Moving

Moving

          In the silence of the night, she lay there, a crimson pool of blood puddled around her warm body. She gasped for breath in the chilly air. She was sprawled onto the cold pavement, her eyes were glazed with tears and their life struggling to see the next minute.
          With all her effort she raised a hand to her ribs and gripped the handle. She shut her eyes and pulled it from herself. She cringed as the steel blade scraped the bone, and dropped released her hand, letting the knife fall to the ground. Blood trickled heavily down her shirt, soaking it in until it was black.
          Tears spilled freely down her cheeks now, illuminated by the pale moon and yellow stars. The thoughts of minuetes before floated through her mind dreamlike, now. The beginning, the end, and, now. And now it was almost over. As she faded out of conscious the last few hours replayed like a fuzzy record.

          “Krishna!” the voice called, she could tell he had clamped his hands together and was calling between them. There was a pause, then, “Krishna!”
          “What?” she called. She was still in the attic. Her fingers were worn numb from the heavy duck tape adhesive, and they burned with each piece she tore. “Alec? Are you still packing the things?”
          “Of course. I didn’t know where you went.”
          “Oh. Well I’m just up here. Packing. Still.”
          “I’m just finishing the things in the closet.” Alec yelled, walking away from the stairs.
          ‘Sure ya are.” Krishna muttered under her breath. She went back to sealing her boxes of seasonal decorations.
          They were high school sweet hearts, married during their second year at the Ithaca Community College. Alec was the class clown, party boy, never did get to far in college. Krishna was the Home Ec., smiley, cheerful home maker who fell for him. Sure, he was a football kind of guys, certainly a “man’s man”, lazy to say the least. But she loved him, they were married and were going to move to a larger country house, he would fix it. She would plant little flowers along a white picket fence while a toddler ran around in the back round chasing a snow white dog... eventually. When Alec got a new job in town, and all the... “bills” were paid., but Alec promised there were going to be no more of, “those” kind of bills.
          Krishna looked down at her engagement ring admirably, far more than they could afford but circumstances at the time allowed for it. Back to packing boxes. The attic was dim, only half finished with scratchy pink insolation puffing out from everywhere. The low room was lit by a single orange bulb. “Almost out.” she thought to her self. Downstairs, the phone rang...
          “Got it!” Krishna could hear Alec clump to the nearest phone. “Heyallo” she heard him answer. The bulb buzzed, the chain swaying from a draft. It stopped after a moment and she paused straining to hear Alec. Nothing. The downstairs had gone eerily silent. The chain continued to sway, slowly under the thin bulb. Now the only noise was the distant rustle of the trees near the campus.
          “Kris? Honey?”
          “Yeah?” Krishna said, she had froze in place, duck tape half torn, box waiting to be closed.
          “We gotta talk for a sec ok?
          “Ye..yeah, okay.” she said, her heart pounded, ringing from her chest to her ears. She dropped the thing and carefully descended down the narrow attic stairs. He was now down stairs. She found him in the kitchen. His was anxiously rubbing his hands together, pushing his dark hair back as he turned. Pace, pace, pace, turn. Pace, pace, pace , pace, turn. He was pale and his forehead was speckled with beads of sweat.
          “Well?” she said. Suspense. She hated it.
          “Tony just called.”
          “Tony?” she spat out, her face in question. The name sank in. Tony, the human bank. “Why?” Silence. “Alec, why’s he calling?”
          “I own him money.”
          “But you paid it all. All of it. Remember?” she said. He turned away. “Are you trying, to not tell me, there’s more?” her face was covered in disgust, waiting, hoping, for the right answer. And when he finally spoke it didn’t come.
          “I went to the races. Just one time. You know, we could use the extra money for the house...”
          “Just one time? You mean just one more time! Let me guess, you lost.” she said sarcastically, her arms waved around with emphasis. “Alec. Alec!” he voice raised, then she lowered it. “How much did you borrow.”
          “Two.”
          “Two hundred?” she asked, almost not wanting to know. “Please God, Please two hundred.” she thought.
