Isaac felt utterly sick to his stomach, yet the oddest part that he really wasn't sure why he felt the way he did - or rather, he merely didn't want to admit the reason he felt the way he did. The deaths that had been plaguing Cedar City were undoubtedly disturbing, and Isaac knew that, but it didn't change the fact that none of it should have made him feel the way he had over the course of the past few weeks. With each new body found the gloom and the tension in the city seemed to increase, and by now Isaac couldn't even leave his damn house without feeling like he had to fear for his life. And in reality, he doubted he had much to fear. It was obvious enough to anyone that the victims of these murders had been those in prestigious positions, those who had been held dear by many civilians: an actress, loved by the many fans who came to see her in each and every performance; a cop, a man who had devoted his life to serving the city, to making sure that the safety of the citizens of Cedar City was a top priority; the high school coach, a man who spent his days being the role model to many students who passed through the school; and his father, a man who, despite his absence from his son's life, was a celebrated journalist looked up to by many. Isaac, on the other hand, was very much the opposite of the victims. Of course he was loved by his mother, his siblings, his step father, but for the most part he remained relatively unknown by most. He highly doubted that the murderer even knew that Joshua Kovach even had a son, and in Isaac's mind this insignificance made him safe. No, Isaac didn't feel the way he felt today due to any sort of fear for his life.
He felt sick to his stomach because of the murders - or rather, his father's murder in particular.
In reality Isaac really shouldn't have cared. It was painfully clear to Isaac growing up that his father hadn't; the man had always been far too focused on his career, and seemed to be uninterested in fathering a child in the slightest, but there was a part of Isaac that did care for his father. No matter how many times he told himself or those around him that his father's death wouldn't have any significant impact on him, he was reminded that he was lying to everyone around him each and every time he read a newspaper article detailing new information about the infamous murderer, or each and every time he so much as turned on the news. Each time it was just enough to make Isaac's day go a little less smoothly than he had anticipated. It made him feel weak - after all, Joshua Kovach was very much a stranger at this point - and Isaac utterly hated it.
The worst part was not the nausea, though, nor was it the fact that he felt any sort of concern for the safety of himself or his younger siblings. The worst part was that he couldn't even take his brother and sister to the damn park without being flooded of memories with his father. It was ridiculous, really; when Isaac was a very young child his father would take him to the park and while Isaac played on the playground, he would spend his time working and barely even paying attention to his son. Before his father's death Isaac had taken his siblings to the same park numerous times without being overwhelmed with not-so-great memories of his father, but after his father fell victim to murder it seemed the memories were all he could focus on. Perhaps it was a bit rash to cut their first time to the park since his father's death short - his mother made sure to embed the knowledge into him that he would begin to miss the time he spent with them after they were grown up, after all - but quite frankly, Isaac was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with each passing second at the park. He wasn't sure he'd be taking his siblings here again for quite a long time.
His siblings hadn't reacted very well to the fact that they would be leaving the park much earlier than expected, and it had been enough to reinforce the idea that Isaac, no matter how much he loved his brother and sister, never wanted to have kids. They had outright ignored him each time he had attempted to catch their attention, and once he had managed to catch their attention long enough for him to tell them it was time to go home, they had made him chase them around the playground. It wouldn't have been so bad, really, if it weren't for the fact that he had to walk home, but it was a little more than aggravating, after chasing them, to have to carry his sister while his brother clung onto his leg on the way home. He was becoming more and more certain that this would be the last time he'd babysit his siblings for a while.
Exhaling a loud, aggravated sigh as he repositioned his sister in his arms, Isaac couldn't help but notice bits and pieces of the conversation three others in the park were having as he passed by them - a conversation that was all too familiar.
"And I apologize, but my condolences. I've lost my loved ones -"
That was enough to prompt Isaac to pick up the pace as he passed by the three, though he couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes and exhaling a quiet scoff. Isaac had experienced his fair share of people offering their apologies for the death of his father, as if Joshua Kovach had even played a big enough part in his life for his death to impact him. It had gotten on his last nerve, and even if the apologies weren't directed towards him, he had already decided that he had heard enough forced condolences for a life time. As the man continued to speak, however, the words piqued Isaac's curiosity. He was offering them free shit - and Isaac loved free shit. Perhaps he hadn't heard enough condolences for a lifetime. Offering his little brother a sheepish grin, Isaac reached his hand out to take hold of his brother's hand as he turned and took a couple of small steps towards the three.
"You guys are talking about the murders, right?" It was probably rude to interject the way he had, but he didn't think twice of it as he took a good look at the two women: Melissa Cole and Channing Rodgers. Yeah, they were definitely talking about the murders. "Well, gee, this is awkward - it's like family-members-of-murder-victims anonymous, but I didn't get an invite." Was he being too insensitive? Isaac cleared his throat as his gaze darted back and forth between the two women. It was likely that both of the women in front of him had decent relationships with their lost loved ones, unlike him. It was even more likely that Isaac was simply making an ass of himself, but he couldn't stop the words from escaping as he turned to face the man. "Yo, my man! So, uh, my name is Isaac Kovach," he began, making sure to place an emphasis on his surname, "You wanna possibly extend that invitation to a lonely kid without a dad? I could really go for some self defence... stuff." Was it bad that he wasn't even that interested at the prospect of taking any sort of self defence courses? The idea of anything free was appealing enough for Isaac to interject, but he wasn't exactly ecstatic at the idea of learning self defense skills. On the contrary, he was quickly embarrassing himself more than he had meant to. Isaac's grip on his brother's hand tightened slightly as he pursed his lips and dropped his gaze to the ground. How damn awkward - he was beginning to realize he should have just stayed home and gotten high today.
YOU ARE READING
SPLATTER (draft)
Mystère / ThrillerIt's been on National TV. The obsession of the local newspaper. Fear in every resident's heart that compels them to lock their doors at night and to keep the dog loose. To never stay out past eight, or dark. The first body they found was of a you...
