Chapter 9:
It's 1:09am.
They emerge from the side door of the bar, stumbling with laughter.
Fallon grips the door, as April struggles to walk in her heels, Divine chuckling.
It's dark.
Fallon squints her green eyes, struggling to detect the sound of a moving vehicle nearby.
"Are you sure you told the taxi driver about the right place? And time?" April stares into the distance, her eyes drowsy. "I'm so sleepy"
She staggers as she begins to make her way towards the end of the pavement.
Her feet wobble immensely, as Fallon holds her hips tight, forcing her to walk straight.
"I've had so much fun tonight. I love you guys"
Divine slurs as she speaks. She pulls them both tight into her open arms, kissing each of their foreheads lightly. "You guys are my life!"
The taxi arrives.
Fallon instantly removes herself from Divine's solid grasp.
It's him.
No. . .
Maybe I'm just drunk, she tries to convince herself.
Fallon, get a grip on yourself.
Get over it.
It wasn't even that bad.
You've had worse. You've felt worse.
Rougher palms. Harder grips on your waist.
He grins, and suddenly, her world turns black.
"You coming with?" April's already inside the car, beckoning Fallon with her hand to join.
Fallon convinces them she's sober, although she can feel the sharp ache in her chest; the intense pressure on her brain.
"I'm fine" She smiles.
Lying, as usual.
"Suit yourself" Divine shrugs. "It's a long journey home, though. Make sure you stay safe, hun!"
"Are you sure, baby? There's always room for you at the front next to me"
It's the man.
His intoxicating eyes lie on Fallon's. He smirks, absorbing her thin legs, licking his wet lips.
"Yes. Yes. I'm sure. Don't worry about me, girls!"
Instantly, she begins to back away from the taxi, watching it drive away into the dry wind.
Dark memories.
That's all that swarms in my mind.
And they aren't going away any time soon.
•
3.14am.
She's arrived in town.
Slightly tipsy, she emerges into The Green-wood Cemetery, slowly wandering over to her husband's grave.
She's drawn to it.
She's drawn to him.
Addicted.
His spirit won't let go.
He won't let go.
It's the third time she's been here this week.
It's quiet.
The boughs of the cemetery twist like contorted bones, writhing in a silent scream.
Inside the cemetery lies every cold stone, each individual marking a dwelling place in which no one is home.
No one is coming back home either.
She's the only one there.
Sitting on a nearby stone, she struggles to focus on the words written across his grave, her eyes blurry from the booze.
The drugs. The alcohol.
She can't even remember what substances she's installed in her body tonight.
Just another average night in Brooklyn.
In loving memory of Damari Richards.
A great man, husband, lover, and friend.
You'll always be remembered.
27.10.15
Wow.
It's been almost five years.
Fallon fights, but she's unable to stop the flowing tears from her eyes.
"Dammit!" She kicks the grave with her shoe. "I hate you Damari, I hate you so much!"
Snap.
The bottom of her left heel breaks.
She screams in anger, her body boiling up in wrath.
"Fuck!" She cries, aggressively holding her head as she shouts in distress. "Damn you!"
Audaciously, she pulls off her shoe, flinging it at his gravestone. She watches as it hits the tomb, falling right next to the flowers she dropped by his grave earlier this week.
Fuck.
"Why?" She screams, holding her head in pain.
She squeezes her eyes, unable to control her body movement.
"Why have you done this to me? Oaklyn? Seriously? Are you out of your fucking mind?"
She stands up abruptly, circling his grave as she speaks.
"I loved you. I fucking loved you! I did everything for you! And in return, what do you do? You fuck me over. You fuck me right over!"
Aggressively, she uses her second heel to stomp on his flowers, watching in pleasure as the petals crumple up and detach from their leaves.
Almost instantly, she falls to her knees and starts to weep, the tears from her soul overflowing like a waterfall.
Depression.
"Why?" She mumbles, grasping his grave. "Why have you done this to me? You've broken me!"
Her eyes linger on the word husband.
"Yes, what a great husband you've been, clearly"
Standing up, she spits on his tomb, throwing pieces of dirt from the ground all over his grave.
Behind her, almost instantly, the lights in the large white house across the street begin to flicker rapidly.
"Rot in hell Damari! I'm not scared of you! I'm not scared of your stupid ghost, either!"
She falls to the ground, lingering by his grave.
His love is a drug, and she's an addict.
YOU ARE READING
The Darkness Within
Mystery / ThrillerIt's late. Very late. Sweat oozes from her skin as she strolls through the dark alleyway. She's weird. Unusual. Traumatised by her husband's death, she struggles to ignore his continuous hammering memories that float through her mind. His smile...
