Re-Opening a Scar

CHAPTER 8

The lies that everyone's fear most are the ones close enough to the truth to pass under the radar, or else the ones that are so big you'd never dream a person could make something like that up. The half-truths lead away from trust into mere like closet xenophobia. The big ones are shock and awe; it just roots in fear so the primal brains start doing the thinking.

Once you're in survival mode there's a muzzle on your higher thinking, concepts like altruism, charity and cooperation become whispers among the anxious screams. If you fight it you stick out,

you're a rebel

a conspiracy theorist

a marked person

So you take the issue blinkers and set about your day, its either punch the clock, eat the cookie, buy the coffee. Lies are swirling all around everyone, suffocating and sophisticated, the empty shape in inside each one steals breath and now we're dead. Through perfect teeth comes the truth and the lies, all vibrations in the air, inconsequential to the medium through which they travel.

Only I know the difference.

So watch those perfectly aligned slabs of white enamel, taking in his entire being. Seeing the anger flash, the urge to hide his true feelings, all the remaining composed. Hidden these feelings for years and never intended to tell, forcing into a life that wasn't quite right,

not quite real.

The lie slipped out, smooth and easy like melted butter running down toast.

Everyone fed me lie,

after lie,

after lie.

They did it in such a way as if I were sitting in front of them holding out a dinner plate begging to be fed. Having such high hopes, such belief that whatever they said would come true, shut out every word from all whose mouths had something poorly to say, and shut them out in such a way as if it were a heavy wooden door,

not even budging for the strongest man.

And I give them the greatest lie to everyone

Pretend to be dead

Just like Hitler who fake his own death and got to escape into Argentina, a fictional story written in an attempt to understand his karmic debt, it is like Hitler himself just owned the world had he survived.

Everyone's feast the idea that the town's great Pendelton was dead. All of it was part of my plans

Part of my Scheme.

Starting from the idea that I ran away after the night of 10th interrogation, having the will power on a finite resource, it burns energy in the brain; then it's like once you run out,

you give in.

To make all these pointless choices and then wondering why I can't stick to my resolutions.

I need to decide

I need to move

It's like running an athlete nonstop and then wondering why they can't sprint. I want to give some peace, give a world where everything I do isn't morally wrong in some way, then I can be the person who can give justice.

I need to be for all of us

It's like these three persons meet at a mahogany table inside my brain. One is as negative and dark as a demon on a toad stool. His voice shakes with fear, as he advises against this move,

"because you will fail"

"you will look like a fool. Stay still, and maybe no one will notice that you are breathing."

The second voice is sunlight multiplied,

"Hey, it's a beautiful day, and you've got ability. Full steam ahead. I'll see you in the winner's circle."

The third voice is from one that's gone to the couch and is lying down.

"Look, Kiddo, this is going to take a lot out of you, in time and effort. Why bother? Sit back and take it easy. You'll never get out of this town alive anyway."

When all three have had stated their positions, they turn to me for the decision. All three answers strike positive chords to me, but only one can be chosen. The majority of such schemes are carried out in order to defraud the enemy that has been covered with blind eyes. Richardson's, who is currently hiding something about Copper's death, my fake ran away scheme came from the kind of panicked place that was much more honorable, or much more legitimate, than a lot of what I saw.

Everyone thinks I'm the criminal who intentionally killed my own brother and making stories and such.

The town spoke about the different motivations and reason about how could I come up with running away and play as a victim in the end,

how difficult it is to pull off?

how I once acquired my own death certificate from document forgers in the Town, among other topics. The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

…

-FLASHBACK-

-THE NIGHT AFTER THE TENTH INTERROGATION-

It takes longer to use empathy, to use warmth over icy logic. It's not only lazy and cruel to throw all these kids in jail, it's stupid.

"Nice act Sheriff Castillo" I greeted him with a smile as if I won from something big auction.

"I just did what you ask Mr. Chase" he greeted back with a bro fist

Seems my plans work, pretending that we're enemy and manipulate everyone.

"How long do you know that Copper Richardson was your true brother?" He asks me

"when someone send me a note that Copper was Blade" I simply ask while drinking a precious wine

"Seems you're not drinking your rum?" Castillo utter and take a huge sip of rum

"My rum wasn't formulated for my throat; it was formulated for the people to cherish" I murmur as looking attentively to him.

"So what's the next plan of Town's great Pendelton?" He utters and smirk

"I want you to kill me"

-END OF FLASHBACK-

…

September 28, 1901 Receiving unfamiliar envelope after a long tiring case of a woman was quiet suspicious

Another case?

It has a bluebell insignia, releasing a floral aroma, I started to ripped the envelope to read what's inside. My hands start to tremble as I read what's written on it.

