Three Second Requiem

By James Ferace

"A man slowly begins to become unhinged when he learns that a child molester is living in his neighborhood."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781387931408

Book preview

Three Second Requiem

Three Second Requiem

by James Ferace

The wild, cruel beast is not behind the bars of the cage. He is in front of it.

- Axel Munthe

*

The place looked nothing like I'd ever seen it look before. He'd always kept it so clean and tidy. I was the slob, not him. Hordes of shit strewn all about the floor, food several weeks old, stiff and rotting, decorated the counters, a nauseating scent permeated the air before you could even open the door. Plants knocked over. Soil adorned on the hardwood. Couch cushions all over the floor. And the boxes. Good God, the boxes. All torn up and unfolded - taped to the windows. Scissors and shards of cardboard everywhere, thrown about with reckless abandon. No light to speak of. Save for one little sliver dead center of the large living room canopy window. Light streamed in with such intensity as to almost harm the eyes. Pillows, empty cans, paper plates encrusted with half-eaten foodstuffs littered the area just around it. And there he was, dazed, malnourished, propped up against the wall with one of those soiled pillows, lurking in the dark below. Death grip on a pair of binoculars and his digital camera. I jumped a little when I saw him. His appearance frightened me with its...almost ghoulishness. However, I was already unsettled to the point of near collapse anyway.

Ben, he said, throat raspy. Ben...where'd I go?

Where'd I go?

*

I knew the time was coming. I'd planned my whole day around it. I even drove home from work faster than normal just so that I could get everything ready. I looked at the clock. Shit, I thought, I'm running behind. I drew the shades and pulled the couch over just a little closer so that I could sit on the arm and have just the right angle of view. The