PREVIOUS “MOUSE” POSTINGS CAN BE FOUND HERE.

Mouse…Not So Mousey Now

The quick glimpse of fear in Tom’s eyes disarms me because I know it’s not fear for him, but for me. Does he recognize the woman behind me?

“Baby, don’t be stupid,” Caro says in clipped tones.

Tom glances at her, but realizes very quickly she’s talking to the woman holding the gun to my head. Something shifts in his expression. His face seems to harden as he looks at Caro.

“The bitch broke my nose,” Baby says.

Someone put “Baby” in the corner. Please?

I catch Tom’s eye, but he gives a slight tilt of his head meaning that I absolutely should not try to elbow this woman in the stomach. Joe should be done any minute now. He’ll come up the stairs into the hallway behind me, which won’t help unless Caro is distracted.

“Who are you people?” I ask. “Spies? Terrorists?”

“Shut up,” Baby says. She moves the gun barrel just slightly up.

“You’re not very effective are you?” I ask.

Tom shakes his head, “Mouse . . .”

“I mean, look at you. You’re a big woman and the only way you can bring me down is with a gun? I’m tiny. I’m like a speck in the wind. You know, like that really old song, ooohhh… dust in the wind.”

“Is she insane?” Caro asks.

“. . .and you’re an Amazon . . .” Oh, the last one did it.

“I told you to shut up.”

She waves the gun around now, giving me enough time to sink my elbow into her stomach.

The gun goes off. There’s a rip of pain through my scalp and then silence. Unearthly silence. Suddenly it’s like I feel a church bell bounding in my skull. I fall onto my back, staring up at the ceiling, which is just white, white on white. I hear nothing. I thought hearing was the last sense to go when you die.

end 2/24/2017

S. Darlington