Shoot Me Down

Part 32

I out distance Caleb easily, bursting out of the woods that hem the backyard of my house. My parents keep the lawn green all year long, and Nakia’s feet make no noise as she runs across the soft grass, until she hits the boards of the wooden deck. She pounds across the deck and slams into the glass sliding door, leaning against it with a groan, hammering her fist into the glass. “Help!” Her voice is high and panicked, and she shoots a terrified look over her shoulder. Caleb is only minutes behind.  We don’t have much time. It’s tempting to slip through the sliding glass door and try to pull my mother out of bed, but if Caleb comes up behind her when I’m in there he’ll kill her.

Nakia doubles her efforts. Pounding on the door with both fists, alternately screaming for help and gasping for air. She presses her bloody face against the glass, looking like she’s about to collapse right there on the porch. My heart leaps when the porch lights come on. She’s awake. Mom comes to the door, her eyes wide with fear, clutching a baseball bat and dressed in a pink fuzzy nightgown. When she sees Nakia her eyes get even bigger, and she flips the lock upwards and drags the door open.

“Nakia, what on earth…”

Nakia nearly falls onto my mother, and Mom, god bless her, gathers the distraught, bleeding girl into her arms. “What’s the matter? What’s happened? Should I call the police?”

“Yes,” gasps Nakia, “but we’ve got to get inside, right now!”

“Freeze,” barks a voice from the shadows on the far side of the lawn and Caleb saunters forward, a smirk on his face. “Shit, I can’t believe I just said ‘freeze’. Like I’m on some lame cop sitcom.”

Nakia squeezes her eyes shut and moans out loud in fear. When Mom see’s the gun her face goes milk white. I can tell she’s struggling to stay calm. “What are you doing, Caleb?”

“What I have to,” he says, his breathing harsh. He grips the gun tightly, hands shaking. “I don’t want to, but I have to. I’m not going to jail for this. Not when she’s just as guilty.”

Nakia blanches and Mom lets go and backs away, looking from one to the other. “What does that mean? What did you do? What did you do to my daughter?” Her face crumples, her mouth twisting like she’s going to burst into tears. She already knows the answer.

“It was an accident,” Caleb pants, and he’s shaking violently now. “I’m not a killer.” He blinks rapidly. “I didn’t used to be. It was all a stupid accident. She came at me. She tried to attack me. The gun just went off.”

Mom wails. She bends forward, supporting herself with her hands on her knees. “No! No, no! My God, that can’t be true. That’s not true. You’re lying.” Her voice is loud, and I hope the others in the woods will hear it and put on some speed.

Caleb’s face twists, a bizarre mixture of pity and loathing. “I didn’t mean to, but I’m not taking the rap for this. Nakia’s just as guilty. Blame her. I’m done with all this insane shit. I’m sick of being tormented by some crazy ghost.” Blankness settles over his face suddenly,. “Where’s your husband?” he demands.

Mom clearly thinks he’s off his rocker, because she answers slowly and carefully, “He’s out. He’s out searching for our daughter, putting up signs, asking people. We weren’t going to give up you know.” Her voice cracks. “We love our daughter…and you took her away from us.”

Obviously dad didn’t tell her where he was really going.

“Fine, less witnesses,” Caleb says, like he didn’t even hear the second half of her speech, and he levels the gun at my mother.

I tense, ready to leap at him, but Mom is still talking, “Why did you cover it up?” Tears flood down her cheeks as she’s talking. She’s stalling him, trying to get him to mess up so she can pull her and Nakia inside and call the police. I’m so proud of her in that moment, for being able to keep it together under all this pressure. “Why didn’t you just tell the truth? If it was just an accident?”