Caught In the Storm – Chapter Eleven

18th April, 2005

Springfield Ohio, U.S.A

The pelting rain ravaged the neighbourhood, with the sound of rolling thunder echoing across the ominous skies. Flickers of lightening flashed repeatedly, lighting up the dark and stormy night. Sonia had her back leaned against the wall and her knees drawn up to her chest, gazing despondently into space with red puffy eyes.

It had been two weeks since she was in that basement, but the memory stuck like glue to her soul, haunting her every single night. Every time she closed her eyes to sleep, she saw him again in her dreams, menacingly ripping her clothes off. She could still smell him on her skin, the phantom scent still as strong as that horrid day. It felt like dirt she couldn’t wash off her body no matter how hard she scrubbed herself, often spurring up feelings of disgust and irritation that churned in her belly from time to time.

The sound of her door slowly creaking open called her nervous attention, relaxing only when she saw her cousin appear at the entrance.

Seeing the pain in her steady unbroken gaze, Jonathan let out a sad sigh as he gently shut the door behind him.

“Hey…um, I made you dinner. Thought you might be hungry…” He said, slowly making his way to her bed.

She didn’t reply, her gaze still fixed on nothing in particular, her mind partially frozen in her deep chagrin.

“C’mon, Sonia. You’ve gotta eat something… eventually. I mean, You haven’t eaten in days…” Jonathan pleaded, his saddened eyes revealing his worry.

Settling down on her bed, he placed a hand on her knee and squeezed it gently. Her gaze shifted slowly until she faced him again, her expression screaming anger and hurt.

“I hate him… so much.” She whispered, her raspy voice breaking from the tumbling emotions. Her eyes watered slightly as she spoke, her lips quivering with each syllable.

Jonathan swallowed with difficulty, tightening his jaw as he shared the same position she did. He turned away, unable to stand the look in her eyes.

“How long do we have to survive this, Jon? When do we get to… get him back for everything he’s done to us?” She asked, her voice strained by the lump in her throat.

Jonathan clenched his jaw, pushing down his own emotions as he flicked his nose with his thumb. Sniffing softly, he kept his gaze away.

“I dunno, Sonia… I honestly… don’t know.” He whispered, his heart breaking slightly.

Pursing her quivering lips, she sniffed and turned her gaze away, blinking a tear down her cheeks.

“I’m not hungry…” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“C’mon, Sonia. Please… you gotta…” he began.

Their heads suddenly darted toward the door at the sound of an object crashing violently. Steven’s hostile voice could be heard from where they were, bellowing out a string of obscene incoherent curses. They exchanged fearful looks and immediately dashed out of the room and down the stairs, stopping abruptly at what they saw. Terror latched unto their hearts at the sight.

Helen was on the floor, her brimming eyes widened and trembling hands raised. Steven was towering over her unsteadily, pointing a gun to her forehead.

“You… you…wanna… you wanna leave me? Huh? Helen? I thought… that we were… in love?” Steven asked, his face etched in drunken pain as he staggered slightly while making sluggish hand gestures.

“Steven… please… you don’t know what you’re talking about… you’re drunk. Please, just… put the gun down.” Helen whimpered, her voice shaking in terror.

“Dad?! What are you doing?!” Jonathan yelled, his pulse racing unnaturally as he held on to the staircase railing. Sonia’s heart rammed frantically against her chest, her eyes taking in more light as they widened.

“Stay back…boy! I’m warning you! Don’t…come any… farther… closer… whatever! Just… stay away!” Steven warned. His voice was strained, slurring with inebriated emotions.

Turning to face his wife, he gave her a drunken smile that reeked of mischief, his outstretched arm unable to stay still. “Now, where were we… my love?”

“Steven… please, put the gun down.” Helen begged, her eyes brimming with frozen tears.

