Suzy climbed out of her bed wincing at the jolt of pain that exploded through her body when her feet made contact with the ground. Aided by the wall, she dragged herself into the shower. Shivering under the cold water, she let her thoughts roam flooding her mind with him.
The first night she felt his presence, she thought she was just being paranoid. But when the presence took flesh and pinned her arms, she screamed- she tried to – but with a hand to her mouth and another to her neck, she couldn’t do much. Then she heard a soothing voice, “Shhhh”, he said while drawing circles on her palm. Shock and fear glued her lips while he gagged her.
Everything happened in a blur and by the next morning, she was numb- totally numb. She thought of telling her mum and smacked herself for thinking of it. Her mum would not believe her. She has proven that countless times over. Knowing she had no one, she lay defeated as he ripped off her last shreds of dignity like a grim ripper.
But today was different. She saw peace and rest from the horrors of the night. She saw hope in the cold that freezed her. That hope engineered her to lie awake at midnight with a smile on her face and a knife underneath her pillow. He came as usual and performed the same ritual but no, nothing prepared him for the knife to his gut and chest. What he didn’t expect was the glint in her eyes as breath escaped his lungs. What his now unbeating heart didn’t foresee was the joy that radiated off her skin as she slipped into a peaceful sleep.
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Read – Gathering Relics – A Flash Fiction by Umaru Jennifer, Nigeria
