Still Breathing (Completed Version) (standard:drama, 2925 words)
Author: mykemyk	Added: Jul 05 2005	Views/Reads: 3625/2311	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The only difference between Jared's life, and that of a corpes was that Jared was still breathing...!

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

relationship here at home has become nothing more, or less, than it is 
at the office. I still feel like a "trained seal"...it's just...here, I 
feel like I am being tossed a little bigger piece of fish!" 

In the final analysis, the qualities that had drawn them together, were
the same ones that began to alienate them from each other. 

Soon, Jared found himself being placed, conveniently, "out of pocket"
when it came to social gatherings involving the Maines Family. Though 
his absence was always excused as having to take care of important 
business at Maines Enterprises, everyone, including Jared, knew he was 
simply being taken out of the way. At one point, Jared had asked Paula 
for a divorce...he was ready to cut his losses and move on. Paula had 
gone into a frenzy, telling him that no one in the Maines Family had 
ever gotten divorced. It was then he realized how unhappy his wife 
really was. She had gone to great lengths to explain to him that if 
she, an heiress to millions, could brave a life married to a man she no 
longer loved, then, he could do the same. 

After ten years of marriage, and with the truth about their relationship
exposed, life had settled into a predictable routine for both Paula and 
Jared. They were now living completely separate lives, together. There 
were no children...Paula had simply refused to entertain such a notion. 
Their marriage had become an agreement...not unlike any other agreement 
involving Maines Enterprises. Jared was expected to simply life up to 
his part of the agreement. 

Jarod had always been an avid reader and lover of books. Several years
ago, in an attempt to put a little distance between them, Paula had 
suggested Jared take one of the rooms in the estate and build himself a 
library. Initially, Jared had balked at the notion. But, before long, 
he found himself thoroughly absorbed in the task. It seems Paula had 
done them both a favor. He could now devote as much time as he desired 
into something he truly loved. Paula, on the other hand, would be free 
to pursue the life she had, long ago, become accustomed to. 

As Jared drove home from the office, he thought about the evening ahead.
Paula would already be gone by the time he got home. Early on, she had 
taken great pains to announce her calendar for the week. After several 
months, she had simply stopped mentioning her plans to Jared. The only 
thing he was sure of was that she would be home by eleven o'clock. She 
knew that he would not retire for the evening until he knew she was 
safe at home. As for Jared, he would eat a late supper, take his 
evening soak...promptly at 8:30, and would be busy in the library until 
Paula returned home. Then, after about ten minutes of smalltalk, they 
would ascend the stairs to their separate bedrooms and retire. 

All afternoon, Jared had been on the phone talking with a local art
dealer. He had decided that some original portraits of famous authors 
would add some real flavor to his growing collection of books. The 
library was his only sanctuary in the large estate he and Paula shared. 
The rest of the house was hers. "She can have the rest of it", he 
thought to himself bitterly. Of course, at first the art dealer seemed 
somewhat patronizing as Jared explained what he had in mind for his 
library...that is, until he mentioned his wife, Paula...Paula Maines. 
From then on, the conversation had taken on a completely different 
tone. In the end, the dealer had told Jared he would give the project 
his full attention. 

Jared was still thinking about the conversation with the art dealer as
he drew his bath. The water was hot as he gingerly lowered himself into 
the "bear claw" tub. Until he'd married, he had always taken showers. 
"Gentlemen", Paula had told him, "Don't take showers...they bathe...!" 

As Jared climbed out of the tub, he reached for a towel. He caught
himself as he slipped, momentarily, on the tiled floor. Paula had 
removed the rug that normally lay on the floor. As he toweled himself 
dry, he noticed that the rest of the bath set that normally decorated 
the commode was also missing. He was still staring at the naked commode 
when he heard what sounded like a raging bull coming through the 
bathroom doorway. 

Before he could even turn his head to look, he had been knocked off his
feet. Dazed, he felt a pair of large hands grab his shoulders, pull him 
up, and slam him downward toward the commode. Before he could react, he 
felt his head being mashed into the bottom recesses of the commode. 
With his nose and mouth completely submerged, he began flailing his 
arms and legs. He felt a knee between his shoulder blades. Someone was 
trying to kill him...he was going to drown in a commode. As he 
continued to thrash about, he felt his right hand knock against an 
object close to the toilet. Desperate, he reached again...his hand 
closing around a plastic bottle. Unable to breathe, he felt 
conciousness beginning to fade. With what strength he had remaining, he 
felt for the tip of the bottle, pried open the end, pointed it upward, 
and squeezed with all his remaing strength. Whoever was holding him 
down suddenly released their grasp. Seeking air, Jared reared his head 
like a stallion fighting a saddle. As he gasped for air, he heard 
another gasp...it was the sound of someone losing their balance. Beside 
him, thrashing about in his tub, was a huge man. In raising up, Jared 
had caused  his killer to trip and fall into the bathtub. As their eyes 
met, Jared noticed the blood gushing from the side of the man's head. 
Evidently, he'd hit his head on the spout as he'd fallen. For a single 
instant, both were absolutely motionless. Then, as if the killer sensed 
Jared's fear, he slowly began to haul his massive frame out of the tub. 
Terrified, Jared jumped, bending his knees in mid air, and came 
crashing down onto the killer's chest...completely submerging this huge 
individual's upper torso. Frightened that the man would, somehow, be 
able to catch his breath and escape, Jared began to bounce on the 
killers chest. Again, and again, he forced his knees deeper into the 
man's rib cage. He kept bouncing until he could no longer control his 
body. Completely exhausted, he fell forward, leaning heavily on the 
spout of the bear claw tub. After what seemed like an hour, he pushed 
himself up to look at the man he had just killed. Peering into the tub, 
he saw his "would be" killers eyes staring back at him. The man's mouth 
was standing open...his features "frozen" into what appeared to be a 
final scream. Slowly, Jared pulled himself up and away from the dead 
man's body. 

