Forest Bodies
A singular mysterious forest stood cold and naked with it's numerous trees standing like a barrier to hide everything behind them. And with the lazy pink glow of the slowly awakening sun stretching widely over the trees tops, it gave the forest a kind of mysterious charm. The sun rays filtered through the trees to cast long shadows on the ground. The branches were scanty and only a few leaves still clung on. It was the winter season. The air here was heavy and it made breathing difficult but the two men who had been brought here from the city's police department by a strange call, ploughed their way through.
“Are we even headed in the right direction Miles?” A confused Brandon Links asked.
“We must definitely are.” Miles replied without looking back. He made his way quickly through the bushes, picking his way through them with a stick. His brown eyes were fixed into the forest floors, under the piles and piles of fallen dead leaves, hoping to find another body.
“The map says we're to head north west, but due west.” he interrupted again, looking up from the map he clutched in his hand nervously.
“You see the greenery over to the west?” The irritated Miles growled, pointing his finger. “And the animal foot prints? That tells us in which direction the lake is.”
Brandon who knew better than to disturb again followed behind in silence. The forest wasn't quiet, there was the cacophony of chirping birds and constant rustling of the leaves on the forest floors caused by them walking over but then there were other forest dwellers. Brandon shivered. It didn't take long to find the lake, the soothing melody of it's calm flowing waters brought a kind of peace to this scenery. The grass surrounding the lake were low, mowed by hungry herbivores.
“So.... We're here, where's the body we're supposed to find.” Miles announced, breaking the silence.
"I think that's the point.” Brandon spoke, coming up to stand in front of Miles. "We're supposed to find the body."
“The psycho said it'll be staring at us, I don't see anyone staring at us.”
“Hey, look here.” Brandon shouted pointing at a patch of clearing just a little distance away from the lake. “Over there, that looks like a footprint.”
The footprints led to a tree and there she lay, dead and rotting, with small insects crawling all over her. Brandon stepped forward while Miles lit a cigarette and watched silently. She was, Miles could clearly see, gutted like a fish. The cut started from her the base of her neck on the left side and ran down, wavy and broken at certain places, and ended up at the right side of her lower abdomen. It was very messy, with blood dried alongside the cut, and her lifeless eyes hanging out of her sockets. The seperated flaps of her skin in the abdominal area were seemingly shredded like an animal had tired to eat her insides but there was no animal footprints around the body. The killer was must definitely a bloody sick psycho.
There were violet marks all over her body- just like the other victims. Miles closed his eyes and exhaled. His face was expressionless, but his eyes, unblinking, fixed upon her, were alive. The briefest smile flickered upon his lips, and disappeared.
Meanwhile, Brandon crouched near the body, watching it closely. His hungry eyes roamed over every inch of her mutilated body. He longed to touch her, to feel her bruises against his fingers, to gain some warmth from her cold body…
“It’s her. Noel.” Brandon confirmed, comparing her face with the photo he had just brought out from his pockets and held in his hand.
“Fifth one in three weeks,” Miles mused, taking a puff. “This is so not how I imagined I'd spend my Christmas."
“Yup. This sick psycho kinda hate ladies, pretty angry motherfucker.”
“Call it in, Brandon. Just hope this one gives us something to catch him.”
“Why do you think...” Brandon started, “...he uses a jargereed butter knife? I mean it’s so messy. Even a damn kitchen knife would cut them up nice.”
It came as shock to Miles, who coughed loudly, clutching his chest and choking upon his own smoke.
“What? A butter knife? Wait a second...” he blurted, throwing away his cigarette. “Nobody knows about the butter knife except the coroner and me. How the hell did you...” It happened too fast. One moment Miles stood contemplating what it implied, and suddenly, out of nowhere, Brandon's gun was pointed at his forehead.
“Now you stupid fuck, why did you kill them?” Brandon growled, shaking with anger.
“What?! You think I did this?!” Brandon asked in disbelief, his eyes locked upon the gun waving in front of his face.
“Don’t play dumb, you sick psycho! You always know where the bodies are, you get all the 'mysterious calls', you are always one step ahead, but you can’t catch him! Hell even the last tip we got came through the payphone by your house! You actually think I’m that dumb?”
Brandon tripped over a stone during his furious outburst, losing his balance. Miles was quick on his feet and leveled his gun against Brandon's chest as he regained his composure.
“Now Brad, that was quite convincing. Your little act. I knew it was you all along.” Miles hissed at him, “It was you. You found the bodies, you wanted in on this case, fuck! you even refused your so called girlfriend for a date! Now that’s something! You refused her just to come up here at this god forsaken hour finding messed up bodies! And guess what? Psychos like to participate in police business, right? You freak! I’ll kill you.”
“Wow. That really was some serious pep talk, you could pass for a politician." Brandon humored. "Oh sorry! My mistake! You’re a serial killer!”
“I can’t believe it! You’re blaming this shit on me! Seriously?”
Both gripped their guns steadily leveled at each other’s foreheads, never taking their eyes of each other with their hearts beating louder than the sound of the following water.
A single gunshot rang through the forest, and the birds flew away and somewhere up in the trees, the coroner smiled at the scene. The camera in his hands captured the video of both men holding a gun at each other before Brandon's body dropped as a single shot rang out. Both men would be gone and his psychotic hunting would go on.
@Ozzyy @Hanzell what a way to start the month! Haha
Psychotic
It was nine in the evening when she finally returned, tired and exhausted and hungry too. She pushed her keys into the key hole and fiddled with it for a while before the door unlocked and opened, she sighed as stepped in, flinging her bag to the couch. Then she could hear the sound of running water, it was coming from the bathroom.
"I don't remember leaving the shower on. Oh Lord, how long must it have been running?"
Dropping her keys on the table, she headed up the stairs. The bathroom door was slightly opened just so she could see the shower running into the bath tub which was plugged and full, the over spilled water was everywhere. She felt goosebumps rise on the back of her neck, she knew something was not all right here but still she stepped closer and pushed the bathroom door opened. She was suddenly grabbed from behind with over hand around her waist to lift her and another over her mouth to keep her from screaming. She trashed around in desperate attempts to get free then the hand over her mouth was removed, she didn't have enough time to catch her breath and scream before a white hanky replaced the hand. This time she didn't struggle much and in seconds she was unconscious.
*
*
*
The darkness covered him like a cloak, allowing him blend into the dark shadows and hiding his evil deed. The street was void of people and moving vehicle and the street lights in this part did not light up. He knew, he had known this for weeks now during the time he stalked her and he knew people in these parts didn't like to get up too early or stay up too late. Everything was calm and the only sounds that reached his ears were the growing sounds of flowing water. He was closer to the waterfall, away from people.
He walked without tripping or slowing down but he also didn't seem to walk fast. Carefully, with her in his arms. He carried her lightly and delicately, feeling the curves of her body where he held her and the full of her hips pressing against his abdomen. His heart pounded in his chest like a lion in heat, faster and faster as energy pursed through his veins, sending sensations throughout his body.
She had a bit of weight but he didn't mind, he had the man power to hold her in this position for longer. His legs ached, his back hurt, he had been waking with her in his arms for a long while. The sun was just beginning to come up when he laid her by the river, her body was cold, stiff and lifeless. He leaned down and kissed her cold blue lips once, twice, then continuously, trailing a hand over her face and hair.
"I love you..." he whispered in between kisses. "I love you, I missed you terribly Pearl."
He pulled out a knife from his pocket and cut a lock of her hair. He kissed the lock of hair as tears came up to his eyes and he cried. He kissed her forehead and her eyes and her lips and her neck and her breasts. He started removing her clothes, he took her shirt off first to reveal deep red scars on her breasts and the side of her abdomen - still fresh, he had marked her only hours ago. He kissed them. He removed her pants, the lines on her thighs and in between were dark red, he kissed that too. Her body spoke of torture and of pain, nail scratches and whipping, fists and knives.
He savoured the feeling of his fingers caressing her naked body, allowing excitement build in him again then he carried out his ritual, slowly and at ease before finally releasing and feeling at peace. He had practiced this so many times over the years and with each new time he did so again by the edge of the waterfall, it felt like the first. He kissed her again.
"I'll love you forever Pearl. You'll always be mine. You are now and you'll always be."
He knew it was time to let her go. He didn't want to and it pained him but he knew he had to. He kissed her again then placed the lock of her hair into his bag, beside several other different locks of hairs belonging to different women.
He wrapped up her naked body into a large transparent plastic bag and gently lowered her into the water. Her lifeless body floated a while over the cold water carried by the strong current and was then flung 43 meters down through the waterfall, plunging underneath before floating back up.
“I love you Pearl. I will always love you. You are mine…” he mumbled, his eyes fixed upon her body floating out of sight. “I will find you… I will always love you Pearl. Always…”
Her name was Maggie.
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Omar watched the blade come down and rolled away just in time, but the blade didn't reach down, a small knife blocked it, slicing through Aazim's fingers but didn't severe it. Omar looked back, Mariam had thrown the knife and with good aim. Aazim hollered in pain and dropped the sword, he wrapped his bleeding hand with the cloth he wore and gave Mariam a death stare.
"You!" He growled. "You...will pay for this! You will learn to be tamed. I will tame you!" He looked at the man closest to him. "Get her here now!"
Mariam let Parvina's body rest on the floor and picked her sword. Saadiya, empowered by rage over the death of her best friend, stood ready to attack. Their eyes were bloodshot, both from crying and from anger, they were ready to fight. Omar, using the distraction as an opportunity rolled closer to the man holding a gun and tackled him to the ground and wrestled the gun from his grasp before slitting his throat. As he stood up, there was suddenly a sporadic shooting and he got down immediately, bringing the body of the man he just killed on top of him. Mariam and Saadiya cowered down with their hands above their heads. Aazim who was taken unawares, crawled under a chair.
Mariam dared to turn her head and she saw armed uniformed men entering the courtyard from the hall ways. The military. She heaved a sigh of relief and pressed her hands to her ears and shut her eyes. The sound was deafening and she began to feel fear so she reached out for Saadiya who first flinched at her touch before holding her outstretched hand tightly. The shooting went on for a few minutes before everything fell silent, Mariam didn't move, she was still shaken so she remained on the ground till she heard her name being called.
"Mariam!" It was her father. She looked up. He was also dressed in a military uniform. He took off his helmet when she stood up and with tears in her eyes, she ran for him and allowed him swallow her in his embrace. She cried.
Slowly Saadiya stood up and looked round to access the situation. Dead men in Black laid around the courtyard and the soldiers were walking round looking at the bodies. She sighted something moving under a chair, at a closer look, she knew that was Prince Aazim.
"Aazim!" She yelled. "Come out!" She ran towards him.
King Jaan, on hearing Saadiya yell Aazim's name, released Mariam and let his gaze follow the direction in which she was running towards. Aazim. He clenched his fists.
"I want him alive." He spoke to the soldier beside him, he nodded and walked towards Aazim.
Aazim who had come out from under the chair, was scared but kept a bold look on his face. As he watched Saadiya approach him, he withdrew a small knife from under his shirt and held it out of the sight of the others. He smirked. Saadiya ran up to Aazim and kicked him hard on the face with the sole of her shoe, the force brought him down and she readied for another blow but a soldier held her from behind. She trashed about in his arms, yelling at Aazim and wanting to claw at his face.
Omar who was suffocated by the bodies on him yelled, while pushing with as much strength as he could muster. The soldiers trailed their guns at the place where the sound was coming from.
"Omar..." Mariam whispered. "Omar!" She yelled this time. "Don't shoot! It's Omar. Help him out!"
They began dragging the bodies off him and as the last one was taken off him, he gasped for air and coughed. They helped him up.
"You're hurt." Mariam said. He looked at her and smiled weakly, holding on to his stomach. The blood had soaked through his shirt down to his trousers. He wobbled.
"Help him out." The kind ordered. "To the hospital."
Omar rested on the soldier who placed his right hand over his neck, he groaned in pain when another tried to lift his injured left arm.
"Don't, he's hurt." Mariam spoke, stopping the soldier from lifting his left arm. She looked at Omar lovingly and held onto his injured arm, squeezing his hand a bit. "Take care of yourself and get better." She really wanted to kiss him on the cheek but restrained herself. She smiled from underneath the cloth which still covered the lower part of her face and let him go. The soldiers took him away.
"Jaan..." Aazim spoke, drawing the attention he wanted. He smiled. "Brother."
"Take him away." The King ordered and they hand cuffed him. Aazim allowed them drag him outside without struggling. There would still be a next time.
Mariam and Saadiya went to where Parvina's body laid and knelt beside her. They held hands and cried for their friend.
@Ozzyy @Hanzell I actually miss parvina now😭
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Mariam clenched her sword in anger, how she would love to rip out the tongue of this insolent man. She would never be a captive to anyone. She glanced around the room, the assassins were not too much for the four of them to take down but they were at a disadvantage. A handful of these assassins had guns aimed at them. If they made any drastic move, they would be hit by a bullet. She brought her gaze back on the man in charge.
"Who are you?" She questioned.
"I see your father didn't tell you he had an older brother. What a shame we had to meet in such circumstances."
*Older brother? This was her uncle? No way.*
"I don't believe you. Father would have told me about you if he had a brother."
Aazim sighed and rubbed his temples. "Never mind then, it's useless to try and prove anything to you now." He stood up and clapped his hands together and beamed. "So... who's bringing the princess to me?"
"Aazim!" Omar yelled. "You will never get away with this!"
"Ahh, you're the sheik's boy aren't you? Quite grown up." He looked around the room. "Where's your old man anyway? He didn't quite strike me as one to run away when things got a little heated."
"You're a weak coward." Omar continued, Aazim was in rage and he knew it, he fanned it. "You will definitely pay for all your sins! All these for what? So you could take the throne? So you could have Mariam to your perverted self? I warn you Aazim, stop this madness of yours before it eats you up!"
"Madness you say?!" He laighed. "If this is madness then it is very well welcomed! If this is what it takes to restore me to my rightful place, then yes! And who would stop me? You?!" He spat.
"If I have to! I will wring your head away from your neck!"
Aazim clenched his fist, he fumed and fixed his eyes on Omar. The insolent brat! "Forget the favour I owe your father, you'll die today. Right here and right now!"
A gun was trailed on him and a shot was fired, Omar didn't have much time to react, he only took a step back. Parvina, without thinking, stepped in to block the bullet but because she was shorter, the bullet meant for Omar's left shoulder hit her straight in the forehead, she crumbled down to the floor, dead. Mariam screamed in horror and bent down to scoop Parvina in her arms, the tears flooded down her cheeks as she held Parvina's head close to her chest and she cried in pain. Saadiya fell to the floor on her knees, she looked at Parvina's face in shock and in horror, the tiny hole in the middle of her forehead streamed blood, her hands shook when she reached out to hold Parvina's hand. She didn't want to believe what happened.
Omar was stunned for a moment and slowly he moved his head down to look at Parvina who was lying dead on the floor, she had stepped in to take the bullet for him. Anger grew from his belly, spreading out, he glared at Prince Aazim and his body shook with anger.
"Aazim! You coward!!" He advanced, his sword high above his head. He was going to chop his head off!
A silent swift sound sliced through the air and Omar was hit on the shoulder stopping him in his tracks. Another went into his abdomen and he dropped down to his knees in pain, clutching his abdomen as another bullet whizzed just above his head, missing him by a hair's breath. Prince Aazim raised a hand for the shooting to stop. He stood up and smiled, picked up a sword and used it as a walking support till he got to where Omar kneeled. He placed the flat of the blade below Omar's chin and slowly brought his face up, the smirk on his face pained Omar.
"Not so tough are you now? Omar bin Khalid."
Omar smiled into the face of Aazim. "At least I'm no coward who hides behind the power of metal and gun powder. Fight like a man Aazim. Show that you're worthy of the throne."
Omar was in pain, the bullet had broken through his collar bone and he could barely lift the arm and his abdomen was bleeding out, the pain came with each breath he took. His right hand which still had a strong grip on his sword came up with a strike aimed at Aazim's abdomen. He blocked the strike easily with a hard clank, sending the sword flying away from Omar's hand before he brought the hilt of the sword down by the side of Omar's temple. He groaned.
"I don't need to prove anything to anyone, and most especially, I don't need to prove anything to you!"
Omar, still down on one knee with his right hand on the wound on his abdomen, looked up to meet with the gaze of Aazim.
"No you don't." He spat. "Because you're worth nothing!"
Aazim, already full of rage lifted the sword high above his head, he held the gaze of Omar for a little longer before bringing the blade down on him.
@Ozzyy @Hanzell this is getting hotter!!! I'm enjoying this. 😋 What happens next?!
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Omar watched and walked behind as the girls cleared a path for them, leaving him out of the fun, he looked at his sword which was still there way she had given him - stainless and without a drop of blood on it. He stepped over bodies and kept a constant eye on Mariam, her skills greatly impressed him and he wondered how long she had been in training and if the King knew of this. As they came into the open courtyard, they were greeted by a number of armed men who were obviously not on their side, Omar stepped forward this time, refusing to be shut out of this round of fun.
They attacked first, swords in the air and yelling, the men ran towards them. Omar smirked and weighed the sword in his hand, ohh it had been ages since the last time he was able to do this. He felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins and he gave a shout, he didn't wait for them to get close, he ran forward. His sword stopped the attack of the first man and cut through the abdomen of the other before bringing the hilt of the sword hard against his temple, the man fell. From the corner of his eyes he saw Mariam fighting forward, she and the other girls wore the same outfit as their attackers and the only thing that distinguished them was the their ponytail hair.
He ducked the next strike and brought his sword up. Missed. He spun just in time as a sword sliced down in front of him, he used the window of opportunity to stab his sword into the chest of the man but it went in so deep it wouldn't budge. No time, he left it embedded in the man's chest and ducked another strike which narrowly missed him by the neck, he saw a patch of his hair fall. He went down, twisting round with a leg stuck straight out, clearing two men off their feet and they came down. He quickly got up and slid to the right, avoiding an attack and threw a punch, it caught the man in the jaw and the grip on his sword loosened as he stumbled back. Omar yanked the sword out of his hands and brought it hard on the man's collar bone. The blade went deep, almost removing the man's shoulder.
Mariam was showing off with her acrobatic skills, her small body allowed her move easily. She bounced off the chest of one, knocking him to the ground and twisted in the air aiming for another, she dug two small knives on either sides of his neck and retrieved the swords hanging sheathed on her back, she yelled with each strike she made and without missing. She had six men down by her swords and only a few more to go. She was excited. She was angry and she was vengeful. She gripped the swords on both hands tightly, there was a pause from both parties which only lasted less than a second before the party continued.
Mariam fought vigorously, slashing the men on either sides of her, she pressed her way forward with bodies falling, she spun her sword and threw it, it flew across the room and impailed the last man. She looked round the room, at the bodies and at her friends and Omar. Saadiya had suffered a cut to her left arm but it wasn't anything serious, Parvina was attending to her. She looked at Omar and tried to steady her heavy breathing, he had ripped off his cloth and now left with a loose and very transparent under shirt which was no longer white, he smiled at her and she smiled back but he couldn't see her smile because of the cloth that hid her lower face so she nodded.
They walked over to where the king laid dead and Omar gripped Mariam's arm to stop her from getting closer. She looked at him and her eyes softened, she nodded to tell him she was ok and he reluctantly release her. She came to a stop over the body and bent down, she removed the turban from his head and ran a hand through his hair, the bullet wound on his chest was still bleeding and the man was far gone beyond redemption. Mariam got up sharply.
"We need to find my father." She announced and everyone looked at her in confusion.
"But... Mariam..." Saadiya replied her, pointing at the dead man on the floor.
"This isn't my father. This isn't the King, it's his doppleganger."
Omar looked on in bewilderment. "Doppelganger??"
"Hmm.." she nodded. "This means that he knew of the attack before it happened, which means he's still alive and probably not in the palace anymore."
"Really now?" They heard someone say.
Prince Aazim stepped into the clearing, he was dressed splendidly like he was the main attention for a ceremony. A sword hung on his waist and be let his hands rest there. Mariam, Omar and the girls turned to face him.
"My dear Mariam! I almost could not recognize you! You are quite a feisty one. You would have to learn to be tamed. That's how I like my women to be." He smirked.
"Who are you?" Omar spoke out holding his sword out in front of him.
"It would be in your best interest to keep that thing down boy, you'll know who I am. Soon enough." He frowned now. "I want the princess."
He watched as the small group surrounded Mariam, be laughed and sat down on the nearest chair then brought out a thick brown ciger, lit it and took a puff.
"What would your father do if he knew I had you in custody?"
"You'll never!" Mariam screamed.
Aazim snapped his fingers twice and almost immediately the large room was suddenly filled by more assassins rushing in from the open doors, some had guns which was trailed on them.
"Think again Princess. I have you."
@Ozzyy @Hanzell the next chapter was supposed to be the last one but..... I extended it just a little bit😁😋
Cheat
The spiteful wind blasted down the windshield of Thomas Bane's car. Ominous dark grey clouds hovered over the moon, casting creepy shadows. He yawned and checked his wristwatch, it was quarter past midnight. The business trip had been hectic but none the less, successful. Thomas had been a new recruit in the Lane's architectural firm and having surpassed all the others, by hook or by crook, which was mainly by crook, he became a director and he only took him four months and the sack of an older member. Thomas knew he had made himself an enemy but who cares? The race is afterall for the swift.
Thomas was a smart guy. He was 30 years old, well built, thanks to the weekend gym exercises and his perfect smile could charm almost anyone. He was shrewd and conniving, especially when he needed something done. Being relentless and persuasive in his goals, he treaded on people’s feet frequently and without a second thought, he didn’t stop at anything to achieve his goal. Sometimes he felt guilty at his ways, but it didn’t last long.
Feeling pressed and with no petrol station in sight he stopped the car and got down, walked a bit further from the hood of the car and faced away from the road, zipping down his pants to ease himself. He heaved a sigh of relief when he was done, zipped up and headed back to his car, he jumped in and started the engine.
The wheels screeched as he stepped on the gas a bit more, sending the car forward faster as bright headlights split through the dark night. He thought how mysterious the night was; it deceived the eyes, making colors seem what they are not. It hid terrible secrets in its fold. He thought of his own and shrugged. Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, he hummed a tune and his thoughts drifted towards Sam, his girlfriend.
What a beauty she was and it wasn't really difficult to get her because all she really wanted was more money and of course, this handsome face. He put his hand on the rear view mirror to admire his looks and noticed something shining behind. What was that!? A pair of oval eyes stared at him from the backseat. The blood in his veins turned to ice crystals and with a wild cry, he brought the car to an abrupt halt.
“Who the hell are you?” he shouted, fumbling with the light switch. He whirled to take a closer look.
“Andrew?!” How in God's name did he get in here?
“Hahaha!" Andrew roared in laughter. "Man you should see your face! I totally scared you didn’t I?”
“Well hell yes! How did you even...?" Thomas yelled.
“Relax. My car broke down in the middle of freaking nowhere and I thought I would be damned to spend the night outside and then I saw you taking a piss at the roadside. I sneaked in here and decided to have some fun. You can drop me at the next petrol station. I won't be a bother.”
Andrew was the unlucky fella that got relieved from working at the firm when he had rose to stardom. Thomas resumed driving.
“Come on up in front,” he said, feeling uncomfortable with Andrew’s presence.
“Nah, I'm good here.”
Thomas stared at him for a moment. “Alright then, suit yourself. Tell me, what have you been doing these days?”
“Drifting. Wandering,” He replied.
An awkward silence hovered between them like a cloud. Lost in thought, he saw a car leap out from the darkness without headlights. He swerved and fought to control the car, cursing abuses. Andrew laughed and this riled him.
“What’s so funny man?” he snapped.
Quieting down Andrew said, “You remember Thomas, I used to be your boss.”
Thomas shrugged. “Life’s like that. You're at the head today, others rise tomorrow."
“Yeah it’s a bad world. Ready to pounce and kill. To slit your throat and eliminate those whose presence you feel threatened by.”
“Why do you say that?” Thomas asked in a wary tone.
“You know what I am talking about, don’t you?”
Thomas suspected Andrew knew he had played dirty to rise to such position quickly. He glanced at him from the mirror. What else could he do, he thought. He didn’t stand a chance before and he wasn't one to lose.
“You are a low-lying, evil bastard, Tom.”
“Watch your words Andrew! I believe in winning. Look at where I am today. My methods may not be fair, but I am a winner. I'm living the life and with a girl anyone would kill for. What about you? Just a miserable loser,” Thomas spat out.
He saw Andrew looking at him with cold eyes. Then he noticed the blood dripping from his head. “What happened to your head? You're bleeding.”
Andrew drew closer and said in a slow drawl. “Yes…I am.”
Then like a part of his memory was added back, he remembered a rumor about Andrew being hit by a truck while he was drunk few days after being sacked. According to what he had heard, Andrew had ran into the road and straight onto the path of the incoming truck. He had died instantly.
Unable to breathe, Thomas clutched his throat, terror gripping his mind. Confusion and anxiety seized him and swerved to the side of the road and pressed hard on the brake then shot out of the car, running across the road without looking. He felt something hard hit him and as he went down he felt excruciating pain in his legs and abdomen like they were being crushed. Only when did he stop rolling did he realize that he had just been hit by a truck.
The wailing wind stilled for a while and the last thing Thomas heard before darkness engulfed his life was the unmistakable chuckle of Andrew.
@Ozzyy @Hanzell another break😌🙃
Scorched 15
**scorched-1** **-** **scorched-2** **-****scorched-3** **-** **scorched-4** **-** **scorched-5** **-** **scorched-6** **-** **scorched-7** **-** **scorched-8** **-** **scorched-9** **-** **scorched-10** **-** **scorched-11** **-** **scorched-12** **-** **scorched-13** **-** scorched-14 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-1-b70f43e8 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-2-491285fd https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-3-9e51a631 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-4-dbb4043a https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-5-3f10da6b https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-6-2d41b1e6 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-7-4672b467 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-8-f563ca23 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-9-9d854beb https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-10-563b30a2 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-11-2561944f https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-12-56089091 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-13-e42f6338 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-14-2b25cd28
Mariam was in a daze as she let Omar drag her outside her room and towards the back door leading to the garden, her father had been shot, which means he was dead? Or probably lying somewhere there and bleeding out. Her feet moved swiftly across the marbled floor, she watched Omar run with her, his head turning left and right watching for any sign of danger and pulling her with him. He had come for her, to save her, what did this mean? Did he love her? Or he was simply being a good man and helping. And come to think of it, no guard had come to protect her, where were they? Omar had come, did he perhaps have anything to do with the chaos happening? And why did it have to happen now?
Her ornaments jingled as they ran, this part of the palace was empty and quiet but still they were on alert, Omar got to the door first and threw it open, right there in the garden the guards were fighting with men dressed in a full black outfit, their heads and the half of their faces were covered and they fought with so much skill, running round, swinging and ducking to avoid fatal blows from the guards, their swords swished in the air and came down hard to meet with the swords of the guards.
Omar and Mariam knew that these men were assassins. Quickly he shut the door and bolted it as the last of the guard fell to the sword of the assassins. He grabbed Mariam's hand and he turned for another exit but Mariam pulled her hand free, Omar turned to look at her, anger and surprise on his face then she grabbed his hand and ran back towards her room.
"Mariam what are you doing? We're supposed to be making it out of the palace and not in!"
But she didn't listen, she ran faster despite the heaviness of the cloth and jewelries. The door was shut when they got there so she slapped her palm three times on the finely crafted wood. They wouldn't open it. They were even more scared than she was.
"Parvina!! Open up!" She yelled, down the hall to the other side, she could see some men fighting to get to this side. She slapped her hand again on the door.
"Parvina!! Saadiya! Open!"
"Mariam!" Omar yelled this time, this girl was frustrating him. "What are you...?!" The door opened and Mariam dragged both of them in, shutting it behind her.
In a corner, the other women were wailing, Parvina and Saadiya stood in front of her and Omar who was giving her a death stare, he yanked her arm forcefully so that she faced him, the anger burned in his expression.
"Why did you come back?! Do you know how difficult it was to get here and try to get you out?! Are you so spoilt?!"
Mariam shoved his hand away and he loosened his grip. "That's enough Omar." Her own voice shocked her, as well as Omar and the two girls. "My father has just been shot and right now there's no body I can or should trust."
Omar opened his mouth to speak but paused, she was right, she shouldn't trust anyone so easily right now so he folded his hands across his chest and watched her. Mariam faced her friends.
"I need my outfit."
"Mariam!" Parvina shrieked. "Those are men out there! Trained, fighting men! Not wooden dummies!"
But Mariam was adamant, she began taking off her jeweleries and the heavy veil, Saadiya looked at Omar who got the message, he turned away from them and walked into the bathroom, what were they doing?
"I will not sit and be idle, if they will get me, they won't be so lucky. I won't make it so easy for them."
"I will go with you." Saadiya said and started taking off her own cloth to reveal the black outfit which lay beneath.
"You wore yours today?" Parvina asked in shock.
"Always be prepared." She flashed a smile. "Where's yours??" Parvina lowered her head and took off her outer cloth, she also wore a black outfit beneath. Saadiya smiled.
Mariam changed her wedding dress quickly and they three girls were in the same outfit as the assassins that waged war outside. They covered the half of their faces but left their hairs packed in a single pony tail. Concealed behind the headboard of her bed were swords and small throw knives and a gun too, as they gathered their things, Omar stepped out of the bathroom, what he saw left his mouth hanging in surprise. Mariam was gone. The Mariam he knew was gone, the petite, shy and frail girl he knew was replaced by this figure in black. They stared at him.
"Can you fight?" Mariam asked. Omar could notice the smirk on her face beneath the covering, he was stunned. A warrior princess, really?! Did the King know about this?
"Can you?" He collected the sword she was handing out to him and the gun.
The door was suddenly blown off its hinges and the tall wooden thing dropped noisily raising a bit of dust from the affected walls that supported the once standing doors, revealing the assassins they stood behind, one stepped forward.
"Show me the princess and I will spare all of you!"
Omar held out his sword and stepped in front of Mariam and the girls but Mariam was quick. She ran forward with a shout and slid across the floor unsheathing two swords, the assassin who had stepped forward swung his sword but he wasn't fast enough, she brought her hand up and the sword sliced the air, his arm fell away from his body and he shrieked in horror. Her next blow cut deep into his neck and he fell like a sack of potatoes. Saadiya and Parvina rushed forward to deal with the others. Omar stood rooted to a spot, too stunned to move, she possessed amazing skills. She could fight!
@Ozzyy @Hanzell there's more to come 😈😁😋
Scorched 14
**scorched-1** **-** **scorched-2** **-****scorched-3** **-** **scorched-4** **-** **scorched-5** **-** **scorched-6** **-** **scorched-7** **-** **scorched-8** **-** **scorched-9** **-** **scorched-10** **-** **scorched-11** **-** **scorched-12** **-** scorched-13 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-1-b70f43e8 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-2-491285fd https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-3-9e51a631 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-4-dbb4043a https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-5-3f10da6b https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-6-2d41b1e6 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-7-4672b467 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-8-f563ca23 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-9-9d854beb https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-10-563b30a2 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-11-2561944f https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-12-56089091 https://read.cash/@Leo_kitti/scorched-13-e42f6338
Omar's gaze was constantly on his father, they were in the palace and today was the day he was to get married to Mariam, it was also the day of the attack on King Jaan. He was unsettled, if the attack really did break out he would be safe no matter what he did, afterall his father was behind this, he would make sure his son was safe, Mariam might be spared - for now - the man behind the planned attack obviously wanted her so she would be wanted alive, but the King? It would mean his death. Omar watched his father interact with the men present like all was going smoothly and indeed all was going smoothly, at least that was what every innocent person here thought, he watched his father smile and laugh and shake hands, King Jaan was no where in sight, that was good.
Or was it?
Last night he had done something, he wasn't sure how effective or how safe his actions would be but then it was risky, things were bound not to fall in place all the time but he couldn't do nothing, not after the conversation he had overheard between his father and the so called Prince Aazim, there was to be a coup, an attack and it would happen before he and Mariam would get married. A part of him wanted that to happen, it meant he would not be tired down with Mariam by this forced marriage but that would be selfish. Yes, kill the King and put Mariam in danger for your selfish self. No, he knew he just couldn't.
Omar looked around, studying every man's face that he could, like be knew who the bad guys were and who the good guys were, but be didn't, he hadn't seen this Prince Aazim before and aside from his father, he didn't know who else was in on this. When the King showed up Omar's heart sank, and as the man took his seat, Omar could see his plans crumbling away. King Jaan was not supposed to be present, he had known of the attack from Omar, he was not supposed to be here. He thought of Mariam and where she was, if the King wanted to present himself as an easy target, he would not allow the princess into the mess. She would be broken and hurt but most importantly, safe. The ceremony began.
Mariam sat in front of the mirror in silence as the maids applied ointments on her face and arms, adding colour to her cheeks, eye lids and lips. Her body felt numb, she couldn't feel the many hands on her body but her mind wandered, she was getting married to Omar, the man she had come to develop strange feelings for, the man who loved another, and the man who had told her bluntly to her face that her would never love her. She broke. How would their life change if this marriage happened? Would he abandon her and go back to his lover? Or would he take her along and still make up with his lover?
She wanted to cry, there had been enough time to break off this marriage, enough time to kill these feelings she was growing. She had resolved to accept her fate, or maybe she could show Omar and his lover just the kind of woman she could be, she couldn't attack Omar but she could attack his pitiful lover, she was afterall coming in between husband and wife. But what was she doing? Wasn't she coming in between two lovers by accepting and going through with this marriage?
"It's alright to feel sad and upset at first princess." She heard a woman beside her speak and she turned to face her, the woman wiped a tear off her cheek, she wasn't aware she had been crying. "You will get used to your husband and learn to love him eventually." She smiled kindly.
Mariam turned her face away without any emotions, she knew that she had some feelings for him but he would never reciprocate those feelings towards her. She sighed. She looked in the mirror and saw Parvina and Saadiya behind her adorning themselves with jewelries too, she smiled sadly, she knew she would miss them terribly.
"It's time to go princess."
"Ohhh.... look at you being all beautiful!" Parvina squealed.
"You look just perfect Mariam! Let's see Omar take his eyes off you!!" Saadiya supported.
A corner of Marian's lips came up in a quick smirk, if only they knew that she would be miserable after this, maybe this was her punishment for coverting another woman's man, but it wasn't entirely her fault, she didn't arrange the wedding herself. When she stood up, she felt weighed down with all the amounts of jewelry on her body and her neck ached, Parvina and Saadiya came to stand on either side of her, beaming with joy until a loud, sharp sound broke through them. A gunshot. The women in the room fell silent and stood still, Mariam reached for the door but her hand was pulled back by Saadiya who was shaking her head. Then another gunshot rang out, then a couple more, the women backed away from the door to the far end of the room and waited in silence with their hearts in their throats. The door was suddenly forced open and the women screamed, Omar stood in the doorway, his white apparel stained with red and he was breathing fast, he looked up and fixed his gaze on Mariam. She struggled away from the grasp of the women and walked towards Omar.
"Omar...?"
"I have to take you away from here." He rushed and grabbed her hand forcefully. She yanked back forcing him to face her.
"What's going on?" Her eyes glistered with tears.
"There's an attack in the palace," he held her hand again. "The King has been shot."
@Ozzyy @Hanzell the next part is definitely bringing some fighting action 😋😁
Jack the Ripper
The streets were full of workers from the factories and dockyards around the area peppered with a few obvious sailors. He had never gotten over the fact that most of the population of the largest city in the world was living in abject poverty, not that he felt bad for them, he hated walking through the filth that was London East End, the stench was overpowering, the gloomy London weather somehow seemed gloomier in this grungy neighborhood, it was as if he had passed through a doorway that opened to a murky version of the city.
He had been watching her for the last one week, a pattern had begun to emerge. She would come down at around 7 PM from one of the hundreds of small rooms in the area and walk slowly down the street heading west. Tonight was no different.
He saw her coming down the stairs and stood up. She started walking down the road and he followed, melting into the evening crowd, if it wasn’t for his thick long coat and broad hat, he would have stood out like a sore thumb, if anyone bothered to inspect the coat and hat, they would have arrived at the conclusion that it was badly weathered and overused, a closer inspection would have proved them wrong.
He didn’t know her name, but she reminded him of someone, probably his mother – or was it his old housekeeper? He did not remember his mother well, she had died when he was a child, but he imagined his mother looked like this woman who walked a few steps ahead. He knew what she did for a living, which was just one of the many things that separated her from his mother – and the many women he knew in the city, she had a pale emaciated face, but her grey eyes glittered with a shine that he had not seen in his part of the city, he knew she was also deceptively strong; he had seen her argue and fight with some men the other day, she had managed to land a few strong blows, good enough to end the fight soon, he wondered if he was in love with her.
Possibly.
It had happened before, so it was not unlikely. The only thing he was sure of was that when he looked at her, he felt peaceful, which was odd, because he did not really know her, in fact, he had never even spoken to her. That would change soon.
He followed her around the street all evening, it began to get difficult to stay unseen as the crowd thinned out for the night, but he had to, he had been mentioned in the newspapers over the last few months, so he was not just trying to hide from her, he had to make sure no one saw him following her, he wondered again if it was time he ended this cat-and-mouse game and confronted her.
He had to time it right.
She stopped briefly at the pub at the corner of an alley, this seemed to be one of her regular haunts, he had seen her stop there every night over the last week. She expertly sifted through the crowd and mentally picked out the most drunken men there, the drunken ones never strayed too far from the tap, she flashed a smile at the men at the bar and received a few smiles and scowls back. He knew she would be in there till she got a client and he waited across the road in the shadows.
She was in there till about midnight before she stepped out, alone and a little drunk, she looked disappointed. Deciding there was nothing more to be done there, she turned back towards her room at the bottom end of the road. Tonight seemed to be his lucky night. He crossed the road and followed her, the streets had cleared over the last couple of hours, he tried to stay in the shadows as far as possible, which was aided by the dim streetlights.
After a block, she turned around and looked at him. He stopped. He was sure she couldn’t have seen much, thanks to his attire and the dark shadows, she had probably heard his footsteps on the cobbled path, turning back she started walking a little faster and so did he, she kept looking over her shoulder and walked faster, almost running. He kept up.
Suddenly she turned right into a dark alley, he stepped in too, it was too dark to see her, he walked slowly and listened. Suddenly, a door opened into the alley throwing a dim sliver of light across his path, two men, probably dockyard workers, stumbled out singing loudly, one of them noticed him and called out to him but he kept his head down and continued down the alley. The two men shrugged their shoulders and walked out to the main street. He turned around making sure there was no one around and then resumed his pursuit.
His eyes had become accustomed to the low light in the area and he saw an empty yard to his right, he heard a rustling sound and turned towards it, opened his coat and lit a match and held it high. He walked around a few boxes kept in the corner and saw her cowering behind them. He felt sorry for her, he knew she must be terrified. She looked up at him, eyes wide with terror and he smiled at her. Somehow, that seemed to calm her slightly.
“Who are you?” she stuttered “Why are you following me?”
He noticed her heavy English accent, it somehow sounded harsh. It irritated him. He extinguished the match and opened his coat.
“Don’t you read the newspapers, love?” he said, still smiling, as he pulled out the large butcher knife.
“I am Jack.”
And he swung.
Antique
The shop was old and didn't really fit well into the surrounding, but it had been recommended to me as the best antique shop in the area, maybe it was the best, I mean the shop itself was antique. I reached for the door and pushed in, a tiny bell above the door jingled alerting the shop owner that someone had just entered. The old man looked up from the glass ware he was cleaning behind the counter and smiled at me, I smiled back and closed the door, making my way to the counter, he put down the glass ware and gave me his full attention.
"Hello sir." I greeted.
"Hello young man," he coughed, "how may I help you?"
"Ah...I heard this was the best antique shop in the area?" The old man smiled. "I would just like to look around and maybe find something of interest, I love antiques."
"Yes, yes." He rounded the corner and came to stand in front of me. "you're new here?"
"Yes I am. I just got a house down the road, the one on sixth street."
"Ohh..! Haha.. that old one? You have quite the eyes young man, haha, quite the eyes. Let me show you round!"
"Thank you sir." I beamed at him, yes I did make a wise choice, I didn't go to business school for nothing. I laughed and followed behind, looking round at the wonderful display.
He showed me an old grandfather clock that was huge and would surely weigh more than a ton, an old and well polished oak wood table and a lamp made of Carmel bones - ok no, that one was creepy. As we walked round the store, I saw some of the most bizarre looking objects, some were exceptionally beautiful as they were weird and some I would never want to have in my possession as they looked haunting.
"So which side did you come from?" The old man engaged me as we walked.
"North Carolina, I moved here for my sick mother and to resume at my new job."
"Impressive! You're young and industrious." He praised, I remained silent and smiled at the man, he wasn't bad after all. "You know, I have a few things that used to belong inside that house you bought, wanna see?"
"Really??" That was good. "Yes please."
He took me to a corner, deep inside the store and showed me a very large crimson chandelier, golden metal bars twisted and turned around the antique object, giving beauty to it. My eyes caught a seven foot mirror and I drew the old man's attention to it, the mirror was embedded into a darkly polished wood with intricate designs going round it, three round studs held it upright and in place, the mirror was indeed beautiful.
"That was also from the house, seems it caught your fancy." The man beemed. I nodded.
"Indeed it did."
"You would like this, yes?" He asked. I moved closer to the mirror and held the wooded frame, it was very thick and really smooth. "I would give you for half the price, since it's going back to it's original home."
"Hmm..." I replied and touched the mirror, the image was crystal clear and...
I suddenly felt light headed and my vision slowly began to fade, I grabbed my head as I swayed but I didn't fall, then it stopped and I tried to calm myself. I heard the old man still speaking and someone was replying him, the voice was so familiar. I opened my eyes and saw the old man talking to... me? I looked at me and I was replying him, grinning and admiring myself in the mirror and I was... where was I?
"Ohh my!" I had said. "That took a while."
"A really long while master, I was afraid you would be there for too long." The old man replied me. "How do you feel in your new body sir?"
"Err....well... It's not as I expected but not bad, not bad at all, I can't complain, after a hundred years it feels good to be out."
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, someone else was in my body and he was a hundred years old, I looked on in bewilderment and it suddenly struck me that I was also staring at the mirror but from the opposite side, I looked around me, I was in the shop, yes but I was alone. I watched the two men like they were in the mirror and then the place I was in began to shrink as one by one the objects around me disappeared.
"I'm going to move into my old house again, what luck I have." I heard myself say and laugh heartily then the two men moved away from the mirror. The place around me continued to shrink until I was squashed to the mirror and I felt suffocated.
"Well, my dear friend," the person said, "I'll be leaving now, need to feel the sun again, and eat and you know, do all the things I've missed. You know what to do with the mirror."
"Yes sir." The old man replied. "I will handle that."
Then I watched as the hundred year old man walked out of the store in my body, then the old man then turned towards the mirror, facing me and brought out a large hammer from behind, I watched as a grin formed on his face before he struck the mirror.
A Lift
My old truck rode noisily along the dark and gloomy forest lane, being alone in this deathly road was something that could easily freak me out, the road was lonely. Too lonely. And it didn't help matters when I couldn't stop thinking of the worst possible scenarios, *a witch suddenly appearing in the middle of the road, a pretty young, fine and sexy looking girl asking for a lift who would eventually turn out to be evil and kill me,* when you watch movies a lot, you know that you're not supposed to pull over but then did that ever help? She would still get to you, maybe in your bathroom at home. I shivered at the awful thoughts and gripped the steering wheel tighter with both hands.
I had left Lakeshire late in the afternoon because I wanted to get home to my wife when I knew that she would have gotten home, maybe I should have gone earlier so she would meet me at home, making dinner, I wanted to surprise her as I had been away for almost a month. Guess I didn't think it through. I continued my drive, still thinking of worst possible scenarios, the menacing shape of the dark trees fed my imagination, standing tall and wide across the length of the dark road, I kept thinking, *what if my car suddenly stops here?* And like a jinx, my car did stop.
