Silence Falls

"Wait, so you’re telling me that you’re not actually a fucking crazy person? That you’re really just some prostitute that fell out of the back of some fucking truck?” Bam asked Onika incredulously, finding it difficult to believe that these townsfolks would haul in just an ordinary prostitute in this facility instead of a mentally ill prostitute that truly needed their medical attention.

"Hey, I'm not a fucking prostitute, you emo-looking motherfucker!" Onika yelled at him as she strode over to jab her finger into his chest, clearly not intimidated by his 5’8 height to her 5’2. This noob didn’t even know her like that and yet not a full day inside this facility and he was already asking to get smacked in the mouth for talking crazy.

“Hey, I’m just going off what the fuck you said! You said you don’t remember shit before waking up in that town so how the hell would you know if you weren’t actually a fucking prostitute if you have no memory of being anything else?” Bam reiterated as he smacked her hand away from him, not liking how aggressive she was acting towards him all of a sudden. He’s never met a female that wasn’t afraid of a man and would get this close to them unafraid of getting hit in the process.

“It doesn’t fucking matter what I remember, you weak ass fool! Until I know for sure I’m a fucking prostitute, don’t be calling me no motherfucking prostitute or else Imma slap the shit out of your mouth!” Onika shouted in his face, wishing that he would put his hands on her first so she could have a reason to give him the beating of a lifetime.

"Alright you two calm down, let’s all just calm down ok?" Cris interrupted quickly, stepping between the two before a physical altercation could break out. The last thing he wanted was for his friends to get in a fight over a misunderstanding. “No one down here is prostitute okay? There are no labels, we’re all treated and seen the same exact way as the person next to us. We’re all nothing. What we were back above ground doesn’t count for down here.”

"Whatever, man." Bam mumbled beneath his breath as he stepped back out of the fight to plop himself back down onto his bed, facing the other girls in the room. He couldn’t help but wonder what their tales might be considering Onika’s and Cris’s were so bizarre and extraordinary. "So, what’s your stories?"

Natalia gave him an innocent smile as she twirled a piece of her long black hair around her finger. “Me? Oh, nothing much, just you know, killed my lover and my husband is all.”

“SAY WHAT!?” Bam’s eyes widen in total shock for a minute, before remembering that she wasn’t the only murderer he’s heard of today, so it probably wasn’t something all that new and terrifying down here. Letting out a heavy sigh, Bam rubbed his face with both hands before muttering a response that he was certain no one would hear, but the sad expression on Cris’s face would have told him otherwise. "Great, another murderer."

"Yeah, a fucking murderer.” Natalia repeated with a hint of amusement. “I was married to a crazed holy bible fanatic. Don't ask me what I was thinking when I decided the guy, I must been experimenting with something at the time.” She gave a careless shrug, deciding not to go into that much detail.” Anyway, the next thing I know I meet this fucking cool guy at the library right, and we got to talking. Later on that day we began having this mind-blowing affair! Oh my god, it was so much fucking fun, THE most fun I've had in my entire life! Naturally, I couldn't just let it end.” Natalia let out a remorseful sigh as she recalled all the lively times and troubles they got into together.” But of course, just before I left for Silence Falls with my husband, due to an opening position with their ridiculous church, Xavier asked to see me one last time.” Her eyes became distant as relived her last moments above ground again, forgetting all about her friends and listener. “He told me he loved me, and I believed him. I begged him to runaway with me so we could start a life together anew….only he had what he thought was a better idea than that. He wanted me to kill Noah and permanently erase him from our lives forever."

"Noah?" Bam questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"Noah, my husband at the time.” Natalia clarified for him in a distance voice as she continued to relive her past. “Xavier was very manipulative, and he had me going for it. But in the few beginning days we lived in Silence Falls, I realized I couldn't do it, I just couldn't kill Noah like that. My hesitation ruined everything of course. Xavier was so fucking pissed off, but I told him we were over long before this plan started anyway, and hung up on him. It was finally and legitimately over between us."

"But still not a happy ending for you, I'm guessing?" Bam rhetorically asked her.

Natalia shook her head. "No, not really. I found out over the phone that Noah was going to have ME killed the following week! That prick wanted to make it look like a fucking accident. His worthless ass was in love with the nurse at the local hospital named Courtney. Expectedly, I panicked when I heard overheard their conversation over the phone, and called Xavier to help me, but his unreliable ass wouldn't pick up the damn phone. I knew it was up to me to save myself. I tried talking to a Sheriff just so I wouldn’t have to do anything crazy to protect myself, but he wouldn't listen to me! I guess I can see the reason why now, I mean what with Noah’s important position in the church and my rumored promiscuous aura that I ooze off. It doesn’t take a genius to guess who they would listen to."

