The Only Friend

John’s father had died two days before in a car accident. The police was still busy in investigation. They had figured out that the brakes of the car had failed. John was the only child of his parents. His mother had died right after his birth. None of his relatives lived in that country. William his only friend was consoling him, trying to calm him down, but it was futile. John would not stop crying. And how could he? His favourite person, his dear dad had died.

It was the third night after his dad’s death. He could not sleep. John rolled on the bed. He stared at the ceiling. He remembered the dozens of pranks he had played on his dad. The hundreds of mornings they had spent together. The thousands of games they had played together. The uncountable stories his dad had told him. There were so many things he liked about his dad. His dad’s soft voice was ringing in his head.

A tear rolled down his cheek. How could he live without his darling father? How could he forget all those evenings he had spent in his dad’s lap, listening to a story? How could he sleep without his dad reciting a bed time story or without a good night hug? He was miserable. He was then, again lost in his memories. The sweet memories of him with his dad…

His flow of thoughts was broken by a creak of a door opening. Who could it be? He was sure that no one was in the house…..he stayed in his bed silently. Sweat flowed down his fore-head. He heard a footstep. Shrill ran down his spine. He swallowed hard. He was frozen to bed. He knew he had to go down and check who is there but he was too afraid to do so.

He heard some more foot steps. John came out of his bed. He was shaking with fright. He took a step. He heard a throat clearing. By this time he was shaking so much that he could not move but he had to. He thought about his dad. What would his dad tell him to do at a time like this? Of course he would say, “Go on son”. This thought gave him courage. One by one, he took small, slow steps down the stair case.

He stared at the living room. His eyes took a moment to adjust. He saw a black silhouette. He had no courage to call out and ask who was there. He had completely lost his voice. His heart thumped wildly inside his chest. “Life or money?” a voice asked. He did not care what he was asked because he was suspicious about the voice. it was a familiar voice. He turned the lights on to see who it was. To his horror, it was his only friend William.

John could not believe this situation. How could his own friend-? He did not reply to William. Was his only friend betraying him? Could his own friend kill him? Was his best friend just after his money? He had to believe it. William had failed the brakes of his dad’s car to kill him, and had succeeded. Now he was after him. “Life or money?” “Life or money?” William’s voice rung inside his head. He swallowed hard and got ready to reply.

“William, kill me. You can have all you want.” John’s hand was trembling, he was shaking. “You mean, I get to kill you AND get all your money? That’s like a loyal friend. That’s how a person should sacrifice for his friend.” William mocked with an evil grin on his face. He seemed to have a heart of stone, a heart without feelings. He was betraying his best friend, and he was certainly not regretting, not having a bit of mercy for his old, best mate. John could not take it anymore. He had to tell his dad’s murderer what he thought of him. He replied:

“I do not wish to live anymore. I am a human with a heart and feelings” John was sobbing. He had nothing left in the cruel world, and he certainly was not going to live alone. “William, unlike you, I can not live with only money!” John had grabbed some courage and said what he had in his heart. “SHUT UP!” William bellowed. He pressed the trigger of his gun. A bullet pierced through John’s chest, giving him pain for a second and saving him from a life-time pain. He dropped on the floor, with a hand on his chest but his hand could not stop the escaping blood, it was over.

William smiled. He did not regret. He was satisfied. “There”, he told himself. “The hard part done, now all I have to do is collect the precious things”. Just then, the police arrived. They had figured out that William was the murderer. They had come to tell John about this, but they were late. As soon as they saw John dead and William with a gun in his hand, they ran after the escaping William. William’s heart thumped like anything. He could not think properly, there fore he tried to escape from the main gate. The police was there and he was killed when he trying to fire at police.

But William’s death did not matter to John’s soul at all. He was resting in peace now. Resting in peace, happily, with his mom and dad.