Sociopath

by Patric Gagne

Some feelings came naturally to me, like anger and happiness. But other emotions weren’t so easy. Empathy and guilt, embarrassment and jealousy were like a language I couldn’t speak or understand.

Inflicting pain (or distress) was a guaranteed, instantaneous method of pressure elimination. I didn’t know why. All I knew was the release after stabbing Syd was the best feeling I’d ever had. It wasn’t just that I didn’t care. It was that I didn’t care that I didn’t care.

I knew there was an inherent risk in allowing myself to do something so amoral. It was dangerous, for one thing. But worse, it was addictive.