"Innocence Lost" -a short story (311 hits)
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Submitted by grant <grant_thornbrugh.at.baylor.edu> (View user info) at 2005-04-21 22:44:18 EDT
this is an excerpt from something I am working on for a school assignment, just trying to get some input...
"Innocence Lost"
The thin walls vibrated with the sharp, pulsating beat of an undistinguishable song. The air was thick with smoke, and the laughter of drunken college students echoed in the street. He knew this house all too well, the unkempt lawn, the peeling wallpaper, the whole sleazy atmosphere of it all. He used to spend Friday nights at this house, drinking away his problems, using whatever girl he could as a momentary escape from whatever may have been on his mind. Every weekend was the same, drink the night away, wake up next to someone he had never met, then leave the house to realize it was all just a temporary break from reality....
An entire year of college was wasted away in the same manner, until he met her. A quiet girl with an innocent smile, she was everything that he had always wanted in himself. She seemed to have everything together. She knew what she wanted to do with her life, how she wanted to get there, and that nothing was going to keep her from her dreams. He was drawn in by her confidence, by her sense of independence, and most of all, by her innocent nature. He saw her as a way to give himself a fresh start, erasing his past and starting a new life by her example. She saw potential in him, and they thrived off of each other's company. They were perfect for each other.
It was a late Friday night when she had gotten the call. One of her sorority sisters was at the house, drunk, and she needed somebody to drive her home. She did what any friend would do; she should have been back within the hour. How she ended up in the emergency room, drugged, raped, and in a vegetative state was anyone's guess. Except that it wasn't. He knew what happened to her. He knew who was responsible. He had spent countless nights in that house, and he knew exactly what she had endured.
....As he walked toward the house, the memories of her began to resurface. He had tried so hard to put it all behind him and move on, but it had gotten to the point where no amount of time could repair the damage. The feelings of guilt hit him like a tidal wave, but a little voice inside tried to reassure him that it was all beyond his control and he wasn't to blame. He pushed through the crowded yard and toward the door. Inside, the air reeked of liquor and smoke, bringing back memories of who he used to be. He moved toward the stairs, passing familiar faces that he now felt nothing but hatred toward. They were not who he was looking for.
He got to the stairs and started upward. Only a few people were allowed upstairs in this house, and he knew exactly who they were and what they would be doing. He reached into his jacket and clutched the pistol. His father had given it to him before leaving for school, a smirk on his face as he said, "You never know if you're gonna need this. Theres a lot of fucked up people out there". He had never been so right.
At the top of the stairs, there were two doors. Right door was the bathroom, left door was his room. Locked. He knew what that meant. His shoulder was enough to force it open. There he stood, the man who was the focus of his hatred and rage, pants around his ankles, leaning over a girl. Her eyes were open but lifeless. He shuddered as he imagined Her on the same bed, underneath this man, drugged into oblivion as he had his way with her. Without hesitation, he drew the gun. The man's expression changed from angry to horrified as the pistol was leveled at his chest. His face twisted in pain as the .45 caliber hollow point bullet tore through his abdomen and turned his organs into jelly. He staggered back into the wall, smearing it with his blood. The life faded from his eyes as six more rounds ripped through his body.
He stood there, still pulling the trigger, too engulfed in his rage to notice that he was holding an empty gun. He had hoped that this would change everything, that it would maybe take away some of the pain he had been living with. Nothing changed, he was still alone, and she was still gone.
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