“Shut up!” Steven yelled, his drunken gaze suddenly blazing with anger. “I warned you… didn’t I? I warned you not to talk…”

“Dad! Please, stop this! Just put the gun down. Please!” Jonathan cried out, his body flooding with adrenaline. He began to inch closer, cautiously watching out for his father’s lazy aim.

Steven, clearly unphased by his son’s pleas, began to laugh hysterically at nothing in particular. He inched closer to his wife, still struggling to steady his aim.

“Oh, I get it. You’re wondering… what the gun is for, right? Haha, funny. Well, I’m going to kill you… and then… I’m gonna kill myself…then, the children…because… I love… you all.” He announced with a sluggish tone, unaware of the illogical sequence in his plan. After another round of drunken laughter, his quivering lips suddenly twisting into a crooked scowl.

“No no no… Steven, you’re not gonna do that… please, just drop it…we can talk about this…” Helen said with her palm stretched toward the gun, her corner eye spotting her son closing in.

“Till death… do us part, my love. Isn’t that…what we said…when we got married? Huh?” He asked with an amused look on his face, finally steadying his aim on her forehead.

“Steven… please…” Helen begged.

“You would look…so beautiful…as an angel, baby.” Steven said sardonically. The sound of a click from the pistol echoed across the room. The safety was off.

“No!” Jonathan screamed, charging at his father with all his might. Before Steven could turn to face his son, Jonathan had launched himself into his side, striking him down with a fierce shoulder block. Getting ontop, Jonathan grabbed hold of the gun in Steven’s hand, desperately trying to pry it out of his father’s brawny hand.

“Mum! Sonia! Get outta here! Call the cops!” He yelled, his strained gaze focused on the gun.

Helen got up and ran towards a terror stricken Sonia, hugging her protectively as they both watched in horror as the two men wrestled. Bullets soon started firing recklessly, ricocheting all over the room as the trigger was constantly being pulled during their power tussle. Helen and Sonia moved out of sight, scared that one of the bullets would be the end of them.

Finally, the gun made a clicking sound, signifying that all the bullets had been fired. Enraged by his son’s audacity, Steven threw a powerful right hook that landed on Jonathan’s jaw, causing his son to fall off him.

Straddling ontop of his son, he recoiled his hand severally, landing nasty punches on Jonathan’s face, pummeling him to a pulp.

Unable to bear the sight, Helen stopped dialing the cops and rushed to help her son. She threw her hands around her husband’s torso, desperately struggling to pull him off her nearly unconscious son.

But Steven grew more incensed. He swung his hand backwards angrily, catching his wife on the nose. Stunning her, he got off Jonathan and tackled his wife to the ground, squeezing her neck with murderous intent.

At this point, adrenaline flooded Sonia’s shivering frame, her rage finally drowning a large portion of her fears. Spotting Steven’s half empty bottle of Balkan Vodka on a wooden stool, she rushed to grab it and made for her target. Reaching him, she smashed the thick bottle on his head with all her might, causing him to loosen his grip.

“Argh!” Steven groaned, falling off his wife as he held his bleeding head. Helen rolled away, holding her neck as she desperately heaved for air. Steven’s eyes darted in Sonia’s direction, his body heaving with pure rage.

Sonia’s bravery melted away like wax under his hellish glare, her fears returning in full force. She darted away into the hallway, her brain stuttering with many incoherent thoughts.

“I’m gonna kill you!” He bellowed angrily, scurrying after her in a crazed frenzy.

Hearing his menacing steps behind her, she took a wrong turn into the kitchen, backing up against the sink area in fear. She felt her heart stop beating for a second when she saw there was nowhere else to run. Terror squeezed out every ounce of hope she had left when she saw him halt at the door, his eyes screaming murder. Panic seized her breathing, her pulse racing frantically.

“I… am gonna murder you…slowly.” He seethed, slowly making his way towards her. The blood from his injured head had thickened, and a thick trail had formed down the left side of his pale face.

