The Red - Handed Boy

Chapter 6: Aftermath

[Aftermath Arc]

Mr. Kindle and Mrs. Kindle arrived to their home in a crazed flurry. Or what used to be their home. It was charred black and nearly burnt to the ground.
"ASHLEY! ASHLEY!" Mrs. Kindle kept screaming,
"W-Where is she?" Mr. Kindle asked sullenly.
"She's dead." Kent said.
He arrived three minutes before the Kindles with his family, and Kent was shell-shocked.
The firemen were still putting out the last of the fires, there were neighbors standing, doing nothing to help.
Polices officers walked towards the Kindles.
"Hello you two, you can call me Officer Ether."
"WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR DAUGHTER? WHERE IS OUR DAUGHTER?!" Mrs. Kindle screamed.
Officer Ether looked at the Kindles with a solemn sympathy.
"A young boy followed your daughter home and burned her alive, setting the house aflame as well. There are no remnants of her body aside from the ashes left from the fire."
"Young b-boy?" Mr. Kindle asked with irateness.
"His name is Indie." Kent said as he walked towards the Kindles.
"I go to school with him, or at least used to."
Kent's parents walked behind him.
"Yes. It seems that what or this ordeal was going down, our son called Ashley, and apparently she never hung up the phone. We tried to come here as fast as we could. But it appears we were too late. Please, accept our condolences." Kent's mother told the Kindles.
Kent's mother turned towards the neighbors and bystanders.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?! DID NO ONE SEE THIS HAPPEN?! DID NO ONE SEE THIS MONSTER FOLLOW MY DAUGHTER? WHY? WHY DID NO ONE DO ANYTHING?!"
She was crying.
"Please... why didn't anyone save her?"
Kent's father walked up to her,
"Mrs. Kindle, you might not find this helpful, but I'd like to tell you that someone close to em died as well, my younger brother. It was fifteen years ago when he died by being struck by electricity. It was so sudden—"
"DON'T TRY TO CHEER ME UP! MY DAUGHTER DIED! DO YOU NOT CARE YOU EVIL - HEARTED SALTINE!"
Kent's father looked at Mrs. Kindle with a. heartbreaking glance of pity. Mr. Kindle walked to comfort his wife, and then turned to Officer Ether.
"S-So where are we gonna l-live?" He asked Ether quietly.
"If you have insurance, you'll get around the same amount of money that this house cost, but until then, if you have any friends or family members you can stay with..."
Mr. Kindle nodded his head. And the Kindles walked towards their car, taking one last look at the cindered house, and getting in it and driving off.
Officer Ether looked at Kent's family.
"I apologize for asking this, but may I take Kent in for some questioning?"
Kent's parents looked at each other, then looked at Kent. Kent looked at his parents, his eyes subdued.
"I'll go."
His voice sounded bleak and out of focus. Officer Ether looked at Kent, and then took him to the police station. They went into a room, and Officer Ether began asking Kent questions. Kent felt empty, but he answered every question to his full ability. He never hesitated or stuttered with his answers. Until Officer Ether asked him,
"Why do you think Indie killed Ashley?"
For a split second, Kent's eyes came to life, they looked heartbroken and hurt.
But then it was back to normal.
"Indie liked Ashley, and he always texted her.  Ashley texted me as well. One day, Ashley discovered that Indie screenshotted their messages. It wasn't as weird or creepy as everything else he did, but that pushed her over the edge, and she blocked him. Then a short amount of time after that, me and Ashley got together. Indie kept begging people to ask Ashley to unblock him. I couldn't take it anymore, he was so pitiful, I forced Ashley to unblock him. He didn't text her anymore after that though. I didn't know what happened. He looked like he was finally getting over her this year, he was even starting to act normal, but then today he was absent, and one hour ago, I found out he..."
Kent's emotionless words begin to drift off. Officer Ether noticed this.
"It's okay. You've said more than enough—"
"Why? Why did he do this? What caused him to change so suddenly?"
Kent's voice was still bleak and dull, but now you could hear a hint of sympathy.  Kent's eyes were filled with a new emotion, ambition.
I know that look in his eyes, Officer Ether thought.
"Kent, listen to me. I know how you feel, but don't do anything you'll regret."
Kent looked at Officer Ether,
"I won't."
After that, he asked Kent a few more questions, and then let him go. Kent's father picked him up, when Kent got in the car, he said,
"Dad, you never told me you had a younger brother."
Kent's dad responded, "I don't."
"But then—"
"So what did he talk to you about?"
Kent looked at his father,
"He just asked me some questions about Indie. I told him everything I knew—"
At that moment, Kent's mother called, Kent's father answered. They talked a little bit before he handed the phone to Kent.
"Hello?" He asked.
"Are you okay?" She asked him coldly.
"Yeah I—"
"I knew I should've never let you talk to that boy. He was always a little off at your school, and now he's killing children. I want you to forget you even know him. Pretend that he's dead."
Kent was shocked.
"Okay?" She asked emotionlessly.
Kent contemplated.
"Okay."
Then she hung up, Kent gave his dad the phone. Kent's dad noticed that Kent felt disturbed. He thought for a long time. Finally he said,
"Son. Do whatever you think is best. You're only young once, and young people have no time for regrets. Sometimes, you have to do things, because if you don't, you'll wonder for the rest of your life what would happen if you did. It doesn't matter how bad it is, some things have to be done. No matter how me and your mother act sometimes, remember, we will always love you."
Kent looked at his father, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he smiled.
When they got home, Kent went to his room. He was silent for the rest of the evening.
Kent's mother went to his room.
"Kent? Kent?"
He didn't answer.
"KENT?!"
She opened the door, and found that Kent was missing...