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Everyone knew it—the secret—and everyone was polite about it. Tip toeing around what it really meant ,because surely it could never come down to that. And then it did.
Henry fought hard to do the right thing. And wasn’t it a tricky concept? The right thing? Aneesa liked to think of it as the right thing, and then the right thing tm. The trademark, universally acceptable, pc ’right thing′ ,and after being married to him for years, she knew that he would always choose that thing.
It didn’t matter the sacrifice. Because to Henry, being right was more important than being happy or feeling right.
And that never bothered her. Did she worry? Of course. He sped off toward danger all the time, his head full of hope, and hands burning with light, his feet fixed toward the ‘right thing.’
And Aneesa, his faithful wife who watched his exploits on the news waited, her hands twisted in worry as she prayed he’d make it home.
And everyone who knew Henry—and everyone knew Henry—knew that he would give anything to help someone. They were all in on his big secret.
Until the day it happened. A normal Friday morning for the two, a clear sky, and Aneesa tied to the roof of a building. The wind blustered as some makeshift villain made broad proclamations of doom—but she wasn’t worried about that.
She looked down. What were they? A hundred feet up? The ropes burned into her arms. This wasn’t even abnormal for her anymore. It happened once or twice. The simple man Henry was, he just went by his name, Henry, and there was only one man who looked like him, had powers like him.
Villains found him all the time. Found them. They’d moved four times, until she’d realized he had been snapping a picture in front of every new house for instagram and geotagging it.
This was the fifth home in 2 years, but Aneesa didn’t mind much. She inhaled shakily, her hair whipping about as she stared down at the ground. It was a very long way. So very...very long.
She swallowed roughly, and turned her attention to the villain. He was a gangly man, all elbows, thin and stick light, clad in the brightest shade of neon yellow she’d ever seen. He seemed awkward and ill equipped, his makeshift mask slipping off his nose.
The chair rocked against the edge of the building. Aneesa began to sweat,the drops disappearing into the clouds.
“What uh...what are your demands?” She asked. “My husband is...fairly agreeable.”
The man looked at her and shrugged with a small smile. “I have one demand. I want him to choose.”
Aneesa’s brow dipped. “I...I’m sorry?”
The man clapped his hands and grinned. “You’re excused. I’ll explain. There are bombs placed all around the world in major metropolitan cities. This button, controls the timer,”
He pressed it. “He has 15 minutes.” The man walked toward her, the squeak of his highly polished shoes echoing on the rooftop.
“He can’t disarm them all, it’s just not possible. Even if he knew where they all were.”
Aneesa felt the large, cold hand of dread twist around her insides. “Oh?”
The villain nodded, as he walked toward her. What was his name?
“Yes. But my partner, who shall remain unknown, has another button. One that will stop the timer. He will also not be able to find this partner, not within...” he glanced down at his watch, “13 minutes.”
He put his fingers around the back of the chair standing behind her. “So...he will have to choose. Between you, and the world. If he chooses to save you, hundreds of millions will die. If he chooses not to, I will stop the timer.”
Aneesa swallowed,roughly shaking her head. “He’ll save me. He will!
“Why are you doing this?”
The man shrugged. “Why does anyone do anything? For a paycheck of course,” His rough hands pushed the back of the chair,sending her hurtling toward her doom.
Her heart pounded in her ears, the cold wind whipping at her face. She struggled trying to free herself from the bindings to no avail.
Everyone knew this little secret.
It was a secret everyone who knew Henry was aware of, a niggling little feeling everyone squashed down,as they watched his heroics on tv—even, sad to say, his wife, Aneesa.
Given a choice between her and the world, it was a sad fact that Henry would choose the world.
Aneesa closed her eyes in utter despair as she came toward the ground, faster and faster. She knew how she’d looked afterwards. She’d been walking once and been witness to a suicide. A man jumped off a building, 49 stories up.
He’d barely resembled a human when he hit the ground. Mangled and flat, blood and bone, disgustingly unrecognizable, a splash of horrid paint on the concrete to be mopped up.
That would be her fate. She swallowed the bile that threatened to rise. And then she saw him. His brow knitted, face contorted in anguish. But he stood. He stood still, watching her hurtle toward the ground.
He had made his choice.
“Save me, Henry! Please help me!” She screamed, struggling with renewed vigor as she fought for her life. Surely he couldn’t let her go that way! The pain...
“I’m afraid! I’m afraid to die , please don’t let me die —please!” She sobbed. The vomit she’d been holding back erupted, filling her mouth with the taste of acid.
But Henry stood, worrying his ring, shaking his head as if he were powerless.
“Please help me! Mom!”
Aneesa hit the pavement with a thud, the sickening crackle of her bones breaking on impact, her skull caving, jaw splintering into the flesh of her gums, her tongue cut as her teeth broke, resounding into her.
And she was gone.
But he’d kept his word, the villain and his partner. Those lives were spared.
Except hers. Henry looked away, unable to see the broken lump his wife had become under his supervision. The crowd broke out in horrified screams, dispersing from the sight as it was roped off by officials. One lone figure stuck around.
“What a pathetic mess you’ve become Aneesa,” He remarked. “It’s not easy being the hero’s wife, is it?”
He squatted down next to her remains, looking over what was left of her.
“Well...it was till death do you part ,hmm?”
