least, but it won’t be much. You’ll leave this house and I’ll still feed off your pain.”
He was right. I could kill him, put a bullet in the back of his head, and I could escape. But he’ll start to take from me again. He’ll begin all over again and steal away my soul. And pretty soon he’ll have most of me. When that day comes, I may as well be dead. Because they’ll be nothing left.
I shouted at him. “ You can read my thoughts, Jack? You tell me what’s going to happen? If you feel so confident then surely you know how it’s going to end.”
He looked over his shoulder and gave a sinister grin. “I know you’ll finish here, in this house. And that tells me all I need to know.”
“And do you see yourself there, too?” I asked.
Jack opened his mouth, and was about to say something, but couldn’t. It was as though I had hurt him by what I had said. I wondered what he was hiding from me. There was something he wasn’t telling me. Perhaps he couldn’t say because he didn’t know for sure.
“Not that it matters, anyway. If I die, then I die. One way or another its got to come to an end.” I held up the gun, aimed it at the back of Jacks head.
“Do it!” He jeered. “It makes no god damn difference.” He continued walking, and was just about to leave the basement.
“ Fuck you! And fuck this house! I’ll burn it to the ground before I’m done. Ashes and dust…thats all it’ll be. ”
...it was his demise...
...his execution.
I can’t remember pulling the trigger, only that the sound whistled through my ears like a wet finger around the rim of a wine glass. The side of Jacks head exploded, spraying blood and brains over the basement door. It cracked as easily as a china doll. The hole in his head was scorched. I pulled the trigger several more times. On the fourth shot, his body slumped in the doorway. There was a damp patch forming around his groin. When the shot fire finally ceased, I found myself still squeezing the trigger. Click! Click! Click!
Eventually, my arm dropped and the ground claimed the gun. The room was silent, but in my head, the whistling penetrated my brain like nails on a chalk board. I looked down on the mirror, dropped to my knees and began wrapping up the relic in haste. I didn’t yet know what my intentions were. There was no plan, only instinct. I knew that I must leave this house immediately, and with the relic under arm.
I climbed the ladder, tossing the mirror onto the top and then followed it out of the hole. I looked down at the moist walls. I wondered what had happened to Carl.
I tested by whispering Carls name. Jack was dead, for now, so I didn’t want to wake him too early. This was my time now, however little advantage I had.
I climbed the stairs that lead out of the basement, stepping over Jacks body. It did resemble him now, his true self, his younger self. And for a brief moment, I actually had sympathy for him. Blood bubbled from the cavity in his head and emitted a peculiar sticky sound. It forced vomit to the back of my throat, but I swallowed it down. The sympathy that I had for him soon faded as I reminded myself what he had done.
I peered into the hallway where I could feel a cool breeze. I was so used to smelling the damp of the basement that the outside freshness surprised me. It was like candy. That summed it up in a single word. A word where everything was good.
The red door was open. It was as if the house was letting me go, that I had won and it was conceding defeat. But before I stepped out, there was a creak from up the stairs. I took a peek and listened.
“Carl?” I called. “Is that you?” But there was no reply. I turned for the red door.
“Boy!” A voice said.
I stopped and looked around again, but saw nothing.
“I’m here, Daniel.”
I followed the sound to the wall at the foot of the stairs. I could hear deep breathing, heavy and strained. I looked at the red door. I was scratching the back of my head when a
He was right. I could kill him, put a bullet in the back of his head, and I could escape. But he’ll start to take from me again. He’ll begin all over again and steal away my soul. And pretty soon he’ll have most of me. When that day comes, I may as well be dead. Because they’ll be nothing left.
I shouted at him. “ You can read my thoughts, Jack? You tell me what’s going to happen? If you feel so confident then surely you know how it’s going to end.”
He looked over his shoulder and gave a sinister grin. “I know you’ll finish here, in this house. And that tells me all I need to know.”
“And do you see yourself there, too?” I asked.
Jack opened his mouth, and was about to say something, but couldn’t. It was as though I had hurt him by what I had said. I wondered what he was hiding from me. There was something he wasn’t telling me. Perhaps he couldn’t say because he didn’t know for sure.
“Not that it matters, anyway. If I die, then I die. One way or another its got to come to an end.” I held up the gun, aimed it at the back of Jacks head.
“Do it!” He jeered. “It makes no god damn difference.” He continued walking, and was just about to leave the basement.
“ Fuck you! And fuck this house! I’ll burn it to the ground before I’m done. Ashes and dust…thats all it’ll be. ”
...it was his demise...
...his execution.
I can’t remember pulling the trigger, only that the sound whistled through my ears like a wet finger around the rim of a wine glass. The side of Jacks head exploded, spraying blood and brains over the basement door. It cracked as easily as a china doll. The hole in his head was scorched. I pulled the trigger several more times. On the fourth shot, his body slumped in the doorway. There was a damp patch forming around his groin. When the shot fire finally ceased, I found myself still squeezing the trigger. Click! Click! Click!
Eventually, my arm dropped and the ground claimed the gun. The room was silent, but in my head, the whistling penetrated my brain like nails on a chalk board. I looked down on the mirror, dropped to my knees and began wrapping up the relic in haste. I didn’t yet know what my intentions were. There was no plan, only instinct. I knew that I must leave this house immediately, and with the relic under arm.
I climbed the ladder, tossing the mirror onto the top and then followed it out of the hole. I looked down at the moist walls. I wondered what had happened to Carl.
I tested by whispering Carls name. Jack was dead, for now, so I didn’t want to wake him too early. This was my time now, however little advantage I had.
I climbed the stairs that lead out of the basement, stepping over Jacks body. It did resemble him now, his true self, his younger self. And for a brief moment, I actually had sympathy for him. Blood bubbled from the cavity in his head and emitted a peculiar sticky sound. It forced vomit to the back of my throat, but I swallowed it down. The sympathy that I had for him soon faded as I reminded myself what he had done.
I peered into the hallway where I could feel a cool breeze. I was so used to smelling the damp of the basement that the outside freshness surprised me. It was like candy. That summed it up in a single word. A word where everything was good.
The red door was open. It was as if the house was letting me go, that I had won and it was conceding defeat. But before I stepped out, there was a creak from up the stairs. I took a peek and listened.
“Carl?” I called. “Is that you?” But there was no reply. I turned for the red door.
“Boy!” A voice said.
I stopped and looked around again, but saw nothing.
“I’m here, Daniel.”
I followed the sound to the wall at the foot of the stairs. I could hear deep breathing, heavy and strained. I looked at the red door. I was scratching the back of my head when a
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