House Of the Desperate (COMPLETED)

Chapter 16

I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday! I fell asleep as soon as I got home and slept into the next day. You know those tiresome days. -Sharmane

Chapter 16

Emma left the room, reeling with guilt, and she clearly showed it through her non-stop panic attack. Her whole body was shaking like she was having a fit, and nobody could do anything to calm her down, and nobody cared.

Emma continued to cry in her bed, screaming, "why?! Why me?!" repeatedly. The others tried to get over the shock of what had just happened: Ruth was dead, but they were now presumably either a month closer to getting out, or a month postponed for voting time. Even Paul and Lucy showed no consideration for Emma, since she had done a terrible thing that could not be undone. Emma was still in the bedroom, and she planned on staying in there for the rest of the day and night. Her face was a mess, and she continued to shake, having to live with the fact that she had killed someone. Ruth was right - she did regret it, and nothing could now be done to bring her back.

The next day, Emma got up before everybody else, and she sat silently in the garden, thinking about things. She did not just think about what she had done, but also the fact that she was so desperate to get out. She also thought about how she was going to tell her family if she was to get out of there alive. Since nobody had spoken to her yet, and she had been left out by the others, Emma was surprised to see that Paul offered to talk to her.

"You want to talk?" he asked her.

"Not really", replied Emma, not even looking at him while she spoke.

"It helps to talk. Believe me, I know".

"Do you know what it's like to kill someone?"

"No...but I'm a teacher, so I can be there for you".

"Nothing is going to make things better now".

"Not even seeing your family?"

Emma now looked at him. Paul was waiting for a reply. He was a good person, and he wanted to help Emma through her traumatic experience.

"That's who you did it for, isn't it?"

"When I get out of here", Emma begun, "I'm going to have to face my family and tell them that I have commited murder, and I will go to prison for the next twenty-five years!"

"It might not be that long - you could have a psychological examination, and the judge might understand why you did it, in the position that you were in".

Emma looked at Paul. "Do you understand why I did it?" she asked.

"I think so. I think that it was a spur the moment thing. I can tell you have remorse for what you did. At that very moment, you were very confused, and you weren't thinking straight. Knowing that your life was on the line, you felt like you had to do anything possible to get that one place - even murder".

"Do you think Ruth's family will forgive me?"

"I don't think she had a family".

"I know she had a sister. She told me".

"Well, I don't know. I know that this might sound stupid now, but you will get over it".