Desire for Revenge

      The bell rang and everyone began flooding into the classroom, the last period of the day at Eagle's Landing Middle School. It was late April, near the end of the school year.
     After the students were settled, Mrs. Hallmark began to speak.
     "As you all know, every day since school started someone has been stealing the school's computers and equipment. I just had mine stolen yesterday. If anyone knows anything about this, please let us know. This is costing the school thousands of dollars. We can't afford to keep buying new computers." She looked around the room. "Jack Austin Maddox! What are you smiling about?" Everyone knew Jack by his strange, evil-like smiles that he sometimes gave for no apparent reason. It wasn't anything to cause suspicion about, people had gotten used to it.
     Jack had blonde hair which often fell over his eyes. He had a strongly defined jaw bone, and a very animated face. He was quite tall for a thirteen-year-old and skinny, but strong.
     "Where's James today? Anyone know?" Everyone shook their heads no except one boy. "I know where he is. He said that he wouldn't be here today because they had to visit his grandma in the hospital. He'll be here tomorrow, though."
     "Will you tell him to make arrangements to stay after school to make up his test?"
     "Yeah, sure."
     James was your basic twelve-year-old boy. Brown hair, round face, normal twelve-year-old build, a little on the skinny side. He was quiet, but not too quiet. He had the kind of personality that people loved to be around.

     The next day James stayed after school.
     "So how's your grandmother? She doing all right?"
     "Yes," said James, "She was just a little dizzy or something. No big thing." His teacher laughed. "Well that's good, here's your test. Have fun!"
     "Uh huh." James began his test.
     Since there were not many people at school this time of day, the door of the classroom was left open. Someone walked by and quickly peered in. James looked up and saw Jack walking away. After about five minutes James noticed Jack walking by again.
     He noticed this several times, until he finished his test. He gave it to the teacher and went into the hallway, there he saw Jack turning a corner. He was curious as to why Jack was walking around the school in the afternoon, so he began to follow him. He noticed that Jack was peering into many of the rooms he passed and then he stopped in front of one. He then looked around, as if he was making sure no one was watching. James quickly ducked behind a trash can so Jack would not see him. Jack looked around once more and then went into the classroom.
     James came out from his hiding place and went to see what Jack was doing. He looked into the room and saw Jack putting a computer into his backpack. "Whoa," whispered James by accident. It caused Jack to turn to the direction of the doorway and he saw James staring at him with a look of surprise. Then James quickly walked away.
     Shit, he saw me, Jack thought. He unloaded his backpack and put the computer back. He subconsciously brushed his hair out of his eyes and went to search for James, before he could tell anyone. Jack would be in a lot of trouble, maybe even go to jail. All his plans would be ruined.
     Jack posed as an adult computer salesman online. He stole computers and equipment to sell online on his website. Every cent he made, he saved, and he had made a lot of money. He planned to use this money when he got older, to go to Ecuador on a great expedition in search of the lost emerald mines. His great uncle, Stewart Connelly, discovered one of the mines years ago, but died before he could tell anyone exactly where the mine was. Jack had always been fascinated with this, and hoped to one day rediscover the mine, or even others.
     Jack turned a corner and ran into James.
     "Did you tell anyone?" Jack fiercely whispered.
     "No-"
     "You better not have. I swear if you tell anyone about this I will kill you mother fucker. Don't you blab this shit to anyone, all right?"
     "I won't. I promise, I won't." James was surprised and confused by Jack's violent words.
     "Good." Jack pushed James into some lockers and walked away. James watched him as he left.

