Broken
By
Jeremy Linnell
A hotel room. Flowers.
Champagne. Romance. A couple sits on the bed.
Jake: I didn’t think you’d come.
Louisa: Neither did I.
Jake: Drink?
Louisa: No.
Jake: Not planning on staying then?
Louisa: I have to drive.
Jake: Is sharing my bed really that awful?
You’ll drive a 6 hour round trip.
Louisa: I have to.
Jake: No have to about it. Plenty of beds
here. Sofas too.
Louisa: You know what I mean.
Jake: No, I don’t. You could stay.
Louisa: I won’t though.
Jake: Ah. Now you’re being honest. Won’t is
a world apart from can’t.
Louisa: Jake, don’t. I’m here.
Jake: Lucky me.
Louisa: I can leave you know.
Jake: I know. Please don’t.
Louisa: Then play nice.
Jake: It’s hard. I wanted you to come talk.
Louisa: And I wanted to come play.
Jake: Why? Surely not after the last time.
Louisa: I know that wasn’t you.
Jake: It was though…always saw the best…how
is he?
Louisa: Who?
Jake: Mr. Dad.
Louisa: Come again?
Jake: Mr. 2.4 Children. Oh sorry. Mr. “I
fucked a chink and got trapped with half-breeds”
Louisa: JAKE!
Jake: Did she love him?
Louisa: No.
Jake: Did she move here because he fucked
her? Filled up her cunt?
Louisa: Don’t.
Jake: And then she’s fucking the milkman
while he raises the brats. No wonder you love him. Another charity case.
Another person to fix.
Louisa: Is that what you think I do?
Jake: If the shoe fits.
Louisa: I don’t love broken people.
Jake: Well between me and the slitty eye
sperm doner I think you’d be hard pressed to argue otherwise.
Louisa: Is that how your mind works? Or are
you just trying to push me away?
Jake: Babe, I wrapped my hands around your
throat and squeezed. If you can’t stay away after that it’s not me with the
problem.
Louisa: You had a breakdown.
Jake: Fancy words for fucking up.
Louisa: Maybe.
A pause
Jake: Don’t think about it that much if I’m
honest. Too hot to touch. Do you?
Louisa: No.
Jake: So why did you leave?
Louisa: Do you really want to know?
Jake: More than anything. Actually that’s a
lie. I want a drink first.
He goes and pours
himself a large drink. Downs it. Time for a refill.
Louisa: Me too.
Jake: Thought you were driving.
Louisa: I can have one.
Jake: God you’re even teasing the booze.
Louisa: Just pour me a drink.
Jake: Got you a “fine rose”
Louisa: Of course. I’m a classy lady.
Jake: The best.
Louisa: Shut up and pour my drink.
Jake: Ok. But then you have to tell me.
Louisa: What?
Jake: Why you left.
Louisa: Ok
She drinks.
Louisa: I was
sick of taking care of you. That night…was a one off thing. It was the rest of
it.
Jake: I’m not
sure if that’s better or worse.
Louisa: Just
being honest.
Jake: I know.
I appreciate it.
Louisa: You
were hard work.
Jake: Still
am, by all accounts. So why come back.
Louisa: Honestly?
Jake: We’ve
not spoken in five years. We probably never will again. Be honest.
Louisa: You
fuck like a demon.
Jake: Nice to
know I’m good for something.
Louisa: I’m
not kidding. You have this…animal raw magnetism. And you’re talented. Caring. A
complete package.
She gazes longingly at his cock for a moment.
Jake: So why
leave.
Louisa: Because
you’re right. I did want to fix you. And when…you broke I realised I couldn’t.
Maybe no one could.
Jake: I’ve
gotten better.
Louisa: I
know. I’ve actually kept track. But you know something?
Jake: What?
Louisa: What
makes you brilliant is probably what makes you dangerous. That energy is
uncontainable.
Jake: I’d give
that up. I don’t want that. I want normal. I want a life. A family.
Louisa: Don’t
you fucking dare. The world has plenty of people settling. You can you better.
You have to. You owe it to the rest of us.
Jake: I don’t
want that.
Louisa: We
have to take what we’re given. Live with it. For better or worse.
Jake: It’s not
fair.
Louisa: I
know. But fair has nothing to do with it. You wanted closure. One more night?
I’m happy giving you that.
Jake: I want
more.
Louisa: It
won’t happen. I’m sorry. What I love, what I fear, what I hate? They’re all the
same.
Jake: Why tell
me that? Do you want to torture me?
Louisa: No.
But you wanted honesty.
Jake: I think
I’m done with honesty. I want you to hold me. For once more night.
Louisa: I can
do that.
Jake: You
always gave the best cuddles.
Louisa: I
think that’s a two person job.
Jake: Just…take
the compliment. Let me love you for one more night. Tomorrow you leave. And the
world ends.
Jake starts to walk off stage. As he does he passes a man, HIM, who looks exactly like him except
his eyes, which are soulless and without pupils, white orbs of nothingness in
his face. This man moves with a frantic, broken energy. Like watching a film
that is stuck slipping between fast forward and slow motion.
The new man grabs Louisa by
the throat and pushes her back on the bed. He mounts her and fucks her. She
cums.
He turns her over and fucks her from behind. She cums.
He turns her back over, desperate to see her face. It’s gone.
As he reaches his climax he places his hands around her throat and chokes
the life out of her.
He kisses her passionately, as he does so he consumes her soul.
Hungry from the act he starts to devour her body, piece by piece, until
nothing is left.
He wanders around the empty room. He drinks.
He sits.
He weeps in his loneliness.
He vomits up her bones
He arranges them in the most beautiful of patterns.
He admires his work.
HIM: I’m
sorry. This is what I do.
He slits his wrists. Watches contemplatively as the blood flows, not
gushing, but a slow constant river, mixing with her bones and completing the
tableau.
Satisfied he dies.
The
End
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