Controlled

Prologue - Ricky

Prologue: Ricky

She struggled beneath me, desperate and gasping for air.

"No, please... stop," she choked out in a whisper. I could see the life draining from her beautiful face the tighter I squeezed. Suddenly, I felt her knee collide with my groin. I grunted and fell to the side, releasing her from my grasp. I heard her cough, then struggle to get up and move away from me. As she got up, I recovered quickly and grabbed her ankle. She screamed as she hit the floor, then tried to pull herself away from me once more. I flipped her over and moved on top of her, placing my hands around her neck once more.

"No, no, no," she sobbed, trying to pull my hands away. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry!"

"Why couldn't you just love me, Kimberly," I asked quietly in despair. My grasp tightened until she stopped struggling. Her blue eyes stared blankly at me, not a trace of life left. I closed them gently, then wiped the tears from her pale cheeks. Then, I saw my own tears starting to fall onto her face. I stroked her beautiful black hair, then bent down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, my beloved," I whispered into her ear. I moved off of her and stared down at her lifeless body. Why did she have to try and escape? Why did she try and leave me? I thought she loved me... I thought she wanted me... I wanted her to want me like I wanted her. And now she's gone forever... and it was my fault. It only meant one thing, though.

She wasn't the right one either.

"Goddammit!" I shouted, smashing a hole in the wall beside me. I stayed there a moment, then pulled away. It was time to move on. Kimberly was gone. She wasn't coming back. And even if she did, she would never love me. Where do I keep going wrong?

I walked over to the phone she had on her nightstand and called 911.

"911, what's your emergency?" a woman said.

"She's dead," I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Sir, who's dead? What is your location?" she asked, trying to remain calm.

"She didn't love me," I said. I then lowered the phone from my ear and glanced at her body again.

"Hello, sir? Stay on the line. I'm dispatching officers to your location," I heard her say. I hung up before she could say anything else, then dropped the phone onto the hardwood floor. It broke, plastic pieces flying in various directions of the room.

I kneeled down and took one last look at her, then noticed the necklace around her neck. It was a silver locket with her name engraved onto it. I gently reached behind her neck and unclasped it, then put it into my pocket. I kissed her forehead for the last time, then turned and left, not glancing back.

"Goodbye, my sweet Kimberly," I whispered into the silence.