5PM

by Chris Heinicke

  My hand darts into Talissa’s handbag. When I withdraw it, her handgun comes out in my grip, and I fire blindly. The one shot hits Lauren in the chest, and as I squeeze the trigger again, I hear a clicking sound. Emily and Brittany aim their weapons at me, and I can’t be sure which of them fires the bullet that rips through the flesh of my shoulder. The resulting pain forces a scream from inside, and I squeeze my eyes shut tight and wish for the burning sensation to die.

  “You shot Lauren,” Brittany says. “I thought you said your husband couldn’t shoot an elephant in a hallway.”

  Talissa reclaims her weapon. “Lucky I had just the one bullet loaded. Terry, what were you thinking?”

  All I can think about is this pain. I see Lauren wriggling on the floor, blood spurting from the chest wound I gave her. My mind isn’t ready to absorb the fact I’ve shot someone.

  “What the fuck’s going on?” Ed storms into view, his pistol drawn. I see the shock form across his facial features as he catches sight of the woman I shot. “Oh, shit, she’s dying.”

  Lauren looks over at me, blood now gurgling in her mouth. In her dying moments, I fear she’s trying to get to me, but even with my wounds, I would have the advantage over her.

  “I can’t let her suffer,” Brittany says as she shoots Lauren through the head.

  Ed points his pistol at my face and walks with vigour. “I don’t care who’s paying us.”

  “No, Ed, you can’t do this. He’s not going anywhere and his right arm is useless to him now,” Emily says.

  “He killed my sister!”

  “And this is why we don’t normally hire siblings. You need to separate your emotions from this, Ed. There’s a big payday coming if we leave him for the one who hired us.” Emily glares in my direction. “There is another way you can really hurt him. Brittany, go get the kids.”

  “No, leave them out of it,” Talissa pleads.

  “What did you think was going to happen after all this? You can’t go back to your old life and cart those two little pests around,” Emily says.

  “Do you people have a heart at all?” I ask. My weakening body exudes as much hate as possible through gritted teeth.

  “But, of course. I love all sorts of things, like money, nice clothes and shoes, hot sex with well-hung inked up biker boys, and most of all, killing people. I’m the true embodiment of the praying mantis. I’ve even shot a man dead while he was still inside me, and, needless to say, I exploded sexually as his dead body squeezed the last of his essence deep in me.”

  “You’re sick,” I say.

  “You say sick—I say I’m a rich genius who anyone in their right mind doesn’t mess with.” She looks down past the kitchen to the hallway. “Brittany, would you hurry up.”

  “Please, Em. Don’t make them pay just to upset Terry,” Talissa says.

  “You’ve gone soft, haven’t you? All those stories I’ve heard about how great you were at your job all those years ago? I have to say, I’m disappointed to see what you’ve become. I might need to call this in.”

  “Maybe we should shoot her, tell the boss she died in crossfire. They don’t need to know what really happened,” Ed points his weapon at my wife.

  “Mummy! Daddy!” I hear Matilda’s high pitched voice scream out.

  “Are you okay?” Isaac asks his mother and runs over to her as Brittany releases him.

  Talissa looks over at me. “Yes Isaac, everything will be okay.”

  I notice Ed smirking at them, and if it weren’t for my busted shoulder and leg, I would put every ounce of energy into taking him down. These last few days I thought Hannah had been the bad cop, I could never have been so wrong.

  “I know what you’re thinking, Terry, and I don’t blame you, but this is a serious business. I can’t kill you, but I can kill the family you love so dear. Brittany, please bring the girl to me.”

  “Don’t you fucking do this, Ed,” I yell.

  Brittany pulls Matilda along and stands her a couple of feet in front of Ed, and then spins her around to face me. “Make sure you watch this, Terry.”

  The tears come again. I can’t watch this, but I can’t turn away either. Ed lowers his gun and brings his aim down low in line with the back of my sweet daughter’s head. She bursts into tears, and I close my eyes for a split second as I hear a gunshot.

