BURN THE TRUTH

Episode Eight

Velda spews additional liquor into her glass cup. "The memories had been blurred" Velda uttered, her voice carrying many waves of sadness "Thought finally I had been relieved of the nightmare. You know, the memories?" She gazed up at Milo who appeared muddled about the entire status yet pushed to slip on an understanding countenance.

Furthermore, the detective blurred "Have you ever been in the depth of despair?" Gulping down the remainder of her liquor.

Milo in the lead liquored up and down then added an extra drink to hers. "Everyone had been in one or two in their life" He returned.

"Do some memories hunt you? Because no matter how far you try to run away from them. Some memories just don't leave you" She mumbled barely loud, her lustrous though now sleeping eyes finding it tricky to concentrate on things around, merely drifting around the space as her gaze floats the surrounding.

Her jaw hung slack letting her mouth hung open ever so slightly "I just want to forget" Her voice broke down at the last syllable. "Just want to forget" She dwelled upon. "Have strained to suppress them all these years, and so I thought I did achieve so. And all of a sudden, they let loose" Her eyes welled and quickly she picked up the glass cup and gulp a numerous amount of liquor down her throat.

"I think I should get home now" Velda suddenly declared and sluggishly began rising to her feet.

"Wait" Milo tried to stop her.

"Asteria is probably holding off for me to read her a bedtime story"

She wobbled her way off the table and let out a revolted grunt as she barged past someone, the stranger towed her and with that, Milo hurriedly thrust to them. He apologized to the man who merely nodded before leaving.

Velda directly slings her arm across Milo's shoulder, weighing on him before wobbling her feet as she struggled to stay upright without the other's support. The young man cast him a worried glance, which turned almost into a panic at the beat that Velda's hand came to rest on the edge of a table and nearly knocked over some bottles in the process. She slurred something incoherent, more like an apologetic line barely directed to the table's occupants.

Milo pulled out some money from his back pocket and quickly dropped it on the bar for the bartender "Keep the change" he advised before taking Velda's wiggling hand and then curled it over his shoulder, clutching on her waist to keep the lady from falling. With that, he switched on making his route out of the bar with Velda repeatedly shuffling.

The night sky was aglow with bright city lights. And the lingering smell of smoke and alcohol was being washed away by the gentle night breeze that softly tingled on them. Milo dug through Velda's pouch for her car key and at the long last took it off her jacket pocket. He goes on to press the button to locate the car, and with the car alarm going off they both stumbled to the car.

Milo pulled out his cell phone and dialled a call and in the space of fourteen minutes a black motorbike came to a stop next to Milo, taking off his head-met, Devyn climbed off his bike.

Without a single word spoken, Milo threw him Velda's car key and swiftly he went over and dived into the driver's seat. He turned the key in the ignition and rounded the corner out of sight. Velda was already resounding into sleep when the car arrived on her driveway. Devyn earned his course out of the car and went over, pulling open the passenger door, he gently raised aloft the sleeping detective off the seat and into his arm and prior to that, he shut the door with his left foot and hiked to the front door. He shuffled the key into the door and was met with a much younger female by the time he stepped into the house.

Devyn laid her on the cushion. Her eyes drew together as she took in the sight of Velda on the cushion. "I'm Amelia, Asteria's babysitter" She pointed out "Is he okay?" A worried expression plastered on her face.

"Nothing alarming. I'm a friend of hers. Could you mind leading the way to her bedroom so she could lay more comfortably?" his voice low and unbothered.

"Sure. Uhm... this way" She motioned. Amelia dragged the duvet cover so Devyn could suitably lay Velda on the mattress.

And as soon as he was done taking off her shoes and jacket, he turned to the babysitter. "Asteria?" He demanded.

"Already put her to bed"

"Her room?"

"The next door by your left," She divulged and Devyn skulk out of Velda's room.

Before the little one's room door, Devyn quelled. He remained there for a few seconds, reflecting. Shortly, he seized two relaxed breaths before he gently pushed the door open and his eyes instantly trained over at the angelic face resting on a grey fluffy pillow, unblinking. His unreadable eyes developed the weakest form of light which gradually became a hopeful passion, and then, a gentle smile found its way onto his face, he just stood right there at the entrance, watching her tender face. Not even a step further.

In the end, he drove his way back to Velda's room and over to her bedside, he looked downward, eyes lingering on her face as he watch the little bead of tears roll down the corner of Velda's eyes. She mumbled some words which Devyn had to bend over to be able to hear "...I need my baby..." Came blurry, and shaky. It was the only line he could catch.

Devyn briefly surveyed his wristwatch, and with some lingering thoughts, he again shoved his way out of her room. "Can you do me a favour?" He requested Amelia and she bobbed slowly.

"Stay here for tonight and look after them. I figured your day's work might have come to an end" He uttered and pulled out his wallet "Here" handing her some cash. "You only need to keep up until morning comes, and in addition, get Asteria to school"

Devyn pulled the front door and then turned back to her "You could spare a couple of dollars and get Asteria an ice cream tomorrow, cotton candy and sweets cream, her favourite. And again, don't allow the detective to learn I was accountable for conveying her home. Tell her whatever you desire, just don't speak of me" His voice was calm yet authorizing, and that was it as he shut the door behind him.

Sunlight streams golden through the window in a well-mannered announcement of the risen sun, giving structures and forms to the canvas of the bedroom wall.

Velda whimpered as she moved slightly beneath the duvet, consciousness was upon her once again. She felt thirsty and her head hurt, and her mouth tasted evil in addition, her eyes were too tight in her head and all her teeth twinged and her stomach burned and her back was aching in a way that started around her knees dragging to her forehead as if she'd somehow been on a cross-country run and then been expertly beaten up by secret police.

It came off as though her brains had been removed and replaced with cotton balls, needles and pins which was why it hurt to try and think, and her eyes were not just too tight in her head but they must have rolled out in the night and been reattached with roofing nails. And now she noticed that anything louder than the gentle brownian motion of air molecules drifting softly past each other was above her pain threshold.

The sunlight beaming through his window curtain and harshly against her eyelids caused Velda to stir. She groaned and finally managed to open her eyes, too wicked to move, she spewed up like a broken spider crab on the tarry shingle of the morning. Her eyes travelled weirdly around the room while unmoving from the bed. She delinquently endorsed her head with her right hand, and slowly began to massage the temple. She blinked confusedly when those eyes fell on the wooden clock on her bedside table. Brows furrowed as she moved to pick up the clock and stare at it again as if the figures would change. It was 11:47 am. And suddenly, he floundered off and out of the room to that of Asteria.

The room was empty when she pushed through the door and then, she immediately faltered her way downstairs. Velda was back up and into her room, seized her phone from the side table which she discovered had been turned off and that appeared a little unusual since she never turns off her cell phone. A few messages began to pop up once she had turned the phone back on, and was eased when she read a notification from Amelia, stating, she had taken Asteria to school.

She was about to settle on the bed when her phone began to vibrate. She perched at the edge and ran her fingers tiredly through her hair locks.

"Oh, dear God," She sounded off once she picked.