Final Encounter

It has been nearly two years since my now husband's ex-wife tried to stab me on my back porch.  Since then I have been through counseling to help cope with that reoccurring nightmare.  We have gotten married and had a beautiful son.  My stepdaughter is adjusting well and she has had a very difficult time trying to come to terms with what her mother did.  Children shouldn't have to deal with issues such as this, but sometimes the grown up world is forced upon them.  She is doing wonderful and she claims she doesn't miss her mother at all.

As for her mother, Paige has been in and out of prison for the last two years.  She was sentenced to five years for the assault on me, but she has successfully passed drug counseling and she was a model prisoner.  She was released a little over six months ago.  We heard she moved somewhere in Mississippi and was working at a Target.  As long as she isn't near my family, or me, I'm happy.

Life slowly got back to normal and we settled into our crazy, mundane life.  Paige was quickly becoming a footnote, but sometimes I couldn't help but look closely at the shadows at dusk, and I always checked the windows before going out.  According to the state, she was rehabilitated.  I'm not taking any chances. 

One day I came home from a day of shopping and I was carrying groceries into the kitchen to be stored away.  All seemed well normal, except the house was unusually quiet.  I wondered where the poodles were?  They usually greet me at the door.  I sit the groceries on the dining room table and walk toward the kitchen.  Suddenly I draw by breath sharply and stare at the kitchen door.  The screen door is closed but the storm door is wide open. The lock on the storm door is shattered.  I nearly panic when I think of my poor dogs!  Then I see them standing shyly on the back porch looking at the closed screen door.  They start barking furiously at me as I rush to the door.  Then it hits me, they aren't looking at me!  I was so happy to see they were safe that the idea someone could still be inside never occurred to me. 

"Seems appropriate we should finish things here, don't you think?"

I nearly jump out of my skin and dread creeps into me when I recognize the voice.  I prayed we would never see her again, but for the second time she has invaded the sanctity of my home.  The two of almost didn't survive the last encounter.

"This is the home I should be sharing with Joe and our child.  The one you cheated me out of.  Very appropriate that we settle things here."

The chilling calm of her voice is unnerving.  The last time she was high on methamphetamine.  This time she sounds dead sober.  I know I have to turn to the voice, but I fear I will see a demon instead of another woman.

"We were supposed to 'live happily every after.'  That's what he promised me.  Then you came along.  You ruined all our plans.  Now you have to pay."

I fight back tears as they well in my eyes.  The memory of her last visit was hard to bury, but now it all comes rushing back.  The threats, the fight, the knife, the porch rail, the searing pain...I relive the entire sequence in my mind in a brief moment. 

"It's time for one of us to claim what's rightfully ours, Joni.  This time one of us won't walk away."

The calmness belies the harshness of her words.  I slowly turn to face her....almost expecting her to be an eight feet tall monster with blood dripping from her fangs.  But in the gloomy living room all I see is the same woman as the last time.  Her hair is one color now, platinum blonde, and she's still incredibly pale.  She has filled out more, she may carry 110 lbs on her 5'1" body.  But her eyes are what appear inhuman.  They are crystal clear for the first time in all of our encounters.  They are an icy blue.  In her slender hand she is gripping a small silver pistol. 

"Don't worry.  I'm not going to shoot you.  Unless you try and run.  Then I'll shoot Joe when he comes home.  I know we have a few hours and we are going to settle our differences.  Once and for all.  To the death.  I have nothing to lose.  You have everything.  Ask yourself if what you have is worth dying for.  I think it is, or I wouldn't be here."

I stare in amazement as she lays the gun on an end table and starts taking her clothes off.  When I don't move, she smiles the most evil grin I have ever seen. 

"Woman to woman, Joni.  Is what you have worth dying for?  I'm ready to make the sacrifice, are you?"

I can't run.  If I do, I'd be shot and my family would walk into a massacre.  But I can't fight her either.  Especially to the death.  I could never kill another human being.  Unless they were threatening me....or my family.

