Night he Returned

The Night he Returned

Finally the smoke cleared and I could see my choices were clearly limited. Even though the area was dimly lit, I could see the sweat trickle down her face. The heavy small of must wafted slowly into my nostrils. It was a humid night, and the moisture hung in the air like a blanket. It felt as if I was being crushed by a stamped of elephants. My chest tightened and I was short on breath. I saw a distinct gleam of metal on the table in front of me, the shape of the revolver was easily distinguishable. I didn't feel lucky.

Three days ago, the grotesque gang of thugs who had kidnaped my wife had contacted me. My hands trembled as I answered the blocked number.

"H-Hello?" My voice cracked "Who is this?"

"Hamilton High School. The 13th of this month. Come alone, you know what's at stake" The phone line went dead. The tears rolled down my face, the feeling of dread renewed. It took me some time to realise that this phone call had given me a chance. I had to take it, however slim. My sense of uselessness replaced with adrenaline and anger. I could do it. I had to.

On that designated night I arrived at my old school. The building was in complete and utter disrepair. In my youth I always joked about the poor conditions, but now the building appeared as if it had been torn directly from a horror film. Cobwebs lined the windows, shattered glass layered the floor and the wooden doors were rotted away.

Finding them was easy. I stepped into the back-court, the only area with any form of light emanating from it. Strong, green chem-lights lit the area. It was light enough to make out the bodies of the aggressors, yet their faces remained hidden. Behind me smoke filtered out of the abandoned science lab behind me and filled the air with a thick layer of smoke. I could sense the movement around me. I was rooted to the spot with fear.

Finally the smoke cleared and I could see the limit to my options. A voice called out, reaching across the court, echoing inside my head.

"The gun, I assume you know how to play. One round and you both can leave."

Russian roulette. The game was suicide, literally. My wedding ring shimmered in the florescent green light. My or my life.

An old vow I made echoed in my head.

"My love, I promise I'd take a bullet for you"

I meant it, with all my heart I did, however I never expected to be placed in a situation in which I was presented that choice.

I raised the revolver slowly to my head. The cold metal barrel pressed against my temple. My fingers trembled as I fumbled for the trigger. A solitary tear trickled down my face as I pulled back the hammer of the gun into a firing position. Time seemed to slow. I could hear the muffled tears of my wife. I whispered my final "I love you" as I pulled the trigger of the gun. I heard nothing but a hollow click.

For what felt like an eternity I stood there, expecting the horrid pain as the bullet ricocheted inside of my skull. The gun fell slowly from my hand. I had involuntarily realised the gun from my grasp. The gun fell like a feather, bouncing once, twice, tree times of the floor. Each time it hit the floor a haunting metallic clang was realised. I could hear the moan of relief escape my wife's lips, muffled by whatever fabric was tired around her mouth.

All of this happened in a matter of seconds, contrary to what it felt like. They say time flies when you're having fun, this was just the opposite. The others however, seemed to be having the best time of their puny little existence. I could hear their maniacal laughs bounce around inside of my head, splitting my mind, and heart in two. Finally, the leader spoke

"You've done well, but this is only the beginning..." His voice almost seemed proud. It was evident how insane this man was.

"Yeah! Welcome to the jungle, bitch!" One of his cronies yelled, almost too enthusiastically, lurking somewhere, unseen in the shadows. The man surrounded himself with terrible people, no wonder the man was insane.

I feel that they could smell my fear- after all I was dripping in it. Two of them moved in close. Invisible to the eye, but I could sense the movement on both sides of me. To the left, a swing of a bat hit me straight in my face. My right side was grasped onto. I felt total blackness encroach on my vision. My senses started to blur and I felt my nervous body start to stop.