06-25-2014, 05:54 AM
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Steve sat quietly in his apartment, staring blankly at the walls that surrounded him. He was a captured animal in a cage. The clock on his wall begun to tick noticeably, and Steve started to pull his hair out in frustration before flipping and planting a fist into the clock that smashed into pieces immediately.
The ticking continued though, Steve threw the clock to the floor and then repeatedly stomped on it. The ticking stopped for a moment. Then it continued.
That was it.
Steve launched the clock from his apartment to the streets on the outside where an angry man just avoided it and begun to swear and shout towards Steve who merely looked down at him with fierce and fiery eyes.
Meanwhile...
Mark paced from wall to wall, conjuring up a plan to recapture Steve Davids. Lacey emerged in the room with a small smile on her face.
They looked at one another, and both tilted their necks as they did so. Mark was always quite intelligent and liked to wear a suit as often as he could. His black, suade, Ventuno shoes clicked as he begun to pace back and forth and back and forth once again.
She stood there, and tried to capture his gaze once more but Mark had no intention of stopping. She removed her dress in a matter of seconds and Mark's eyes were captured and he stared to look at her half naked body. He grabbed her firmly but she pushed him off of her.
“Not now. I know where Steve is.” She spoke with a soft whisper that tantalized the ears harmonically.
Mark turned away, and then turned back. He had a sadistic smile on his face.
“Oh you beautiful woman.... Hang on. How did you know where he was?”
“Well, he was always going to bury his latest dead companion in the same graveyard as Blaine. What else was to be expected? Now, I think I can set up a meeting between the two of you. I want you to work things out and this can END!”
“Oh Lacey, this is far from over. However, I am slightly concerned, where does your loyalty lie? Why have you visited him without permission? How do I know that you aren't setting me up? Oh Lacey, how could you do this? You know I need my vengeance. Do not make me do something that I may live to regret...”
“You should regret plenty already.”
“And yet I regret nothing.”
He grabs her my the throat and pulls her towards him and then shoves his tongue down her throat and slings her down onto the small wooden chair. He closes the blinds of the bright hotel room and then grabs her by the hair this time.
“Now listen to me. You're going to call Steve and you're going to get him to meet me man to man on Swanpool beach. The same beach where he and his beloved Blaine spent their last day together. Had their last photo together. And we all had our first walk together. Oh how lovely. Well now this is the real me. I will get my revenge on the man that murdered my twin brother who was nothing more than a boy. A BOY.”
“AND SO WAS HE!”
“And what does that matter? How is that justice? In this world you don't get away with murder simply because your mother died at your bith and you have something fucked up in your brain! That is not how society should work. NOW MAKE THE CALL.”
And she did.
Her voice was soft as I spoke to her. I could tell something was not quite right.
“Steve, be at Swanpool in 10 minutes if you can. We know you're in the area and Mark wants to settle this man to man.”
“Just me and him?”
“Just you two. Although, I will be there as well.”
“Fine.”
“See you there.”
Then within moments I was there but it felt like the longest journey ever. Wearing jeans and a polo shirt I sat and gazed out upon the stormy beach. It was not the delightful place that I remembered now it is a place of terror and darkness. The waves were around 15 feet high and the silver horses crashed with power onto the sandy shore.
The rain was not quite so heavy. It lightly fell from the grey clouds.
I sat on the same rock that I had sat on over a year ago now, back when Blaine and I visited this wonderful yet torturous place.
The dark and plain beach was suddenly brought to life by a sudden flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder. I gazed over to the car park where I saw a sports car pull up, I couldn't quite see the make or colour through the rains and mist but it didn't matter. Mark didn't emerge from the car. It was just a young suited man who stood and looked at me from a distance and then took a seat on the other side of the beach on a bench that was outside the closed ice cream bar...
Then...
From the fog...
They emerged.
Mark was wearing a suit as he always did, Lacey was held in his hand. She wore a red shirt, cardigan, and tight black jeans. Even in this weather she found a way to look at least vaguely seductive.
They plodded through the marshy sands and I strolled towards them, somewhat casually.
