Hey, thanks for coming! Here, come have a seat. Should I offer you snacks or drinks? I’m sorry, I’ve never obviously been interviewed before, so I’m not 100% sure how this is supposed to work. you know, You’re the first one that I’ve let interview me about this. Apologies for how fragmented my recollection of the story must be, as it’s been so long since I’ve had to recall these troubling memories. I guess I should stop rambling and start from the beginning.
I lived in a pretty cramped house right outside of town all my life, with my mother, 2 year old half sister, Liz, and my 14 year old brother, Jonathan. At the time, I was the man of the house, taking on odd jobs to help my mother pay for rent. Our mother was almost never home, and often worked overtime during the night, or on her days off.
My father had been killed in a work accident when I was about 3 or 4 years old. Jonathan has to have been an infant during this time, and Liz has a different father, and she was obviously born years later. This caused my mother to fall into a depressive state and neglect her children. This mainly affected Jonathan, who was forced to stay home while my mother went to work, and I went to school. She had tried to find babysitters, but ended up not being able to handle the cost. This had caused my dear brother to be distant, and I despise my mother because of this.
Behind our home was a forested area, where Jonathan and I often had to alternate between who would take Liz out to play. Jonathan argued about having to do this, but our mother would keep using the argument “It’s good for her developing brain”. I’m not sure where she picked this up, as my brother and I never did this as children. To be perfectly honest, I never minded going outside, as it tended to be relaxing after a long school or work day, but I would never admit it.
Jonathan and I were walking home one day, and I noticed he was acting particularly odd. He usually was distant or moody, but today just seemed… different. I didn’t bother to bring it up, as I could never get anywhere by asking. As soon as we got home, he just ran straight to his room and stayed there until our mother got home for our dinner break.
After we eat the instant noodles our mother gave us for dinner, our mother said Jonathan had to take Liz out in a few minutes. Jonathan, as usual, tried to argue my mother on this, but she claimed it was final as she walked out the door to head back to work. Jonathan was about to run back to his room, when I yelled that he had to take her out, or else mother would find out. He mumbled and groaned as he picked Liz up to take her into the woods.
I know I should’ve seen his behavior as a warning earlier on, but it wasn’t too far from how he acted on a daily basis. As I reflected on this while they were out, I couldn’t shake off this uneasy feeling creeping up on me. After about another 20 minutes, I realized they had been out a lot longer than they usually are. After careful consideration, I put my phone in my back pocket and reluctantly decided to go out to check on them.
The sun had set a lot faster than I expected, and the night was slightly foggy. A chill ran down my spine as I left the porch. I contemplated heading back in the house to get a sweater, but decided I wouldn’t be out long enough to actually need it. From where I was standing, I wasn’t able to see them. I blamed this on the fog, and tried not to give it too much thought. I called out their names, first Jonathan, then Liz. I realized they must have gone too far into the woods to hear me. I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight option, which didn’t do much against the thick, moist air.
I had been walking for only 2 minutes, but it felt like an eternity. I was periodically yelling their names, but of course I got no response. After another half minute of walking, I heard something. I stopped walking and listen closer. It’s a muffled noise, but I could easily tell what it is, Crying.
I forced myself to move my legs towards the worrisome noise. Dread overcame me, as I knew it had to be my siblings. I had to keep catching my balance, and had to watch my step the best I could. I was running to fast for the flashlight to be much help.
I began to see a silhouette of a man sitting in the distance. As I got closer, I saw that it was Jonathan, the source of the sobbing. When I realized Liz wasn’t with him, I panicked. I started yelling, demanding what happened, demanding where my little sister was. Without moving from his hunched over position, he pointed straight in front of him. I looked up, and saw, about 10 yards away, a toddler laying among the dry grass. At first I felt relieved, but as I moved closer, I noticed she wasn’t moving. Her neck was twisted in a way that wasn’t physically possible. Her small body was littered in blood, bruises and cuts. I dropped on my knees, mouth wide open with shock as I stared at my young sister who laid in front of me. I had finally come to my senses and turned around to demand my brother how this could have happened. I ran over to him, and noticed the dry blood that covered his hands. I stepped back in horror as the pieces fell into place.
I ran faster than I think I ever have before, faster than when I heard the sobbing. I ran into the home and locked all doors, fearing for my life. I allowed myself to catch my breath before I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I debated on whether or not I should call our mother or the police, But I decided my mother would know what to do. I don’t think I was very comprehensible through my sobs, but she got the idea that something was terribly wrong and told me to call the police and that she would be home as soon as she could.
The police got to our home before my mother, so I directed them to the woods. I couldn’t bare to lead them to my brother and my poor sisters corpse. I sat in the home and waited until they brought my brother in handcuffs, and the body on a stretcher.
My brother was still in absolute shock. He was delusional, and accused me of bringing this fate upon my sister. Of course he was deemed emotionally unstable and sentenced to prison for 50 years. I do regret framing him for this crime.
The news company you work for is going to notice that you are missing and will come looking, but that’s okay. I’m not going to be able to face my brother soon, as he knows I did it. What I did to her was satisfying, and I need to do it again before my life is over. I’m sorry, I had to get it off my chest, but I can’t let you leave now can I? Did you hear me lock the door when you walked in? I didn’t get to apologize to her for what I did, but I easily can for you now.
I’m sorry