Free Tales of Sin and Madness by Brett McBean Page B

little.
    The thing he remembered most from his early years was lots of laughter. Everyone in his home seemed happy, even his older brother, and everything was good.
     
    * * *
     
    The elevator stopped at the third floor.
    Jackson sighed. The ride up to the sixth floor was slow enough in the building’s relic of an elevator without it stopping all the time.
    It was usually dead this time of night. That’s why he liked using it so late – there was no one around to see him. Apart from the night watchman.
    The doors opened and the invisible man walked in.
    It was either that, or the elevator was playing up.
    He moved towards the open doors. Saw some kids laughing and playing down one end of the hallway.
    “You damn kids,” he called out. “You been messing with the elevator?”
    They ignored him and kept on playing.
    “Hey! I’m talking to you kids!”
    Little shits , Jackson thought.
    ( You’re a lying shit. I trusted you. Loved you. Wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. And now this. This is what you are? I can’t believe I was so stupid… )
    The kids remained in the shadowy confines of the hallway, and as Jackson continued watching, he soon realized that the kids weren’t playing at all – well at least not tag or hide-and-seek. There was one kid, smaller than the others, who was standing by the wall that wasn’t laughing. He had his head down while the other kids poked and made fun of him.
    Heartless little fucks .
    Jackson now heard what they were chanting: “Son of a whore, son of a whore.”
    “Stop teasing him, you brats!” he yelled. “Go home and stop playing around with the elevator!”
    They ignored him, didn’t even look in his direction.
    What am I a friggin’ ghost?
    “Son of a whore,” they continued, giggling and poking the helpless kid.
    The doors started to close, and as much as Jackson wanted to go out and stop the teasing, he remained in his transient cocoon.
    It’s none of my business anyway , he thought, even though it incensed him seeing that kind of cruelty.
    Where the hell are all the parents tonight? Are they in one room having an orgy or something?
    He thought it was supposed to be a quiet night. Well, according to the night watchman – who may or may not have been lying about that, and who may or may not know about his secret life. 
    Jackson was growing nervous. He was certain Gloria was trying to tell him something, and he was certain it had something to do with him being caught.
    Should I go back down to the lobby? What would happen if I did? There might be cops waiting for me there as well. That damn night watchman probably called up to the cops in my apartment and told them that I arrived back and now there are more waiting for me downstairs in case I try and run.
    The more he thought about it the more he was positive he had been caught. Somehow, the cops had traced it all to him.
    I didn’t do anything tonight. How could they have found me? All I did was walk around. They can’t arrest me for that.
     
    * * *
     
    Some of his fondest memories were the years he attended Belford Elementary. He was already good friends with most of the kids in Belford, so to him, going to school was just like being on summer vacation, aside from the schoolwork of course, but he didn’t find that a problem. In fact he used to help out kids that weren’t quite as bright as he was. He made even more friends that way, girls included. Because in those magical years before the hazards of adolescence took over, girls weren’t the scary, alien beings they were to become. It was a great time, where the mere smell of a girl didn’t send him wild with hormones, but simply meant another person to play ball with, another friend to eat ice-cream with and ride around town. He was one of the most popular kids in Belford Elementary, and everything was good.
     
    * * *
     
    He was deciding whether or not to press the button for the fourth floor and change his direction down to the lobby when