Code Name: Romeo and Juliet
By John Mark Goforth


“Juliet, no. No!” I cried as I held her in my arms. She gasped for breath and I tried to stop the flow of blood pumping from the two gunshot wounds in her stomach. With horror I stared at the gun in my hand, the gun I had killed her with. I threw it aside. “Juliet, why? Why did you try to kill me?”
“You-you, think I-I ever really loved you?” She said coldly as blood began to drip from her lips. “My father’s a mob boss, your father is a detective. It was never real for me, Romeo. You were a job.”
She reached up and stroked the side of my face and her expression changed from a hard one to a sad one. “A job I almost couldn't finish.”
“But you tried.” I said as a tear fell from my face.
I remember coming to the place she had set for us to meet at, we were going on a date. She said it was a surprise. She told me to close my eyes and that is when she pulled the gun, but I never leave my eyes shut, I peeked. I dove away just as she shot and I closed the ground between us and wrestled the gun from her hands. Before she could react I shot her. I shot Juliet.
“I-I ne-ver miss. Why di-d I th-this ti-me?” She said as she tried to smile. “Per-per-haps in a dif-fer-ent world I would have lo-lov-ed you, I know I-I cou-ld have.”
“In a world where I was a normal boy and you weren't an assassin?” I said with a small smile.
She smiled. “Yeah, a-a wor-ld like that.”
She groaned and grabbed at her stomach. “They’ll be coming for you.” She said, referring to her father and the mob.
“I know.” I replied.
“What are-are you go-going to-to do?” She asked.
I reached for the gun. “One bullet left.” I said.
She smiled. “You know how I love a sad ending.”
I put the gun to my head. “Yes I do.” I smiled back.
I pulled her close to me and we shared our last kiss. A kiss mingled in blood. She smiled with a sigh, and then fell limp in my arms.
My finger was on the trigger of the gun. I pushed it against my head. I let a few more tears flow down my cheeks.
*CLICK*
No shot, the gun was on safety. I stood up and took the gun away from my temple. I looked down at Juliet’s body. “Maybe in a different world, I could have loved you. A world where you were a normal girl and I wasn't an assassin.”
I left her there, and returned with my gloves.


- - -
John Mark lives in rural Pennsylvania. He enjoys writing and laughing at the people in Walmart. He intends to make one of these pastimes into a career.