A Week of Death

1. The kitchen is bloody. He thinks he's going to die. He thinks she'll finally kill him. She's so angry. So, so angry, and he doesn't even know why. Did he take too long coming from work? Did he forget to compliment her cooking? Does the way he look at her make her feel fat? He doesn't know. He doesn't know. But now she's not kicking his head. Now she's choking him with her fat, fat fingers. He's going to die. He's going to die.

He doesn't remember reaching for the kitchen knife.  But he'll remember her eyes as they knife went through her neck. He'll remember her fat, fat fingers let go and hold the wound. He'll remember the blood pouring through her fingers.

2. He wakes up and he can't smell breakfast. His body is sore. His face is sore. He touches his face to comfort himself – but it's wrong. Feels wrong.

He looks at his fingers. They're caked in dried blood and he remembers her face as she died. In bed, he sobs, because he's a terrible husband. She deserves – deserved better. He's a stupid, stupid man.

3. His stomach turns at the sight of her and he vomits on himself and his shirt becomes sticky and clings to his chest. He steps towards her with care. A part of him thinks she's going to grab him now.

When he's close enough, he sees her eyes still frozen in that last moment. She's still dead. Really dead. He can't. He can't. He can't carry her away. He can't. He can't. He can't apologise this time.

He can't.

4. It doesn't matter what room he's in – he can smell her. She's rotting in their kitchen because he's not strong enough to move her. He wants to scream today. He wants to cry loud, but he can't. She hates it when he makes noise. So he whimpers. His quiet tears feel good.

He thinks he's going to kill himself.

5. That's that's that's that is wrong. That's not how he left her. This is wrong. Her left hand was on her neck and her right hand was on her floor. Now her right hand is on her neck and her left hand is on the floor. She's dead. He knows she is. Her eyes are frozen and she is still but that is not how he left her and he knows it's not.

6. She doesn't move today. Today is his favourite day.

He looks in the drawer. The one she never lets him near. There's a gun in it. He takes it with him and sits next to her. He's not even sad because this is a good thing to do. He was the one who was meant to die anyway, so it's the best thing to do. He can't live on his own anyway. He doesn't know how. This is the best thing to do.

His brains spoil their nice ceiling.

7. The kitchen is bloody. He thinks he's going to die. He thinks she'll finally kill him. She's so angry. So, so angry, and he doesn't even know why. Did he take too long to come from work? Did he forget to compliment her cooking? Does the way he look at her make her feel fat? He doesn't know. He doesn't know. But now she's not kicking his head. Now she's choking him with her fat, fat fingers. He's going to die. He's going to die.