"NO! Let me go! Please! You don't understand. I must! LET ME GO!"
He was fighting to hold on, because this girl was dead serious about jumping. No ordinary suicide attempt, this one. This wasn't his first experience with a suicide jumper by far, but normally you could talk people down and make them think twice about their decision. Not this time though. She was clearly beyond debating her decision and just wanted to get on with it. If he hadn't happened to be passing by just as she was climbing the railing, she would now be floating dead in the icy water deep below.
"Please miss! Whatever the problem is, this is NOT the solution," he panted desperately through a volley of kicks, punches and scratching nails.
The girl seemed totally lost in hysteria and impervious to reason. She wasn't powerfully built by any means – more on the skinny side really – but insanity may often grant us strength and agility beyond what would seem humanly possible. Despite being close to twice her weight he was losing ground in this fight.
During his time in the military Owen had extensive training in numerous ways of incapacitating an enemy, lethal as well as non-lethal, but he had never imagined using any of them against a civilian, let alone a young woman. But there was a human life on the line if he lost his grip, so it was no-brainer. His training took over and with a hold around her throat he applied a calculated amount of pressure to a specific point. Within seconds the struggling girl grew limp in his embrace and slipped into unconsciousness.
As he carried her to his car he was surprised of how light she felt. Extraordinarily beautiful too with long black hair, perfect milky white skin and the kind of body men would die or kill for. Could this really be the one they were hunting? And why the stubborn attempt at ending her own life? She looked like somebody who had everything going for her.
"Of course she could be sick," he thought to himself. "Sometimes you can't tell just by looking. Guess I'll have to ask her when she comes around."
****
Selene woke to the wonderful smell of freshly brewed coffee and for a moment her eyes were blinded by the bright overhead lights. As her sight gradually adapted she became aware that she was slouching in a reasonably comfortable couch of made of well-worn red imitation leather, like the ones that can be found in numerous diners all over the country.
She sat up and took in her surroundings. Yes, this was indeed a diner. Odd. How on earth did she end up here?
A tall man was making his way to her table carrying a tray. A quick assessment told her that he was in his early thirties, of powerful build, military-style buzz cut and she noticed that he moved with the relaxed ease of a well-trained person. Obviously a police officer or a soldier or some other kind of action man. He had a kind face though and beamed a nice smile at her with just a hint of crow's feet in the corners of his eyes. She liked him right away.
"About time you came around," he said. "Coffee is ready."
"Where are we?"
"In Joe's Diner two streets from the bridge where you attempted to go for a midnight swim. I'm Owen by the way."
"Nice to meet you Owen. I am Selene."
"GIVE US SOME PUSSY... SQUAWK!" a loud and hoarse voice sounded.
She jerked her head around, still a bit confused; then spotted a large bright green parrot in a birdcage at the end of the bar.
"Oh, that's Beauregard," Owen said apologetically. "As you can tell some of the guests have a pretty relaxed tone with him. I guess the lights woke him. I'll go shut him up."
"HAND ME THE GRUB JOE. NO SPITTING IN THE SOUP... SQUAWK!" Beauregard said happily and moved back and forth on his perch.
Owen grabbed large piece of black cloth from behind the counter and draped it over the cage. Before disappearing from view Beauregard had a few final words of wisdom for them:
"CIGARETTES AND WHISKEY AND WILD WILD WOMEN... SQUAWK!"
... and then he fell quiet as his cage was covered in darkness.
Despite her situation Selene couldn't stop a giggle, "A charming feathered fellow I must say."
"Yeah Beau is quite a character," Owen agreed.
Then her mood grew somber again.
"We are all alone here Owen. Where are the other guests? Where is the staff?"
"The diner is closed Selene. You might not have noticed but its two hours past midnight. You've been sleeping for three hours straight since I brought you here. You want sugar in your coffee?"
"No thanks, just black please. If this place is closed, how can we be in here?"
"I work as a security guard for several local businesses, so I have a key. Don't worry - Joe wont mind. I usually take my breaks here."
She took her cup and drank almost half the content in one swig.
"You should not have stopped me you know," she murmured behind her napkin.
"Wanna tell me why you feel that way?"
"Trust me. You do not want to know."
"Listen," he said. "I ain't gonna push you into anything Selene. If you don't wanna tell, it's your business. But sometimes talking about stuff can help a person make sense of the chaos in the mind. And frankly I'm curious about you."
Selene regarded him quizzically.
"You do know a thing or two about emotional trauma, do you not? Soldier? Been in action?"
"Yes, yes and yes," he confirmed with a look of suppressed pain she couldn't quite decipher.
She decided not to go there. At least not yet. And to be fair Owen seemed nice and genuinely interested in helping her. He deserved the truth, if nothing else. Besides he was a stranger. She might never see him again, so there was no reason for pretense. No reputation to worry about. Maybe it was time to come clean to somebody.
Selene drew a deep breath.
"I have killed everybody I have ever loved or cared for," she said her eyes filling with tears. "I could not help it and it will happen again. The world is better off without me and I cannot bear the pain any longer. Oblivion is preferable to what I have now."
Whatever Owen had expected to hear, that wasn't it.
"Holy crap! Are you serious? How did that come about?"
"My... well... my orgasms... my orgasms are lethal."
