by Matt Juhl
"There’s something you’ll learn today, Harper. You don’t express gratitude by abandoning someone. I'm sick of being made to feel undesirable by you. I’m tired of being used! I won't let you, or anyone else, make a fool out of me ever again,” she proclaimed. Traci’s arms nervously shuddered as she held her pistol in a wavering grip.
"I didn’t do that, Traci. This is all in your head.”
"Even while I'm standing with a gun in your face, you're stupid enough to keep playing me. It's starting to piss me off!" Traci scowled, firing another bullet at the window.
Then she rushed towards Harper and shoved the gun against the crook of her neck.
Harper flinched, feeling the heat burning against her skin.
“You wronged me for the last time. And I’m gonna make sure it never happens again—”
Without hesitation, Nik lunged at Traci. He knocked the gun out of her hand and threw his elbow into the side of her head.
Traci collapsed from the impact. Before she knew it, Nik was on top of her, restraining her with a furious grip.
While he stared Traci in the eye, he replayed her haunting confession in his distraught mind, detailing his father’s murder. The tension surged through his blood, causing his hands to tremble.
“You killed him!” he yelled.
Traci licked her lips, thinking long and hard before slowly replying, "I’m confused by your reaction. I thought you’d thank me for doing you a favor.”
“Shut your nasty mouth before I shut it for you.”
“Why? It’s the truth. He tore both of our families apart, Nik. Why would you care about someone who threw you away? That man was despicable.”
He squeezed her jaw with all his fury. "No he wasn’t. You’re just demented."
As Traci tried to break free, Nik pushed her back. The strength caused her to smack her head against the floor—leaving her disoriented. Her vengeful eyes rolled into the back of her head and she faded in and out of consciousness.
“Did you knock her out?” Harper asked.
Nik tapped her face, but she was unresponsive. “I think so.”
“Hurry up, babe. Untie me.”
As he rose to his feet, Nik studied Traci another moment longer. Then he cautiously turned around and faced Harper.
“Are you okay?”
“Nik, look out!” Harper shouted.
Suddenly Traci pounced to her feet and pulled Nik to the ground, violently swinging her fists at his face.
Nik blocked the punches and pushed all of his weight against her, pinning her down.
Determined to overpower him, Traci forced a first and she socked Nik deep in the stomach.
The sharp pain caught him off guard, causing him to falter.
Using all her power, Traci pushed Nik's large body off and crawled away.
Before she could escape, he rolled over and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his strong grip.
Traci dug her claws into his arm, drawing blood like a needle. Then she pushed him backwards, wrapped her hands around his throat, and strangled him.
Harper rocked back and forth, trying to free herself from the tight knot. She looked for a jagged edge, a nail, or anything to help loosen the ropes.
“Give up, Kid,” Traci hissed.
Nik grasped her forearms and squeezed them with all his might. The veins bulged in his biceps as he slowly pried her death grip off of his neck. While trying to shake Traci off, he threw his knee into her rib cage.
She pulled her hand free and slapped Nik across the face. Then she slammed her foot into his stomach, pushed him away, and quickly struggled to her feet.
“I don’t think so!” Nik shouted, lunging for her ankles and pulling her down.
As she fell, Traci gashed her head against the sharp edge of a table and immediately collapsed on impact. A tiny puddle of blood collected at the back of her golden hair.
Nik anxiously stumbled to Harper’s side.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, are you okay? I was so worried about you.”
“How come you’re here?”
"I thought you might need me.” Nik ran his hands along Harper’s sides until he found the rope to untie her. “Besides, you’re my girl. I’ve gotta take care of you.”
Harper’s joy was quickly overshadowed with fear. "We've gotta hurry before Traci gets up."
“I am.”
It only took a few seconds to free the tattered ropes. While helping Harper to her feet, Nik stumbled over.
"Are you hurt?" she asked.
"I'm fine."
Harper looked down and examined his upper thigh. “Your leg's bleedin’. I can see it comin’ through the slash in your jeans."
