Well, people, this is the end… a very explosive one at that… hope you enjoyed reading it’s pretty long but it’s worth it!! Please review with your thoughts and opinions of the story.

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Chapter 28

Screeching to a halt, the car rolled onto the kerb of the pavement. Landon’s face was sedate as he pulled her from the car, his manner was composed, dignified – how pleasant for her last moments. She didn’t know her exact fate –she wasn’t a physic after all, wasn’t born with the ability to predict – but her intuition told her enough, that cold wobbly feeling shuddering in her spine said it all. They wanted revenge – bloodshed was the only way.

“Where are they?” she whimpered.

“Inside of course.”

“Inside!” she spluttered.

Their actions disgusted her. They couldn’t even wait for her to unlock the door; they had to break in, rampaging through her home – her life.

“So they’d stand outside and wait for you? Yeah sure.” Landon laughed.

Grabbing her wrist he pulled her hesitant body towards the house, she glanced around, her eyes screaming for help, but naturally the street was desolate. The door sliding open with ease Landon pulled her through the threshold. A sense of doom filtered through her frozen body as they opened the living room door. The door open, Alicia’s restless eyes resided on the line of men standing in front of her. Clad with business suits, and smart ties they could’ve posed as the perfect professionals for high professions.

“Alicia, good evening. Now lets re-enact the show down that should’ve happened a long time ago.” Kyle said calmly.

He glanced around the room.

“Seems we’re missing a certain someone, the action cannot commence without him here, we must cease him!” Kyle ordered.

“Sir that may be a little difficult.” Landon murmured.

“Why?”

“He’s not here…” Landon muttered.

Kyle poked his nose up.

“Well where is he then?”

“Moping in the pub, remember the call girl.”

“Oh yeah, Alicia,” Kyle grinned.

“No I wont!” she insisted.

“Phone him!” Kyle hissed, throwing over the phone.

“No.”

His face growing heated, Kyle’s bullyboy antics arose to attention. Alicia tried to stand her guard, held back the emotion as he threatened her, claiming to inflict all sorts of violence upon her. She was terrified, but remained tight-lipped, her woeful eyes resting on the carpet.

“PHONE HIM!” Kyle raged, his whole body lunging towards hers.

His heavy body pinned her torso to the ground, even breathing caused her great distress. She wasn’t going to give in; she wasn’t going to resort to lulling Mitchell to his death. His eyes fuelled in bitter rage, Kyle slapped her brutally across the face. Her face wrinkling in anguish, she grimaced from the raw, stinging pain that sparked instantaneously across her cheek. Dismay shot through her, when the sound of the door opening filtered in her ear range. After everything, the protective shelter she’d put up—it’d been rampaged, leaving Mitchell vulnerable to all acts they wished to commit. Glancing up she saw the gleeful smile creep across Kyle’s face. A sudden strength came alive within her, gave her back her voice.

“MITCHELL, IT’S A TRICK, GET OUT!” she screamed.

Her voice cut off by Kyle’s heavy hand, she writhed in agony. I walked towards the living room, beckoned by a scream of pain. The image in front of me was daunting in the true sense of the word. I stood, my eyes transfixed on Alicia struggling in vain under a heavily built man. Landon stood in the corner, his mind tasked in cleaning a shotgun.

“Landon…”

I didn’t say anymore. The puns about the engagement, the enigma smiles on his lips, it all made sense now. It was a trick, a cleverly plotted trick. I knew it; I’d known it all along.

“YOU DIDN’T BELIEVE ME ALICIA, I TOLD YOU, AND I SAID HE WAS A FAKE.” I yelled, my eyes definite.

I didn’t know which way to turn, which word to say. If I took one step out of that door I’d be shot down, and this time, it’d be for real.

“Well all’s here and accounted for.” Kyle grinned, dusting off his suit as he came to his feet.

He yanked Alicia up left her standing, cowering in the corner.

