The Gun

By Jahnabi Basumatary  

This was my 2nd story written in the summer of 2011…  It is a story about a new girl in town going through an abusive relationship.

CAUTION: usage of explicit language

It was a cool and pleasant night outside. At about 9.30PM, Janice was making her way back home after taking a short trip at her cousin’s on the subway. Gifted and quick-witted, 25 years old Janice Berger was a self-satisfied girl with a bold ambition to have the most perfect life structured out for her. She was new to the town; it had barely been four months since her shift into the locality. No one knew much about her, neither was she in any hurry to befriending anyone and everyone. People rather called her surreptitious. A quiet sub-urbian girl, Janice had troubles working her relation out with her new found boy friend she met in a café she used to work in, Michael Jones a.k.a. Mike. Mike was a lanky, frustrated man of 30, working in a transportation company as a staff member. A person of pale and dull taste but intense likeness for guns; he was very bizarre and led a highly methodical life. It was this very nature of his that amused Janice at the first place. They had been together for about two and a half month now. However, their relationship was already on the rocks. Mike was aggressive... But for now, the abuse had not yet crossed to physical violence...

Janice had just reached home. Making her way up to her apartment, she had many things racing up her mind, a room full of infinite images. She was approaching her door when, to her utmost distress, she noticed that her apartment door was ajar… She could swear she’d left it locked just an hour ago! Carefully, she stepped into the already lit drawing room. Situations did not seem as though someone might have broken in. She wondered who it might be when… “Where were you?” her boyfriend enquired with the usual kind of aggression she was so exasperated with. He was always so very possessive, dominating and violent. “How did I ever get into this shit?” she had questioned herself too many times now. Everything seemed so perfectly fine initially... But again, anything does seem good at the beginning anyway, doesn't it?

“How did you get in?” asked a puzzled Janice. “The watchman gave me the spare key.” He pointed at the key on the table. “Now, answer my question, where were you?” he asked again with the same aggression in his tone. “I was out at Hera’s,” Janice replied sternly in a way as if he was not welcomed. “You are late,” remarked he, very slowly with each word distinct, and with an expression as though she had done a hideous crime. “It’s been hardly an hour before I returned. Mike, what’s the matter with you?” said an exhausted and annoyed Janice. 

“Now you listen to me, you’d better not leave without informing me first about where you’re going, whom you’re meeting and what you’re doing. Do you UNDERSTAND?” He strained like an old teacher from high-school leaning down on his pupil. “WHAT?!” chocked she, perplexed, “Just WHO do you think you are, my principal? You are not my dad! Just remember, I don‘t owe you. Why did you even come? Didn't we agree to give each other more space? What is it that you want?” she was in no mood to entertain him.

“If you continue with your behavior this way then you better watch out woman!” he clenched his fist at the last word, his voice rising as he got threatening with her. But now even she was infuriated beyond measures, she fell completely silent… Her tone was low, she hissed, “Out!” He stared at her… 

"Excuse me???" 

“Out of my house! I'm not your fucking slave waiting for your orders. This is my house, you better leave NOW or I’ll call the security,” her lips pursed tight, eyes cold and hand pointing towards the door.

Hearing this, he lost all his wits. He sprang towards her as if to destroy her for life. He dived on her like an A class swimmer and hit the couch as she just nearly dodged him. Gathering himself up, he turned to face her again with a twisted expression. But to his extreme horror and confusion, Janice was standing about 6 feet away from him pointing a gun right at him. 

“BACK OFF!” she barked. Now, one wouldn‘t have believed her of having a real gun, hadn‘t it been for his apt knowledge about them; he could tell, it was genuine. A Smith & Wesson Model 500 with .500 S&W Magnum round. A powerful gun... It shone in the light like a moonlit rivulet, and with every possibility of working just fine. He took a step back, big eyed and stammered, “J… J… Jan dear, w… what are you doing?”

Smirking maliciously, she spoke quietly, “Do you even know who the FUCK I am?” malevolence in her voice, “I’m a member of a deadly gang you DO NOT wanna know the name of, fucktard. You see this baby here?” motioning at her gun, she continued, “It’s the trophy I got for single handedly killin’ two filthy smug bastards just like you down the lane my first day here. Ain’t it beautiful?” in a tone barely louder than whisper mixed with tone of malice for him and wierd admiration for the gun. Mike couldn’t believe his eyes or what he was hearing. All of a sudden his sweet submissive little Jan was pointing a gun at him, speaking in an absurd way he had never heard from her before. Speechless, he could only stare with his eyes almost dropping out to the floor, and shiver while his reflexes had risen his hands up without him even realising it. The alpha lion from just a mere moments ago was now a marshmallow, ready to melt in a sound of a shot. She continued, taking a step forward very carefully, “You know how many bullets I have with me? 21!” ‘Cling! Cling!’ She fiddled her hand in the side pocket of her coat, “You hear that mothafucka? Yeah! That’s the sound of metal! I left with 25 when I went out for the 'game'... Shot 4 down in the guts of a punk down the corner of the road right before returning...”