"Whoa, wait a minute! This town has a Sheriff?" Bam rudely interrupted as he stood up from his bed, clearly irked by that information. Throughout everything that had happened with Emma, he had never come across anyone with a badge, just men dressed in black and church officials. Why hadn’t the Sheriff been there to arrest him for pushing Emma out the window and ultimately killing her, that made absolutely no sense to him.

"Yeah, man.” Cris confirmed before asking out of his own curiosity. “But why does that matter to you now? You’re down here with us, and he’s up there with them.”

"I just don’t understand why the fuck hadn't I ever met him yet? I mean I kil-" Bam immediately shut his mouth back up, before quickly taking a seat back down, silent as a mouse. Everyone looked at him inquisitively, but no one dared to say a word what with how withdrawn and quiet he was all of a sudden being when only have 5 minutes of being around him they now knew was completely out of his character. Something told them that whatever he had been about to say was something pretty big and serious, and they weren’t about to drill him for answers. In due time down here, Bam would tell him his tale, but until then they weren’t gonna pry him for it.

Natalia took his silence as a sign to continue on with her story. "Anyway, I knew it was up to me to save my own ass. So, I did a little searching. Hidden in the glove compartment of our car was the entire scheduled plan of my 'accidental death'. Courtney was going to kill me in my own driveway with Noah's gun that he told he got rid of. She was meant to make it look like I killed myself. But no, I ended up getting to her first.” She couldn’t help but smile as if she truly accomplished something worth being proud of. “I hit that bitch with my car and dragged her ass through her garage door. I left her to die in her own blood underneath it too and took hers back to my place. I answered the door to a happy and devoted husband. The dining room was set up all romantic-like and cute, but I remembered reading from his plan that that he was going to drug my food. So, while he had to answer a call in the next room, I switched our drinks and plates. He took a couple of bites, and eventually passed out on the table."

Everyone was listening, but no one appeared at all shocked by her tale. They had all heard this story before except for Bam, who had an enthralled look on his face. To him, her tale sounded like something out of a movie!

Natalia’s voice changed, filled with a little bit of regret, but not enough to ever atone for her sins before a church. "I dragged his body to the bathtub on the ground floor, shoved him in there, and started the water. When he finally woke up, the tub was halfway full and he was still under the effects of the drugs so he had very little strength to stop me. I shoved his head under the water. He couldn’t even manage to do very much splashing, and in seconds it seemed, he drown, my bible humping Noah.” Natalia sighed and rolled her eyes. “Xavier always had perfect timing. He was knocking down my front door, and I let him in. He shoved me aside yelling about how stupid I was, and what not for not falling through with his plan before on murdering Noah, and that I brought this all upon myself blah blah blah. I didn't really care what the man had to say anymore. When I broke up with him, and BROKE up with him.” She shrugged carelessly again. “I’ll admit, this part was a bit overkill. Finally done with Xavier’s controlling shit, I ended up picking up Noah’s woodcutter axe by the back door, and swung it at his big mouth. I couldn't stop myself in that moment. I couldn't think straight in that moment. I couldn't even reason with myself! He had to die and I knew it, deep down I knew it." Natalia whispered that last part to herself quietly, still twirling her hair around her finger as she stared off into space across the room, remembering the brutal triple murders she had committed in one night. Bam listened closely, not believing that this perfect beautiful face could act out a crime so heinous and bloody like it was nothing. He was literally struck speechless.

"They took me to the church in the center of the town’s square where I stood trial before a group of old wrinkle sacks of flesh. I pleaded guilty, not that it mattered to them what I had to say for myself. They then produced Noah and Xavier's body as evidence to everyone that had the stomach to attend that morning, which I personally thought was a bit too much. I had to sit there, looking at them, at what I done to them, and had to face the fact that I only had myself to blame rather than the murderous hand within me that took my self-control away. Noah's brother, Jeremiah, requested to throw me in here by himself. I guess he saw it as an honor to him, or something. Since then, me murdering his brother had inspired him to take the job to escorting people out here in need of some looking after.” Natalia giggled as she finished off her tale. “And that so ends my story. I hope you all enjoyed it."

Bam looked away the second the winked at him and stared down at his hands, the hands that had killed his pregnant wife. Natalia, and that Connor guy weren’t the only murderers down here. Bam was one too. He understood then and there in that moment that he had no other choice in this situation he was now stuck in. If he continued to hate these insane/sane people for the things that they had done in the past that had landed them in here, then he might not survive a week down here. For all he knew, these groups of kids probably weren’t as bad as the other people down here, I mean, as far as he knew. Connor was the cannibalistic murderer but he wasn’t here anymore. Natalia was a murderer with a gorgeous face but Bam was 100% certain he could take her down if she ever stepped out of line with him and sought to kill him.

All he knew right now was that he needed to at least try and put their differences aside until he finds a way out of here.