"What's it going to be, Joni?  Are you prepared to lose everything?  I'm ready to kill you for the ones I love.  Are you ready to kill me to do the same?  The only way you walk out of here today is by doing just that."

Once again, I fight back tears as I realize she is absolutely right.   I have no other choice.  I slowly start undressing.  I really have no other choice.

"Good girl."

The images of the last time become more and more stark as I remember how close I came to dying that time.  How close I came to killing her.  Of course her near fatal mistake was an accident, but I was nowhere in control that time.  She was winning on every aspect.  If it had been a legal boxing match, she would have won by TKO.  I got incredibly lucky that time.  She is healthier now and she's been to prison.  I don't like my chances.

"Okay, Bitch.  Once again ask yourself, is it worth dying for?"

With that she rushes at me and drives her bare shoulder into my unprotected belly.

I've never been much of a fighter, but I have been in several fights.  I'll leave that comment open to interpretation.  Oddly enough, I've always done better when I fought bigger girls.  Unfortunately, I am the bigger girl in this fight.  I'm an inch taller than Paige and I outweigh her by five, or so, pounds.  I can't remember ever winning a fight against a smaller girl.

Her shoulder smacks the bare flesh of my belly with an audible smack and a "woosh" of air leaves my lungs as I tumble backwards.  I can't keep my balance as she pushes with her legs and we tumble to the floor with her on top of me.  Her hands quickly go for my eyes and I yelp in fear and start hammering fists into her belly.  She is straddling me. so I begin bucking my hips wildly and punching at her stomach and chest.  She starts throwing punches, as well, at my head and soon she tumbles off me and we immediately try to grab hair. 

As she reaches for my shoulder length hair, her thumb unintentionally pokes me in the eye.  One hand instinctively goes to protect my watering eye, and Paige takes full advantage.  She brings her leg up between us and kicks me hard in the belly over and over.  I try to scoot away from her, but her hands are now buried in my hair, keeping me from rolling away.  Over and over she keeps kicking at my belly.  I raise my knees for protection and reach for her hair.

Soon I'm able to wrap my hands in her hair and yank her toward me.  I release one hand and start punching her in the face with it.  We are both now grunting in pain as her kicks, and my punches, land.  Both of us cry out in pain when our hair is wrenched a little too hard. 

Oh God!  I think to myself as I'm locked in a fight for my life with a woman who detests my very existence.  What did I do to deserve this?  I could actually die here, and I'm not doing very well.  I need to think of something.  But what can I do?

But Paige is once again one step ahead of me.  She stops kicking, works her way to her knees and starts yanking my head back and forth and up and down.  She drives her knee hard into my side and I gasp in pain.  I still have one hand in her hair and I grasp her platinum locks with the other.  Instead of allowing her to mount me...which seems to be her plan...I yank her hair so hard she loses her forward balance and sprawls across me.  I quickly scoot my butt up and I manage to get one leg free.  I use that leg to pincer her midsection between my outstretched legs.  I squeeze with all my might. 

I'm getting angry now.  For the second time this woman has invaded my home and threatened my family and me.  Then, By God, let's fight!  If she wants to ensure this is the last time, who am I to stop her.  I hate her and what she has done to my family!  She has caused us nothing but grief.  Maybe the world would be better off without her!
I grit my teeth and squeeze my scissoring legs together so hard that I fully expect to hear her ribs crushing.  Although she is grunting, squealing, wheezing and cursing, I do not hear the satisfying crunch of her bones.  I squeeze harder. 

Paige and I are both covered in perspiration and she is pushing against my thighs and knees trying to break my grip.  I manage to lock my ankles and really squeeze her.  I want to end this now.  I feel her sweaty body start to slip and I reach out and grab her hair to stop any more forward movement.  I find reserve energy and I squeeze even harder.  She manages to slide up enough that the bottom of her ribcage is now between my thighs.  I squeeze as if to touch my knees together and I finally her the sickening pop I'd been so hoping for.  Paige's eyes fly open wide and her mouth fully opens in a silent 'O.'  After a moment, she begins screaming in pain at the top of her lungs and flailing at my knees.  After another minute, I can actually feel her body growing weaker and weaker.  She stops struggling and she lies still...for just a moment. 

