• The man could have sworn he saw the rat dive into the open crack of the door. It was Wednesday, June 15th, 1997. He owned a pet rat named Ginger because of its reddish-brown colored fur. The man, Justin, was autistic as a child and fell under great depression after his mother, Eileen Marblo died because his father beat her so badly. Justin saw it all. He was in the doorway of his parents' bedroom. His father was angrily yelling at his mother; his father wanted to send him thousands of miles away to a boarding school, whereas his mother knew Justin needed special attention and love to help him grow into a good and strong man. His father, James Gunner, was an alcoholic who owned the largest alcohol-producing business in the country and came home every day in a drunken rage. Justin found his mother so brave since she could always withstand the furious temper of his father. He knew his mother was like a rebel; even though Eileen was forced to marry James when they were eighteen, she always kept her maiden name and always did whatever she could to keep Justin by her side. James even attempted to drown Justin once as Eileen left the house for afternoon tea but a neighbor came to visit James. James locked Justin in the bathroom. Justin was too scared to say anything after he survived. But that night, as he was standing outside his parents' bedroom, his father beat Eileen so hard that she collapsed on the bed and never revived.
    That was thirteen years ago. Now, Justin was seventeen years old. He had thick, curly locks of ginger hair. He was tall and fit. He had a square jaw on his very chiseled face. On a first glance, you might think Justin was handsome. But as his stormy gray eyes zoned in on you, you could tell that he saw many things a three-year-old shouldn't have.
    Justin only had Ginger, and Ginger only had Justin. Justin inheirted the Crescent Manor soon after James Gunner was murdered. One rainy day, as Justin was looking out the window, he spotted a tiny moving figure in the sewer. Justin ran out the door, hoping to save whatever creature was there. He found a rat, clinging on to the sewer for its life, trying not to be washed away from the water. Justin always feared abandonment and he even winced when his housekeepers swatted a fly and tossed it out the window. Justin plucked the rat from the sewer and he decided to keep Ginger as his pet. Ginger was actually a beautiful, female rat. She had innocent, beady black eyes and a beautiful coat of Ginger fur.
    But today, he saw Ginger dive into the door of the house down across the street from his manor. He was taking Ginger out for some fresh air on his shoulder when Ginger jumped off and ran into the house. People spreaded rumors saying that James Gunner owned the house, but never wanted to sell it off or give it to Justin. For some reason, the door was open. It was always locked, or so everyone thought. Justin needed to find Ginger and so he stepped in.
    Oddly enough, it looked as if someone had been living in the house. The linen cover sheets were torn off everything and he saw an empty saucer on the coffee table. He called for Ginger. Ginger was usually obedient and ran to him, but she was nowhere seen. He crept up the stairs to find her. But Justin didn't find her. He didn't know what he found.
    A large white sheet covered a large, square object. Justin inspected it closely. Alcohol? Cheap cologne? Cigars? What was it that he was smelling? Justin hesitantly reached out and ripped of the cloth.
    There he was, James Gunner, standing on a platform with wooden posts that held up the sheet of linen. He was smiling wickedly, playfully twisting the noose that was connected to a chandelier at the ceiling. He was holding Ginger in one hand.
    Justin fell back. His throat was filled with fear and he couldn't even cry out.
    James began to speak to him with the same voice that had fear run through Justin's veins even as a child. "Hm...What do we have here, boy? It's good seeing you again...I can't wait to kill you...LIKE THE WAY YOU DID TO ME!"
    Justin was shaking uncontrollably. He managed to say "Wh- wh- how-did-"
    James cut in by chuckling evilly. He spoke in a chilled voice. He explained to Justin how he overdosed Justin on sleeping pills one night, hoping to kill him but he instead fed him something else. James found Justin later under a tree, wondering why he wasn't dead, but Justin suddenly wrapped a rope around James' neck and quickly tied it to the tree. He saw Justin return to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed as he saw his life slipping away from him. James was always filled with such hatred, anger, and resentment wondering how he had such a stupid child. James never went to hell. His anger caused him leave behind unfinished business and he was left on Earth for years, planning on how to kill Justin.
    Justin broke out in a cold sweat. He remembered how he woke up that night with odd rope marks in his hand. Justin never knew he murdered his father. He saw James crushing Ginger, squeezing the life out of her. He would have rather died himself than have Ginger died. Her Ginger fur reminded him of his mother's curly, ginger hair.
    "You could never kill me, but I could always kill you just by touching you. But, I'm too smart to do that boy. If you die, then I am finished with my work here and suffer in hell. That’s why I'm going to make you suffer."
    Justin was enraged. He hated James. He could never understand how his loving mother could ever wake up every morning, finding such an awful man as her husband on the bed beside her. Justin stood up, balled his fast, and ran straight onto the platform and into James. The next thing he could remember was feeling was as if his body was being engulfed in flames. He didn't care. He knew he would be seeing his mother soon in heaven. He just wanted James to suffer.

    The End