  “You bitch,” I hear Brittany say as she jumps on Talissa’s back.

  Matilda was shoved my way, and I see Ed lying on his back, not moving. His gun was in my wife’s hand. I roll over and put my own body in line with Emily as a shield for my little girl. Isaac has taken the initiative and runs down the steps.

  Talissa flips Brittany off her back and slams her long frame onto the floorboards. She turns to Emily and swings around on her back foot and kicks the blonde assassin’s weapon from her hands.

  “You are good,” Emily says and stands in a defensive mode, bouncing on the balls of her feet ready to take on her opponent. “I’ve got this, Brit. Go get that boy.”

  “Run, Isaac. Go to that hiding place,” Talissa yells.

  “You traitor,” Emily sneers and throws a punch at Talissa.

  Talissa ducks her head and watches the swinging fist travel above her. Throwing a counter-punch of her own, she hits Emily in the ribs, drawing a groan from her target. I wish I could do something to help, the blood leaving my shoulder wound starts to discolour my daughter’s light brown hair. It reminds me my favoured right arm is useless until I can get medical attention.

  The two women continue to trade blows, the majority of them blocked by the other, and the ones that land don’t appear to be taking a toll on either of them. Although Talissa has a few years on Emily, they seem a good match for each other.

  “I agreed to come back, and I agreed to turn Terry over, but I never agreed to have my children killed, you psychotic bitch.” Talissa takes a step back and lowers herself. Spinning on her front foot, she brings her rear leg around and hits Emily in the ribs, bringing her to the ground.

  A single gunshot rings outside, and I fear the worse for little Isaac, who took off on foot to the cubby house my father originally built for my siblings and me when we were children.

  Emily takes advantage of Talissa’s split-second attention lapse and kicks upwards at the woman standing over her, striking her between the legs and bringing her to her knees. The blonde woman rolls over, regains possession of her pistol and stands over her opponent and aims. “You had your chance, Talissa.”

  No one sees the shooter who fires the bullet that hits Emily in the forehead, but the one who appeared to be the leader of the group slumps to the ground, never to hurt another person again. I look up at Talissa’s face and search for any sign of compassion in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Terry.” She gets to her feet, grabbing Emily’s discarded weapon and aiming it at me.

  “Mummy, what are you doing?” Matilda asks. She starts walking over to Talissa.

  “Daddy’s been a very bad man, and he has to go away and not come back. Isn’t that right, Mummy?” I look Talissa in the eyes.

  Talissa can’t fight the tears that fall, even though she nods in agreement with me.

  “Matilda, make sure Mummy always has your love, no matter what happens.” My eyes stay on my wife.

  “Mummy will always love you, Matilda. Please turn away.” Talissa holds our daughter tight against her and covers her eyes with an arm while keeping her eyes directed at me. “It will be quicker this way, Terry.”

  “I just want to know who sent you.”

  Talissa shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter,” and I see her finger pull back on the trigger.

  The gunshot booms through the air, and instead of feeling the impact I expect, I see her drop her gun as a bullet passes through her wrist and immediately draws blood. I look over at the still open double door entrance as Isaac comes bouncing off the top step and into the room where the survivors remain. “Mummy, Daddy! Are you okay?” he asks.

  Before ei
ther of us can answer, the source of the shot that hit Talissa enters the room and looks over at me. “Are you okay, Terry?”

  I nod at the police officer, Hannah, who still has her police-issued weapon directed at Talissa’s mass. “I thought you were dead.”

  “I knew they were onto me, so I had a bullet-proof vest and hoped to hell they didn’t take a head shot.” She turns her attention to Talissa. “Shauna Logan, you are under arrest for multiple counts of homicide between the years 1998 to 2002. You have the right to remain silent…” I zone out as I see the mother of my children restrained in handcuffs and led outside, blood pouring from her wound.

  “Talissa, is there anyone else coming?” I ask her just as she disappears from sight.

