Free Falling

Free Falling, Splat!

She couldn't believe her eyes. Well, she could, but she damn sure didn't want to. Despite the tears that clouded her vision, she could still make out the horrific image on the projector screen in front of her. One hand glued over her mouth, which had found its way up there when Killbane clicked the mouse of his computer. Her other arm wrapped around her stomach, partly because of the pain, partly because of the nausea that threatened to bring up her lunch.

"I can explain."

That voice. She turned around slowly. Jamien. He stood there, pale as a ghost, just as grim. To add insult to injury, there was a gun in each hand. She frowned. He realized what she was looking at and gently put them down, then put his hands in the air. Surrender. She took three tries to clear her throat and even then her voice was still thick. "Explain how?" She looked back at the picture of him up on the wall. "There's no mistaking it. It speaks for itself, Jamien."

He flinched at the use of his name. It sounded so impersonal now. "I-I know, Dee, but there's more to it than just that - "

"LIKE WHAT?!" She shrieked, her voice echoing. She looked at him, expecting an answer but he didn't have one. He looked lost, as if he knew he was losing his way with her. Tough. She was shattered once again - there was no coming back from this shit. She looked at the image again. It was like looking at a train wreck. She could not take her eyes off of it.

It was a photo taken from a security camera from inside the Gift Shoppe, of him holding someone in front of him, aiming a gun at someone off camera. A sagging body. A dead body.

A dead Layla.

More tears fell as she let out a shuddering breath. She'd kissed the bastard. Had allowed him to hold her, feed her his stupid lies.

When all along, he'd been the one who destroyed her sanity, broken her heart, and utterly killed her spirit. She looked at him again. "How could you?"

A look crossed his face. Fear? Regret? "I didn't know then. I didn't know - If I could go back in time..." He kept talking but something had dawned on her.

"You knew all along, didn't you?" Her voice was low, a whisper that came from nightmares.

He stopped talking, unsure of how he should answer. For once in his life, he was truly cornered with no way of surviving. "Dee - "

"When did you find out?" She paused, remembering on her own. "Pierce told you." She allowed her hands to drop to her sides. "He knew, too."

"We knew that I was the one who started the shooting." He looked up at the picture. "But, damn Dee, I didn't remember her until recently. I wanted to tell you the truth, but you were happy. You were just getting over her."

"Three years. Three long years of therapy, of being handled like porcelain, of taking anti-depressants - three long years I will never get back...because of you." She gestured to the picture. "You used her as a fucking meat shield! How can you not remember doing some shit like that?!"

"In my defense, I did that often. You don't keep track of each and every person you grab a hold of."

The following silence seemed to stretch on forever. "You heartless monster."

"Dee, you knew who I was and what I've done the minute you let go and fell for me. You even accepted the fact I could have had something to do with the shooting. Why are you so surprised and upset?" He moved closer, tried reaching for her hand but she yanked away and stepped out of his reach.

"I only know what you've told me. You knew I'd want to know this. You didn't tell me. Sending your flunkies out to kill is one thing. Doing it yourself is a whole different matter."

"Is it really any different? To me, doing it myself is better - only a coward sends people out to do what he could do." He sighed, running his hand over his face then through his hair. "The police are on their way. We can argue about this in the car."

"What makes you think I'd go anywhere with you? As you said, what would Layla say? You killed her." She shook her head as another wave of tears came. "I can't believe I never asked."

He dropped his hands and stared at her. "I didn't kill her."

She scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'm supposed to believe that shit, Jamien?"

Pain crept into his chest, wrapped around his heart, and slowly began to squeeze it tight. "I've never lied to you, Denitra."

"Omission is lying, Jamien."

"Then I didn't mean to." He took another step towards her, and she took another one away from him. It made his chest tighter.

"Yes, you did."

He ran out of words to say. They stared at each other until they could hear sirens in the distance. The door opened and Shaundi and Pierce ran in, guns in hand. "Boss - "

The words died in Pierce's throat as they both caught sight of the image. Shaundi recognized their leader but didn't understand the significance. "What's with the photo op?"

Pierce hesitated but brought himself to look at Denitra. The accusation in her eyes was worse than any bullet he'd ever taken. "Dee - "

"We have to go, Boss." Shaundi cut in, picking up on the tension and pain in the room. Now wasn't the time to deal with whatever they were going through. "SPD will storm the place in less than two minutes."

Jamien reached for Denitra again. "Please, just come with me. Hear me out and, if you don't like what I have to say, then I'll let you go. Please, Dee."

She shook her head, wrapped her arms around her body, and put more distance between them. "I'm sick of the people I give my heart to hurting me this fucking badly." She looked at them over her shoulder. "Go to hell, all of you."

Jamien opened his mouth to say something, but Shaundi grabbed his arm prompting Pierce to pick up his guns and push him out the door. Once they left, she allowed herself to fall apart. It seemed like gravity increased tenfold, causing her knees to buckle. She hit the floor with a hard smack on the wooden floor and cried out, heartache suffocating her. Her best friend died at the hands of the man she'd fallen in love with.

There was no fairness in the world.