Page 93 of Down to One

"And it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Landon Ryan is going for number twenty nine and the crowd is in an uproar already."

Landon. Just the sound of his name brought her instant relief. Was it a sign from the universe? He had always been freedom for Katie. Freedom from her oppressive thoughts and her bad moods. Freedom from her fears and her past and all her inadequacies. Freedom from Kyle because when Landon was next to her, holding her, kissing her, moving inside her—all the painful memories of Kyle didn’t even exist.

"And that’s good, but Ryan let it go by."

That was twice she’d heard his name. Third time was the signal. The third time his name floated in from the living room, she’d know the universe was telling her it was time to escape.

She delivered the sandwich to Kyle as that vibration inside her picked up traction. He looked up at her with sad watery eyes, so helpless and beaten down, she actually fluffed an affectionate hand through his hair.

That sympathy lasted seconds before the memories burst back in and pure hatred flowed out of her heart and down her arm into fingers that ached to tighten into his blonde hair and yank. Or to spit in his face or smash her own forehead against his until his nose was a bloody pulp that would never be the same.

"Swing and a miss, strike two. Does his energy seems off kilter."

Landon. They hadn’t said his name, hadn’t given her the signal, but it was a reminder to get ready. To stay ready.

She moved back to fussing with the food on the counter, darting glances over her shoulder, planning and re-planning her escape route. She wouldn’t go for the gun or the bat, just the door where she’d get out and scream her damn head off.

"Ball one. That was close, he almost swung."

"He thought about it, Wyatt, he definitely thought about it. Two-one."

Katie opened the refrigerator and listened as she shelved the meat and cheese. It was quiet. Too quiet. She snuck a long peek at Kyle. His shoulders were hunched forward, chin jutting out over the soup bowl, but he hadn’t dropped the gun. It rested on his thigh under the table. Four seconds to get out the door...but how long would it take him to shoot her in the back?

"Strike three and that’s all she wrote. Three down, three away and number twenty-nine is still up in the air as we go to commercial break."

They hadn’t said his name. That was her plan. Her sign from the universe that she’d make it without having her liver splattered all over the wall. Yes, she was being silly to base her moves on what the announcers said. Completely, utterly, all kinds of silly—but her brain hadn’t come up with a better plan.

She clicked on the gas burner underneath the kettle, not because she wanted tea, but because she didn’t know what else to do with herself, then she sank back against the counter, as emotionally and physically defeated as the man sitting steps away.

Kyle was chewing absentmindedly, sandwich pinched between thumb and finger, eyes narrowed and looking upward as if inspecting the old light fixture in her kitchen. She watched him, hating him, despising the dirt under his fingernails and the pit stains on his shirt. The way his jaw moved. Even with his mouth closed she could hear his teeth gnashing the turkey and crunching into the pickles, his saliva coating the mush. Her lips curled in disgust.

"Alright, we’re back for the second inning and you fans at home missed it, but I think everyone here is wondering the same thing: What in the hell is going on with Landon Ryan?"

Katie bolted for the door, counting her carefully planned seconds as she went:One, two, thr—

The entire force of Kyle’s weight slammed into her back, the door knob punching Katie right up in her ribs and she crumpled to the tile.

chapter 43

The pain in Katie's gut came from somewhere deep. Retching and coughing, one arm wrapped around her stomach, she tried to crawl away from Kyle, but there was nowhere to go. He hung over her every inch she moved, yelling, spittle flying, feet kicking at her, pistol swinging around the room, as his other hand worked into a fist to pummel at her.

"YOU STUPID, STUPID BITCH! WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER WITH YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF TRASH!"

She made it up onto all fours, but his hand twisted up the hood of her sweatshirt and he pulled it closer and tighter until the front collar dug into her neck. Katie fought back every inch of the way, kicking and flailing, until she finally flung her head backwards and connected with his nose.

"GOD DAMN IT!"

Blood and spittle sprayed across the floor as Katie lunged towards the door, but Kyle was on top of her before she could make up ground. He clawed at her legs as she latched on to the leg of the table by the door. The one with the gun in the drawer. The entire piece of furniture came with them as he drug her across the floor, her purse and a candle clattering to the ground.

She let go of the table leg to launch the candle at Kyle’s head. It only grazed his shoulder, nicking him just enough to pour gasoline on his rage. She fumbled towards the drawer, but he’d already pounced and his arms came around her waist to haul her up. Her weight ended up being more than he could handle and they both went tumbling. Kyle caught his fall on the armrest of the loveseat, but Katie’s body rolled across his lap and back down to the ground where she landed with an anguished squeal.

She crab crawled away from him, kicking as she went, pulling the TV tray out into the walkway to trip him up. Kyle flung the flimsy metal out of his way and it crashed into the television. Cracks splintered across the screen, half of it going black, the other twitching in fuzzy purple and gray lines.

Katie did what she should have been doing already: She screamed. "HELP! HELP ME!! SOMEBODmfffffff." Kyle’s sweaty palm smushed down onto her mouth and she thrashed her head side to side. "Nmmmf…NO!…Nmmmf..Get..STOmmmmmfff"

Finally, he raised the gun up and brought the butt down to her temple. Katie’s chin lolled to the side, stars swimming around the room, turning her dizzy, forcing bile out of her gut and up her esophagus. She still tried to scream.

"HELmfff"

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