  “No, Terry. The threat has been neutralised,” she calls out. Hannah turns around and looks at me before she follows her new prisoner descending the steps down to the outside world. Both of my children come running up to me and embrace me tight as if they haven’t seen me for days.

  “Is Grandma okay?” I ask Isaac.

  “I think so, Daddy. Brittany hit her though and made her fall down.”

  “Can you please go and tell her it’s all okay now?”

  Isaac nods and leaves the room. My body feels heavier and I feel more tired. I blame the two gunshot wounds and lack of sleep for my dire condition.

  Hannah returns and looks at me with a sympathetic smile. “Sorry for not telling you more before today, but I couldn’t risk the chance you might blow the operation if I mentioned your wife had been a suspect. Some time ago, I infiltrated the Praying Mantassassin group, but purposely let them work out that I was still on the side of the law. I’m not just a uniformed cop, Terry. I’m a senior detective and I’m actually just a few years younger than you.”

  “But you look like a twenty-five-year-old.”

  “I have great genes and take excellent care of my health. And for what it’s worth, I’ll never forget that Saturday afternoon.” Her smile is a cheeky one. “I’ve called for an ambulance. They shouldn’t be long, but this is a rural property by their standards and might be half an hour away.”

  Isaac and my mother return, and she cries as she notices my injuries. “Thank God you’re alive.”

  “Thank Hannah that I’m alive. We have a lot to talk about, but I want you to go with the kids and Hannah while I wait for the ambulance.”

  “Terry, I can’t just leave you here,” Hannah says.

  “Yes, you can. I need some time to myself and I don’t want my kids subjected to these sights any longer.” I look at the dead bodies of Emily, Lauren, Ed, and Joe. “And the threat has been neutralised.”

  “I have both Talissa and Brittany handcuffed in the squad car. I can’t fit all three of you in the front.” Hannah looks at my kids.

  “Take my car. The keys are in my pocket. Mum, please take the children outside.”

  Mum looks at me and nods. She knows Hannah is one of the women I had an affair with recently, so I don’t know how happy she is I want a quiet word with her.

  Hannah comes over and sits next to me while Mum leads the kids outside. When they disappear from view, she whispers in my ear, “I know a lot has happened today, and you need to digest what occurred with Talissa and that she isn’t the woman you thought she was all these years. But if you want to catch up some time, you still have my number and I’ll wait for you.” She bends down and gives me a kiss, and despite everything, I don’t want her to remove her lips from my own. “Hold on, Terry. The paramedics will be here soon and those two bitches in the back of the cop car aren’t going anywhere. I’ll take your mum and kids safely back to your place, and everything will be okay. I’ll stay with them for as long as they need.”

  “Thanks, Hannah, for everything.” I do my best to pull off a smile, despite the growing agony my body is in.

  And like that, they are gone. I know the threat is not in fact neutralised. I will most probably never see those four people again, but I’m okay with that, and as I hear the familiar sound of my car’s motor start up and then slowly dissipate down the driveway, I close my eyes.

  * * * * *

  There’s a rumbling in my pocket, and I pull out my phone. There’s a message for me— ‘Let’s play a game of hide and seek, Terry,’ and I don’t need to see the sender’s name to know who it’s from. I push up and try to stand, but the lack of strength in my left leg from the bullet wound prevents me from getting to my feet. I only napped for a few minutes, but I feel slightly revitalised.

  Using my one good arm, I use it to pull myself along the ground, heading for the room I grew up in as a child. I don’t see the point in trying to call anyone. The ambulance and no doubt more police should already be on their way. I want my mother and children well away from here. The going is slow, and with each dragging action, my good arm quickly tires from the demands of the workload placed on it.

  But I keep moving. If I don’t, there is no hope for me. Before I discovered Talissa’s true identity, I would have been quite happy to die today— but my children need a parent despite my thoughts a few minutes ago of being okay with dying. And I continue my journey to my childhood bedroom.

