Eric, a proud veteran, sat at home caring for his mother. Eric had a well paying job and was able to afford a house, but when he heard of his mother’s failing health, he immediately moved back home to assist however he could. Eric’s mother was simply sitting at the table, drinking tea and reading the newspaper, when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Eric said as he walked up to the door. However, he stopped suddenly when he saw the person outside. They were partially shrouded by the curtain on the window, yet Eric could still make out who it was. “Never mind,” Eric said, “It’s just a Jehovah’s witness.”
Eric’s mother noted the hesitation in Eric’s voice, and she decided to see for herself who was there. She opened the door, revealing a man dressed in a military uniform.
“Ma’am,” the man said, somewhat hesitating yet with a tranquil fury underlying his tone, “that man is not your son.”
“What do you mean?” Eric’s mother asked.
“It’s just a prank mom!” Eric said, “Just close the door and maybe we can see what’s on TV.”
“This is no prank,” the man said, “Eric had been dead for 20 years.”
“But,” Eric’s mother said, “Eric is right here. My son. He loves me and cares for me.”
The man handed Eric’s mother a sheet of paper. She looked at it. A certificate of death. She just stood there in silence before falling to the floor crying.
“Mom?” Eric said concerned, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Get the fuck out of my house!” Eric’s mother shouted, “You don't belong here!” Turning to the man at the door, she shouted “Where's my son? Where’s my fucking son? Bring him back! Tell me this is just a dream! This isn’t real! My son is asleep in his bed, and any minute now he will ask me how I am and will cook me breakfast! I can walk in that room and see him peacefully dreaming! I’ll see him off to work!”
The man gently held Eric's mother’s hand. “Follow me, ma’am. I understand that this is troubling, and that it is taking a serious toll on you both physically and mentally, but rest assured that we will get you connected with a therapist who will be more than happy to help you through these troubling times.” He looked Eric dead in the eyes. “As for you, you’re trespassing on private property. I suggest you leave. Otherwise, I will be calling the police for both trespassing and impersonating a member of the military.”
Eric left. He paid no attention to the ambulance coming to take away his mother. He simply walked, muttering to himself “I have to see if she is still alive…”
George had so much wasted potential. Despite having good grades in school, and having earned 2 degrees in college, he did nothing to show it. He didn’t even have a job. Despite his parents begging him to get a job, even if it was part-time, he didn’t want to waste his precious time. Every day, he would sleep in until noon. Once awake, he would spend 10 minutes searching for job openings on Indeed. Afterwards, he would spend the rest of the day browsing social media like Reddit and Discord, playing video games, reading manga, and watching porn. The only time he ever left the house was when his parents forced him to get some exercise, go to job interviews, or mow the lawn.
After a year of this lifestyle, his parents had enough. They were ready to kick him out. George didn’t have any money saved up for an apartment, and no friends whose apartments he could crash at. He begged to stay, saying that he would be willing to pay $200 a month to help with the mortgage, but his parents wouldn’t budge. Out of the blue, George said that he would join the military. His parents were surprised, but took him to a recruiting center. George passed and was sent to training.
“I hate my fucking family…” George thought as he wandered through the woods as part of a training exercise, “I’m their son! They have to take care of me! I don’t even want to be here! No one cares about me! I’m just a number! All I’ll be is part of the total casualties!”
As he walked, George saw another soldier who was noticeably happier than him.
“Why are you smiling?” George asked.
“I can’t believe I’ll finally be a hero!” the soldier said, “I’m gonna serve and protect my country!”
“Bullshit,” George said, “You’ll be dead in 2 months once those bastards in the east bomb us.”
“Still,” the other soldier said, “I’ll die fighting! My parents will be so proud!”
“They’ll be proud to hear the news that their son was killed?”
“Hey, shut up! Have a little optimism, will you? I know the sergeants are trying to break you and stuff, but at least your parents will be proud of you for putting yourself through this hell! I know my parents are! They love me and think I’m so successful!”
“Really?” George said drawing a knife, “Will they love you when you’re bleeding to death? Will they treat you well even when you have been unemployed for a year and only joined the army to shut them up?”
“What are you-” the soldier asked, when suddenly, George started to stab him. The soldier screamed begging for him to stop.
“Where’s your parents now?” George asked, “Tell them you’re happy! Tell them you’re serving your country!”
The soldier continued screaming and bleeding until George stabbed him in his heart. The soldier coughed up blood and fell to the ground.
“Heh,” George said, “Maybe this military stuff isn’t so bad. I get access to all these weapons and I can kill the people who piss me off. … But what if they find me? I can’t let them discover this. Unless…”
George chopped up the body and buried the pieces. George then tore off his own uniform and buried it too. George took the now dead soldier’s uniform, ready to assume his new identity. As he put the uniform on, he looked at the name tag: Eric.
George knocked on the door. An old woman opened the door.
“Who… are… you…?” the woman asked.
George hesitated, before saying, “George… your… … son…”
The old woman just stared at him. After 2 minutes of silence, she said “You’re… alive?”
“Yes. Yes, mom. I’m alive,” George said.
George’s mother started to cry, yet her face remained blank.
“I have spent years locked up mourning you,” she said, “For the longest time, I assumed that you were dead. Every day, I would sit in the living room, praying that you were still alive, trying to convince myself that you had to be alive. I almost commited suicide as a way of seeing you again.”
“Where’s dad?” George asked.
“He divorced me and moved shortly after you enlisted. He thought that he had gone too far, insisting you do something with your life. Perhaps you were happy staying at home all day doing nothing. We thought you had potential, and we wanted you to succeed. But maybe, we should have simply been more absent in your life.”
“I see…” George said. He sighed. “That damn Eric. He ruined my life.”
George's mother just stood there, before shouting “You! It was you! This is all your fault! We didn’t force you to join the military! You enlisted! You chose to kill Eric! You chose to abandon us! Look at yourself! You’re a fucking monster! Stay out of my life! Don’t call! Don’t text! Just leave! You wanted solitude and more time to play video games and browse social media? Well now you’re getting it!”
She slammed the door. George looked at his reflection in the window. He did not recognize it. George turned around and walked away, thus ending both of his lives. He would then start a third life: homeless, begging for food and money; while mentally preparing for his fourth life: rotting away in Hell.