Old Windows

'Goodbye Ma'am'

* Continuing

As Mort exerted every ounce of force he had to work in opposition to her resistance, his wrath would only worsen for her.

"Quit f*cking squirming!" he hissed as he finally threw her legs down vigorously on the solid and freshly dampened mud and leaves of his backyard.

"Just let me go! I take back everything I've said, and I won't say anything else, just please for the love of God Mort, let me go!" she pleaded in her harrowing tears.

She lied on the ground as she kept a close eye on Mort's every unpredictable move. Steadily and deliberately she lifted her elbows and propped herself up. With her chest rising up and down as deep as it could possibly go. But no matter the amount of deep breaths she took, nothing would be able to stop her heart from being on the brink of suffering a heart attack.

Mort fidgeted with the knife behind his back that he had intentionally shoved into his back pocket. Elise earnestly mapped out a plan of escape and even though she had no idea if it would produce the outcome she wanted, there really was no other options in the moment. What seemed swiftly to her, was much too leisurely for Mr.Rainey. Elise racked her feet in the slippery mud and turned around as quickly as she could to leave, but Mort calmly picked up his shovel that was conveniently lying next to his garden and propelled it in her direction.

The shovel flew into the back of her head and knocked all conscious out of her, causing her to face plant into the dirt.

He smiled at the assurance that he had bought himself some time to really make this worth his while. Mort stuck his hands in his pockets and walked over to observe her carelessly. He flipped her over with a few kicks of his stained and soiled boots. Her eyes were closed but her mouth was gaped open and blood was quickly pooling around the back of her head.

"Now what did I tell ya?" he asked her as he lifted up her ankles and heaved her back inside of his house, "Doesn't do any good to struggle," he whispered.

-

About an hour had passed and Elise' consciousness was beginning to flicker again. The appalling trauma she had received in her chest and above made it near impossible to even lift her head. She was able to feel a warmness tingling her left arm specifically. She moaned in pain and felt tears formulate in her eyes.

Elise realized that she had no access to her arms, due to them being roped up sturdily behind the rocking chair. With the little strength she had conjured up, she took a small survey around the room and noticed she was seated by the fireplace. A little too close for comfort, since the heat was beginning to feel uncomfortable on her arm. A small look to the right and there sat Mort on his couch smoking a cigarette.

"You're awake," he smiled as he quickly leaned over to the ash tray on the coffee table in front of him, "Maybe this will help you to plan your moves a little better."

"Please. Let me F*CKING GO!" she rustled around in the chair and yelled out in anguish.

"Oh no no no. I can't let that happen considering what happened last time, now you can understand that? Can't you?"

"Why can't you just let me leave? I swear to God you will never hear from me again. I'll- I'll," she took a deep and painful breath in, "I'll never speak to Claire again."

"Now I'm liking the sound of that. After all, that is what the ultimate goal is here right? One way or another no one will be hearing from you again," he smiled.

Elise began to cry at hearing her inevitable ending.

"Oh now isn't this a pretty picture?" he questioned, walking towards her.

"The hell are you talking about?" she struggled to get out.

"Here sits a hopeless girl who opened her mouth one too many g**damn times, and now she's gonna pay the price for it," he relished in the sight of his hopeless victim sitting in his chair with her hair matted in her own blood with a bruised and gashed face. Knowing all was solely up to him.

He gently ran his fingers down her face, swiping away the blood dripping down and falling onto the carpet, "Now would you look at that? My carpet is stained."

Mort walked over to his front window with his hands behind his back and gazed out. He turned back around, "Why don't you say we go for a little drive?" he grinned devilishly.

"Where are your car keys?" he asked.

"No. No, please don't hurt Claire."

"I wasn't even thinkin' bout that, but now that you suggest it, I might just consider it."

"Please," she begged through her endless stream of tears.

"Where's the f*ckin' keys!" he demanded as he returned the favor and gave her a heavy handed slap across her face. 

"My purse," she silently and shamefully sobbed to herself, while trying not to fixate on the stinging sensation.

He found her car keys and threw in a roll of duct tape in her purse before stowing the whole bag away in the car. He first unlocked the car and put her bag in, only to come back and find Elise on the floor face down, in an attempt to free herself.

"Little missy just doesn't learn does she?" he condescendingly chuckled as he untied her torso from the chair but let her wrist remain fastened.

She kicked and thrashed trying to let herself go from his grasp but Mort kicked her back forcefully with his leaden boot as she pummeled her face on the floor. She screeched with all her lungs as Mort clutched onto a chunk of her hair and dragged her out the door.

He threw her into the backseat of her own car and buckled her in. Double checking that there was no chance of her escape. Mort also added a piece of duct tape and strapped it across her mouth.

Mort got in the driver's seat and started for the road.

"A real shame it had to end this way, you know?" he spoke. Elise groaned through the tape, "Funny thing is that, I wasn't even planning on doing all this. But you made it so damn difficult that I had no choice. I'm gonna make sure this has a good ending," Elise continued to struggle, "Boy Claire's gonna be upset."

A good 10 minutes later, he arrived at the familiar cliff that overlooked the frigid waters of Maine.

"Here we are," he sang.

He put the car into park and got out. Leaning slightly on the hood of the car and peering into the water below.

"Pretty isn't it?" he called to her.

She screamed in response.

"Just thought you'd like to see it before you go in."

Her scream intensified and she rocked the car with her writhing movements.

Mort got back inside the car and backed up far away from the edge. A scarce amount of hope started in her legs, but when she noticed Mort getting out of the car and starting the engine from outside, it all vanished.

He lied down a rock on the gas pedal for the car to be in motion and steered the car just enough to where he didn't have to control it once it headed down. Mort could hear faint helpless screaming from the car but it briskly ceased. He watched the car fly off the cliff and ran over to witness the car plunging down and down.

He smiled to himself, "Goodbye ma'am," he spoke as he tipped his hat downwards.

Mort stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked home with satisfaction.