My expression doleful, I thought aimlessly in my mind for an explanation of what to do. The bold, heartless guy sneering in front of me was the soul destroyer of anything I thrived for in my life—he’d destroyed Alicia, left her beaten black and blue. Would I just let him get away with murdering us both, of ticking off that completion on his list, or would I fight… dismiss, my hatred, my sheer loathing of his persona. My mind absorbed in thought, I saw Kyle slither towards Alicia, his eyes hungry he ran his hand down her face. I shuddered, felt my whole body recoil. I wasn’t going to let him get away with this. Alicia saw the protective layer flare up on Mitchell, knew he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

“No, Mitchell, no!” she screamed.

“You’re a filthy rapist Kyle, just leave her alone!” I screamed, ignoring her cries.

“Oh so you told him about our little adventure, yeah?” he laughed, his laugh was high-pitched and false.

Alicia trembled in his grasp, tried to close her mind to what was happening.

“You want to know how much of a rapist I can be!” he yelled.

What had I said? I tried to get to Kyle but his heavies were there, creating a barrier- a wall to stop me getting through. Landon was the soul barrier; his face remarked in coyness, he pointed the guns nib at my chest. Alicia screamed for Kyle to let her go but he pinned her against the wall, his whole body weight pushing into hers, his hot, unruly breath trailing off her face. She was shaking violently now, her face a pit of tears. Her turquoise eyes were wide, almost bulging out of their sockets, her relentless fear burning inside. I wanted to reach her, touch her, kiss her pain away but I’d got her into this in the first place, me, and my big mouth. Kyle turned around briefly, his face set in a look of contempt so strong it made me shudder. Kyle was total filth in my eyes, sheer putrid filth and I felt robbed, because the only girl I loved I couldn’t protect. I was weak, he was strong, and he had every advantage over me.

“Now listen to me Mitchell, we know we can hurt you more by killing your girl, cos that’s the only thing that means a thing to you!”

“No…” I whispered.

Her eyes locked with mine, a sense of fallen hope portrayed so clearly. I turned back to look at Kyle, a look of mercy upon my face.

“Please, I’ll do anything.”

He smiled; it was a scorned smile, one of total hate. He looked at me as if I was inferior; like I was nothing but the shit off his shoe. This wasn’t about Alicia at all; it was about Reggie, the notorious Reggie - Kyle’s leader, his best friend. All Kyle had wanted was revenge, ultimate, blood ridden revenge. I stared openly, my eyes transfixed on Kyle holding a prison bar grip on her neck. Tears streamlined down her face, filled me with a cold sense of shame.

“What are you going to do?” I yelled.

“Well I’m not going to shoot any of you if that’s what you’re thinking.” He laughed.

My face creased in befuddlement.

“Bring him out boys.” Kyle ordered.

Following orders two men left the room, returned with a weak, lethargic looking figure. He didn’t look ill though, he looked narcotised, like he’d been doped up. A low whimper escaped Alicia’s throat.

“Shorty!” she whispered.

Kyle laughed.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, your best friend isn’t dead. He’s just had a little too many sleeping pills in his tea this morning, he’ll come round soon and we can frame everything on him, great hey!”

Plopping him down in the corner, a gloved man threw a gun into his lap. It’d already been loaded – its catch already pulled, all that was required now, was the fateful shot. My mind despairing at the new instalment in the case, I glanced sorrowfully at Shorty’s stupefied state. He was so out of it he wouldn’t remember a thing of this evenings moments, would wilfully confess to his crime, his guilt ridden conscience egging him on. I knew exactly how it felt to be exhumed with guilt, your heart and mind drowning in regret. The idea of framing someone for a crime they did not commit was sickening in its own right – not even the cruellest person deserved it, not unless they were guilty of the actions anyway.

“So you got it now, got your stupid brain around the idea of Shorty shooting you, not us! He’s so doped up he wont remember a thing. You get the idea? The reason why?” Kyle said sternly.

“What?” I said; my whole head was messed up.