"It’s just a cut.”
"No it ain’t. Look how much blood you’re losin’.”
"It’s fine, babe.” He pulled Harper to the doorway. “We don’t have time for that. We’ve gotta go.”
"No, wait.”
“What’s wrong?”
She pointed to the floor. “Grab her gun.”
"Where is it?”
Nik squinted, scouring the floor. "I don’t see where it’s at. Let’s just get the hell out of here.”
"But I don't wanna leave it here."
"There’s no time. We’ve gotta go now.” Nik held out his hand.
As she leaned into him, his knees buckled from the pain.
"Here, hold on to me." Harper lifted his muscular arm and draped it over her shoulder.
With each of them pushing through their pain, Nik and Harper hobbled down the stairs.
The winds whistled a haunting echo that shot through the stairwell. The gloomy howl rang in their ears and elevated their fear.
Harper looked into Nik's distraught eyes, noting the intense worry in his beaten expression. With each tiny step, she peered behind them, fearful of the horror that lingered.
“C’mon, babe, we’re almost there,” she assured him.
Suddenly Nik lost his footing and fell on his back, pulling Harper along with him. They tumbled down five steps before stopping.
“I’m sorry.” Nik applied pressure to the gash on his thigh and tried to stand.
“Can you make it?”
“No. I need your help.”
“Don’t worry—I’ve got you.” Harper grasped onto the gnarled railing and reached down for Nik’s hand.
It was a struggle, but she pulled him to his feet.
“I need a second.” Nik put his hand over his eye.
“What is it?”
“My head’s pounding. I hit it against the stairs.”
“Do you need to sit back down a minute?”
Suddenly a gunshot blasted from the watch room. Its jarring sound frightened them.
Harper shrieked, watching Traci’s silhouette emerge from the door frame.
“Nik, did she hit you?”
“No, are you okay?”
“Yeah, hurry, c’mon!”
"Get back here!" Traci’s wicked voice thundered. Her unsteady body trembled while she raced down the steps. The gun, held loosely in her quivering hand, was pointed in Harper and Nik’s direction.
Although she was lightheaded, Traci was fueled with rage, reaching over the railing and firing again.
“You crazy bitch!” Harper shouted.
"I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Nik heard Traci's feet stampeding behind them. Although running seemed impossible, there weren’t any other options. Both he and Harper ignored their agony and charged the rest of the way down.
After reaching the bottom of the lighthouse, they bolted through the heavy door, slamming it shut behind them.
Nik shoved all his weight against it.
Visibility outside had diminished. The powerful storm created a near white out condition, blasting snow and wind in their faces.
“As soon as she opens that door, we’re dead. What are we gonna do?”
At that instant, Nik
felt Traci slam against the opposite side. He fought tirelessly to halt her.
“Get back!” Harper grabbed a firm grip of his hand and yanked him away from the lighthouse.
As Traci broke free, he tackled her to the ground and knocked the firearm away.
“Nik!” Harper shouted.
“Go get Detective Harris. She’s with Leland in Traci’s house!”
“No, I ain’t leavin’ you here.”
Nik slammed Traci’s head down against her wound.
Ignoring the excruciating pain, she scooted to her right and used her finger tips to get a full grasp of her gun. She took the handle and slammed it into his face.
“Damn!” he groaned. Blood fell from his mouth as he wrestled for control of the pistol.
Traci flailed the weapon above her head, swinging her arms back and forth while Nik grabbed for her wrists.
“Put it down!” he yelled. The barrel stayed pointed away from them, but it took all of his control to keep it that way.
“Get the hell off me!”
“I said drop it.” Nik pushed her hand into the sand while clenching her wrist.
She wouldn’t release her death grip. Realizing he wasn’t relenting, Traci viciously sunk her teeth into his arm.
Through his jacket, he felt the harsh bite grinding into his skin.
Nik quickly turned her over and shoved her face into the ground.
