AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But what about my defense? Don’t you want to hear my side of the story?” Mark asked, confused.
“Nope, don’t care. I’ll get you out on bail then we will have a discussion about what to do next. Good day.” Alex turned and knocked on the door to the other side of the room to get the officer’s attention.
“What do you mean you’re like me? What am I?” Mark pleaded.
“Shh,” Alex said with his finger to his lips. “A discussion for after you are released. I’ll be in touch. And try not to hurt anyone else. It will be hard enough to get them to release you, don’t make things worse.”
Alex got up and walked to the door opposite from the one Mark came through and knocked to get the officer’s attention. The officer let Alex out of the room and then the two officers from before came in and forcefully cuffed Mark. He made the same fake sounds to let them know they were hurting him, even though they weren’t. This would make things go easier, he thought. He needed time to think, frustrating the officers would only make this take longer.
Mark sat in the cell alone. This was the first time he had been alone since it happened. He went over every detail in his head. Then it hit him like a boot to the chest. Jen was dead. He would never see her smiling face. He would never again hold her as they fell asleep. He would never kiss her. He would never hear her voice, the voice that still gave him butterflies in his stomach. He would never see her again! He didn’t care what the officers thought, he didn’t care what anyone thought. The love of his life was dead, he started to cry.
Within an hour, Mark was free to go. As he sat outside the police station he realized he had no way to get home. They had given him back his wallet and credit cards but nothing else so Mark found himself walking down the street toward his office. It was actually only five blocks away so it was the logical choice, his home was another five miles.
Mark felt strange as he walked to his office. Walking had never been a problem for him, neither had been running, but this felt different. He didn’t feel tired at all. In high school he tried out for the basketball team and was quite good at it but he was quickly distracted by the new school computer. After that he lost interest in sports but even now, at his age, he still felt athletic. He was never sick, never lacked for energy but walking five blocks? He should at least be out of breath, especially at the pace he was walking.
Along the way Mark noticed things he never even knew about the area around his office. There was a restaurant only one block from his office that smelled amazing. He wasn’t sure what nationality the food was but he clearly smelled pork, chicken, some sweet peppers and fried potatoes. Suddenly he realized he hadn’t eaten and he was starving, so he headed toward the restaurant.
Why had he never noticed this place before? It was well hidden but the smell traveled for blocks and it smelled better than anything else he had ever eaten. As he got closer to the restaurant he smelled something else. It was the most horrid thing he had ever experienced. It was worse than in the police station with Alex. It smelled like shit mixed with sour milk, topped with rotting meat. He was no longer hungry, but he needed to know where the smell was coming from. Moments later a garbage truck whizzed by and he realized that this must be where the odor was coming from. How did he smell it blocks away?
Mark turned back toward the office, his appetite gone. He needed to talk to Sarah, tell her about Jen, and convince her that he had nothing to do with it. He only had two friends in his life, Jen and Sarah. The other people from his office were more acquaintances than friends.
Soon Mark walked up the three flights of stairs and arrived at his office. Again he was amazed at how little effort it took. The stairs were a good work out normally but now it didn’t even raise his heart rate. His breath was still as calm and steady as if he was standing still. As he reached the top he could hear his coworkers talking.
“Do you think he did it?” a male voice said.
“Probably Todd?” Mark thought to himself. “Todd never really liked me.” Also the voice sounded like Todd, the man who thought he should be in charge instead of Mark.
“No, he loved Jennifer. He was always talking about her,” a female voice said.
“Marcy, definitely Marcy,” Mark thought to himself again. Marcy was a kind woman with two kids. Mark would often swap kid stories with Marcy as they got their morning coffee.
“But did she love him the same way? We don’t know. And someone that much in love, finding out that it’s not reciprocated might just snap,” Todd surmised. “I mean look at Mark and then look at Jennifer.”
“Not everything is about looks. Jennifer loved him too.” Marcy replied. Marcy didn’t really know Jen but they had met a few times at company picnics and get-togethers.
Mark thought about this for a second as he stood at the door. Would everyone see it that way? What was a woman like Jen doing with a man like Mark? He didn’t think he was unattractive but she was seriously out of his league and apparently other people could see it too. The more he thought about it the more he realized that Jen was the only one who didn’t see it that way. She did love him as much as he loved her. This almost made Mark start crying again but he straightened himself and reached for the door.