******** 

Detective Ron Steger had been working homicide for nearly 18 years.
There wasn't much he hadn't seen. As he walked through the crime scene, 
he quickly took in each detail as they presented themselves to him. 
Marston had been lucky. Somehow, he had managed to get a hold of a 
bottle of bowl cleaner and spray it into the eyes of his attacker. 
Momentarily blinded, the killer had released his grip to rub his 
burning eyes. In that instant, Marston had raised up, causing his 
attacker to slip on the wet tiles of the floor. The would-be killer had 
fallen into the tub...hitting his head on the spout of the tub. Before 
the killer could crawl from the tub, Mr. Marston had pounced on him. In 
a kill or be killed situation, Marston had turned the tables on his 
attacker and had become the killer. 

As Detective Steger looked around the bathroom, he noticed a small black
object lying in the corner. It was a cell phone. Picking it up, he 
walked into the bedroom to speak with Jared Marston. Jared had quickly 
gotten dressed and was now sitting on his bed. "Is this yours?" Steger 
asked. "No", Jared replied. Turning it over in his hand, he quickly 
flipped it open, and began to check for messages. Seeing none, he 
decided to find the last call received. Bringing it up, he dialed it 
again. After three rings, he heard the following message. "Hi, this is 
Paula, leave your number and I will return your call." 

Facing Jared, Detective Steger ashed, "Mr. Marston, what is your wife's
name?" "My wife's name is Paula...Paula Maines", Jared responded. "Do 
you know where your wife is now?" Steger queried. "No, I don't", Jared 
stated. "I just know she will be in sometime before eleven o'clock this 
evening." 

Detective Steger pulled his own cell phone out of his pocket, tossed it
to Jared and barked, "Call her cell phone...just dial her number and 
give me the phone!" 

Jared stood to his feet and dialed Paula's cell number. When he finished
dialing, he handed it to Detective Steger.  After three rings Steger 
heard a voice say, "Hi, this is Paula, leave your number and I will 
return your call." 

Detective Steger walked slowly back into the bathroom. Again, he looked
at the body lying, facedown, in the tub. Behind him, a patrolman was 
taping off the bathroom...now known as the "crime scene". Seeing 
Steger, he couldn't help but ask the obvious. "Hey, Detective, why 
would a guy ignore a tub full of water and try to drown a fella in a 
commode." Steger never took his eyes off the dead killer. "Because this 
stupid bastard killed for the fun of it...the money he made was just 
icing on his cake!" 

Detective Steger stepped through the tape and walked back into Jared's
bedroom. "Mr. Marston", he said flatly, "I am going to keep a few of my 
men here to wrap things up. But, I am going to get everyone else out of 
here...for now." Without waiting for Jared to answer, he snatched his 
cell phone from inside his pocket and began speaking. "Tubbs, get 
everybody out of here...now! I want everybody that is not inside this 
house gone within the next minute!" 

Detective Steger walked over to where Jared was standing and said,
"You're kind of a book buff aren't you...I mean, I noticed the 
library." 

"Yeah, I've been an avid reader since I was a kid. There is nothing like
a good story." 

"You like fiction or nonfiction?" 

"Well, fiction is good. But, a true story, well told, is, to me, far
more entertaining." 

As if fate had decided to completely cooperate with Steger, the would be
killer's cell phone suddenly began to ring. Lifting a finger to silence 
all within earshot, Steger punched the "start" button on the phone and 
barked, "Yeah." Glancing at Jared, Steger nodded slowly, then said, 
"It's done!" and quickly hung up on whoever was calling. 

"Mr. Marston", Steger began, "I'm not really good at telling
stories...hell, I can't even tell a good joke!" Looking toward the 
bathroom, he continued, "I'm gonna make this a short one...that was 
your wife on the phone...she was calling the guy laying dead in your 
tub, to find out whether or not he had finished killing you. That is 
why I had you dial her cell phone a few minutes ago. I had already used 
that guys cell phone and got your wife's recording. I got the same 
identical message when you dialed her cell phone for me. She is 
probably on her way home now...she is coming to find you dead!" 

Twenty minutes later, Jared heard the front door open and close.  Steger
looked quickly at Jared and then left the bedroom to meet Paula at the 
top of the stairs. "Mrs. Marston?" he asked. "Yes", Jared heard Paula 
reply. "Mrs. Marston", Steger continued, as he led her toward the 
bedroom, "My name is Detective Steger...I work homicide...I am afraid I 
have some awfully bad news for you." As he led Paula into the bedroom, 
Jared watched as the color began to leave his wife's face. Steger 
stepped in front of her...to fully catch her reaction when he said, 
"Your husband is not dead...!" Satisfied with her reaction, he led her 
to the bathroom, pointed to the tub and said, "That one is dead." 
Catching her roughly by the arm, Steger spun Paula around to face 
Jared, pointed toward him, and said, "This one, is still breathing...!" 


Though a few twists of the plot were still unaccounted for, the look on
Paula's face told the bulk of the story. 


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