Making the Call

Patrolman Robin Scalia approached the old house trailer, gun drawn. A hound dog on a chain lay beneath the shade of the trailer. He spied Robin, but showed little interest. The circular bare patch made by his chain ended a few feet from the dented front door. “Well now. You’re a real watch dog, now aren’t you?” she murmured.

A sudden wind from the lake blew dirt into her face, and rustled the tops of the two oaks that hovered above. The home groaned as if awakening from slumber. This bastard isn’t getting away this time. I hope that backup gets here quick and I’m doing the right thing, but he slipped away before when Maury had him cornered.

She twisted the knob. The door swung open a crack and she peered in. Several flies shot out the opening. She didn’t blink. A putrid urine smell mixed with mildew drifted up her nostrils. She spotted a dirty mermaid glass atop a mass of dirty dishes in a sink. She felt the trailer shake. Someone's moving around.

She kicked the door in and jumped into the dim center as a man jumped from his bed. A woman with two blackened eyes screamed from behind him as he lunged for a revolver on the bed stand. Robin hesitated. I can’t hit the woman. She fired over his head and he flipped around and shot, missing. She dove into the bathroom and another shot whizzed by.

A few seconds ticked past and she heard heavy footsteps, a clanking sound, and a loud thud. Robin froze.

“I got him,” said the woman from the bed.

Robin peaked around the corner. The woman stood half naked with a frying pan. “He would have killed me any minute.”

Robin sighed. I made the right call.



300 Words
Flash Story Must contain: Mermaid, Glass, Blink