It was raining. Lightning flashed through the night sky followed by a clap of booming thunder. It rained as if the beings in the heavens were crying. Tears from the Heavens poured down onto Earth. It seemed like the heavenly beings were mourning over something or someone, maybe. That someone might be my friend lying in a puddle of her own blood. Maybe the tears are for me too because I do not know what will happen to me now.
It had happened so quickly, so silently. 341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5E83S4Ecu
I was in the kitchen, having a glass of water. I did not switch on the lights on because the light from the street lamp outside was enough for me to see. I had just woken up from a nightmare that I have no memory of. All I remembered from that nightmare was the feeling of helplessness.
I looked out of the window. The rain pattered down into a puddle of water and splashed right back up like a million of tiny crystals, reflecting the amber light from the street lamp. It was beautiful. It helped to sooth my mind. After taking a deep breath and exhaling, I turned around to head back into the room where my friend, Reveka was sleeping. I hoped I had not woken her up by accident.
My heart skipped a beat. I could feel a cold rush up from the base of my spine to the back of my head. There was a dark figure in the living room. Judging from the shape of the figure, I assumed it was a man with broad shoulders. I froze but kept on looking. Somehow my gaze was transfixed on him. Water dripped down from his raincoat. His features were obscured by the hood over his head. He moved slowly towards the bedroom. A sudden gleam caught my eye. It was the light reflected by a serrated blade in his gloved right hand.
He continued moving slowly and silently into the bedroom, one step at a time. Miraculously, he did not see me standing in the kitchen. I was as still as a statue and I dared not move for fear of him spotting me. Fear somehow got a hold of me as I could not move even though he had his back facing me. A sudden realization hit me: Reveka was asleep in the room!
I needed to get help. My phone, where was it? Oh no, I left it in the room! How about the landline? Who installs landlines in rented apartments anymore these days? I looked frantically around the apartment, hoping to find something that I could use to get help or to help Reveka. A sudden crash got hold of my attention. I looked into the bedroom. A muffled scream ensued.
The man must have knocked over a night lamp. He now had his left hand clamped over Reveka's mouth. I slid behind the couch and peered into the bedroom. Reveka struggled. She continued to scream and tried to kick her attacker. He punched her face, grabbed her by her hair and proceeded to slam her against the wall. She crumpled onto the ground whimpering. The man lifted her up and slammed her head against the wall a few more times. He let her drop onto the floor, face down, moaning in pain. He cocked his head and looked at her.
I could almost feel him smiling. I did not see him smile, but I could feel it. He knelt over her and brandished the serrated blade in front the Reveka's face.
"Please don't do this," she pleaded. Her voice sounded feeble and weak, unlike the normal Reveka I had known for years.
"Shh," he shushed. Grabbing her head by her hair, he slid the blade across Reveka's neck smoothly in one swift motion like a knife would through melted butter. Reveka did not even have time to scream. She let out what was seemingly a gurgle. Blood sprayed against the wall, staining a picture of a happy graduate, fresh from college. That graduate was me, who continued to watch from behind the couch, frozen in place.
He dropped her body with a thud. I saw her body convulsing, trying to grasp and hold on to what tiny speck of life left. Sounds of gurgling and choking ensued. Oh gosh, it was a terrible sound. Tears were streaming down my face. "This must be a horrible nightmare! Please, let me wake up!" I thought. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to wake up but to no avail. The terrible choking went on.
I snapped my eyes open. I knew that I ought to do something because Reveka was still alive. Her will to survive was strong. She was still breathing, her heart beating. My mind raced, "What should I do? Do I have the strength to overpower the intruder?"
The intruder stood up. He flipped Reveka over on her back with his foot. Her hands were clamped against her throat in an effort to stem the bleeding. Her chest heaved as she tried to suck in air. The man loomed over her as she looked up, eyes wide with trepidation. With the knife in both of his hands, he raised it above his head. His back arched and tensed as he readied himself. He brought down the knife with such speed that my eyes could hardly follow.
"No!" I almost screamed out loud. My hands were clamped over my mouth, silencing my sobs. I wanted to tear my gaze away from the horror that unfolded in front of me. Strangely, I could not. The man seemed to have a frightening aura that freezes its viewer in place.
"Ha!" he exclaimed and stopped the knife with bare inches from Reveka's chest. She tried to grab the man's hand but was too weak to do so. Her strength was leaving her. He grinned and pushed the serrated blade into her left breast slowly while twisting it, like how one would fasten a screw against a piece of wood. Reveka gasped, her body stiffened while her arms and legs tensed in pain. A gurgled sigh escaped her lips a second after and her body went limp. It was all silent save for the rain pouring outside.
That was it. My friend Reveka was gone. It all happened while I hid behind the couch, frozen in place. Blood continued to pour from her neck and opened mouth. It stained her beautiful auburn locks that I often envied. Her eyes were wide open and glassed over. There were stains around her eyes that glistened from the nightligh's glow. Were they tears?
A movement brought my attention back to the man. He looked up at the bloodstained wall and stared. He stood up and walked towards the picture stuck on the wall and looked at it with great interest. I felt my heart thumping against my chest. Why was I still looking at him? I needed to get away while he was distracted. Or rather, find a better place to hide! The man turned around.
My breath caught in my throat. Oh no, did he notice me? No, he turned to look at Reveka. I am still hidden. He turned to look at the picture again. I felt him smiling. His gaze then fell upon the dresser. It had two cell phones on it. It also had a photo of Reveka and me posing together on a beach. His smile grew wider. He held the photo and looked out of the bedroom.
I quickly hid behind the couch, out of sight. My heart was racing now. Did he realize that I was in the house?
Footsteps were behind me.
He was walking towards me! "What should I do?" My mind was racing that I could not think properly. I looked around frantically for something, anything that could help me get out of this situation. A glass bowl was on the coffee table in front of me.
"That's it," I thought. "I could grab it and hit the man! Wait, what if he is too much for me to handle? He has a knife! I ought to escape instead, but where can I go? If I make a dash towards the door, he will chase me! Think, I had to think harder!" I squeezed my eyes. "Argh!" I screamed internally. "Thinking is what got me stuck here!" I opened up my eyes when I realized that it was silent again.
The footsteps had stopped.
Was he gone? Had he left? I dared not peer over the couch. He would had definitely seen me if he was still in the house. "What should I do? What should I do?! Oh Reveka, I wish you could have told me what to do. You were always the one with wits and guts. What am I without you?"
I raised my eyes to the heavens. It was done. There was nothing more I could do. I was trapped. I wished I had at least an ounce of the bravery that Reveka had. I actually wished that it was me lying dead there in her place. She would have known what to do, how to survive if she was given the chance I had.
The footsteps started again. It was closer this time. My body tensed. I looked at the glass bowl on the coffee table, then at the door. I thought, "Reveka, please lend me your strength". I reached out to the bowl. It was now or never.
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