The Average Guy

Nobody really knew Miles, but everybody knew about him. He was the average guy. He came to school, went to his classes, then went straight back home. His averageness helped him to acquaint himself with almost everyone at school. He had no close friends. No clique, no posse. Everyday he would eat lunch with someone different. They would talk and joke and laugh and discuss average things. He would wave at almost every person he passed in the hallway. The teachers liked him, his coaches admired his commitment, and his peers appreciated him as another one of them. Miles was just the average guy.

When school had ended, and everyone went home, nobody thought about Miles. Nobody had to. Everyone assumed he would go home to an average house with an average family and do average chores and eat average food. After all, Miles was just the average guy.

It is funny, how misleading human perception can be.

Everyday, after school, Miles would embark on his three hour walk. He would remove his shoes so as not to wear them out. Wearing just his socks, Miles would walk to a forest that sat a few miles away from the school. Within the forest he had found a clearing in which he had situated himself with a makeshift tent - a battered tarp draped over the limbs of a tree. Near the tent, Miles had dug a pit, in which he lit a fire to keep away insects and keep himself warm throughout the night. He worked to finish homework before it turned dark, using paper and pencils he had found littered around the school. For dinner, he ate the leftovers from whatever the school had been serving that day, and made sure to reserve some for his lunch the next day. After he finished eating, Miles went back to his tent and lay himself down on his bed of leaves. He reminisced of the days when he had lived a life like those of his peers. He remembered his mom's warm laugh and his dad's endearing sternness. He even recalled his sister, who would playfully scream and run around the house. 

Miles remembered the day when he came home from school and called out "Happy Birthday Callie!" to his little sister. He remembered being surprised that there was no reply. He remembered going into the kitchen, seeing a foot - his father's foot - peering out from behind the the doorway to their sitting room, with the tip of the shoe pointed towards the ceiling. He remembered creeping slowly towards the room with a feeling of dread welling up within him. He remembered seeing the three bodies, bludgeoned, blood everywhere. Miles recalled the birthday decorations having been strung up and arranged. He remembered the blood dripping from the dangling streamers, below a clean and shiny HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign that conveyed a sense of celebration and jubilation. He remembered his sister in her white dress, now spattered with red. He remembered his parents both wearing party hats and nice clothes, prepared for the small, private party and the dinner that would have followed. He remembered losing his mind, filling himself with despair for days. He remembered losing everything, and with that thought, he finally fell asleep.

Miles awoke early the next morning and started on his regular route to school. The first stop was his house. Miles made this daily pilgrimage as a personal penance. He let himself inside with his key, sauntered slowly to sitting room, and brooded upon the scene. The bodies had been removed - he had buried them near his new home in the woods - but the blood and birthday decorations still adorned the room. Miles looked on, absorbing the tragedy until he finally fell down to his knees and began to cry. He let the pain overcome him, and allowed grief to overtake his every being.

Miles promised to himself, as he did everyday, to avenge his family's deaths. Then he left the house, leaving everything untouched, and locking the door behind him. Once in a while miles took some fresh clothes out of his closet, but he always felt that what was left in the house was all that he had left of his family, and miles did his best to preserve those remnants.

After paying his respects, Miles went straight to the school, where he took and shower and got ready for his first class. He put on a pleasant face and walked down the halls, waving and smiling at people who passed him. He proceeded through the day as a normal kid with a normal life, and not a singe person suspected that even a shred of the boy they saw was something more than what it seemed to be. But why would they? After all, Miles was just the average guy.

Reviews

[TheSweet]

On a proof read, all I noticed was there were a couple of times near the end where you didn't put a capital on Miles' name. Other than that, it's a very interesting idea. There are plenty of average kids in schools, but almost everyone has secrets. Almost goes with the idea that you can't truely 'know' anyone.

I think repeately going back the the house would make it hard for himself - and there are a few problems with this ending bit. Like why / how did he carry three bodies to the woods and burry them without being noticed? How did he keep up with the house payments if people hadn't been round and checked yet? And how long had he been in this routine?

Other than the logistics - the idea of the story is really good, focusing on this 'average guy' is a very clever idea. Deffinitely something you don't think about on a day to day basis. Thanking muchly for sharing :)