Everything I did was for today. I laced my brother and sister-in-law’s dinner with rat poison, then sat back and watched them eat every last bite. My sister-in-law, being on a diet, barely touched hers and managed to survive. My brother wasn't so lucky; he flatlined in the ambulance. My parents died when I was young. It was my brother and his wife who raised me, who put me through school. The neighbors rushed in, calling me a heartless monster, a beast with no soul. But they didn't know the truth. I had been waiting for this day for a very, very long time. 1 The wailing rose and fell, piercing the silence of the night. Mrs. Higgins, the neighbor from 4B, was the first to burst in. She let out a high-pitched scream when she saw my brother Brad and his wife, Karen, convulsing on the floor. Simultaneously, the approaching sirens sliced through the night air. "Sarah! What did you do to them?" Mrs. Higgins’s hand trembled as she pointed at me, then threw herself over Karen. "Hang on, honey! The ambulance is almost here!" Other neighbors flooded the hallway, blocking the door, whispering and pointing. Two officers pushed through the crowd. They took one look at the bodies on the floor. "Did you do this? These are your family members. Why would you do this?" My expression didn't change. I looked the cop in the eye. "That's right. I killed them." The neighbors gasped. Their eyes filled with horror. Someone couldn't hold back their anger. "Why? Why would you do such a thing! After your parents died, Brad and Karen took you in. They treated you like gold! They didn't even have their own kids for ten years because they didn't want you to feel neglected!" "When you first got here and got sick, Karen ran home three times a day to make you soup. And this is how you repay them? You ungrateful wolf!" As the police led me away in handcuffs, the neighbors spat at my feet, calling me a murderer, an animal. In the interrogation room, the young officer slammed his hand on the table for the fiftieth time. "Why did you kill them?" "I already told you," I said, leaning back. "I was setting them free." Seeing I wasn't going to crack, he grabbed his baton and got in my face. "Since you were eight, they fed you, clothed you, sent you to college. Did you learn nothing? They were your family, your saviors. How could you?" "Your niece was only six months old. She never even got a chance to see the world." I smiled at him, unfazed. "That's exactly why I sent the whole family on the trip together. Consider it my way of repaying them." "Besides, the world isn't much to look at. Dying early means reincarnating early. Isn't that better?" "How can you smile about killing a baby?" Before he could lose it completely, the older detective beside him held him back. "Your brother had stomach cancer, but he never went to the doctor because he was saving money for your tuition!" I feigned surprise, widening my eyes innocently. "I didn't know that. But hey, everyone dies eventually. Isn't it better he's not suffering anymore?" "And your nephew. He had a congenital heart defect. Your brother and sister-in-law skipped meals to save for his surgery!" I shrugged. "I didn't decide his genetics. Besides, heart defects are hard to cure. Why waste the money?" The young cop raised the baton, veins bulging in his neck. "Don't do it, Miller," the old detective warned. Miller threw the baton against the wall with a loud clang. Just as he turned to storm out, I spoke up. "Do you really want to know the reason?" He spun around, nodding intensely. "I want donuts. Specifically, the glazed ones from Joe's Bakery." "You're playing me!" Miller’s hope turned instantly back to rage. "I can't do this. She's stone cold!" He slammed the door behind him. Well, that was easy. Kids these days have such short fuses. 2 The next day, a different young officer walked in. It was Leo. He held a box of donuts from Joe's Bakery. "Bought these for you." I looked up, genuinely surprised. He was my college classmate. "Long time no see, Sarah." I didn't expect him to end up here right after graduation. And I certainly didn't expect to be his prisoner. "Leo. Congratulations. Bright future ahead of you." The old detective watched us silently from the corner. "Can you tell me why?" Leo asked, his voice gentle, just like it used to be. I stared at the donuts. Leo was the golden boy of our class. The light I could never touch. Once, when I was walking back to the dorms after a shift, two thugs cornered me. Leo was the one who passed by and saved me. He helped me out of trouble more than once. He was one of the few friends I had. "I