Closure

Bethan’s apartment was a mess. She hated cleaning.

She entered the flat, dumped her keys on the sofa and headed for the kitchenette. Finn walked in behind her and glanced at the countdown window - 09:02:58 – then looked at Bethan. She took a bottle of ice cold Vodka out of the fridge, picked up two shot glasses and filled them. She swallowed her drink in one, shook off the burn and then poured another, firing it back.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

Bethan looked at Finn’s glass, “You drinking that?” He shook his head. She slammed the drink back and headed for the bathroom.

“I said I’m sorry.”

She stalled and looked at him, “A witness to what?”

“Huh?”

“Before in the car, you said you were a witness... Witness to what?”

“Murder.” Bethan was taken aback. Finn stepped towards her, “I work for a Death Collector.”

“What?”

“He hires me to travel back in time and witness unsolved murders.” She tried to laugh it off, but he was deadly serious, “I was hired to witness the murder of Anna Newly.” Bethan stopped and swiftly backed away, scared. “Who are you?”

“I failed.”

“What are you...?” Then, it hit her. “You knew this was going to happen?”

“Yes.”

“You knew?”

He stepped closer, “Bethan, I...”

“You knew and you did nothing to stop it?” Finn could taste her bitterness in his mouth, but tried to justify his actions, “That’s not what I do. I’m paid to watch murders, not prevent them.”

She gritted her teeth and spat, “But you could have saved her!”

“I’m a witness!”

“You’re a monster!”

He shook his head, “No!” He stepped closer towards her, but she staggered back, throwing her arms up to stop him from touching her, “Get away from me you son of a bitch!”

Finn snatched back his hands and inched away from Bethan, “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?!”

“Could you have saved Anna?”

“That’s not what I do!”

“Fuck what you do – could you have saved her fucking life?” He struggled to answer. Bethan pushed him, “Could you have saved Anna?”

He bowed his head. “It’s not that simple.”

Bethan’s heart sank like a rock. Finn looked up at her. Whack! Her hand swiped hard across his cheek, “You bastard!”

He reached out his hand, but she pushed past him and dragged open the door. Leave! Finn sighed and walked out into the corridor. He turned to face Bethan, who sneered back at him. “I hope they find you and I hope they kill you!”

The door slammed in his face.

Finn sank and pressed his head against the door. He looked down at the wedding band on his finger and sighed. His eyes closed...

Out of the darkness, the Taker moved closer, lifting the rifle and firing – rat-a-tat-a-tat. Jenna’s dead eyes...

Finn opened his. They oozed with darkness... with death.

The rain was back and harder than before. It stabbed like knives into the pavement. Jimmy walked out of his flat, jumped the small garden wall and headed off up the street, dragging the hood of his sweater over his head.

Finn stepped out of the shadows. Taking one last drag on a cigarette, he dropped it to the ground and scraped it out. He followed Jimmy into the darkness.

In a dank back alley, Jimmy met with a cocky teenage kid that was sixteen if he was a day, but riddled with smack, looked more like forty. His damp clothes stuck to his stick thin frame like a second skin. He took out a plastic bag stuffed with crack and handed it to Jimmy, who then pulled out the brown envelope stacked with used twenties and handed a couple to the kid.

The kid looked greedily at the stash of cash, “I wouldn’t advertise that if I were you, pal.”

Jimmy pocketed the envelope and smirked at him. “I’m not your pal.”

The kid shook his head and swiftly pulled a knife on Jimmy, who inched back, scared, “Give me the doe, Broadfoot!” The kid shook with fear as he rested the tip of the blade under Jimmy’s eyeball, “Give me the fucking money or I’ll stick ya!”

“Do yourself a favour kid and fuck off!”

The kid turned to see Finn walking towards him, in no mood for playing games, and sharply pointed the blade at him, “Fuck you, Grandpa! I’ll stick you too! Now give me the fucking -” Before he could finish, Finn grabbed Jimmy by the hair and threw him up against the wall. The kid launched himself at Finn, who calmly drew his pistol and pulled the trigger – BLAM!

The kid squealed and dropped like a sack of rocks to the ground, clutching his knee in eye –watering agony.

Finn threw a steely look at Jimmy, “We need to talk!”

The door to Jimmy’s flat flung open and Finn pushed his hostage inside. Kicking the door shut, he grabbed Jimmy’s arm and forced him to take a seat on the scabby mattress. He drew his pistol and pushed the barrel into Jimmy’s temple, making him flinch.

“I know Wicker paid you to murder your ex...” Finn glanced at the drugs on the table, “And I know why you did it,” then back at Jimmy, “But what I don’t have is Wicker’s motive. Why did he want Anna Newly dead?”

Jimmy hesitated. Finn sighed, then...

BLAM!

The bullet tore a fleshy chunk out of Jimmy’s leg. Bloody flesh splattered onto the mattress. Jimmy yelled and clutched his leg, rolling around in agony. Finn grabbed him by the hair and pulled him upright, thrusting the pistol’s barrel into his throat. “I asked you a question!” He clicked back the hammer of the pistol and stared coldly into his eyes, “Answer it!”

Jimmy was petrified. Finn was murderous.

Bethan was slumped in a chair, close to unwelcome sleep. Like the Vodka bottle in her grasp, she was empty.

Under the sparkle of a street lamp, Finn loitered outside Bethan’s apartment like a ghost. He was conflicted, but knew what he had to do next. It was the only way he could carry on... the only chance he had of ever getting his hands on the date Jenna was murdered.

