Hammerhead Softworks

The Guilt of Howard Shanks

I don't know how it happened. It started like any other Friday night. I found myself once again staring at the red dice in my hand. I call the bartender to light me up as I pull out a cigarette. I twitch as the dice roll out of my hand. After a good few rounds, my luck finally runs out as the dice begin to stop. A 6 and a 1. Dang, there goes all my money. Only this time I couldn't afford to lose. I curse under my breath until I hear someone shout "I won" from across the bar. I look up and see his face. He had the clothes of a rich man. I follow him out of the casino appearing as indistinguishable as possible, lagging for a little bit till he turns into an empty alley. I call out and ask him for a cigarette. He reaches down and that's when I shot. Everything freezes as I watch him fall backward. I quickly come to my senses and search his pockets for the check he had just won. I find it stashed within a small black notebook with the initials "H.S." I decided to take the notebook along with the check to make sure there was no evidence. I run back to my apartment fleeing the murder I had just committed. I decide to wait a few days to cash the check-in to make sure no one would trace it back to me. I threw the notebook on my desk and look at the amount of cash written on the check. 20,000$! That's more than enough to pay off my debts, along with rent for a few months! But then it set on me like a paperweight, I just killed a man. I have a drink to ease the guilt and try to sleep it off