     During last period the next day, James avoided eye contact with Jack as much as possible. When he did happen to glance at Jack, he would catch an evil, sharp look from his eyes, but no smile, as Jack usually accompanied with his fierce eyes. This time it wasn't the happy evil, but angry evil. Sometimes it frightened James, but he just tried to ignore it.
     Jack soon became paranoid, he was afraid that James would tell. Every time he saw James talking to someone, he thought he was telling the person about everything. Jack imagined James saying things like, "Jack is the famous computer bandit! I caught him with my own two eyes, it's no longer a mystery, he's found out!" God, the vexatious little being. Jack hoped that the little annoyance would not let his secret get out, his plan would be destroyed. It was his life, his dream. If James told on him he didn't know what he would do.
     The next day after school James was walking home as he usually did. He usually walked alone, but this time he had a friend with him, Alex. Jack walked home as well. He usually didn't walk until long after school, because of his stealing of computers. He didn't stay after school everyday, and this was one of those days. Jack walked quite a ways away from James and his friend, watching them far in front of him, talking. Jack was too far behind to hear exactly what they were saying, so he quietly picked up his pace to get a better listen.
     Alex spoke, "Yesterday the computer from my homeroom was stolen. I can't believe they still haven't found the guy doing it, it's been practically a whole damn school year!"
     "Yeah." James watched his feet. He was the only one who knew, besides Jack, of course.
     "Who do you think it is?" Alex asked. James replied, "I don't know, who cares?"
     "Everyone!"
     "Well, I don't." James kicked a rock. Alex looked over at James and studied his face. James looked up at him. "What?"
     "Do you know who it is?"
     "Do I know who who is?"
     "The computer stealer! Do you know?"
     "I don't know."
     "You do! Who is it? Tell me please!"
     "No! I can't. I-"
     "Why can't you? I won't tell, I promise!"
     James looked up at Alex and sighed. "Fine." He looked back down at the ground and said in a low voice, "It's the blonde guy, you know, Jack."
     "Jack! You mean-"
     "Hey! Keep it down!" James looked around to see if anyone heard. He stopped and hesitated, he saw Jack. Alex turned around to look as well. James and Alex looked at each other and then back at Jack, then Alex quickly said, "Um... I'm really sorry, James. I got to go, I'll see you tomorrow." Alex walked off and left James by himself. Jack walked toward James with an unspeakable look of anger in his eyes. James backed up a little and then Jack pushed him.
     "What the hell, James? I told you not to tell. Now what if he goes and tells people? Huh?" He pushed James again.
     "I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't mean-"
     "If I get found out about it will be all your god damn fault. You better hope that I don't get found about about. You better pray. You'll be sorry." He pushed James one last time, hard, and James fell. Jack walked away.
     After a few days, Jack noticed people giving him strange glances. People didn't usually look at him, he was practically nonexistent. He no longer gave his famous evil smile to anyone. The evil was there, but with the absence of the smile. He knew people knew. It was only a matter of time before he was really found out about and it would all be gone.
     Jack had now formed an extreme hatred for James. James ruined everything, he thought, he must be punished. Jack needed a plan. A plan to kill James.
     The next day Jack had brought a knife to school. He was to follow James home. During the last period of the day, Jack slowly walked by James' desk and looked down at him. James looked up and saw Jack's evil smile, it was back, smiling right at him. James wondered why he seemed so viciously happy now. Odd.
     After school James left for home. He noticed Jack was following him and looking straight at him each time he turned around, with that same evil smile. Jack caught up with James and put his arm around his shoulder, like a friend would.
     "Hello, friend," said Jack, pulling his hair back away from his face and looking up at the sky.
     "Hi," James replied, nervously.
     Jack looked at James and then at the ground. He began to steer them off the sidewalk toward the woods. "Jack, I really should be getting home."
     "Sorry, James, you're coming with me."
     "But-"
     "No, James. Just keep quiet," and Jack continued to lead them into the forest.
     They walked deeper and deeper into the woods until they could barely see through the trees to where they had come from. At this point James was quite  frightened and nervous. He wasn't sure of what Jack was going to do. Jack let go of James and faced him. There was the evil again, but only seen in Jack's eyes without smile's accompaniment.
     "James, do you know what you've done? Everyone knows now. Everyone knows! Soon the teachers will find out, if not already, then my dad, then the police! I'll be ruined! Everything I have worked for will be gone. Do you have any idea what I do? What I do with the computers?"
     "No, what?" James pretended to be interested, trying anything not to make Jack more angry than he was.
     "I sell them. I sell them to people and make money, lots of it. Someday I would follow my great uncle in his footsteps and rediscover the lost emerald mines of Ecuador. I'd be famous. I will have accomplished something so great. Now it's probably all gone! It is all gone! Gone because of you, you son of a bitch!"
     "Now Jack... you don't really know if it's all gone yet, you don't know."
     "Yeah, right. What are the chances? They all know! I can tell-"
     "But Jack-"
     "No, James," Jack calmed down a little and took a deep breath. "It's time for revenge. It's time for you to die." Jack silently pulled out his knife and grabbed James by his collar. He held the knife up to James' face to give him a good look. James suddenly noticed his heart beating. Good god, he thought. He looked at the knife which Jack slowly rotated, and it gleamed in the sun from base to tip. He then shifted his focus to Jacks eyes through the shimmering blonde hair shakily dangling, and saw the intense anger. This guy was really going to kill. An eerie smile began to form on Jack's shadowy face, a little sadistic, it seemed. Jack seemed to enjoy this long moment of silence, looking deep into James' eyes, staring at the terror within them.
     James knew he had to do something. He unexpectedly grabbed Jacks arm which held the knife and a sudden struggle began. James fought to keep Jack from stabbing him. They fought, and then fell, and fought, and struggled in the crunching leaves of the forest floor. Finally, James managed to get away from Jack and ran. Jack chased him through the woods and then began a great chase. James dodged trees and jumped over logs, tripping several times. He then violently smacked right into a tree and fell. He noticed his head was bleeding, but got up and kept running, never even looking back. He knew that death was chasing him, only moments away. The thought terrified him, and kept him going.
     James finally got out of the woods and ran home. Jack slowly trotted onto the sidewalk, panting, and quit. "Next time," he said under his breath. He put his knife away and went home.
     James went home to his worried mother. He was breathing so heavily he thought he was going to pass out.
     "Mom!" He went to give her a hug. "James, what happened? Are you all right?" James began to cry. "I was almost killed, Mom! He almost killed me!"
     "Who? Who did?"
     "I let his secret get out. He took me into the woods and tried to kill me!"
     "Tell me who!"
     "Jack!"
     "Who's Jack?"
     "A boy from school, the weird kid with the blonde hair." He began to catch his breath. "He was the one stealing the computers and I caught him. I said I wouldn't tell, but I did and now he wants me dead!" James continued to cry. His mother held him tighter. "It's okay, don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."
    
