Breath Of His (standard:horror, 2197 words)
Author: jcrct7	Added: Sep 15 2002	Views/Reads: 3162/2179	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The breath that she hears is not of her own...

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

bullet were a meteor and it hitting the surface and altering it 
forever.  After the first shot, a wave of adrenaline rush came over Jen 
and it seemed pulling the trigger was the source.  Finally, when the 
limp man's body fell hard to the floor, six bullets were gone from the 
barrel. 

Jen stood still for what seemed like generations, until she finally got
a hold of her conciousness and dropped the gun with a loud thud of the 
linoleum.  She looked at herself, bright red sprits all over her white 
"work-out" shirt.  She looked at him and stared blankly at his dead 
body for a second, and then, as if a glimmer came to her eyes, she 
hurridly walked to her phone, cleared her voice and dialed a number.  
9-1-1.  The line rang, as for not even one ring, and a cheery but 
serious young woman came on. 

"Hello?  9-1-1, what is your emergency?" the woman asked. 

"Oh God, please help me!" Jen screamed as if frightened.  "A man broke
into my home and tried to rape me!  I got my gun to protect me and I 
shot him!  He would'nt go away!  I think I killed him!  Please help 
me!" 

"Ok, ma'am," said the woman calmly but suddenly having a hint of
sympathy in her voice.  "What yoou need to do is stay calm.  The police 
will be right there to help you." 

"Ok," still frightened. 

"Now, what I need you to do is tell me your address for me.  Can you do
that for me ma'am?" the woman questioned, raising her voice. 

"Yes, uh..." Jen looked at the body quickly and glanced out the crack of
the curtiain covering the kitchen window over the double sink.  She 
took a deep breath, preparing to tell the woman, when she heard a sound 
other than hers in the house.  Breathing.    She shot a look at his 
dead body and lowered herself to now her head was over his.  She 
switched the phone to her left ear and turned her head so she could see 
his chest and have one ear above his mouth.  Her eyes widened in 
horror.  His chest, very slowly and faintly, was rising and falling.  
"I did'nt do it," she thought to herself.  "I did'nt kill him!  But, 
how can that.." 

"Hello?  Ma'am?" 

It was the woman on the phone. 

"Ma'am?  Are you alright?" 

Jen blinked of astonishment and stood again and backed away from him. 

"Yes.  Yes, I'm sorry.  It's 216 Blackard Avenue," still staring at his
body, lying on the floor.  Breathing. 

"Ok.  Jsut stay calm and sit still.  They will be there right away." 

"Thank you," she spoke, having no tone in her voice.  She puts the phone
ont he reciever lightly. 

All was quiet in the house.  The only thing she could hear was his body
inhaling and exhaling.  She even thought the whole time she was holding 
her breath, it was so frail.  She looked at him up and down for a 
minute or so, until she turned her head and quickly bolted out of the 
kitchen.  What had come to her, she did not know.  She thought she 
might have been going mad.  The next moments came in a blur.  So slow.  
She saw her hands grab a yellow couch pillow and swiftly haul it back 
to where her almost dead victim was.  She bent down, holding the ends 
of the pillow, and covered his grotesque face.  She cringed at the 
sight of it, not believing she made him that way.  She looks between 
her arms at his chest the rest of the time.  After a short period, his 
chest stopped.  She checked his pulse, both wrist and neck.  Nothing.  
He was, at last, dead. 

She stood up quickly, swallowing, and threw the pillow aside.  She
hurried to the knife stand and grabbed the biggest one, of about two 
and a half inches in width, and placed it in his left hand.  She stood 
back for a moment and smiled. 

"Perfect!" she whispered. 

Just then, the dorrbell rang and two knocks came on the door.  She
frowned and bustled to the door.  Taking one last sigh, she turns the 
handle and swings the front door open, revealing two policemen, both 
with guns in hand. 

"Oh!  Thank God!  I'm saved!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into the
right policmen's arms, thinking she could have easily been an actress, 
fighting a smirk. 