“Remember that little stunt you pulled, many months back, the one that was plastered all over the news? The murder Reggie got done for? Well none of us was too happy about that I could tell you,”

A high, ear-splitting laugh amounted from Landon, his expression told a story – one that Kyle wasn’t too happy with.

“Just shut it Landon.”

The same laugh appeared.

“Too right old man, too right.” Landon murmured.

The bothersome cackles seemed to stir irritation within Kyle, the look in his eyes was that of displease. To say that was the only emotion aroused was an understatement.

“Anyway as I was saying before someone tried to interrupt me, was, we were certainly not happy with your leaving Reggie to it, in fact it drove us to actions you didn’t like, as you may remember.”

My teeth gritted in dissent, I made no comment to Kyle’s jeering words, endured his ignorance as he trailed his grotty fingers over my scar.

“So we got Alicia here to get you for us, but of course she failed that too, what with her running off soon after Carlson’s murder… man you two are just as bad as each other, like two peas in a pod.” He grinned.

“Shame, I hear you had a love thing going on.”

My face-hardened.

“Anyway, we’ve finally caught up with you and we’re not going to let you go, well not now we’ve got you in our clutches anyway. But of course we’re not going to be traced to it, so we’re getting Shorty here to take the blame for us. Great isn’t it!” he laughed.

I shook my head, he couldn’t frame Shorty for this; it wasn’t fair. My whole body was full of disdain towards Kyle - he’d ruined everything.

“Oh Mitchell, don’t you like that idea? Is it too heartbreaking for you?”

Anger seared acidly inside my body.

“NO!” I roared.

I lunged towards Kyle, my face set in a disfigurement of my rage. He fell to the floor with me, taken by surprise, I head locked him, bashed his face in with my other arm. For the first time in my life I was outbidding the enemy, releasing all the suppressed anger I had inside, on him. Everything he did to her, the raping, the beatings I was paying him back for. I was so locked up in it, my mind completely enrolled in the surges of my anger I did not think for a second what could be going on behind me. Kyle had somehow got a message to the men; they yanked me backwards off Kyle, pulled me to my feet then smashed their fists into my face. I stumbled blindly, my face engulfed in crushing pain. Kyle got to his feet, briefly dabbed his fingers to his face, trying to wipe away the blood.

“Right boys, grab his arms!” he ordered.

They pulled my weakened arms behind my back, twisted them so roughly I yelped in pain. They’d crossed my arms, made me feel like I was on the cross, a human sacrifice. The action shifted, Alicia was alone, left to her own devices. Her mind disorientated and addled she clasped dearly on the objective of getting away. Her eyes hazy and raw from crying she stumbled awkwardly towards what she thought was the door, only it wasn’t. Her footing caught in the base of the coffee table she slipped, smashing her head on a light switch as she descended to the floor. Her eyes swimming in the cumbersome darkness, she unwillingly succumbed. Hearing the loud thump Kyle spun around, shouted a cry of annoyance. She wasn’t supposed to die of a blow to the head!

This action of misjudgement was certainly not asked for.

“Boyd help me get her onto the couch!” he ordered, pulling her head up.

With the stronger capturer called away, a guard with what looked like a fragile agility was left to hold the fort. My eyes sly, I glanced around the room, took in Landon staring thoughtfully out the window, Kyle and Boyd lifting Alicia onto the couch. This was my chance, a single blip of salvation in a river of loss. Furrowing deep into the core of my humanity, I searched out the strength, and wills concealed inside of me, my aim to always protect – and surged it together, causing a tidal wave of fury and rage to flow acidly like in my veins. It gave me the courage to fight, oblivious to the danger surrounding me. My mind resolved in the conflict, the battle commenced. Slamming my fist into the guard’s face, I watched him stagger back, his features enveloped in pain. Unbeknown to I, Kyle had seen it all. A deafening shot befalls my ears as an instant crushing pain brought me to the floor. Gasping from the unendurable pain, I looked down at the source of it, grimaced at the deep hole in my shin.