     James stayed home from school for the next couple of days. He stayed locked up inside his house while both his parents were gone.
     One day his father was at work and his mother was out grocery shopping. He was home alone.
     There was a sudden pounding at the back sliding door. James went to quickly peer out and see who it was. He knew it would be Jack, and it was.
     "James! Let me in!!"
     James said nothing, he just stood there.
     "Come on, James. I won't kill you, I promise I won't. I was playing the other day. I just want to talk, that's all."
     "You can talk to me from out there," shouted James in a shaky voice.
     "No, it's better if I come inside, so we can be face to face."
     "Look, Jack, either talk to me like this or get the hell out of here before I call the cops."
     "Oh, so that's how you're going to be, huh?" Jack pounded at the door. "Let me in!" He pounded more, as hard as he could. "Let me in, James! Let me in now or you'll be sorry that you didn't!" He continued pounding until the glass door shattered to pieces and his fist was bloody.
     James ran upstairs and into his room. He shut his door and locked it. Jack soon followed upstairs. "Where are you, James?" Jack stood in the hallway completely still, listening for any movement. Nothing. He then opened each door, until he was unable to open the locked bedroom door. He attempted to turn the doorknob several times for effect. "I know you're in there. Open the door!" Jack kicked the door, causing a dent in the wood. "I'm coming in, if you don't open the door now, the consequences will be much worse!" Jack continued to kick the door, indenting it more and more with each kick.
     James knew that the consequences would be the same, no matter what he did. Jack wanted him dead, and that was that. James just had to escape. He considered the window, but there was no way to climb down, and it was too high to jump. He turned to look at the door and Jack's foot had made it through. At the last minute James scrambled under his bed, he could do nothing else.
     The door gave way to the kicking and was forced open. Jack stepped in and looked around.
     "James, where are you hiding?" He stood still to listen. This time he heard breathing. James had tried to hold it in, but with no luck. He was too exhausted and terrified.
     Jack went over to the bed and stood in front if it. "I hear you, James." They both were silent, only James' breathing could be heard, and James knew that Jack was listening to every breath.
     James stared at Jack's feet. His mouth was slightly open, and his breathing turned staccato and irregular.  His eyes were shimmering wet, wide and alert.
     Jack kneeled down and put his head to the floor. He saw James' two gleaming eyes within the darkness, he could see the sheer terror that was there, and he sadistically smiled at it.
     Suddenly Jack grabbed James' arm and violently dragged him out from under the bed. A snap was heard, the breaking of James' arm. James screamed violently as Jack kept pulling his arm, dragging him completely out from under the bed. Then Jack let go and James' arm flopped to the floor. James lay there on his side, crying in both pain and terror and then looked up at Jack with wide eyes as he loomed over him. Jack stepped on James' arm. He enjoyed watching James as he shifted his foot on the arm, pressing down. A sadist. He kneeled down over James and pulled out his knife. This time James was helpless, he couldn't get up and run now. Jack sadistically smiled once again, and James stared at him, wide-eyed and frantic.
     The front door opened.
     "James, I'm home! Come help with the groceries!"
     James looked to the direction of the bedroom door, then back at Jack, silently saying with his eyes, "You can't do it now."
     Jack's smile had turned to anger. He looked deep into James' eyes, hating that he could do no more. He put his knife away and ran over to the window. He opened it, pushed out the screen and jumped.
     James' short, irregular breaths slowed and became longer, more like sighs or relief. He just lay there for a moment, absorbing everything that just happened.
     "James! Come down!"
     James snapped back into reality and remembered his mom downstairs. He quickly tried to get up and then felt the sharp pain of his broken arm, he'd forgotten all about it.
     "Mom! I need help!"
     His mom came upstairs and saw James on the floor. "James! Dear god what happened?"
     "It was Jack! He almost did it this time, Mom. You came just in time, he jumped out the window and-"
     "Enough, I can't take much more of this," she paused, then said, "We're moving."