"Were you hurt?" asked the right officer, noticing the absorbed blood
stains on her. 

"No.  Thankfully!" she blurted, looking down on her shirt and shifting
her weight quickly. 

"That's good.  Where is the body, ma'am?" asked the left officer,
withdrawing his gun. 

"Over here," she answered, pointing to her left.  "In the kitchen." 

The three walk to the body quickly, but preserved.  There were some
inspecting, questioning, and radio calls.  Before Jen could fully 
comprehend everything that happened while the officers where there, 
both of them were off with the body, wrapped in perfect, white linen 
and strapped to a raised, wheeled bed, out into the dark, consumed by 
flashing lights of red and blue.  The two officers thanked Jen for her 
time and hoped she would get a peaceful night's rest.  They turned and 
walked back to their cars, holding the guns in their holders, as if 
they would fall out if not covered.  Jen saw them duck into the 
driver's seat before she swung the door closed quietly.  She listened 
for the cars revving and pulling off, a siren stutter and finally shut 
off completely, and the sounds of only one breath again.  Quiet, 
stillness had over come her house once more. 

From behind her back, she moved her hand to join with the other in front
of her.  She held something.  Something this whole ordeal had been 
worth killing for.  The light, brown leather felt wondrous to her touch 
and, of her excitement, could barely open the wallet.  Licking her 
lips, she fingered the long opening from which a dull shine of green 
escaped.  The sixteen, crisp bills smelled fresh to her.  "They were 
just recieved from the bank," she thought, as she fanned them and held 
them in front of her face.  She looked at them, one by one, absorbing 
each one hundred in each corner.  One bill drops to the ground, lightly 
and and slides around fromt he air conditioning.  She looks down and 
bends to pick it up, but stops to see something that startles her.  
This bill was a five hundred. 

She smiled, "That figures!" she says aloud, not knowingly and picks it
up.  She turned to the opening to the kitchen, then looks at the money. 
She smiled once again and walked down the hall. 

~~~~~~~~ 

"Thank you!" she answered and gave the taxi a twenty-dollar bill.  The
driver's eyes widened and his mouth formed a smile. 

"My pleasure!" he called from the car and rode away in a smog. 

Jen wobbled to her front door and dropped her bags in once, sudden
motioon.  She reached in her pocket for her keys and started to insert 
it in the keyhole.  She drew back, smiling, thinking of her long and 
expensive vacation.  She could still hear the sounds of the casino, the 
Broadway shows, and the club music.  She had no money left, but she was 
happy.  She opened the dorr, shuffled the bags inside and closed the 
door. 

"Were home," she whispered and turned the knob, locking the door to the
outside.  She sighed and quickly turning around to see something that 
caught her last breath. 

A man stood in fron tof her, but in a distance.  He looked like he was
rotting, yet he was drenched in blood.  "It's him," Jen thought and 
exhaled all she had in her lungs.  She heard his breathing.  His 
living.  She had never been so horrified ina ll her life.  He knew this 
and smiled.  He held th knife in his left hand still and held it to 
waist length.  He opened his mouth. 

"You have to pay," he spoke low, quietly and threw the knife directly to
her face. 

Note To Reader: 

First of all, I would like to thank you for reading my first story.
(Thus, being my first submitment to this site)  It has been quite an 
experience in writing my first short story and it was very surprizing 
to see what other readers critiqued.  Although, this story needs much 
work, I encourage you to look for my newest addition to this site 
coming soon if all works out!  After that, I will work hard to create a 
better version of this story with a new alternate ending! 

This site is great and it is writer's and reader's like yourself that
keep it this way.  Keep up the great work!  Another special thank you 
to the person who sparked this idea in one of my forum's.  I could'nt 
have done it without you! 

Now that you have read all this, please rate me and give me some
comments!  It will really help me a bunch, as I still have LOTS to 
learn!  Again, thank you for reading and I will look forward to YOUR 
next contribution to the site! 

Chris Wade (jcrct7)


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