The girl in the basement

The last part of Chapter Eight:

When I entered the basement it was pitch black. I waded through the darkness to the other wall, feeling for the light switch. I could hear her breathing. I flicked it and the bathroom flooded with light which bled into the larger room. She was huddled in the corner, watching me fearfully. She’d known this was coming ever since that last phone conversation with her father. She’d known his confession was the sound of her time running out. I pulled out the gun and she gave me a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Turn around look at that wall and get on your knees” I ordered

She shook her head

“No, I want you to look at me when you empty that gun into my head. I want you to see everything. It’s my dying wish”

Shooting someone in the back of the head was one thing. Looking someone in the eye was something else entirely. Cal’s voice sounded in my head, telling me not to let him down again.

“I won’t” I said only realising I’d spoken out loud because of the puzzled look on her face, her head cocked to the side curiously. I felt my neck and cheeks burn hot with embarrassment and raised my gun and pointed it at her forehead. Those blue eyes bore into me, looked through me. For a moment I Felt she could see inside me like an x ray, felt like she was looking straight into my soul. If she really could see my soul she was brave, she hadn’t recoiled in horror.

“You didn’t kill that girl” She said

“Correct” I replied taking the safety off the pistol

“You’ve never killed anyone”

“Incorrect”

“Then why can’t you shoot me?”

“I will”

“Your boss is making you do this”

I willed my finger to squeeze the trigger but it wouldn’t. I couldn’t pull it. What was happening to me?

“You’re not like them, I can tell. You’re a good person really…”

“I can see where you’re going with this. Please don’t embarrass yourself”

“He’s a bad guy. You don’t have to be like him”

“Careful, you don’t know him. You don’t know me.”

I continued to twitch under her stare like a bug under a microscope. I was the one holding the gun so why did it feel like she was holding all the power

“I know you haven’t killed me. I know you don’t want to kill me”

“Incorrect, again”

Correct. She might have been wrong a few days ago but standing here now I didn’t want to kill her, I couldn’t kill her. I couldn’t stand her stare, the feeling that she could see my insides, I felt like a flayed man.

“Don’t do it. Just let me go. I won’t say anything; I won’t even go home. I just want to start again”

I believed her but that didn’t matter. Cal wouldn’t believe her

“You know I can’t do that”

She smiled sadly

“Do you think there’s an afterlife” She asked

“I would love to tell you yes”

“I don’t either” She said, closing her eyes

Thank god, I could do it now, now she wasn’t watching me. I started to squeeze down on the trigger. In a few seconds Sophia Hunter would be dead. I could make this all up to Cal, move on with my life and stop thinking about the girl in the basement.

“Jack, Jack” Rayne yelled through the door

“Give me a second, I’m doing it” I yelled back

“Don’t, Cal says don’t”

Sophia opened her eyes, they were shining with hope

I dropped my gun and went to Rayne on the other side of the door, making sure to lock it behind me.

“Cal has changed his mind” Rayne hissed as I followed her back up the stairs

Sophia Hunter wouldn’t die today but I knew that soon she would wish she had.