DESPERATE

18

With a furious kick, the woman broke down the door and crashed into the bathroom. She fell hard on the tiled floor. She felt a searing pain in her scalp as Randall grabbed her hair and dragged her across the bathroom. He shoved her next to her lover, who cowered in fear. They both shivered under his menacing glare.

Randall bounced around the small room like a hyperactive child. He waved the gun in their faces and shouted, "Pow! Pow!" He repeated the same gesture and sound, as if he was playing a game.

The woman sobbed and hid her face in her hands. Tom stroked her hair and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, Leann. I'll protect you."

Randall watched them console each other. A bitter taste rose in his mouth as he fought the urge to vomit. He felt a pang of pity for Jillian and the kids. How could Tom betray his own family?

Randall ordered them to get up and go to the living room. He had a million crazy ideas running through his mind. He wanted to punish them for kidnapping him and cheating on his wife.

Tom and Leann watched in horror as the little person ransacked their bedroom, tossing their belongings everywhere. They knew they had to stay still and silent, or he would shoot them without mercy.

Randall came back with a wicked grin on his face, holding a Polaroid camera in one hand and a gun in the other. He set the gun down next to his feet and said, "Tom, I want you to unbutton her blouse."

Tom felt a surge of fear and confusion as he obeyed, fumbling with the buttons of Leann's blouse. Leann's face turned red as Randall's eyes roamed over her lace bra.

“Put your hand in her bra and kiss her passionately.” Randall ordered them. Tom and Leann  looked at each other hesitantly and then obeyed him.

He took dirty pictures of them. “Tell you what, I'm not a kid. I am a shortened version of an adult. Jillian and your children will have fun looking at these pictures of their cheating father and his slutty mistress.” Randall blackmailed them.

Tom leaped to his feet, "Stop! Don't let them see those photos."

Leann stared at him in shock, "You've been deceiving me all along. I believed she was infertile. You despised children and never wanted any."

Happy, Randall sat on the floor and watched them argue. "Unfortunately, Tom leads a double life. You kidnapped the wrong person. You also betrayed her as well."

Angry and hurt, Leann slapped Tom.

Annoyed, Tom grabbed a photo of a waterfall from the wall and threw it at Randall.

The edge of the frame cut his lower eyelid. Randall bounced on his feet and shot Tom point blank in the head. Brain matter spilled everywhere.

Leann’s bloodcurdling scream agitated Randall. He shot her mouth.

Randall was extremely disappointed that his fun had ended already. He searched for a shovel and spent hours digging a deep grave in the backyard. His back ached as he dragged the heavy bodies outside and buried them. Drenched in sweat and filth, he still had to clean the bloody mess in the living room. He wished Kenzo was there to do his dirty work. Dead tired, he slept throughout the entire day.

Randall woke up with a growl in his stomach. He headed to the kitchen and cooked himself a lavish breakfast. After satisfying his hunger, he indulged in a hot bubble bath. He needed to wash off the traces of his crime.

He rummaged through the closet and found some children's clothes that barely fit him. He didn't want to leave his fingerprints or DNA behind. He covered his hands and feet with socks. He also pocketed the obscene photos that he had taken of Tom and Leann. He planned to use them as leverage later.

As he was about to leave the house, he spotted a gray car speeding towards him. He quickly hid in the open garage and watched as two lanky men got out of the car. They looked angry and determined. Randall heard a loud thud as they kicked the front door open. They searched the house for Tom and Leann, but they were nowhere to be found. "I can't believe they escaped with our money. We have to hunt them down before they flee abroad." One of them said. They got back in their car and drove away.
Randall breathed a sigh of relief. He had dodged a bullet.

“The money is mine now. Tom and Leann are dead.” Randall muttered as he searched the cabin. Nothing. He had to look in the closet one more time. He pushed aside a pile of clothes and spotted a black briefcase. His hands trembled as he fumbled with the lock. He finally opened it and saw the cash. He grinned.

Randall grabbed all the money and crammed it into a pillowcase. “Now I just need to figure out where the hell I am and how to get out of here.” He lugged the heavy pillowcase back to the cabin and went out to the porch. He sat cross-legged and surveyed the area. He was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees. He felt a pang of loneliness and despair.

A tear rolled down his cheek. He missed Jillian, the kids, and Kenzo. His family needed him. If only Tom, that dead bastard, hadn’t kidnapped him, he wouldn’t be in this mess. It was all his fault. “I can’t stay here!” he screamed.

Sitting on the porch, the little man felt a wave of boredom wash over him. He went back inside the cabin, hoping to find something to do. But the place was deserted and dull. He couldn't stand it anymore. He needed to escape. He walked into the kitchen and recoiled at the sight.

Dirty dishes and pans were stacked everywhere. A fat rat with a piece of bacon in its mouth scurried out of the sink. The stench of the overflowing trash can made him gag. He missed his clean and tidy kitchen at home. He spotted a black plastic bag in a drawer and grabbed it. He stuffed it with some food items: cereals, pretzels, stale cookies, gummy bears and water bottles. He was ready for his long trek on foot. He didn't care how long it would take him to get home. He just wanted to leave.

Randall stumbled upon another closet stuffed with children's belongings. He felt a jolt of shock as he lifted a pink Barbie backpack. It brought back memories of Gail, the eccentric child. He loathed those skinny, plastic Barbie dolls with their eerie eyes. A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled her obsession with them. He tossed the backpack aside and rummaged through the other items.

He discovered a wooden slingshot and several bags of glass marbles. "Perfect weapon," he muttered. "I don't need to use my finger to poke people's eyes. I will blind them with marbles."

He stuffed the slingshot and some marbles into his backpack. He smashed every window in the cabin, enjoying the sound of breaking glass.

It briefly distracted him from his loneliness. He was about to leave, but he realized he had no space for the money. "I'll use the pillowcase," he decided. Randall couldn't leave the cabin without bidding farewell to Tom and Leann, his former captives. He walked out to the spot where he had buried them. He knelt down and kissed the ground twice. "Bye, see you in hell."