The Voice DE2020 Writer

Cheryl maneuvered her F350 through the curves of the road, thinking about the day ahead.

Could it really be over? Can this woman help me? Is it possible? Her whole life was an inner dialog of two completely different people lately… it was getting harder and harder to live what she considered a normal life. She had done the myriad of tests required, spent the money for this new device, signed the waivers. All she needed to do was pick it up and get it… installed?

It wasn’t “technically” legal in the United States but had shown a lot of promise in other countries for her particular… issue.

This just might be her last chance before things truly got out of control. There had been some… close calls lately.

She slowed down behind a red Ford Taurus… Mrs. Knowles.

~sigh~

Mrs. Knowles was a sweet old lady who drove to town once a day to check her mail. At 45 miles an hour in a 65 MPH zone on a two-lane highway which featured a cliff on one side and a 30 foot drop to the river on the other. She was eccentric so you had no idea when you got the pleasure of following Mrs. Knowles for the 16 miles it took to get to town.

You are driving a one ton truck… just force the bitch off the road.
I’m not going to do that! People don’t just do that!!!
You’re not just “People” and you have an important appointment. Let’s be honest, everyone would be happier if she was dead.
That’s a horrible thought! She’s a nice person!!!
She told a friend of hers that you are a whore and liar. Is that what a nice person does?

Cheryl shook her head to get rid of the voice and turned the radio up too loud.

Adam Levine was on a payphone trying to call home. He was heartbroken because of a woman.

Of course he is… all women lie and cheat and deceive. It’s what they do to get what they want. It’s what you’ve always done.
I’ve made some mistakes but I’ve learned from them… I’m not that person anymore.
Of course you are… you just hide it better now that you’re older.
Get OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!
Why do you think it’s yours?

FOCUS!!!!

Cheryl slammed on the brakes to avoid rear-ending Mrs. Knowles, who for some reason was now doing 30 miles an hour.

The guard rail is down right there… just push her into the river.
JUST STOP IT!!!

20 minutes later, Cheryl watched Mrs. Knowles take a left into the post office and drove into town.

She was a little late, but there should be no problem meeting Dr. Morrison at the only hotel here, the Sundowner. It appeared she was in luck… a parking space in front of the hotel had someone pulling out of it.

Cheryl pulled over, put her blinker on and waited for the car to leave.

As the car pulled out and left, a blue minivan turned from the right lane and took the just- vacated spot. A man got out, flipped Cheryl off and laughed as he went into the hotel lobby.

Are you just going to take that? Seriously? Your Glock is right there! Go put some holes in that asshole!!!”
We don’t just shoot people! What is wrong with you!
You need to change your name to Doormat. It’s no wonder you’re unhappy all the time. Because you deserve it. If I was in charge…
You’re NOT in charge and you are not me. You’ll be gone in a little while so until then SHUT UP!!!

Cheryl pulled over to the other side of the road, painfully parallel parked and took the keys out of the ignition.

“OK… this is it. Are you ready?”

The other voice didn’t respond.

Perhaps it was worried.

Good.

She went to room 204 and knocked on the door.

It was answered by an Israeli woman that Cheryl had never met in person but was intimately familiar with… an older woman with washed-out blonde hair and glasses too big for her face.

“Dr. Morrison! I’m so happy to finally meet you!”

Cheryl was pulled into the hotel room. Dr. Morrison shut the door, locked it and opened a briefcase on the table.

“I’ve explained this to you before, but I will explain it again before I put on the device. We have found though our research that there are a small number of people that have a unique physical abnormality in their brain and sometimes they develop a splinter personality.”

“The brain waves are different between the dominant personality and the splinter personality… they have different frequencies. What this device does is dampen or cancel out the splinter frequency. We have tested you and we are convinced that we can get rid of what you in interviews have called “the voice.”

“What I will do now is shave two small spots on the base of your skull and put two electrodes there. Then we will attach the device and see if your “voice” goes away. If it does, we will schedule you for a minor surgical procedure that will permanently implant the device.”

“It may very well cure you, Cheryl. Are you ready?”

“Yes please Doctor… let’s try it!”

The electrodes were quickly placed then a small electrical device was wired to them and put on a necklace around Cheryl’s neck.

Dr. Morrison stood, reached over and turned it on.

a reply to: Lumenari

Cheryl blinked.

Her world snapped into focus… colors and textures and smells and sounds were all so much… sharper. She was suddenly aware of her surroundings in a way she had not been for years.

“Cheryl?”

“Are you ok?”

Cheryl blinked again and sorted through her thoughts.

Everything was so much clearer now… everything made sense.

“Yes Doctor. I think things are much better!”

“So this is the next phase… we need to see if you can do something to elicit a response from your “voice”.

“Can you do something that will normally make the other personality react?”

Cheryl thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

“Can you get a little closer, Doctor? I need to touch your face….”

Dr. Morrison smiled and leaned over, Cheryl reached her hands out…

And proceeded to slam the Doctor’s face into the desk, over and over and over again until her arms were tired. She let the body slide to the floor.

