The Man's Ego

“They are not far away!” shrieked Mrs. Hoff.

“There’s nothing to be worried about”, said Mr. Hoff.

Every one of his islands in the Acando Ocean was captured. The victims held in concentration camps to be killed were released. They were the women. Mr Hoff never liked them. 

He found them extremely disgusting. He had slept with one and contracted a disease. It was even shameful for him to confess it to Mrs Hoff. The only one he found admirable was her. 

She never went against him–nodded on Mr Hoff’s every decision. The neighbouring forces of the Golden Sea would be arriving soon. A long-lasting battle would be coming to an end.

“Will this lighthouse be safe?” asked Mrs Hoff.

“What makes you doubt its strength?” Mr Hoff frowned at her.

She nodded. That’s what she ever did or said.

The lighthouse was the only place left for them to hide. It stood tall at the edge of a cliff. Its beam of light shined over the Acando Ocean, brightening a portion of the water which came in its radar.

Mr and Mrs Hoff were at the top-most floor. A large sofa was kept in the middle of the room. It occupied most of the space. The couple were sitting on it restlessly. A lamp stood beside it. 

It was suffocating to be in a four-walled room, where there was only a single window pane. Moon was majorly visible from it. Its light dimmed for a period of time. Dark wisps of clouds gradually came in its way.

Mrs Hoff felt dizzy in the constricted compartment. She had never felt this way. It was getting claustrophobic for her. They lived in a mansion, where walls never closed on them.

There was freedom to walk and linger wherever they wanted. 

“What if we are caught?” asked Mrs Hoff. She never felt so stressed.

“They won’t. I said it’s not possible,” said Mr Hoff confidently.

He knew it was possible–certainly possible. They would hang him to death. Mrs Hoff would be cuffed or suffer from capital punishment. But he hid the truth as he always did and she blindly obeyed as she always did.

Mrs Hoff hated the confinement. She feared that the walls would eventually choke her. It intensified as each moment passed. Her head ached and spun. 

“How long will we have to stay here?” asked Mrs Hoff.

“Just a little longer, dear,” said Mr Hoff.

Almost an hour had passed. The tides had gathered their forces. Tree leaves softly rustled around the lighthouse. Mrs Hoff was breathless living here. The crickets chirped–disturbing the eerie silence of the night.

“Take this medicine. You’ll feel better,” said Mr Hoff.

“Oh yes!” Mrs Hoff heaved a sigh of relief.

Mr Hoff handed her the white pill along with a glass of water. She placed it on her tongue and gulped it down quickly. It melted in her mouth as she squeezed her face unpleasantly. 

A few seconds had passed. She expected she could recover, but her head went for a toss. Every feature of her face turned pale–lips, eyes, cheeks, nose. She could not think. 

The level of pain went higher and higher. It all looked fuzzy and blurry to her. Her legs trembled, her hands shivered and her mouth turned dry. With her last breath, the last thing that she smelled was rotten almonds. It was an instant death. She laid dead on the floor. 

A sound echoed in the distance. Mr Hoff walked to the window pane–keeping in mind to not step over Mrs Hoff’s corpse. A dot of light was flickering in the ocean which eventually grew into an army of naval ships.

They were coming towards the lighthouse. They reached nearer and nearer until they landed on the shore. Mr Hoff was not able to sneak further because of the darkness of the night.

Helicopters whirred above the lighthouse. They patrolled the whole area. Mr Hoff did not have any time left. He walked to his drawer kept at the corner of the room. The stairs thudded.

They were coming up. Mr Hoff had to hurry. He opened the drawer and took out his pistol. A ship honked, probably warning him. The footsteps banged strongly. He targeted the pistol on his forehead.

They were at his door, and they could have barged in at any moment. He tightened his fists, took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced through his forehead, crushing everything that came in its way–killing him. Mr and Mrs Hoff were dead.