The Window

90 Minutes Before...

In the paleness of the moonlight, I could see the girl bringing the gun closer to Manik's forehead, making my breath quicken a great deal.

"Manik!" I hissed, involuntarily. "Wake up!"

Why was she trying to kill him?! And Manik...had he passed out after drinking too much or something? How could he not realize that there was a gun pointed at him?!

I decided that all these questions could be answered later.

I quickly reached for my phone, which was placed on the table top. I unlocked it frenetically, and dialed the three digits that any American citizen did in case of a dire emergency-that of the ubiquitous 911 service.

The operator picked up in one ring itself.

"911-What's your emergency?" The man at the other end said, in a monotone.

"There's an attacker in my neighbour's home! She's trying to shoot him!" I exclaimed over the phone.

"Alright. So, is this the home right next to yours in your own building? I'm going to need an address in order to send a response team." He said.

"No! No! Not in my building. The person who's being attacked- his flat is across the street from mine. The building is Stonehurst Court, on second avenue & East 69th street, Manhattan. Please notify the police!" I yelled.

"Unfortunately madam, there's been an accident on 72nd street. As a result, the nearest patrol car will take approximately half an hour to reach." The operator said apologetically.

I groaned in frustration. "Fine! Just please, hurry!"

I cut the call and looked out the window once more in order to find out if I was too late.

To my surprise, the girl had moved slightly away from the bed, and her once firm grip on the gun seemed a bit unsteady.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. Maybe, her conscience was finally acting up!

However, my momentary relief disappeared when she cocked the gun once more and placed her other hand on it to grip it more steadily.

"Manik!" I screamed again, but my voice obviously couldn't carry to the building opposite mine, over the noise of the fast-paced traffic.

Ugh! What should I do? Should I call Fran?

No! It was better for a nice old woman like her to stay as far away  from this as possible!

"Oh, fuck it!" I cursed, as I grabbed my phone and keys and dashed out of my flat with the aim of reaching Manik's apartment as quickly as I could. I had to warn him...I had to try...

I just hoped that I made it in time.

It took me just a few minutes to cross the street and enter the building. I took the elevator to the ninth floor, and jogged towards the door to Manik's flat.

Just as I was about to knock on the door, I heard voices from inside.

"You killed him! You killed my Eric! And now, you are going to die for it!" I heard a feminine voice shrieking frantically.

So, Manik had finally risen from his slumber and realized that he'd invited a killer into his home. However, the hair on my body stood up as I heard the name 'Eric'. The only 'Eric' who was on my mind recently, was Mr. Wang. Had I actually been right about Manik having something to do with his murder?!  

"I don't know what you're talking about! I haven't done anything !" Manik growled in return.

His proclamation definitely seemed firm enough to be truthful, but I still couldn't discount the inkling that I had about him...