Lacey stopped, and Mark and I stood a mere 3 yards apart and about 15 yards from the sea.
She stood a good 20 yards from us, waiting to see what was about to unfold.
In the corner of my eye, I noticed the suave, suited man lower his unneccesary sunglasses and begin to look at what was about to happen.
Then nothing did for a moment. Mark simply looked at me, and he had the saddest smile on his face. My smile was not a sad one, perhaps sadistic, or twisted but by no means sad. Mine was more of a grin as well, I could see in Mark's eyes that he despised me more than anything.
Then Mark spoke words that were almost as cold as the ominous winds of change that soared past the pair of us, the sea being dragged with them. The light rain continued to pour down on us.
“Do you know why I have done, what I have done Steve? Do you know why I have made your life nothing short of a nightmare since the day that I met you?”
His words struck deep. I did know why, and I almost understood. But I knew it was going to be me or him. My knack for surviving hadn't failed me so far.
“What you did Mark or what you are going to do? If you really think that I don't know that there is a gun in that jacket of yours then you really are as naïve as I thought. I understand that forgiveness is hard, maybe impossible. Yet it's not just you who needs to forgive. I think you're forgetting that my uncle died under your orders. So, I think it would be wise of you to turn around and leave before I end up doing something else I regret.”
“You're not doing this for him. You're not even doing this for you. You're doing this for her.”
He grasped the gun and pointed it directly towards Lacey who shaked in fear.
“NO!” She screamed.
I simply smiled and shook my head.
“Do you really think I would do this for the likes of her? Someone who would cheat on me out of cowardice. Steve Davids deserves someone far stronger than her. I am surprised that you did not know that.”
I was lying.
“You're lying.”
“Am I lying though? Or are you merely lying to yourself? What does it matter Mark, what I want to know is if you really have it in you to end this here and now? I don't think you do. Lacey warned me that you were capable of the darkest of things yet behind that stern face of yours, all I see is a frightened little boy, who wants his brother back. Well I'm afraid Mark, what is dead, is dead forever. SO, I simply suggest that like the rest of us, you learn how to move on.”
Lacey had a tear rolling down her face now. I tried to keep my sadistic smile on. I could not let Mark know that I was saddened and at least partially scared.
Then he turned the gun from Lacey and onto me.
“You see Steve, I know that you love her. That's something you've never been able to remove from those brown eyes of yours. What I don't know though, is what will hurt you more. Me killing her, or forcing her to kill you? What do you reckon?”
His frown became a twisted grin. It was as if he had gone from being almost human to robotic in a matter of seconds. He took five steps back from me, and then pointed the gun at her once again. Then he pulled out another gun, seemingly a revolver, and placed it into her hand. He stood behind Lacey who was shaking and crying and whimpering. He pulled her arm and pointed the gun towards me.
After that, Mark moved two yards to the side and had the gun directly pointed at her head.
“I don't want to do this Lacey, but at the end of the day, it is the only way that I can TRULY get my revenge.”
“You don't need to get your vengeance this way!” I exclaimed, angrily.
“Oh, but I do. The love of your life placing a bullet right between your eyes. I don't think there's anything quite as satisfying as that. Do you know why is is so satisfying Steve? Because you beat my brother to death and right now you think that's okay? Well, Steve. I have been making you suffer for months on end to see if you had truly changed but you were willing to go to darker places than anyone. You murdered your own Father. You watched your uncle and friend die. You did nothing, you're a failure.”
The suited man was no longer sat at the bench. Now, he was on the railings, standing and staring out into the sea, I could tell one eye was fixated on us though. The waves begun to get rougher as they crashed into the surrounding cliffs.
“Well then, why don't you finally do what you said you were going to do? Make me suffer, because right now... Talk is cheap. The demand is minimal yet you're supplying an infinitive amount. JUST END IT HERE AND NOW.”
“Oh I will. Lacey, I'm going to count down from five. If you haven't fired a bullet through his head by the time that I reach zero, then a bullet is going through your head instead. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
I did not cry. I simply smiled and nodded my head to her.
“YES!” She squeeled.
“5................
4..........................
3.......................................
2.....................................................
1.............................................”
BANG.