The Darkness Within

The Darkness Within: Part 38

Chapter 37:

20th of November, 2020.

4:22pm.

April sits by her electrical fireplace, her eyes wandering to their porch, which reminded her of a wooden box.

Her house is long and narrow, perhaps only twelve feet wide at the front, but the rooms stretch further than the eyes can see.

Her living room is unusually messy, as she knocks over an old bottle of beer in an attempt to create room for her feet.

She shoves a bowl of leftover salad to the side of her glass table, and replaces it with a bottle of Chardonnay.

Her eyes notice the dried splash of liquid stuck to the file flooring by her kitchen from last week. She makes a mental note to clear it up, later.

She swirls her glass of wine, before taking another sip.

She needs the liquid in her veins to keep her going.

It's like an energy fuse to her brain.

A blockage to her pain.

Her eyes are weary, although her mind is slightly stable, she thinks.

She feels the chill of the alcohol run down her oesophagus as her head makes an involuntary shake. A numbness creeps into her brain, creating a sense of joy.

Freedom.

Her glass is empty. She reaches for the bottle, filling it up once again. She takes a swing, gulping the substance in seconds.

Her legs sway to the side, as she lies with her back on the sofa.

She sighs, as she begins to recall the evening she spent with Alessio.

She doesn't usually go for younger men, but there's something about Alessio.

Something interesting.

Something suspicious.

She doesn't trust him, but she'll keep him close. For now.

She lifts her body back up, the heavy sensation flowing to her brain. She touches her forehead, caressing it smoothly with her fingers. Ugh.

It takes so much strength for her to lift up her phone. She can hardly feel the device as her fingers go numb, her eyes blurry.

She sees the word Divine- or at least she thinks she does, as she presses dial.

It goes straight to voicemail.

"Hey, Divine. It's me, April- well of course you know who it is, you have my number" She laughs. "Have I told you about what happened to me, recently? Oh my gosh, you should've been there. I was asked out. Guess who-" She pauses, as if she's giving Divine time to think. "Alessio, the guy who owns the bar down the street. I know, right? So shocking. So random, too"

She takes another sip of her drink, her voice slurring as she speaks. "I know what you're going to say, that he's too young for me, so young he could even be my son" She laughs, tilting her head backwards. "But, whatever, I don't care. He's cute, so.." Her voice trails off. "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. Do you want to meet up? I'm free this Saturday. We can have drinks at mine, my treat. We can play Monopoly and Cards Against Humanity, and watch movies like we always do. Right? Doesn't that sound good? Give me a call, yeh, and we'll arrange something great" She pauses, before ending the voice message. "Bye"

Her father, who's been spending the weekend with her, to provide comfort, strolls into the living room where she stays.

"April, dear, who were you speaking to?" He asks, his voice raspy, a sign of ageing.

"Just Divine" She smiles, her eyes full of light.

Her father takes a deep breath, slowly trudging towards her. He places a hand on her shoulder. "Honey, your friend Divine is dead, remember? She died a couple weeks ago"

"Huh-" April suddenly shakes her head, her brain lost in thought. She laughs slightly to herself, allowing her phone to slip from her grip, dropping oppressively to the floor. Her father rushes to retrieve it, placing the pieces back together. He swallows hard, as concern clouds his vision. He stares at his once put together daughter, now broken to pieces.

"Oh yes, of course. Of course.." Her voice trails off, as she continues to drain one bottle of wine after the other, as if nothing just happened.