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Saying Goodbye

Posted on April 1, 2007
Filed Under The Stories |

The cigarette smoke was coursing through her like a liquid machine spreading its evil through her lungs and blood stream, intent on doing irreversible damage. If she had thought of it like that she would have wished that it worked faster. Instead, all she did was sit in the chair, dragged greedily on the cancer stick and waited for daybreak.

The rattling of metal against metal, actually the heavy links of a rusting chain caused her to shudder periodically. The only reason she was resting easy was the knowledge that there was no getting away from the chains. Even if the chains proved incapable, the two hundred pounds of iron attached to one end of the chain would ensure against her being disturbed until morning came.

Every time she started to feel the seductive lure of the Sandman she lit up another cigarette. She was not going to fall asleep. Sleep brought dreams and it was harder to do what she had to do when she was allowed to dream.

The lit cigarette went to her lips with decreasing frequency as the moon continued its path into oblivion to signal another night’s end. She was losing the battle to retain wakefulness and as soon as she sank under, a hand reached out and took her, drawing her into an inky blackness that had the texture of satin sheets and the aroma of incense.

Naturally he was in there, all square jawed and ribboned muscles. Wearing more black than any man should wear unless he was a Special Ops commando, he pulled her close and covered her mouth with his. Their kiss was the stuff of romance novels and soft porn. His touch was like the exciting of electric impulses just below her skin until she was humming like a finely tuned engine raring to go. The blackness was parting to reveal his nakedness and she was ill-equipped to resist.

Suddenly there was burning, not in the place she had got used to being burned but on her knee. There was burning and the smell of burned fabric and skin and her eyes flew open and saw the cigarette on the floor where it had landed after bouncing off her knee. She swore to herself and got to her feet. She picked up the cigarette, contemplated smoking it, realised she didn’t know how long it had been lying on the funky floor and put it out. She lit another one immediately and went to the window, called out into the darkness, “I think you should come upstairs.”

She waited for a long nervous moment and then his footsteps thudded up the wooden stairs and he was in the room with her. “Everything okay,” he sounded concerned.

She nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak. “I thought we agreed I should stay outside, keep an eye out…?” She shook her head, “I don’t think it will be necessary.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t think anyone is coming.”

He didn’t say anything more, choosing instead to go over to the window and check the surrounding area. She didn’t now if he could really see anything but she didn’t care. She would pace and she would smoke and soon enough it would be morning.

When the sun crested the horizon he turned to her, “it’s time.”

She nodded and tossed the latest, half-smoked cigarette away, smoothed down the front of her jacket and waited for him to slide back the heavy bar that held the heavier door in place. When the bolt was drawn back she stepped in behind him and both of them looked at the man on the bed.

Wrapped shoulder to ankles in the heavy chains he should have been barely able to move but he kept rolling from side to side, causing the metal links to clink against each other. When he set eyes on her they seemed to glow for a second and then he said, “You wanted me last night. This doesn’t have to end like this. We could be together forever.”

Her companion went over to the window, “We have to do this now.”

The man on the bed was moving with greater urgency now, causing the chains to rattle louder than before. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a cigarette, held it shakily to her lips and fired it up. She took a long drag and held it, eyes closed, not breathing.

When she opened her eyes the doubt had left her. Her voice was perfectly steady as she said, “Do it.”

The man at the window reached up and ripped off the thick black fabric that hung across the large window. Sunlight streamed into the room, blinding everyone for a moment. The man on the bed looked at the cigarette in her hand and said, “Those things will kill you, you know…” and then he caught fire. The sunlight caused his skin to singe and crackle and within moments he was reduced to a shadow of ashes where his body had originally been. The chains collapsed onto the bed with a loud clank and then all that remained was the sunlight and some ashes floating through the air.

She put out the cigarette without taking her eyes off the bed.

The man by the window said, “Breakfast?”

She nodded.

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