“Don’t fight it Alex, this is for your own good.”

“It was John’s voice that penetrated that dark room! Before I could respond, John shoved me into a closet and slammed the door shut. I could hear him scrounging around on the other side, pushing the random objects of ancient furniture against the door. I started pounding on the door and screaming as loud as a hurricane for someone to help me. After a few minutes, the noises on the other side of the door vanished and I realized I was alone.”

“I continued to pound on the door for hours, becoming more hysterical with time. I couldn’t understand why John would do this. I didn’t do anything to upset him and this was definitely not some joke. After several hours, I stopped yelling and I decided to wait out the night in the confines of the closet.”

“I awoke to the noise of shuffling outside. I began to scream so someone would know I was there, but the sound faded away. I tried the door again, and I found it to be open and the outside to be clear of debris. This confused me even more. John was the only one who knew I was there. Why would he let me go after one night?” A look of hatred begins to form over Alex’s face.

“I decided to head home as my parents were probably frantic about me by now. I also wanted to tell them what happened and make sure John got the wrath of my revenge. As I walked onto my street, I noticed police cars in front of my house. I began sprinting to my house. Had John done something to my family as well?”

“I was stopped by a police officer at the door. He told me that it was too gory for me to go inside, the crime too awful to be witnessed. I pushed past him to see my house in shambles, and my parents dead on the floor. They were holding hands, as if they knew the end was coming, but could do nothing to stop it. Their heads were bashed in to the point almost beyond recognition. When I saw this scene, I knew that John had played part in it. Because of our friendship, he put me out of the way so he could rob and and kill my family.” Maria begins to shake and cry.

“I tried to tell the police this story, but they said John had the perfect alibi. There was no way he could…”

“Stop,” screams Maria “you have the situation wrong.” Maria is now on the ground, crying with rage. However, her voice is clear and determined. Through her sobs, she continues and says, “John told me what really happened a few years ago. He had overheard a conversation earlier in the day about a gang that was planning to rob your house. The robbers saw him eavesdropping and chased him, but he was able to escape. He knew he couldn’t call the police as the other members of the gang would know it was him who ratted them out and come after his family. He decided to make sure that you were out of harms way. He knew you wouldn’t stand by while your family was in danger and he didn’t have much time, so he decided to try and hide you someplace for your own protection. He then tried to head to your parents house and warn them, but he was too late. The next day he released you from the theater and went to college an hour later. He kept the ordeal a secret all this time until now.”

Alex appeared shocked at the end of the tale. Could all of this really be true? After many minutes of deep thought, Alex said “well, I guess I should apologize for killing John.”