The Murder Cycle

Ch 21: The Vial

POV: Aiden 

        I turned my keys,pulling off after him. I followed him for nearly 30 minutes."How does he have this much stamina?" I wondered to myself. 

        Eventually,he parked across from a small store. The walls were a plain grey color and littered with cracks. Old posters that were once firmly plastered on the windows were now peeling in the sun. The bricks were chipped. Most people wouldn't even dare to give the shop a passing glance. It was ragged and rugged."This isn't exactly the kind of place you'd go to to follow up on the latest trends." I scoff. Why would Dameon ever dare to let himself be seen here?He's an image obsessed prick with nothing to do but cause chaos where ever he goes.

        I waited a bit before walking in. The walls were covered with small trinkets. An assortment of odd goods filled the shelves. My eyes glanced across a row witnessing everything from an electronic bunny which was missing a leg to a relatively new blender. i disappeared behind a shelf,stealing occasional glances over top to locate Dameon who was clocking in. 

        A man came around from the back,standing beside him. Dameon must have  heard his footsteps because he froze in place. "Shit." he mouthed. 

        "Mr.Patrick,please listen to me! I didn't mean to be late. It's just,my best friend he-" He stopped when he saw the look on his bosses face. It wasn't going to matter to him.

        "It's just what Dameon? This is the third time in 2 weeks! Why are you doing this to me!?I was kind enough to give you a job here so maybe you could patch up your crumbling life ,and this is how you repay me?"He bit his lip. 

        "Please don't fire me Patrick." he reached out for his bosses arm. "You know I need this job! It's just me and my dad now. We can't afford for me to lose this job. We'd go under water. The bank would take the house. Mom used to cover the house payment. Please,Mr.Patrick. Don't do this." He pleaded. Dameon's parent's are divorced?Well maybe he doesn't have the perfect little life I thought he did ,but he was still an absolute inexcusable asshole. 

        " Dameon,calm down. I'm not going to fire you. I know that sometimes that I can be a complete an utter dick ,but I'm not some sort of evil mastermind. Your job is safe as long as you aren't late again. Don't disappoint me boy. Go take a break  and dry your fucking eyes. You look like a mess."He winked,walking towards the door behind me. 

        He stopped when he spotted me. "A customer!" he smiled at me."What can I interest you in?"My eyes widened. I'd been so engrossed in their conversation that I hadn't thought of a logical reasoning for my being there. "You okay son?" He questioned looking into my eyes.

        "....Me? Oh,yeah. I'm fine." I paused shifting on my feet. My general aura of bitchiness had always be my largest advance. People didn't tend to desire to communicate with the six foot two ,long haired, lip pierced seventeen year old. That'd always worked to my advantage,allowing me to slip in an out of any location quickly."Um. I was just wondering-" I paused,looking towards the nearest trinket I could find. "How much does this necklace cost?" I said lifting it from the nail it was hung on,running it through my hand and faking a fascination with the item. 

        "Necklace huh?"He said looking at me oddly."Lookin for something for your girl?"

        "Yeah,something like that." I looked at him.

        "Well,it's not exactly the most charming good we have here ,it being a vial necklace and all ,but if your girl is into that kind of stuff,I'm sure she'll love it. Are ye sure you want-"

        "I'll take it." I said bluntly,looking over the shelf at Dameon who was searching for his cigarettes before he took his break."Fifty should cover it correct?" The necklace wasn't nearly worth what I was about to cough up for it ,but a quick pretty penny was sure to end the conversation. 

         His eyes widened in surprise."Oh yeah!That would cover it no doubt!I'd have taken 20 ,but I'm never opposed to a bit of extra drinking money." He chuckled,taking the bill I handed him.

        "Nice to meet you." I spoke,heading out the side door.

        "You to lad!Thanks for your business!"He yelled after me. I walked to my car,which was positioned so that I could monitor the front of the store. Dameon stepped out,having found  his nicotine sticks and sat on the concrete store front. He ran his hand through his hair,shaking his head." One of these days I'm going to make something of and prove mother dearest wrong. Sure,I can be irresponsible ,but I'm not a fuck up." He spoke to himself while snuffing this bud out before going back inside

        He worked until seven that night,giving me plenty of time to think on my plan. I'd stab Dameon in the same manner as I had taken Christian's life. It had to be quick an in a location that would buy me time to rid the body of any evidence against me. 

        I starred at the vial in my hand,it glistened in the light as I looked at it's surface. It was older yet it had been made new. It's insides ,once filled with whatever it's last owner desired, were now completely empty. For a mere moment, I felt a tinge of jealousy towards the bottle. It ,an inanimate object,could be worked on and tinkered with for mere moments ,and it would be like nothing ever happened. Everything would go on the same way it always had,The world wouldn't stop ,and no one could ever call it broken again. I scoffed at myself. I was feeling jealous of a petty vial which is completely oblivious to the horrid ways of the world. "Maybe I am crazy." I laughed to myself before putting on the necklace. 

        I followed Dameon home that night. One thing was for certain,he wasn't exactly the most concerned with safety. He took several routes that even the most daring person would consider taking to be irresponsible and reckless,the most abnormal being taking Dayward parkway  which was filled with literally nothing but junkies and the kind of thugs which wouldn't hesitate to slaughter your family for merely saying the wrong thing in their presence. Overall, it was the kind of place that left people shaking in their boots. It was also apparently were Dameon and his janitor father now lived. 

        I smiled knowing exactly how I was going to get away with murder...literally.