He charged and rammed into her, crushing her tiny frame against the sink and knocking the wind out of her lungs. His large bloodstained hands reached for her throat, squeezing with drunken glee.

Struggling and choking, her strained gaze caught the hellish glare on his face. He was going to kill her. Realizing this, she began to pull desperately at his strong hands, her feeble attempts proving to be utterly futile. The colour began to drain from her face, and her eyes started to roll to the back of her head. In sheer desperation, she stretched out her right hand along the sink area in search of anything she could use to defend herself. Straining violently, the tip of her fingers grazed the handle of a nearby kitchen knife, tugging at it until she had a firm grasp of it. With a strained scream, she thrust the sharp blade into his heaving chest, pushing it as far as it could go.

Steven’s eyes widened abruptly, the strength in his grip ebbing away as he slowly looked down on his chest. Sonia inhaled sharply as his grip loosened, coughing violently as she held her neck.

She watched as Steven staggered backwards, blood now pouring from his slightly opened mouth. Slowly, his two hands reached for the blade buried in his chest, weakly grasping the handle of the blade. With a surprisingly quick yank, he pulled the knife out, groaning as the colour red spread over his white vest. Gurgling and choking on his own blood, he dropped to his knees, the look of utter shock plastered on his face when he looked at her again. The life slowly drained from his eyes as he slumped to the tiled floor, a pool of blood forming around his limp body.

Sonia’s jaw quivered in horror, realising that the body had stopped moving. She scurried away from the corpse frantically, her breathing rate increasing dramatically. She stared at the limp body, and then to her trembling blood stained hands. Sinking to the floor, she pushed herself against a corner of the kitchen, pressing against the wall in a bid to be as far away from the body as possible. Reality slowly dawned on her; he was dead, and she was the one that murdered him.

---

Back to the Present…

Sonia kept her gaze away from his, too afraid to see whatever look David had in his eyes. The effects of reliving her past showed in her doleful expression. Her puffy red eyes were now fixed on the cushion beneath her folded legs, her ears silently waiting for judgment. She had just told him everything from the death of her parents down to the murder, sparing no gory detail. A deathly silence hung in the air, neither of them finding words to fill the void.

David’s face held an expression of deep sadness. His heart was completely shattered by her gory tale. He remained silent, unable to find the right words for the moment. He just gazed at her intensely, clearly amazed by just how much she had gone through.
His heart ached all the more when he saw the guilt in her eyes. How could someone live with such guilt for years? He could finally see everything clearly now; the reason behind her defensiveness, the reason behind her aggression when they had met, the reason she felt they couldn’t be together.

David lowered his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he let out an inaudible sigh. He apologized to God in his heart for every time he was reluctant to reach out to her, for all the times he wanted to give up because of her attitude instead of just loving her through it all. His eyes turned slightly red, almost threatening to glisten as his imaginations began to illustrate her gory story very vividly in his head.

His tensed pause worried her deeply, the deafening silence starting to unnerve her. She stole a small glance at him, his posture making her mind flounder with many thoughts. What if she had just made the biggest mistake? Wasn’t this too much for him to handle? What if he left her after this? What if she had just driven him away with the truth?

“Sonia…” he whispered finally, pulling her out her anxious thoughts. She kept her head low, her heart ready for whatever verdict lay in the next words she was about to hear.

“I’m… so sorry… for everything you’ve had to go through…” he began, his voice strained with emotion.

She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, the aching in heart beginning to increase. Her face began to tremble, the emotions she tried so desperately to hold back now bursting forth. She felt him inch closer, the scent of his cologne now seeping into her nostrils. She felt him put his hand over hers, squeezing it softly.

“I wish… that there was something I could do…something that I could’ve done… to stop all of it from happening. I wish… you didn’t have to go through… that much pain. ” he whispered, swallowing against the lump in his throat.

Her lips began to quiver, her vision getting blurred by glassy tears. Blinking, she let them trail down her cheeks unto the sofa cushion.

