Red Friday - part 1 (455 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 2 on 8 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by zombieZero (View user info) at 2004-12-09 17:11:25 EST
It was hot. It always was when the day came.
Sally sat on the sofa, idly picking at a piece of stuffing that was peeking out of a split seam. The heat was trapped in the room where it sweltered, stagnant and reeking of smoke and sweat. She had given up trying to keep the sweat from her brow, and longed to open a window, a door...anything that would let in a breeze, even if it was a warm one. That wasn't possible, though. Today it would not be possible; the doors and windows were all locked up tight. Everyone's were, all over town. She stared blankly at the framed picture on the end table near the sofa, unable to do anything else. The little boy in the picture smiled back at her.
Somewhere in the room a fat fly bounced between a drawn shade and the hot glass behind it. Sally didn't care. She sat, and picked, and stared as if in a trance, beyond caring about anything.
From outside she heard a distant gunshot. The report caused her to lift her head toward the window, a weary look of concern in her big, brown eyes. Then came the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps pounding on the scorched sand outside. She didn't move. Not even when the frantic pounding on the front door began. She looked back to the picture and fell to staring again. A sweaty strand of hair had pasted itself to her face, and she pulled it away.
The pounding on the door became louder and more insistent. With each thump the chain-link over the windows jingled.
"Go away," she said, unable or unwilling to even raise her voice. Her eyes rose to the shotgun mounted on its rack beside the doorframe. From the hallway she could hear her husband's heavy footsteps clamoring up the stairs from the cellar. She remained seated. He would take care of it. He took care of everything.
The knocking stopped abruptly, and a shadow passed quickly by one of the shades. The porch boards creaked outside where the intruder lingered, looking for a way in. Another shot cracked in the distance.
Kirk entered the room quickly, crossing to the front door and grabbing the shotgun. He was just as fit and strong as the day she married him, Sally noted as he checked the shells, but there was something in his eyes these days. Something she didn't like. She was glad he was strong, because when the day came you had to be strong, and she knew everything he did was right. Knew in her heart it was right, no matter how wrong it seemed.
Kirk brushed a sweaty lock of black hair from his eyes, and crouched by the window. The cords in his neck stood out, and Sally found it hard to believe a tie had once hung from that neck. When he looked back to her, his eyes were wild. She couldn't help but see what was on his hands and arms, but quickly moved her gaze to the floor.
"Who was it?" he asked. Sally gestured lazily with her head, avoiding his eyes.
"He's still out there," she said.
Kirk peered behind the shade, his knuckles white as he clutched the gun.
"Help me," came a reedy voice from outside the window. A strained, thin voice.
"Go away," Kirk warned. The man on the porch was scrawny, pale and trembling. He was breathing in short gasps, and sweat poured down his face and neck as he clutched his left side where a good deal of blood had spread. Kirk looked at the man and met his eye. The man's eyelids were fluttering, and the look of desperation in them filled Kirk with a mixture of horror and hate.
"Help me," the man repeated. He had to know he would find no help; he had to know what would happen.
"You know what time it is," Kirk said through the glass, "there's nothing for you here, go away."
The man lurched forward and pounded on the windowpane. He tried to open it, but it was locked and wouldn't budge. He began clawing at the glass, spittle in the corners of his mouth.
"Help me!" he screamed, "I'm a human being for Christ's sake help me!"
Sally watched as Kirk flew open the shade and unlocked the window. Her eyes were fixed on him and she could not turn away. He lifted the window and relief flooded over the face of the man outside even as Kirk raised the shotgun barrel and pointed it at the man's chest.
"You -" the man began, and the shotgun blast slammed through the room.
Sally saw the spray of blood rain across the window, and the man fell back on his heels, then off the porch and onto the ground. It was then that she finally closed her eyes.
At least he's gone, she thought as she heard the window slam shut, and at least it's over, for him.
User Reviews
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2004-12-09 23:24:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I am so completely going to hold you to that promise. Even if it means tracking you down and holding you at... erm... sporkpoint for hours until I get my copy.
Oh, yes I will.
Submitted by zombieZero (user info) at 2004-12-09 22:59:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
This story is complete; I absolutely will not leave it unfinished. I never intended to leave the other one just hanging...it started off as kind of a yarn that I was making up as I went along, but a real story developed out of it, and it's just gotten way too big for this format. LadyPlural, if I actually manage to get it published I promise I'll send you a copy.
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2004-12-09 21:36:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Oh yeah, good start as well.
If you do what you did with the Mr. Violence thing with this story, I'll hunt you down and kick you in the head. Repeatedly.
And then I'll eat your brain.
WHAT?!?!??!??!!?
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2004-12-09 21:33:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Oh, come on- that isn't fair to us. Unless I get a free copy of it once it's published. Then you can do whatever the fuck you want.
Submitted by The_Walrus (user info) at 2004-12-09 18:32:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Subtle yet kickass.
Submitted by ICO (user info) at 2004-12-09 18:10:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Nice and obscure, lone and enclosed. just like Über-site should be.
Submitted by Yes (user info) at 2004-12-09 17:24:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
was gonna post post demanding more misterV, but I see... okay... uh-huh.... riight...
Submitted by zombieZero (user info) at 2004-12-09 17:18:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I doubt anyone remembers but I posted this a long time ago under a different handle. This is a short 3 parter.
If anyone is wondering about the mister violence series, basically what's going on with that is it got totally out of control and is now over 150 pages long...I've had to make revisions to pieces you've already seen and I actually plan on trying to get it published once it's in a finished state (under a different title).