In the diverse landscapes of America, from Minnesota's heartland to Chicago's bustling streets, Joseph A. Sackett's early years unfurled. But it was his two-decade-long journey in the military's special operations that profoundly shaped him. Within these years, he witnessed humanity's darker shades, glimpsing the fragility beneath society's facade, understanding how swiftly it could crumble to its knees.
Joseph's writing is an extension of this fascination, a canvas where he paints the vulnerability and resilience of mankind. He draws from his experiences, crafting narratives that reveal society's weaknesses and the indomitable spirit that arises in response.
You can read more from Joseph right HERE.
MARRY
by
Joe Sackett
Each tick of the school clock echoed through the labyrinthine corridors, a metronome to the muted whispers swirling around the fragile figure of Marry. As her 17th year dawned, the humming undercurrent of school rumors sought to drown out the celebratory notes of her birthday, lending an eerie air to her special day.
An ethereal aura clung to Marry; a sweet girl swathed in melancholy, a beacon in the tumultuous sea of adolescent chaos. Her existence was a canvas of rich emotions, painted in hushed tones by the watercolor whispers of her peers.
Danny, a persistent ethereal presence, lurked on the outskirts of this palpable pandemonium. A secret crush for Marry gnawed at his core with each hushed heartbeat. He was pulled to her like a warped mirror in a dark lake, caught in her gravitational pull of sorrow.
His gaze followed her every step as a silent spectator. His fervent eyes drilled through Marry, their mute depths expressing a passion too intense to articulate. His motionless vigil was a haunting dance, the crescendo of his need slamming against the coast of her ignorance, engraving a narrative of anguish and yearning.
Marry felt a presence before she saw her. Beth, a constant companion from their shared childhood, sidled up to her, her tone conspiratorial. "That freak is looking at you again, Marry," she warned, the distaste painting her words a ghastly hue.
With a reluctant turn, Marry's gaze locked onto the relentless stare of Danny, his eyes a pair of unsettling mirrors reflecting her every move. A shiver crept up her spine, her expression morphing into a grimace of discomfort. "Yeah, I've noticed. It's... off-putting. He never looks away," she confessed.
"Lonely as a cloud, that one," Beth continued, her voice dropping to a whisper as if sharing a secret. "There's an unsavory rumor making the rounds. They say he was caught jerking off in the bathroom during math class.”
The corners of Marry's mouth curled downwards, her eyes wide in disgust. "Beth!" she protested, her voice barely a whisper. "That's nasty. Please, don't say stuff like that.”
As the sun began to throw long shadows, signaling the end of another school day, a terrible scene occurred in Marry’s world, with Danny as its quiet witness. Tom, her father, loomed in the dim light like a resurrected gargoyle. His loud voice cut through the still after-noon air, his hands raised as if daring the gods.
“Damn it, Marry! I expected you to be here on time! I don’t have time for this bullshit. I can’t be waiting around here forever while you talk to your friends,” Tom’s monstrous outcry echoed through the deserted school grounds.
With a surge of defiance, Marry’s voice cut through the tense atmosphere, “I hate you! You’re always yelling at me.”
Tom’s response was swift and brutal; a sharp retort that found its mark on Marry’s cheek. He snatched her up and threw her into his truck, a predator securing its prey. With a snarl of an engine the truck sped away, leaving behind a disturbing silence.
Danny's posture tensed as he stood alone in the aftermath of their departure, his hands clenched in futile wrath. As he watched them vanish into the approaching darkness, the fire in his eyes became greater. Asshole. Danny's mind was filled with terrible ideas. Thoughts of gruesome torture scenarios. He walked back home, smirking.
Danny emerged from the crowd on the last hour of school on Marry's birthday, after a period of uneasy days. He held a box so big that it distorted his slumped figure. Its packaging was a mystery, untidy and rumpled as though it had struggled with stormy fantasies. A ribbon lay knotted and untamed above this strange attire, its ends drooping aimlessly like serpents in repose.
Marry's eyes danced between the peculiar package and Danny. He squirmed under her gaze, his pallid skin flushing a rare shade of pink. His smile was awkward and forced, an unnatural exhibition revealing a jagged line of absent teeth. The offering was extended towards her with trembling hands.
"Happy birthday, Marry," the words stumbled out of Danny, his voice barely above a whisper.
Marry's eyes were drawn to an unusual detail in the middle of this unsettling meeting. Danny's face carried traces of recent conflict, scratch marks engraved like horrific art across his flesh.
Marry’s heart pounding against her ribcage. “Danny…what’s this?”
"Just..open it." Marry plucked at the tattered ribbons, anxiety nibbling at her courage. The covering gave way to her touch, dropping in large chunks to reveal a plain card-board box. She raised the flaps while holding her breath. A strangled gasp escaped her lips as her hand flew instinctively to her mouth, her heart pounding in mortified shock.
Inside the box was an unimaginable horror - her mother, Sarah’s severed head. Death has staked its claim, bleaching her features into an eerie pallor. A grimace of final terror distorted her face, her eyes vacant, their stare hollow.
“Your father deserved to be punished, so…I took his her head” Danny’s voice trembled and his face was a blank canvas as he awaited Marry’s reaction.
A single tear traced a path down Marry’s cheek, a silent testament to her complex emotions. Her voice was barely audible, a thread of sound carried by the wind, “Good…he deserves every bit of this.”
A chilling smirk bloomed on Marry’s face as she raised her eyes to meet Danny’s. Her words hung in the air, their morbidity tingeing the atmosphere, “This is the best birthday ever.”