The Games We Play

Cobra's Trigger

Ellie landed softly on the grass. She pulled her sweatshirt hood over her head to protect her ears from the crisp cool air. She looked at her watch that read 8:43. Ellie closed the window behind her and looked up. The sun had just begun to set. She walked in the direction of the park. She reminisced about the park when she was a young girl. Her father would push her on the swing set. But now, the swings were decaying and infested with rust. She stared at the eerie metal slide and kept walking. She stopped at a stand still and listened for the river. Sure enough, she heard the smooth flow of the water. Ellie noticed a small dock on the edge of the green lush grass. The sight looked peaceful... Until she noticed Liam sitting on the edge of the dock, swinging his feet over the ledge with a bag in hand.

Ellie cautiously approached him. Once Liam heard the footsteps, he scrambled to his feet and faced her. "Most people wouldn't get it." He spat out. Ellie noticed the rage in his eyes. "What?" She whispered fearfully. "The damn riddle. I like you, you're smart." He put his hands in his pockets. Ellie took a step forward, but he took a step back, getting dangerously close to the edge of the dock. "Are you okay?" Ellie asked concerned. "You think you can fix everything. Everyone does... But you can't fix this." Liam lifted up his shirt to reveal scars and stiches on his body. "I'm sorry." Ellie said shakily. "But I know how you feel. My mom, she-" "You're still a virgin, aren't you?" He blocked off Ellie's sentence. "People brag and talk about how they want sex so badly. But they don't know what it's like." He snapped. Ellie began to sweat. She didn't know what to say. She licked her dry lips and pursed them together. "But I know it's not your fault. I guess it's mine for staying." He muttered. Liam wiped a tear from his cheek. Ellie took a step closer. Liam didn't move. He pulled the bag off of the dock and took an item out of it. In his hand he held a gun.

Ellie gasped. "I... You don't need to do this!" She sobbed. Ellie was confused. She didn't know why she was overcome with sadness when she didn't even know him. Liam shook his head. "I can't live with the memories anymore. She...." He trailed off. Ellie took another step, but he pointed the gun up at her. "They all think I'm retarded. At school, nobody wants to talk to me because they are scared that I'll kill 'em or something." He paused. "I'm the freak in our grade. I'm that one kid that classmates are scared of and teachers feel sorry for." He sniffed in. Ellie stood in shock, just listening. "I wish I was never born!" He screamed. Ellie fell to her knees. "Don't say that!" She screamed back. "I can help you! I promise!" She pleaded. Liam stared at her. "That's what they all say. But you can't take away every second of everyday feeling worthless. Feeling alone." He turned around to stare at the river. "I am secluded from the rest of the world. And to think, people say they truly know someone."

Ellie started to panic and gasp for air. Liam sighed deeply still facing the rushing current. "Does anyone tell you you're beautiful?" He asked Ellie out of the blue. She looked up at him, trying to make out his face through the tears welling up in her eyes. She shook her head. Liam looked back at the river. "Oh." He stated. "Well, they should." He stood with his arms outstretched on the dock like an angel. Ellie gasped and tried to move closer to him. He put the gun up to his blond hair, shifting the tiny strands. "It's been nice meeting you, Ellen." All Ellie heard was a bang.

Blood. Blood was seeping into the dock's old wood. It came out of the other side of his head. Without warning, Liam's body fell forward into the death ridden river. Ellie's knees collapsed under her. Chunks of flesh remained on the dock. Every time Ellie closed her eyes, he was there. Not even a sound had come from his mouth when he pulled the venomous trigger. Death had snuck up on him like a cobra. His body would be mutilated and dismantled by the river's sharp rocks before anyone was to find him. Ellie threw up in her mouth. She began to shake and sob violently. There was nothing she could do about it. The blood had traveled up to Ellie's knees like a snake seeking warmth. She inched away slowly. Ellie stood up with tears in her eyes and ran. She ran past the swing set. She ran past the bench where Nick sat. She ran past old abandon houses. She ran until she got to the mansion. She sat on the porch not knowing what to do next. Who would she tell? There was no service here. Ellie wiped her salty tear stained cheeks. Her eyes were sore from crying. It haunted her. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see his bright blond hair being stained with blood, and then falling gracefully into the jaws of the angry river. Ellie held her breath, trying to calm herself. "Help!" She screamed shakily. But she knew no-one would ever hear her.

Once she stopped crying, she opened the window and climbed back through. She closed the it behind her and sighed. She wandered aimlessly up to her room and with heavy motion, bounced on her bed. She inhaled deeply. Her eyes hurt and were puffy. To ease the pain, Ellie shut them tightly. Once she fell asleep, she had the worst dream she had ever had in her life. She dreamt about Liam and his past life. She saw him being harassed and eventually raped by his own mother, who had the same bleached hair as him. The mother had a skintight skeleton face with eyes that could kill a sparrow with just a glance. Ellie rethought and replayed his suicide over and over again. He was the shy quiet kid in the class. She thought back to her own school. There was a boy like him in her class. Her friends made fun of him constantly. Ellie feared that she was one of those kids that pushed people like Liam over the edge. And to be honest, he was right. You never truly know someone.

She woke up in a cold hard sweat and looked at her phone. It was 3:34. Ellie groaned and sat up in her bed. She had to do something about this.