Cheryl leaned back in the chair, listening for that inner voice.

Nope.

That weak little bitch didn’t even whimper this time.

She walked to the mirror and cleaned the blood spatters from her face and arms. Then she left the hotel room, making sure to put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the outer door knob.

Cheryl went to the lobby and approached the hotel clerk.

“Sir, my husband got a room here and I am going to surprise him. He drives that blue mini-van right outside?”

The clerk ran dirty fingers through his unruly mop of hair and said “He didn’t say anything about his wife, Ma’am. I don’t want to get in trouble.”

Cheryl smiled her biggest smile and replied “That’s why it’s a surprise. Can I get a key card?”

The clerk sheepishly supplied her with what she needed.

10 minutes later as he was working through his daily crossword puzzle he heard a “bang!”

Almost like a gunshot, he thought.

But in this sleepy little town?

Nah.

He went back to his puzzle.

Soon afterwards Cheryl was driving home, singing the lyrics of an Imagine Dragons song she had looped on the CD player.

Well, singing them her way.

That's the price you pay
Leave behind your heart and cast away
Just another product of today
Rather be the hunter than the prey
And you're standing on the edge, face up 'cause you're...

Unnatural
A beating heart of stone
You gotta be so cold
To make it in this world
Yeah, you're unnatural
Living your life cutthroat
You gotta be so cold
Yeah, you're unnatural!

Finally… that voice was gone inside her head.

No more inner demon.

Things were looking perfect in her world and she had some pretty big plans for the future.

Up ahead she noticed a red Ford Taurus going far slower than the speed limit.

The river was to the left… a 30 foot drop.

Cheryl smiled a brilliant smile and smashed the accelerator pedal to the floor.

The sound of the turbo spooling up under the hood was like ear candy.

Seems like it’s a bad day to be Mrs. Knowles.

The End?

Oh Wow... A cliff hanger! Great so far, can't wait for the rest! S&F

originally posted by: Quadrivium
Oh Wow... A cliff hanger! Great so far, can't wait for the rest! S&F

I think the rest of the story should be entirely open-ended and up to the reader as far as what needs to come next for things to end up "fair".

If there even is such a thing as fair.

For instance, my wife thinks that a nice plot twist would be that Mrs. Knowles was at the hotel with the doctor the day before and where is THAT going to go in the next ten seconds of the story?

Or is Mrs. Knowles the ultimate sociopath that has hidden it very well?

Or could she morph into the nice old lady at the restaurant at the beginning of the movie Legion?

a reply to: Lumenari

This was really good. I liked that the voices switched right before she went in.

a reply to: Lumenari

Brutal.

I loved it!

originally posted by: FauxMulder
a reply to: Lumenari

This was really good. I liked that the voices switched right before she went in.

I wasn't sure anyone was going to catch that.

Kudos!

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: Lumenari

Brutal.

I loved it!

You kinda threw me a loop with your topic because of my belief system.

I don't believe in a hell or demons or a Satan type archetype.

I do think that people are much crueler and evil than anything we can dream up to blame what we think about.

We women try to be pretty and have nice hair and appreciate flowers and like big heels to show off our calves, for instance.

Which I am sure you can relate to!

However, sometimes we have thoughts that if there is a Satan that looked through them he/she would soon be in a fetal position in the shower screaming "I can't unsee this!!! Just... WHY???"

So I just wrote a story about what evil can be.

Thanks for the topic.

Great story...Makes you wonder what goes on in a schizophrenic's head as they hear voices.

originally posted by: 727Sky
Great story...Makes you wonder what goes on in a schizophrenic's head as they hear voices.

I just told you.

a reply to: Lumenari

Nice Lume, loved it.

a reply to: Lumenari

The female of the species is more deadly than the male.

Great writing, well done.

originally posted by: Onlyyouknow
a reply to: Lumenari

Nice Lume, loved it.

Thank you for the compliment!

It's a hard topic to write about for me because we all have a little demon in us, do we not?

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: Lumenari

The female of the species is more deadly than the male.

Great writing, well done.

Thank you and glad that you liked it!

a reply to: Lumenari




Ahhhh…You can’t beat a nice happy ending with a glass of wine to go with it lol

This reminds me of a Twilight Zone Episode from the 00’s…

- JC

a reply to: Joecroft

I'm glad you enjoyed it and you have inspired me to open a bottle of wine tonight!

Or the sun going down did.

But I'm blaming you.

a reply to: Lumenari


Well don't get too Drunk...

We need you fit and healthy for the err...Wine Thread!!! lol

- JC

ETA Link

originally posted by: Joecroft
a reply to: Lumenari


Well don't get too Drunk...

We need you fit and healthy for the err...Wine Thread!!! lol

- JC

ETA Link

In the middle of writing it, but I'm trying to dumb down 30 years of me doing it so that it makes sense to the newcomer of the topic.

With pictures!

a reply to: Lumenari

Nice Lumenari! I would not personally want to mess with Cheryl. Somehow Tarantino would love the character.

Thanks for the diversion tonight!

a reply to: Lumenari

Oh I liked that.