“You shot me!” I cried out, my voice drowned in agony.

“Well that’s not going to be the least of it my son, take that as a starter to your slow and torturous death.” Kyle laughed.

Loud and undeniable, the shot seemed to revive Alicia from the depths of darkness, left her blinking wearily on the couch. Scorching, repetitive pain seared through me, brought warm, salty tears to my eyes. Rocking back and forth, my hand plastered over the gaping wound, I waited for Kyle’s next reaction. Ruthless cruelties had just been enacted and he didn’t care. His face pitiless and worn into contempt, he walked over to Landon, spoke words I couldn’t hear. Rising from the surface of grogginess, Shorty’s head shot up, his eyes giving him a fuzzy, indistinct view of the world in front of him. His hands falling into his lap, he felt the solid fixture of the gun, pulled his finger through the trigger holder – held it up to aim. Only his intentions were not as zoned as they were intended to be, he had enough grasp of his surroundings to know who was who – and whom he’d rather see dead. This time around someone unworthy, but still needy of an ending to their crimes would get their comeuppance. His body regaining a strange sense of calm, he rested his finger on the trigger, closed his eyes and let loose. Letting off a thunderous blast, the bullet exploded in a cloud of dust, claimed its target within seconds, ripping through mounds of unmarked flesh to deep within. Aghast from the fact that someone had shot him, Kyle stumbled backwards, his hand flying to the source of his pain. Seconds later his heavy body tumbled to the floor, his features dismissing a mixture of anger and pain. My own face set in consternation, I looked desperately from Shorty to Landon –Kyle and Landon were in this together, how would he react to his leader being shot with a deadly vengeance?

Oddly enough, Landon didn’t seem too disturbed, in fact, the eeriest of smiles resided on his lips.

“Wow Shorty, I didn’t know you had it in ya!” Landon appraised.

Every eye in the room spanned onto Landon, each mind analysing and defining the reason to why he’d had acted like he had. It didn’t take him very long to show his true colours. His face gaunt and pale, Kyle lay motionless on the floor. Dire and calamitous, the shot had had its desired effect, left 3 very happy people in the room. Only he wasn’t dead yet, seemed to be holding onto that tiny fraction of life he had left. I watched in unease as Landon stooped over Kyle, running the guns barrel slowly over his companions face. What was he doing? They were buddies, pals, or… were they?

An uncomfortable, frightened expression came to rest on Kyle’s ashen face; clearly Landon was doing this for a reason, but why? I wasn’t left in limbo for long.

“Well, well, well partner, the day has finally come. Me, the faithful, abiding henchman getting what’s rightfully mine.”

Kyle shook his head.

“It’s not yours, it never was, Reggie left it all to ME.”

Landon laughed, shook the gun in the air.

“Now you’re saying that, and I’ve got a gun in my hand, can finish you off without a flinch… bad move wise boy. I’ve sat back and watched you order me around, wanting drugs here there and everywhere, well sonny boy that’s no more.”

“You’re only good for one thing and that’s getting the drugs to us.” Kyle laughed.

Landon rolled his eyes; his mind was certain, there was no doubt to that.

“You’ll never learn.”

Vowing to remain fearless, and strong Kyle laughed in the aspect of approaching death. The uncanny irony being, he was usually on the other side of the gun. B-A-N-G, the gun blasted. Now his last breath had vanished, his life of crime was most definitely over. Bloodied and pale, Kyle lay sprawled on the floor, his forehead cratered in the largest of holes, his semi open eyes confined to an eternity of dread. I almost threw up right on scene. Shocked from the brutality of Landon’s actions, I gaped at the nauseating image remaining in front of me, tried so hard to prise my eyes from it. Landon spun around, his active eyes fixating on the two of us. An impending doom was apparent, scaling dangerously in the air. I gulped, my blood starting to run cold.

