Music
The music resounded in my ears. The fluttering of the flutes, the violins whispering like the winds; the pitch getting higher and higher to the point of near pain before suddenly ceasing, then whispering again.
It was beautiful.
The instruments played on ever furious, the intense melody still somehow soothing. When the last note played, the crowd erupted in applause, and I with them. I clapped loudly, even after all others had ceased. People looked my way, but I continued until the music started again, ignoring the glances and staring of others. Satisfied, I quieted, leaning back in my chair, closing my eyes, and letting the music fill my ears.
Again the music came, and I let it inebriate my being, filling my mind with the sweet melody. This was my high. The thrill I sought. To hear the instruments playing together, faster and faster in a crescendo until the climax was met. The clashing of the cymbals, the blasting of the trumpets, the winds, the strings. These were what I loved.
My glasses had slipped slightly and I pushed them back up with my index finger. I ran my finger and thumb across my nose, wiping away an itch.
I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hands. I stayed for a moment longer, listening to the sweet sound before I stood up from my chair.
~ :: ~
The gunshot reverberated throughout the small room as the man fell onto the now blood-stained carpet. The storage room was located directly beneath the large concert hall, and the glorious euphony could still be heard above.
The second man, on his knees, immediately began whimpering, begging for his life to be spared unlike his companion.
Most would want him silenced, but I did nothing, and ordered my men to do nothing, simply standing there as his sobs became more and more profound. It was music to my ears.
The music above us ceased, and I knew the concert was wrapping up. Too bad. I would’ve liked more time with him, I thought to myself as I put a bullet through his head.
I looked to the two men standing by the doorway. “Take care of the bodies.” They nodded, and I walked out and back into the concert hall, clapping with the myriad of others at the talented musicians.
A. Page in the Stacks 