Four days before Ho Ho Ho; it shouldn’t be a big surprise there weren’t many submissions. So, this week there’s only two stories: the second installment in Jenness Jordan’s series, and one of my stories that didn’t quite make the cut in a recent competition. I hope you enjoy…Happy Reading!

Torn: The Reason (Part II)

By Jenness Jordan

The room darkened with the setting sun. Alerted by a rap at the door, Luke pointed the gun at Vicki as he walked quietly behind the door. I felt helpless. Was Luke planning to shoot Duncan?

Watching the door open, Vicki’s heart beat faster and faster. She wanted so much to warn Duncan but couldn’t. As soon as Duncan turned the light switch on, Luke hit him over the head with the gun. Tears slid down her face as Duncan fell to the floor. Quickly, Luke hoisted Duncan up onto another chair in the room, and began tying his hands behind the chair and then his feet. Next, he took a roll of duct tape out of his pocket and taped Duncan’s mouth.

“Time to wake up, lover boy.” Luke sneered, splashing half the bottle onto Duncan’s face.

Duncan shook his head as he lifted it up, and realized that Luke was more dangerous than he previously thought. Hard as he tried, Duncan could not break free from the ropes. Muffling noises came loudly out of his mouth as he looked over at Luke who was standing over Vicki with the gun pointing right at my head.

“This is what you left me for, sweet stuff. What a wimp?” He laughed pointing to Duncan who was crying.

Why is this happening? This is all my fault. If I had just stayed with Luke, then Duncan wouldn’t be hurt and none of this would be happening.

“MMMM” I cried, through the gag.

“What do you want?” Luke asked

“MMMM, mmm.” I blubbered

“If I take this off, do you promise not to yell or scream? If you do, then your lover boy is dead.”

I nodded. Tears sliding down my face.

Luke untied my gag, then moved over to where Duncan was and pointed the gun.

“PLEASE, LUKE DON’T!” I pleaded desperately, then continued, “I’ll do whatever you want, just please let him go”

I wanted to calm down and relax but I was too afraid. The pain in my stomach seemed to worsen by the moment.

“You’ll do whatever I want either way, cause I’m the one with the gun. But, don’t worry your pretty little head, I will definitely be letting lover boy go.”

“Why are you doing this, Luke?”

(Haunted by Evanescence)

“Why? How can you ask such a stupid question? It should be obvious.”

Luke tightening his grip on the gun, and becoming more agitated.

“Luke you don’t have to do this. Just talk to me.”

“Yes, I do!”

“But why, I don’t understand. Please, help me to understand.”

“Because you were mine and we were fine until lover boy butted into our lives. He needs to learn to mind his business and keep away from other men’s women.”

Luke moving closer to Duncan and aiming it right at his head.

I need to calm Luke down. I’m the only one that can reason with him. I need to do it or he might shoot…. I can’t think about it. I have to be strong.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, I began my attempt to calm Luke down.

“Luke, that’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. Don’t you dare try to lie to me!”

Luke began pulling back on the safety.

“Luke, please, don’t. I wasn’t lying. I promise. Just please put the gun down.” I pleaded, as the tears began once again.

 There goes that idea!

“Shut up! Just shut the f*#* up! No more talking!” Luke shouted, walking back over to me and raising his free hand raised as if to hit me.

Instinct closing my eyes and increasing the rate of my tears and my heart, as an overwhelming pain shot through my stomach and my fear of the situation got worse. Loud sporadic movement turned my attention to another part of the room. Duncan was bouncing furiously in his chair. His ghostly complexion replaced with fire. Muffled screams tried breaching the duct tape, but with no success.

“Shut up over there!” Luke yells, turning back towards Duncan then backhanding Duncan across the face.

“Luke, stop please. Let Duncan go, and you and I will go away together.

“You’re just saying that so I won’t hurt lover boy.”

Taking a couple of deep breaths, I began my sickening decoy.

“If you come over I’ll prove to you that I’m not lying. Prove to you that I only want to be with you. There could be no other man for me.”

Luke stood in between Duncan and me, speechless.

“Come on, Luke you should know that no one else can touch me in those special places like you. Please, make love to me. You don’t even have to untie me.”

It killed me to say those words, especially with Duncan in the same room. My hope was that Duncan knew that I was saying these things to protect him and hopefully, get us both out of this nightmare. Luke remained in the middle of us, scratching his temple with the edge of the gun. A small smile began forming on his face.

“I don’t know.” Luke said.

“Don’t you still want me?” I asked, pouting.

“Yes, but…”

“But, nothing, get over here and prove it to me; show Duncan how a real man makes love to a woman.” Cringing inside as the words rolled out of my mouth.

For more information about Jenness Jordan, check out her site: jennessjordan. You can   also reach her by email at jenness2014@hotmail.com

 

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This is a story I submitted to Writer’s Digest, recently. The prompt was to start the story with: “The difference is, I lie for a reason.” Coming out of my PoMo class, I tried to fashion the story in a unique way to gain attention and interest, so I titled the story in a way to hint at my attempted cleverness. Be sure to read the tag, at the end.

I’m Not Sure Where to Start

By Tony Wassom

“The difference is, I lie for a reason.”

The last words spoken between my mother and me.

“But, you lied to me,” was all I had to say.

What was done was done because it needed to be done.

I don’t feel that I need to explain.

I did what I did because I had to.

I did what I did because of who I am.

I did what I did because of what I am.

I can’t let myself appear to care about that, though.

She knew what it was like, for me.

Her mother knew what it was like, for her.

People are saying I am evil.

People are saying I cannot love.

People are saying I believed she could not love.

People will say I thought it was because she was a monster.

I can’t concern myself with what others may think.

Yes, she was a mother.

She was still the enemy.

She may have looked innocent.

She may have had tears in her eyes.

Tricks of persuasion, passed down from her mother and the mother before her.

I didn’t let myself be fooled.

Those were our last moments, together.

She would do whatever she could to stop me.

I realized I had no love for her.

Still, I lied to her to make myself feel better.

I had no real reason to lie.

I told her I loved her.

She never loved me.

She never felt love from her mother.

I knew she would never believe I was there to help.

She knew me better than I thought.

I realized I have never truly known her.

No one could ever know her secrets.

Why Alaska?

What was the big mystery?

Did she do something illegal?

Was she a fugitive from the law?

All I really knew was that she planned to kill me.

Everything in her journal was lies.

Lies about my father.

Lies about her age.

Lies about her parents.

I decided, the first time I read those pages, what needed to be done.

My thoughts were ablur with all that was about to happen.

I wasn’t there by chance.

I was invited to come for dinner.

The only light came from the candles on the table.

She was expecting me.

She looked happy to see me, but even that was a lie.

I accused her of always lying to me.

I accused her of always lying to everyone.

She smiled, and lied about the electricity being out.

She could not tell truth from fiction, anymore.

The time had come to finally put an end to the lying.

The time had come to finally put an end to the misery she forced everyone to endure.

The cycle had to be broken.

My heart was pounding in my throat.

I tried to stay calm.

I took a deep breath.

I knew, when I walked through the front door, I would not leave until it was done.

The murder was premeditated.

It was a weapon of convenience.

The knife was just lying there.

She knew I had lied about why I was there.

“But, you lied to me,” was all I had to say.

The last words spoken between my mother and me.

“The difference is, I lie for a reason.”

I felt the story had a decent theme and flow. As mentioned, it was from a Postmodern 
frame of mind. Still, it may read better if you start in a different place. In fact, I wish I would have titled it: I Begin At The End. That being said, please read it again, this time starting at the bottom. BTW...this is the third story, this week ☺