Out of Your Life
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!
Chapter Five
St. Augustine, Florida
As soon as the black-clothed figure appeared in the doorway, his high-powered rifle pointed at her, Lisa fired. One, two, three rounds fled her gun and the assassin fell down; his rifle letting a spray of bullets intended for her body hit the ceiling. His accomplice hurried towards her and she yanked the trigger three more times, suddenly eternally grateful for having spent plenty of time at a firing range learning how to use her small handgun.
With a sigh, she lowered her smoking gun and checked on Jackson. His breathing was shallow and his blue eyes were half-closed.
"Nice shot," he half-smiled.
"I blame it all on you."
"I know. So sorry, Leese…"
"Jackson, stop it. You're not dying. You're too much of a pain in the ass for that to happen."
"Sorry," he wheezed and with a shuddering breath, closed his eyes.
Lisa froze. For several months she had wanted this, but he was not supposed to die this way. He was supposed to die by her hand, not by trying to protect her. They were supposed to be enemies.
Yet he had dragged her to safety and brought to her a weapon that saved her life. How had he known what was happening? How had he known that she carried a gun in her purse? How…?
There were too many unanswered questions. Too many strange occurrences.
"You always leave me to clean up your messes," she scolded him, disentangling his long hair. "Why, Jackson?"
The silence was deafening. Lisa finally took a deep breath and dialed 911 on her cell phone. It was time to clean up his mess and her life.
Miami, Florida
Less than a month following the massacre, the last body was being laid to rest.
Twenty passengers on the bus had been brutally slaughtered in order for the assassins to reach Lisa and Jackson—the lone targets of the attack. The fact that they had both ended up on the same bus at the same time was not random. It was carefully planned.
The investigation had proven that Jackson and Lisa had both been followed for several weeks prior and that Jackson's flight to Miami had been aligned with Lisa's trip. The assassins pushed circumstances into their favor and planned to take out both of them at the same time.
Lisa Reisert, the solitary survivor, stood beside a recently filled grave and paid her final respects to the man who had perhaps unknowingly—maybe intentionally—saved her life.
No one had come forward to claim Jackson's body. He was to have been cremated and his ashes discarded to unknown places. At the end, Lisa stepped in and demanded a proper burial for her former captor. She had paid all the expenses and it was her alone who watched as the workers had lowered the gleaming casket into the earth and carefully covered it with dirt. It was now her who stood beside the grave.
"It's been strange knowing that you're gone for good. I was so used to looking over my shoulder for you. I was convinced after the flight that you were always there watching me. But now I know you aren't behind me. Maybe you are still watching me, but I don't know."
She sighed deeply and hung her head.
"I just wanted to say thank you. You saved me and I don't know why. I guess I'll never know."
A warm breeze caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes for a brief moment as a smile crossed her face. Then it ended and she bit her lip, reality sinking in.
"Good-bye, Jackson. It's time for me to finally move on."
She bent down and placed a single rose at the foot of the recently erected headstone. Then she stood up and slowly walked away into the afternoon sun, prepared to face another day on her own, her inner strength growing every day.
Author's Notes:
Well, that's all. I hope everyone enjoyed it. It changed a lot from what I had originally planned, but this short story seemed to have turned out rather well. Thanks for reading/reviewing! The prologue for my next story, Steal My Life, will be up later tonight!