“Murrie Derson was found not-guilty today for the brutal murder of Elizabeth and Allison Kepp, daughter and wife of local businessman, Jonathan Kepp. Kepp claimed he witnessed the killings, but-” *Click* The television went black. Jonathan could no longer listen to the boring newscaster explain the deaths of his daughter and wife as if they were mere objects. It had only been one month since Jonathan watched Murrie Derson slice up his family. Only two months, and now Murrie was getting off scott-free due to faulty evidence. Jonathan knew it was him, though, he saw it happen with his own two eyes. But there was nothing he could do except seek comfort from his only friend. Jonathan sent a quick text to Raven, reading: meet me at the Coffee House in 15.

Jonathan slowly walked inside the cosy coffee shop and saw Raven sitting alone in a booth in the far right corner. It was their usual spot. He sat down, quietly, facing Raven with a blank expression. Raven sipped her latte and said nothing. They were the only people in the joint not having a conversation. Finally, Raven slammed her coffee mug on the table, loud enough to get the attention of Jonathan. “Bullshit! This is bullshit, Jon, and you know it. That rat bastard Murrie should be rotting away in prison for life.” Jonathan looked at Raven in distress, but he said nothing. “What are you going to do?” She asked.

“There’s nothing I can do, Raven. He was found not-guilty.”
“But he is guilty!”
“And the system is flawed! Raven, it’s over. Murrie is going to go on living his life.”
“He deserves to be dead!” Raven proclaimed.
“You don’t think I know that? You don’t think I imagine myself strangling Murrie to death everyday?” Jonathan started to get tears in his eyes. Raven just looked down at her latte and then took another sip.
“Jon, I’m your only friend. I can’t just sit around and watch you drown in self-pity and sadness. You need closure.”

“What do you mean?” Jonathan was curious as to how Raven figured.

“As long as Murrie is roaming, you won’t be able to relax. You won’t be able to sleep, or go about your normal life whatsoever.”

Jonathan said nothing; instead, he pondered. He pictured himself getting justice for the horror that Murrie created. He imagined the feeling of giving Murrie the treatment he deserved, but Jonathan quickly put it past himself. He thought rationally for a moment, and discovered that, once again, there was nothing he could do.
Raven stared eagerly at Jonathan, waiting for a response. He just looked right back at Raven with nothing to say. She broke the gaze by finishing off her latte, and then she stood up from the booth. “I’ve got to go to work, I’m already late.” She bent down to hug Jonathan. “You're going to make it through this.”

“Have a good time at work.” Jonathan said with a small smile that rapidly disappeared as he thought more about what Raven said. Shortly after she left, Jonathan went home to continue his new daily routine of crying and drinking. He sat in silence for most of the day, thinking about his old life, his cosy life. He just waited for Raven to take him out to dinner like she said she would earlier. The time passed and day quickly changed to night. Raven pulled up to Jonathan’s apartment building and honked the horn. Jonathan came out, then got into the car. “So where are we going to eat?” Jonathan questioned.

“I lied. We’re not going to dinner.”

“You said we we’re going some place fancy. You told me to wear all black. What’s going on?”

“I found Murrie’s address.” Then Raven opened the glove box for Jonathan to see a standard, all-black, M9 pistol.
“What the hell? Raven, I can’t do this!”

“Yes you can, Jon. This ends tonight! Just think about all the pain Murrie caused you. Think about your family and who took them away from you.” Raven seemed determined, which made Jonathan focus. He thought about Murrie and began to get angry. Jonathan wanted the closure. In a run down area, Raven parked the car on the street outside of Murrie’s house.

“I’ll be the lookout.” she said as she handed Jonathan the gun. Jonathan stepped quietly into Murrie’s home. The door was unlocked and there was junk lying everywhere inside. Jonathan didn’t make a sound; he was hoping to have the element of surprise on his side. Then, Jonathan hear a television and followed the noise. It lead him into the living room where Murrie was sitting on the couch, drinking a beer. When Murrie noticed Jonathan, he stood up. Murrie was about to say something, but he stopped. He realized who was standing in his living room with a pistol in their hand.

“Jonathan Kepp.” Murrie said while he grinned and chuckled a little bit. “What? Are you here to kill me like I killed your wife and daughter? But, wait, would that make you any better than me?”

“Shut up,” Jonathan said firmly while attempting to hold back his fear. Jonathan then aimed the gun directly at Murrie’s heart.

“You know, they say those who seek revenge should dig two graves,” Murrie exclaimed very seriously.
“Then I should start digging.” As tears rolled out of his eyes, Jonathan pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot echoed through the house and the neighborhood. Jonathan quickly realized what he had done, and he realized that Murrie was right. Jonathan was no better than a no-good, scumbag murderer. He dropped the gun and started to have a panic attack. He knew this wasn’t what Allison or Elizabeth would have wanted. He speeded towards the door to find Raven standing in the doorway. “Raven, what have I done? This isn’t me?” Jonathan started to ball. “Who the f*** am I?! Who are you for that matter?” he looked at Raven uneasy as he sniffled.

“Well, your name is Jonathan Kepp, and mine is Revenge.”