Thinking back on those moments cause me to shake-not from nerves-I assure you with all of my heart-but from anger. The two boys I had become great friends with had, afterall, abandoned me entirely. You see, only a crazed person would kill for no reason at all, or for some reason that only makes sense to them, but I’m sure you have felt what I had felt then too. It was not as if I did out of purely blind fury, spur of the moment energy. No, this had built up over time, long enough time for me to show them how wrong they had become in abandoning me for their silly games.
When it first started, it was so frustrating. The two boys “thumped” to the ground directly in front of the TV, on one boy his curls bounced, on the other, his headband shifted up a little. But they neither noticed nor cared, too absorbed by the fascination of the games. The TV cast a green glow on their faces, and I would see right through to their skulls and pick up every little horrible detail on their faces-the light from the video games had given me such a sense as to what they really looked like. Gunshots and fictional noises blared from the TV, and I would clutch my ears in pain. Not even a glance for my well-being was casted. I spoke on idle topics. The bad days brought me nothing- no acknowledgement that I had even said a word in the first place. Those rare days where they would take a notice to me were filled with mockery. The two cruel boys would smile as if they did not detect my anger and would laugh heartily at my suffering. Once I turned my back and left, they would mock me too. I saw their faces from behind walls, dimples glowing with dark laughter at how they, the two people I would never hate, ignored me for their precious fantasy worlds. Fingers speedily hitting buttons and pulling triggers all the while, as if to rub it in more, they continued those stupid games.
It didn’t take long for me to understand what I had to do. The only way to get through to their glazed eyes fixated on the TV was to show them how low they had sunk, then they would understand the pain they caused me, and they’d quit forever. The planning took heart-wrenching months of watching them play, but I knew that the present pain would have been worth it when they realized they were wrong in the future. I stared intently at the screen and before long I had memorized every pixel, every mission, every weapon, and every character of every video game they owned. It was like research for a paper; no madman would ever-could! ever think to put in so much time-consuming effort as I did, and with such precision, too.
Dark grey thunderstorm clouds hung over the house when I began my set up. The boys were still at school so I had decided to take the liberty of setting their video game up for them. Carefully, I poured gasoline in a ring under the rug where they sat everyday in the same position with entranced faces. Gasoline symbols from their beloved games soon surrounded the whole house from inside-out, but were invisible to the untrained eye. With my vision better than ever, I tiptoed over the marks and into the living room where the accursed things were stored and played. Just as I was about to finish the surprise, I saw through the walls and the garage to the driveway where a dark red car had just parked. They both stepped out! No no no, I couldn’t let them in yet, their surprise wasn’t ready! My eyes didn’t need to look to the clock, I could still see the time while watching them. Classes couldn’t have ended yet! It was at least another half hour! So perfectly coordinated, so smoothly run, it couldn’t be possible! Thick beads of sweat formed along my hairline almost instantly and my breathing suddenly felt shallow. I swallowed. Nerves could not get to me. I knew they’d think me a madman if I couldn’t finish so perfectly. They took slow strides to the door! Damn it, they must have known I was inside, for why else would they torture me with such slow, cunning movements?! A hand clenched the door handle and turned it with ease! The first foot hit the floor of the house! My perfect plan shattered across the floor as a lightning bolt did simultaneously in the air!!! Yet, with quick ease I managed to cut the wire covers and slip a tiny thread of wire under the rug to the resting point of the boys. I made no sound as I hovered out the back door and safely behind a tree. The clouds made it seem as if it were dusk, the occasional bursts of lightning being the only light for the world to view my stunning surprise.
The first boy walked in, calm and cool, face wiped of any meaningful expressions, casually retying his black hair back with a familiar blue bandana. It wasn’t long after that the second boy, like a predator, fixed his eyes upon the TV screen from behind brown curls, eager to play. Both slumped to the floor, and turned on the console, sending a domino effect throughout the house. It was only mere seconds before the tendrils of the flames had licked up the entire house, and I was back in my own room, feeling quite accomplished. Afterall, they couldn’t have possibly not seen the lesson in it; there was no way they could ever go back to the games over me.
Within the hour I got a call to go to the house. “With pleasure,” I smirked, confident of my own innocence. The clouds had only become darker over the house, ashes causing them to swell. The house, was no longer a house but a large pile of burnt furniture. The police questioned me, asking me where I was, who I was with, if the boys had ever wronged me. I answered with great pride and ease. The police nodded respectfully, and I could tell they had full trust in my testimony. With mock depression I stepped to the ruins and reminisced, “This is where we would stay, and I’d watch them…”
NO! It couldn’t possibly be true! The TV and console sat demolished, broken glass and melted plastic, yet I could see the game! It was scattered among the broken glass, but it came together as one solid picture! I stumbled backwards when I saw them. Two charred bodies, yet they looked exactly the same! Gnarled fingers tapped at the multicolored buttons, empty eye sockets gazed at the bits of broken TV, and finally… “THOSE SMILES!” I cried out in pain. They hadn’t learned! Even in death they chose the games over their best friend! “They know what they’re doing to me! They know the torture they are inflicting on me!” I turned to the officers in desperation, “I BURNT DOWN THE HOUSE! JUST GET RID OF THE WRETCHED, EVIL GAMES!”