Is there anything in your life that you regret? Maybe you said something hurtful to someone you haven't seen in years. Maybe you embarrassed yourself out in public. Maybe there's one decision you wish you could go back and change. Today, we find that Joseph McGee made a mistake. One that may cost him his life...
Here I was, walking home in the middle of the night, the rain pouring down around me. "Just my luck," I muttered as I bundled up in my jacket.
It's funny, luck has never really been on my side, I thought. In fact, if there's anyone who draws in bad luck like a magnet, it's me.
You see, growing up I wasn't exactly the nicest kid. I don't remember a whole lot. I just know I was a big trouble maker. I was sent to the principle's office and suspended more times than I could count. And there was a kid or two I might have picked on in elementary school. But I was like ten, could you blame me?
Anyways, as time went on, there was this kid who I picked on a bit. I almost thought we were somewhat friends with how much we were around each other. Or maybe how much I was around him. There was one day where we were running laps outside in gym class. I tripped him and he fell head first into a puddle of water, fresh from the rain the night before. When he stood up, he had a damp patch on the front of his pants. We laughed and joked about it. I thought it was hilarious at the time. But thinking back now, it was a dumb thing to laugh about. I probably would have helped the kid had I been more mature.
Later on, near the end of the school year, one of the worst things that had ever happened to me occurred. Our house caught fire. And all our belongings burned along with it. We had to stay with our grandparents for a while until we could figure out where we were going to go. And the worst part of it all, apparently the fire started in my room. That didn't make sense, because I was asleep at the time and my parents had to be the ones to wake me and get me out of the house. But when my parents heard that it started in my room, they blamed me for a while. They grounded me, no matter how unfair I said it was.
After that, life got more challenging. I was losing sleep for reasons I couldn't explain. I was falling asleep during class and falling behind in my grades, barely passing as I went. Then, in high school I joined the football team. I was excited. I loved football. Unfortunately, I sucked at it. I guess I sucked so badly that for my entire high school career, we never won a single game. Then in my senior year, I fell the wrong way after being tackled and I broke my left leg. I was out for the rest of the year.
Speaking of my senior year, I never got to graduate with my class. I never got to walk or get my diploma on stage. I guess what had happened was I was missing half of an English credit, so I had to spend an entire semester repeating the same class. Thankfully, I was able to get my diploma in December that year.
After that, more misfortune beheld me. I could never hold a job for more than three months because I would get fired for one reason or another, whether or not it was even my fault. I got evicted from my old apartment last year because I had loud neighbors, blasting loud music and stomping like crazy. I guess the person who lived downstairs from them got confused and made noise complaints about them, but against me. I don't know, she was a crazy old lady making those complaints.
And then we get to today. My car wouldn't start at work, so now I'm stuck walking home in the pouring rain. It's not so bad, I guess. Things could always be worse, right?
Almost as if on cue, a van quickly approached and stopped right next to me. I stopped in my tracks as the side door slid open and a couple guys jumped out and grabbed me. I tried to fight back, tried to scream for help, but they were too strong. They threw me into the van and drove off.
Here I was, walking home in the middle of the night, the rain pouring down around me. "Just my luck," I muttered as I bundled up in my jacket.
It's funny, luck has never really been on my side, I thought. In fact, if there's anyone who draws in bad luck like a magnet, it's me.
You see, growing up I wasn't exactly the nicest kid. I don't remember a whole lot. I just know I was a big trouble maker. I was sent to the principle's office and suspended more times than I could count. And there was a kid or two I might have picked on in elementary school. But I was like ten, could you blame me?
Anyways, as time went on, there was this kid who I picked on a bit. I almost thought we were somewhat friends with how much we were around each other. Or maybe how much I was around him. There was one day where we were running laps outside in gym class. I tripped him and he fell head first into a puddle of water, fresh from the rain the night before. When he stood up, he had a damp patch on the front of his pants. We laughed and joked about it. I thought it was hilarious at the time. But thinking back now, it was a dumb thing to laugh about. I probably would have helped the kid had I been more mature.
