DarklyEverAfter by Allistar Parker

could have taken her life with a simple squeeze of the pistol. Nothing made me want to save her from the same fate she had planned for me. There was only that simple look of resignation on her face. The rose colored cheeks settled among the frown lines in her face. I couldn’t determine if she was asking me with her eyes to spare her, or if she just wanted to get it over.
    I fired a shot just to know for sure her intentions. The bullet shattered the wood of the mantle by the fireplace. I hadn’t wanted to kill someone over a bluff. The second discharge felt better, relieving more tension. I felt no real remorse at the destruction of the vase. It might have cost a plenty, but it wasn’t my money. Another bullet crashed through the silver service near the door. The last bullet buried in the bedpost, rattling the bed for some seconds. Ann sat through the whole process without even flinching.
    “Got a cigarette, doll?”
    Ann fumbled through her pockets. Nothing. I zipped my pants up and walked away from her, finding the cigarette box on the table near the lighter. Cool menthol flowed through my lungs as I remained silent. I could hear her shuffling about in the room. She must have been dressing because when I returned my gaze to her a long flowing gown covered her body, one that flowed over her hips and fluffed out in every direction.
    Dressed and completely at a loss of what to say, the two of us meandered down to the kitchen for a bite to eat. I made a few sandwiches and poured us more whiskey. She traced the outline of a heart in her potato salad. Who it belonged to, I couldn’t guess.
    She broke the silence. I still concentrated on the sandwich, stopping long enough to slurp down a shot or two. The night would be long and I did not know where or when the next meal would come from.
    “Grab your stuff and let’s go,” she muttered.
    “Go with you? You tried to kill me.”
    She threw her pocketbook over her shoulder. “You either go with me or greet the police when they arrive.”
    The thought of having a conversation about all those dead people didn’t appeal to me. I liked the idea of leaving with Ann, even if I had to kill her later. I didn’t worry about her. She could have killed me anytime. She wanted my dick and that was the truth.
    “I’ll grab the bag upstairs. I assume it is full of money?”
    Ann shrugged. “No, silly. It is much more valuable than money. Money is spent and gone. This gift lasts a lifetime. Get the bag and let’s get out of here. I’ve already called the police.”
    Funny how women can be all about killing you until their plan falls apart and you become part of the escape plan. The car, parked by the light, was the car of a dead guy and soon would be the object of a wide man hunt. I couldn’t take a chance on something so obvious. The yard across the street had a parking lot full of cars, from sports cars to luxury vehicles. Luckily for me, the drop-top job away from the house still had the keys in the ignition. Putting the transmission in neutral, I eased the car down the drive to the street, pushing it with all I had left. A turn of the key and the beastly motor came alive, ready to run down the roads at speeds not possible in the United States. Stopping only briefly, Ann crawled into the passenger seat, covering her hair with a scarf.
    “If you are nice and get me out of this state safely, I might show you what color underwear I am wearing.”
    I grabbed her dress and forced it over her lap until it exposed her bare crotch. “Fur? A little late in the season for that, isn’t it?”
    The cold wind blew over the windshield as we traveled down those lonesome back roads between Hell and Las Vegas. I thought about the people still lying on the floor in that small town just east of nowhere, whether they’d been found, and what became of the young lass at the store. It is not real, though. Not anymore. Ann is a housewife and a member of the bridge club. Our two kids play in the