It was almost six and the sky was a beautiful canvas of pink, orange and blue. Natasha's phone pinged loudly, setting her heart aflutter. Her face broke out in a nervous smile. She did not have to pick up her phone to know who it was but she did it anyway. It was indeed Sam's message telling her that he was waiting outside to pick her up for their date.
"Ugh, it is him. You know how this is going to end, don't you?"
Her fingers tightened. The dark voice was back. It had been a long time since it spoke to her and she had almost forgotten how it haunted her.
"No," she sternly replied. "Sam is different."
It was Natasha's first date with Sam. In fact, it was her first date in almost two years. Her last relationship ended badly and it took a lot of loneliness to push her back into looking for companionship if not love. She met Sam online on a popular dating app a few weeks ago. Since then, both of them have been speaking non-stop. It felt like they had known each other for years now. She knew what his favorite food was, what movies he watched and how much time he spent on his gaming addiction. He worked in a call center and was hoping to move up the career ladder after finishing his MBA. He seemed like a nice person who understood her and more importantly, he was not after a quick satisfaction of his libido like most men out there. Maybe she had finally found the one for her.
The dark voice in her head cackled evilly. "Oh, my poor innocent girl!"
She ignored the dark voice as she had learnt to do. She took a final look at the mirror. Someone she knew long ago had described her skin in his words as "looks like caramel, feels like silk and smells like freshly baked bread." Natasha smiled sadly.
"That toady bastard," the voice laughed. "He would have said anything to get into your pants."
Natasha shook her head as if to clear the old memories away. Today is about… well, today. She was wearing a nice little black dress that accentuated her petite figure without giving anything away. Her hair, as black as her dress, was arranged in curls that cascaded to her waist. Her lips were painted a modest nude pink. The diamond studs glinted on her ears as she turned for a better look.
"Ugh, you look like a slut," the voice chimed.
She ignored it again. Satisfied with the way she looked, she smiled at herself. She put her keys in her black shoulder bag and walked out of the room.
Sam was waiting by the gate of the girl's hostel. He was slim and his skin looked like it had not seen the sun in years now. He had glasses on and wore blue jeans with a collared T-shirt. She noticed how meticulously he'd prepared for their date. His shirt was freshly ironed, there was just a hint of cologne and he nervously adjusted a small wrapped package in his pocket. Sam was what her friends would call a nerd. While most girls gravitated towards hunks with either muscles or money, Natasha loved these 'nerds' who had neither. They somehow made her feel safe.
"You look amazing," smiled Sam. Sam couldn't believe his luck when she accepted his match request on the dating app. She was clearly out of his league and today, he was out on a date with her!
"Thanks," she smiled. "So, where are we going?"
"Oh, you will see," Sam grinned as he climbed onto his bike.
"Here we go!" said the dark voice.
"Oh?" Her smile faltered a bit. She hesitated a bit but looking at Sam's goofy smile, she felt reassured. She pushed the dark voice to the back of her mind away and climbed onto the bike behind Sam. She was sure she wouldn't need the dark voice today. She may never need it in her life again.
"Hold tight!" Sam said.
It was a wonderful date; they went to a nice little restaurant for dinner and talked about everything under the sky. Then, they spent the rest of the date strolling hand in hand through the park nearby. Natasha smiled at him. She shouldn't have been worried at all. He had been a perfectly nice guy to her.
"Sam, it is almost midnight. Will you please drop me home?" she asked.
"What? Is it time to go already?" Sam whined. "I can't believe the time went by so fast."
Natasha laughed at the expression on his face. "I know. I loved spending time with you. But I do have to get back. It is already past curfew time at my hostel."
"Okay," Sam said grudgingly.
They both got on the bike and started heading home.
Natasha was relaxed. She gently laid her head on Sam's back and closed her eyes against the cold air whooshing past them. She indeed had a very nice time with Sam. Sure, she had hoped that the date would go well, but she was not counting on it. Many times, people who seem nice turn out quite different when you meet them. She was pleasantly surprised at how good the date was.
It had been a while on the road but they were still driving. The nagging feeling of doubt peeked out from where it was hidden. Natasha straightened up and looked around. They were on a secluded road that did not have any traffic. She frowned. The road they should have been on would have had some traffic despite the time of the night.
"Sam, where are we going? This isn't the way to my hostel," Natasha said, praying that it was just that Sam had forgotten the way to her home. It was, after all, his first time in the city.
"Well, you already said that it was past the curfew time at your hostel. So, would it really matter if you didn't go back today?" Sam shouted back against the roar of the bike and the wind.
Natasha sat up. A chill ran up her spine. That familiar feeling of dread was back. All the fond memories she had gathered in the past few hours began to fade and that familiar dark voice rose up from its hiding place.
"I won't say I told you," mocked the dark voice. "You know how all of this is going to end and you have only yourself to blame."
"No, please. I will ask him to turn around," Natasha pleaded. "Let me talk to him. He will understand that I have to go back now."
"Or... or let me jump when the motorbike slows down a little. Please, you don't have to do this," Natasha tried to convince the voice in her head. But with each passing minute she felt her control slipping. The dark voice grew louder, roaring and drowning out her own thoughts until they became indistinguishable.
Her eyes changed, the fear in them was replaced with determination and a wicked smile grew on her face.
"I am going to enjoy this," the dark voice's growl escaped Natasha's lips.
Sam drove up the secluded forested road to the sunset point. It was way past midnight and there was no one here to disturb the solitude that both of them were going to share. He parked his bike under a tree and both of them walked towards the edge of the cliff. Half a moon hovered above them and the city lights twinkled silently far away. It was cold and Natasha shivered. Sam smiled and put his arms around her shoulders. She clenched her teeth and braced for what was about to happen.
"It is beautiful here, isn't it?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, it is," she replied.
"But not as beautiful as you," he smiled and bent down to kiss her.
The dark voice roared in her head.
Natasha closed her eyes as his lips met hers. There were no sparkles, no beating of the hearts as some people described a kiss. It felt… like nothing. The kiss deepened as she ran her fingers through his hair and gently tugged at it. A moan escaped Sam's lips and he began to hungrily explore her body. Her body stiffened but her hands continued to trail down his cheek and came to rest on his face, pulling him even deeper into the kiss.
In a swift motion, her right hand firmly held his chin and twisted his neck, breaking it with a loud snap. Sam did not even have the time to realize what was going on. His eyes widened as life left his body.
A dark chuckle escaped her mouth as she pushed his body off the cliff into the darkness below.
Natasha stood in place for a moment in silence with her eyes fixed at the half moon. Then, she walked to Sam's bike and picked up her black bag. She took out her black hoodie jacket and track pants. She wore them over her black dress and pulled the hoodie over her head.
"Come, I will take you home. Let's hope that we do not meet anyone else on the road… for your sake," tittered the dark voice as Natasha crawled deeper into the darkness of her own head.