Later on, near the end of the school year, one of the worst things that had ever happened to me occurred. Our house caught fire. And all our belongings burned along with it. We had to stay with our grandparents for a while until we could figure out where we were going to go. And the worst part of it all, apparently the fire started in my room. That didn't make sense, because I was asleep at the time and my parents had to be the ones to wake me and get me out of the house. But when my parents heard that it started in my room, they blamed me for a while. They grounded me, no matter how unfair I said it was.
After that, life got more challenging. I was losing sleep for reasons I couldn't explain. I was falling asleep during class and falling behind in my grades, barely passing as I went. Then, in high school I joined the football team. I was excited. I loved football. Unfortunately, I sucked at it. I guess I sucked so badly that for my entire high school career, we never won a single game. Then in my senior year, I fell the wrong way after being tackled and I broke my left leg. I was out for the rest of the year.
Speaking of my senior year, I never got to graduate with my class. I never got to walk or get my diploma on stage. I guess what had happened was I was missing half of an English credit, so I had to spend an entire semester repeating the same class. Thankfully, I was able to get my diploma in December that year.
After that, more misfortune beheld me. I could never hold a job for more than three months because I would get fired for one reason or another, whether or not it was even my fault. I got evicted from my old apartment last year because I had loud neighbors, blasting loud music and stomping like crazy. I guess the person who lived downstairs from them got confused and made noise complaints about them, but against me. I don't know, she was a crazy old lady making those complaints.
And then we get to today. My car wouldn't start at work, so now I'm stuck walking home in the pouring rain. It's not so bad, I guess. Things could always be worse, right?
Almost as if on cue, a van quickly approached and stopped right next to me. I stopped in my tracks as the side door slid open and a couple guys jumped out and grabbed me. I tried to fight back, tried to scream for help, but they were too strong. They threw me into the van and drove off.
***
As I sat tied up in the back of the van, the two guys were behind me, holding on to each of my shoulders to make sure I didn't move. There was a guy in a black jumpsuit standing before me. He approached and kneeled down. He lifted the ski mask that blocked a part of his face. Why did he look so familiar?
"Do you remember me?" he asked in a cold, almost growling voice. "Cause I certainly remember you."
I shook my head. "I don't know," I said, my heart racing. I tried squirming against my restraints but the men behind me held be back. "Who are you? Why did you do this to me? I didn't do anything."
"Oh, you don't remember?" he asked. I noticed the knife in his hand, bringing it closer to my face as he gently grazed the blade over the side of my head. "Maybe the nickname 'Pissy Pants Sammy' might ring a bell."
"Sam... Sammy?" my eyes went wide with realization. "Dude, it's been years. But, what's up with this, man? Why is this necessary?" I struggled a bit against my restraints as Sam backed away a bit.
"Oh, so you do remember me? Then you must remember all the pain and misery you put me through all those years ago. You must remember how relentless the bullying was. And not a single time were you sorry about any of it."
"Is that what this is about?!" I shouted. "You kidnapped me over something dumb we did as kids? Look, if you want an apology, you've got it. I'm sorry, okay?"
He stomped forward in anger, waving the knife in my face. "You don't understand, this was more than bullying. This goes beyond dumb kid stuff. Have you ever noticed your streak of bad luck over the years? That was my doing. Well, my parent's doing."
"You've got to be f*cking kidding me!" I shouted. I could feel my blood boiling. All those lost jobs, my childhood home that was engulfed in flames. My broken leg. It was all him?!
I struggled again against my restraints. I was nearly free. I wanted so badly to punch this guy. To get back at him for all the pain he put me through over the years. And for what, some dumb childhood jokes?! But as soon as I was able to move more than an inch, the guys behind me threw be back down.
