Dan was bored. There wasn't anything on tv: MTV was playing another Jams Countdown, and Jerry Springer was in the middle of breaking up a fight between a black audience member and the head of the Kentuckey diveision of the KKK. Dan picked up the bag that was sitting on the kitchen table and went outside. He locked the apartment door behind him. He didn't want anyone breaking in and taking his television, although it didn't really matter, since he never could find anything good on.
"Hello, Dan!" The shrill voice of his neighboor startled him out of his thoughts.
"Hello Mrs. Tompkins. Hows Jimmie doing? Gotten over that flu bug yet?" Dan casually inquired. Jimmie was Mrs. Tompkins son, and had been laid up in bed for the last 4 days with a fever, and whooping cough.
"Oh, he's getting better all the time. He's well enough to run around the house making a mess, but still not well enough to go to school. I swear, that boy must be alergic to school," she said with a wink. "His classes give him a head ache, the chalk dust makes him sneeze, his teachers give him gas... you know, the usual childhood excuse to get out of waking up early. I don't know why he doesn't want to go. All his friends are there, and he has no problem with them..." Dan nodded his head. He had tuned her out about the time she started talking about the messes she was cleaning up.
'Where should I go?' he asked himself as Mrs. Tompkins rambled on about her no good ex-husband. 'I haven't been to the library in a while. Theres a new movie at the cineplex... so many choices... Where do you want to go today?' "Excuse me Mrs. Tompkins," he said politely as can be. "I'm late for an appointment."
"Oh, Ok Danny. I wouldn't want to keep you too long. I knwo what it's like to be chronically late. You know, sometimes my mother keeps me on the phone for hours on end, and I can't even get a word in edgewise. But I don't suppose you'd know the feeling, comming from a quiet type family and all. I'll see you later Dan. Have fun today!" she responded, trying to hide how hurt she was by his brush off.
"I'm sure I will," Dan responded. "Say 'Hi' to Jimmie for me, will ya?"
"Sure," she said. Dan made his way down the hall and to the elevator. Once down in the lobby, he said hello to the doorman and made his way outside. It was a cold day, but not cold enough for him to have to wear a coat. His sweat shirt would be sufficient for the time being. He might want to get something a little later, incase it got cold.
Dan made his way through the usual crowd on Main Street, and made his way towards the library. He had heard there was a good new Tom Clancy novel out, and was anxious to read it. He clutched the brown paper bag tightly as he crossed Church Street to the public library.
It was considerably warmer inside, and the sudden heat made him thirsty. He stopped by the water fountain, and took a long drink. The cold water his his stomach like a punch in the gut, but he didn't care.
He went down to the fiction section and looked for his book. 'Good, it's in' he thought. 'And the last copy too.' He took the book, and sat down at the nearest table. "Without Remorse" was the title, and from the reviews on the back cover, and the breif plot description on the inside cover, he thought it would be very good. He got to reading. After a few minutes, Dan was half way through the first chapter and already hooked.
Dan didn't notice the group of teenagers sitting at the table next to his, but by the time he started the second chapter, thier presence was really quite evident. "Excuse me," Dan said shyly. "I'm trying to read here. If you could please keep it down, I would really appreciate it. Thanks." Dan smiled to show his good intentions. The group laughed at him, and went back to thier discussion. "Excuse me," Dan said, a little more forcefully this time. "Please be quiet, or I'll have the manager remove you."
"Oooo!" said the short, dark haired boy with his arm around his scantily dressed girlfriend. "He's gonna tell the manager on us. Why don't you just go home, faggot, and leave us alone, huh? I'm sure your boyfriend is waiting for some of that good lovin' you provide."
"Hey now," Dan said, reaching into his bag. "That wasn't nice." He was trying to hold in his but couldn't help it. The boys words really hurt him, and he should be tought a lesson. Dan pulled the gun out of the bag and shot the boy in the head. His face dissolved into a fine red mist, most of which landed on his girlfriends face and breasts. She screamed, but the others were too stunned to say anything. A couple people were already running towards the exits, but the girl was frozen in fear. Dan took aim and shot her in the stomach. She doubled over in pain, and her dark flowing blood mixed with that of her boyfriends, already drying on her white blouse. Dan went back to his reading as she died silently in her chair.