, Emerson. How are you this morning."

"Drop the act. I know what you did."

"Please, Tell me, Emerson, What is it you think I've done?"

"You killed them all after you promised you wouldn't."

"Emerson, I don't have to promise you anything, But I didn't break the promise regardless. You asked I not killed them, I didn't. But your father did. He listens to me very well."

"Is that not the same?"

"No, not at all. But you can't say they didn't get what they deserved."

"No one----"

"We have different ideas on what is deserved."

"Yeah, that's----"

"Emerson, It seems business calls. I have to go."

I didn't even say bye to him, he just hung up and went on his way. What the hell was his actual problem? The sound of the door opening made me walk to see who it was. Seeing Cade there made me positively angry. He looked as well dressed as the first time, not even a hair out of place. Definitely not like he had killed four young adults without a second thought. He smiled when he saw me. I just frowned at him.

"We need to talk privately Cade."

"That is your father, Emerson."

"He is a murdering stranger Diane."

"Emerson, Do not speak to your mother that way!"

"How about you shut the fuck up Cade."

"Emerson!"

"You are such a fowl mouthed brat Emerson."

"Still better then you, At least I didn't string up four young adults and put them on display in front of my son's work because my boss asked me too, tell me did you fucking enjoy murdering them, Cade!"

"It was fucking glorious to see the light go out in their eyes. If you would have done something and been a real man maybe they would have left you the fuck alone."

"Go fuck yourself."

Turning and leaving the living room I made my way back up the stairs and to my room. The last thing I need was Cade telling me how to be a real man. Getting dressed was easier today then it had been the day before and that promised good things. I was healing.

I grabbed my bag and keys. I had many other places I could be but here right now. My mother didn't say a word to me as I left and Cade was gone. Thank fuck. I walked to the bookstore. I wanted to look at the entire scene for myself, uncensored and unchanged. When I got the book store the cops were taking photos of the whole thing. I watched as they cut the bodies down. Not one cop met my eyes. It felt like they all knew this was because of me. Once I was sure I had seen enough I left the bookstore and walked the path where I had been pulled. You could still see in some spots where my shoes dug into the ground. My ribs were really not happy with the walk I was talking but I needed to see things, everything that leads up to this point.

The path was longer than thought. But none the less I found the spot where they had started to kick the shit out of me. My own blood was still on the ground, you could see the drops. I stopped walking around the spot long enough for the pain to ease up before I went again. My entire path was mapped by the blood I lost that night.

Three no trespassing signs were posted where the one I had to ignore had been. running my fingers over one of the signs I walked passed them yet again. Still following the trail I made. The big tree looked as safe as it did that night. Walking around the tree my blood was smeared on the bark. Looking up into the tree I saw the small camera. I don't know why I did it but waved before looking back at the blooded back on the tree.

My phone rang, I knew it was exactly who I had waved to but I didn't pick it up. I just tucked it back into my pocket. I sat at the base of the tree as I had a week and a half ago. this time in less pain. I touched my face the spot that had left blood on the tree.

Please help me...

You owe me, kid.

Standing back up I kicked the ground where the blood droplets were and covered them. Using a few nails I had I dug at the tree erasing the blood I had left. I waved at the camera one last time before I left the property and worked on erasing the rest of the traces of me in the forest.