"Oh, you're a feisty one, aren't you?" he taunted me as he leaned over me with his knife. "But yes, my parents put a curse on you. Every time I was bullied because of you, something terrible would happen to you. But, all of this came at a cost. I couldn't rely on a single strand of hair from your backpack to keep the curse going. Eventually, it burns out and I have to find something else. A used water bottle, a tissue, a dirty sock. But, once again, the well has dried up. I need something more. I need blood."
He grabbed my hand and lowered his blade to it. I tried to pull away, tried to fight my way out of it, but they were too strong. Being held down by two guys, a third guy using all his body weight to keep your arm outstretched. It was an impossible scenario to escape from. But again, Sam lowered the blade to my hand and the blade went in. But just then, the van hit a speed bump. The knife slipped. Instead of slicing through my hand, it sliced cleanly through my wrist in a fiery pain that shot through my entire body. Sam saw what had happened and backed away, terrified.
"No... No. Not like this." he yelled out. His gaze turned from me to the guys behind me. "Throw him out."
"What?" I said as I grasped my wrist tightly, trying to stop the bleeding. Just then, I felt the men behind me grab my shoulders an back tightly. They threw open the van door and tossed me out onto the grass nearby the road and continued zooming past. Leaving me for dead.
"Do you remember me?" he asked in a cold, almost growling voice. "Cause I certainly remember you."
I shook my head. "I don't know," I said, my heart racing. I tried squirming against my restraints but the men behind me held be back. "Who are you? Why did you do this to me? I didn't do anything."
"Oh, you don't remember?" he asked. I noticed the knife in his hand, bringing it closer to my face as he gently grazed the blade over the side of my head. "Maybe the nickname 'Pissy Pants Sammy' might ring a bell."
"Sam... Sammy?" my eyes went wide with realization. "Dude, it's been years. But, what's up with this, man? Why is this necessary?" I struggled a bit against my restraints as Sam backed away a bit.
"Oh, so you do remember me? Then you must remember all the pain and misery you put me through all those years ago. You must remember how relentless the bullying was. And not a single time were you sorry about any of it."
"Is that what this is about?!" I shouted. "You kidnapped me over something dumb we did as kids? Look, if you want an apology, you've got it. I'm sorry, okay?"
He stomped forward in anger, waving the knife in my face. "You don't understand, this was more than bullying. This goes beyond dumb kid stuff. Have you ever noticed your streak of bad luck over the years? That was my doing. Well, my parent's doing."
"You've got to be f*cking kidding me!" I shouted. I could feel my blood boiling. All those lost jobs, my childhood home that was engulfed in flames. My broken leg. It was all him?!
I struggled again against my restraints. I was nearly free. I wanted so badly to punch this guy. To get back at him for all the pain he put me through over the years. And for what, some dumb childhood jokes?! But as soon as I was able to move more than an inch, the guys behind me threw be back down.
"Oh, you're a feisty one, aren't you?" he taunted me as he leaned over me with his knife. "But yes, my parents put a curse on you. Every time I was bullied because of you, something terrible would happen to you. But, all of this came at a cost. I couldn't rely on a single strand of hair from your backpack to keep the curse going. Eventually, it burns out and I have to find something else. A used water bottle, a tissue, a dirty sock. But, once again, the well has dried up. I need something more. I need blood."
He grabbed my hand and lowered his blade to it. I tried to pull away, tried to fight my way out of it, but they were too strong. Being held down by two guys, a third guy using all his body weight to keep your arm outstretched. It was an impossible scenario to escape from. But again, Sam lowered the blade to my hand and the blade went in. But just then, the van hit a speed bump. The knife slipped. Instead of slicing through my hand, it sliced cleanly through my wrist in a fiery pain that shot through my entire body. Sam saw what had happened and backed away, terrified.
"No... No. Not like this." he yelled out. His gaze turned from me to the guys behind me. "Throw him out."
"What?" I said as I grasped my wrist tightly, trying to stop the bleeding. Just then, I felt the men behind me grab my shoulders an back tightly. They threw open the van door and tossed me out onto the grass nearby the road and continued zooming past. Leaving me for dead.
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