"How I help you sir?" The person behind the register asks, but Matthew is silent, just slowing walking towards him. As he comes closer, the person gets a better look at his face, it's looks like that a sick person, one of that has been crying none stopped.
Matthew still keeps moving closer, moving at the pace of a snail hitting tiny bumps on the ground.
"Sir, are you okay? You look like you need help" The person asks with great concern, but is suspicious at first.
He then tries to reach for the gun under the table.
"Would you like anything?" The person asks, but gets no answers.
Matthew just keeps quiet and looks at him.
"Hey if you want anything—" as he moves the gun from under the table.
"Just ask" As he grips it firmly.
"Help huh?" Matthew replies.
"Yeah I actually need help" Matthew said as he's conflicted with himself.
Matthew then loses his balance due to the over thinking and falls to the ground.
The person looks at Matthew surprised.
"Yeah I need help—please" as Matthew said while on the ground trying to get up.
The person then drops their gun back under the table and rushes to meet Matthew.
The person gets close to him and tries to support Matthew and lead him to a chair. He grabs him and supports him all the way to a chair and helps him sit.
"Should I really do this? Is this right?" Matthew asks himself as he sits.
The person then asks "hey what's your name?" But Matthew doesn't answer, he's lost in thought.
"...." The person pauses, then says "My name's Tan, the owner of this place" as he gestures his hands around.
"M-Matthew, it's Matthew" he whispers as he sounds weak.
"Okay Matthew, do you need anything? Water?" Tan asks while learning closer and smiling.
"Yes yes, you need water, let me go get some" as he hurried and go get some water.
He goes to one of his freezers and gets the water, but it's deep down covered by beverages.
Tan sighs "Damn, fucking drinks!" As he sorts through them looking for water.
"So where are you from friend?" As he asks while trying to reach deeper.
Matthew just stares at him in silence. The only thoughts on his minds are either to do it or not.
"I can't, but he's innocent" he thinks to himself.
"But I need the money for Freddy" as he refutes himself with another thought.
"But he's a good person, and I won't be better than them by attacking him" As he lowers his head down into a thinking position and taps with feet repeatedly.
Tan hears the tapping and his expression changes to that of a caring father.
"Don't worry, whatever happened, you'll be alright" he says then pauses as he continues to search for water.
"Damn, or have I run out of water?!" As he exclaims in frustration.
"Do you have any family?" Tan asks.
That question catches Matthew off-guard, he stops tapping his foot and looks dead on at Tan.
"I'm doing it!! For them!" as he gulps his saliva and stands up.
Matthew replies "No I don't have a family" he then pauses as he walks closer towards Tan.
Tan then pauses with searching and asks " what happened?"
Matthew replies "They died, still feels like yesterday actually" as he cleans the tears in his eyes. "This is for them" as he thinks to himself.
"I'm sorry for your loss" Tan then finds water "Ah hah! Found it" as he said with great joy.
He then raises his back up and turns around as he says "Hey Matthew, here's your water—-"
Matthew is behind Tan, then grabs him the shoulder and pushes him onto the edge of the freezer.
Tan "Hey! What is this?!" As he says in confusion and anger.
Matthew is speechless but holds a struggling Yan down firmly.
"I was helping you, if you wanted anything—-You could've just asked" Tan shouts.
Matthew just stands still hesitant.
He then grabs the top of the freezer and intensifies the pressure he's putting on Tan.
"Everything I do is for them" As Matthew said while looking so distorted.
Tan, visibly confused by that statement and is also afraid of what's gonna happen next.
Matthew then uses the top of the freezer to repeatedly hit Tan's head.
Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! The only sound heard in the bodega apart from the small fan rotating.
Tan as he tries to breathe for air "P-Please—--Stop" as he slowly moves his hand towards a blood-stained Matthew.
But Matthew still continues, even increased the intensity at which he slams Tan's head with each time more blood splashes onto Matthew.
He then stops as Tan is completely motionless.
Matthew, a loss of words and even emotion at what he just did, he apologizes "I'm sorry Tan, but it's all dusk's fault" as he said while dropping Tan's lifeless body with a bleeding banged up head on the ground with the blood flowing towards the same direction as him.
He then moves to the cash register stepping in blood and removes all the money there and keeps it in his pockets, he then checks other places for things of interest.
Matthew then notices on Tan's neck that he's wearing a golden necklace, he looks at it confused on what to do.
He ends up taking it and wearing it. "I might be able to pawn this" as he said with a broken chuckle. He then tries to walk out of the bodega, he feels light headed.
"You're not any better than them" as a voice said in his head.
"I don't care!" He shouts out loud.
"As long as they pay for what they did!!" as he said with an enraged expression.
Matthew almost falls but uses the wall to support himself. He then thinks "But why did I do that" as flashes of Tan's smile and innocent look replays in his head.
He tries to run away, but quickly falls down due to his disorientation. "I'm going to revenge" A voice says in his head before he collapses on the ground.
Matthew faints on the spot and immediately says to himself "This isn't the first time I've taken a life"
Then the image of a man holding a gun appears in the darkness. "In fact, I have taken lives before this."
"Then why—-WHY! Why does this feel so different" as an image of Tan smiling flashes again.
The flashes gradually increase in their speed and Tan's voice saying "Don't worry, whatever happened, you'll be alright."
"AHHHH! TAN I'M SORRY, I'LL MAKE DUSK PAY FOR MAKING ME DO THIS!!" As he screams.
He then wakes up.
He finds himself in an interrogation room in a police station, handcuffed to the table.
As he rises up, the cuffs rattle together slightly and immediately rattle repeatedly and harder.
"What the fuck?!" As he struggles.
"Hey, ya know no one can break steel with their bare hands right?" Someone says while behind a window.
The doorknob on the door besides the windows moves as the door itself opens.
Matthew is speechless at what he's seeing.
He's seeing Tan, right before his very eyes.
"Wait How's this possible" as he shouts, looking visibly confused.
"What? Surprised?" As he answers while smirking.
"But I killed him—his head bashed beyond recognition" as Matthew says in his head, with images of Tan's bashed head on the floor bleeding out.
"Then how—-How is he still alive?!" As he looks at Tan standing right in front of him.
"Now—-Let's get down to it" as Tan says.
The interrogation room is filled with an awkward silence as the dimly lit light bulb flickers.
—The end of chapter 3—