Alan Cook - Honeymoon for Three

“My ears are ringing. He hit me but he didn’t hurt me. He never hurt me. He was going to kill you.” She repeated, “He was going to kill you,” as she turned Gary around and unwrapped the tape from his hands.

She fumbled a bit, and when Gary saw her hand he realized that it was swollen. It could have been much worse. He could have killed her.

“You’d better get some clothes on.”

She looked down at her body in disbelief, as if she had forgotten she was naked. She laughed, hysterically.

“Clothes? Who needs clothes? I want to see Alfred. I want to make sure…”

They walked to the edge of the cliff together. Gary held onto Penny, not convinced that she was completely rational. He didn’t want to lose her now that the danger from Alfred had passed. They looked straight down. Gary wasn’t usually afraid of heights, but his stomach felt very queasy.

They could see Alfred’s body lying on the rocks below. The inhuman positions of his head and limbs convinced them that he wouldn’t bother them anymore. Penny appeared to be fascinated by the sight of Alfred. Gary was afraid she would forget where she was. He was getting dizzy. He stepped back from the edge, pulling her with him. He put his arm around her and walked her to her clothes.

As Penny got dressed, she said, “Gary, I’m a bad person. You heard what I said. I’ve done terrible things. I don’t deserve you.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

He embraced her. “You risked your life to save mine. I will never forget that. I love you. That’s all that matters.”