Snippets

Dead Man Walking

The two walked side by side, a man and woman with matching rings.

The woman stopped, and the man paused to watch.

Her eyes, glassy and broken, looked towards him and then beyond to the lake in the middle of the park. She sighed and he watched silently, reaching out a hand before wincing back.

She rubbed her face and walked towards him, and he stepped out her way. 

He turned sharply to watch her sit down on a small bench before burying her head in her hands.

He watched the shake of her shoulders before rushing to sit beside her, reaching out but hovering an inch away. She was wrapped within herself now, nails digging into her arms, arms which were desperately coiling around herself as though to keep her from breaking. 

"I'm sorry...so sorry... please..." The words rushed from his lips but the sobbing merely grew louder, the love of his life clenching her nails deeper before falling loose and throwing her head up to gaze at the sky. 

He watched and rubbed his hands before reaching out to wipe at the tears. 

His fingers brushed through her skin, but came back moist. It was something. He bit his own knuckle and felt his own shoulders shudder as his own tears begun to spill. 

He didn't mean for this. 

He shuddered and threw his head up, unable to keep in the torment of pinned up sorrow. Sobbing, he glanced at her to see she was furiously wiping at tears as she muttered harshly. He reached out and his hand went through her shoulder. 

His tears fell faster and he watched as she stumbled to her feet, clawing at her hand to pry the ring off. 

He reached out, crying out his apologies, but they went to deaf ears as the shimmering band was torn off into tear stained hands. Then it was gone, flying through the air and landing with a small ping into the body of water. 

She broke down at this, collapsing to her knees and burying her head into her arms. 

He fell with her, reaching out to desperately grasp her, to apologize, to do anything. 

His nose was filled with the scent of blood, iron on his tongue as he closed his eyes. 

He closed them tighter telling himself it wouldn't go like this. She'd be happy he was gone. The ring would make her feel lighter. He didn't deserve her, not her love or joy as the thoughts that caused this spiral pounded against his senses. He was a cruel, selfish person. 

He was a horrid person. He didn't deserve their smiling faces. Her smiling face. 

He didn't deserve her. 

But as he thought about the broken woman at the lakeside, starring blankly at her own knees as the tears fell faster wondering what she'd missed, he felt his hand stiffen. His finger pulled away and with a sob, he opened his eyes again.

He was in the room again, the weapon glinting softly in the dark. She was home probably by now, and it wouldn't take long to find the note. So why did he hesitate. 

It was clear, but now he lowered the hand to the floor. Shaking his head, he ran his hand through his hair, nails clawing at the skin now as he bit his lip till he tasted blood. 

He didn't know how long he sat like that, but he started when he heard a siren. He froze, glancing up, heart- still beating he noticed dazedly- speeding up. They grew louder and he quickly glanced back at that cursed hand, and then he tensed.

It seemed that moment was enough to make him finally drop it. He drew his knees to his chest and buried his head into the limbs. He couldn't keep the shaking down, and then there was a pounding on the door. 

It made his heart- still beating- catch now in his throat. He buried into himself, deeper to escape it all. The pounding grew louder and he knew there were voices, but he didn't listen.

He choked slightly when the footsteps came and he quickly muttered, "I'm sorry...so sorry.."

When they finally took him home, checking to make sure he was strong enough- mentally anyway he thought as his legs shook- he felt himself tense. 

Then her hand clasped his and she kissed his cheek softly- the same she slapped earlier before they fell to their knees in embrace- and whispered for him to breath.

He did, and they entered the house. 

Her home. 

Their home. 

He closed his eyes and when he opened them, she was still there. 

He was still there.

She squeezed his hand and the cold metal warmed his shaken core.

He was still here.