The Dead Woman

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Abbey cocked her head to the side, a frown on her rotting features. The sirens grew louder by the second.

"Your hall phone is off the hook, Abbey," Matt said. "I wonder why."

Understanding lit Abbey's face. "You asshole."

Matt nodded. "I'm not that dumb. They'll be here soon, too. You wanna get out of here? Better do it quick."

"My, my." Mr. Dark grinned at Matt and winked. "That was quite clever."

Abbey turned to face Mr. Dark, probably intending to tell him to shut the fuck up. Matt would never know what she was about to say, because he seized her momentary distraction and grabbed the gun. Abbey jerked her hand back, but Matt held his grip, and the two of them wrestled with the pistol while the sirens approached. Matt's finger inadvertently closed on the cylinder release and for a moment it came free, but Abbey put her hand on it and forced it back into the body of the gun with a click, pinching Matt's palm in the process.

Matt was stronger than Abbey, his body hardened by years of heavy manual labor, but Abbey was faster. She twisted to the side and launched a straight kick to Matt's face. Matt was able to jump aside, but the blow hit him in his wounded shoulder. The flash of pain that rolled over him made the initial gunshot feel like a paper cut. He lost his grip on the gun and fell to the floor, trying to clear the stars from his vision.

When his vision cleared, Abbey was standing over him, the gun pointed right at his temple. Mr. Dark was nowhere to be seen.

"See you in hell," Abbey said. Her voice sounded muffled, probably because of the maggots chewing on her tongue. She pulled the trigger.

Click!

Abbey stared at the gun in her hands, the question forming on her rotting lips. "What the fuck?" She pulled the trigger again.

Click!

Matt held up his clenched hand and slowly opened it, allowing Abbey to see the bullet he'd managed to palm during the struggle. He smiled as he let it drop on the floor.

Just then, two police officers burst into the bedroom, pistols drawn and pointed right at Abbey's chest.

"Drop the gun," one of them yelled.

Abbey turned to face them and dropped the pistol to the floor. "Thank God you're here, officers," she said. "I caught this asshole breaking in. He shot Annie Jordan, but I was able to—"

"Save it," the officer said. "Turn around and put your hands behind your back."

"But I—"

"Now!"

Abbey turned around to face Matt, who watched as the officer walked up behind her and pulled what looked like a thick plastic zip tie from his belt. Better than handcuffs, he thought.

"We found Dale," the officer said to Abbey. "Alive. He told us everything. Next time you shoot a cop, make sure you kill him. Otherwise he's just gonna put the finger on you."

"I'll take that under advisement," Abbey said. The look on her face could have cracked granite.

Just as the cop was about to bind her wrists, Abbey spun into a low kick that sent him to the floor. The other cop fired his weapon, but the shot went wide and thudded into the wall behind Matt. Faster than Matt could follow, Abbey grabbed the gun from the downed officer and fired a round at the cop who was still on his feet, hitting him square in the chest. He flew backward into the hall as Abbey readjusted her aim and pointed the gun at the prone officer's head.

"What was that advice you gave me about shooting cops?" she asked, winking. Then she pulled the trigger.

Outside, new voices shouted in alarm at the gunshots, and the sound of a dozen booted feet pounded through the house. Abbey didn't seem to notice. She turned to face Matt.

Matt had grabbed the only thing he could find to use as a weapon, his grandfather's ax, which Abbey had leaned against the wall. The familiar weight and heft felt like an old friend, and a comfortable warmth spread through him as he swung.

Abbey pulled the trigger.

The ax bit into her shoulder.

Both of them went to the floor. Matt heard the bullet whizz by his head, missing him by a hairs breadth. He landed hard on his injured shoulder, sending fresh waves of pain through his whole body. The room blurred and spun, leaving him in a state of vertigo. The blood loss didn't help. He tried to stand, but somehow his feet wouldn't listen, and the last thing he heard was one of the cops yell, "She's alive!" just before he slid into darkness.