          “Two thousand.” he nearly whispered. Krishna clamped a hand to her mouth.
          “What the hell?!”
          “Kris. I need the money in twenty minutes. That’s why he called. Twenty minutes!” she gasped, grinning in horror. “ He’s bringing Luke too.” Alec’s voice was in panic. He was piratically begging.
          “I don’t have that kind of money. I can’t even go to the bank, not at eleven o’clock at night!”
          “We could go to Samuel.”
          “That pawn shop guy?”
          “Yeah. He’d take your ring.”
          “What? Are you insane?”
          “What? I’m sure he’s awake. I bought it for five grand. It’s worth at least half that. We’ll go to his house, knock on the door and ask him to open the shop. We can give him the radio for free if he takes it-”
          “You Promised me you would stop! You promised. All your fucking gambling We’ll never be out of debt! Never!”
          “Krishna!” Alec pleaded, “He’s bringing Luke. Luke! Do you know what that means? He’s going to kill me. He from my wrist last week. He doesn’t tell people twice.”
          “I don’t care you son-of–a-bitch! This is my mother fucking engagement ring! With your for a husband it’s about the only damn thing I have left!”
          “Kris, he’s going to kill me! He’s going to rip my guts all over the street!”
          “I don’t care. You know what? He won’t have to cause I can!” She grabbed a long knife out of the sink. Alec stumbled backwards.
          “You want a divorce? Just give me the ring and you can have as many of my damn John Hancock’s as you want. Okay? Come on.” he said, his hands raised in protest.
          “No.” she said bitterly. Krishna turned to the door and twisted the handle, the knife still gripped tightly in her other hand. Alec lunged forward and grabbed her arm.
          “The ring! Please!”
          “Luke can have your guts, if you’ve even got any. Rot in hell.” Krishna said, her eyes cold as ice as she kicked him to the ground. She dashed down a smooth walk, leading into a campus park. The air was brisk and sharp, chilling her blood as she ran. The stars reflected dully on the green pond. She pause, tucking the knife under her arm, a tear ran down her cheek, dripping onto her shoulder. Krishna yanked her engagement ring off, and gazed at it longingly, her gray eyes so foggy she could barely see. One last glance, she raise her hand and threw it into the murky water. A small splash, gentle ripples, and it was gone. Like that. Her wedding ring followed the same way, only a little farther out, deep into the pond.
          Krishna turned again, Alec was staggering out the door of what was once their home. He called something, but she didn’t hear. She ran the other way, on into the darkness. He feet hammered on the pavement, echoing as she gasped for air, filling her lungs with it, then releasing the remains, only to breath again.
          Her face was slick with tears. She stopped by a tree. Alec was not far behind. Krishna grabbed the knife again, in both hands, and plunged it deep into her chest. Instantly she fell, the pain of her ripped flesh shooting to her brain. It was paralyzed with trauma and simply froze in it’s shock. The ground was cold and still. The memories were coming slowly and what once seemed so bright was now being pulled away in a deathly fog. White picket fences and flowers... Disappearing. Gone. Lost forever.
          Krishna struggled to stay awake. She forced a smile. The look on his face... that’s all she wanted.... the look on his face...
          Alec finally reached her. He crumbled at her side. His face was white and his eyes watery. He lifted her hand, his finger running across her ring finger. If she could have spoke she would have swore. Instead she just watched his face.
          “Oh Krishna. Krishna. What have you done.” tears spilled out. “You’ve killed us. You’ve killed us both.” he said shaking his head. He was hysterical in tears, she could feel his hands trembling as he still gripped her arm. She coughed, blood sputtered onto the ground. She looked at him again, rasping her last words.
          “No, You have.” her eyes rolled back as the pain began to fade away, finally. She vaguely noticed a gruff voice call his name from the distance and Alec whimper as he tried to stand, paralyzed in his own cowering fear.
          “Till death do us part. And they’re not kidding.” she thought morbidly as the sadistic laughter filled her mind. “No, they’re certainly not kidding.”


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