Angel in Black II
'Til the End
Caroline sat on the sofa for a few moments, twirling a strand of hair around her index finger and then releasing it. She concentrated on it unecessarily hard and tried to figure out just what had gotten into Mark. For the life of her, she couldn't come to a conclusion.
"He flashes a knife around at school, shouts random cuss words out loud, then wants some time to himself..." she sighed, uncrossing her legs getting up from the couch. "I don't get it."
She wandered into her bedroom, shut the door, and approached the vanity across from where she stood. She sat down and stared at her reflection. What does he see in me?, she asked herself, cupping her cheek in her hand. For about three minutes, she made a mental note of all her flaws and tried to see how Mark looked passed them. Then it lost its fun, and she stood up.
Caroline sighed, having been hit hard with a terrible case of boredom, and decided to change into some dry clothes. She walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of jeans and a thick black sweater, for it was much too cold for any short-sleeved or sleevless shirt. She changed, and returned to the living room at last.
The sound of shoes trudging acorss the front lawn peeked her interest. She slid into a chair by the window, crossed her legs like a pretzle, and watched. There were four young men walking towards the entrance to the apartment complex. She studied them, reconizing all but one of their faces. As she attempted to put names to faces, they started speaking.
"I'm telling you, he was going to kill me!" one said.
She tilted her head to the side.
"He had a knife!" he told them.
"Do we have to hear this again? You talked about it all the way over here." another sighed. "Let's just get this over with..."
Their voices faded as the men were lost from her view. She looked down at her hands with a puzzled look on her face. Who were they talking about? She had a pretty decent idea, but, quite honestly, hoped she wasn't right.
She remained in the chair and listened intently. When the sound of footsteps could be heard beyond the front door, she tensed. They can't be here for him, she thought, they can't be.
"A117, right?" a voice called.
Caroline cussed under her breath. They were coming for him. With a painful jolt of realization, she practically leapt from her chair to the door and locked it. She closed her eyes, waiting.
"Knock knock, is anyone home?"
"...Get the fuck away from here!" she shouted.
"Caroline Shaffer, is that you?" he asked. "Tsk tsk, such a potty mouth..."
"Get the fuck away!" she screamed, really having nothing better to say.
"I suggest you get away...Away from the door, anyhow."
She didn't budge, and paid the price. A few seconds after his warning, the man and his friends busted down the door. Two of them picked her up off the ground and restrained her, and the other two stood before them.
She knew who they were, now. They were not men. They weren't even young men. They were boys; they were Alex and his jock friends from the Senior class.
"Where is he?" Alex demanded.
She didn't speak.
"Where is he!" he shouted.
One of the boys smacked her and she screamed, "I will never tell you.", like venom from her lips.
She prayed to God that Mark would not come home soon...Even if it mean that they killed her.
*
He tossed the ring box back and fourth between his hands as he approached the apartment entrance, completly and utterly satisfied with his purchase, and completly and utterly certin that Caroline would agree to marry him the second he asked her. He smiled and pocketed the box. This was going to be the best damn day of his whole damn life.
He jogged up a couple flights of stairs, then paused. There were screams coming from a few floors up. Not to be disgusting or twisted or anything, but he knew the screams were Carrie's because he reconized them from the times they had had sex.
He shuddered. What was going on? Was someone banging his girlfriend? For a moment, he thought this must what was happening, but then he realized that his girlfriend would never do that to him. The only other possible cause for her shrieks, he believed, was if she was getting hurt.
"What the hell is going on?!" he yelled at sight of Alex.
"Mark!" Caroline cried. "Mark, get out of here! They want to kill you!"
"What?" he asked.
He got hit and fell to the floor. She screamed.
"Tell your woman to shut up!" Alex ordered.
"Don't talk about her like that!" he responded. He got hit again. "Carrie, hush!"
Alex crouched over him and took out a pistol. "Are you ready to die?" he asked.
"What the fuck are you doing!" he shouted.
"It's called payback, Mark.” he said. “Never fuck with me, and never try to make me look weak.”
And he placed the gun to his temple.
It went off with an ear-splitting ‘crack’, drowned out by the cries of Mark’s to-be-fiance`.
*
Caroline stared blankly off into the distance as the paramedics rolled out a body bag on a stretcher. Sirens whailed all around her. Alex and his crew was being hauled down to the police department, and the love of her life was off to the morgue.
She held in her hands the ring box, with the ring still inside. Countless thoughts raced through her mind, suicide one of the most frequently re-occuring. She was already dead inside. Why not finish the job...?
But she knew why; Mark wouldn’t want it to be that way. He would want her to continue living. She had a bright future, and he wouldn’t want to be the one to dim it. Part of her hated him for it.
She wiped a tear from her eye and gulped as she looked down at the ring box. What could their lives had been like if he had been given the chance to ask her for her hand in marriage? She would never know...
