Second Chance
End
Alicia couldn’t find her tongue. She watched Chance approach and was moving to put her arms around him but then she saw a dark spot in the middle of his forehead. Her eyebrows furrowed together when she remembered the report from the homicide detectives that said Chance had been mugged and shot through the head, and the subsequent closed-casket funeral.
He smiled and his hand wrapped around her slender neck. With ease, he lifted her to her feet and then several inches off the floor. She gasped for air, wriggling her feet in a frantic search for the floor. The man clutching her throat looked like Chance. He sounded like Chance and smiled like Chance but… he didn’t smell like Chance. It was getting harder and harder for Alicia to distinguish the smell of her mother’s oozing sores and the ‘Chance’ in front of her. It was getting harder for Alicia to do more than fight for air. Why was Chance trying to hurt her? How was he even here, in their apartment? What had he done to her mother?
As she edged toward unconsciousness, Chance let go and Alicia landed hard on her knees. She heard his footsteps recede into the kitchen as she tried to catch her breath. Her phone was only a few feet away but she was still seeing spots from lack of air. On her hands and knees, she made a slow and grueling move toward it. Her limbs were working against her and Chance was back in the living room before she had even gotten half way to it.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Chance said as he examined a butcher knife he’d gotten from the kitchen. “But I need her help… Hers and yours.”
Alicia coughed and rubbed her neck. “Who are you?”
Chance chuckled. “It’s me, baby. I’m back.” He could tell Alicia wasn’t convinced and he sighed. “It’s complicated but there’s nothing to worry about. We’ll be together after this.”
“After what?”
Chance knely beside Alicia and brought her close to kiss the crown of her head. “Revenge,” he said.
Alicia would’ve done anything to have her Chance back. Getting that call a week ago had changed her entire life but not enough to think that people could rise from the dead. This was all some perverse dream from all the stress and grief but before she woke, she had to tell Chance how much she still loved him and how she would never love anyone else. She looked up into his lifeless brown eyes and smiled. He smiled back and brought the knife down into her neck.
He smiled and his hand wrapped around her slender neck. With ease, he lifted her to her feet and then several inches off the floor. She gasped for air, wriggling her feet in a frantic search for the floor. The man clutching her throat looked like Chance. He sounded like Chance and smiled like Chance but… he didn’t smell like Chance. It was getting harder and harder for Alicia to distinguish the smell of her mother’s oozing sores and the ‘Chance’ in front of her. It was getting harder for Alicia to do more than fight for air. Why was Chance trying to hurt her? How was he even here, in their apartment? What had he done to her mother?
As she edged toward unconsciousness, Chance let go and Alicia landed hard on her knees. She heard his footsteps recede into the kitchen as she tried to catch her breath. Her phone was only a few feet away but she was still seeing spots from lack of air. On her hands and knees, she made a slow and grueling move toward it. Her limbs were working against her and Chance was back in the living room before she had even gotten half way to it.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” Chance said as he examined a butcher knife he’d gotten from the kitchen. “But I need her help… Hers and yours.”
Alicia coughed and rubbed her neck. “Who are you?”
Chance chuckled. “It’s me, baby. I’m back.” He could tell Alicia wasn’t convinced and he sighed. “It’s complicated but there’s nothing to worry about. We’ll be together after this.”
“After what?”
Chance knely beside Alicia and brought her close to kiss the crown of her head. “Revenge,” he said.
Alicia would’ve done anything to have her Chance back. Getting that call a week ago had changed her entire life but not enough to think that people could rise from the dead. This was all some perverse dream from all the stress and grief but before she woke, she had to tell Chance how much she still loved him and how she would never love anyone else. She looked up into his lifeless brown eyes and smiled. He smiled back and brought the knife down into her neck.