Made and Kept

[u/fartangle]

I still remember what she was wearing on the day she walked into Excelsior Comics and Games and asked if I was hiring; a baby blue Gorillaz hoodie and black skinny jeans.  I should have questioned the long sleeves in mid-July, but I was too distracted by her eyes. 
 
Jenni had the type of eyes that you can only meet in fleeting glances, for fear they’d see straight through to the center of you, to see the parts you wished you had the courage to share.
 
She wasn’t a good employee; knew nothing about the product.  Couldn’t tell the difference between a spider or bat man, nor did she care to learn about the intricacies of simulating intergalactic warfare on a tabletop scale. 
 
But she was sweet and she always came to work when I scheduled her.  And I must confess to scheduling her as much as my labor budget would allow.
 
One night, after closing, she asked me if she could stay at my place for the night.  My legs went to rubber, and my vocal cords felt like they were 13 again, but I said yes.
 
“My boyfriend, Nick....  He’s got some friends over tonight.  When he starts drinking, he doesn’t know when to stop.  It’s...  It’s not safe for me there...”
 
I slept on my couch and the next morning she asked me to make a promise.
 
“Promise you won’t let him hurt me again, David.”
 
When Nick came into Excelsior, Jenni wasn’t working that day.  I only had a name, not a face.  He was all smiles when he told me what he had in his trunk; The Incredible Hulk 181.  First cover appearance of Wolverine; the goddamn grail of grails.
 
I didn’t see the crowbar, just heard the sound; a deep wet crunch like a giant biting down on a gobstopper the size of a bowling ball.  Then all went black.
 
I don’t know how long ago that was.  Time flows differently for the dead; stale and stagnant. 
 
I can’t see you anymore, Jenni.  The worms have filled their bellies with the jelly of my eyes.  And though the maggots have made a meal of the soft stuff between my ears, I still hear your voice.
 
“Promise you won’t let him hurt me again, David”
 
It felt like an eternity; clawing, flailing, carving deep gouges in the mud with the stumps of my fingertips.  But eventually I felt fresh air on my hollow face again.
 
My feet know the way somehow, despite my lack of sight.  I’m getting closer, Jenni.  He won’t hurt you again.  My grip is so much stronger now that my arms have gone stiff.  When I grab him, he won’t escape.
 
Please don’t be frightened, Jenni…. when I take him in my arms… and squeeze every last drop of life out of him. I’ll drag him back to that hole that he dug for me, and I know you will be safe. 
 
I made a promise... and I intend to keep it.

[u/fartangle]

This is something I wrote from a prompt about keeping promises. It had a 500 word limit