Roses & Ribbons

Her eyes wide open, just staring at the man walking towards her. She walked backwards in small, pointless steps. He was gaining on her. She froze; she didn’t even know how to move anymore. They were both so silent. He pulled his right hand out of his pocket. He had a gun. His thumb was firmly fixed on the hammer, and his index finger was comfortably placed on the trigger. A clicking sound from the safety notch broke the silence.
- Mark, Marvel… whoever you are. She had to drain the very last of her sense to get those words out. I know you must hate me, but that doesn’t make it right to hurt me.
He stopped, now only a few feet from her face.
- Oh, he said, suddenly in a completely self-controlled tone. Yet what you did to Tommy is justified?
He was now so close she could feel his cologne. She never felt it in the bar, or while they were walking when she was too caught up in telling the story. But now she could feel it and it made her reflex to vomit come back.
- I don’t know what happened to Tommy. Everything just got so crazy, that’s all… Aelan didn’t know what she was saying anymore.
Mike leaned in and she just wanted to push him away, but with his gun pointed at her, she didn’t move at all.
- I can get a little crazy too sometimes, he whispered and kissed her on the cheek. And then there are sometimes when I go completely mad.
The shot was heard for blocks. Not even a light was turned on in the windows above. It was the third shot the Bronx had heard that night.