Cassette

3. News

ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴀᴛ ɴᴀʀʀᴏᴡ ᴘᴀʀᴋ ʀᴏᴀᴅ ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴀʀꜱ ᴀᴛ 8.50ᴘᴍ. ᴀ ʜᴜꜱʙᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪꜰᴇ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ʜᴏᴍᴇ, ᴠᴇᴇʀᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴘᴘᴏꜱɪᴛᴇ ʟᴀɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʀᴀꜱʜᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ɪɴᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴄᴀʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴅɪᴇꜱ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ɴᴇᴀʀᴇꜱᴛ ʜᴏꜱᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ.

The television was broadcasting news.

I could hear roughly what it was being broadcasted but I was too tired to open my eyes to watch it. "Wake up. Dinner's ready," someone called.

I was slightly startled.

But surely awake. I rummaged my pocket for the ring.

I rubbed it.

It calmed me and I walked to the table and sat down.

She was sitting at the opposite end of the table.

Between us was a long dining table.

Made of oak.

I sat while she ate.

The sound of her cutting into the plate.

The clock ticking behind.

Her teeth tearing the steak.

I keep rubbing the ring until I couldn't stand it.

"Can you eat more silently?"

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Because you are my wife," I stated.

"Am I?"

I searched for the ring in my pocket.

"It's already on your hand. Don't you remember?"

I stared at the my ring finger.

The gold wedding glimmered.

I searched inside my pocket.

The ring had really disappeared.

"It can't be here."

I don't wear this ring. I tried to remove it from my hand but to no avail.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because..."

"Because you killed me."

"I-"

"You strangled me, the bruise is still left on my neck."

She pulled away the collar that was hiding the bruise.

It was black and blue.

I was speechless.

"I couldn't. I wouldn't. I love you."

"Did you?"

"What is that second ring you are hiding in your breast pocket?"

I searched it and found another golden ring.

Engraved on it was the words, 'David and Emily Forever'.

"You are lying. You are Emily."

"You can't even remember my name? How about my face?"

I looked at her face as it became that of a monster.

One of her eyeballs was hanging out from the eye socket.

There was a deep gash on the side of her cheek.

"You are so cruel to forget about me."

"I didn't kill you. I took it off. Those are fake. There was no mark on your neck."

"You are admitting now? You have killed me."

"I didn't."

I became even more desperate to remove the ring from my hand.

She walked over to my side and gently took it out.

Holding onto the ring under the light, it shone.

"David and Rachel Forever."

"Rachel, I didn't."

"You never threw it away. The ring. Like a trophy."

I couldn't refute.

The ring was a reminder, a keepsake. Of my victory.

"Of our death," she uttered.

I was confused.

Rachel stared at me with a smile on her lips.

Her eyes reflected the truth.

I stared into them and saw another deformed face.

"Till death do us part."

"I-"

.

I finally remember the things that happened.

On the way home.

I was driving, she bought up about Emily.

We had a heated argument.

She took off the ring and threw it at me.

I was angry. She kept insulting me and Emily.

I strangled her in the car.

.

She died; I saw the bruise. I took off the wedding ring.

I wanted to throw it out from the window.

But I couldn't.

I held it in my palm.

Proud while admiring the ring.

.

But she didn't die. I didn't notice.

Suddenly gasping for air. She was alive and tried to kill me.

However, since I had killed her once, I can kill her again.

We struggled.

With the last of her strength, she grabbed hold onto the steering wheel.

It swirled into the other lane.

There was a car coming.

.

We crashed.

We died.

.

The ring that he held in his hand, rolled away and fallen upon the side of the road.

Glimmering under the broken headlights. 

"ʀᴀᴄʜᴇʟ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ᴅɪᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴘᴏᴛ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴜꜱʙᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴘʀᴏɴᴏᴜɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏꜱᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ᴀᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 3ᴀᴍ."

ʜᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜʀᴏᴡɴ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀᴍɴ ʀɪɴɢ.

(699 Words)

It was inspired by a sudden news being broadcasted on the telly. What do you think about this story?