Come Out It's Dark in There

Guilty Conscious

        I remember begging my mom and dad to be apart of the search party that afternoon. My mom and dad both expressed their concerns about it. Naming all the dangers and possibly finding out the person had died in a gruesome way. However, after begging for maybe the 20th time they agreed to let me go.

        Of course there were also townspeople who didn't like the fact I was there. Saying I was too young and probably didn't know what to do. While, I could not retort the fact I was certainly young, I could say I knew the forest layout and possible sinkhole locations. 

         Though many folks still didn't believe I'd be of any use, Mr. Sheraz, the leader of the search party, wanted to hold on to anything that could help. So, he ordered some of the townsfolk to help search the forest with me. It seemed he was putting all hope onto me to find his daughter alive. Which was making me feel like shit cause she was certainly dead by now.

         My group was now at the forests edge. Most were holding shovels, ropes, and flashlights since they already expected the worst. I made about 3/4 of the ones with shovels dig at four random sinkholes, and 1/4 to dig at the sinkhole I threw her in. Then, I took the rest to search at the north of the stream, so I wouldn't have to see her corpse.

         We ended up searching till the sunset. All of us were tired from walking for hours. So, we head back to the edge of the forest to find the police and grim looking townsfolk.

         Sure enough they dug up her body. The police officers were asking some of the people about it. Most people I passed were scowling at me. And, once one of the cops noticed I was there, he headed towards me.

         "So, did you find her?" the police officer asked. What they didn't find her? Does that mean she might be alive? Wait, but why would people be looking at me then?

         "No, we didn't sadly... Did you?" the older woman said. He nodded. "Then, why'd you ask?"I inquired. The officer seemed to be taken aback by my question.

         "Well, it's just..." he stated while glancing at me for a few seconds, "some people think it's suspicious she was found this quickly..." "Are you implying she had something to do with Priest Sheraz's daughter's death? Because she's a girl and certainly not capable of such a thing... It's probably just some misunderstanding or a coincidence." one of the men behind me shouted. If only he knew...

        The police officer not wanting any conflict just backed down. "The nerve of some people..." I heard another man whisper. They didn't understand though that they're suspicions were true. I had killed her.

         I even wanted to tell the truth, then. But, the fear of what would people think of me held me back. No, it wasn't their opinions it was hers. If Veronica knew what would she do? Well she'd definitely hate me...

         Why I cared about this, I had not a clue. All I knew was I wanted her to keep showering me with attention and love. Even though I don't deserve it....