I Would Do Anything.

It’s a nice, autumn day. The slight breeze moves my girlfriend Brie’s curly hair as we bring the boxes into her house. After a year of dating, I’m moving in with her. I thought the last year of my life has been a dream, but this has topped it somehow. Everything with her redefines a dream come true.

It’s a private neighborhood with only one house near ours.

“Need any help, ladies?”, a voice calls out to us.

Me and Brie both turn to see a middle aged man, one that I’d recognize anywhere: my old boss.

Brie knows that I used to be a hitwoman that was hired to kill rapists, but that’s about all she knows. She knows about the skeletons in my closet, but that doesn’t mean she wants a show and tell of them all.

“Oh, hey, Ed,” Brie says, “We’ve just about got it.”

I knew him as Mike. We’ll just say he was sad to see me go.

He looks right at me for a minute, then speaks, “Alright, I’m just next door if you need me.”

Brie nods, “Alright, thanks!”

He nods, then turns and walks into his house.

“Fucking weirdo.” I say under my breath.

“What, Ed? No, he’s sweet.”

“Brie-Brie, trust me on this one, no he isn’t.”

She laughs, “You’re so skeptical, baby. He’s fine, I’ve lived beside him for a year.”

‘Who moved in first?”

“What?”

“Who moved in first?” I ask, more stern this time.

She looks at me blankly, “I did.”

Has he been staking out Brie ever since I met her? Why the fuck had he been doing that?”

I decide to keep my concerns to myself until I had more information. Brie scares easily, and there’s no need to worry her until I absolutely know that something is up. I always wonder how someone who scares so easily ends up with someone like me.

That night, I laid in bed beside Brie as she slept. She looked so peaceful, laying there, eyes closed, in a bonnet and one of my shirts, the bonnet covering her thick curly hair and her eyelids covering her dreamy brown eyes. I could watch her forever, I’m so in love. I would do anything for her.

I was pulled from my admiration by branches snapping on the ground outside my window. I went to the window and opened the curtains but nothing was outside of it. However, I looked over to see Mike’s motion detection porch light on.

“What the hell?” I say under my breath.

Brie begins to rustle in our bed.

“What is it?” she says, sleep in her voice.

Do I tell her? Is it worth scaring her? She deserves to know who she’s living beside, does she? But also, isn’t it my job to protect her.

“Nothing, baby. Go back to sleep.” I say, still looking out the window at Mike’s house.

She goes back to sleep, no questions asked.

Due to my previous line of work, Brie doesn’t ask too many questions. I think she just trusts that no matter what’s happening, I’ve got her.

The next morning I decide to pay Mike a visit. He’s sitting on his porch when I walk up.

“Good morning, neighbor!” he says in a faux cheery tone.

“Cut the bullshit, Mike. What the fuck were you doing outside my window last night?”

He raises an eyebrow, “I think you have me confused with someone else. I’m Ed.”

“I’m not fucking around with you, Mike.”

He chuckles, then looks at me, “So that’s what you left me for, huh?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I figured she deserved better than dating a hitwoman.”

“Like an ex-hitwoman is any better.”

“Why did you move in next door to her?” I demand.

“You got emotional, weak. I had to see what was causing it, and now I see why. She’s a fragile little bird, isn’t she?”

“Don’t you dare talk about her like that! I quit because I couldn’t deal with your shit anymore. Leave us alone, sick fuck.”

I stomped back to my house, lightening my step before I walked inside.

Brie and I spend the day unpacking. Just as we’re unpacking the last box, the doorbell rings. I look at Brie, and she’s looking right back at me.

“Hm, I wonder who that could be.” she says, heading towards the door.

She opens the door; no one’s there. I look down, and there’s a dead bird. It’s been beheaded, blood flowing onto the welcome mat.

“What the fuck?”

“How did it end up here?” Brie asks, shocked.

“That sick bastard put it here.” I say.

I begin to head out the door, but Brie stops me.

‘Honey! What if whoever did this is still out there?”

“Then he’s gonna get his ass kicked!” I walk past her.

Brie pulls my arm again, “Cat, please just stay here with me.”