“I just want you to know that… this changes nothing… about us. If anything… now that I understand… I just want to love you more…” He continued, the sight of her pain hurting him deeply.

The love behind his words made the tears drip without restraint. David would always say the right things, but that didn’t mean she would let him make this mistake. She owed it to him to let him find someone better, someone without this much baggage, someone without this many scars. Tilting her head slightly, she sobbed inaudibly as her face contorted in pain.

“Sonia… please… I need you… to look at me…” David pleaded, placing both palms on her cheeks, wiping the tears with his thumbs.

“I… can’t…” she whimpered, pulling gently at the hands that held her face.

“Please… If you can’t hear the truth in my words, then I need you… to see the sincerity in my eyes…” He said softly, his intense gaze hoping to meet hers.

Sniffing softly, she let out a shaky breath as she slowly raised her head, her glassy eyes reluctantly staring into his.

“I love you, Sonia Jackson… with all my heart. And nothing from your past… can ever change that. I want to be there for you… let me be there for you.” He whispered, his eyes finally glistening.

“David, please don’t…” she whimpered, her chest tightening as she looked away. Pulling his hand away from her cheek, she got up from the couch, hugging herself as she wiped her tears.

“Sonia… you can’t keep blaming yourself for what happened…it wasn’t your fault.” He said, hoping she would see reason.

“I killed him…” she breathed.

“In self-defence… Neither God nor the Law holds you accountable for that…”

“Then why does God let him torment me every night?! Why does it feel like I’m still in chains… even when you said God set me free!” She cried out as she turned to face him, her emotions straining her voice.

A glassy layer of tears formed in David’s eyes, her pained gaze twisting his heart like a gut-wrench. Slowly, he raised himself from the sofa, his eyes never leaving her despaired gaze.

“You are free… that is your reality in Christ. But the Devil is using your guilt to torment you… not Steven.” he tried to explain.

“Then of what use is the freedom God gives if the Devil can still torment me?!” She yelled, her frustration pouring forth through her strained voice.

David pursed his lips, his glistening eyes showing nothing but compassion for the woman infront of him.

“I came… to God… because you said… that He would set me free. Did you… lie to me, David?” She asked in between shaky breaths, her voice lowered to a pained whisper. Nothing seemed to make sense to her anymore.

Shaking his head in denial, he inched closer to her, wanting to hold her but she backed away. She was beginning to make no sense.

“Answer me, David. You said… that He would give me peace! You said… that the nightmares would stop! Was it all just some lie to get me to… come to church?!” She yelled again, anger influencing her thoughts.

“I didn’t lie, Sonia…” he replied softly. “It’s just that… Peace and condemnation can’t coexist in the same place…you have to let go of the guilt in your heart…”

“And you think I haven’t tried?! You think I asked for all this?!” She cried, raising her hands up in exasperation.

“Sonia… you’re not listening to me…” He said softly, gently stretching out his hand towards her.

“Because you’re not making any sense!” She screamed as she shut her eyes, backing away from his loving gesture.

“Sonia…” he called out softly, his glistening eyes watching her lips quiver.

“I’m… tired, David. You don’t know what it’s like. You can’t understand a life of nothing but pain. See, I just…want a normal life. I just wanna be able to go to bed… and sleep… like a normal person would. I want to love… like a normal person…” she cried, her passionate tone and pained gaze boring a hole into his soul.

“…and you promised me… that if I went to God…that I would get that. Was that… a lie?” She whimpered, the raging emotions forcing her voice to trail off.

David dropped his head down, softly pinching the bridge of his nose as his heart fought off the frustration that threatened to build up. He couldn’t make her see the truth, and it hurt him. The pain she was in didn’t let her understand anything he was saying. He swallowed hard, unsure of what to do at this point.

But Sonia interpreted his posture to mean that he was frustrated and tired of her. Condemnation leaped on her again, accusing her of being a thorn in his flesh once more. She needed no more confirmation that he was better off without her. Sniffing softly, she grabbed her black leather jacket from the couch and wiped her eyes as she made for the door. Walking past him in a pained huff, she felt him grasp her hand from behind.