     James stayed isolated in his home, not hearing anything from Jack for days. His parents made sure to never leave him home by himself again. Soon they put up a for-sale sign in front of their house.
     Jack had been thinking up ways to get to James, but agreed that all of his ideas would fail. He became fed up that he could not think of anything and had to get revenge. He almost had his moment, how sweet it was. He'd never forgive himself if he let this go by without doing anything, he'd dwell on it for the rest of his life, he'd go crazy.
     Jack later noticed the sign in front of James' house. For the next few days he tried and tried to come up with a plan. Finally, he gave up. Nothing would work, it was useless. Perhaps he could find out where they were moving, but how? Yes! Alex would know.
     The next day after school Jack caught up with Alex and startled him by placing his hand on his shoulder.
     "Hey, Alex. Do you happen to know where James is moving?"
     "Why?" Alex had been told not to tell, he knew all about what Jack had done.
     "I'm just curious, so do you know?"
     "No, sorry." Alex slightly picked up his pace and then was looking down at the ground. Jack walked alongside Alex for a few seconds, looked at him, then abruptly stopped him and stared him in the face. He looked down at Alex and in a low but vicious voice he said, "Look, don't give me this shit. I know you know, so either tell me now or else."
     "I... I can't-"
     "Tell me!" Jack swiftly pulled out his knife as a threat. "Tell me now or else."
     "Okay!" Alex tried to calm down for a moment, then told him. "They are moving to Minneapolis to stay with his aunt."
     "Know the exact address?"
     "I can't remember it."
     Jack thought for a moment. "Okay, Alex, you are now on a mission. If you don't do it, I know where you live, as I see you go home everyday. Okay, get the exact address of the moving location and-" Jack paused for a moment and thought of something quite intriguing. "Scratch that. You must get the flight number of the plane they will take. The time, date, everything."
     "I don't think they have that all planned yet-"
     "When they do. Tell me when they do."
     "All right."
     "I'll find out if you give me any wrong information, and if you do, I will kill you." He looked into Alex's eyes to show his seriousness. "Now go." Jack walked away.
     Alex had no choice but to get the information for Jack. Jack was a killer, he would hunt him down. He almost killed James twice. Alex didn't want to be a victim, even if it mean jeopardizing the life of his friend. He couldn't help his selfishness.
     Alex got the information sooner than expected and gave it all to Jack. Jack now knew everything. He could make a plan. An ignorant plan. He thought nothing through, he was in a hurry and didn't realize it.
     Jack bought an airline ticket cheap online with some of the money he had made. It wasn't a big investment, he had the money to spare. Jack thought he had an excellent plan. He wasn't just going to kill James, but he was going to kill him in style. On an airplane. He'd be on the news, he'd be famous.
     Jack was an intelligent person. He never had such things on his mind. Killing a person. All he thought about was the sweet taste of revenge. He didn't realize or even think of the consequences for the murder he would soon commit. He'd go to prison, he would ruin his own dream. He failed to see this. His desire for revenge was much too strong, it took him over, it controlled him. All he could think about was getting back at James, nothing more.

