Murder Yours Truly

Apolgies

Alex turned and passed the corner into the kitchen, avoiding my existence entirely. "Why would you-" I started to see in smudged colors. "We did it to cover our tails, Kate. It's bad for business if we have investigators sniffing around all the time." He slowly grew more distant as he spoke, his presence now far. "Why tell me? What is he getting out of this?" I whispered slowly. I clasped the ends of his shirt, trying to not shake as much anymore. It didn't work.

    He came back with his light grin on, waving me over to him. "There's one more thing I want to show you." I stared at him, studying his innocent smile and calm blue eyes. He sighed and shifted his weight, "I promise I won't say anything... disturbing." He waved his hand again and turned for the couch. I stood slowly, the feeling in my body returned in pieces. As I stepped onto the gray carpet, Alex patted the couch besides him. I nodded and slowly felt my way around the couch. My mind traveled back to when I switched on the T.V. and saw the cameras. "You said you wouldn't do anything disturbing-" "I don't know what you're talking about." He pulled the T.V. remote from the table and paused before he switched it on. "I said I wouldn't say anything disturbing." I stared at the table in front of us, "I saw it earlier-" "Even if you saw the cameras already, it's something else." He glanced at me and hesitated, his eyes turned back to the black screen, "If you don't want to see, close your eyes until I say."

I did. I closed my eyes. I held my eyes shut until he told me it was safe to look. "Okay," He said calmly, "Go ahead." My eyes fell on the screen, one square filled it. It was blood-covered metal just like the cell I was kept in. I winced and closed my eyes again with both of my palms. "But you said!-" Alex leaned over and gently touched my wrists, "I know, I know." He was closer to me now, his chest rising and lowering against my upper arm. Something about that.. calmness he had made me relax and trust his words. His soft fingers lead my hands away from my eyes and I saw what he wanted me to see. "That's your coworker, correct?"

    I couldn't look away now. The gray, shaking ball in the center of a familiar cell was Paul. "I'm going to turn the sound on, okay?" He whispered and waited for my response. I nodded slowly. A button was pressed and I could hear his moaning and sighing. He was crying. A buzz faded through the speakers. Zach is speaking now. Wrong. "Paul," Alex called. His voice was echoed back at us. Paul pulled himself onto his knees, his eyes looking around the room frantically. "He-..HELP!!" He was whining and begging with tears running down his cheeks. "Kathryn is here. I believe you have something to tell her?" He asked clearly so Paul could react accordingly. "Kathryn.. Kat— I'm.." he tried to stand a few times, his whole body shaking violently, "I'm sorry! Kathryn I'm the one who-" he stopped spinning and searching when he found the camera. His eyes were genuine and corroded with fear. He believed this was his last shot at redemption. He had to, this was the only shred of hope he had left. "It's my fault! I didn't mean to! I couldn't- I'm sorry!" He was babbling unsuccessfully. Begging for forgiveness from me and from his soon-to-be killers. I didn't understand it.

    Alex muted the television and looked at me. "We were going to auction him off to the lower levels but he wouldn't stop this mess." His hand popped up and lazily gestured at the screen. "Hours of crying and begging for you. He kept on and on... 'I'm sorry Kathryn.'" Alex leaned against the couch and sighed. "He said that your parents died because of him. Something about a call being ignored." Alex sat against the couch, waiting for my reaction. My mind refused to let me react. Paul? Paul let those calls go by? He's the one who could've saved them?! "No, he couldn't have..." I stared at Alex, refusing with passion, "No!" Alex sighed as though he expected that exact reaction. He held my knee and forced patience, "Trust me, Kate. If you want to hear it from him yourself, you just have to ask."

I felt like throwing up. I had felt remorse for the guy and guilty for whatever I could've done to make him so torn up. I had wished I could be the one who got him, and everyone else, out of here. 

But now?