With a sigh, she opened the box. She took the ring out and slid it on her finger. From that moment forward, she made a vow to carry on in memory of her angel in black.
"He flashes a knife around at school, shouts random cuss words out loud, then wants some time to himself..." she sighed, uncrossing her legs getting up from the couch. "I don't get it."
She wandered into her bedroom, shut the door, and approached the vanity across from where she stood. She sat down and stared at her reflection. What does he see in me?, she asked herself, cupping her cheek in her hand. For about three minutes, she made a mental note of all her flaws and tried to see how Mark looked passed them. Then it lost its fun, and she stood up.
Caroline sighed, having been hit hard with a terrible case of boredom, and decided to change into some dry clothes. She walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of jeans and a thick black sweater, for it was much too cold for any short-sleeved or sleevless shirt. She changed, and returned to the living room at last.
The sound of shoes trudging acorss the front lawn peeked her interest. She slid into a chair by the window, crossed her legs like a pretzle, and watched. There were four young men walking towards the entrance to the apartment complex. She studied them, reconizing all but one of their faces. As she attempted to put names to faces, they started speaking.
"I'm telling you, he was going to kill me!" one said.
She tilted her head to the side.
"He had a knife!" he told them.
"Do we have to hear this again? You talked about it all the way over here." another sighed. "Let's just get this over with..."
Their voices faded as the men were lost from her view. She looked down at her hands with a puzzled look on her face. Who were they talking about? She had a pretty decent idea, but, quite honestly, hoped she wasn't right.
She remained in the chair and listened intently. When the sound of footsteps could be heard beyond the front door, she tensed. They can't be here for him, she thought, they can't be.
"A117, right?" a voice called.
Caroline cussed under her breath. They were coming for him. With a painful jolt of realization, she practically leapt from her chair to the door and locked it. She closed her eyes, waiting.
"Knock knock, is anyone home?"
"...Get the fuck away from here!" she shouted.
"Caroline Shaffer, is that you?" he asked. "Tsk tsk, such a potty mouth..."
"Get the fuck away!" she screamed, really having nothing better to say.
"I suggest you get away...Away from the door, anyhow."
She didn't budge, and paid the price. A few seconds after his warning, the man and his friends busted down the door. Two of them picked her up off the ground and restrained her, and the other two stood before them.
She knew who they were, now. They were not men. They weren't even young men. They were boys; they were Alex and his jock friends from the Senior class.
"Where is he?" Alex demanded.
She didn't speak.
"Where is he!" he shouted.
One of the boys smacked her and she screamed, "I will never tell you.", like venom from her lips.
She prayed to God that Mark would not come home soon...Even if it mean that they killed her.
*
He tossed the ring box back and fourth between his hands as he approached the apartment entrance, completly and utterly satisfied with his purchase, and completly and utterly certin that Caroline would agree to marry him the second he asked her. He smiled and pocketed the box. This was going to be the best damn day of his whole damn life.
He jogged up a couple flights of stairs, then paused. There were screams coming from a few floors up. Not to be disgusting or twisted or anything, but he knew the screams were Carrie's because he reconized them from the times they had had sex.
He shuddered. What was going on? Was someone banging his girlfriend? For a moment, he thought this must what was happening, but then he realized that his girlfriend would never do that to him. The only other possible cause for her shrieks, he believed, was if she was getting hurt.
"What the hell is going on?!" he yelled at sight of Alex.
"Mark!" Caroline cried. "Mark, get out of here! They want to kill you!"
"What?" he asked.
He got hit and fell to the floor. She screamed.
"Tell your woman to shut up!" Alex ordered.
"Don't talk about her like that!" he responded. He got hit again. "Carrie, hush!"
Alex crouched over him and took out a pistol. "Are you ready to die?" he asked.
"What the fuck are you doing!" he shouted.
"It's called payback, Mark.” he said. “Never fuck with me, and never try to make me look weak.”
And he placed the gun to his temple.
It went off with an ear-splitting ‘crack’, drowned out by the cries of Mark’s to-be-fiance`.
*
Caroline stared blankly off into the distance as the paramedics rolled out a body bag on a stretcher. Sirens whailed all around her. Alex and his crew was being hauled down to the police department, and the love of her life was off to the morgue.
She held in her hands the ring box, with the ring still inside. Countless thoughts raced through her mind, suicide one of the most frequently re-occuring. She was already dead inside. Why not finish the job...?
But she knew why; Mark wouldn’t want it to be that way. He would want her to continue living. She had a bright future, and he wouldn’t want to be the one to dim it. Part of her hated him for it.
She wiped a tear from her eye and gulped as she looked down at the ring box. What could their lives had been like if he had been given the chance to ask her for her hand in marriage? She would never know...
With a sigh, she opened the box. She took the ring out and slid it on her finger. From that moment forward, she made a vow to carry on in memory of her angel in black.