“Sonia…” he called out softly.

“Don’t. Just… don’t.” She said without looking at him, waiting for him to release her hand. Feeling his grip loosen, she walked towards the door and opened it.

David watched her leave, the pain in his chest now reaching new heights. Watching his door slam shut, he sunk unto the couch, his teary eyes fixed on nothing in particular.

---

Midnight…

Sonia made her way towards the estate gate, the wild scene of a noisy bar now engraved in her mind. She had no plans of getting into her house alone, clearly reluctant to go through another horrifying ordeal. At the moment, she desperately craved the feeling of burning liquid flowing down her throat and the kind of noise that would be too loud for her to think. As fate would have it, there was a good bar just along the narrow road leading to the estate. Perhaps a few shots of Scottish whisky and some Polish Vodka would numb her from the pain she felt. It had been a while she got drunk, but she craved nothing more at the moment.

Reaching the gate, the soldier on duty accosted her, his automatic rifle slung over his shoulder. He looked to be in his early forties, and his face bore some nasty scars.

“Madam… which side you dey go?” He asked, his brows furrowing.

“I need to get to a bar…the one just down the street.” she replied hastily, certainly not in the mood for any chit-chat.

“Ah… Madam… no vex o! But… this time wey you wan go out…e dey very risky na…you sef think am.” He said, feeling the need to reason with her.

“Sir, please could you just let me pass? The sooner I get there, the sooner I can return.” She spat, her tone revealing slight irritation.

Reluctantly, he shrugged and opened the gate for her, his eyes clearly showing his disapproval.

Sonia went through the gate in a huff, slipping her hands into her jacket pockets as she walked by. Hearing the gate slam shut behind her, she breathed out a sigh and gazed into the dark road ahead. It was a moonless night, and the only source of illumination were the dim streetlights of which some were flickering eerily.

The scenery of the noisy bar still beckoning on her soul, she set off on the dark path, determined to stay away from her house. After a while, she noticed that she hadn’t encountered anybody on the dark road. Beginning to feel uneasy, she quickened her pace as fear began to lurk in her heart. She began to rethink her decision as the uneasy feeling in her heart became stronger. Looking back, she saw that she had already gone a reasonable distance. Deciding it was too late to back out, she ignored the feeling and forged ahead.

Approaching a snaky bend along the street, she began to hear echoes of frivolous noisy chatter coming from the side of the road. Steeling herself, she lowering her gaze as she walked briskly walked by, the voices becoming louder as she approached.

The sudden sound of grown men wolf whistling and catcalling resounded in her ears as she moved, the uneasy feeling in her chest now heightening.

“Baby girl… omo sexy!” One of the voices called, the thick yoruba accent hanging onto the words.

“Omo…this one go sweet die o! See waist na!” Another exclaimed, snickering alongside company of other voices.

“No worry…na my own be this…” another said rather authoritatively.

Hearing those words, her heart leaped into her throat, the hair on her neck suddenly standing. She quickened her pace in a bid to get away, the words of the men frightening her.

“Ah ahn… no be this girl we dey call again?!” The authoritative voice called out, irritation lurking in his tone.

Suddenly, three lanky figures hurriedly stepped out into the dim lights ahead of her, accosting her at the edge of the dark turn. They were all dressed in Jean shorts and white singlet vests, wearing bandanas on their heads.

Her heart pounded against her chest. Beads of cold sweat slowly trailed down her neck. She glared at them nervously, her eyes studying them as they walked slowly towards her, checking if they carried any weapons. Seeing no arms, she removed her hands from her jacket pockets, cautiously backing away from them.

“Get away from me…” she said darkly, her eyes moving from one figure to another.

They laughed mockingly as they moved closer, breaking out into a wider radius and surrounding her like a pack of hyenas.

