Killer Night Out

         I looked across the table at Nicole Cooper. The way she held her glass whilst she drank. Her lips parting as they caressed the edge and let the intoxicating liqour swirl across her tongue. I could vaguely hear ‘Scouting For Girls’ in the background through the DJ system; ‘James Bond’ was playing. Most of my attention was focused on her. The way she let her long, auburn hair fall across her shoulders; exposed due to the low cut top she wore. 34D breasts firmly cupped in her red vest. 34D was just a guess. meters

         Nicole lowered her glass and raised the back of her hand to cover her mouth as she laughed. Turning her head to face me, those dark green eyes piercing my soul, she started to speak. I was still in my own world fantasizing about us together and I missed what she said.

      “So, what do you think James?” She asked me.

      “Sorry.” I stammered. “What did you say? My head was in the clouds.”

      “Well Ste reckons we should get it on. What do you think?” She asked with a grin spreading across her face. Her tongue poking out of the top left of her mouth.

    “Wha...I don’t..” I did not get to finish.

    “Loser. She’s joking of course you dick.” Said Steve. “Like she would ever get with someone like you.” He laughed as he said this, so did everyone else at the table.

    “Stop it Ste.” Nicole rounded on him.

    She was the only person in our small work group who took an interest in me. I spoke to the other guys, but they liked to make fun of me when they could. Well I liked to think Nicole took an interest in me; maybe she was just being polite. After all, who could be interested in a 26 year old guy who still collects comic books, carries a moleskin journal with him everywhere and still lives in his parents converted loft.

      I decided to ignore the conversation and took a huge interest in lifting my pint of lager off the table. We were currently residing in The Mammoth Pub for our work night out. Well the beginning of it; more than likely the end of it for me. It was an ironic name for the pub; when somebody says mammoth you think big or large. The Mammoth Pub was not big, or large. In fact, The Mammoth Pub was small.

      The bar was about two meters long and had a limited selection of lagers and spirits. The wine was either red, or white. If you were lucky they might have a rose in. The pub could never fit more than twenty people at a time. On this night, which was a Wednesday, at least a dozen of the customers were from Al’s Steak House. That is where we all worked.

      Steve had gone off to collect some glasses. He worked in the pub. He was also dating Nicole. He was a typical macho alpha male. Always wanting to put other people down to make himself look good in front of the ladies. Even though he had the most beautiful girl possible.

      “Sorry about that James.” Nicole was talking to me again. “He can be a bit, full on sometimes.”

      “It’s okay.” I waved it of with my free hand.

      The next two hours went quickly. The usual conversation that colleagues have. How are things at home? How are the kids? Anything new? And when all that conversation had dried up we ended up talking about work. It seems we could not escape it. Luckily for me, Nicole was not interested in talking about work either.

      “So, James. Who is the lucky lady?” She asked as she moved around the table to sit next to me.

      Aware of the heat from her body on my skin as she slid closer, I replied:

      “There isn’t one.”

      “No one you are interested in?”

      I watched her run her hand through her smooth, soft hair.

      “Well.” I began. “No one that would be interested in me. Plus she is taken.”

      Nicole asked a lot of questions. Asking who it was, why she would not be interested in me, if I thought she was pretty. It was probably the drink talking, she had drank a lot. So had I. And I blame what happened next on the amount of empty pint glasses I’d created. I kissed Nicole. It happened so quick and without me even thinking about it. I was watching Nicole talk, asking me questions I was not even aware of. I could see her perfect white teeth being exposed as she spoke certain words.

    Concentrating so much on her lips and how desperately I wanted them. I leaned in and kissed her. Not opened mouthed. No tongue. I just wanted to feel her lips on mine. My bottom lip rested betweens hers. The rest of the room disappeared as I could feel her top lip between mine and my bottom lip being pressed by hers. There was just me and Nicole, for one amazing moment. The first time I had kissed a girl in years.

    I was sure I could feel Nicole’s hand rest on my thigh as she kissed me back, but before I could be certain for sure, I was on the floor. Steve had seen it all and stormed through the gaps between the tables, gripping me by the shoulder and flinging me backwards. I fell off the wooden chair with a loud thud as it made contact with the floor.

    “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Steve was in my face screaming as soon as I was on my feet. “Why did you kiss him Nicole?” He redirected his anger towards his stunning girlfriend.

    “I didn’t” She said. “He kissed me, I was just talking to him and he lunged at me.”

    Before I could even begin to explain myself Steve had rounded on me. A huge fist come flying towards my face. It connected well. Right on the bridge of my nose. I felt a crunch and what I later found out was blood, freely flowing from my nostrils.

    “Steve stop it!” Nicole screamed.

    “You fucking cheeky twat.” He was standing over me. “What do you think you’re doing kissing my girlfriend? She is way too fucking hot for you. What are you? A 26 year old geek who still lives with his parents. Get lost you loser.”

    Leaving the pub was a blur to me. The bar had gone silent. Someone handed me my jacket, which I conveniently placed over my nose. I think Nicole was crying. I hoped it was for me, but I knew better than that. I felt so humiliated and ridiculed. People had sniggered at me as I left. Steve was a real jackass. I decided to go for a walk to clear my head.



      A few hours later after I had stopped shaking and visited the local supermarket, I decided to head home. listening to Johnny Cash on my Ipod. I walked down the main road that led from the town centre to the street my house was on. I could fell the presence of the figure across the road from me. Hood raised. Head dropped. I sped up a little.

      I was always cautious walking the roads late at night. Maybe other people should be. There were always stories in the newspapers of girls who had been raped in the local park. The very park that was on my right . I didn’t that I was going to be raped, but there were stories of people being mugged too. I looked across at the figure, unable to make much out. The street lamps were spaced well apart and there was too much darkness concealing him.

      “..you’re going next time yeah?” I had accidentally walked into some guy going the opposite way. My earpiece had been knocked out.

      “Sorry.” I apologized as I continued walking. 

      I decided to leave the ear piece out so that I could hear if someone was coming up on me. Glancing across again, I could see the figure looking back. It was too dark to make out each other’s faces, and I had trees lining my side of the road which provided a sheet of shadow. The figure dropped it’s head again and started to cross the road. Hands in my pocket I lowered the volume on my Ipod.

      My hand gripped cold plastic. Feeling more at ease holding something. I noted that a few paces separated us. Our footsteps echoed off the line of trees. Out of sync. Mine falling as theirs rose. Quickening my pace, I thought of being at home in my loft. With Nicole. Images of her filled my head and a slow warm sensation ran through my body as I remembered that kiss. Her eyes. Her smile. I relaxed. 

      Pulling my hand from my pocket, I could feel the plastic grip cold against my palm. Metal glinted in the slots of dull light the moon cast from between the trees. I held my breath and put all my strength into forcing the knife into the right side of the figure’s neck. I felt the knife pierce material and skin. The whole three inches of blade was embedded in their neck. They dropped to their knees clutching at the handle with one hand whilst supporting their neck with the other.

      There were choking noises over the music from my Ipod. The satisfying sound of someone spitting their own blood. Gasping for their final breath. Savoring the moment, I slowly walked around the person to face them. I smiled as I looked down and watched Steve die.