It was a sound as violent as thunder.
As jarring as a crash of the sea.
As sudden as a horn in traffic.
A single gunshot.
He was a mugger; the man who pulled the trigger. He didn't know either of us from Zeus. It had started as a simple night out. She had come to my apartment at 9 o'clock and told me to get my butt off the couch. She told me that we were going out; and that there was nothing I could do about it. We had gone a see a movie, and had a quick bite to eat. We were on our way back to my apartment to wrap up the evening when it happened.
The poor fool.
He appeared from nowhere, as if a phantom from the shadows. He had a gun in his hand. He waved it at us vigorously. He spoke in hushed tones, quiet orders. He wanted us to go into the alley. She and I knew where this was going. He wanted the paper in our wallets. Chances were good that there was no bullets in the gun.
How wrong I was.
I made a bad choice, I jumped for it. And he pulled the trigger.
A sickening sound struck my ears, a wet thud, followed by a hollow gasp.
I turned and in my distraction he was gone. However, I cared not.
She was still standing, a look of shock written on her face as a red stain began to grow on her shirt. She started to fall and quickly I moved to catch her. I was terrified. She coughed and a thin line of blood leaked from her mouth and down her cheek. She looked up at me with uncertain eyes. Eyes full of fear. I tried to comfort her. She started to cry. I brushed away her tears.
I shouted for an ambulance.
Someone opened their window above me.
A distant siren was heard.
A small crowd gathered, 7 people maybe more.
One of them tapped my shoulder and told me they'd called for an ambulance.
She looked at me with a quiet certainty and spoke a few short words,
"Oh Gods... I'm dying.."
I shook my head, I told her she'd be okay.
I told her not to worry.
I knew she was right. She'd become very pale, very cold. I was scared. Her breathing started to slow.
"No. No you can't go.. Please.. Stay with me.."
She almost smiled, a solitary tear rolled down her face.
And then she was still.
Her electric blue eyes stared up at the sky, unblinking and dim.
I broke.
My body wracked with sobs, I cried out into the cold night.
"No! You can't go! You can't! I love you damn it! You can't leave me! Why!? Oh Gods why!?"
I hugged her limp body to my own. Already she had begun to grow cold.
An ambulance arrived, but it didn't matter.
I was alone again, and Thalia was dead.