Silence Falls

“I’m afraid...that there's more that I must confess to.” Demetria went on faintly, lowering her head in contempt. She felt Hermanni, who was still detained behind the gate of the Electronic store, give her hand a favorable squeeze to continue. It gave her the stability to proceed on this confidential late night’s confessional. “I still feel ashamed over it...so it’s gonna be kinda strenuous to...go into it.”

“It is okay, you can tell me anything at your own pace. I will try and help if I am able.” Hermanni ensured, his animated blue and green eyes dropping to her nibbling on her lower lip before she expelled an emotional sigh.

“Well, after I witnessed the former love-of-my-life, I guess you can designate him that, with my best friend I...soon started cutting myself, and...when the strain of infidelity still wouldn't dull I started to use cocaine to purge it. I've never taken drugs prior to that, nor had I ever wanted to. I continued to use it even when we moved here with my last surviving cache, and each time my pangs went away...but then my breakdown abruptly happened out of nowhere and I...I was heavily desensitized with cocaine at that time, and so I...bombarded my family. I swung at them and threw things at them, and I tried to batter them as badly as I could. Cocaine didn't make me feel any qualms over my actions at the time. I felt thrilled and in control of my life for the first time ever. I…” Demitria granted a single hot tear to roll down her cheek before gently wiping it away. “When I was tossed down in that facility, I had no choice but to sober up with some help from the others. It was challenging, but they protected me from being targeted by the guards and ultimately dragged down to confinement. I swore to myself then and there, and to everyone in the group that if I ever got out I would never touch that shit again. Tonight, however, was one of the first times I doubted that I would be able to keep that promise once this is all over. That dream had roused feelings I haven't felt in a long time, the same feelings that converted me to self-harm and then use cocaine in the first place. Everything is changing again, I feel like it’s reversing backwards.”

Hermanni extracted his hands to set them on her trembling shoulders to console her. “No, Demetria, nothing is changing. You still have us! You no longer need that substance to drive away the pain by yourself. Any one of us will readily listen to whatever hysterical thoughts that cross your mind and walk you through it. I will agree that that drug was a straightforward way to evade your burdens quickly, but it was always short-lived and never the healthiest option.”

Demitria nodded, canvassing her surroundings and meditating on all the things cocaine had put her through in those last few days with her family. “Oh, I know that in my heart, Hermanni, believe me on that one. I’m just so grateful that there aren't any drugs in this mall! I'm so relieved!” She sighed softly, letting him massage her hands and with every stroke, exiled her demons away. “I DO want help, Hermanni, I WILL get help. I seriously have a second chance at life right now, and I don't want to expend what I have left of it depressed and on cocaine...even though there aren't any drugs in sight here.”

Hermanni grinned contentedly and gave her hands a generous squeeze. “I am very proud to hear you admit that! We all love you, Demitria, you cannot doubt that after all we’ve been through together. What we have in common is we all want what's best for you.”

Demitria nodded again, her eyes lifting to take in his gorgeous features before speaking. “Well then...I guess I'd better cart myself back to bed. You're probably exhausted from all my yapping.”

Hermanni opened his mouth to say he didn't require sleep before shutting it, and replacing his words with something along the line of. “Yes, I am a little tired. We best get our night's rest. Thank you for entrusting me to help you, Demitria. I am truly honored to have made you feel better again.”

Demitria stood up with a beholden smile on her face. “No, it’s I that should be thanking you. You didn't have to concern yourself with my dilemmas.”

Hermanni also stood up. “No no no, I have reveled in being there for all of you when I am vital.”

After a few minutes of eyeing each other up and down, Demitria coerced herself to skip off to bed. Hermanni plopped down onto his in deep thought, his mind on the disturbed girl. Just like cocaine he had mended her of her past predicaments, but unlike cocaine he had no idea how long she’d be saved before needing him again. Demetria was amiss when she said there were no drugs in the mall. Oddly enough, there was one, and puny pharmacy that hadn’t finished unpacking when the mall was shut down. It was now one of Hermanni’s life missions to keep her and everyone else from that store...even if that meant he had to sever his promise and stroll right out of his own to abolish it from existence.
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That morning all the ladies, minus Otep, ventured to one of the makeup stores in the mall to analyze their inventory for anything that might have endured past their expiration dates. Of course that was not at all possible, but it felt worth a try since they had nothing better to do.

“You guys, I’m telling you, none of that shit in there is gonna be any good!” Alexis prevailed on as they all stood alongside each other at the entrance of the treasure trove of makeup. She too had a forlorn look on her face. She had never been super big into makeup in the past, but right now she’d give her left foot to put SOMETHING on her mundane bare face. “It all expired years ago, which means it’s gone bad!”

“I refuse to accept that!” Natasha snapped, needing one of her fixes in life: makeup. There wasn't a day she went without it in her past life and it’s been making her nauseated ever since to saunter around without her glamorous mask on. “I have to find it out for my goddamn self!”

“Just let her, Alexis. If she wants to play around in old moldy makeup she can do that.” Onika waved her hand dismissively at Natasha until she caught eye of a few makeup palettes that looked like they might be up her alley when it came to color stories. “On second thought, let my ass go too. I think I see a palette or two with my name on them.”

Rolling her eyes, Alexis threw her hands up in defeat. “Fine, whatever! We can check it out, but I swear if I smell a whiff of old makeup we’re torching this store and never looking back, agree!?”

“Agree!” Demetria supported from halfway within the stores where the foundation wall had been.

Scattering to opposite areas of the store, they thoroughly inspected the makeup for themselves. Outstandingly, they found nothing molding, or having a bad smell. The eyeshadows, the blushes, foundations, concealers, and everything swatched on the back of their hands as if it had just been assembled yesterday!

“I can’t believe it!” Alexis emitted in awe, her eyes magnifying. “Every single powder, cream and liquid works just as excellently as if it was brand new! How can this be possible?”

“Who the fuck cares, girl!” Natasha ousted as she nabbed a basket by the door and began to heap it with everything she fancied. “It’s Christmastime in this makeup store, so let’s go!”

“Can one of y’all come over here and shade match me real quick!” Onika hailed from the foundation wall Demetria had just left.

“Be right there!” Demetria called back, retracing her steps back to the foundation wall again.

It astounded the young ladies that none of the products proved defective, and so they all resolved to follow Natasha’s daring lead. Taking a seat at the vanity desks constructed into the side of one wall of the store with baskets brimming with the makeup items of their styles, the young ladies began to glam themselves up beginning with face primer and ending with setting spray.