PSYCHOlogical_A Novel by Scott Hildreth

Author:Scott Hildreth [Hildreth, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Val

Evil isn’t easy.

The human brain is programmed to feel compassion. Empathy reminds us that the pain we inflict upon others is often felt two-fold by the one inflicting it, through the presence of guilt.

A psychopath’s lack of empathy allows them to kill without feeling guilt, remorse, or compassion. I’d always believed, however, that ordinary people suffered through—and after—the act of killing.

I now knew that wasn’t completely true.

The fight-or-flight response occurs when we’re terrified. The body’s nervous systems stimulate the adrenal glands, triggering the release of catecholamines, which include adrenaline and noradrenaline. The release of hormones prepares us to fight or to seek safety.

Our breathing quickens. Our heartrate increases. Our muscles tense. Our brain, fueled by the hormones released by our adrenal glands, makes the decision to turn and run or take on the threat.

It was obvious I believed I was being threatened by the Office of the DNI. My decision, surprisingly, was to fight. Although I wasn’t the one committing the murderous act, I was playing a part in it—as an accomplice and conspirator—and I was completely satisfied knowing I was a participant.

Justified murder.

As I nervously sat in the parking lot of Buster’s Barbeque waiting for Vincent to return from Pike’s house, I accepted the murder of Wallace and Pike as being a necessary part of my survival.

Vincent nonchalantly walked past the front of the car, around the side, and opened the door.

He climbed inside and buckled his seatbelt. “It’s done.”

I shifted the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. “To your rental car?”

He nodded. “The Target in Stafford, off 95.”

I pulled onto the road and headed toward the highway. “Then what?”

“I’ll exchange the car for my truck and meet you at your house.”

On any other occasion, I’d look at Vincent’s presence in my home as a gift. The two dead bodies that lay in our wake led me to believe that our upcoming visit was going to be anything but pleasant.

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