text: It was midnight. The moon was full and the breeze, silent and chilly, blew through the innocent walking down the streets below. Lawrence stood by his bedroom window, big enough for him to fit, and high enough for him to meet an ungodly demise. Apparently, it has all come down to this. Him in a dark bedroom waiting to be found, his associates have left and gone, and the only person that still seems to care is the one that is after him. He never thought that it would end with such violence and with so much pain. He never thought that life would make him suffer so much with the choices that he made. He thought he was actually doing the right thing. It was evident though, that he had to make some decisions that did not consider the welfare of others. But these choices, they weren’t easy. Lawrence sighed. He wanted to scream. He wanted to let go of the guilt that he buried deep in his consciousness, to a place where not even he can reach. Maybe this is his punishment. The voices of the hurt kept ringing in his ears and they shout: We curse your soul into the depths of the underworld! Never to resurface or see the light of day ever again! It was torture. He only needs to close his eyes to remember the visible agony on their faces. He hasn’t slept properly for days now and his body seemed to not have any plans to do so. He couldn’t eat either, not even a cracker. He has grown thin and his face became sunken. It was the consequences, he guessed. But he was doing the right thing! He knows deep down that he was fighting for the greater good. There was more than just glory and the satisfaction of being recognized as someone who’s willing to do what is necessary to succeed. It wasn’t greed. It wasn’t just self-righteousness. It was mercy. It was a sacrifice for the betterment of many. From down below, Lawrence noticed a particular red sedan that he recognizes a little too much. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. It was only a matter of minutes now. The blonde woman would be at his doorstep and there would be nowhere to run. No chance of escape. Moments passed and his bedroom door opened loudly with a bang. A young woman with short disheveled blonde hair barged into the room. She flashed a blinding light to his face, he winced through blinded eyes. “I got you now,” she whispered “no more running.” “It’s not like I was running from you, you just couldn’t catch up.” Lawrence said. The young woman stepped forward. “Don’t. I’ll jump.” She glanced over to the window behind Lawrence. The busy street ignorant of the encounter happening to that significant apartment building. She snickered. “I swear, I’ll jump,” Lawrence repeated. “You shouldn’t have done what you did. I told you we were in this together.” she lowered her flashlight and aimed something at his head “How could you do this to me, Lawrence? To your family?” “You wouldn’t listen to me,” Lawrence said calmly. “Because you were wrong, Lawrence!” “Do you think I’m happy with what I did? Do you think I get to sleep comfortably under my sheets?” Lawrence raised his voice. He was angry now. They were once partners but she couldn’t understand what he wanted to achieve. They shared a dream, a vision. Until she decided to trek a different path and Lawrence was set to venture alone. “Why did you do it then?” she asked, her voice low and shaking. “Because it was the right thing to do and we both know it.” He replied. Silence. There was only silence. The blonde woman clenched her weapon as she held back a tear. He was right. She didn’t want to agree with him but deep down, she kind of does. She just couldn’t agree with how Lawrence would go to extremes and couldn’t care less about the people he could cause pain. That wasn’t what she signed up for. “Undo it. I’m giving you the count of three.” She warned him. Lawrence remained silent and unmoving. “One.” “I can’t” he whispered. “Two.” She stiffened her stance, ready to take him. “I won’t!” Lawrence shouted. “Three!” “I’m sorry I had to do it, sister. It’s do or die.” “What are you talking about?” her determined face turned into confusion. It was such an intense moment. Everything happened so fast. She was ready to take him down and he was ready to counter but then time seemed to have stopped when Lawrence’s apartment door’s lock chimed. Someone has unlocked the door. The two were stunned. No one is supposed to enter through that door at this hour. The door swung open and a middle-aged woman appeared. She was wearing a white shirt and jeans, a pizza box in her hand and a handbag in the other. She walked on to the kitchen and laid down everything she was holding onto the dining table. The two looked at each other in panic. Then they hear a deafening scream. “Lawrence! Lilian! Get your asses over here!” It was their mother. Lawrence’s throat ran dry and Lilian became wide-eyed with the ringing voice of their mother. They have been found out. The two slowly crept to the kitchen with their heads hung low. Their mother was fuming and they would probably never hear the end of her scolding. “What is this?” she said, pissed off and fuming, and pointed at the wall opposite their kitchen. It was painted red, while the rest of the room was painted a beautiful olive-green. “I thought I told you to change-“ “Change the color of the wall. Exactly, that is what we did!” Lawrence exclaimed. “Yeah, and this idiot decided to do it on his own while I was out to get another brush.” Lilian explained “Then he went all dramatic about punishments and not sleeping and victims calling out for his name.” she continued. “Change the color of the wallpaper on my computer.” Their mother facepalmed herself. “Oh,” Lilian whispered to herself. “What’s even worse is that red doesn’t match the color of the room and where did you guys even get the paint?” “I asked some from the neighbor and he gave it to me,” Lawrence answered. “You bothered Mrs. Johnson for paint?” their mother couldn’t believe it. Coming home from a busy day at work, this is not what she expected. “I told him not to and he wouldn’t listen to me!” Lilian shouted, “I said that we should find a color that matches the room!” “Again, I did not ask you to change the wall’s color.” Their mother massaged her temples in an attempt to calm down “At least, you didn’t bother any more walls.” “Umm.” Lilian looked down, embarrassed. “We actually started in your room.” Lawrence blurted out. And at that moment, jumping off his bedroom window didn’t seem so bad.