01-30-2018, 09:21 PM
( Warnings in advance: Mentions of slight drug use. Themes of alcoholism, and murder. Please read responsibly)
White hot pain awakes him. It invades his body, and crawls into every muscle, sinking deep into the ivory bone hidden beneath his taut skin. His mind is still swimming from the alcohol, the wicked aftereffect of the Dewars still swimming hatefully in his veins. Deep lines of sleep have cut into his cheek from where he passed out haphazardly on his couch. The spring hues of the sunrise bled through his livingroom curtains in small rays, landing gently on the sharp planes of his face. The man raises his hand, brushing curly locks from his pale green eyes. A sigh escapes his dried lips, his muscles forcing him to stand, dragging him slowly to the hall bathroom. When he is finished with his business, he stares at himself in the mirror, disgusted with the hollowed image.
It was no lie Vinnie had fallen mercilessly to the drink. This was apparent in the reflection that hollowed his bones.
Pale, almost white, curls flew in every direction (he hadn't bothered to cut it since the accident). Scruff had begun to creep up from the columns of his throat, tainting the angles of his cheeks with soft shadows. Bags washed out once bright under eyes, giving the twenty-five-year-old college drop out the appearance of his 90-year-old grandfather. Vinnie had been beautiful once, he had been athletic, he had been popular. Though now he was simply a shadow of whatever he thought life wanted him to be. The muscles that once wrapped dutifully around his body were now lost to bone, and skin painted blue from the bruises.
It had been a long time since he had felt beautiful. The floorboards behind him creaked.
"Morning Vinnie." He turned at the voice, smiling widely at the sight of her. Fae. Oh god, she... She was beautiful. She smiled slightly in return, stepping towards the bathroom doorway cautiously. His smile fell, her eyes spoke with more volume than her smile. He stepped towards her, reaching for one of her hands.
The auburn haired woman recoiled, stepping back quickly.
"Are you alright? Fae, whats wrong?"
His voice came out in a hoarse whisper, his throat burning with the effort it took to produce it. Fae's smile wavered, crystal tears slipping from sapphire eyes. They stained the sharp edges of her cheekbones and dropped ruefully onto her emerald blouse. Suddenly she began to shake violently, raising her arms to wrap protectively around her stomach. Blood bloomed from behind her arms in great ebony flowers. Vinnie raced forward, screaming words he would never remember.
She fell into his arms, the pair falling to the floor in a heavy sweep. He grasps for her arms, muttering quiet hushes to the girl as he pulls her weakening limbs from the growing wound. When he raises his head to call out he is no longer in his Brooklyn apartment.
The patched furniture had been replaced by pine trees the size of his beloved skyscrapers. Lavender air fresheners had been replaced by the dank smell of the forest floor they were laid upon.
"I... I don't know-"
Vinnie mutters, swallowing thickly. In his slackening arms, she shifts, throwing him off balance as a cry rips from her now bloodied throat. Vinnie turns his head, intent on saving his girl. Though when his eyes return to his lap she is gone, her scream still echoing through the darkening forest. Vinnie lets out a small scream of his own, standing at lightning speed. From somewhere in the dark trees a laugh erupted, breaking the silence in stabbing blows. The laughter is deep, and laced with anger Vinnie cannot identify. From even deeper in the woods, more screams erupt. Hundreds of women scream at him in helpless tones, calling without words. Vinnie falls to his knees, tears streaking his face as he raises his hands to try and block out the horrific sounds.
When he opens his eyes again the light of the sunrise is bleeding through his living room curtains, landing softly upon his cheekbones in small rays.
Fuck.
He had done it again, he had seen it again. The accident.
Vinnie lets out a shaky breath, glancing around his living room quickly. He makes it around the room before his eyes land upon her picture. The picture he had taken of them their senior year of high school. She was smiling, her face scrunched as a much younger Vinnie kissed her cheek.
He loved that picture.
