Suicide Room

5

‘‘What do you have?’’

‘‘Only the best stuff.’’ 

The guy unzipped his coat and showed Melissa the inside. There were small plastic bags, filled with white powder, hanging on a string. Melissa licked her lips, almost tasting the h****n. She would give anything to get her hands on it. The guy giggled to himself, happy about earning extra cash. 

‘‘Thirty quid.’’ 

Melissa checked her pockets and took out a ten-pound note. She swore under her breath, but that was all she could offer. The army guy zipped his coat back and stood up. He wanted to walk away but stopped for a second to take a look at Melissa. Her short dress was showing him everything he wanted to see. The creepy smile found it‘s way back to his face. He didn‘t need money, not anymore, he had a bag of gold in front of him.

Melissa wanted to slap his hand away, but the desire to snort h****n won. She looked up from above her long lashes and smirked. Melissa wasn‘t thinking straight, it wasn‘t her making this decision. Vitalij would understand, she couldn‘t help herself. Melissa stood up and took the stranger‘s hand. It felt different from Vitalij‘s soft hand, the skin was calloused and full of scars. Melissa wanted to free her hand, but the guy locked his fingers around her. There was no going back.

‘‘I‘m Jeff, by the way.’’ 

The army guy smiled at Melissa, who completely ignored him. She didn‘t care who he was, all she wanted the bag. Jeff turned the corner, into the small street. Melissa flinched at the sight of the filthy bins, filled with garbage. The only light was coming from the light bulb hanging above the metal door. Melissa stopped, she tugged Jeff‘s coat, trying to free her hand. He didn‘t release his grip.

‘‘Stop it, or I‘ll make you.’’ 

He pinned Melissa‘s body to the wall and pressed his face close to hers. Melissa began to cry but didn‘t let out a sound. She got scared. Understanding her mistake, she closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer. 

‘‘Now, let me see what you got.’’

Jeff kissed Melissas‘ neck, biting her skin softly. He held her hands against the wall, while his free hand traveled up her thighs, finding his way under the dress.

‘‘N-no. Please.’’ 

Melissa whispered into Jeff‘s ear, begging him for mercy. Sadly, he didn‘t care. All he wanted was her body instead of payment. They had a silent deal, he wouldn‘t let her step back. Melissa felt his fingers pulling on her underwear. She could feel the wind caressing her bare buttcheeks. Melissa tried to push Jeff away, but he was stronger. He became more aggressive when she tried to escape. He grabbed her arms, squeezing them so hard Melissa screamed in pain.

‘‘Shut up, bitch.’’ 

Jeff slapped her face, making her lose consciousness for a moment. He quickly unbuttoned his jeans and spread her legs. When she opened her mouth to protest, he silenced her with a kiss, pushing his tongue down her throat. It made Melissa gag, she felt obnoxious from the taste of his filthy mouth. She took a deep breath and freed her leg. In a moment, when Jeff stopped, she kicked him hard in the crotch. He released her, whining in pain. Melissa grabbed the rock from the ground and smashed his head.

Jeff‘s motionless body fell on the bin bag, ripping it apart. The blood streamed from his head, painting the pavement. Melissa heard the screams coming from the street. Someone noticed her, she needed to run, but it was too late. The moment she pulled up her underwear and picked the plastic bags from the inside of Jeff‘s jacket, a policeman grabbed her arms and pinned her to the wall.

‘‘Young lady, you‘re under arrest. Everything you say, can you be used against you.’’ 

The harsh voice stopped her from moving. Melissa couldn‘t run, she would get herself in more trouble. She stood still, feeling the handcuffs cutting into her wrists. The police officer dragged her aside, pushing her against his car. Melissa felt the judging stares, her face turned red from embarrassment. She wanted to explain to the officer what really happened, ask for help, but he told her to stay quiet.

‘‘Murderer! Poor guy.’’ 

Melissa hid her face under her hair, not wanting to be recognized. The police officer pushed her inside the car and closed the door. She knew what would happen next. They would check her ID and find out she‘s a drug addict, who was missing her meetings. Melissa wanted to curl up and cry in the back seat, but she didn‘t want to piss the officer off. All the way, she stared at the back of the sit, keeping her mouth shut.

Melissa didn‘t look up even when the police car stopped. She knew where she was, it wasn‘t the first time she got herself into trouble. Yet, it was the first time she tried to kill someone. Melissa adored the face of a police officer. He was an older guy, with grey hair and wrinkles around his eyes. She wanted to apologize for causing him trouble, he seemed like a nice guy.

 ‘‘Come with me.’’

 Melissa got out of the car and looked down. The officer took her handcuffs off and smirked. 

‘'Don‘t tell anyone. I know they hurt you.’’

 He winked at her and pressed his finger to his lips, telling her to keep it a secret. Melissa‘s eyes started watering, she couldn‘t thank him enough for being kind to her. Everyone treated her like garbage, useless human being. The policeman helped her to climb the stair and hold the door for Melissa.

 She remembered the police station. It was placed in an affluent area of the town, near the park. Melissa remembered playing in the park as a kid. She could almost see herself running away from her mum, chasing birds. The door opened, and the police officer dragged her inside. A woman with short hair looked up from the pile of documents. Her big glasses were sliding off her nose. Melissa remembered her, she was the one who offered the idea of addict meetings. The woman looked Melissa up and down before returning back to work.

‘‘This way.’’

 Gregory, Melissa read the officer's name tag, showed her the way to his office. He politely opened the door for her and offered a drink. Melissa inspected the inside of the tiny room. On the wooden table she three golden frames with Gregory's family pictures. Melissa smiled at the coffee cup with ‘number one dad’ written on it. The chair she sat on was the most comfortable one. She wanted to close her eyes and take a nap.

Gregory sat down behind the table, focusing his attention on the computer. The same procedure every time. He would ask for her ID, check her reports, and offer help. Gregory seemed surprised after reading Melissa‘s file. She could see regret in his eyes, he was too sweet to be a policeman.

 ‘‘Do you want to talk about it?’’ 

He laced his fingers together under his chin. Melissa laughed and shook her head, there was nothing to be said. ‘‘You have missed your meetings.’’ He glanced at the computer screen for a moment. 

‘‘It looks like you were making quite a progress. I think they just tried to help you.’’