Copper is Blade?

It was the starting point where I decided to make a move against Richardson's. Thinking that my plans would be easy was a huge mistake, as it was the start of knowing who Copper really was, it is also the beginning of receiving threats anonymously.

…

-FLASHBACK-

Found the great Knight-drain Pendelton's body out in the woods, the so-called sheriff pretends to walked back to where it was found. No mistaking where it had been; it was not far from a river bank most town people want to explore,

to extent, why do such Pendelton place his body to the river bank at the middle of the wood? Simple question deserves a simple answer. The day before we proceed to our so-called death scheme, I tried to research a deep information about this town. The town of realm surely is hiding a deep nasty horrifying information towards the people living here.

Who doesn't have some creepy small town stories?

Isolated and insular places can have some of the scariest vibes anywhere. After all, every community is different, and plenty of towns are just plain weird. Maybe it's a history of xenophobia, or a political dispute institutionalized over the years, or possibly a doomsday cult attempting to summon the apocalypse by sacrificing unsuspecting travelers.

But my town was way too different

Very different

Just twenty miles north, west either east of the town is a metropolis of metal and glass, concrete and asphalt. The people mill about, measuring lives to the second, absorbed in salacious gossip and politics. But within the perimeter it is nonsense to measure time that way. The smallest division is the rising and setting of the sun, the appearing and vanishing of the mighty battlements from the naked eye. With back to the stone, the roughness pressing into skin, daydreams are picture perfect from low-res to high definition without the use of the recreational chemicals people imbibe nightly. History lives here with the ghouls and ghosts. Under the slivers of moonlight, seen phantoms pass by, never once acknowledging presence. But perhaps they are locked in another time, visible but somehow dislocated from the here and now. Rather be in these ancient walls, imagining, fantasizing, building than sitting safely in smog. Haunted places are my sanctuary.

Everyone's Sanctuary

How can I be scared of the dead when the living is so volatile?

It is said that the Town's deepest secrets through the river bank of the Town. Each murder incident, the body decompose and throw at the ban of the river to remove the prints all over the body. Giving that idea makes me anxious towards my plans.

Back to the story as the pretend sheriff killer go back the crime scene there was no real body remaining. The sheriff looks around a little and then steps back. As a signal, In the shadowy gloom from an old warehouse there is a silhouetted figure, thin and unmoving. Crouch against the woods taking in shallow breaths, careful not to make a sound. After a few minutes reaching the peaked. The figure is feet away I see that it is utterly white, even the eyes and its stillness is rock-like, inhuman. Breathe freely now, it's just a mannequin; one of those dummies from the stores. Looks like the real Pendelton that creep out and stand face to face with it, I almost laugh on thoughts that I was too great to pulled this kind of prank. It's plastic, cold to the touch and it wobbles even with a slight poke. Then my eyes fall to the skinny arm, it wears a blue armband. Odd. I don't like odd things; it never means anything good. Making changes putting like inserting some weights and prosthetics even a fresh flesh from sheep to make a new figure, leaning against the big rock, tall and muscular, male without a doubt. Then the silence is shattered by a crunch that can only come from dry leaves.

As the sheriff's man walks towards his direction, he poured bags of my blood and shoot its head using his silenced gun. Turns out, to create tracks and stools from woods. It had likely eaten/dragged off the body in the time I'd been away to hide and pretend to be no one.

Making sheriff Castillo my primary suspect was an advantage to take, he can manipulate everyone on the jail and has the records of the documents I needed for my next step.

…

-FLASHBACK-

"Why do you want me to kill you?" his face turn seems to be bloodless

"Richardshon's starts to turn table against me, specially now that they can accused me against my own brother" I stated the facts that Richardson attacked me simultaneously.

"Did you even think that I can go behind bars?" he utters and hissed

"That was my plan sheriff as everybody knows that I'm already dead we can work privately; you can manipulate all of them once you're in jail and go straight and find any things that will lead to Richardson's dirty works. As for me, I will investigate privately with my allies." I murmur while drinking wine

"how about your body? The autopsy? And other evidences?" he nervously asked

"I have my plans for that"

-END OF FLASHBACK-

…

Wearing a disguise seems pretty unusual but I can say that this is effective. Anything which conceals or changes physical appearance, including wigs, light makeups, sunglasses or any other items. It is like camouflage type of disguise for people, wearing hats, glasses, changes in hair style or wigs. It is like being a criminals and secret agents seeking to avoid identification. Like a person working for an agency trying to get information might go 'undercover' to get information without being recognized by the public; a celebrity may go 'incognito' in order to avoid unwelcome press attention. In comic books and films, disguises are often used by superheroes, and in science fiction they may be used by aliens.