Shivers ran down her spine when she saw that she was trapped. Her breath became very shaky. She glared as one of them approached her, licking and smacking his lips as he let his eyes dance all over her frame.

“Fine girl… sexy baby.” He said as he inched closer to her. He rubbed his hands together, his predator-like gaze still dancing over her frame. From the way he gestured to the others to stay behind her, she guessed he was the leader.

Sonia looked back frantically, hoping to see someone else on the road, but there was no one.

“Come closer na baby… abi I wan bite you ni?” he snickered as he came very close to her, his horrible mouth odour causing her to scrunch up her nose. Smiling sinisterly, he used a finger to stroke her hair.

Scared and incensed, she swung him, slapping him hard across the face before turning and making a run for it.

But she didn’t get far before she felt the strong arms of another thug swoop her off her feet, lifting her off the ground by the waist as she struggled violently. Pulling, scratching and pounding aggressively at her assailant’s strong arms, she swung her elbows backwards menacingly, constantly aiming for his face but missing every time.

“Bring am come here! She dey mad!” The leader screamed angrily, still holding his face.

Sonia’s eyes suddenly caught the figure of a lady running past the scene in a frenzy, the feeling of hope rekindling in her heart.

“Please! Help!” She screamed, stretching her hands towards the figure. But one of the thugs chased after the figure, ensuring that whoever it was ran away. Sonia felt hope drain out of her body as she watched the figure disappear into the darkness.

Adrenaline flooding her system, she let out an strained grunt and crashed the heel of her boot against her assailant’s big toe. Then, she powerfully swung her head backwards, catching him on the nose. Feeling his grip loosen as he shrieked in pain, she broke his hold and turned to face him, kicking him powerfully in the groin. The thug crumpled over, swearing and cursing loudly. Seeing an opening, she turned to make a run for it.

But before she could take a step, she took a powerful blow to the side of the head, the impact dazing her completely. Her vision got blurry instantly and she dropped to her knees, the searing pain now shooting at the side of her head.

“This girl dey mad o! Carry am go that side! Ah God! I go kill person pikin today!” The leader screamed wildly, throwing his arms up and rubbing his head dramatically.

Sonia felt someone pick her body up roughly, carrying her towards the side of the road. Feeling her body crash unto the grass, she groaned in pain, her eyes finally registering where she was.

“You get mind… slap me? Emi? Segun? King of these streets? Ah! If I no kill you… ehn…call me bastard!” The leader growled, slapping his chest aggressively.

“Please… I’m begging you… just let me go please!” she cried out desperately, feeling the fight in her seep away as her body ached pain.

“Shebi na because say I touch you ni? No wahala, you go know us today…” He said sinisterly.

Hearing those words, her eyes widened in horror. A ghostly chill ran down her spine, her pulse suddenly racing unnaturally. She began to struggle violently against their restraints, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“No! Please! God!” She cried out, the feeling of terror submerging her soul.

“Shut up! Make una hold am well! Oya, you… go stand there dey watch incase anybody dey come…” He barked as he went to work on his trousers.

“No! God! Somebody! Help me!” She cried desperately, tears effortlessly flowing down her cheeks as she watched her past repeat itself again.

---

Meanwhile…

30 minutes ago…

David stood at the door of Sonia’s apartment, the unease in his spirit increasing. Something wasn’t right, he could feel it in his bones. Maybe he shouldn’t have let her go. He should have held her back, at least until she calmed down. Rapping at her door repeatedly, he waited for a reply but there was no answer. He twisted the door knob, the look of surprise creeping unto his face as it swung open. Peeking in, he noticed that the foyer lights were still turned on, and the door to the living room was wide open.

He entered the house, anxiety grabbing hold of his heart. Walking into the sitting room, he found the lights on but it was empty.

“Sonia?” He called out. There was no response.

