A Feat of Courage (Preview)

“Time to go, kid.” Gerald said as he put the gun back in his pocket. I felt such an adrenaline rush as I stood up I thought my head was going to explode. Suddenly, the door opened. Jane stood at the front door and looked me straight in the eyes. Then she saw the body and the knife hanging limply from my hand. She screamed and ran back into the house. I heard as she locked the door. I started to panic.

“Gerald… Gerald, she saw me!” I looked back at the car and Gerald was already about to go.

“That’s on you, buddy.” Gerald said. “That’s one body for the price of one.”

I almost threw up. “Please, I’ll pay you later! PLEASE!”

“Sorry. I only take money up front.” Gerald smirked. “Goodbye, Reuben.”

I tried to open the door.

“Shoot the doorknob! Do it! Please!” I was begging but I didn’t care.

He looked at me for a while. He walked calmly towards the door and then past it. He reached for the window and jabbed at it with his gun. I heard Jane scream inside. He did it several times and the window was broken.

“Our mind’s stupid when we panic.” Gerald said.

I got into the house, careful not to get cut by the broken glass. I saw as Jane ran from the living room towards a hallway to the right. I ran after her. She was about to reach the door to the left at the end when I caught her. She had her cell phone to her ear but she dropped it as I slammed her into the nightstand at the end of the hall. The mirror on the nightstand was shaking. Her back was towards me and I had her grabbed by the arm.

“Please, let me go! I’ll do anything you want! Anything you want! DON’T!” she screamed.

I gritted my teeth. She was giving a good fight. I wanted to let her go. I wanted to go. I didn’t want to be there. I could have been at home. But all the thoughts that came to me were of her doing everything she hadn’t done for me and all the things she had done for the douchebag. All her sweet words had meant nothing. Nothing. That was what bit at me the most. And so, the tears came. And so did the knife against her back. She uttered a gasp. I pulled the knife out and turned her around.

I looked into her green eyes. Eyes that I had, funnily enough, found to be one of the prettiest were now ugly. Ugly, red and glassy. My eyes were ugly, too. I was crying. So was she. We were crying for different reasons, though.

“I love you…” she lied.

I pushed the knife in once again. Jane never lied again.