It had sat on the side table for years, collecting dust. He reached across the couch, gently lifting the silver frame from its ancient resting place. Vinnie ran his thumb over her face, wishing desperately that she would just come out of the bathroom and grin at him again. Hell, he wished she would yell at him over leaving his socks on the floor again...but that wouldn't happen. Not for a long time, not ever again.
Fae Jones (soon to take on Vinnie's last name in December of 2016) had disappeared February 22, 2014. She had been 22 and had recently graduated college with an English degree. She was going to start at Parkwood Elementary in the fall... Fae had always wanted to be a teacher. The police told Vinnie (then 23 and a soccer coach for Parkwood Highschool) that she had been reported missing by her roommate earlier that day. They told him she just vanished.
The first week without her was okay. Vinnie held faith that the police knew what they were doing.
By the second week, he was worried. Wouldnt she have called by now if she were alright?
The third week ripped his mind apart. Fae's mother was becoming paranoid. Blamed him for her daughter's absence.
Week four only gave her mother's hatred time to fester. By now she had Fae's whole family accusing Vinnie of taking Fae.
How could he hurt her? Had he not shown them how much she meant to him?
For weeks five and six the police continued their search, allowing Vinnie to come along on a few. They searched surrounding woodlands, forested areas, and had diving teams search the canals. He stayed active, he tried to find her. He called her blackberry every day. He wished she would have just answered, every time he got the machine.
Every time he left the same message,
'I want you to know I love you, and I'm tryin' baby. I'm tryin'. '
In the end, they found her in Maine. A couple of high school kids had been looking for a place to get shit faced when they came across her body. The police told Vinnie she had been shot and left to die. When he asked how long she had been laying there alone in the cold before she passed, they said nothing. The elderly officer (Vinnie had forgotten his name) simply patted his shoulder before leaving the room. He would learn later that she had been left alone for two hours, and she had been crying.
She had been alone for 49 days, 12 hours, and thirty-two minutes before she died.
He had never stopped trying.
The trials started a week later, Fae's mom in her grief insisted Vinnie be tried.
No one objected.
After three weeks of absolute madness (and might he say a very biased jury), he was convicted as not guilty. He hadn't talked face to face with Fae's mother since his last day in court. He had written a letter, asking if he could have Fae's engagement ring. He explained that the police informed him all of her possessions had been sent to the immediate family.
He just wanted something to anchor him. Something that could help him move on.
What he received was a call from Fae's father, it lasted five minutes. Vinnie still can't remember what exactly was said. He blames the alcohol he had induced before the chat.
What he knew was that her ring was gone. The sick fuck that killed his precious fiance had robbed him of what memories he could have physically held onto.
Had robbed him of her.
Just thinking about the incident had Vinnie's throat burning. He was clutching the picture frame so hard his hands bruised. With a soft cry, he released it, the glass splintering upon his hardwood floors. The sobbing man brought both hands to his face, wishing suddenly that he too had died. That maybe he could have taken her place.
Fae had been a good human being, she had loved Vinnie despite his drinking tendencies. Even then, when they weren't borderline alcoholism. She had loved every scar that lined his body, loved every flaw he lay claim to. Question is, would she love him now? Would that sweet fairy framed girl love the man who had so willingly given into his demons?
"Yeah. Yeah, she would."
He muttered to the empty apartment, dragging his wet hands from his tear-stained face. Fae had been like that. She had always been the one to see through a person's walls, she had been able to see the good.
Vinnie stands then, making his way to the kitchen. He could make his way to the cabernet in the dark, he knew where he kept the bottle. The pills.
With tired strides, he made his way back to the living room and laid down flat-backed on the floor. He stared with lazy eyes as the fan blades rotated slowly. He lost count at 10 sips from the bottle, he allowed his empty stomach to take the warm blow of the alcohol that tingled his fingers and toes.
By the time the afternoon sun cast deep shadows across his eyes he had discarded the half-full bottle. He had nearly killed himself in the process of haphazardly throwing it across the room.
