I'm writing this story backward. Here's the end.
Yuri looked down into the hole and shouted Amanda's name. Once. He waited, anxiously. Twice. Nothing. A tear formed and rolled down his cheek, down to his chin, where it lingered. It began to tickle, and Yuri noticed that he was crying. He quickly wiped the tear and continued to gaze into the death trap over which he stood. His eyebrows curled up suddenly, his eyes became soft and he began to daydream, confused.
"What the hell was she doing? Why did she run this way?" he asked himself, beginning to piece the events of the day together in his mind. He looked down the hallway toward the stairway from which he had just run, out of the window. He saw Trinity Church, and quickly he began to panic.
"Broad and Wall street? How the fuck did we get here?" He thought about the way he had just come. He remembered running through the city, and it occurred to him. The first thing Yuri had seen upon leaving the apartment building had been the Library. He was in Manhattan. He turned and gave the hole one last look, and then he ran. Back to the stairwell, down the first two flights, then into the hallway and all the way down the hall to the last three flights of stairs.
He ran to the front door of the building, but it was locked. He punched the door, furious, and turned quickly. "What in God's name is going on here? This door wasn't locked when we ran in here," he recalled. "Oh, shit," he suddenly said, and stopped dead in his tracks. He had just remembered hearing the door slam shut.
"Who's here?" he yelled. He looked back down the hall, toward the locked front door. He looked down the hall to his right, and watched in awe and frustration as Amanda descended the stairs, unharmed.
"Where the hell were you? I thought you were dead," Yuri said, beginning to cry again. His fists relaxed and he let his body fall, exhausted, to the wall directly behind him. He put his hands over his face, and began to sob. Amanda stood, frozen with fear in the doorway of the stairwell. Yuri took his hands away from his face, and looked at Amanda, bawling. She began to back up the stairs. "Amanda!" he shouted. "Amanda, you come back here!" Yuri got up and began to run toward the stair well. Amanda turned and ran up the stairs, onto the second floor. She ran and tried to open every door, finally finding salvation in the form of room 209. She pushed open the door and looked around the small apartment, finding the kitchen to her left once she remembered where she was. She ran in and found that there were no knives or forks anywhere, much to her dismay. She looked around, finally locating a loosened tile on the floor. She broke it with the heel of her boot and picked up the jagged piece. Just as she stood, Yuri stormed into the room.
"I wish you would stop running," he said, "you know I'm a smoker, Amanda. You don't always have to be such a bitch." He reached behind his back and trew the door shut, and with that same hand drew his gun.
Amanda wanted to cry more than anything at this point. She wanted to give up, lay down and die. But for some reason, although she felt as though hope was lost, she held on to the piece of tile and stared Yuri right in the eyes. "Fuck you," she said, an air of determination in her voice.
Yuri shot her in the leg. She fell to the ground, screaming.
He walked over to her and sat on the ground beside her, with his gun pointed at her head. Before he could say anything, though, and in the middle of her screaming, Amanda stabbed Yuri just below his ribs with the piece of broken tile. Now both of them were screaming in agony. Yuri began to vomit, as the pain was excruciating, and Amanda took this opportunity to let go of the piece of tile and pound it futher into his body with the back of her fist. She got up, limping, and started for the door.
She stopped.
She turned.
Yuri's blood was leaking onto the floor quickly, weaving through the grout and toward the air vent. He was fading in and out of consciousness, his eyes felt heavier than they'd ever felt before. She leaned on the wall to get the pressure off of her leg, and then she slid down to the ground. "Why did you do it, Yuri?" she asked through her teeth. "You need to answer me now. Why? Why after all of the years of happiness, did you decide to throw it all away? And with such a low-life at that. I trusted you. I loved you. You don't trample love, Yuri. I gave everything I had to you, sacrificed my career for you, sent my future up the river for you, and now look at us. You're bleeding out on the floor of our first goddamned appartment."
She leaned back.
"You used to be so anal about this damned floor. You and your precious new tile. Well you can't blame me now, I wanted wood in the kitchen." Amanda began to laugh at this, as Yuri slipped into consciousness again. He looked up and saw her sitting, laughing at him. He became enraged. He grabbed his gun and shot her once again, this time in the throat. She gasped and fell to the side, lifeless.
