Blissful Relief

The young woman smiled as she passed the old dance studio. So many memories! she thought. No, snap out of it, Maddy, she berated herself, turning to face the wind - away from the studio. This is business, sheer business. She slipped her frozen hands into her pockets, and immediately regretted it. Her fingers touched the cold metal of the tiny pistol in her pocket. Though it was carefully concealed, her heart pounded as she felt it, and, for a moment, she wondered if it was possible to run now. Fear, however, quickly overcame reason. She yanked her hand out of her pocket and moved swiftly through the dark alleys. The black night concealed her easily as she slunk from shadow to shadow like a miserable alley cat.

With every step, her confidence failed her. Yet the fear of his return caused her pace to quicken. She shivered, remembering his learing gaze as he shoved her on the airplane. He had been drunk, angry, and he'd just lost a fortune at the Vegas gaming tables. There was only one thought in his mind: revenge. He didn't care what he did or who he hurt in the process... he just wanted his money back.

And she had, once again, been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Who better to do the evil deed than the innocent fiancee? Thus, here she was, toting a gun and a guilty fear the size of Russia. He was a cruel man, and she knew if she did not fulfill her deadly commission, she would be next on his list - after he found some new place on her body that had not yet been purpled by his super-human hands.

She glanced around at the familiar setting unfolding before her. If she had only known! She had grown up here, she had been loved here, and now... she was about to kill someone in her very own hometown. As she came to the designated meeting place (where her unknowing victim would soon suffer an untimely demise), she stood stock still and waited. She could see hr breath in the night air, and her long, amber-colored hair flew about her pale skin.

It was not long before he turned the corner, and her hand flew to her mouth as she realized exactly who she had been ordered to demolish. "Alex?" she whispered. "My brother?"

"I'm supposed to meet someone here," he said, unknowingly, in a low, gruff voice.

"Yes," she whispered as she silently pulled the gun from it's hiding place. She set a frozen finger to the trigger and began to pull it towards her. Her hands shook, and she took a deep breath, preparing to shoot....

The gun clattered to the ground. Tears began to stream down her face, and she turned swiftly down the street. Her chest heaved, scalding pain tore through her unconditioned legs as she raced farther and farther away before collapsing in a heap on the pavement. A car horn blared, brakes screeched, and she looked up at the bright lights that blinded her. There was a flash of white, a whispered, "Thank you, God..." and all was black.

~ October 30, 2008