p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"strongHey, people of the world. This chapter will be a little different. I'm going to delve more into this character's backstory. Special shout out to jpjordicat who gave me the idea for this guy's personality. RR!/strong/p
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p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"As her last breath left her mouth, and the life left her eyes, guilt settled into Howard Hoffman for the first time. His sister. Dead. In his arms. All his fault. He still couldn't believe he hadn't recognized her./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Howard!" his partner, Bob, called. "Come on, Hoffman! The police are coming!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"But all he could do was sit there, staring at the now dead body. emAll my fault./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Hoffman, we have about five seconds. I say we get a move on. Let's go!"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Howard stood defiantly. "No," he said simply. "It's time I paid for what I've done."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Are you seriously going to abandon all the progress we made just because of the death of a family member?" Bob said deadly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Not a death," Howard corrected. "A murder. That I committed. And what do you mean 'progress?'"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""You didn't feel this way the past six times this happened," Bob said./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""That's because of you," Howard said. "It was all you. And I'm not going to let you pull me down anymore."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Suit yourself," Bob said. "But don't expect to be treated well in prison." And with that, he was gone./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Howard said nothing, simply turning at the sound of sirens./p
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p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Later, in court, his lawyer whispered to him, "When they ask you to speak, say something was wrong in your head. You didn't know what was going on until it was too late." She pulled back from him./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Howard didn't give any sign that he had heard her, just staring straight ahead. When it was his turn to speak, he stood up and said, "I take full responsibility for my crimes."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"His lawyer pulled him back. "He doesn't mean that-" she started, but he cut her off./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Yes I do," he said and sat back down, waiting for them to confirm him guilty./p
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p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"strongThree days later/strong/p
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p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Howard was pulled roughly out of his cell and shoved into the interrogation room, landing flat on his face. He felt his nose start to bleed. He wiped the blood on the sleeve of his jumpsuit and sat in his chair, staring at his interrogators. "Mornin' gentlemen," he said./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"The man on the right looked taken aback. "Uh... hi?" he said uncertainly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"The guy on the left rolled his eyes and said, "Mr. Hoffman, I am Officer Cosgrove, and this is Officer Cooper. I'm sure you've figured out by now that we're here to interrogate you."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Obviously," Howard said. "You make it sound like it's a special occasion."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Well, in a way, it is." Cosgrove said. "For us."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know," the criminal said. "Just get to the first question."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Cosgrove frowned as Cooper said, "Why did you do it?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Howard said instantly without thinking, "My partner pulled me into this path of crimes."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""And who was your partner?" Cooper asked./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Howard bit his tongue. Bob may be bad, but he still was his life-long friend. "I don't feel comfortable with this question."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Come on, Howard," Cosgrove said friendly. "If you tell us who he was, we'll be able to help him."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Finally, the murderer couldn't hold it in anymore. "Bob Harrison."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Cooper nodded, scribbling something down on a notepad. "Next question."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"The cops gave him a few more questions, all of which he answered honestly. In the end, he was tossed back in his cell, starting the first day of the rest of his life./p
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p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"strongTwo years later/strong/p
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p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Howard was sleeping when the cell door opened. He rubbed his eyes groggily, and saw a cop standing there. Nothing new. What was new was the words that he said. "You're free to go."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Howard stared is disbelief. "What?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""You're free to go."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"This couldn't be happening. He wasn't anywhere near death! He couldn't leave prison after serving only a minor two years. Otherwise, it'd be unfair to those he killed. "Why?" he groaned./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""You've been chosen to serve in the Haunted Games," the officer said./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Howard sat bolt upright, the sleep totally gone from him. He was... in the games? A small smile played across his lips. Finally, a chance for him to leave this world. For he most certainly was to die in the house. And that's where his punishment would be waiting for him./p
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p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"strongSo that's the end of another chapter! BTW, I have a poll up on my profile. Please vote! Until next time, see ya!/strong/p