It was finally happening. After years of struggling, Peter had landed his dream job. A producer in Hollywood had read his self published book and wanted to create a television show based on it. He’d personally asked Peter to join his writing team. This was going to change his life. No more hardships, relying on others and dead end jobs.
He didn't see the first bullet as it flew through his open window and hit the wall, the second shattered the coffee cup in his hand.
He froze and remembered the living statues in Amsterdam. He was still with Julie then.
“You’re alone and always will be if you won’t ever let anyone in!” she screamed at him as she walked out the door.
He wondered what she would think of him now. She was always his biggest fan. She used to support him, financially and emotionally, she was always working. As the years went by she seemed to begrudge his writing career and was constantly asking him when he intended to get a job. It was as if she’d lost faith in him.
Julie the fan was great, Julie the overworked girlfriend wasn't. Peter would admit at the time to taking advantage of the situation but it was Julie's idea that he concentrate on his writing. He dropped to the floor as another bullet hit a picture on his wall.
A part of him wanted to look out the window, but he knew from all the stories he had read and written that the sniper would be watching and waiting for any signs of life. He was scared, the tension was unbearable.
He wanted to dial 911, he patted his pockets trying to find his phone, but his phone was on a table across the room. In between Peter and the table was the open window the bullets were traveling through. The window was too low to crawl under, he would have to run, slide across the table and grab the phone as he did. It seemed like something out of an action movie to Peter and in his head he could imagine himself doing it. As he leaned on the wall by the window he could see a little of the street below. People were walking and cars were driving, oblivious to his predicament.
He ran across the room as quickly as possible but instead of the plan he’d formulated in his head, he tripped and hit the table with his leg, causing a pain that required him to clamp his teeth shut as he waited for it to subside. He reached up, grabbed his phone and listened.
Peter gingerly stood and walked towards the opposite side of the window. He peered out and saw people and cars walking and driving on the street below, still not aware that someone was trying to kill him.
He desperately wanted to look out of the window, across the road to the new apartments. The new apartments that had taken years to complete. The new apartments Peter had protested about to anyone who would listen. He knew they would be too expensive and he told anyone who would listen but no one listened and now the majority of them were empty and anybody could get into an empty apartment and see straight into his.
He waved his arm in the window and nothing happened. He peered around the window frame and looked at the new apartments across the street. The sun was going down and only a few of the apartments were lit up.
He felt a thud, as if someone had punched him in the shoulder. He grabbed his shoulder, saw blood and fainted.
***
Julie put her suitcase into the trunk of the hired car next to her rifle. She'd heard about Peter’s big break from an article on a local news website.
When they were together, he was a manipulative gas lighter. She supported him financially and emotionally, through the high and lows of his writing career and he repaid her with emotional turmoil. He refused to get a job, claiming she didn’t believe in him anymore. If truth be told, Julie always liked his writing.
Finally she couldn’t take it anymore and left him. Afterwards she was shocked to hear Peter was telling anyone who would listen about all the hardships he’d suffered during their relationship.
When she shot Peter, all she’d done was delay his trip. She couldn't let Peter drive off into the sunset, he didn't deserve it. She'd suffered financially for years after she’d left him. Peter ran up a huge credit card bill that she had to pay off, there was no way he deserved the good life.
He only deserved one thing and Julie was determined he would get it.
Bio:
Jason Smith lives with his wife and his son Arthur. He currently lives in Olympia WA. His stories have been published in Short-Story.Me and Mystery Tribune. His Instagram page can be found at https://www.instagram.com/