But not like any other so-called criminals I wasn't able to hide. I'm not hiding anywhere. I'm just there watching.

Observing

I'm always there

Not being Pendelton

But being someone they actually didn't notice.

My murder was committed in the middle of the woods in my presence.

On that fateful day, when the murder happened, I was there, watching and observing. The trouble started when some camera men and medias somehow appeared in the scene. Entered uninvited, unwanted, and extremely agitated. Without a doubt, the bastard in town. Yet every single man in the location seemed to be terrified and shocked.

Everyone knew him

what he was about

and what he could do to each man that clashes his ass out.

He had a reputation everyone was familiar with.

No one knew why he entered. But we all knew he was there. This man threatened every person in the Town. He got right in the face of almost everyone.

But not me and my allies.

Someone took a photo of him; flashing and lighting all throughout the forest, he quickly outmaneuvered those flashes and covered his face, taught he has something to deal with my own murder case at this horrendous event, not an hour passed the so-called pretend crime scene was full of felons. They were all tough men. For some, fighting was all they knew. Others bought their camera and others are live reporting the crime scene. Possibly, some of the men in the location were here for that very reason. Yet this guy pretending in front was acting terrified.

That's right

Bite my bait

Hearing sobs and mourn. they almost fell out as if their sitting on a chair trying to get out of the way. A couple of my allies threatened to kill the one and took up offensive postures against them.

"You! Fucking did this aren't you?" One, with a dagger knife in hand, even attack forward and shout just to kill him.

My girl seems to be impulsive

Some of these tough men so-called Castillo's puppies were pleading with the media to leave them alone. I could see the pretend fear in their eyes. They wanted to hide. But where can they hide in a wide-open forest. Woods were scooting, others were yelling at the intruder, and me, guess what I was doing? I was pretending to be one media news writer. Violence was not something I was going to demonstrate or advocate to everyone yet this town need to know the truth in most not appropriate way. I took the violent approach and used strong way of encouragement.

Giving them my own death

By this time, the payed forensics holding pattern, making the scene more realistic and convincing. I was getting desperate to know the reason. I started to think I would have to take stronger action. And then it happened. One of the forensics talked to Copper's so-called father. One yelled, "Now you've done it! You've really killed our great detective" But the man stayed on calm and didn't get abduct. Another one approached the him and pronounced, "Killer, Killer, Killer."

Taste of your own Bait isn't it

Acting to be convinced and so-called cracked the case; the payed detectives drove to the forest where they found my lost body, they found it lifeless, even come closer they recognize that its him. On returning to the police station, Castillo announced: "Knight-drain Pendelton Chase is dead" The new police team found more planted evidence of the Serial killer's methods, including a wire that they had strung through the trees along the lakeside path to serve as an so-called alert system during the abduction. But investigations of other suspects that actor Castillo mentioned came to nothing. By the end of the month the investigation had wound down.

All evidence was being planted properly without any sign that it was just an act. On trial for the Blade Chase murder also known as Copper Richardson, my twin brother, who was only a few weeks revealed was being murdered. After extensive forensic investigations, the judges ruled that no link could be established between the fake dead Pendelton and Copper's criminal cases, and I was convicted for Copper's murder.

How do Richardson manipulate it?

At the start of the trial, few people in court had taken much notice of Sheldon Chase. Having distinctive appearance, wears grey hair in a ponytail and at the time also sported sideburns down to the jaw serves as a battle scars, unassuming, not the kind of man who draws attention to himself.

The look of my grandfather seems so hard to copy

Pretending I was Sheldon Copper and defend my own criminal case against everyone.

That's how I manipulate everything

They called my paid forensics experts to testify that the gun that so-called Knight-drain was shot in the head with was Castillo's. They called the Doctor who did the Drain's fake autopsy to tell everyone about how young Chase' suffer. They showed pictures, one witness was showing x-rays of Drain's head and explaining how he had been shot twice in the head. The man was showing with a metal rod the trajectory of the bullets. The rod was on the very top front of his head pointing down.

It worked as I planned

The rest of trial seemed like it flew by there was witnesses and forensics proving things in front of the Honorable Judge. It proved that Castillo had been near the car of the murdered Pendelton, his palm print was found on the top of the car. The police officers had evidence of his sheriff's hat near the car. Everyone knew that it's his hat from the DNA tests done on the hat. The officers on the scene of where the car found were witnesses, each one testified about all the stuff found near and inside the car, they even revealed pictures and items that proved. We exchanged smiles as he had been arrested for the framed up and planned Bait.

I was there, looking as if no one knows I'm alive

I was each one's shadow

I'm still alive and fresh from my own hell