As Soon As You Come Back

Lisa had a small Barretta pointed at my chest, probably a Cheetah, though it was difficult to guess in the dim basement light. It looked old. Maybe she picked it up at her parents place last week. Impossible to tell how many rounds were inside. In a room this size, they might just as well ricochet back into her. Lisa had never even held a gun, at least not in the sixteen months I’d been following her.

“Step back,” she said. She tried to hid the quaver in her voice but Lisa can’t hide anything from me. “Against the wall.”

I stepped back. Lisa shook slightly, never taking her eyes off me, so I took a minute to get a look at my surroundings. The room was small, maybe six by six feet with no natural light. An incandescent bulb swung from the ceiling, rather uselessly. I couldn’t see any switch. There was a bucket in the corner but no furniture.

“Lisa,” I said, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m taking my life back.” Little tears rolled down her face. I smiled.

“Are you going to call the police again?” I asked. “That’ll be quite the story, me stalking you at the point of a gun.”

“No,” she said, stepping back from me. “No cops this time.”

“You’re going to shoot me?” I laughed. It wasn’t even calculated, I just genuinely found the idea of that pathetic, trembling little woman shooting me hilarious.

Lisa shook her head. “No. Not unless you make me, Karen.”

“Then what? No cops and no bullets? What’s to stop me from just walking out of here and we’ll just continue on like we’ve been?”

“I will kill you if you make me,” Lisa promised. For the first time that night, she sounded as if she really believed herself.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re a piece of work, you know? You want to blame every single one of your problems on me, don’t you? Because that’s easier than accepting responsibilities for your own mistake. Well if you pull trigger, Lisa, it’s because you wanted to. Not because of anything you think I did.”

“You think I wanted this?” It was her turn to laugh then, but it was more like a dog barking when he’s startled. “I never wanted any of this! I didn’t want to move to a new town to get away from you. I didn’t want to still wake up at three in the morning to your threats on my phone, even after I changed the number. I just wanted you to leave me alone!”

She was always such a drama queen. “So you pointed a gun at me and told me to march down to your dungeon? Some mixed signals there, Lisa.”

“This is the only way I can be sure,” she said. “Everywhere where I go, you’re there. Even when I don’t see you, I’m looking over my shoulder, waiting for you. I can’t go to work. I can’t have friends. You’ve ruined my life.”

That made me smile. Served her right.

Lisa took a step back. She reached back behind her, fumbling for the doorknob. “This is the only way I can be sure.” She said again. “If I know exactly where you are, you can’t sneak up on me ever again. You can’t call me or drive by my house or kill my cat-”

“I never touched your stupid cat!”

“If you’re locked in here, I never have to see you again,” and she smiled, showing me all her teeth like a dog trapped in a corner.

I rushed her, slamming my shoulder into hers. Lisa stumbled back into the doorway. I heard the gun fire but I couldn’t tell where the bullet landed. The barrel caught me in the chin and knocked my balance off. The door slammed shut with Lisa on the other side. I grabbed the knob but it was already locked. I heard Lisa laughing on the other side.

I shouted at her, the worst things I could think of, called her names and threatened to cut her tits off with a rusty razor, demanded she open the door. Lisa just laughed until eventually the laughter turned to sobs. I cursed her until my voice gave out. I don’t know how before I fell asleep, or how long I was asleep before I woke to footsteps going upstairs, getting quieter and further away.

She’ll come back. She won’t be able to stay away, not scared little Lisa. She’ll want to make sure her stupid little plan worked. I can wait. I’ll finish the job, get rid of the little stain once and for all.

Just you wait, Lisa, as soon as you come back.