“B… B… But,” he could only quiver, “How? S… since whe…?”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!! I am done with your bullshit and pretending to be your little miss fucking sunshine. I don’t have to answer to no one!” She yelled menacingly, “All those killings, no one had and no one will ever know a fucking thing about ‘em, you know why? Cause they are scared!” She sneered, "...and I'll kill every fucking last one of them… Including you..." a wicked mad grin curved in her face which sent a chill down Mike’s spine. She went on, "They are all scared of this God blessed scrap-metal in my hand. Nobody wanna mess around with ma gang! No body. I tried to be nice to you, but you... Fuck face, you had to push it, didn't you? Just like everyone else... They never know when to give up, till it's too late. Well, it's too late Miky, TOO FUCKING LATE!

"Now listen to me you sick fuck, you don’t wanna know the taste of metal do ya!? Hot lead, ooh! It will curdle your blood faster than you can say goodbye! So, quietly, settle down on that GOD DAMN couch or you’ll be having your own gut for your dessert tonight."

Everything was dead silent. Her eyes were fixed on him while he sat down as told. He could feel his heart pounding wildly against his chest, sweat dripping all over his body. He might as well have peed on himself. It was the moment he had never dreamt of; he couldn’t help but pray like never before, pray for his precious pathetic life. He had never in his wildest imagination visualized that the woman he loved, or bossed over and tossed around rather, would have him cornered and hanging for his not-so-important life this way. Jan gave a sadistic laugh looking at his condition now. He was almost in the verge of crying, he wanted to weep out to her, apologizing for all that he ever said or did that might have hurt her. "Look at you, crying like a lil bitch...," she spat on the floor. Just then, her cell phone suddenly started ringing loudly making them both spring… Out of anxiety, he gave a loud cry as if the bullet had pierced through him. There was a big tumult created, she reached out for the cell when, amidst the mayhem, Mike tossed a pillow from the couch at her, dashed towards the door and fled for his dear life. Jan could only catch a glimpse of him before she heard his footsteps madly thumping down the stairs and growing fainter as he ran, fast as his feet could take him away from the building. She watched him scamper like a rat across the street through her window and watched him till he disappeared. 

After a few minutes, when all had passed, she closed her eyes, laughed for a while like a naughty child and deeply sighed, “Thank you Tobby!”

Tobby was Hera’s husband, Jan’s brother-in-law. He had a great passion for vintage wines, antiques and all sorts of ammunitions such as revolvers, pistols, auto cannons, grenade launchers, rifles, one has to just name it. But he only  brought them when they were broken or not in good working conditions anymore since he wasn't into hunting and they were not for use, but for his collection. He used to travel around the world collecting antiques and different types of arms used anywhere and everywhere in the world for embellishment of his collection. He knew about her relationship with Mike and was fascinated on learning about Mike’s ardent interest in guns too, though the two never met, and Jan never particularly bothered to tell Mike about Tobby or his marvelous collections. Tobby was aware of the fact that Jan and Mike’s relationship had taken a toll, so to smooth things a little and get them together, he had given the gun to Jan, a gift she could present her boyfriend for a starter. He gave it to her that very evening while she had been to their place visiting. And now, the gun indeed came handy in smoothening, if not her relation but, her muddled life; and clear out the garbage she so needed thrown out.

For about an hour Jan could not help but laugh hysterically at the chronicles of event that had just taken place in her apartment. Thereafter, she locked the front door from inside and took out from her side pocket what had made the clinging noise, her car keys! Everything now settled, she gave a call to her cousin and brother-in-law and reiterated the whole incident. They had a good laugh about the whole issue together. “Good job sis, you deserve much better anyway!” her cousin exclaimed. “Well, the gun did come handy after all and sort things out for you,” remarked Tobby laughing heartily. That night, after a very long time, Jan had no worries to stress her, no insecurities of future and no loony boyfriends to break her too. She was free, confident and headstrong to enjoy the liberty of living her life the way she had always wanted to without anyone nagging her about it. She was happy. That night, she had a beautiful and serene sleep for the first time since she stepped into the town...

The End!