don't want donuts anymore," I said. "I want chili. From that diner on 4th and Main." "I'll go get it." As Leo left, the old detective spoke up. "You went to the same university. Why destroy your life like this?" His eyes were full of pity. "People die," I said. "Sooner or later." He wouldn't give up. "Every action has a consequence. If you cooperate, maybe you can get a lighter sentence." "Lighter sentence?" I laughed. "First-degree murder? Are you treating me like a toddler?" The room fell silent. Leo returned thirty minutes later. I took a sip of the steaming chili. Ptui. I pushed it away. "I don't want it." "What do you want? I'll buy it," Leo said, wiping the spill with a napkin. I rattled off a list of snacks. Leo didn't hesitate. He went out again. When he returned, he wasn't alone. Emily, my college roommate, stood behind him. The moment she saw me, tears streamed down her face. Still a crybaby. "Sarah, you're not this kind of person! I don't believe you killed anyone, let alone your whole family." She hugged me, sobbing. "Tell them! There has to be a reason, right?" I looked at the old detective behind them. "You brought her here. You've done your background check on me?" "But I stand by what I said. I killed them to set them free. Saves resources." I patted Emily gently. "Stop crying. You look ugly when you cry." She went pale, gripping my hand. "I don't believe it. You aren't like this!" "It is what it is. Believe it or not." 3 Emily pulled out her phone and shoved the screen at me. "This is us walking back from our part-time jobs. You said you wanted to earn money for your nephew’s surgery. You wanted to take your brother and Karen to the beach." "You bought toys every month to mail home. You sent every cent you earned to them." "I saw how much you loved them... You wouldn't do this. Right?" The video showed a younger me, talking about a future that never existed. I closed my eyes and stopped talking. Emily left, crying, begging me to speak up. "The case is high-profile," the detective said. "Public pressure is mounting." Watching Emily leave, I let out a long breath. "You win. I'll tell you the truth. But before I speak, I want to see my sister-in-law." The detective arranged it. I saw Karen in the hospital. She survived, but her organs were failing. She was in a wheelchair. Seeing me, she immediately started screaming. "We raised a dog and it wagged its tail! We raised you for ten years and got a murderer!" She coughed violently, attracting a crowd of patients and nurses. Seeing the audience, she turned up the volume. "We worked while sick to pay for your school! I picked you up every day from elementary through high school so you wouldn't be bullied!" The crowd whispered. "Picked her up in high school? They really treated her like a princess." Karen continued. "When you were a sophomore, your brother took a knife for you defending you from a thug! He was in the hospital for a month!" The crowd looked ready to tear me apart. I stood there, calm, letting her talk. "We moved near your college just to be close to you! We promised to buy you a car!" "And you threw your six-month-old niece off the balcony!" Karen broke down sobbing. People pointed fingers. "What a monster." "Why don't you just die?" If not for the police, the crowd would have drowned me in spit. 4 An old man stepped out of the crowd, raising his cane. "I don't care about jail. I'm old. An animal like this deserves to die!" He whacked me. Hard. Once, twice. I didn't flinch. I hadn't touched him, yet I was taking a beating because of Karen’s lies. The cops intervened gently because of his age. He huffed and walked away. Karen wailed louder. "Your nephew waited for you every day! And you kicked him into the river! No body, no grave!" "Kill her! Kill the beast!" the crowd chanted. Hospital security had to rush in to hold them back. Two older women comforted Karen. "My husband was your brother! When your parents died, nobody wanted you. We took you in! We gave you the best of everything!" She looked at me with pure venom. "You evil demon." "She needs to die," a woman hissed. "Yes, death penalty." The police next to me looked nervous, fearing a riot. In the heavy tension, I suddenly laughed. "Karen, you still have a talent for spouting garbage." Karen’s face went pale. She stopped crying. "Did you poison the food?" I nodded. "I did." "See! I told you! Oh, if I knew... we should have never brought you home." She sighed, playing the martyr. Someone grabbed my hair, trying to force me to the ground. Leo blocked them just in time.
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