“Get the hell off me!” Traci white-knuckled the handle, pulling the handgun as close to her body as she could.
He tugged on her arms, pushing the barrel towards her. “Not until you give me the frickin’ gun.”
“Nik!” Harper cried.
“Stay back.”
“Drop the God damn thing now!” he shouted, trying to wrench her arms out from under her body.
“Never!” Suddenly, Traci’s finger slipped and accidently pulled the trigger, sending a bullet directly into her stomach.
Traci belted out an ear-splitting scream. She held her hand over the wound as blood drained from her poisoned body.
"Oh my God!" Harper gasped.
Absolutely shocked, Nik stared down at her injured body.
Traci rolled onto her back and over the gun, writhing in pain. Between the deep gash on her head and the open wound in her stomach, she felt paralyzed. She closed her eyes, turned to her side, and helplessly sobbed.
Nik was horrified. “Look what I’ve done!”
Harper pulled him away from her. “Are you all right?”
“We’ve gotta get help or she’ll bleed to death. Go get the police.” Nik pointed back to the house.
“I’m not leavin’ you here with her.”
Traci started coughing up blood, swaying back and forth on the sand.
Life began draining from her body. As she lay in the frozen wetness, all she could focus on was the murmur of Harper’s voice, speaking to Nik. The weight of each word reminded Traci of her contemptuous agenda. That’s when she decided she needed to finish what she started, before it was too late.
Although her vision was blurred, Traci squinted into the falling snow and made out Harper’s silhouette. She was within close range.
While Nik had his back turned, Traci awkwardly propped herself to her side, rustling for her gun until it was back in hand.
“You’re comin’ with me,” Harper insisted.
“What if she tries to leave?” Nik asked.
“She ain’t goin’ anywhere. Besides, I don’t wanna leave you here in case she does somethin’ else.” Harper took a few steps ahead of Nik and motioned for him to follow. “C’mon!”
Nik reluctantly began following Harper. “We’ve gotta hurry.” Before taking another step, he decided to look over his shoulder one last time at Traci, just in case...
Nik’s mouth dropped, seeing Traci partially propped up and pointing her weapon.
Realizing Traci’s intentions, Nik raced in front of Harper. “Babe, get down!” he shouted.
Traci's trembling hand squeezed the handle. With her last ounce of strength, she lined up her shot and fired.
The deafening boom barely made a sound through the whistling storm. In those brief seconds, time seemed to move at a glacial pace.
Just before Traci pulled the trigger, Nik fearlessly lunged in front of Harper and pushed her down to safety. His tall body shielded her from the steel bullet that tore directly through his chest and knocked him backwards into a snow bank.
Traci’s blank stare exemplified her shock at the misfire. It was all she had left, wasted on the wrong person. She had expelled the last of her energy and powerlessly collapsed.
Nik looked up into the dark sky, watching the snowflakes fall towards his body. All he could hear were the violent waves and his heartbeat slowly fading.
"Nik!" Harper screamed in horror, hurrying to his side. The second she saw blood draining from his chest, she started bawling.
He looked at her in shock, blinking his eyes and trying to focus on the breathtaking image of her beautiful face.
“Oh my God—Nik, can you hear me?”
Barely able to speak, he muttered, "You’re…okay.”
“That bitch shot you! You're bleedin’ everywhere!” Harper couldn’t think. She was in an intense state of shock. Unsure what else to do, she quickly pressed her hands against his chest and applied pressure to the bullet hole. “You need help. I’ve gotta get Detective Harris.”
Nik grumbled and fought for his words.
That’s when the reality of what had really happened set in. He was not the intended target of Traci’s bullet—Harper was.
Nik mumbled, “She…she didn’t get…you.”
“You saved my life. Traci was tryin’ to kill me, but you saved me.”
Nik forced a smirk through the pain. “I guess I…ruined her plans.”
Harper pressed her hand against his cheek. The devastation overwhelmed her. “This shouldn’t be you. It should be me. Why’d you do this?”