A warm hand grips his own, urging his unopened eyes to turn. His gaze falls upon the clasped hand of his long gone lover and he smiles gayly, sinking deeply into the hallucination he had created.
It was no lie Vinnie had fallen mercilessly to the drink. This was apparent in the reflection that hollowed his bones.
Pale, almost white, curls flew in every direction (he hadn't bothered to cut it since the accident). Scruff had begun to creep up from the columns of his throat, tainting the angles of his cheeks with soft shadows. Bags washed out once bright under eyes, giving the twenty-five-year-old college drop out the appearance of his 90-year-old grandfather. Vinnie had been beautiful once, he had been athletic, he had been popular. Though now he was simply a shadow of whatever he thought life wanted him to be. The muscles that once wrapped dutifully around his body were now lost to bone, and skin painted blue from the bruises.
It had been a long time since he had felt beautiful. The floorboards behind him creaked.
"Morning Vinnie." He turned at the voice, smiling widely at the sight of her. Fae. Oh god, she... She was beautiful. She smiled slightly in return, stepping towards the bathroom doorway cautiously. His smile fell, her eyes spoke with more volume than her smile. He stepped towards her, reaching for one of her hands.
The auburn haired woman recoiled, stepping back quickly.
"Are you alright? Fae, whats wrong?"
His voice came out in a hoarse whisper, his throat burning with the effort it took to produce it. Fae's smile wavered, crystal tears slipping from sapphire eyes. They stained the sharp edges of her cheekbones and dropped ruefully onto her emerald blouse. Suddenly she began to shake violently, raising her arms to wrap protectively around her stomach. Blood bloomed from behind her arms in great ebony flowers. Vinnie raced forward, screaming words he would never remember.
She fell into his arms, the pair falling to the floor in a heavy sweep. He grasps for her arms, muttering quiet hushes to the girl as he pulls her weakening limbs from the growing wound. When he raises his head to call out he is no longer in his Brooklyn apartment.
The patched furniture had been replaced by pine trees the size of his beloved skyscrapers. Lavender air fresheners had been replaced by the dank smell of the forest floor they were laid upon.
"I... I don't know-"
Vinnie mutters, swallowing thickly. In his slackening arms, she shifts, throwing him off balance as a cry rips from her now bloodied throat. Vinnie turns his head, intent on saving his girl. Though when his eyes return to his lap she is gone, her scream still echoing through the darkening forest. Vinnie lets out a small scream of his own, standing at lightning speed. From somewhere in the dark trees a laugh erupted, breaking the silence in stabbing blows. The laughter is deep, and laced with anger Vinnie cannot identify. From even deeper in the woods, more screams erupt. Hundreds of women scream at him in helpless tones, calling without words. Vinnie falls to his knees, tears streaking his face as he raises his hands to try and block out the horrific sounds.
When he opens his eyes again the light of the sunrise is bleeding through his living room curtains, landing softly upon his cheekbones in small rays.
Fuck.
He had done it again, he had seen it again. The accident.
Vinnie lets out a shaky breath, glancing around his living room quickly. He makes it around the room before his eyes land upon her picture. The picture he had taken of them their senior year of high school. She was smiling, her face scrunched as a much younger Vinnie kissed her cheek.
He loved that picture.
It had sat on the side table for years, collecting dust. He reached across the couch, gently lifting the silver frame from its ancient resting place. Vinnie ran his thumb over her face, wishing desperately that she would just come out of the bathroom and grin at him again. Hell, he wished she would yell at him over leaving his socks on the floor again...but that wouldn't happen. Not for a long time, not ever again.
Fae Jones (soon to take on Vinnie's last name in December of 2016) had disappeared February 22, 2014. She had been 22 and had recently graduated college with an English degree. She was going to start at Parkwood Elementary in the fall... Fae had always wanted to be a teacher. The police told Vinnie (then 23 and a soccer coach for Parkwood Highschool) that she had been reported missing by her roommate earlier that day. They told him she just vanished.
