The Mind of a Hero

Chapter Ten: I Know What I Saw

"We ran out of the apartment with his blood on my clothes", Elmer quipped, and Davey wrote it down quickly. "Albert called the police, we waited for them to come, I cried, and they let us go after questioning."

Davey hummed, still writing. Elmer had been meaning to ask him if his wrists hurt at all. "What happened after?"

"We lied low for a while." Elmer scratched at his orange jumpsuit, feeling the tough fabric catch on his finger nail. "We went to races, but we didn't stay as late as usual. Finch used to yell at us for that, but we told him we picked up some other jobs, and needed to sleep more. He understood."

Davey hummed, scrubbing into the notepad. "So life was normal for a while, yeah? How long?"

"A year", Elmer shrugged, glancing at Jack. "We just kept doing what we usually did. You know, shopping, races, dates—couple stuff."

"Until Harley Binkin, right?" Elmer nodded at Jack's question, and Davey smiled to himself. "Tell us about him."

Elmer cleared his throat. "He was another guy at the races. Not really a racer, or mechanic, just another guy coming to bet and watch pretty girls. But he got too close."

Elmer sipped from a red solo cup as he looked around the dark night sky, lights flashing in his face as people gathered and spoke, like high schoolers at one of the many dances Elmer was too poor to attend. He remembered Albert telling him about his own prom, and how he went with Finch as his date. Elmer thought it was cute, but he couldn't help the jealousy that furled within him.

"Hey, kid", Finch called, and Elmer turned around at the nickname. "Can you come help me with this break line? Roo's on his break."

"Sure", he mumbled, and Elmer walked into the tent with familiarity, barely adjusting to the contrasting white light shining through it. He greeted the other bike mechanics he'd never spoken to besides a few polite words, and handed Finch what he needed. "You always wanted to be a mechanic, right?"

"Hell no", Finch chuckled, and Elmer furrowed his brows. He watched as Finch opened the gage of someone's motorcycle, and placed his hands in. "I wanted to be a bird breeder. I still do. This just...It gets me enough money to get through college."

Elmer chuckled. "A scholarly man, huh? I find it hard to believe no one's got you yet, man. You're a catch."

"Thanks", Finch responded, smirking casually. "I'll tell my boyfriend you said so."

Elmer smiled amusedly and looked out of the tent. People passed by casually, not caring about the time rushing without them, laughing on the dark side of the tent. He barely recognized people as they passed, shadows contouring their faces with expert skill. No one stood out to him regardless, and he quietly continued people watching.

People never provided much interest to Elmer before; they seemed basic most of the time, as if God created a mold He refused to change. When people were watching, Elmer wondered who believed in God and who didn't, and if the god they believed in borrowed the same mold his god used. Everyone was all the same. But the extravagance of the people of the races, in their flashy outfits, the boys remaining cool and the girls remaining available, ignited his interest as to why they would dress that way, and if it meant anything to them.

Elmer remembered dressing that way, but he couldn't say it held any importance to him. He opted to wear jeans and one of Albert's t-shirts as a means to a more outstanding number, and it worked for him. No one bothered to look at or for him, and he wasn't one to complain about it. He knows Albert wouldn't say anything either.

However, despite his frustration, some people would catch Elmer's eye, and he would stare at them. He wondered what happened to them, and why they did certain things, like walk over cracks and lines in the sidewalk, or limp. He wouldn't find them intriguing normally, just people who happened to break God's mold, but sometimes something told him they were wrong, on the inside.

A girl walked out of a makeshift alley, between two of the trucks that carried the bikes to the races. She was holding herself, and had a red bruise across her cheek, one that was lighter than the red lights shining in her terrified eyes. Elmer pierced a look at her, behind the disheveled clothing, and noticed a barely there heavy breathing accompanying her other symptoms. She walked as if she'd run a mile, and her legs were too painful to stand on, but she persevered, despite the tears in her eyes.

Elmer continued to watch her until she rounded the corner, and he couldn't see her anymore. He wondered why she limped.

He looked back at the alleyway, and watched as a smug looking man emerged from it. His clothes weren't sitting on him correctly, as if they were put back on quickly, and there were red scratch marks up and down his arms, as if he'd been mauled unsuccessfully. Still, he walked with a swagger, and a small smirk on his face. His chest pumped up and down rather excitedly, and Elmer would've swore he'd won a marathon. He looked happy.

"I connected the dots", Elmer voiced, staring at Davey and Jack's sad faces. "I knew he'd hurt that girl. I was the only one there who bothered to look at them."

"What do you know about the girl?" Elmer turned to look at Davey, who'd stopped fiddling with his pencil. "Did you know her?"

"I'd never seen her before", Elmer admitted, and Jack blinked in surprise.

"You murdered someone", Jack began, "for a complete stranger. Why?"

Elmer shrugged, twiddling his thumbs. He could remember what it felt like to see his uncle enter his room, to take advantage of him; it was a weight that held him down, and he knew he'd never get rid of it. "I just hoped she...I didn't want her to search for closure from him. I wanted her to trust in karma."

"Did she ever contact you again?"

"Yes", Elmer nodded. "I thought she'd be upset with me but...it was a really nice letter. I think about her a lot. Last I heard she was getting mental health help, or something. I think she's okay now. I invited her to come to the", Elmer took a deep breath, "death thing, but she said no."

"Maybe she didn't want to see you die", Davey reasoned, looking up from his journal. Elmer shrugged.

"Maybe."

"What are you saying?" Albert stared at his boyfriend with confusion, and Elmer sighed out. "Did you see any of it or-"

"What? What kind of question is that?" Fed up and confused, or not, that wasn't a question Elmer wanted to hear. It didn't matter how much he saw—he saw it, them, walking from between those two trucks. She was barely there, and he was proud of himself. "It doesn't fucking matter how much I saw. The point is that I know what that looks like, and it happened."

"Okay", Albert accepted, and Elmer allowed him to hold his hand. "I'm sorry. What I meant was do you know them?"

Elmer shook his head, a saddened look befalling his face. "I'm sure the girl went home. But he might still be here. To, like, brag, or something."

"It's too late for a search party", Albert mumbled to himself. Elmer knew their time would run out soon, and the night would fall on them just as it does the rest of the world, but his hope still shined like it was day. "Next month, we'll see if he's here. Then we can make our move. Okay?"

Elmer agreed, although reluctantly, and allowed Albert to walk him to their car.

"I don't know what I was thinking at that moment", Elmer mumbled, a saddened look on his face. He stared down at his lap and smiled softly, sniffling softly. "A part of me was mad that we couldn't look for him sooner, but another part was...I didn't want to fight with Albert. I think I knew something wasn't going to go right this time."

"You thought he would die."

"No. I didn't think he would die. I just knew what I wanted to know."

Davey furrowed his brows, halting the sounds of his pencil against the paper. "What does that mean, exactly?"

Elmer shrugged, much to Davey's disappointment. Jack shook his head in amusement. "Just quote me."