The Death Of Me

“RUN!” his voice echoed through the cave. With no choice I bounded after him. As fast at my legs could carry me I sprinted away. Never before had I felt such an incredible rush. Fear coursed through my veins and pounded in my head, but I loved it. A laugh escaped my lips and he looked back at me. He smiled and continued running. I saw light up ahead so I turned off my flash light.

We raced away from the cave and down the small hill. The bear stopped running and let out a mighty roar when he reached the cave entrance. Then he turned around and waddled back into the cave. Ryan and I threw ourselves on the floor of the meadow, laughing and panting like hyenas. Finally, having regained his breath, Ryan rolled his eyes, “You're crazy!”

I sighed, “No, I'm adventurous. Besides, you were the one that literally poked the bear.”

Shaking his head he dug at the dirt, “I can picture my tomb stone now,” he remarked, “Ryan Everhart, death by poking the bear, 1990-2014,” he plucked a flower, “I'm telling you, you are going to be the death of me.”

Then a horrible thought registered in my mind and I awoke to the sound of my fan. My hand felt around in the dark searching for him but he was nowhere to be found. Soon my thoughts came together and the endless sorrow returned. I flopped back down on my pillow with a thump. I watched the clock until it beeped at me to wake up, “Just get through one more day,” I whispered to myself. The whole day I thought about him. No work got done. No fun was had. Nothing seemed to matter. My life had become boring since he had gone. The bold, daring life I lived before was over. I did not fight that. Even in the midst of others I felt so alone.

Again the night came. More memories of him swam through my dreams. Again I woke in the middle of the night. That morning I there was a knock on my door. I answered it to find him standing there. He was not saying anything. His expression did not change. Only a pained regretful look. I tried to push him down, but I fell right through him. It was only a hallucination. I called in sick at work that day. If something like that happened in front of people, they would lock me away in a straight jacket.

“I must have a fever,” I thought to myself. Again there was a knock at the door. There was nobody in sight, “I just imagined it,” I told myself, “Why would they knock? I have a doorbell.”

A few hours passed. I heard the doorbell but ignored it. Then I heard someone call my name from outside, “Jamie? Are you in there? It's me Ryan. Please open up...” I was shocked. I had to take a deep breath before getting up. I opened the door to find him, standing there, with flowers, in a tux.

I reached out and touched his face, then quickly retreated my hand, “What do you want?” I made sure my voice was harsh.

“I just want to talk to you... please?” I let him in and told him to sit down.  He started apologizing. He told me how big a mistake it was to break up with me and how much of an idiot he was for doing it. The only thing he didn't explain was why he broke up with me. So I asked him.

After a long awkward pause, he spoke, “I was in love with your friend Alexis... but I realized you are the one," he rushed to explain, "You are the only one Jamie. Please you have got to take me back!”

I turned away from him and walked to my bedroom, took out my gun, returned to the sitting room, and shot him through his skull. With a smile I looked at his dead body with pity, “You said I would be the death of you,” then I put a bullet in between my eyes.