BANG

• Josh Angus
• Short Story
• 2006

My name was James White. I was a 13 year old and came from a neighbourhood of violence, drugs and gang wars. Growing up in this type of neighbourhood was very hard. My mum had been murdered when I was ten years old, the killer had also tried to murder me but I had escaped unscratched thanks to my mother. She had sacrificed herself to save my life. I can remember every detail of my mother’s killer. My dad was in jail for the attempted murder of my mother’s killer. I lived with my two foster parents Xavier & Elektra, they were kind people, I guess, although I didn’t really know what kindness was.

There I was, walking down the dark and lonesome alley towards Wilkson Park. I had just had a fight with my foster parents, it was so stupid. It was about my behaviour, I had just been suspended for punching this kid in the face. My foster parents got really annoyed at me and had grounded me for two weeks. But disobeying them totally I decided to go for a walk, and there I was at Wilkson Park. I decided to go and sit down on the park seat. Suddenly, just as I had sat down, light flooded into my view. I raised my right hand up to my eyes. All of a sudden it occurred to me that I had seen that very car parked outside my house. I remember it so clearly because of its metallic black coat and because of the sound of its engine. The strange thing was that the driver who I assumed was male kept his car circling always keeping his distance…

5 MINUTES LATER
I was starting to get very apprehensive. All these thoughts flooded into my mind. What if he was a serial killer or what if he had tortured and killed lots of people. All of thoughts reminded me of the death of my mother. Another thought struck my mind, what if this man was my mothers killer, what if he had come back three years later to finish the job. What I did next could be called preposterous by some, daring and smart by others. I ran, ran as fast as my legs could take me. Then I heard the loud roar of the engine and the smell of burning rubber.
I glanced behind me and saw him speeding towards me. After running for about one minute tiredness started sweeping over my body, I couldn’t stop it my lungs were getting tighter and tighter. Then I realised that I was having an asthma attack. My worst nightmare, I had to stop and take my Ventolin. Stopping had caused me precious seconds, by the time I felt better he had stopped the car and was only one meter away. He slowly opened the metallic black car door. As soon as the door opened complete and utter silence swept over the park. I blinked once and he was standing right in front of me. It occurred to me at that very second that this was my mother’s killer. He had come back to finish the job. He was just in arms reach. I blinked again and he had a gun to my head, he cocked it, put it to my head and pulled the trigger.

BANG


I was dead, I had been murdered by the same man that killed my mother.