“My life is a sham.” That’s what the man’s pale blue eyes seemed to say, right before he pulled the trigger.
Blood splattered my face and clothes as the man collapsed at my feet. It took all of my willpower not to react. I closed my eyes and slowly counted to ten, effectively blocking out the sounds of the city. When I opened them the man was gone, as I knew he would be. I looked around hoping someone else had also witnessed the bloodshed, but as I feared, this message was meant for only me.
I rubbed my tired eyes with the back of my fists and for the first time in my life considered getting professional help. I found a phone booth that still had the yellow pages attached and tore out the section for therapists, leaving the heavy book dangling by its chain. I stepped out into the street and a cab immediately pulled up in front of me. I randomly selected a name from one of the torn pages clutched in my trembling hand and gave the address to the driver. With my sanity hanging by a thread, I told the man I would double his fare if he got me there in a hurry.
Traffic was brutal and the cab ride across town took longer than expected. I threw a wad of bills at the cabbie and then rushed into the building. I ran right past the protesting receptionist and threw open the office door. I took a few steps and then came to an abrupt halt; a sense of déjà vu washing over me. Sitting behind the desk was a man with the palest of blue eyes.
“Robert, I wasn’t expecting you today,” the doctor said, getting up from behind the desk.
“Who are you? What do you want from me?” I screamed, backing away in horror.
“I’m your doctor, Robert. And I want to help you.” Doctor Abrahms crossed the room in three easy strides and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. His weary pale blue eyes found mine and suddenly everything became clear.
“My life is a sham.” I barely had time to register the sound of my own voice before the taste of metal filled my mouth… And my finger found the trigger.
©2009 R.K. Gemienhardt
R. K. Gemienhardt resides in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. His fiction and photography have been published in various e-zines, magazines and anthologies. His inspiration comes from the things that go bump in the night.
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