Walking the Gallows ✔️

Chapter 10

It was inevitable. Though it was probably a dangerous mission, a trip to the grocery store was needed. After cleaning the house several times since his hazy experience, Andy was desperate. There was not a scrap of food to sustain him much longer. Since he hadn't been taking care of his garden, the fruits were no longer good quality. Some had fallen off or been infested with bugs and maggots. Some had even dried up while still hanging from the tree. It was hard to witness his prized mango tree in such bad shape.

The grocery store was almost empty. Based on the news he had heard the day before, it wasn't too surprising. No one would want to leave their house when a serial killer was around.

How many murders does it take before the murderer becomes a serial killer, he thought uneasily. Four women were dead so far, surely that was qualification enough. There were possibly five murders. He remembered someone telling him a young girl had gone missing a few years back, about the time he had settled into the little town. It was because of this that the neighborhood seemed so against him. She may have still been alive, but people were quick to blame. They pronounced her dead before anyone could prove where she was.

It was the first time in years Andy had gone to the store without a shopping list. He figured that since Vin wasn't around and there was no food in the house anyways that he could get what he wanted. He started buying things in bulk once he realized how hungry he was. Things that he had never bought because of Vin's distaste for them were flying into his trolly. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the aisle. Since Vin was gone, he would need to get income some other way. He would have to start painting more frequently in order to sell them.

Within only a few short minutes at the store, he found himself in the meat section. The sausages caught his eye. Without meaning to, he found himself imagining the meat being made from human flesh instead of pork. It was almost amazing how similar the animal bits were to human parts. The pork ribs could have been human ribs, or the salami could have been intestine. From the corner of his vision, he saw an older woman reach for the steaks. She had more in her cart than she could probably carry. His stomach twisted into a knot when he thought about her and her family devouring each piece of meat. A part of his mind registered her as a monster. He quickly pushed his cart as far away from the meat section and contemplated becoming a vegetarian.

His cart was stocked with non-perishable foods. He wanted to stay in his house as long as possible and chose his diet to fit his circumstance. Different kinds of canned foods lined the trolley as well as bags of rice, grains, and noodles. He planned to buy a few jars of peanut butter and powdered milk for more variety. The fresh foods would surely be missed, but it was necessary.

It wasn't much longer until he was at the cash register to pay for his groceries. He waited patiently to present his items to the woman behind the counter. Her face seemed familiar. She was in her mid-forties with bags weighing heavily under her eyes. Still, she smiled with every new customer. That was until Andy was next in line.

Her expression turned sour and cold. The once smiling lips twisted inwards so that it seemed like a shriveled raisin.  Her eyes squinted, accentuating the bags more. The entire aura that surrounded her turned into something utterly and irreversibly hostile.

"I know you, young man," she stated in a matter-of-fact voice. He smiled at her still unsure if she was friendly. Her demeanor said she was not. He started placing his items on the countertop with a quick pace, hoping that no more words would be exchanged between the two.

"I'm surprised to see you walking around. Figured you were busy murdering a couple more innocent girls." he froze at her words. One of the many cans in his cart dropped from his hands to the floor. He noticed from the corner of his eye that a few people were eavesdropping on them. Some of the people gave sideways glances and some turned away, but all of them were silent enough to hear.

"Pardon me?" she smiled at him with hatred written across her face. Her eyes couldn't possibly squint anymore than they were. The corner of her mouth tugged upwards into a sneer. She opened her mouth to start yelling. Andy only heard the first few words before he blacked out.

It hadn't been for very long. The clock behind the register had just barely changed. It was as if it only lasted as long as an extended blink. It didn't feel much different. The only reason he could tell that something had been altered was that the woman behind the register had a brand new expression. Not friendly and not scary. Instead, a look of horror was plastered over her face.

He noticed his own hand was placed on the counter-top when it had previously not been there. It was balled into a fist with the skin so tight it was turning a paler shade. He released his fist with confusion. After a moment of silence between himself and the woman, he placed a large bill in front of her before dragging all of his items out of the store. Hopefully, it would be enough to cover the cost.

He noticed on the way out that a few people were staring at him with equal terror. It was starting to become clear to him that almost everyone in that little town was losing their minds.

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Being overwhelmed with fear and loneliness, he put away his items slowly. He contemplated his situation and his life. He thought of his family and how he had grown up. Memories flooded back in of how the sting of a fresh bruise would pulsate as if it had a heartbeat. He thought of the one moment in time when he was hogtied and flogged with his father's belt. It was one of the few occurrences that happened before he never saw either of his parents again.

Most of the time since the long blackout, he worried for his safety knowing that Vin wasn't around to protect him anymore. Even if he had been around, he would probably be too drunk to help. The few good memories of the brothers plagued his mind. His brain revisited their time as children together when things weren't as toxic as they had grown to be. He wasn't told very much, but Vin had told him a few details about what the story between his mother and father truly was.

He was told that his parents met during high school. His father was drafted into the first world war a few years after. Having been a loyal and wonderful woman, his mother awaited his arrival so that they could be married. Years went by, his father returned and married her, only he was not the man she remembered. Each word he spoke was a touch colder than what she recalled. His looks that were once full of admiration for her seemed as if made of stone. Still, she stayed by his side. Soon, Vin came along; the firstborn. After that, things got rocky.

His father drank most hours of the day. It became clear that he couldn't hold down a job for more than a few months at a time. One night during the winter when there was very little heat and light, his temper boiled over into an inferno of rage that was taken out on both Vin and their mother. She had plans to leave after the incident until she found out that she was pregnant again. Wanting what was best for her sons and knowing that the father would most likely come after them if they were to leave, she stayed where she was; in the house of a psychopath. She was beaten less often into her pregnancy with Andy, Vin had told him so. He would say how unlikely it was that he survived at all.

There wasn't anything left to put away from his trip to the store. A stinging headache was the only thing leftover from his thoughts. Being tired and depressed, he made a  bee-line to his art room to continue on his pieces. Halfway through the corridor to the small studio, a knock at the door sounded.

Being unprepared for visitors and not knowing of anyone who would want to see him, he stealthily prepared himself while slowly creeping towards his front door. The most likely scenario was that Vin was back to pick up some of his belongings that he had left behind. He knew that it couldn't have been Earl as he was in more than likely in hiding and wouldn't dare show his face in public. It could be the detective, he thought to himself.

The knocking did not reoccur. Whoever waited beyond the door was patient as Andy took his time moving from each tile to get to the bolted door. He contemplating finding a way to make it seem as though he wasn't home but unfortunately, he parted his car in the driveway when he got home. With a sharp jolt, he pulled back the front door shocking both him and Charlotte who stood timidly on the other side.