The Tell-Tale Heart Page #5

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I talked more freely

to get rid of the feeling,

but it continued,

and gained definiteness.

Until, at length,

I found that the noise

was not within my ears.

No doubt I now grew very pale.

But I talked more fluently

and with a heightened voice.

Yet the sound increased,

and what could I do?

I gasped for breath.

And yet the officers

heard it not.

I talked more quickly,

more vehemently.

The noise steadily increased.

Surely it would surprise people

what evil the night

can conceal from their eyes,

but not your eyes.

To be sure.

I smiled, for what

had I to fear?

I took my visitors

all over the house.

I bade them search, search well.

I led them at length

to his chamber.

I showed them his treasure,

secure, undisturbed.

In the enthusiasm

of my confidence,

I brought chairs info the room

and desired them, here,

to rest from their fatigues,

while I myself, in the wild

audacity of my perfect triumph,

placed my own seat

upon the very spot

beneath which reposed

the corpse of the victim.

The noise steadily increased.

Why would they not be gone?

But the noise

steadily increased.

Ah, God, what could I do?

I foamed, I raved, I swore,

but the noise

steadily increased.

It grew louder, louder, louder.

Was it possible they heard not?

They heard, they

suspected, they knew.

Anything was more tolerable

than this derision.

I could bear those

hypocritical smiles no longer.

I felt that

I must scream or die.

And now, again, hark, louder!

Louder!

Louder!

Villains, I shrieked.

Let me do it.

No, no, no, they'll do

no harm to the boards.

I'm a little less tidy

with the old man away.

No need, relax.

Relax.

Relax.

Yes, I did it.

I did it.

I did it.

He's there under the floor.

Do you hear'?

I did it.

Let me show you.

I did it!

I did it!

I did it!

He's there

under the floorboards.

Dissemble no more.

I admit the deed.

Tear up the planks.

Here, here.

The beating

of his hideous heart.

It was here.

I don't understand.

It was here.

It was right here.

You been drinking?

What are these pills for'?

Those were.

Those were.

It's happening.

You feeling okay, Sean'?

How do you know my name'?

How do you know my name'?

No, you should take me in.

I killed him.

What are you talking

about, Sean'?

You didn't kill anybody, Sean.

What did you do, Sean'?

What did you do, Sean'?

I killed him.

This shouldn't be happening.

I killed him.

I killed him!

I killed him.

It should be over.

We should be free.

Where was she?

I'd killed the eye.

Ariel.

Why won't this nightmare end?

Are you in there, Sean'?

Do you remember now'?

You told them

you had information.

To buy us some time.

If we keep quiet,

if we stay together,

we can get out of this.

Stay strong, don't give

them what they want.

It's too important.

Hey, listen,

he doesn't know anything.

You come talk to me.

I got all the information.

You, come here.

F*** you.

Sean, don't tell them anything!

Sean!

I wish we could

escape from here.

Just get away from this house.

Fill your head up

with entirely new memories.

The man isn't any

smarter than you are.

We don't need him

watching over us

to get better.

I had given

up hope when we returned.

There was no sign of you.

What kind of sick torture

did they do to you?

What information

did you give them?

Snap out of it, Sean.

What did they do to you'?

What did they do to you'?

Sean!

But I wasn't strong enough.

I couldn't get us both out.

What did you tell them?

Why do you wanna know?

No, no, no, no,

you left me there to die.

You left me there. She

came, she came to save me.

I remember

she came and saved me.

What did they do to you, Sean'?

She was f***ing

never there, Sean.

What did they do to you, Sean'?

Are you in there?

Their names, Sean,

fell me their names.

What did they carve

out of your head, Sean?

You need to focus.

Focus and remember.

There are people

that don't like my work.

You will never leave this place.

And I can come

visit you anytime I like.

The only thing

keeping you here is you.

No, no, no, you left me, you left me

there to die. She came and saved me.

No, you don't remember, Sean. She was

never there. No, she came and saved me.

I cannot give you

back the pieces, Sean.

What's been taken away

can't be anyway.

Not when you carve them out.

I'm just keeping a few pieces

for the memories.

Good, you're just in time.

I fixed you something special.

I thought that

she would save me.

It's okay.

You're safe now.

I thought it was over.

Hey, they're here.

How did you get out, Sean?

She saved me.

She saved me.

Yeah, she did.

Nobody saved you, Sean.

No, Ariel saved me.

Nobody saved you, Sean.

I hope what I'm gonna

tell you sinks in this time.

We've done this many times.

Interview number seven.

He'd never wronged

me, ridiculed me,

I think it was his eye.

I don't know what

to tell you, Sean.

I know not to interrupt

you during the telling.

You get too excited.

This was recorded

three years ago.

You talk about hearing things

that can't be heard.

This is our interview

number eight.

I feel as if I

can hear everything.

This one is from a year ago.

True, I'm nervous,

I'm very nervous.

But why would that make me mad?

I've heard this story

and variations of it

for a while now.

I wanna know

what happened, Sean.

I wanna know what you told them.

Why did they let you go'?

Do you want a marker'?

This thing, eh'?

I dare you, come here.

I'm not your enemy.

You haven't been a pilot

for seven years, Sean.

Seven years.

You were shot down, Sean.

You hit your head

and suffered a bad concussion.

Thank God you were cunscious

enough to open your chute.

The Afghan's captured us

as soon as we hit the ground.

And the woman?

Ariel?

The one you speak about

every single time'?

Ariel is your therapist.

She works here, Sean.

A shrink, a trauma specialist.

The only thing

that's gonna help you...

is in there.

What do you know

about my problems?

This is what's wrong with you.

She's not your lover, Sean.

She's here to help you.

You understand that?

Here to help you.

You were never with her, Sean.

You're comatose

most of the time.

And not from drugs,

not from anything.

Just say it's a learned reflex.

Your mind...

protecting you from its memory.

No, the old man...

You never killed anyone, Sean!

I don't know where the old man comes from!

The old man.

When you finish carving

all the pieces, Sean.

What good are carvings

that can't be admired?

There, Sean.

You tell me the same

story every single time

you come out of it!

And you never say it right!

My pills.

Where are my pills?

You took my pills?

Where are my pills?

Give me the f***ing pills.

Where do you go, Sean'?

In between our

little meetings here.

I last saw you four months ago.

And before that

it was seven months.

And before that it was years

between episodes.

Where do you go'?

I wanna help you, Sean.

Just like you helped me.

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