“Now you see that? That would’ve been a scene to go down in history had it been filmed, a true classic!”

I stared oddly.

“Why?” I muttered.

“Why? WHY? Looky here son, I might have come across as dumb to you, like I didn’t know a thing, but believe me, I’m a lot more clever then I look, in fact I’m probably the smartest fucker in the whole establishment!”

A cold sweat evolved on my forehead as I glanced around the lounge, my eyes searching out a single soul that was willing to help. Shorty, who was still affected by the sleeping pills lay dozily against the wall, his eyes blinking tiredly—the two guards, having lost their loyal binder had scooted, unsurprisingly fleeing the scene. It was just we, against a livewire with an outlandish grudge.

“Kyle was with you, you were his insider, why on earth did you shoot him?” Alicia said weakly.

“Why did I shoot him? Well I’ll tell you why. You see Mitchell, Kyle wasn’t the only one with a grudge. Reggie wasn’t just that idiot’s best friend; he was my best dealer. Always loving to flaunt the cash, I was a rich boy with him around; we got on well too, like a house on fire. He was just amazing. So one day, I hear he’d gone down, doing time for a crime that technically he should’ve got imprisoned for, by not by our books! He was a leader, someone strong, someone with the money, and when you ran from the scene of the crime, everything went down hill…”

He stopped for a minute, his mind gathering his thoughts. I glanced down at the unsightly, mind-tearing image of Kyle and saw a gun by his side—if only I could reach it. His mood over strung, Landon seemed to be unrestrained, like the sight of blood and conflict got his juices going, gave him a sense of power and royalty. His eyes darting anxiously in his head, Landon’s eyes took it in turns to glance at the pair of us.

“As I was saying, I delivered the drugs, Reggie gratefully accepted them, and with him gone I had someone to hate for it. I mean you couldn’t get a worse leader then Kyle! All talk he was, reckoned himself to be someone, someone who could scare everyone… only he could only scare people smaller then him, like you Mitch.”

He smiled.

“Kyle didn’t pay half as much as Reggie did, so I had to turn elsewhere – but still keep in touch with Kyle, so I could get the scoop on you, see which way you’re going, what you’re doing next. I knew everything, and becoming your ‘friend’ was the best treat of them all.”

I shook my head in disdain.

“You were our friend! We really looked out for you, thought you were someone, didn’t that mean anything? Didn’t that change your gangster existence on experiencing what a real friendship was like?” I pleaded.

For a second my words seemed to have an effect on Landon. It was true, had it not been for his gangster living, he could’ve had a real life. To the high paced, fast living guy he was, living in a circle of conspiracies, and dodgy dealings was the type of activity he thrived in – grew in. Only performing indecent acts, and wrongful dealings left him on the wrong side of people, gave him a police file the size of a book. With a notorious reputation, and the statistics of being the best supplier around—he could never settle, there was always that –thread- that –uncertainty- of never knowing whether his time was up, whether he’d been rolled into the open to serve his time. He was sought after, just not the right way. Reality being, he was a loner, playing up to the image of the dutiful gangster he’d reckoned himself to be. For a short space of time, Mitchell, Alicia, they’d filled that hole, giving him that somebody to rely on. But it was too late, he hadn’t had true friends his whole life, why start now. The guilt trip over, the merciless Landon had returned. My eyes desperate I glanced at the gun on the floor, it was either now or never…

Bowled over by scruples, I thought continuously whether this was the right thing to do—he was clearly dangerous, would this send him over the edge? But fears aside, what would he do if he were left to warble on?

My face edgy and stressed, I contemplated just how I would get the gun without him noticing. I’d just have to try, do my best. Rolling onto my stomach, I stretched out, reeled my fingers out to pull the gun, simultaneously Landon had caught onto my antics, didn’t waste a second in blasting the gun to scare me away. I reeled back, shocked.

“Don’t you idiots learn anything? Jesus Mitchell, you’re so clumsy, you got to watch and learn.” He said dramatically.

