Silence can be filling. It can soak up all the tension in a room and settle it centrally between the inhabitants. 

Silence can be terrifying. The moment after a loved one says something horrid like “I don’t know if we can do this anymore.”  Something should be said during this moment, a kind word- a plea to begin anew- anything would be better than nothing. 

Silence can also be deafening. As it was for Tora and Carson.  Huddled together in the bleak corner of the storage room, they listened for footsteps that would surely arrive.  The large garage door had opened and closed several minutes ago. Shadows fell and moved on the floor announcing to the intimate couple that they were no longer alone in the warehouse.  

“Put the bitch over there!” A husky voice commanded and more shadows moved.  Tora stilled in her movements of riding her lover behind the palate of copy paper.   She leaned over slightly to peer between the boxes, but only saw the shadows moving.  Placing a finger over her lips, she signaled to Carson to remain quiet. 

Tora slid from her position and smoothed down her skirt, still trying to get a look at what was happening on the other side of the boxes.  The shadows disappeared, but the large metal door hadn’t re-opened. Carson managed to pull up his jeans and crouch at her side in silence.

“Do you see anyone?” He whispered in her ear. She asnwered with a sharp shake of her head.  They both knew the men couldn’t have to gone through the warehouse and into the large show room without having walked directly past their favorite fuck spot.  They were not alone in the warehouse. 

Tora put up one finger to Carson and made a dash to the set of cartons next to thier hiding space. He tried to grab her before she made her leap, but was unsuccessful.  Again, she peered through the small openeings between boxes trying to find the men, and the woman. 

“Are you looking for me, doll?” The husky voice asked from behind her. She spun around so fast it took a moment for her eyesite to line up with what she was looking at, and when it did- she wished it hadn’t. 

An ape stood before her.  He stood at least two feet taller than her 5ft figure, and his back could have hidden three of her behind him.  The professionaly pressed suit did not bring any more attractiveness to his gruff, scarred face as he scowled at her. She glanced over to where Carson had been standing. He was gone. 

“Who are you?” She asked, wishing the moment it was out of her mouth she hadn’t. 

“Not your concern.” He answered.  “Come on, let’s have some fun.” His voice reminded her of what she thought frakenstein would sound like if she had had the chance ever to meet him.  His plus-size hand wrapped around her slender arm and yanked her from her hiding spot.  She found herself thrust into the openness of the warehouse. The lights flew on and she shielded her eyes from the brightness. 

A soft whimpering drew her attention, and she blinked until her eyes refocused. Crumpled in a ball a few feet from her was a woman, half naked.  Her shirt had been torn open, her bra the same.  She might have worn a skirt or pants at some point but all that was left was a waistband of a pair of panties.  Her face was covered in blood.   Large finger shapped bruises covered her thighs. 

“Did you do that?” Tora found a rage inside of her that she had never known. The ape laughed. “You fucking coward!” She spat at him.  “Where’s your little helper? She stood tall facing off with him, no longer afraid of his size. “I heard you tell someone else to drop her.” 

His already narrowed eyes – due to the overgrowth of his browbone- narrowed even more.  He shoved her to the side with the back of his hand and huffed away toaward the large door.  Turning toward a pile of boxes, he bent down and lifted a leg.  He stood in a pool of blood.   The ape dropped the leg and waved a gun with a grin at her. A silencer.  The blood fell from her face. 

She looked around helplessly for Carson. Had he deserted her? Did he make a run from the store and forget her?  The store was long closed.  They had only stuck around to have a quick fuck before she went home.  Home. To her husband.  

The ape aimed the gun. Not at her, at the crumpled woman who was still moaning.  Tora saw the gleam in his eye, the miniscule twitch of his upper lip and reacted before she could think.  She dove over the woman, covering her with her own body. 

The shot was clean, straight through her back and lodged in her heart. She was dead before she landed on top of the woman she was trying to protect.  The wimpering woman, who started to screech to high heaven when Tora’s blood began to trickle onto her. 

With a quick shove, she manuevered her way out from under her dead protector and leapt to her feet. “Fuck, Sam!  You weren’t supposed to kill her!” The woman continued to scream.  The ape stared blank-eyed at the dead woman on the floor. His years of acting had not prepared him for the scene before him. 

“Sam!” His girlfriend slapped at his shoulders. “What the fuck!” 

“Hold on! Hold on!” He rubbed his forehead.  “It was supposed to have blanks! Carson said it would have blanks!” His voice a heated panic.  

Sirens blared outside the warehouse. The woman’s face paled under the liberally applied costume blood. The ape stared open-mouthed at her.  “Where is Carson?” His question a whisper. 

Carson sat in the back of a black buick parked in the last spot of the three hundred car parking lot.  Hidden in the cover of darkness, he sat beside Frank. 

“Well done.” Frank nodded as the flashing lights took over the lot.  

“Thanks. Now, we’re okay, right?  We’re good?” Carson’s voice shook as he asked his question. “Your wife is dead. We are straight.” He put his hand on the handle of the car. Frank, a stern looking man, nodded. 

“Yes. It’s over. I would be careful who you stick your prick into from now on, though. Other husbands might seek revenge on you- instead of the whore they call wife.” 

Carson nodded, promised to be more careful and made his escape.  He left Frank staring at the crime scene unfolding in front of him in silence.