Luck of depths

Past experience 1

Earla closed her eyes slightly with a sigh.

"I'm from Dahl but I grew up in Shed. I prefer to be called a Shedish because all my childhood memories, sweet and bitter are from there." she gave out a bitter smile.

"Miss Earla, tell us about your life experience growing up and why you think killing must be the best way to solve every problem." The host asked.

"You got me wrong Miss Host, I never said killing was the best way to solve everything or whatever you called it. I kill when necessary." she defended herself.

The host was about to say something when Earla cut in.

[Umm, part of me emotionally died. My heart froze years ago. It stopped beating inside my chest for some days and sometimes I thought I might die any minute. It was horrifying that no matter how badly something or someone hurt me, I never felt the pain." she paused before continuing. I reached a stage where tears had dried out of my skull. I had nothing to fight for. I had no one to keep me living. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and subconsciously hurt, I thought that dying would be the best thing that would ever happen in my life. I lost everyone, one by one until I had no one left but myself and the killer whom I watched torturing and abusing my loved people. I buried them with my own hands.]

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and fixed her gaze on the camera. She didn't recall how long it had been since she last shed a tear. 'No tears left to cry' was her MOTTO.

The Host looked neutral at the lady's words as if she had heard words of the same kind more often.

"It must have been chaotic and painful." She is wretched.

"Many voiceless people are out there," Earla replied

The shocked host raised a curious brow, looking at Earla, and then raised a question"Do you think domestic violence still exists?"

"I'm a hundred percent sure it does."

"And why do you think so?"

"Just because it doesn't exist in your home it doesn't mean there aren't any victims."

"Let's continue with your story Miss Earla." she defeatedly said.

[I grew up in a poor family of Seven. Father, mother, two brothers, two sisters, and Me.

We had to fight as hard as we could to get what to eat. My father was a violent, abusive, and cheating bastard whose only job was to drink, smoke, and cause trouble. He had more children outside the marriage. He would wake up at around 10 AM. Drinking the stench of alcohol and cigarettes, stumbling through the house in his boxers. He would shout my mother's name, pulling, abusing, and humiliating her in front of us demanding money and food.]

[We would always look in fear, hiding in the corner with our eyes closed and trembling in the shattered pieces of clothes we owned. He would pull my mother by her hair, crashing her face on the table, throwing kicks and punches at her. She would scream, cry, and plead with him to stop but he never did. He would demand more money every time they gave him some saved coins and notes. He ate all the food including our share."He took the money and enjoyed his life to the fullest. He experienced all the happiness on earth with someone's hard-earned income. My mother would treat her wounds, cover herself with tons of cheap makeup and long-sleeved shirts, worked hard to earn more money to feed us and that drunkard.]

20th July, 2007.

8 PM

[ I was around five by that time. I'm the youngest of the five. It was the night of my birthday. My mother had bought me a cake. My mouth was also dripping with saliva as I looked at the cake. It was going to be my first time tasting a cake. I had always admired it from disposed bags and some rich kids in the neighborhood. He came back early. My mother was serving food while my siblings and I were sitting on a mat. We had no such things as a dining table.] Earla paused and touched the tip of her nose. Anger, pain, suffocation, misery, and regret are visible on her face and eyes.

Earla forced a smile and proceeded.

[The door flew open hitting my older brother ALPHA who was sitting a centimetre away from me. I didn't observe where the door hit him but all I saw was blood on his face. "My son," mother dropped the plate and ran toward us. Father glanced at us with disdain as he walked past us.

Beatrice the second child rushed to my brother who was lying on the ground with his eyes half-shut. Father grabbed my mother by her neck, lifted her in the air, and took her back to the kitchen. He strangled her as he whispered some words to her. My mother looked shocked and begged him to let her go so that they could talk about it but he didn't. As hot as the bean soup was, Father(sperm donor), Troy didn't think twice before shoving Mother's face into the soup.

He pulled her away from the hot soup, threw her on the ground, sat on top of her, and threw punches and slaps.] Earla rolled her eyes preventing tears from dropping because she had promised herself never to cry ever again.

The host noticed her uncomfortable face and announced a short break.

"Welcome back from our short break. Today's live show is different from other shows. Stay tuned until the end." Kiara professionally said

[My mother's usual screams and does didn't come out this time. Beatrice was urging Alpha to wake up but he didn't. I remember watching everyone cry except me who was too young to understand what was going on. Troy stood up, stumbled away from my mother, and looked at us before walking out. I took baby steps to my mother. Her face was as red as a ripe tomato.

"Mother, I'm hungry. Can I eat the cake?" Earla asked, squatting in front of her mother.

Clay, the third child ran over to her, covered her eyes with his palms, and took her to their bedroom. "Don't come out no matter what happens," he said, patting Earla's chubby cheeks. "Clay, I'm hungry. Can you tell Mom if I could eat the cake?"I asked but I didn't get a reply from my brother. "Shut up and be a good girl," he shot me a warning glance.

I coiled myself into a ball and sat at the corner of the bed crying and terrified.]

[I heard Beatrice, Clay, and Dalle calling Mother and Alpha at the same time. "Maybe we could call an ambulance for help?" Clay suggested.]

"How? Do you know how much they feel disgusted by our family?" Beatrice wept

"How about the Police? We can just report Troy." Clay insisted.

I crawled out of my bed and peeked at them through the tinny hole in the door.

Clay fished out Mother's Nokia button phone from the stool and placed numbers in. He was about to put it on his ear when Beatrice grabbed it "Mom forbid us from calling the police no matter what happens. It will only get us in trouble." Beatrice fumed.

"Go to your rooms. I will take care of them." Beatrice ordered. Since she was now the oldest, they had no choice but to walk to their room- our room.

Alpha was the oldest, Beatrice the second child, Clay the third child, Dalle the fourth child and I was the last. 13, 12, 10, 7, and 5 respectively.

A few minutes later, I watched as Beatrice observed Alpha's pulse her mouth almost hit the floor but she didn't shout let alone say a single word. She walked to Mother and did the same thing. A tear dropped from her left eye as she walked to our room and called Clay out. We observed them exchange words but I didn't get a single s**t they said.

"Is Moma alright?" I curiously asked.

Beatrice and Clay shot me angry glances.

"Just be a good girl Earla and shut your mouth," Dalle warned me almost on the verge of crying.

"But Moma won't get up from there, she won't give me food." I cried innocently, putting a hand over my eyes.

"Will you just shut up for once Earla, Mother is dead? Alpha is dead too. You won't be able to see them again." Beatrice teared but that didn't stop me from nagging about Mother and Alpha. I had no idea about death. "None of this would have happened if you didn't show up in our family. It's all your fault. You killed our Mother and brother." Clay cried pointing at me.