Jane Liddle

The Victim

The victim sat at home feeling sorry for himself because it was Friday and he had no plans for that night except sitting at home feeling sorry for himself. He was in a particularly bad mood because he was charged an extra fifty cents for his sandwich but he didn’t notice until he was organizing his receipts when he got home. These injustices always happened to him. Why, just yesterday a lady cut him in line and when he called her out some guy came to her defense. They were probably fucking right now. The victim logged on to his computer so he could read articles by entitled assholes and tell them they were idiots in the comment sections. When he logged on he noticed that he had an email from the pretty dentist receptionist saying that she was overseas and her wallet was stolen and she needed money. The victim’s heart beat irregular when he read the email. The pretty dental receptionist trusted him out of all the other patients. He acted quickly in wiring the money to the account she provided. Once she got the money though she didn’t even thank him! He decided to call the dentist’s office to give her boss a piece of his mind and tell him what an ungrateful employee he had. When he called the office the pretty dental receptionist answered the phone. The victim gave her an earful and there was some confusion on her part regarding what the hell he was talking about. The victim realized he was part of a scam. Shame turned his face red. He got into his car and sped to the mall where the dentist office was located. When he arrived at the mall he went on a shooting rampage that one hears so much about in the news. He was killed during the rampage. The pretty dentist receptionist was able to shed some light on his state of mind to the police and to the news.

Jane Liddle grew up in Newburgh, New York, and now lives in Brooklyn. Her stories have appeared in Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Two Serious Ladies, Cactus Heart, Specter magazine, and elsewhere. "The Victim" is part of a flash series about murder. You can find her on Twitter @janeriddle or at liddlejane.tumblr.com.