Page 143 of Smoke

She lunged at me but was met with my foot to her gut, causing the gun to fly out of her hand. It threw her off balance long enough for me to scramble to my feet. She grabbed me by my locs and sent a punch to my face.

“You’re gonna pay for what you did!” she declared.

Enough of this shit.

Channeling all my anger, I drew back and slapped the shit out of her. She tried to swing at me, but I kicked her in the stomach again before grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. Repeatedly, I brought my hand down across her pretty face.

“Bitch, fuck you. Fuck your brother and your dead ass daddy!”

Grabbing her by the hair, I kneed her in the face. Instantly, her nose started leaking. She screamed as she charged at me. There was nothing but fists flying as we fought all over my living room.

Lamps shattered as they fell to the floor.

Pictures were knocked off the wall.

Furniture was pushed around.

Viciously, we went blow for blow until we fell into the glass coffee table, causing it to shatter. Pain shot through me as shards of glass embedded themselves into my skin because I took the brunt of the fall. Dana groaned as she climbed to her feet and stumbled away. I could feel blood trickling from various places as I struggled to pull myself from the mess beneath me.

Once I was on my feet, I saw that Dana was going for her gun. Thinking fast, I ran at her, tackling her just as she picked up the gun. We tussled on the floor, fighting over the gun. I couldn’t tell what part of it I had, but I had something. Then… the gun went off.

I froze, eyes wide.

Dana froze, eyes wide as well. She gasped, and her mouth fell open. Blood trickled from her lips and fell on me. I began to panic and pushed her off, causing her to land with a thud. The gun slipped from her hand, and I quickly grabbed it before climbing to my feet. I ran over to the hook on the wall where my purse hung and fished out my phone to call the police.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“My name is Romi Mitchell. I live at 247 Brentwood Circle. An intruder came into my house with a gun.”

“Do you know this person, ma’am?”

“Yes. Her name is Dana Mathis.”

“Where is she right now? Is she still there?”

I looked over at Dana’s now lifeless body on the floor, soaked in blood from the shot to the chest.

“We were fighting over the gun, and it went off… She’s dead.”

“Are you injured at all?”

“Yes. We fell through a glass table. Some pieces are embedded in my skin…” I choked up as I spoke to her. “Please… send somebody.”

“Help is on the way, ma’am. Can you go outside and wait for me? I’m gonna stay on the phone with you until the police and ambulance arrive.”

“Okay…”

With a trembling and bloody hand, I opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. My next-door neighbor was making her way across the lawn to me. Tears streamed down my face as I eased down onto the front step.

“Romi? Are you okay, honey? I heard—” Her eyes widened as she got closer. “Is that—is that blood?”

I nodded. “Someone broke in.”

“Again? Oh my God.” She carefully slid into the space beside me and grabbed my hand. Gently, she guided my head to her shoulder and wrapped her arm around me.

“The police are on the way,” I whispered.

“I’ll wait here with you.”

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