As she lies still, I relax my legs ever so slightly and like a demon straight out of hell, Paige immediately raises up and lunges for my eyes.  I panic and slam my thighs back together and squeeze the slightly smaller girl with all my might.  She finally stops her assault and lies back down whimpering and gasping in pain.  Her assault left a bloody trail across the bridge of my nose from her fingernails and this time I'm not letting up.  This ends here.  I raise up on my butt, place my hands on the floor and raise my hips off the floor while applying pressure to her broken ribs.  Soon she is frantically crying for me to stop....begging me to accept her surrender.  After a few moments, she goes completely limp and lies on the floor sobbing.  She knows her life is about to end.

I have never been a cruel person.  I actually cry when I see injured animals.  I'm always the first to want to comfort a crying child.  I have never intentionally hurt another human being in my life.  I hate having my feelings hurt and I hate to hurt the feelings of others.  But I am sick and tired of having this particular woman try and ruin my life.  This has to end here.  I love my family with all my heart and if I have to kill Paige to insure their future security, that that is what I'll do.

Ever mindful of her last attack, I slowly release pressure on from my thighs and then quickly tighten them again.  Each time I do this, Paige's limp arms will raise and flail slightly and she'll sob harder.  After doing this a few times, I'm completely satisfied the fight is gone out of her.  I relax my legs and use my foot to push her body completely off me.  I stand up, look around briefly...spot her pistol on the end table and pick it up.  It's a small automatic.  I check it like Joe showed me to see if it's loaded.  It is.  I also check to see if there is a bullet in the chamber, just like Joe showed me.  There was.  I check to see if the safety is engaged.  It isn't.  I walk back over to the limp woman, straddle her, and sit on her injured ribs facing her.  I don't want any surprises.  She gasps in agony as I sit on her crushed chest and I allow her a moment to quieten.  "Open your eyes, Paige."

Her response comes in a croak, "No."
"Open your eyes, Paige," I order again, "You asked for this, remember?"

Again, a light gasp, "No."
"Woman to woman....to the end.  Remember?  Now open your eyes."

A quick broken-hearted sob, "No.....please.....?"
"Please don't what?  Kill you?  That's what you had planned for me, wasn't it?  WASN'T IT?!!!"
"P..p...p...please....I'll do anything...."
"Then open your eyes."

Slowly she opens her tear-streaked eyes and looks down the barrel of the small handgun she brought with her.  I slowly squeeze the trigger as the hammer rises slowly.  Paige's eyes open wide with fear and her breath catches in her throat.  "Please don't," she begs but my finger slowly tightens.  Finally the hammer reaches it's apex and falls back to complete its intended purpose.  There will be a blinding flash of light, a deafening pop, the smell of burnt cordite, and the small pistol will recoil as she spent shell is discharged and a new one takes its place.  The hammer falls with blinding swiftness and lands on the firing-pin, which pushes into the chamber and ignites the bullet's powder charge.  The lead bullet is then forcefully shoved down the slightly smaller barrel by gases emitting from the burning powder.  Lands and grooves in the barrel cause the bullet to spin and spiral on a true course until it reaches its intended target or loses energy.  The intended target in this instance is a human face approximately one foot away.  Close enough to be lethal with just the escaping gases alone.  The damage to Paige's once beautiful face will be catastrophic.  The coffin will be closed.  Her blood and tissue will forever stain our plush carpet. 

The hammer descends and reaches its target, the firing pin.  The firing pin pushes into the chamber toward the bullet's primer.  The pistol clicks in my hand.  Paige yelps in fear, grits her teeth and clenches her eyes tightly.  I removed the bullet from the chamber when I checked to see if it was loaded.

