Voices of Conflict

Chapter 13

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Gail moved back away from Jimmy and returned to her seat next to Gary.

"She was a beautiful woman." Gary picked at a callous on his thumb. He could feel the tough skin without looking. "Your wife."

"So you do remember her." Jimmy said gruffly. 'Of course he does. He let her die. It's time for you to make him pay.' Jimmy's eyes looked from side to side as if he looked for the source of the noises in his head. "Well you won't have to worry about thinking about her anymore." He raised his gun and pointed it at Gary's chest. "I'm going to make sure you are not here to remember her. You don't deserve to live." His hands trembled as he held the gun in his outstretched hand. He lifted his other hand to help steady his aim.

"She told me she was worried about you and what would happen to you when she was gone." Gary said softly not deterred by the gun.

"You're lying. She didn't talk to you." He shook his head from side to side.

"She knew she didn't have much time. She asked me to be sure you were all right. That's why I asked Dr. Bushard if I could see you…after." Gary lifted his face toward Jimmy careful not to direct his eyes to him. He didn't want Jimmy to think he could see him clearly.

"Liar." Jimmy waved the gun toward Gail. "She's in on this too isn't she? She wants me locked up."

"NO!" Gary shot a glance toward Gail. "No, she's just a nurse." He looked into her eyes hoping she understood that he needed to downplay her importance. "She just follows directions from the doctors or us, the paramedics." He knew that wasn't true, in fact the paramedics had to follow the directions of the nurses, but he needed Jimmy to think she was not important enough to hurt. He needed to get Jimmy to stop pointing the gun at Gail. He needed to be the center of Jimmy's attention.

"Yeah, I can see that, but she didn't help my Amber." He moved the gun back toward Gary. "No matter anyway, you're the one that has to pay. Your partner has a wife and kids. I can't take him away from them, but you…you're going to be the payment for my Amber. Your life isn't worth anything. You don't have anyone to take care of, to provide for. You're alone, just like me."

"He's not alone." Gail whispered. "He has plenty of family, people who need him."

Gary closed his eyes, lowered his chin to his chest and tried to contain his disappointment that Gail had again gained Jimmy's attention.

'She's trying to confuse us, Jimmy, don't listen to her.' Jimmy shook his head to clear the static.

Lightning streaked across the night sky and the lights flickered. Thunder rolled a few seconds later. The storm was close and sounded like it was going to be a big one.

Gary tensed as the lightning made the lights flicker again. Maybe the storm would give him enough distraction to get the gun away from the crazed man.

The flashes of light reflected off the barrel of the gun Jimmy waved in the air. 'Now Jimmy, the thunder will muffle the sound of the gun. The neighbors will think the noise is just from the storm. Do it now!' The screams in his head rattled Jimmy. "Stop! I can't concentrate on what I'm doing here if you keep bothering me. I can handle this!"

Gail could see that Jimmy was losing more of his touch with reality. He now openly spoke to the voices he had in his head. She had seen this type of behavior before in psych patients. The more they talked aloud to the voices from within, the more they conflicted with what the voices were telling them, the more agitated they would become. She had to do something before Jimmy lost complete control and hurt Gary more than he already had.

A brilliant flash of light illuminated the entire room, and the power went out plunging them into total blackness. Thunder rumbled so close and strong it rocked the entire house.

Gail could hear shuffling noises mixed with the continuous thumping of rain as it pelted the roof and a gasp of pain from Gary, who was suddenly closer to her whispering in her ear. "You have to get out of here. Go to the cellar. Lock the door. There's a locked door that leads to the back yard. Key's on the nail beside the door. Go Now!" She felt Gary turn her in the direction of the cellar and give her a gentle nudge. "Go Gail, call for help." She started feeling her way along the wall.

Lightning flashed revealing the three occupants of the darkened house. Eerie shadows danced along the walls where each stood in the room.

Gary swayed on his broken leg. Gail froze in her movement toward the cellar, her hand rose to her mouth; she held her breath and fear shown in her eyes. How was Gary able to move so quickly with a casted leg? The pain had to be excruciating. Jimmy swung the gun toward where he had seen Gary and fired.

Darkness enveloped the scene. A loud pinging noise could be heard. The bullet hit and ricocheted into something making a soft impacting noise.

Gail gasped. "Gary!"

"GO!" He yelled back at her from somewhere on the other side of the room. His voice was laced with pain.

"Don't move!" Jimmy yelled. "Or I'll shoot." Gail hesitated, afraid to move.

"GO GAIL! He can't see you until the lightning flashes. Go!" Gary moved carefully behind the chair making his way around the room behind Jimmy, every movement sending jolts of white hot pain from his leg riveting through his body. Jimmy spun around trying to determine where Gary was in the room. Gail dropped to her knees and crawled toward the cellar door.

Jimmy turned from side to side. He could tell that Gary had moved. 'Shoot her. He'll try to help her. Then you can get him. Shoot her Jimmy.' Jimmy shook his head. "No I can't hurt Amber." He stumbled and turned trying to determine where Gary was. 'She's not Amber. Shoot her.' He turned toward the last place he saw Gail, raised the gun and fired into the darkness.

Lightning flashed again and Jimmy saw Gary right next to him. Then darkness settled on the room again as quickly as it had been light. Gary grabbed for the gun.

Gail reached the door to the cellar. Her hand gripped the handle. She opened the door and hesitated for a second. She didn't want to leave Gary, but they needed help. Gary needed help. He was injured and weak. The drugs Jimmy had given him earlier were still in his system. He had to be functioning on pure adrenalin right now and that couldn't last long.

Lightning flashed again and thunder rolled at the same time making the pictures on the wall rattle against the nails holding them in place. The door to the cellar stood open and Gail was gone.

Now that he thought Gail was safe, Gary felt as if he didn't have to be as careful. He jerked Jimmy's hand trying to dislodge the gun and pushed against his face with his other elbow. Jimmy lashed out at Gary's broken casted leg with his foot trying to knock the man down. Pain radiated throughout Gary's body. His eyes stung and watered. His breaths came in short pants. They struggled for a long time until a shot rang out.

Lightning flashed again. The struggle became a little less intense as the two men slid to the floor.

Thunder rumbled across the sky.

Another shot flashed across the room landing in a thud. It must have hit something soft.

Muffled moans mixed with the rumbling thunder that seemed to be further in the distance.

The storm rolled past as quickly as it had come.

A final shot…and then it grew very quiet.

The lightning gone off somewhere in the distance no longer provided flashes of clarity for the room's occupants and left them in total darkness.