Chest Pains

CHEST PAINS

He put his knees up on her chest getting ready to pull, tilting the pliers, angling them so he could get purchase before twisting.
‘Please be careful.’ She managed to say, turning her head so as not to see. He regarded her with baleful eyes, how did she think she could hide this from him? As he looked at her his disgust grew as the tears welled in her eyes.
‘You stupid bitch.’ He hissed, wrenching the pliers as he spoke, ‘did you really think I wouldn’t find it? Do I look Fucking stupid’ Spittle flecked his lips as his rage grew. Laura had seen this anger before, too many times.  She seemed to be a magnet for it.
 This one, Daniel, wasn’t the first, somehow they seemed drawn to her. Sometimes she thought that it was something in her that brought it out of them. People said it was low self-esteem talking but she was a confident woman. They always seemed nice at first, but then the jealousy set in. Cheating wasn’t in her nature but they thought it anyway. When it ended up like this, who needed more than one at a time?
So first was jealousy. Next they’d think she was hiding something. They’d search her house secretly at first. Then become more and obvious. Somehow they always found it.
 It was in the loft this time.
She’d been to the shops. When she came home the ladders were down and there was a light on. she’d climbed the ladder into the loft space. Before she’d even got her shoulders through he’d grabbed her by the hair and pulled her bodily through the gap. She’d let her body drop to the floor and watched as he dragged the leather hinged chest into the light, all the time berating her for trying to hide something of value. Then he’d grabbed the pliers.

‘Don’t. You’ll hurt it.’ She cried
‘It?  Hurt it?  It’s a fucking wooden box.’ He yelled. ‘I’ll show you hurt in a minute’ With a massive wrench and a grunt he pulled the hasp away from its surround.. Grinning he got his fingers under the edge of the lid and went to pull it open.
‘Please don’t. Stop. Stop.’ She breathed. A half smile played across her lips.
The lid opened.
Daniel’s smile froze in place. A low buzz filled the room, growing steadily in volume. The sound had a physical presence, it vibrated everything at a basic level. As Laura watched, she saw Daniel’s eyes widen and his smile melt away. She knew what he was seeing and she envied him. It was the ancient sea. Eternal. Infinite. Half glimpsed things moving beneath the impossible blackness. Her sisters and brothers. Daniel’s head turned, incomprehension edged with madness in his eyes.
‘I’m sorry’ he mouthed. She felt a tinge of remorse. Perhaps this one was different? She almost went to close the lid. Before she could, something quick wrapped itself around his waist, there was the smell of burning flesh mixed with something older, rotten and before he could scream Daniel was pulled in. Now she moved and looked in thinking to catch a last glimpse but he was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance.