Awakening Abigail

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Michelle was lying in bed, her thoughts scampering around new possibilities and her promising future.  She got her matric results today, and they were more than okay.  Her father was so proud, he cried.  She smiled softly.  How wonderful life is.  Middle of January she was starting at university, as a first year!  For the first time in her life she was going to be away from home, but she was excited.  Besides, Stellenbosch wasn’t that far from home.  She rolled on her side, listening to the crashing of the waves.  She was going to be a grown up now.  Her own apartment, maybe a car, who knew? 

She could feel herself drifting away into a mix of dreaming and reality.  She could just see herself walking around on the beautiful campus.  She had a feeling she was going to meet a very sexy final year student, and he would sweep her off her feet.  She indulged herself with romantic thoughts, the thoughts of an untouched girl.  She sketched a scenario in her mind, fantasies about her dream man.  He would be blond, preferably. 

She was just about to drift off when her bedroom door swung open, and her light went on.  Startled she sat up.  In the door stood her mother, her face smeared with blood.  Behind her was an unknown man with a balaclava over his head, holding a gun to her head.  Michelle went cold as her eyes met her mother’s. 

“Mom?”  She didn’t recognise her own voice, and shook as the stranger pushed her mother forward.  When her mother spoke, she could hear the raw fear in her voice.

“Michelle, just get out of bed and cooperate.  Please.”

Shaking, she placed her bare feet on the cold floor.  She wanted to scream, but one look at her mother’s face, she knew she had to keep quiet. For the first time the man spoke.

“Move it.  I don’t have all the time in the world.”

His voice was hard and emotionless, and she could feel his eyes all over her body.  She moved next to her mother, frantically wondering where her father was.  The criminal grabbed her by her arm, pushing her against him.  He shifted the gun from her mother to Michelle.  The cold steel was pressed against her head.   When he spoke she smelled his breath, reeking of alchohol. 

“You.  Where do you keep your guns?”  He was talking to her mother, who was standing helplessly in the hallway.  “You do something stupid and you little princess dies.”  Slowly her mother nodded.  Michelle felt like she was floating.  Her breath was coming out in ragged intervals, her heart was pounding so hard, she couldn’t hear what her mother replied.  She felt like she had an out of body experience, as if she was dreaming.  She could see her mother’s mouth move, but for some reason the blood on her face kept her attention. 

Suddenly she was pushed back to reality as the man started walking towards her mother.  She felt like a ragdoll in his arms.

“I told you, we don’t have guns.  I gave you everything we had, all the money, all my jewels, what more do you want from us?”

Her mother was sobbing now, her hands stretched out, pleading.  Michelle could still feel the barrel of the gun, now against her neck.  The man started pushing her mother down the hallway, dragging her along.  She was too afraid to fight or move, her eyes glued on her crying mother.  The wound on her head was still bleeding. 

“I want your guns.  I know you have guns, you hunt.  Get the fucking guns.”  His voice was cold, soft.  Chills travelled down Michelle’s spine, repeatedly.  He knew them. How?  Her mother was whimpering now, her head in her hands. 

“Please, I beg you, please don’t kill us.  We don’t keep the guns on the premises.  I swear.  It’s locked in my husband’s office at the garage.  It’s not here.”