  Chapter 11

  So here I lay between the concrete slab of the foundations of this place and the wooden floorboards. Growing up as a teenager, I had discovered this great section of the floor I could lift up and hide things in, most notably the nudey magazines my older brother used to buy me. But now it’s I hiding beneath the trapdoor, flat on my back and taking quiet breaths, which is hard considering the dust in the air making its way to my nostrils with each breath I draw.

  With blood leaking from my body via the gunshot wounds, my head thumping like my brain is trying to smash its way through my skull and thoughts of giving myself up to my enemy, I concede the only reason I would desire to survive this day is a chance to raise my children. But maybe their life would turn out better without me.

  Knowing my marriage had been nothing but a lie doesn’t ease my conscious on my sins from the last few days. When I commited those deeds, I was still in what I thought of as a normal marriage.

  The heels click and clunk on the timber throughout this old house, the echoes carving through the deathly silence and cause my heart to beat faster.

  I can barely move, and as soon as this mysterious hunter finds me, my life will be over. They wouldn’t put so much effort into planning the whole week’s events and hiring a group of professionals to play their part if they didn’t want an end result.

  I hang onto my consciousness by a thread until the footsteps advance my way. For a split second, the noise stops, and without the ability to see what’s around me at present, I can’t be sure where this person is standing right now. My face coated in a mixture of sweat, dust, and splattered blood from the shoot-out in the kitchen, I feel a whole new level of dirty. My efforts in keeping my breathing silent feel in vain as dust particles begin to tickle my nostrils. Just one sneeze and my hunter will instantly know where I am.

  The clunking resumes, and on each occurance in which a heel taps the wooden floor, I fear the end is near. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. The steps continue until the noise stops so close, I can hear the person breathing. Who is it? And what have I done to attract such a monstrosity and all I’ve endured the last few days?

  Light pierces through the woollen blanket, now the only thing hiding me as the trapdoor creaks open, the sound of it crashing to the floor within a couple of seconds.

  This is it—the moment of truth as I feel the covering of the blanket leave me, and I squint through the late afternoon sun shining directly into my childhood room.

  I can’t believe who I see standing near me with the look of a successful predator.

  “Kate? Why?” I ask the redheaded workmate who’s aiming her long barrelled pistol at my face.

  “You think you’ve known me a long time, but you really have no idea who I am, do you? Even after all these years of working together, you still don’t recognise
me from the day you fucked my sister when she was drunk and high. You and Roger drank with her, and when you went for a toilet stop, Roger got her high on coke. Did you know she was so high when you were banging her senseless? Did you know I walked in on you when you were doing her doggie style in her bed? My older sister, who took care of me from the age of fifteen when my parents died in a car accident, was forced to sign the forms to sell the family house that was our only form of security. But you didn’t care, as long as you and Roger got those jobs with our now deceased boss, you had no reason to give a shit.”

  “You’re Leonie’s little sister?” the realisation smacks my forehead like a mallet. Leonie’s name on the title deed to her family home had been the last obstacle in Phelps’s quest to sell all five properties that needed to be demolished to make way for a major apartment development worth millions of dollars. The word on the street had been Phelps had also been on the receiving end of a cash settlement if he could keep the total outlay below a certain figure.

  Roger knew enough about Leonie to be able to get her to drink with us at our usual Friday afternoon drinking spot, and back then, he had the occasional intake of the white powdered nose candy. I refused to ever try it, on account of my tendency to fall victim to any type of addiction. “And all this time, I thought you wanted to fuck me.”

  She nods her head. “Oh, yes, I’m gonna fuck you, but most of all, I’ve been waiting for this day to fuck you over. Did you know my sister, the only person I had left in this world, slit her wrists a month later when she realised she signed the fucking form you put in front of her when she had been in no state to sign a damn thing?”

  “I’m so sorry, Kate. I had no idea back then about anything but getting myself in the hottest real estate firm in the city. But I’m not like that now.”

  “You stupid prick. That doesn’t bring Leonie back, does it?”

  I shake my head.