Ultimatum

by Eduard Joseph

someone in a dire situation.

  “Detective Black.” Jim said concerned, “What is it?”

  Detective Black took a deep breath and asked, “Mister Steward, may we come inside for a moment?”

  “Yes.” Jim said, “Sure.”

  Jim stepped aside and once the officers were inside, he closed the door. He led them to the living room. He was uncertain what was going on, but feared the worst.

  “What is it, detective?” Jim asked.

  “I think you’d better sit down.” Detective Black said.

  “No, I think I’ll stand.” Jim insisted.

  “Very well.” Detective Black said, “Your wife was in a car accident.”

  Jim’s face turned as white as a sheet and his heart sank into his feet. He knew something was wrong. He just knew it!

  “Is she alright?” Jim asked flabbergasted.

  Delivering bad news was something Detective Black hated.

  “The paramedics got to the scene.” Detective Black said, “She had a lot of internal injuries. There was nothing they could do for her.”

  Jim could feel the strength leave his body. His legs grew weak and he had a nauseated gulp stuck in his throat. He sat down trembling. Mary was dead? This could not be happening. It felt surreal.

  “I am truly sorry for your loss.” Detective Black said.

  Jim lowered his head and stared at the floor in a dazed state.

  “We can stay with you until your daughter comes home.” Detective Black said, “Nobody should be alone after hearing such news.”

  A moment passed and then Jim looked up. His eyes were red and tearing up. He could not fight the tears any longer.

  “Where did it happen?” Jim asked.

  “Just outside a gas station on route 23.” Detective Black said.

  Jim seemed shocked upon hearing those words.

  “Route 23?” Jim asked confused, “What was she doing out there?”

  “We don’t know.” Detective Black said, “She probably took a short cut.”

  “And the other driver?” Jim asked.

  “The driver of the blue Datsun is in a critical condition at St Lewis Hospital.” Detective Black responded.

  Jim stared out the window and a tear ran down his cheek. A blue Datsun? What were the chances? Maybe it was just a coincidence.

  “I need to be alone.” Jim said.

  Detective Black nodded and said, “You have my number. Contact me any time if you need something.”

  “Where were your officers who were to be at her side?” Jim asked without looking at Detective Black.

  “They lost her in the traffic.” Detective Black said, “They caught up with her, but they were too late. There was nothing they could have done to prevent this. This is nobody’s fault.”

  Jim wiped the tear from his cheek.

  “Sure.” Jim said with malice.

  Nobody wanted to take responsibility for what happened, but he knew who was to blame; the driver in the Datsun.

  “Again,” Detective Black said, “I am terribly sorry for your loss.”

  Jim nodded and the police officers showed themselves out. He stared out the window and watched as they got into the car and drove off.

  His emotions were all mixed up. He felt sorrow and hate at the same time. He sat there just staring out through the window for almost an hour. His mind was blank and his eyes were drowning. He could not comprehend a world without Mary. Nothing felt real anymore.

  There was a knock at the front door. He looked up and wiped the tears from his face. He slowly got up as there was another knock.

  “I’m coming!” he yelled out.

  Jim got to the front door and opened it. There was nobody at the door. He was confused and stepped out onto the porch. He looked all around the porch. There was nobody in the garden either. He stepped back into the house and closed the door. As soon as the door closed, there was another knock.

  He froze in his tracks and slowly turned to face the door. He slowly reached out for the door knob and took a firm hold of it. There was another knock and then Jim flung open the door.

  Again there was nobody on the porch. This time he did not bother to check the garden. He simply closed the door. He turned around and found himself face to face with the tall, thin and creepy guy in the overcoat. The man startled Jim whom stumbled back a few feet and crashed into the door. The man did not say anything. He simply stared at Jim with his blank eyes. He studied Jim’s reactions without saying a word. Jim was furious at the sight of the man in his house.

  “You!” Jim gasped.

  Jim got back his footing and stepped closer to the man. Hatred was building up inside of him. The creepy man had to be the driver of the Datsun.

  “Did I not tell you what would happen?” The man said, “Did I not tell you to kill Cindy Johnson or there will be consequences? Why did you not heed my warning?”

  Jim did not want to believe what he was hearing. It was impossible. There was no way the man knew that this would happen. He had to be behind it somehow.

  “No.” Jim said shaking his head, “It was a car accident. You couldn’t possibly…”

  “You have no idea what I am capable of.” The man said sternly, “By not doing what I instructed you to, you have started a chain of events you can no longer control.”

  Anger was mounting inside of Jim. He felt like killing the man with his bare hands. Jim lashed out with his hands aiming for the man’s throat. The man stood still, not moving a muscle. With the power of suggestion, the man forced Jim to stop in his tracks. Jim was unable to move forward or backwards. A powerful unseen force had a grasp on him.

  “What the hell?” Jim cried out.

  Jim tried to move, but was unable to.

  “Do not test me.” The man said in a low collected voice, “As I said, you have no idea what I am capable of.”

  “Who are you?” Jim asked still struggling to free himself.

  “My name is Zaman.” The man responded.