My breath caught in my throat. It was that stare, that unnerving glance that made me want to turn away. There was something about it, something I recognised to having myself many months ago. His pupils wide and dilated, an excited dashing of black flecks dancing in the irises of his eyes. Reality hit me like a ton of bricks. Landon was high, literally playacting with the drugs taking the main role.

“Oh god,” I whispered.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“You couldn’t even do this without drugs?! Jesus Landon, how, pathetic are you? You have to be deemed out of your head just so you can do something like this, shoot people on instinct?” I yelled angrily.

The subject matter taking a turn, Alicia felt her mind taking her through vats of images-names-recollections, and brought up a statement, one spoken from so long ago.

“You’re the delivery man, at the warehouse.” She said surely.

Landon laughed, nodded.

“Least someone knows who I am. As I was saying, don’t you think you can talk to me like that, Thomas!”

“My names Mitchell, don’t call me by my last name!”

“Just shut up, or I’ll lace you with bullets, understand?!” he threatened.

I laughed, called his bluff. I’d lulled him along for this amount of time; he wouldn’t have the guts in him to commit such indecency. Landon’s eyes were definite, blazing with tempestuous. This guy was clearly unsound.

“Oh yeah? Go on then.” I jeered.

My bluff backfired on me, disastrous in the cruellest of ways. Not wanting to go back on a bet, Landon turned the gun away from me, aimed it at a dozy Alicia.

“Kyle was right.” He laughed.

My eyes frantic, I scrambled towards Alicia, my numb, bleeding leg trailing behind me. A strident gunshot exploded within my hearing range, was followed instantly by a meek scream. He’d done it—he’d shot her—I was too late, let down all generations of humanity in not protecting the one I loved. I’d taunted him, and it’d backfired on me.

“Get a ambulance!” I yelled.

Landon shrugged.

“She wouldn’t survive the ride.”

How could he act so slimy? He’d just shot someone in cold blood, didn’t even seem in the slightest regretful—all of this falling back on a man, we’d called our friend. My movement limited I struggled to reach her, my heart wanting so desperately to claim hold on hers. Her face riddled in pain, she tried so hard to combat it, warn it all away. I fell towards her, my hands resting on her face. Her eyes were lost, drowning in hurt, tormented in acuteness. I felt so helpless, my hands flailing at the gun wound, trying to stop the blood, to stem the flow. The whole situation seemed forlorn, all hope of escape a distant memory.

“Alicia please, don’t do this to me, don’t leave me alone!” I pleaded.

She turned away, her heart despairing in the unfairness of life.

“Please Alicia!” I whispered.

A silent tear falling down her cheek, she placed her hands to my face, her fingers reading all emotions I had. An identical tear slipped sorrowfully down my face, scarring it in a rawness that set my skin on fire.

“Don’t cry, please Mitchell.” She whispered.

I stared sombrely at her, my face laced in the obviousness of my pangs. Combined with her own pain, perceiving Mitchell’s throes, his heartbreak made it all so daunting, so unfair. How could she leave him alone, they were bonded—functioned as one, without her, he’d fall apart. Why was life so horribly cruel?

The only feat she felt fit for defying the torment, for even just a second, was that of digging deep, exposing the love they shared together – a love that would always overrule all. Her face courageous she pulled me towards her, her lips crashing against mine with such energy, such enthusiasm. Her whole being lost in the kiss, the pain was just that bit more endurable, its towers of red hotness spluttered out with a dusting of loves magical dust. So weak, and still so full of life she put her whole soul into kissing me made it a sensationalism that would reign infinitely. Her head woozy, and faint she pulled away, smiled warmly. She was getting frailer by the second, and if I were honest to myself, I’d be able to admit she was slipping away—her lively soul ready to embark on a journey of blinded mystery. It all seemed so surreal, like a train journey, where no one could ever try to say a destination. My breathing ragged in my throat I glanced down at the wound, recoiled at its ghastly depiction. No body will ever know the true, unrelenting feeling of having to say goodbye –not just for a quick run to the supermarket, or a regularly spoken greeting to a friend –no when it is really for real, you’d know it- it’ll be staring you in the face—a blackened, unruly image hanging down right over your eyes – laying heavily on your heart. To say goodbye to someone, and know that this is truly the last goodbye, will destroy you – it’s happening to me now, and its devastating me. After all where is the good, in goodbye? How could my mind be thinking so rationally, when my soul mate was losing her life because of one purposeful mistake?

