"What have I done?" he repeated to himself for the third time, "What was I thinking?"

The answer was that he hadn't been thinking at all. He had completely blacked out.

And now... he had a choice.

No. He didn't have time to decide. On a rush of impulse, he grabbed his duffle-bag and leapt out the window. The hard ground sent a shock of pain through his already cold feet. He ran.

The cries of alarm spread quickly behind him. People yelled his name, but he couldn't look back. "Caleb?" His mother's voice was even louder than the others'. His heart ached. He wished that he could run to her and sob into her shoulder. He wished he could make everything right.

Step after heavy step he trudged on. Dark, leafless trees stretched their skeleton arms, and kept reminding him of what he'd done. The deep grey of the clouds only helped in muddling his thoughts more. 'I killed them. They're dead because of me. I should be dead. Why am I not dead?' Dead. The word echoed in his mind.

Caleb Barton was alive. At least, he was on the outside. On the inside, he felt cold and inanimate. He wished that he could trade his life for the ones he had taken.

'Who are they?' you ask. Frederick and Alisha Barton, Joe Summers, and Stormy, the cat were the victims of his crime. They were dead. Caleb couldn't prevent his thoughts from going back to that scene. The image of his brother, his sister, and best friend lying on the floor with lifeless, grey faces and unblinking eyes stuck to the front of his brain as if with super glue.

And it was all his fault.

He couldn't take it anymore. Pure grief crashed upon him like a tidal wave. Cool rain mixed with his tears as he wept freely. He vaguely felt his knees splash onto the muddy ground followed by the rest of his body. He didn't bother trying to pick himself up. The guilt was too heavy. It pressed him into the soft, wet earth with enough weight to crush a man.

When he opened his eyes, he was in a different place. He was home. A fluffy gray cat rubbed against his legs. Joe was laughing loudly at his own pun, Alisha shook her head, and Fred was chuckling. The fireplace crackled with laughter as well, and cast a beautiful glow upon the room.

He felt happiness flow through him too. The mirth of the room penetrated him. It was like the flames had left the fireplace and were now warming his center. He could almost hear sweet music dancing with the fire.

Then it ended. The tranquil joy suddenly drained from the room as everyone looked at him. Alisha's mouth moved, but he heard nothing. His blood boiled. The rage built even faster than the happiness had. He blinked. Three bodies were lying on the floor.

Now shock filled the place of rage. What happened? The eyes stared up at him, unblinking. They asked the same question. It sent chills up his spine. The music was stuck like a broken record, repeating over and over.

What had he done?

The rain poured down his face, half drowning him. He was soaked to the bone. The corpses faded. Caleb sat up and inhaled deeply. His mind finally cleared and he knew what he had to do. He didn't want to, but it was unavoidable.

He had to go home.

He trudged back through the mud, terrified. His mind urged him to turn around, to run away and never look back. Every second was a struggle to stay focused.

What would she say when she saw him? What would he? Imagining the look of disappointment on her face, he almost turned back. But he couldn't. He was already at the front door.

His hand came up to knock but he hesitated. The door swung open. His mother stared into his eyes with tears streaming down her face. Caleb wanted to embrace her, but instead he fell at her feet, weeping.

"I'm sorry!" He didn't know how many times he'd said it before she wrapped her arms around him.

"Shh..." she said between sniffles.

They stayed like that for some time, crying on each other. Caleb kept repeating the same two words; even though he knew that mere apologies would never suffice. He couldn't stop the sobs from racking his body.

Then his mother did something that shook his world.

"I..." she stuttered, "I forgive you."

He looked up at her. The mud that clothed him was now smeared across her face. Her eyes were red from tears. She gave a weak smile. He couldn't believe it. She had forgiven him.

He reached for words but found none. He fell back into her embrace and felt new hope. No matter what punishment he would have to take, no matter how long the sentence, he could now rest because he was forgiven.