     The day had come.
     Jack woke up early on Sunday morning and stole his dad's car. He brought the knife with him and wore a wig for disguise. A knife on an airplane. He didn't think it through.
     He got to the airport and only then did he think about the metal detecters. He had to ditch his knife. Damn it, he thought, how could I be so stupid? He thought about aborting the whole operation, but he had come so far. He continued on.
     Finally, Jack had gotten onto the plane. He sat down and thought. He stared blankly at the seat in front of him, and drowned out the chatter of the other people around him. What would he do? How would James die? Simple, he'd strangle him. He couldn't do it in public, he'd be stopped immediately. He would have to somehow get James into a lavatory, or perhaps just wait for him to go into one on his own. Yes, that is what he'll do.
     "Excuse me! Are you deaf?" A passenger frustratingly shouted at Jack, wanting to get by. Jack had been lost in thought and noticed he was a little hunched over, his head was bowed down a little, his fair hair swaying in front of his eyes which were a bit squinched in a look of subtle rage, one slightly more than the other. He was still staring up at the seat straight in front of him through his hair. He looked insane, like a madman.
     "Hello?! Can I please get by?" Asked the passenger, vexed still. Jack finally acknowledged the person and then his own strange position and sprung up to let the person by.
     Jack could see where James and his parents were sitting, just eleven rows in front of him. He had gotten this particular seat on purpose, so he could be able to keep an eye on James.

     The plane had been steadily in the air for approximately 20 minutes, and finally Jack saw James get up to use the lavatory. Jack quickly bent down to hide his face. When James passed by, Jack then peeked back and watched him go into a lavatory. Jack slowely and cautiously got up and went to stand by the door. A few people had noticed him standing oddly there. Jack waited for the "occupied" sign to switch to "vacant", and it did. Jack immediately pushed his way into the small area with James.
     "Who the hell are you?" James shouted, as he did not yet recognize Jack with the wig. Jack put one hand around James' throat and pulled off his wig with the other. "Surprise!"
     James looked at Jack in complete astonishment and terror as he tried desperately to cry out. He could not make a sound, and could not breath. Jack had both hands harshly around James' small neck, squeezing, strangling, forcing the life out of him. James struggled, although there was not much room to move. He was trapped. His struggling began to slow down. He looked deep into Jack's viciously evil eyes through a few wisps of blonde hair, and his struggling ceased. His eyes were wide at Jack, then gently shut. Jack stood there for a few more moments, then let go and James slumped to the floor. Then he took James and put his head into the toilet of blue water. Jack thought it would be humorous when they pulled James' dead body out of the toilet with a blue face. He smiled sickly.
     Jack stood there for a few minutes, looking down at James and thought. The longer he stared, the more ill he felt. Jesus, he thought, this is sick. This is unreal. It was real. He murdered a person.
     Jack began to panic, but then knew he had to stay calm. He had to walk out of there like nothing happened and he desperately tried to calm himself. He hesitated to open the door, but then did. He nervously went back to his seat.   
     He sat down stiffly and a little shaky. A little girl walked past him, she was going to the lavatory. She would see the dead boy in the toilet. Oh god, Jack thought. The thought of that innocent little girl expecting to casually use the bathroom and see a dead body made tears come to his eyes. He sat and waited. The girl screamed.
     Suddenly there was widespread panic on the entire plane. Someone has been killed! There's a murderer on the plane!
     "That boy was standing there!" A woman shouted. She was pointing at Jack. A few people agreed that they saw him there too.
     "I heard something going on in there! It was him!" Someone else frantically cried out. Now all attention was on Jack. People went after him and captured him. He was held down. He was caught.
  
     Five years later. Jack was in prison. He once had a great dream, now ruined. Everything was lost.
     Later, Jack killed himself. He couldn't take the agony of losing everything anymore. It made no difference, though. His life was already lost.

By Christel