The first week without her was okay. Vinnie held faith that the police knew what they were doing.
By the second week, he was worried. Wouldnt she have called by now if she were alright?
The third week ripped his mind apart. Fae's mother was becoming paranoid. Blamed him for her daughter's absence.
Week four only gave her mother's hatred time to fester. By now she had Fae's whole family accusing Vinnie of taking Fae.
How could he hurt her? Had he not shown them how much she meant to him?
For weeks five and six the police continued their search, allowing Vinnie to come along on a few. They searched surrounding woodlands, forested areas, and had diving teams search the canals. He stayed active, he tried to find her. He called her blackberry every day. He wished she would have just answered, every time he got the machine.
Every time he left the same message,
'I want you to know I love you, and I'm tryin' baby. I'm tryin'. '
In the end, they found her in Maine. A couple of high school kids had been looking for a place to get shit faced when they came across her body. The police told Vinnie she had been shot and left to die. When he asked how long she had been laying there alone in the cold before she passed, they said nothing. The elderly officer (Vinnie had forgotten his name) simply patted his shoulder before leaving the room. He would learn later that she had been left alone for two hours, and she had been crying.
She had been alone for 49 days, 12 hours, and thirty-two minutes before she died.
He had never stopped trying.
The trials started a week later, Fae's mom in her grief insisted Vinnie be tried.
No one objected.
After three weeks of absolute madness (and might he say a very biased jury), he was convicted as not guilty. He hadn't talked face to face with Fae's mother since his last day in court. He had written a letter, asking if he could have Fae's engagement ring. He explained that the police informed him all of her possessions had been sent to the immediate family.
He just wanted something to anchor him. Something that could help him move on.
What he received was a call from Fae's father, it lasted five minutes. Vinnie still can't remember what exactly was said. He blames the alcohol he had induced before the chat.
What he knew was that her ring was gone. The sick fuck that killed his precious fiance had robbed him of what memories he could have physically held onto.
Had robbed him of her.
Just thinking about the incident had Vinnie's throat burning. He was clutching the picture frame so hard his hands bruised. With a soft cry, he released it, the glass splintering upon his hardwood floors. The sobbing man brought both hands to his face, wishing suddenly that he too had died. That maybe he could have taken her place.
Fae had been a good human being, she had loved Vinnie despite his drinking tendencies. Even then, when they weren't borderline alcoholism. She had loved every scar that lined his body, loved every flaw he lay claim to. Question is, would she love him now? Would that sweet fairy framed girl love the man who had so willingly given into his demons?
"Yeah. Yeah, she would."
He muttered to the empty apartment, dragging his wet hands from his tear-stained face. Fae had been like that. She had always been the one to see through a person's walls, she had been able to see the good.
Vinnie stands then, making his way to the kitchen. He could make his way to the cabernet in the dark, he knew where he kept the bottle. The pills.
With tired strides, he made his way back to the living room and laid down flat-backed on the floor. He stared with lazy eyes as the fan blades rotated slowly. He lost count at 10 sips from the bottle, he allowed his empty stomach to take the warm blow of the alcohol that tingled his fingers and toes.
By the time the afternoon sun cast deep shadows across his eyes he had discarded the half-full bottle. He had nearly killed himself in the process of haphazardly throwing it across the room.
A warm hand grips his own, urging his unopened eyes to turn. His gaze falls upon the clasped hand of his long gone lover and he smiles gayly, sinking deeply into the hallucination he had created.
"I love you. I never stopped tryin'."
~
1. Rumour: Fae's family and jury blame Vinnie for her murder. This causes him to be tried as a killer rather than common.
2.Whiskey: Vinnie is an alcoholic, alcohol plus occasional drugs cause him to see things. Including his dead fiance.
3.Stolen Ring: The unnamed killer stole his fiance's ring. Leaving Vinnie with nothing of her's to call his own.
( Previous permission from Creator has allowed me to use Vinnie rather than Vitalo to humanize him.)
WORD COUNT: 1686