The Tales Of Ricky Goldsworth

The polaroid

Shane had stayed and watched a movie with Ryan yesterday. But he'd had to go back to work afterwards. When Ryan woke up, he felt just as tired again, but when he turned on the light and checked his hands, they were clean. He let out a sigh of relief and then got up and got ready for work. When he put his keys in his pocket, he felt a little slip of paper. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was a polaroid of a small family. A mom, a dad and two small kids, a boy and a girl. He didn't recognize the family and he didn't have any recollection of how he'd gotten the image. He decided to shrug it off and just put the image back in his pocket before driving to work.

When he got to work everyone was murmuring and chatting with concerned expressions. When Curly was walking past, Ryan stopped him and asked what was going on.

"Haven't you heard? Two people in the neighborhood were killed last night. Only their two kids were left alive. They were the ones who found their parents murdered in the bedroom." Curly explained. Shocked at the news, Ryan sat down at his desk next to Shane. When he looked at Shane's screen, he saw the same family he had seen on the mysterious picture in his pocket. All color drained from his face as he asked who they were, even tho he could already guess the answer.

"It's a picture of the family where the parents were killed yesterday" Shane said, confused at Ryan's mortified expression.

"I think i'm going to be sick again." Ryan said as he stood up and speed walked to the bathrooms. He went into one of the stalls and buckled over. Throwing up all his breakfast. How the hell did that picture of the family end up in his pocket only hours after they were killed. Yesterday he woke up with blood on his hands, now he wakes up with a picture of a murder victim from a murder that just happened. What the fuck was going on? He felt a sudden urge to throw up again. But then he heard a soft knock at the stall door.

"Ryan? Are you in there? Are you okay?" It was Shane. How was he going to explain this to Shane? He didn't even know what was happening himself.

"Yes i'm fine." His voice was raspier than he expected.

"You don't sound fine Ryan." Shane said softly. Ryan stood up on shaking legs and opened the stall door to a worried Shane. Ryan almost jumped on the tall man in a hug, sobbing into Shane's shoulder. Shane just stood there surprised for a moment before he put one hand on his back while running the other softly through Ryan's hair.

"Ryan, what's happening?" Shane sounded very concerned now.

"I don't- I dont know. That's the problem." Ryan stammered. "I keep waking up tired and yesterday i-" Ryan stopped himself, he couldn't tell Shane that he'd woken up with blood on his hands. What wouldn't he think? He had to just deal with it himself. Ryan took a deep breath and

pushed himself out from Shane.

"I'm fine."

"Ryan, don't lie to me." Shane looked confused.

"I-i'm fine, really." Ryans voice broke a little, and that definitely didn't help his case. He quickly left the bathroom before Shane could get another word in. Hoping that Shane would let this go.