Thought You Knew (based on A Gorey Demise)

"B is for Billy who was eaten by ghouls..."

[[Yeah yeah, I know. This chapter is supposed to be about zombies or some other ghastly creature. But I really liked the unique twist the original author put into this chapter, so I decided to stay true to it.]]
        So it persisted, that gut feeling I mentioned in the previous chapter. I guessed that it had gone away the following morning, after pushing Amber into our backyard pool. But as I stated prior, it returned on the fifth day of living my life as a murderer. Every day since, I pretended to be gloomy and quiet around my parents or other family members, as if I were grieving for the loss of my sister. Of course they all fell for it. In fact, getting away with murder was far easier than I had imagined. Perhaps I could get away with it more than once... I recall thinking to myself.
        I woke up feeling particularly upbeat that fifth morning; it had nice, sunny weather, and all was peaceful and quiet. I would have been perfectly content with sleeping in more, but some unknown motivation drove me to awaken from my slumber and make my way down the stairs. I kept up my fake act of moping around, barely saying a word to my parents.
        "Good morning, Curtis." My mom made a weak attempt at a smile. I waved and sat in my usual chair at the far end of the kitchen table. After I ate my breakfast, got dressed and did whatever else the usual morning routine called for, I heard the house phone ring. My mom picked it up.
        "Hello? Oh hi, Billy. Yes, let me get him." She put a hand over the phone and turned to me. "Curtis, it's Billy. He wants to talk to you." I walked over and received the phone. Billy was a neighborhood friend of mine who I met in grade four, three years before the events of that day.
        "Hello?" I mimicked my Mother's earlier greeting.
        "Hey, Curtis! What's up?" 
        "Nothing much, you?" I answered a generic question with a generic reply.
        "Yeah, not much. I've just been around the house all summer. I've been so bored! Oh," he paused, considering whether or not he should bring up the topic, "I heard about Amber. I'm sorry that happened." I tried so hard to stifle my laughter and not tell him that it was me who did it. It was difficult, but I refrained. Instead, I let out a lengthy sigh.
        "It's been a lot quieter around here without her. I miss her constant cheerfulness. Her life ended too soon..." I let my voice trail off, as if I were holding back tears. Then it came to me. The sensation. The feeling at the pit of my gut. But that time, I could recognize it. I smirked as a twisted, evil and menacing idea came to my shattering mind. The moment I came up with it, I knew I would be able to carry it out with no problem, no regrets, and no second thoughts.
        "Hey, I know! Do you want to hang out today? It will take my mind off of Amber and give you something to do," I suggested, trying not to sound too eager.
        "Great idea! I'll be over in a few minutes, okay?"
        "Okay." I hung up the phone and set it on the kitchen counter next to our drippy sink. It was then time to put my plan to action. After all, I only had a few minutes to prepare. I snuck into my Dad's workshop and took a screwdriver off of a dusty shelf in a far corner of the room. I placed it in my pocket and went up on my tippy toes to reach the top shelf. On it was a pair of bolt cutters, which were essential to my plan. I went outside and approached the fence separating our yard from our neighbors. Ghoul, the dog I had mentioned previously, was sleeping peacefully on the other side. I quietly crept up to the fence gate and readied the bolt cutters. I broke the lock and took it off the gate, slipping it into the pocket opposite to the screwdriver. Then, I set the bolt cutters aside and grasped the screwdriver, pulling it out of my sweater pocket. The flat tip gleamed briefly as the sunlight caught it. I crouched lower and loosened the hinges of the gate so it would be easier for Ghoul to knock down later. I rushed back into my house and replaced the tools back where I discovered them. Lastly, I sat on the porch and waited for my next victim.
        Billy strolled along approximately five minutes later. He waved as he waltzed down the street in his light gray T-shirt, jean shorts and black runners.
        "Hey, Curtis!" he called out innocently. He was so oblivious, so unknowing of his upcoming fate.
        "Hi," I responded dully. I glanced over at the soccer ball sitting a few feet away from my porch. 
        "Want to toss the ball around?" I asked as I stood up.
        "Oh, sure," he nodded and proceeded to walk down the street. I hesitated before the ball. I momentarily glimpsed at the gate, then back at Billy. My plan wouldn't have worked if he was all the way over there.
        "Hold on, can you go over there, please?" I pointed towards the gate. He gave me a confused look but shrugged.
        "Okay, I guess." He positioned himself in front of the gate. I found it challenging not to smile manically, but somehow I managed. I aimed carefully, knowing that if I screwed it up, I most likely wouldn't get another chance. Then I threw the ball as hard as I could at Billy's head. It hit him with a painful SMACK! He bellowed out and dropped to the ground. A shrill sound filled the air, alerting me that Ghoul was awake. At the time, all I could hear was a frightening mixture of Ghoul's cries, Billy groaning as he rubbed his temples, and my own rapid heartbeat. That's when pure insanity seemed to take complete control over my mind, drowning out all sensibility that I could've claimed to have owned before. I rushed over to Billy, who was starting to recover from the hit. Before he had a chance to get up, I tightly gripped his arm and dragged him over to the gate. He gave me a panicked look.
        "Curtis?! What the hell do you think you're doing? Let me go!" I ignored his pleas and threw him against the gate. He once again dropped like a fly, but to insure he wouldn't get away, I stomped on his knee as hard as I could. I heard a satisfying crack and a blood-curdling shriek of agony. I hid behind a bush and watched excitedly. I was as happy as a little girl being taken to Disney World. I laughed wickedly as Ghoul crashed through the gate and threw himself onto Billy. I chuckled mercilessly as Ghoul tore at his limbs and ripped into his soft flesh. I howled manically as Ghoul dug into Billy's chest and ate him alive. It was a graphic image, but I couldn't be more pleased to have witnessed it. The sound of a door opening caught my sudden attention.
        "Ghoul, shut up! Be qui-" My neighbor's sentence was cut off abruptly as her eyes laid upon the gruesome scene before her. She screamed in absolute horror as she fled back into her house. Ghoul ran back into the yard as soon as he heard his name, allowing me to get closer to what I had created. I knelt down next to Billy's mangled corpse. I slowly ran my hands through his still warm blood and smeared it down my face. I giggled like a school girl and grinned widely. It was that feeling of accomplishment, victory, and dominance that I wanted more of. I knew that I wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Oh no, that definitely wasn't the end. That was only the beginning of a marvelous massacre. When I heard the lady come back outside I buried my face into my hands, acting like I was grieving for my friend. That's when my mom came out and discovered what had happened. She ran up to me and put her arm around me.
        "Curtis! Are you okay?" she asked in a worried tone. I nodded as I forced fake tears to come to my eyes.
        "Go back inside," my mother ordered. Without question, I returned to the house, while that silly little grin made its way back onto my blood soaked face.