Hidden Memories
The last file was placed into the shredder. He no longer had a name or a past. He was free.
“Here sir. Your new identity.”
The clerk passed over a file with a name, a photo of him and an entire life, fabricated from nothing. Edward Charles Dagan. That was his new name. Edward looked at the cleric, his mouth open in question.
“Funds have been set up, you have a modest sum to start your new life with. Now Mr Dagan, would you please follow the security guard out.”
Edward stood up and left the clerk to do his work. He walked out of the building and into a new world as a new man.
Seventeen Years Later
Edward watched as his five year old son played on the slide at the local park. A lot had changed in seventeen years, he was now completely Edward, his old name forgotten. He looked down at his new watch, a present from his wife for his fortieth.
“Time to go Talon. Your mum will be waiting for us.”
They walked across the park towards the café that they were going to meet Lizzy, Talon’s mother. As they neared the café Edward saw his wife sitting next to Lizzy. She took a sip from her coffee and smiled at the two boys approaching.
“Nora, I didn’t expect to see you here. What a pleasant surprise.”
“I was just having a delightful coffee with my sister here, she was regaling me with stories about Talon’s escapades in the water park. You had fun didn’t you Talon? now give Auntie Nora a hug before she goes.” She hugged him, said goodbye to her sister and her husband then left.
“Good to see you two talking again. I thought you two would never make up after you accused me of getting you pregnant right in the middle of her, and mine for that matter, wedding.”
“It’s getting easier, we have Talon in common, she loves him almost as much as me. And I hope you can forgive me, but I had never seen you with her before that, so give me a break would you? Oh, I almost forgot, Talon is almost out of Ritalin.”
After agreeing to pick some up after work Edward said goodbye to his son, and to Lizzy then left to head to his day job. He walked through the doors of the bank and took up his post as the security guard. He worked two jobs to support Lizzy his son, as well as his wife. The hours dragged past as he stood there, at attention for the officer that would never pass. Though his mind wandered as he stood there he never stopped taking in everything happening around him. He thought about Talon’s first day of school coming soon, and the price that went with the private school. The school was meant to be the best with special needs children, and Talon’s ADHD was quite sever at times.
A man walked into the bank wearing a long winter coat and had a medical mask around his neck. He walked over to the teller sitting as the desk. Voices roused Edward from his thoughts, he looked over at the teller and the man in the coat to see him gesturing wildly and shouting.
“What’s happening here?”
“None of your business mate, now get lost” The angry man growled. His jacked had a large barrel poking out of the front of it. He pulled the mask onto his face before he punched Edward in the solar plexus, and pushed him to the ground.
“Everyone stay calm and we won’t have to hurt you” The voice came from the doors. Three men strode in holding guns at the ready, medical masks in place. Everyone in the bank was herded into a corner of the bank while all the cash was stripped from the place.
Edward groaned as he pushed himself up, his breath rattling through his winded lungs. As he rose a voice sounded in his head. Stay calm, and don’t do anything rash. I can get us out of here. He froze as the listen voice kept speaking in his mind. One of the bank robbers approached the group of huddled people on the floor of the bank.
“Sit your ass back down. Now. Don’t try to be a hero.”
Edward snatched the gun from the man’s hands and spun it around. Firing two shots into his attacker’s forehead, Edward dived behind a desk as the other three opened fire. Now what? He questioned silently. You need to get a visual on the target. Look around you to find a reflective surface. The stern voice commanded. He reached for a photo on the desk, his fingertips slipping off the top of it as a bullet smashed the vase above his head. A searing pain spread through his hand as a glass shard pierced his palm. He grabbed the picture with his bleeding hand and peered over the desk. One of the men was creeping up from the other side of the desk,
The man rounded the desk, gun ablaze. Edward sprung forward reflexively, crashing into the legs of the man over him. They both went down hard against the floor. Grappling with his assailant, Edward managed to get an uppercut punch into his opponent’s nose, causing blood to spurt everywhere. The man went still, his brain pierced by cartilage. Two down, two more to go. The silent voice that was a part of Edward whispered approvingly in the back of his mind.
How did I do that? I haven’t thrown a punch in my life. Edward wondered, moving through the bank towards the vault.
The second man emptied his mag into the pillar Edward was crouched behind, the marble chips flying all over the place. Edward spun out, his gun shooting before it was fully raised. The burst of bullets shredded the other man’s chest, making him dance in a cruel parody of life. The final man was in the vault, his back turned to the door. He went down quickly in a spray of blood, brains and bullets.
Who the hell are you? And what am I? He shot silently to the voice in his head.
I’m your past, the one that you hid from. That you can’t remember. We are the same person. I just know how to kill. That’s all that makes us different.
Edward sat outside the bank, his mind going into overdrive at what he had just done to four people. The police had arrived moments after the last shot had been fired, and took him straight to the ambulance that had been called. He now sat there, thinking about what just happened.
You’re a monster! He shouted at the cold voice in his head.
That’s what you are. You killed those all people.
No, you killed them. You’re the same as me. You can kill too. Now who is the monster?
