Changing of Ways (A Shadow of Doubt Part 6)

The day was coming to a close. That is, at least it was, around 3 hours ago. The darkness began to fall around the small town and Brent was ready to go home. Like most days, he was the first in and last out of the library and they had finally shut their doors. With his satchel over his shoulder, Brent was ready for the long walk home. Today, he decided to take it slower, just in case his mother was still awake. He rattled through his loose change and was met with the amazing feeling of finding out he had more money than he thought. It was a rare occasion when he had spare money, so he decided to buy himself a small treat. On the way to his house was a seven-eleven. He walked in from the cold and was blasted with a small amount of hot air. He loved to walk home. Especially at night, since it was mostly quiet. He toured through one aisle in into the next. He was spoilt for choice, he didn’t know what to pick. Eventually he walked toward the counter and noticed a slush machine. This machine blended ice and flavored syrup together to create the perfect refreshing beverage. His mind was set. His mind had been bewildered with decisions all day, mainly studying and now he was met with another. He left the store with cherry flavor.

He had gotten 10 minutes into his walk and felt a very odd and disturbing feeling crawl into his mind, almost like a haunting premonition, without knowing exactly what was going to happen. Brent was never one for coincidence. Everything happened for a reason, regardless to why. He slurped on his slush and began to dig deep into his mind. He had to revive the last thought; it was no longer a choice, but an objective. He was thinking about his snack choice, then as he was leaving, he thought about what to study. He had always found it hard to study when he had to be so quiet upstairs. He feared his mother, always had, ever since his father left and then... so close to gripping that final thought... it had gone. Completely slipped away from his grasp and into the ever-changing mess that was his mind. His house was just around the corner. He disposed of the Slurped! cup and headed toward his front door. All the lights were off, which was unusual, unless his mother had gone out.

Brent entered the house. He made his way to the kitchen, following the walls. Eventually, he was there. One flick of the light and his entire life changed.
On the floor was a body. A woman. Brent's mother. No visible signs of injuries, but eyes staring upward and blood pooled on the floor. She was definitely dead. There was a gun next to her body. Brent had done enough free-time studying to cross over firearms now and again. It was a Sig Sauer P226. He was a teenager and knew the social norm. Every teenage boy had a BB gun hidden away somewhere and even Brent had worked up some time using them, but seeing the actual thing shook him up inside. The slide had locked backward, a classic sign of an empty chamber. Two cases were on the floor, no more than ten centimeters from each other. Brent said nothing and worse yet, felt nothing. He allowed his satchel to slowly slip onto the floor as his body slid down the wall until he was sitting. He stared at the soulless and emptiness of his mothers eyes. His mind was blank, the first time in years. Brent had changed. Everything had changed.