Uncommon Courage

“Pull the trigger, Barney,” Shelton shouted. “Don’t let me die this way.”

Barney’s hands trembled pointing the .38 at Shelton’s chest. “I can’t. You’re my best friend. How could I kill you?”

“You want me to die of this infection? Just lay here and wither away? If you only knew the pain… My God, it’s unbearable. No one will know. You’ve got to do it. Please.”

A tear crawled down Barney’s cheek. He closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger. Shelton gasped as the bullet drove into his abdomen. His breathing labored and he sucked a couple ragged breaths. A deluge of bright green blood splattered upon the floor.

Barney stepped forward. “What the hell?”

“Do you know what this means?” Shelton asked.

“You’re an…. an alien?” Shock swept over his face, and his watery eyes blurred at the crippled body before him.

“Yes, only half. I’ve hidden it for years. Now, you know. Don’t let the government take my body.” Shelton doubled over in pain, curled into a fetal position, and closed his eyes for the final time.

Barney stood silent over Shelton’s crumpled body. He surveyed the puddle of green blood. “All these years, and I never knew.” He mopped the blood up with a couple of old towels, and used bleach to cover up any smell. He stuffed the body into a trash bag. Shelton’s wife, Sharon, would be home soon. Barney had to assume she knew, but just in case she’d have to see it to believe it.

He heard Sharon’s car door slam in the driveway. Footfalls clicked up the sidewalk and the jingle of keys filled the air.

A feeling of panic crept over him, and a thought crossed his mind. Only half? Which parent is the alien? The Senator or the Actress?


299 Words
Flash Story Must contain the line: "Do you know what this means?"