He’d already broken fixed time and derailed history off its original course. He had to get it back on track before the time line shattered. Reaching inside his jacket, he pulled out the Wiper Bomb and looked at it. Kipper Tie’s voice echoed around inside his head, “Four days later, the body of a young woman was found in the boot of a burned out car dumped on wasteland... According to Police records, the victim, Bethan Keats, was Anna Newly’s best friend...”

Blinking off the memory, Finn looked again at the Wiper Bomb. Shaking off the better angels in his head, he soldiered towards Bethan’s apartment with death in his eyes.

Bethan looked at the telephone and eventually picked it up. She sat up and keyed in 999. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It made her jump.

It knocked again.

Bethan sighed and stood up. Dropping the telephone on the chair, she walked over to the door and fed the safety chain into the latch.

Knock, knock!

Taking a second to compose herself, she opened the door and peered through the crack to see Finn stood outside. He looked anxious... desperate.

Bethan sneered at him, “Leave me alone!” She slammed the door and locked it, then rushed back over to the telephone and picked it up.

Smash!

The door flung open. Bethan turned and saw Finn rushing towards her. She yelled as he squeezed his hand into fist and spat, “I’m sorry – it’s my only way out!”

Smack!

Bethan slumped to the ground, bloody and unconscious. Finn stood over, fist clenched.

She was heavier than he expected, but he managed to get her to the car. Popping the boot, Finn looked down at Jimmy, who was tied up with rope and gagged with a plastic sheet. He struggled and groaned, but was too weak to fight. Sliding Bethan off his shoulder, Finn dropped her into the boot on top of Jimmy, who yelled back at him through the gag. Finn refused to hear his yells and slammed the lid.

Anna’s corpse was right where Jimmy had left her.

Back in his hooded top, Jimmy staggered through the towering woods with Bethan slung unconscious over his shoulder. Finn followed closely behind, pistol locked firmly on the back of Jimmy’s skull.

Reaching the clearing, Jimmy stopped and lay Bethan down next to Anna’s blood soaked body. Finn stared at both girls for a moment. He felt repulsed by what he had done. Gritting his teeth, he thrust the pistol at Jimmy’s head. Jimmy looked at him, terrified. Finn wanted to shoot, even tried to, but – he couldn’t. He lowered the pistol.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Jimmy, nervously.

Finn looked down at Anna, “Take off her clothes and put them on Bethan.”

“What? Why?”

Finn thrust the pistol into his face, “Do it!” Jimmy raised his arms – don’t shoot - then stumbled over to Anna, dragged her out of the muck and pulled off her clothes. His knee was killing him.

Finn watched while Jimmy frantically dressed Bethan in Anna’s clothes and dragged Anna into the undergrowth. Jimmy then dragged Bethan onto the red stained grass and turned to look at Finn.

Finn glanced at Bethan, then at Jimmy and said, “Now stab her like you stabbed Anna.” Jimmy threw him a look of horror. Finn stared back at him, “Eyes, ears and mouth.” Jimmy hesitated. “Do it!”

Jimmy staggered to his feet and took out his knife; blade still stained with Anna’s blood. He looked at it. He felt sick.

Finn holstered the pistol and unclipped the Red Eye. Throwing Bethan a sorry look, he stepped back into the shadows. Jimmy looked back at him with a plea not to make him do it again.

“What are you waiting for? Kill her and it ends.”

Jimmy looked down at Bethan. Tears welling, he straddled her and toyed with the knife.

Finn urged him on. “Kill her!” He looked through the Red Eye and prepared to take a picture.

Bethan started to wake. Through blinkered eyes she saw Jimmy lingering over her like a cloud of death. She tried to yell, break free.

Jimmy closed his eyes and thrust down the knife!

Click! Click! Click! Finn shot the murder taking place and it looked like Jimmy had slaughtered Anna Newly.

Lowering the Red Eye, he looked at Jimmy and snapped, “Now run!” Jimmy didn’t need telling twice and limped off into the trees as fast as he could. Finn looked at the Red Eye and clicked the FIRE UP switch.

Kipper Tie sat in a deep leather chair in front of a rich client; a suited and booted, aging ‘Murder Anorak’ that dragged on a chunky cigar whilst scanning through the pages of Edward Fairway’s murder file. He glanced at Kipper Tie and smiled, “Hell hath no fury, eh?”

Kipper Tie smiled back, “Happy?”

“Very!” The Murder Anorak closed the file and clicked his fingers. His servant stepped up to the desk and put down a brief case. Lifting the lid, he turned the case towards Kipper Tie and showed him the stacks of money inside. Kipper Tie grinned.

Beep!

Kipper Tie glanced at his Feeder, then at his client, “Excuse me a moment.” He looked at the Feeder. DOWNLOAD COMPELTE. OPEN GATE Y/N flashed up on the screen.

Kipper Tie sighed and then opened a window and watched Jimmy committing the murder of ‘Anna Newly’. He grimaced and pressed the ‘Y’ key.

The Red Eye screen flashed: UPLOAD COMPLETE/GATE OPEN.

Finn staggered over to Bethan’s corpse and wiped his eyes with shaking fingers. He took a moment and whispered, “I’m sorry.” Rooting inside his jacket, he pulled out the Wiper Bomb.

Behind Finn, the woods started distorting as the void ripped open like a black hole, scattering leaves and hooking onto Finn. He looked down at Bethan one last time, then snapped the Wiper Bomb and dropped it to the ground.

Boom!