Suicide Room

4

Melissa wiped off the tears and sat on the corner of Vitalij‘s bed. Her empty eyes stared at the hospital‘s walls. Vitalij noticed her hands shaking, the red patches on her skin. She needed a dose of h****n, and soon. He didn‘t want nurses to see her in this condition. They would take her from him, put her in a rehab center.  

‘‘Darling, listen to me.’’ 

Catching Melissa‘s attention was hard. She couldn‘t stop staring at the wall. She pressed herself against Vitalij‘s body, trying to hide from something. He felt how hot she was, he had no idea how long she‘d been her. 

‘‘Melissa, you need to go home.’’ 

Melissa turned her head, concentrating hard on Vitalij‘s words. It took her a moment to understand his fear. Melissa shook her head, not wanting to leave. ‘‘Don‘t come here anymore.’’ Vitalij lowered his voice to a whisper, so only Melissa could hear him. 

‘‘There‘s a bag under the bed full of money. Get out of the city.’’  

Melissa nodded, staring at him blankly. She knew what Vitalij meant. Vitalij saw tears filling Melissa‘s eyes. Her bottom lip started trembling, but she knew he was right. His job contract just came to an end, he wasn‘t useful anymore. The guy who shot him knew who Vitalij was, it wasn‘t just misadventure. The mafia wanted him out of the way. Vitalij brushed off a string of hair from her face. He tried to remember every inch of her face he would never see again.

‘‘I‘m sorry I can‘t keep my promise.’’ 

Vitalij gently kissed her hand and pressed Melissa‘s palm to his chest. 

‘‘Now go.’’ 

Melissa bit down her cheek, stopping herself from sobbing like a kid. She kissed Vitalij passionately, the separation kiss. She looked deep into his eyes before whispering ‘‘I love you’’. Melissa took her coat and sent an air kiss to Vitalij. She didn‘t look back when she left the room, Melissa didn‘t stop for a second. Because if she would, she wouldn‘t go. Vitalij prayed she would get home safely. He knew she could do anything to get a dose, and people were waiting for someone like her.

‘‘You have a nice girlfriend.’’ 

Vitalij turned to see a man, in his late fifties lying on the bed in front of him. He smiled at Vitalij, putting his hands on his big belly. ‘‘I had visitors before...’’ The man swallowed back his tears and looked away. The pain twisted his face, his brown eyes were filled with tears. 

‘‘Once. It was a long time ago.’’ 

The man chuckled, trying to hide his pain.

Vitalij stared at the man in silence. He didn‘t want to end up alone in a hospital bed, waiting for his time to come. He didn‘t reply. Vitalij turned on his side, away from the man‘s eyes, and looked through the window. It was a beautiful day, the sun shining brightly in the sky. Birds sitting on a tree, singing their lullabies to the strangers on the street. It was a perfect day to die.

‘‘What are you doing here?!’’ Vitalij heard the panic in the old man‘s voice. He didn‘t need to turn around to see the visitor. By the thumping of the expensive pair of shoes on the tiles, he knew who was it. Melissa escaped, she was safe. 

‘‘N-no!’’ 

Vitalij closed his eyes the moment the gun fired. He could hear the gurgling sound coming from the man. He didn‘t dare to look up. All he felt was the cold metal pressed against his throbbing neck and an instant pain shooting through his body.

Melissa left the building and stepped into the street. She looked up to see Vitalij‘s window, she heard the gunshot and the panic screams which followed after. It was her fault, he took this job. Because she couldn‘t find a job herself, she was too deep in a drug world, and she needed help to get out. She felt the pain piercing her heart, but she didn‘t allow herself to start crying in the middle of the street.

The noise around her disappeared, her vision became blurry from the tears. Melissa‘s chest tightened, the pain became unbearable. Vitalij was gone, she won‘t see him again. She wanted to scream, to rip off her skin. Her body was filled with hatred, she felt it shaking with rage. It wasn‘t fair, she couldn‘t accept the truth. She needed something to take her mind off. h****n was the answer. She could feel her demons waiting for her in the dark for the right moment. And then they struck. Pinning down her body, ripping apart her mind. That‘s what she felt at the moment. Melissa concentrated on nature in front of her. The park. She could find something there. She crossed the busy road without looking, there was nothing to lose anymore.

The sun became too bright to handle, the heat made her dizzy. Melissa sat down on the bench and covered her eyes. She needed a dose, she couldn‘t fight now. Not when Vitalij was gone. She looked around and noticed a guy, playing with his keys. Their eyes met, and the stranger smiled. It was apparent he had something. The guy, who wore an army coat put his hood on and slowly approached Melissa. He looked around, checking if they were alone. He sat down near Melissa and lit a cigarette. 

‘‘I think you need my help.’’ 

The smoke from his cigarette made Melissa cough. The guy‘s face was hidden under the hood, she could only partly see his face.