Obsession

09

The rain mercilessly descended upon me, and the wind with all its dust particles lashed my face. I was drenched, but I dared not seek cover, fearing that if I stopped for one moment, my life would catch up with me. Once again, I was on the run, except this time, I did not know where I was running to.

TWO HOURS EARLIER

My associate had left me on the  porch, telling me he had some cleaning up to do inside, and that he would call me if he needed any help. I prayed it wouldn't come to that, but if it did, I was ready to do whatever I needed to do. The second he entered, I heard a little commotion going on inside, and eventually, the night was still again. The only thing that could be heard was the howling of the wind, and the rustle of the leaves. I liked to imagine that the wind was having a conversation with the trees, and I was eavesdropping on them. It distracted me from the issue at hand.

Out of nowhere, I heard a loud bang, and my heart jumped into my chest. I gripped the weapon in my hand tightly.

My hands were cold, and they had begun to shake violently. I could blame it on the cold, but I knew it because of the fear that had so tightly gripped me. I could barely see the gun in my hand, but it's weight was an enormous burden in my wavering grasp.

I had to keep reminding myself, that at that very second, if I had to choose between another man's life and my own, I would not hesitate to pull the trigger. I dreaded having to make that decision, but it was one I might have to make.

The snapping of a twig broke my train of thought. My eyes darted around, looking for a possible uninvited guest. After walking around the perimeter of the house a couple of times, I convinced myself it was probably a rodent of some sort,and went back to my spot on the porch.

The wind had died down, and I could hear the crickets chirping rather noisily. Their voices had been carried away by the wind before, but now it seemed as though they wanted me to hear whatever song they were singing, and I was forced to oblige.

Eventually, I decided that if something was going to happen, it would have happened by now. Confident that I would not be needed as backup, I began to doze off. The second I shut my eyes, I heard another loud bang. This time, it was accompanied by loud screams.

"Boy! Get in here! Now!"

I jolted awake, and rushed inside, gun in hand, ready to face whatever would be waiting for me, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.
Kneeling in front of my associate was a woman, and next to her was baby. Her white night gown had been soaked in tears, and her eyes were red from all the crying. What could he possibly want my help for?

"Pull the trigger."

"What?"

"Bury a bullet in her skull. It's not that hard."

"Why?" I asked, feeling sick in my stomach.

"You're here to follow orders, not to ask questions, but if you want to know why, I'll tell you," he said as he propped his leg on the couch in the middle of the room. "This woman's husband took something very valuable from me, and now I'm here to return the favor."

"Okay, but why must I be the one to pull the trigger?"

"I thought you might like the honor. It would be your first kill, wouldn't it?"

I wanted to vomit. I knew he was an evil man the day I met him, but the way he spoke about taking someone's life so casually... it made me sick.

I looked at the woman and her child again. Her hair was disheveled, and she had scratches on her neck. Whatever he had done to her before I came inside, I did not want to know. The baby was sleeping peacefully, unaware of the dangers that were lurking around him. For a moment, I wished to be him. I wished I could just be oblivious to the evil in this world. I wished I didn't have to think about my future, and that I didn't have to be afraid of what tomorrow would bring. 
I wished I could live in a state of limbo, unable to get hurt by the people around me. I wished not to feel.