It takes her a moment to realize the gun clicked on an empty chamber.  Paige's eyes slowly open in shocked surprise.  I scream at her, "YOU FUCKING BITCH!  HOW DARE YOU INVADE MY HOME AND THREATEN MY SAFETY!!!"  I start sobbing and I slap her hard across the side of her head and face with the pistol.  Soon she is bleeding from the nose, a cut on her eyebrow, and a gash above her ear.  She lies still but I stop hitting her before she slips into unconsciousness.

I slowly stand up and look at my victim.  Once again I scream, "YOU FUCKING CUNT!!!" and I start driving the heel of my foot into her ribs.  She tries to roll away but in her weakened state, she can't get away, nor can she protect herself. 

I don't want to kill her, but I certainly want her to remember this night every time she thinks of me and my family.  I can't believe I am standing naked in the middle of my living room having to relive the worst day of my life!  This has to be so memorable that she never tries something like this again. 

I walk over to the end table, pick up the bullet I ejected from the pistol, eject and reload the magazine.  I walk back over to Paige and I make sure her eyes are open as I put the magazine back in the pistol and chamber a round.  I sit the pistol back on the end table, grab Paige by the hair and drag her to the foot of the couch.  I sit down, pick up the pistol, and order her to look at me again.  When I have her attention, I say, "I should go ahead and kill you.  That's what you intended to do to me.  But I'm going to give you a chance to save your life.  Which is a chance you would have never given me."  Paige sobs and again starts to plead for her life but I silence her with another slap with the pistol to the head.  "Here's your only opportunity, Paige.  If you refuse, or you don't do an adequate job, I shoot you in the head, call the cops and not let your daughter go to your funeral.  You have fucked with my family for the last time.  I'll get away with this too.  Look at your record.  Now what's your answer?  You ready to die?

Without hesitation she drops her head and starts sobbing, "Please...I'll do anything.....you ask...."
"Anything?"
"I....I....I'll do anything..."
"Clean my fucking feet."

Without hesitation she leans forward and takes the toes of my left foot into her mouth.  She sucks each one individually, and then as a whole.  Soon she removes my toes from her mouth and starts licking the sole all over.  I actually start getting a tingling in my belly (funny, because the only feeling Paige has previously induced in me is indigestion).  I slip my finger slowly down my belly and start gently stroking my loins.  But I fear my growing euphoria...this woman was trying to kill me, after all.  When she has licked every inch of the bottom of my foot, she works her way onto the top of it.  I can't believe how warm and wet her tongue feels against my bare skin!  The warm breath causes the smoldering fire in me to grow.  I fear that I may lose myself in this moment.  I look at the cold, deadly pistol in my hand.

  After a little while, she finishes with my left foot and begins anew with the right.  She repeats the same process.  Now I'm watching her, completely fascinated!  Less than an hour ago she wanted to kill me.  Now, to my complete surprise, she is actually enjoying cleaning my feet!  She has been touching herself, rubbing and fingering, for the last few minutes!  She has to have at least one broken rib!  Maybe she is so ecstatic after she came so close to death, that she can't help herself. 

She finishes with my foot and before I know it she has worked her way up my legs and has her tongue deep inside me.  I can't concentrate on holding the pistol any longer and I allow myself to be swept up in the moment.  The fires grow brighter and soon we are both gasping and moaning in euphoria. 

As quickly as it started, the moment ends.  Paige slips back onto the floor and lies on her back moaning pitifully.  I walk to my purse and call Joe.  After that, I walk to his home office and retrieve a set of handcuffs he keeps in his desk.  I roll Paige onto her back and bind her arms behind her.  The rest of the night is a whirlwind of activity.  We don't call the cops.  I can explain how I defended myself after she broke in to kill me, but how do I explain what I made her do?  She won't report anything.  She's on parole.  Instead we take her to a hospital a few towns over and dump her off at the emergency room.  Before I leave her, though, I give her one final message, "Come near me or my family again, and you won't walk away."