Wednesday, May 16, 2007

The Heartbreak Hotel, Connaught Place

I love you.
I’ll kill you.

Boom. Thunder. Darkness. It was hot and humid. It could’ve been just another night. Except tonight he had found her. In the dark she stood. A shadow. A distant memory. A brief moment in time. A lifetime of pain. In an alley in Connaught Place. In the corner. The corner of a circle.

Trickle. A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. He didn’t even feel it. Maybe he did. But he couldn’t take his hands off the L96. His hands trembled. His finger itched. He took a deep breath. He took aim. He took his time. No reason rushing it. Not after waiting for such a long time. A long, long time. But it would be over soon. Just a pull. It was all a trigger away.

Splat. He felt a hot sting in his shoulder. His skin burned. His heart ached. Not the ache it was used to. Something different. Something new. Something that brought him to his knees. Again. The agony. The irony. He crouched below the window. Somebody had found him. Somebody was waiting for him to get up. Well, they would have to wait. Wait their turn. Wait till the sun comes out. While he waited in the shadows. Hoping that she was still there. Hoping that she stayed. Stayed till the end. Hers.

Crash. The door swung open. With force. With incredible force. A silhouette. A shadow. Hers. But how? She couldn’t have known. She shouldn’t have known. She was downstairs. In the alley. How? How did she climb up so fast? So fast. Unless. She had been a decoy. It was a trap. To take him down. To take him out. To finish him off. To end it all. Again. The agony. The irony. The trigger. Aim. Pu… He blinked.

Bang. Thud. Darkness. She stood in it. She relished it. It was her only friend now. It was her companion for life. Hers forever. A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn’t even feel it. Maybe she did. But she couldn’t take her hands off his head.

I love you too.

1 comment:

Shake the Bottle, Wake the Ira said...

i realy like the one-word introductions to the stories, very nice.