Copyright ©2020 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved.
No part of this chronicle may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system – except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper – without permission in writing from the publisher, Creole Gaudet.
“You stole her fucking humanity! That girl was a virgin. You knew it, and you took that away from her!”
“Yeah, I did it… I’m sorry. What can I do? She was in a hotel… What the? I’m bleeding.”
“How many other young girls have you raped, motherfucker?!”
Gerald struggled, drifting out. “What’s going on?” He paused. “I don’t… I’m thinking… I’m trying to remember…”
“You filthy piece of shit!”
I stood upright, kicking him hard to the head. He went out cold.
By the legs, I dragged him onto the road, aligning him directly under the front of the semi.
I got behind the wheel and placed the shifter into gear.
As I released the clutch, the truck rose slightly on the passenger side. Gerald awakened, crying out in agony. I mashed the pedal to the floor, revving the engine, drowning his screams and pleas for mercy.
There was a sudden drop. Gerald went silent.
I searched, finding his toolbox behind the rear seat.
I sat it in a dry spot, away from the splattered blood and brain matter, that’d begun to run down the edge of the curb towards the sewer drain.
After opening the latches, I removed the cordless work light, a few of the big wrenches, and tossed them next to him before I took off running.
I saw the Corvette parked. Sway was sitting. I tapped on the window, startling her. She popped open the door. “Andre!”
“Shh. Don’t wake anyone. Did you bring my phone? You have it with you?”
“Yeah, it’s right here. I did everything you said, exactly. Why was that so important?”
“It proves I’ve been with you the entire time. Come on. Let’s walk.”
“What happened, baby? Tell me… What did you do?”
“I took care of that rapist…” Nausea quickly came over me. “Hold on…” I rushed to a tree, gripping the trunk as I emptied my stomach onto the grass below.
“Are you okay? Baby?”
“I’m good. Just my nerves, that’s all.”
Sway hurried into her bag, removing a handful of wet napkins. She tended to me, wiping my mouth and my face. “Baby, it’s going to be okay; whatever it is.”
We’d made it to the steps of the gazebo and took a seat on one of the benches. Sway wrapped her arms around me, comforting me. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’ll tell you only if it will help you. Like, if it will make you feel whole again.”
“Revenge?”
“Yes… I don’t want to put this on you if… If it’s not going to help, I don’t want you to know.”
“I want to know, Andre. I want to know every fucking detail.
“I want to know if he suffered and how he suffered.
“I want to know if he felt pain and how much pain he felt
“I want to imagine him crying and begging for his life like a bitch!
“If you had beaten him half to death, Andre, it wouldn’t bother me. I won’t lose any sleep because I want to look him in the eyes and I want him to know that it was because of me that he got fucked up.”
“You won’t be able to do that, Sway.”
“Andre…?”
I stared, watching the ducks breaking the moon’s beam as they coasted across the still water. I slowly turned to her. “What?”
“Is he…dead?”
I handed her his wallet. “He’s dead, Sway. He’ll never, ever harm you or anyone else again.”
She opened it, looking at his license photo. Sway hugged me tightly. “Thank you…” She began to weep. “You did this for me. I love you so much, Andre.”
“I love you, too.”
Sway stiffened. She drew back. “Wait! How did you get away? Did anyone see you?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“How did you get here?”
“I ran…all the way. I used the back roads. I stayed in the shadows and the dark.”
“That’s like…five miles?”
“I know.”
“We have to get you home… You must be tired, baby!” She took my hand. “Let’s get you something to eat.”
“You have to go to work. Cami’s waiting for you.”
“We can go tomorrow.”
“Go tonight like you planned. I want to… I need to relax for a while.
”HOME – 11:53 p.m.
Sway had made me a plate and took a Lyft with Cami to Big John’s.
After eating, I took a long, hot shower.
I’d removed a Heineken and sat in front of the TV. I scrolled through the channels, and on the news, they were again talking about this virus in China.
As I sat, my mind began to wander.
I ran the past couple of hours of my life through my head. I realized how lucky I was. I’d committed a murder, solely on emotion.
It wasn’t planned, plotted, or thought out. I’d just gone for it.
Even if some bright detective had figured out it wasn’t an accident, that Gerald wasn’t run over by his own truck while working on it, there was no way it could lead back to me.
At least I’d used some logic.
But what about my conscience? Will it haunt me?
He was a terrible person and deserved what he got, but was it my call?
What gave me the right? He’d done nothing to me. Would karma pay me a visit? And if so, would I owe a debt or be due a reward?
Creole Gaudet
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