The scared expression on her face breaks my heart. I can’t leave her like this.

I pull her into a warm embrace, “Okay, baby, I’ve got you. I’m here.”

I lead Brie to bed. I lay with her, holding her and stroking her hair. She calms down within an hour, but I can’t get the image out of my head: the bird’s neck, blood covering the surrounding feathers as it bled out onto the mat. Once Brie has drifted off to sleep, I go outside, carefully wrap the bird’s body in the mat. Then, I dig a small hole in the backyard and bury it.

The next day, Brie insisted on making a small headstone for the bird. She’s gentle like that, caring for all things, living or dead. She fashions a headstone out of a small smooth rock, painting “R.I.P. Small Bird” on it. After this, she places after she places the rock where I buried the bird.

After Brie heads to work, I head to Mike’s house.

“What the fuck do you want from me?”

“Well, hello to you too.”

I just look at him. If looks could kill, he’d be on the floor and cold right now.

“It was just a little warning, that’s all.” he says, referring to the bird.

“A warning of what?”

“Of what happens when you choose someone over me.”

“All of this because I quit the job?”

“No, Cat, all of this because you chose her over me. Come on, don’t act like you didn’t feel something between us too.”

I scoff, “I don’t swing that way.”

“Then why were you flirting with me?” he asks.

“I never flirted with you, you freak.”

“You can argue all you want, but it’s either admit it and choose me, or I’ll make the choice for you.”

I think fast. I would rather die before I let him do anything to Brie.

“Fine, I admit it.”

He wickedly smiles at me, “I knew you’d make the right choice. Follow me.”

He walks me into his house. The inside of it is disgusting, much like its owner. The furniture is stained, and it smells of cigarettes and body odor.

“If I had known I was gonna have company I would have cleaned up.”

I laugh, “You would have had to burn the place down.”

He goes to say something, but he doesn’t.

“You wanna head upstairs?”

I shake my head, “Absolutely not.”

“Come on, work with me here. I’m doing you a favor.”

“Wow, my hero.”

Ed shakes his head.

“Fine, I’m gonna go grab something from upstairs, then I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

He goes upstairs and my eyes begin to dart around the messy room. I pull the pocket knife out of my pocket. I open it and hide it behind my back, waiting for Ed to return. He returns a few seconds later.

“Alright, let’s get this party going.”

I forced a smile, “Whatever you want.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear.”

He walks over to me and goes in for a kiss. As soon as he’s close enough, I stab him in the throat. Blood splatters on my face. I quickly pull the knife out, watching as he looks at me with a shocked expression. He grabs his throat and falls to the floor. I watch as he chokes on his own blood, bleeding out on the ratty floor. I wipe the blood from my face with my sleeve.

I know it needed to be done. It was either him or Brie and me, and I’ll be damned if I ever let anything happen to her.

I need to start on the clean up. Stab wounds are easier to clean than splattered brains, thank god. I drag his body from his backyard to my backyard, and there Brie is.

“Honey…” I start, looking back and forth between the body and her.

She just smiles, “I knew you’d protect me. Keep him away from the bird.

I bury him far from the bird.

I go back and carefully clean up the blood, then discard the clothes I’m wearing.

I plant Vasevines, endangered flowers, in the yard over him. I always keep some around in case. They won’t dig those up.

She walks out as I’m planting the last one.

“It looks so beautiful.”

I smile at her, “I know you’ve always wanted a garden.”

I lean in and kiss her, knowing we are finally safe. No matter what, I will always keep her safe.

Months pass, and the garden has flourished, it’s more beautiful than anything. I could watch Brie for hours, working in her garden, watering each and every plant with a carefulness that would make you think that she’s done this her entire life. When she’s in her garden, it seems nothing else matters.

Everyone thinks that Ed is missing. They’ve been looking for him, but they won’t find him.

“Cat, honey?” Brie calls out to me.

“Yes, love?”

“Go take some of these flowers and put them on Ed’s porch.”

I chuckle to myself at the irony.

‘Okay, honey.”

I take the flowers, the ones that used him as fertilizer, over to his house and lay them on his porch. Then, I turn around and walk back home.