The Confession Of Zakary Jameson

Chapter 31- Afterwards

(Present Day)

Agent Alexander Donovan

I slowly reached out and picked up the small recorder from it's place in the center of the table. We had been sitting in silence for over a minute, having run out of things to say.

Zak was staring at his folded hands. By his expression, I could tell that he was working something out in his mind.

At last, he lifted his head to look at me.

"Did you mean it?" He asked.

I frowned. "Mean what?"

"That you were trying to forgive me."

This brought me to think carefully about that. I had told told Samantha that almost two months previous in the hospital. I shrugged, turning off the recorder and sticking it into my suit pocket.

"I grew up going to church and learning that everyone deserved forgiveness, that to not forgive was to not be forgiven ourselves. I intend to live that way, even though you killed my friend and messed up my life."

Zakary smiled a little.

"Thanks," he said quietly. I nodded.

Zak's shoulders sagged a little, and he went pale.

"Are you okay?" I asked, though I pretty much knew the answer.

"Yeah. Just dying," he told me with a sarcastic tone. I was tempted to smile, but knew that it would be...inappropriate.

"Have you heard anything?" I asked regarding his health.

Zak shook his head.

"They're really surprised I've lasted this long. I could go any time between two hours and two months, they can't be sure. I think it's soon, though," he explained to me.

"Why is that?" I asked. Though I had come close several times over the past six months, I didn't know what it felt like to be as close to dying as he was. When does one gain that surprising knowledge that their time was almost up?

"I'm so tired...I feel almost numb, like my mind and my body aren't connected. Like I'm sleepwalking."

I could see how tiring the last two hours had been for him. He had looked almost normal when I had (after a lot of work) walked into the room to talk to him. Now, he looked like he was closed to collapsing on himself. His elbows supported the shoulders that seemed to weight a hundred points. A small amount of sweat had gathered on his brow, though it was quite chilly.

"You should probably be getting back to the hospital," I told him. He nodded quickly.

I slowly got to my feet, feeling a soreness in my middle back where the scar from my surgery was.

Just as I was beginning to walk from the room, I heard a quiet cackle.

"You know, Alex, I've been thinking a lot about what makes us different with such similar backgrounds," Jameson began.

No.

He had picked up on the detail of the story that I had alluded to, but never gone into.

"And I think I have it figured out."

"Zak, you better pick your next words very carefully..." I warned him.

Another cackle, then a throaty cough.

"What makes us different is that your mom knew what yer dad was doing to you when she wasn't around!" He delivered the finishing blow.

I spun around to confront him, but was stopped halfway by a sharp pain in my back. I cried out and collapsed to the ground.