The last file was placed into the shredder. He no longer had a name or a past. He was free.
“Here sir. Your new identity.”
The clerk passed over a file with a name, a photo of him and an entire life, fabricated from nothing. Edward Charles Dagan. That was his new name. Edward looked at the cleric, his mouth open in question.
“Funds have been set up, you have a modest sum to start your new life with. Now Mr Dagan, would you please follow the security guard out.”
Edward stood up and left the clerk to do his work. He walked out of the building and into a new world as a new man.
Seventeen Years Later
Edward watched as his five year old son played on the slide at the local park. A lot had changed in seventeen years, he was now completely Edward, his old name forgotten. He looked down at his new watch, a present from his wife for his fortieth.
“Time to go Talon. Your mum will be waiting for us.”
They walked across the park towards the café that they were going to meet Lizzy, Talon’s mother. As they neared the café Edward saw his wife sitting next to Lizzy. She took a sip from her coffee and smiled at the two boys approaching.
“Nora, I didn’t expect to see you here. What a pleasant surprise.”
“I was just having a delightful coffee with my sister here, she was regaling me with stories about Talon’s escapades in the water park. You had fun didn’t you Talon? now give Auntie Nora a hug before she goes.” She hugged him, said goodbye to her sister and her husband then left.
“Good to see you two talking again. I thought you two would never make up after you accused me of getting you pregnant right in the middle of her, and mine for that matter, wedding.”
“It’s getting easier, we have Talon in common, she loves him almost as much as me. And I hope you can forgive me, but I had never seen you with her before that, so give me a break would you? Oh, I almost forgot, Talon is almost out of Ritalin.”
After agreeing to pick some up after work Edward said goodbye to his son, and to Lizzy then left to head to his day job. He walked through the doors of the bank and took up his post as the security guard. He worked two jobs to support Lizzy his son, as well as his wife. The hours dragged past as he stood there, at attention for the officer that would never pass. Though his mind wandered as he stood there he never stopped taking in everything happening around him. He thought about Talon’s first day of school coming soon, and the price that went with the private school. The school was meant to be the best with special needs children, and Talon’s ADHD was quite sever at times.
A man walked into the bank wearing a long winter coat and had a medical mask around his neck. He walked over to the teller sitting as the desk. Voices roused Edward from his thoughts, he looked over at the teller and the man in the coat to see him gesturing wildly and shouting.
“What’s happening here?”
“None of your business mate, now get lost” The angry man growled. His jacked had a large barrel poking out of the front of it. He pulled the mask onto his face before he punched Edward in the solar plexus, and pushed him to the ground.
“Everyone stay calm and we won’t have to hurt you” The voice came from the doors. Three men strode in holding guns at the ready, medical masks in place. Everyone in the bank was herded into a corner of the bank while all the cash was stripped from the place.
Edward groaned as he pushed himself up, his breath rattling through his winded lungs. As he rose a voice sounded in his head. Stay calm, and don’t do anything rash. I can get us out of here. He froze as the listen voice kept speaking in his mind. One of the bank robbers approached the group of huddled people on the floor of the bank.
“Sit your ass back down. Now. Don’t try to be a hero.”
Edward snatched the gun from the man’s hands and spun it around. Firing two shots into his attacker’s forehead, Edward dived behind a desk as the other three opened fire. Now what? He questioned silently. You need to get a visual on the target. Look around you to find a reflective surface. The stern voice commanded. He reached for a photo on the desk, his fingertips slipping off the top of it as a bullet smashed the vase above his head. A searing pain spread through his hand as a glass shard pierced his palm. He grabbed the picture with his bleeding hand and peered over the desk. One of the men was creeping up from the other side of the desk,
The man rounded the desk, gun ablaze. Edward sprung forward reflexively, crashing into the legs of the man over him. They both went down hard against the floor. Grappling with his assailant, Edward managed to get an uppercut punch into his opponent’s nose, causing blood to spurt everywhere. The man went still, his brain pierced by cartilage. Two down, two more to go. The silent voice that was a part of Edward whispered approvingly in the back of his mind.
How did I do that? I haven’t thrown a punch in my life. Edward wondered, moving through the bank towards the vault.
The second man emptied his mag into the pillar Edward was crouched behind, the marble chips flying all over the place. Edward spun out, his gun shooting before it was fully raised. The burst of bullets shredded the other man’s chest, making him dance in a cruel parody of life. The final man was in the vault, his back turned to the door. He went down quickly in a spray of blood, brains and bullets.
Who the hell are you? And what am I? He shot silently to the voice in his head.
I’m your past, the one that you hid from. That you can’t remember. We are the same person. I just know how to kill. That’s all that makes us different.
Edward sat outside the bank, his mind going into overdrive at what he had just done to four people. The police had arrived moments after the last shot had been fired, and took him straight to the ambulance that had been called. He now sat there, thinking about what just happened.
You’re a monster! He shouted at the cold voice in his head.
That’s what you are. You killed those all people.
No, you killed them. You’re the same as me. You can kill too. Now who is the monster?
No comments:
Post a Comment