KILLING DARKNESS

Chapter 3: The Gift

    After leaving the university of course she didn't have a profession. She wasn't in the condition to work anyway. Until coming to that condition, because she lost her energetic and full of life self, she decided that having a real job isn't for her anymore. Of course, she was working but at least she wasn't leaving the house for it. She knew three languages and she was making enough money by doing translations from home. All the other things were taking care of by Zeynep.

    She knew to find Zeynep was a big chance for her. Even, it might've been the best thing that ever happened to her. She started to look for a different place to leave when she felt overwhelmed by her parents. The people she met at the apartments she went, made her thought that she wasn't the only one who's gone mad lately. One of them had a house that completely pink. Hayal told the girl: "I won't live in this place. You would probably kill me in my sleep and turn me into a porcelain doll." After that, the girl grabbed a pink book holder and chased her out of the apartment with it. In another one; the girl sent away a guy with a kiss while Hayal was standing in front of the door. She thought that he is her boyfriend and didn't care about it. When the girl told her to came inside, she saw another man with only a towel wrapped around his waist. When the man told the girl, "Did Semih leave, love?" Hayal said: "I don't know who is giving the money to whom, but if I live here I fear that I'll get mixed up." The girl's face turned to red and she chased her away with a kitchen knife.

    Just at the time that she lost her hopes, she came across with Zeynep. She was looking like someone who is friendly, cheerful and wouldn't cause any problems. She didn't think the same things about Hayal. After a while of silence, she thought she wasn't gonna call. And the rest is known. One day Zeynep told her: "I've seen all kinds of people. I don't know if you believe it but you were the closest one to normal."

✘

     Hayal was afraid of being like before because of Barış's persistence. The other day, when he caused her to have a tantrum, she went out and drunk a bit. At least she was thinking that it was a bit. Because she wasn't remembering after some point. That was causing her to get bad déjà vu.

    She got up from her bed and looked for her friend in the house. Zeynep hadn't come home. She was too lazy to have breakfast, that's why she went straight to the computer. Zeynep had made the home page as a news website again. She was about to close it but she saw a report. A report about a murder. A murder that is impossible to be true.

    "No. It can't be." Her voice was like a whisper. She scaled up the page; read it again. She read it everywhere it's written.

     The Heartless Dead Body Has Found Its Name

     Yesterday morning a dead body had been found in a garbage container. It has been found out the body belongs to Umut Karayel, 24. The first examinations showed that the body's heart was missing. The recent news says that the heart removed while the victim is still alive. The authorities said that it is the first time they see a murder like that, and they don't know why the heart removed. According to other information we got; the investigation is stuck because there are no eyewitnesses...

     While she was reading it for the hundredth time, she startled because of the sudden sound of the doorbell. It couldn't be Zeynep. Because she knew that Hayal won't answer; that's why that she would use her keys. When the doorbell rang for the second time she went to answer it. She looked through the peephole first but couldn't see anyone. She opened it anyway. There was still no one. She got mad and slam the door. But she noticed something on the ground while doing that. She opened the door again and bend down. She talked to herself: "This is definitely one of Barış's nonsenses." She took the gift box inside and slammed the door one more time. She put it on the table and unwrapped the red ribbon. When she removed the lid she saw that there was another box made of plastic inside. It was an organ transplant box. She couldn't understand the meaning of it. She put the second box on the table and opened it. The thing she saw inside it made her feel like someone hit her in the face with an invisible pan. Suddenly all the thoughts left her mind. Everywhere became so quiet. All the feelings passed through her body. At that moment, -the world, the time- everything that existed stopped. Just like the dead heart in front of her.