"I'll see you in the morning," Yuri said, "I hope you dream about me."
"What the hell was she doing? Why did she run this way?" he asked himself, beginning to piece the events of the day together in his mind. He looked down the hallway toward the stairway from which he had just run, out of the window. He saw Trinity Church, and quickly he began to panic.
"Broad and Wall street? How the fuck did we get here?" He thought about the way he had just come. He remembered running through the city, and it occurred to him. The first thing Yuri had seen upon leaving the apartment building had been the Library. He was in Manhattan. He turned and gave the hole one last look, and then he ran. Back to the stairwell, down the first two flights, then into the hallway and all the way down the hall to the last three flights of stairs.
He ran to the front door of the building, but it was locked. He punched the door, furious, and turned quickly. "What in God's name is going on here? This door wasn't locked when we ran in here," he recalled. "Oh, shit," he suddenly said, and stopped dead in his tracks. He had just remembered hearing the door slam shut.
"Who's here?" he yelled. He looked back down the hall, toward the locked front door. He looked down the hall to his right, and watched in awe and frustration as Amanda descended the stairs, unharmed.
"Where the hell were you? I thought you were dead," Yuri said, beginning to cry again. His fists relaxed and he let his body fall, exhausted, to the wall directly behind him. He put his hands over his face, and began to sob. Amanda stood, frozen with fear in the doorway of the stairwell. Yuri took his hands away from his face, and looked at Amanda, bawling. She began to back up the stairs. "Amanda!" he shouted. "Amanda, you come back here!" Yuri got up and began to run toward the stair well. Amanda turned and ran up the stairs, onto the second floor. She ran and tried to open every door, finally finding salvation in the form of room 209. She pushed open the door and looked around the small apartment, finding the kitchen to her left once she remembered where she was. She ran in and found that there were no knives or forks anywhere, much to her dismay. She looked around, finally locating a loosened tile on the floor. She broke it with the heel of her boot and picked up the jagged piece. Just as she stood, Yuri stormed into the room.
"I wish you would stop running," he said, "you know I'm a smoker, Amanda. You don't always have to be such a bitch." He reached behind his back and trew the door shut, and with that same hand drew his gun.
Amanda wanted to cry more than anything at this point. She wanted to give up, lay down and die. But for some reason, although she felt as though hope was lost, she held on to the piece of tile and stared Yuri right in the eyes. "Fuck you," she said, an air of determination in her voice.
Yuri shot her in the leg. She fell to the ground, screaming.
He walked over to her and sat on the ground beside her, with his gun pointed at her head. Before he could say anything, though, and in the middle of her screaming, Amanda stabbed Yuri just below his ribs with the piece of broken tile. Now both of them were screaming in agony. Yuri began to vomit, as the pain was excruciating, and Amanda took this opportunity to let go of the piece of tile and pound it futher into his body with the back of her fist. She got up, limping, and started for the door.
She stopped.
She turned.
Yuri's blood was leaking onto the floor quickly, weaving through the grout and toward the air vent. He was fading in and out of consciousness, his eyes felt heavier than they'd ever felt before. She leaned on the wall to get the pressure off of her leg, and then she slid down to the ground. "Why did you do it, Yuri?" she asked through her teeth. "You need to answer me now. Why? Why after all of the years of happiness, did you decide to throw it all away? And with such a low-life at that. I trusted you. I loved you. You don't trample love, Yuri. I gave everything I had to you, sacrificed my career for you, sent my future up the river for you, and now look at us. You're bleeding out on the floor of our first goddamned appartment."
She leaned back.
"You used to be so anal about this damned floor. You and your precious new tile. Well you can't blame me now, I wanted wood in the kitchen." Amanda began to laugh at this, as Yuri slipped into consciousness again. He looked up and saw her sitting, laughing at him. He became enraged. He grabbed his gun and shot her once again, this time in the throat. She gasped and fell to the side, lifeless.
"I'll see you in the morning," Yuri said, "I hope you dream about me."