If only I hadn’t provoked him, made him insistent on pulling the trigger once more, maybe the whole situation could’ve been turned around… I’ll never know, and that underlying question seared through me once more, ‘What if?’ ‘What if?’ What if?’ I was full of the question and it did nothing for me. Her breathing growing sharper, less frequent, she glanced at me, pure fear aroused in eyes that were once so alive. Her mind ridiculed from the harrowing situation, she struggled to stay awake, her body wracked in unbearable pain. Her hands clawing at my shirt, she looked weakly at me.

“I’m so scared! It hurts so much Mitchell, I just want it to go away.” She whimpered.

I bit my tongue, stroked her chestnut hair.

“Shhh, just imagine what it’s like, sitting on your reserved cloud, with the rainbow near by, and little angels fanning you, it’s going to be heavenly, get it, heavenly? Heaven?” I managed, trying to make a lame attempt at a joke.

She nodded weakly, her face emblazoned from tears.

“You were always so strong Mitchell, a wall of strength. I’ll never forgive myself for not believing you about Landon, every ‘friend’ we’ve ever had; had just been a phoney. But we had each other, something a lot of people never gets, something Landon will never get.”

Such truth her words rang. United as one, the depth of our feelings would live on, everlasting in a kiss, a memory, a memento—you couldn’t buy love, couldn’t magic up those feelings. As clichéd as it sounds, love is all we had, all we needed to get us through. Remembering the gracious, gleeful words of ‘our song’, I relived it, my mouth forming perfectly the words of a song so remarkable to us. Upon hearing me sing the song, she joined in, her faltering voice still sounding so strong. Me however, I was useless at singing, would probably crack all the windows if it were possible, but I sang anyway, singing from the heart. Seconds later I realised I was singing alone. My heart racing, I searched her face, saw her lips tinged blue, her eyes frantic in struggling for breath. This was it, the doomed ending.

“Please, Alicia…” I whispered.

“I love you!” she said greatly.

Her last words of literature spoken she slipped away. Right then I felt like I’d died myself. The only character that’d truly understood me, revelled in my achievements, soothed me when I was sad… was gone; travelling in a warp of mystery and scariness no body could define till they themselves were moving to that lease of life. I felt detached, swallowed up in a blanket of shock, and a slow realisation to what’d just happened. My leg still pulsated harshly, but contrasted to the pain inside, it was veering towards numbness now. What was I to do now? How could I go on with my life? My eyes settling on the gun, I was roped towards it, found my hands taking it, acting almost as if they had a mind of their own. My flexibility dwindling to a sluggish, almost indolent factor I was forced to pull myself along, sliding along a hallway, which photos projected the quote, ‘I had the time of my life’, if only me and Alicia had had the chance to enjoy such happiness. But however short our togetherness was, it wasn’t in vain, far from it. Unsure of where my body was taking me, I saw in front of me, the door ajar, felt the gravel under my palms as I fell outside. My pain silenced, I found my eyes rising, found them settling on an unaffected man, laden with fantasies that revolted me. Landon stood with his back to me, unbeknown of my presence, tinkering with some gadget on the truck. I felt nothing but despise to this traitor. He’d beguiled us, fooled us into believing he cared—that he’d befriended us for us, not for some instalment into his begrudged plan. I knew I should’ve been thinking sensibly, but, well, the girl I’d adored had just been killed for a short lived jolly, one of the sort that Landon needed to live off. What sort of person could just sit back and live solitary, when they had the signature of a murdering, hit man sat on their shoulders, a jeering smile grinning just inches away. I knew I couldn’t, and the digging, degrading sense of deceit riving in my heart backed it up evermore. Alicia had died a slow, torturous death and I had to avenge Landon for that. My hand clasped to the gun, I raised it, watched my hand trembling vigorously in front of me. A gun was a piece of distaste, a scorned weapon that was operated within gang rivals, snuffed out innocent people, inured hundreds more. My hand poised ready to shoot, I despaired at myself for thinking I could demean myself so greatly, reduce my conscience to shreds because of ones ill thinking. I lowered the gun, my whole heart breaking; a heart filled sob escaped me. Aware he wasn’t alone, Landon turned around. The curious expression sported on his face quickly transforming into scoffing.