The unease in his heart heightened, the eerie feeling that something had happened to her resting in his soul. He decided to break boundaries and search the whole house for her, breaking into every room. Opening the door to her bedroom, his eyes widened in shock, horrified to find it empty. He quickly pulled out his phone to dial her number, praying she would pick up. A ghostly chill ran down his spine when he heard her phone ring on her bed.

“Oh God… Sonia, where are you?” He gasped.

Dashing out of the house, he ran towards the gate in a bid to alert the security detail, the most horrifying thoughts flooding his mind as he sprinted frantically. What if she wants to kill herself? What if she’s already gone through with it? The thoughts caused him to run faster. Reaching there in a hurry, he met the same soldier in charge.

“Ah ahn… you too? You wan commot by this time? Why una no just commot together na?” The soldier asked, his frowny expression showing his distaste.

David furrowed his brows, his curiosity suddenly piqued.

“What do you mean?”

“Ehen na… e never too tey wey that madam wey I dey see you with just commot now… say she dey go one bar like that for this road.” He explained, pointing to the direction of the road.

“Oh God…” he gasped, finally having an idea why his spirit kept blaring like an alarm system. “Please… open the gate. I need to find her…”

“Ah… okay oh. Hope no problem sha?” the soldier said as he unlocked the gate.

As soon as the gate opened, David darted out in a frenzy. But before he could get far, he heard the Spirit speak to his heart.

“Take that man with you…” the Spirit echoed, referring to the soldier.

But the fear and haste in David’s heart made him shun the instruction as he darted into the darkness, his eyes darting sideways constantly in search for any sign of Sonia.

It wasn’t too long before he saw a figure running towards him in a frenzy. When the figure came closer, he recognised her from the estate. He had often seen her when he came out to jog in the morning. They had even talked at some point. Rushing towards her, he accosted her with wide-spread arms.

“Oge…what’s wrong? Why are you running?” He asked, watching her pant frantically.

“Please… don’t go anywhere near there. I just saw… a group of men… fighting one girl there. I ran… as fast as I could… so that they wouldn’t catch me too.” She said inbetween breaths, holding her heaving chest as she talked.

The words made David sink deeper into his fear. What if that was Sonia? What if she was in danger. His scrambling thoughts began to tumble over one another.

“Please… what was she wearing? I know it’s a silly question but please… if you could remember.” He asked, his heart pounding against his chest.

“I dunno…umm… I think… she was wearing a black jacket…and she sounded really familiar…” she breathed out.

“Oh God…Sonia.” David gasped shakily, the look of horror plastered in his face.

“Please… hurry and get the soldier at the estate gate! Bring him to the place and tell him to bring his weapon! Tell him I sent you!” He ordered as he left her, taking off before she had a chance to reply.

Adrenaline surged through David’s body, it’s fight instincts pouring into his muscles as he charged down the narrow road. He slowed down as he approached a dark curvy bend along the road, the sound of muffled screams drawing his attention. Looking around frantically, his widened eyes made out three figures at the side of the road, just in the cover of darkness.

“Sonia!” He cried out, the feeling of fear washed away by the adrenaline in his system.

“David! Help me!” A strained cry called out from the dark corner.

“Who be that?!” An angry voice barked.

One of the thugs suddenly emerged from the dark, his angry glare fixed on David who stood at a distance under a dim streetlight. Suddenly, he rushed towards David in a frenzy, his growls echoing as he charged.

Seeing his assailant approaching speedily, David clenched his jaw in anger and charged towards him, ramming his powerful frame into the lanky thug’s midsection and spearing him to the ground. Climbing unto him, he recoiled his fist and delivered a swift yet powerful punch to his nose, discombobulating his assailant at once.

Sonia gasped as the other two thugs let go of her, her trousers already pulled down to her knees. She raised herself weakly, her widened eyes fixed on the confrontation before her.

The leader emerged with the other cohort, his eyes sizing David up.

“E be like say die dey worry you, abi? Oya! Benji… finish this werey!” He barked, nudging the other thug forward.

