Good afternoon, House of Madness occupants:
How far would you be willing to go for someone you love, and once you got there, would you accept the outcome, or would you live forever in regret?
Revelation
Today was Phil's big day; after spending the last twenty years in prison, today he would be a free man. All that's left to do is collect his personal belongings, and his sister Pam will be waiting in the parking lot where she will transport him back to her place for temporary residence, until he can land a job and find his own pad. And really, that's the least she could do seeing as Phil just spent the last twenty years of his life behind bars for defending her honour.
It was a rainy afternoon in the spring of 2003, and Pam was just looking for her umbrella before she set out on her weekly chore of gathering groceries. As she pulled into the parking lot of the Food N' Save, she didn't notice the black truck in the corner of the lot; if she had, Phil's twenty year hell may have been nothing more than a fantasy. Pam perused the aisles meticulously gathering her supplies as she did every week, almost like a ghost - the way she dressed, walked, and spoke when she finally reached the register left little if any impression on others, and that's just how Pam liked living her life; under the radar. Pam was shy, but it was more than that, she was awkward to the extreme, and if she didn't know you, you couldn't know her. Phil was the one constant in her life, and the love they shared was more than enough to fill the void of Pam's companionship wants and needs. As Pam exited the Food N' Save, she paid little attention to the black truck that was now parked beside her Honda Civic, afterall, she was in a parking lot and that's what parking lots are for. It did strike her as odd though, as she always parked far away from everyone else in order to avoid getting knicks and scrapes on her prized vehicle, and this truck was parked directly beside her. Nevertheless, Pam started unloading her groceries from her cart into the hatch of her car, and she never heard the footsteps until it was too late.
When Pam woke up in the hospital two days later, she could no more describe her assailant to the police than she could cure cancer, and at this point, the latter may be more reasonable to expect. "She's still in shock" Detective Grimsby explained to Phil, "Often times with rapes and sexual assault the victim will bury the memories, and the truth may never come about. It's a bit of a waiting game, but we'll keep hope and do our best to find this asshole with the little evidence we have. There was no video surveillance at that end of the parking lot, but at least we know we're looking for a black truck." "Thank you detective, I'll make sure she gets plenty of rest, and if I learn anything new, I'll call you right away." Phil said dejectedly, and the two men shook hands not knowing they'd be seeing each other in a matter of hours under much different circumstances.
As Phil drove Pam home, his efforts to engage her in small talk were pointless; it was an hour's drive from the hospital to Pam's house, so "thank fuck for radios" Phil thought to himself. As they were driving past Dawson Lake, there was a man fishing on the bank, and Pam sat bolt upright and screamed "THAT'S HIM!", to which Phil would have misunderstood until he saw the man's truck. A black truck. Phil pulled to the side of the road and turned to his sister and pleaded "Are you sure that's him!?" "THAT'S HIM!" Pam screamed out again. Phil was just about to call Detective Grimsby when something came over him, a feeling he had never felt in his life up until now. As he lowered his phone and got out of the vehicle, Phil was almost possessed (as he'd tell police later) and started making his way towards the fisherman. Once he got about thirty feet away, the fisherman noticed Phil's presence and greeted him with a "Howdy partner! The fish are biting today!", but Phil paid no attention, and continued to close the gap between the two men. As the man reached out to shake Phil's hand, he didn't notice the car keys Phil was holding with the biggest key protruding between his index and middle finger, and as the key burst his eyeball with murderous force, Phil was on top of him, holding him underwater until the man was nothing more than a lifeless corpse.
The next twenty years were a blur for Phil, but his focus was back today, and he was stoked to see his sister Pam again. She never visited him once while he was in the can, but over the phone she promised to pick him up when he was ready, and today he certainly was. As Phil left through the main gate, sure enough there was Pam in the same goddamn Civic she had driven all those years ago. Phil wasn't surprised though, as buying a new car without him to accompany her seemed like a pipe dream, and he bet he'd also have no trouble navigating her household and locating the maple syrup. The two exchanged hello's and were quickly on their way. Phil turned to Pam and asked "Can you please stop at the next gas station? I need to grab some smokes." and Pam did as instructed as they pulled into a Circle K station. As Phil was about to exit the vehicle, a black truck pulled up and parked beside them, and before Phil could remove his seatbelt, Pam screamed "THAT'S HIM!", and Phil lost his mind entirely.
NB
