Lazarus Inoculum (Eyeless Jack Fanfic)

Silenced

      Maria, an average suburban woman in her late thirties sat alone on the couch in her nightclothes, enjoying a good read from her favorite author. Her husband, Robert (though she preferred to call him Robbie), left for work hours ago for his 9 pm shift, leaving her to her thoughts until his return at about 6 in the morning. She enjoyed her time away from him, for the times when they were together almost always brought on an episode of bickering, so she made sure to count the seconds until his departure. Maria would watch him leave out of the bedroom window, occasionally wishing he never came home; of course life must be easier with him out of the picture. It would bring more money for herself, never having to worry about having alone time, and she wouldn't have to give in to his needs when he came home in a mood (which became rather bothersome to her lately). Once his 2006 Mazda pulled out of the driveway, she scampered downstairs to indulge in her quiet time, having a nice set up on her particularly favorite sofa cushions with a standing tray for snacks, television remotes, and a nice book to get lost in. 

      In the last few weeks, Maria had considered a few dark things she could do in order to get rid of her husband. All of the normal hassles a wife goes through in order to get a man to leave ended up falling through: offer the door at the opening of an argument, physically abusing him whilst screaming in his face like a madwoman, and passive aggressively repressing his ability to use money at his convenience when she wasn't around. She had begun to think of ways to bring about his end, considering the persistence he displays is quite the pest when it comes to her being single again. She rummaged through this trove of obscene thoughts whilst making a cup of hot Earl Gray, staring into space next to the stove. Maria was in an equal cross between attempting to either smother Robbie with a pillow while his limbs are tied down, or to lethally poison him. It seemed cliche on the second thought, but deadly toxins are so easily accessible at this point, it wouldn't be out of the question to say he found a way to accidentally introduce it into his bloodstream at work: a chemical power plant. It is also fitting to have a strong and healthy man such as her husband to come to an end because of an immune catastrophe like that. There was also the smothering choice, in which seems like a promising alternative, though it is much more likely to be linked to the wife. How else could the police take an asphyxiated body with belt bruising around his wrists and ankles? It's doubtful that they would blame a kinky bedroom setting, even if that were also a characteristic of their relationship. She would be caught in a heartbeat, and Maria knew it. 

      The tea timer went off and she snapped back to reality, turning off the beeping contraption and throwing away the soggy packet, leaving behind a steaming dark fluid. Perhaps it was the aromatic fumes emanating from her nightly beverage that made Maria so bitter, after all, she drinks it black. Maybe it was spelled, and drinking it for years gave her these dark ideas, though she welcomed them nonetheless. she migrated with the teacup over to the couch and set the china down on a standing tray. Falling onto the cushions and sinking into the soft fabric, Maria propped her feet up onto the other end, preparing to get comfortable for a few more hours. Something felt like it was poking into her back, so she rearranged herself to see what it was. Just a throw pillow. She fluffed it back out for support under her, and snuggled back into the sweet sponginess beneath her skin. With all of her basic necessities within an arms reach, she opened up to the bookmarked page and began reading for what was supposed to be at least five hours.

~Circa 11:00 pm~

      The words began to start blending together on the page before Maria's eyes, and she felt the urge of unconsciousness  creep closer and closer, beckoning her to listen to its whisper. Though her subconscious told her to give in to the beast, her mind wandered around in the fantasy constructed by the mind of her author, and implanted into her devious imagination. The best part about the immersive experience of reading such things to Maria was being able to exit her own sad life, even if only for a short while. She hated the way she lived, and desperately wanted to get out of it, yet lacked the will to do so herself. She is the kind of person to wait until someone else does something that she can exploit, and get what she wants by making it look like the offender's fault. To 'not have to be the bad guy', so she would put it. She is also the kind of person who can only stand living the same type of life for so long before wanting to leave in order to shake things up.