Stumbling onto the road, the thug pulled out a pocket knife and ran towards David.

“David, watch out!” Sonia cried out, too weakened by the assault to stand up.

Seeing the shiny blade in his hand, David squared up quickly and faced his new target. The angry thug lunged at him, swinging the blade wildly at his neck. But David ducked quickly, grabbing his legs and hoisting the thug up in a frenzy. Holding him up in the air for a tensed second, he slammed his assailant forcefully against the concrete ground, immobilising him for the time being. Quickly, he averted his gaze to the last one standing in the distance, his furious glare staring daggers at his target. He started moving towards him.

But suddenly, the leader pulled out a gun, his livid expression revealing murderous intent. David stopped dead in his tracks, raising his hands, the look of fear returning to his eyes.

Sonia’s eyes widened in horror, seeing the gun pointed at David. Fear seized her voice, her weak body beginning to quiver.

“Shebi you be bastard ni? I tell you say na die dey hungry you…” the leader scowled, moving closer to David, his finger still on the trigger.

“Please… just let her go… please.” David pleaded, his eyes glancing at Sonia.

“Ah no wahala na… if na that one, e no be problem.” The leader said with a scornful laugh that made them uneasy.

David swallowed with difficulty, his heart ramming against his chest.

“But the thing be say…you just gas die first.” Scorpion said sinisterly.

The sound of the gunshot echoed in Sonia’s ears, tearing her heart in two. She watched in horror as the crimson red colour invaded his snowy white shirt, spreading rapidly over David’s torso.

“No! David!” She screamed, her shrill cry piercing the silent night as she watched David fall to the ground.

“Bastard…” the leader scowled.

He then turned and pointed the gun at her, his glare ever so menacing. She turned to face him, her face shaking with indignation as she began to hyperventilate, the fear of death draining from her eyes. Soon, the other thugs began to awaken, slowly getting up and holding their bodies in pain.

“Abeg make una jazz up! Una two no get sense…” He barked, his eyes still on her. “Ehen…as for you…” he began.

Suddenly, the sound of an automatic rifle firing in the distance echoed loudly, causing all three of them to back away in a hurry. Seeing the camouflage uniform approaching them menacingly, they turned and took off, running away as fast as they could.

The soldier from the estate kept firing into the air until they were out of sight, slowly making his way towards David. Seeing the blood oozing from his upper torso, the man quickly pulled off his jacket and used it to put pressure over the wound to arrest the bleeding.

Pulling up her pants, she forced herself up and ran to where David lay. Collapsing unto the ground beside him, she held his choking face in her hands, her teary eyes staring deep into his.

“David…c’mon… please…just…just stay with me, okay? Just…” she whimpered shakily, her eyes glancing at the place where the bullet hit.

The metallic taste of blood had filled his mouth. His vision slowly began to wane. His weak eyes saw Sonia’s figure over him, her words becoming less audible by the second. He coughed out a mouthful of blood, groaning out in pain.

“Call an ambulance!” She barked at the soldier before turning to face David again.

“I don call my people for estate… dem dey bring their car come… dem no far.” The soldier replied, his sad eyes watching David.

“C’mon David… just stay with me… please …don’t leave… just stay with me, okay? Help is on the way…you’ll be alright.” She said as tears rolled from her eyes. Running her fingers affectionately through his hair, her lips quivered as she watched his body spasm. He was losing a lot of blood.

David’s eyes slowly began to close, the last thing he saw being Sonia’s teary face. Shutting his eyes, he embraced the dark.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Hey guys😏. Woosh😂. Just breathe, okay😂. Breathe😌. We have arrived at the climax of the story🥺. Talk about plot twists, huh?😂.

Guess what, only one more chapter remains!💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽
You lot have been such an amazing audience with your support, comments, sharing and reports. We are so grateful❤.

Stay tuned for the finale, next Friday❤. We love you🤗