“Awww, poor baby. Poor, poor little fiancée, her life choked out, the blood pouring down the drain, oh dear. What a shame. By the way, it was awful nice to watch her die.”

The jeering comments sunk straight through me, revived the uncontrollable pit of anger in my heart, sent issues of animosity and enmity flaring through my system. The real enemy had never been Reggie or Kyle, although their involvement sent my life veering towards the scrap bin… no the real enemy was Landon. Cunning and calculative, Landon had known his intentions all along, but us? We’d been oblivious to the truth, thought of his act of ‘over enthusiastic’ friendship as cute. His plan was to end with one of us dead, and the fake safety nets he’d thrown out, the realistic playacting as a faithful, life-abiding friend? That was the bitterest betrayal of all. I aimed the gun; I didn’t look back. Three shots rang out.

B-A-N-G

B-A-N-G

B-A-N-G

Each shot more vicious, and blood stricken then the first. The shooting over, I opened my eyes, glanced wearily at the scene in front of me. Lying placidly on the ground, his limbs entangled in a clump, the tamely breeze ruffled his hair. Marooned in crimson blood, Landon was harmless to all; his glory days were well and truly over. My eyes remaining pasted to the scene, I felt a sickly, full on sense of dismay settling in my stomach. Landon lay scandalised, his once so lively body punctured, and ridiculed by deadly bullets. The act disgusted me, how could I have let anger take over once more? Let it control me… mix with my emotions of loss and heartache to result in a deadly vendetta. I hated Landon, I really did—he’d destroyed my life in so many ways, stole my sole reason for living… yet he was still a human being, should’ve served a sentence in jail, not set free to reign hell. In reality, he’d got away Scott free. He wasn’t confined to a cell, his mind degraded by the frequent, mutilating flashbacks, and terror mares—he was free. And what was I left with? Memories, heartache, a long lifetime stretch in a jail… Not this time.

My mind was exhumed as it was, served a life imprisonment too long in concurrent images, flashbacks and ghastly enlivenments. No, for the first time in a lifetime of fuck-ups, I was going to be free. Never in my life did I dream I’d have to label myself a murderer, but spiralling in the twirling twister of despair, the treacherous attractions of dabbling in substances too deep for me were just too great. So as the story goes, you could probably label me to having a ‘False start’, but as unliveable as it was, it brought me love—true love, and the vow I made to stay with her will live on forevermore. So now we’ve come to the end… the end of the tale, the end of my life. It was a fretful one, full of heartbreak and torment I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. You’ve rode with me, listened in on the moments of awe, cried for me on the moments of sadness. The stories been unravelled, the reel of film at an end, this, my friend is where I’m dropping you off… the journeys over. My life as you know it, is no more. My breathing heavy and laboured, I cocked my head up to the sky, took in its stillness and serenity. Bonny and comely the sky seemed to take on the colour of Alicia’s eyes, willed me to look on, to become lost in it.

“See you on the other side.” I whispered quietly.

My eyes glued to the sky, I raised the gun—and pulled the trigger. I’d reined victory—I was free.