The Darkness Within

The Darkness Within: Part 45

Chapter 45:

21st of December, 2020.

3:47pm.

The line stretches for miles, chatter congesting the air, as each patient waits for their turn to grip the hospital phone.

Fallon stands by Annalise, hardly digesting her words, as she memorises what to say to Alessio, knowing the limited amount of time she'll have.

"So, I told my cousin about you, my new friend, and how my mother reacted just by seeing the plain sight of you. And, she told me who you are. Apparently, you're my cousin in law" Annalise laughs. "Can you believe that? What a coincidence that we both ended up here, in the same place at the same time. Must be destiny!"

Fallon nods, as Annalise spits in her face.

She picks at her skin, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in her own body. The nurses took off their straitjackets, today.

Fallon struges forward, as the line progresses, her ankle chains clashing against the wooden flooring.

"Apparently she knows you, that you were the wife of my dead cousin, Damari. I miss him almost every single day, you know? He was really sweet to me; treated me like his younger sister when we were growing up, even though he was only my cousin"

Fallon stops dead by the mention of his name. She causes a rapid domino effect, as the bodies of each patient clash into each other.

She grins, before stepping forward.

Annalise gasps. "Wait, were you that woman who got thrown out of the funeral?" She brings her hands to her mouth. "I hardly recognised you- that was so brutal!"

"Tell that to your family. And they say I'm the crazy one" Fallon shakes her head.

"My aunt can act atrociously at times. I'm so sorry for the way she treated you"

"Everybody seems to notice how she acts, but nobody seems to do anything about it" She ignores her apology.

"But what could we even do?" Annalise asks, innocently.

"I can get rid of her, if you want" Fallon stops in her tracks. She turns to face Annalise, who could almost swear she saw the eyes of a demon. She suddenly laughs, nudging her. "I'm kidding, obviously"

Annalise laughs, nervously. "You never told me why you're locked up here with us, anyway"

Fallon shrugs. "Post Traumatic Stress disorder, so they say. But who knows?"

They've reached the end of the line.

It's Fallon's turn.

The previous patient places the telephone back in its place. Fallon picks it up.

Choose wisely.

She glances around, locking eyes with each of the nurses in the hallway.

Taking a deep breath, she dials Alessio.

"Hi, it's been a while" She smiles, her chest becoming warm by the mere sound of his voice. Her son. She tears up.

"Fallon! I've missed you so much! How're you been? Have they been taking care of you?" Alessio's voice beams through the phone.

Fallon nods, though he can't see her.

"I've seen better days, but the doctors say I'm improving by the hour. I've missed you"

"Me too. It's been crazy working at the bar, lately. I haven't even been able to focus. My mind has just been on you, wondering how you're doing. I was waiting for this phone call. How often does it come?"

"Once every three weeks, I think. And visiting hours are twice a month"

"I'm sorry, I've been meaning to come visit, but we're short on staff, so I've been helping out a little, to sort things out"

Fallon nods, a tear streaming down her cheek. "Don't apologise. You're making a living for yourself. That's all I would've ever wanted". She wipes her wet cheek.

"Are you okay, Fallon? You're acting strange. A-are you crying?" He laughs.

She shakes her head, clearing her throat.

She glances at the nurse, who points to her imaginary watch. She ignores her.

"No, I'm not crying. I'm just tired. It sounds like business is blooming, though, which is fantastic. I'll need a glass of my favourite vodka, once I come out" They laugh.

"Yeah, it's been great. It hasn't been the same, though, without my favourite customers. We've lost some people recently, too. There's been this crazy rumour. People are saying that my bar is cursed, thay people die when they come here, ever since what happened with Divine. Can you believe that?"

Fallon shakes her head, frowning. "That sounds absolutely absurd"

"Luckily, no one really believed it. So I'm in the clear, for now. But I need to stay busy, to keep things in check"

Fallon feels a nudge from behind. A patient has slipped past Annalise, as they stand behind Fallon. They frown, digging their elbow into Fallon's rib, an indicator for her to hurry up.

"Remember that thing that I needed you to take care of, but you failed the first time? I might need you to take care of it, now" She quickly adds, as the patient snatches the phone from her grip. "Hey! I was using that. I wasn't finished!" Fallon attempts to retrieve the telephone. She grabs the woman's wrists, slapping her across the face. A fight is stirred as the woman takes hold of Fallon's hair, pulling her brutally to the ground. Fallon kicks her twice in the stomach, as the woman continues to entwine her hair in her knuckles. The woman lifts up her entire body, slamming her harshly to the ground.

Two nurses get involved, attempting to break them apart. They call for back-up.

Fallon head butts the woman, as a pool of blood is formed on the ground.

The nurses scream at her, forcefully pulling her back. She punches one across the face, but is lifted into the air by another. They finally manage to handcuff the wrists as she kicks and screams in the air. Another nurse rushes in, bringing her to the floor with a taser, as she laughs and laughs and laughs, the excruciating pain causing her joy.

They take hold of her, dragging her back to her cell.

She continues to burst in laughter, tears flowing from her eyes. "It's done! I'm going to get away with it!"

The nurses share a look of confusion, as they throw her in her cell, slamming the door, locking her in with their key.

She doesn't seem to notice, as she continues to roll onto the floor, laughing hysterically. If only they knew why....