“I promised,” he stuttered. “I’d never…let you down…again.” He swallowed hard and groaned.
Harper was speechless, too moved and wracked with guilt over his unselfish act. It was the most important thing anyone had ever done—and it infuriated her.
Despite the storm, she pulled the jacket from her body and wrapped it around Nik's chest.
“Put…it…back on,” he argued.
"No, you need it."
"You’ll…freeze…out…here.”
“Don’t argue with me,” she said. “I’m gonna take care of you.”
Nik’s head slowly rolled to the side and he closed his eyes.
"No, don't do that. Stay with me, babe. C’mon, Nik, I need to go get help, but I ain’t leavin’ ‘less I know you’re gonna fight.”
Despite her efforts, Nik wouldn’t respond.
“Open ‘em up, Nik, c’mon, please.” She brushed the tears from her eyes. “Damn it, open your eyes!”
He didn’t move.
Harper bawled helplessly as she rattled his face. “C’mon, open, open! Look at me,” she begged. “I need you.”
Nik’s eyelids gradually shuttered.
“You almost got it. That’s it, keep tryin’.”
He opened them again. "I’m…trying, but,” he struggled. “I don’t think...I’ll…make it.”
"No. You don’t know that. You’re wrong. This ain’t where it ends, Nik. C’mon, you’ve gotta fight.”
“I can’t…babe”
“You ain’t dyin’, Nik, so please stop talkin’ like you are.”
Harper heard the cry of an ambulance growing closer. As she squinted into the darkness, she saw the flashing lights pull into Traci's driveway.
An incredulous look of hope fell over her face. "Do you hear that, Nik? It's gonna be okay.” Harper pushed her hair back and fought through her tears. “I’m gonna go tell them where you are so we can save you. Just don’t let go. Do you hear me?”
"No…stay.” Nik latched onto Harper’s arm and struggl
ed to form his thoughts. “They won’t…make it…in time.”
"I told you knock that off.” Tears washed down her cold face.
"Please, Harper, I don't…wanna…die alone."
"Don’t,” she pleaded.
Nik's eyes began to close.
"No!” she screamed. “I need you, Nik. You promised you’d never leave me. Damn it, you promised and I’m holdin’ you to that.”
Nik swallowed hard, fighting to open his eyes again. Everything began to fade as he focused on Harper’s sadness. He squeezed her hand twice and then slowly released his grip. Then he whispered, “You…made me…brave…enough…to know that…I can face anything…”
“Nik, don’t do this—”
“That’s…the greatest…” he coughed, “greatest thing…anyone’s ever…done…for me.”
“It ain’t over, Nik. I need you. Please,” she sobbed. “I love you.”
“Those…are…my favorite…words. I…love you, Harper…”
Everything grew quiet in the stillness of that brief instance.
Nik shut his gentle eyes, and his face grew expressionless.
“No!” Harper placed her hands on his broad shoulders. She covered his pale lips with hers, desperately fighting to breathe life into his body.
Harper pounded her fists against his chest to resuscitate him. Despite her fervent effort, he was unresponsive.
“Don’t leave me…” Her distraught body went limp, collapsing and uncontrollably crying and screaming onto his chest. “I can’t lose you! You’re all I have left in this shitty world! Please, stay with me!” Harper propped Nik’s head onto her lap and held him close to keep him warm. Growing hysterical, she looked towards Traci’s mansion and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Help! Please, for the love of God, someone, help us!”
It took almost twenty minutes for Detective Harris and her backup to reach the heart wrenching scene.
Paramedics rushed to both Traci and Nik.
Tonya placed her arms around Harper. She tried moving her so they could place Nik on the stretcher, but she wouldn’t budge.
Harper was totally inconsolable.
No matter who tried restraining her, Harper wouldn’t leave his side. In her mind, it wasn’t over.
It took two men to pry her off. She screamed and cried for Nik, reaching out as they lifted him into the back of the ambulance.