  “What do you want?” Jim asked.

  “It seems what I want is irrelevant to you.” Zaman said, “You did not do what I instructed you to do. Your wife was a test – which you failed.”

  “A test?” Jim asked. “A test for what? Who simply goes around killing people because a creep in an overcoat told them to?”

  “If I loved my wife and someone gave me such an ultimatum,” Zaman said, “I’d do it in a heartbeat. As you can see I am very serious. Now that I have your attention…”

  Zaman loosened his mental grip on Jim and he fell to the floor gasping for air. He could not make sense of what happened.

  “Get up.” Zaman demanded.

  Jim looked up at Zaman and slowly got to his feet. As he rose he bumped his head against a rope hanging from the ceiling. Jim looked up and saw that the rope was tied in a hangman’s noose.

  “What is this?” Jim asked scared.

  “This is your last ultimatum.” Zaman said. “You have to hang yourself until you are dead by midnight tonight, or your only daughter will die.”

  Fury took Jim over. Who the hell did this guy think he was? He could not seriously think that Jim would kill himself and he would definitely not touch his daughter. He would not allow that.

  “You will not lay a finger on my daughter!” Jim shouted out in anger, “Or I will hunt you down and kill you! Do you hear me? I will kill you with my bare hands.”

  “I won’t have to touch your daughter.” Zaman said. “You have until midnight to hang yourself or your daughter will die – and you will be the one that kills her.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Jim asked, “What do you gain out of this?”

  “I gain nothing.” Zaman said, “I came to warn you about your wife. You ignored me and now she is dead. Do not let my final warning land on deaf ears.”

  Zaman pushed past Jim and opened the door. Before leaving, he turned around. He stared at Jim whom seemed terrified.

  “If I were you,” Zaman said, “I’d
hang myself before my daughter gets home, but the way events play out is really up to you. Remember, you have until to midnight. Oh and lastly, do not stray from the path laid out for you. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I’d hate for you to go through the loss of another loved one.”

  Zaman closed the door behind him as he left.

  6

  Jim paced up and down in the living room. He stared at the clock against the wall next to the window. It was almost seven PM. He was getting worried about Alice. She usually got home after book club just after half past six. Maybe she knew what had happened. But who would have told her? He wanted her home. He wanted to sit her down and tell her what had happened to her mother. It was not something you could tell someone over the phone or rush. He simply had to wait until she got home.

  His phone beeped. He turned around, picked up his mobile and read the message. It was from Alice. She was going over to a friend’s house and would be home late.

  Jim tried to breathe, but found it difficult. He felt guilty for feeling relieved that Alice did not know about her mother. Thankfully the news did not reach her through the school grapevine. He would let her have one last fun night with her friends before telling her news that would bring her world crashing down. How do you tell your daughter her mother passed away? How do you tell her that a total stranger warned that it might happen?

  What to do? He had seen that Zaman was serious. But how could he know that by killing himself, his daughter would live? Was this a chance he could risk? What if it was just a sick mind game the stranger was playing? How could he be certain that Zaman would not kill Alice after Jim killed himself?

  What did Zaman have to gain from the ultimatum?

  Jim started pacing up and down again. He glanced over at the front door and spotted the hangman’s noose dangling from the ceiling.

  Jim doubted that he had the motivation to hang himself. He walked over to the front door and stared at the hangman’s noose. He touched it and it lightly swayed back and forth. The noose slowly untied by itself and then the rope dropped to the floor. Jim took a step back and stared down in confusion.

  The sound of crackling wood made Jim look up again. The word midnight slowly carved its way into the wood of the front door.

  “What the—“ Jim whispered to himself.

  He took a step forward, crouched down and reached out towards the carved word. As his fingertips touched the engraved letters, they vanished. He stood a moment and looked at the door. He ran his hand across the area where the word was. The wood was smooth again.

  He heard voices outside in the garden and opened the door. It was misty outside – almost as if in a dream. The sun had set already and the street was lit up by the streetlamps. He saw a police car parked outside the house. One police officer cordoned off his house with do not enter: crime scene tape. Another two police officers walked up to the house, oblivious of Jim’s presence. What was happening? Was he having a premonition? Was he seeing the future?

  “What’s going on?” Jim asked.

  The police officers ignored him and walked pass him. They entered the house. Jim turned around and saw the coroner and his assistant zip up a body bag. There were two body bags in the living room.

  “What is this?” Jim asked.

  The sound of Jim’s mobile made him jump. When he turned around to reach for the phone he was alone in the house. He looked around him. There were no body bags in the living room, no police and no coroner. He stared out the open front door. There was no police car or police tape outside his house. It was the strangest thing he had ever experienced.

  He walked over to his mobile phone and answered the call.

  “Hello?” Jim answered.

  “Mr. Steward, it’s Detective Black.” Detective Black said, “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m having one strange evening.” Jim said, “I’ve started seeing things – really weird things. I guess it’s just my body’s way of coping with what happened.”

  There was a moment of silence and then Detective Black spoke again.

  “You shouldn’t be alone.” Detective Black said, “Are you sure we