It wobbled and coughed as I eased it slowly to the side of the road, over the yellow line marking, I cursed and banged my fist to the steering wheel, the last thing I wanted to be was stuck in the middle of nowhere with these thoughts. I got out and kicked the tires, now all I had to do was to wait for a good person to help me out of here. I stuck out my hand, waving to every vehicle that passed but I guess the same fear I had was in them, they didn't want to give a lift to someone who might end up being a ghost. The night was cold and I contemplated sitting in the car for a while, at least it was warmer inside but I saw headlights of a car from a distance and I decided to give it one last try, I really didn't want to spend the night here.
Stuck.
Alone.
Vulnerable.
I waved a hand and to my relief the car stopped and a middle aged man looked at me from the rolled down windows, I bent and gave him my warmest smile.
"Sorry to bother you, but could you give me a lift? My truck broke down."
"Err...sure, get in, where are you headed?"
"Thank you, thank you!" I hopped in and strapping the seat belt on, I told him where I was going. He drove.
"Ai, I'm not going all the way out, that's pretty far and it's pretty late, say you spend the night at my place then be on your way at the break of dawn?"
"Ohh, that's so kind of you, but I wouldn't want to be a bother."
"Ha! Nonsense. I'm a pretty lonely man, asides my Butler, the house is empty. Don't worry, you want be a bother, it's just for the night." He smiled his warmest smile too, he was pretty nice and despite the banging voices in my head warning of ghosts and vampires and witches and death, I agreed to him.
"Good lad, I'll make you a hot dinner when were home."
The drive wasn't really that long, we reached the house in less than an hour, this was a mansion and to think only two people lived in here, he must be terribly lonely. We were greeted at the front door by his Butler who introduced himself simply as Rex. *Sounds like a dog's name to me,* I thought. I smiled at Rex, following behind as he led me to the dinner table, food was already set but he had to get an extra plate for me.
"We don't have any one visit here." The old man explained. I nodded and delved into the meal. Afterwards I was shown to the room I would be sleeping in for the night, it was much warmer than any part of the house I had been in, which was just the dining room, living room and kitchen, I thanked Rex and the hospitable man and retired to bed.
*
I was woken up by a loud banging on the door, it was Rex and he was screaming at me to open up, I sat on the bed, paralyzed in fear, no I wouldn't open. He continued banging and pleading for me to open.
"What are you doing?! Leave him be!" That was the old man, I rushed to the door and flung it open, the butler had already gone and the man was just standing there.
"I'm dreadfully sorry about that, I should have told you earlier, but I was afraid you wouldn't want to come."
I shook a little now. "Tell me what?"
"You see, Rex isn't a.... Human. He died a year ago but still appears once in a while, he isn't a threat to me though, but I'm sure he wouldn't hurt you....hmm..." The man was unsure.
My heart began to race but I gave him a fake, calm smile and closed the door, going back to the bed, I heard his footsteps recceed and I immediately began planning my escape. *What in the world..?! I knew I should have trusted my gut instincts!*
I waited two hours before I opened the door quietly, looking around for any sign of them before stepping out, I didn't make it to the stairs before Rex called me from behind. I froze, the ghost had caught up with me, *well goodbye world*. I turned round. Rex walked up to me and grabbed me by the hand and dragged me into the kitchen, then in a low voice he spoke,
"You shouldn't have come here."
"And why is that? You're going to kill me because you're dead." I was going to die so I got rid of the fear, do it quickly.
"No, I'm not the one who's dead. He is, he died a year ago but still appears once in a while, he isn't a threat to me though, but I'm sure he would hurt you."
Scorched 13
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Omar had turned his room upside down in search of his passport, it shouldn't be missing because he knew where he had kept it, inside the smallest compartment of his mini suit case, and if it wasn't there then.... He sighed as he collapsed on the bed, his father must have it, the man was just as stubborn as he was. He got up from the bed and walked out of his room, heading to his father's room, he would have to find that passport, find it and run away, yes he would. But could he?
The sheik wasn't in the house so Omar was free to search but he didn't scatter the place, he slid into the room, closing the door behind him and went for the reading desk first, pulling out all the drawers. He wanted to run away from this depressing marriage, he had planned it and right now, that was his it option, but as he thought about it again he wondered if he could leave Mariam just like that. Though he had no romantic feeling towards the girl, he knew how embarrassed she would be if the groom didn't turn up, worse it would shame the King that his daughter was rejected so disgracefully and in the presence of all the highs and mighty, nobel and peasants, he would inquire the king's wrath and they would hunt him. This was King Jaan and not the sheik, his punishment would be without mercy.
He moved to the wardrobe having found nothing in the desk drawers. Megan came to his mind and he wondered how she was doing, was she still with Samir? Would she really go back to him? It hurt him to think of such but he couldn't help it, they had left together.
No passport in the wardrobe. Where did his father keep it? Or was it always with him? No, he wouldn't carry it around. He moved to the bed side drawers and just as he pulled out a drawer, he heard whispers from outside the door, looking down to the gap between the bottom of the doors and the floor, he saw two pairs of feet. The shoe only belonged to the sheik. He quickly stood up and thought of what to do, escape! But from where, this room was on the third floor and he hadn't noticed it at first but the windows were barricaded with burglary proof. Don't fret, he's your father. But no, his body was already vibrating. Hide! He ran for the wardrobe and threw himself in, closing it just as the doors to the room was opened and the sheik walked in.
His phone vibrated and he took a quick glance at the screen to know the caller, then he turned and shut the doors, walked briskly to the desk and slid up the receiver, Prince Aazim had reached him on video call.
"Peace be with you Prince Aazim." Omar heard his father clearly and he heard the reply of the other person, *Prince Aazim? Who was that?*
"Tomorrow is the day your son gets married to my niece." The man spoke calmly, Omar listened attentively. *Niece? Mariam had an uncle? Who knew about him?*
"The palace would be bubbling with people and the King himself would be occupied, his guards are few."
"Few? How so?" Aazim inquired.
"Your men are part of the guards, his loyal guards are few so it would be easy to make an attack." Khalid explained.
*Attack?* Omar thought, *they were going to attack the King? His father was in it too?! So that was the essence of this forced marriage*. Omar wanted to confront his father immediately, he wanted to just step out of the wardrobe and face him but he decided to stay put and listen more on their conversation. He breathed lightly, this place was stuffy and he was beginning to sweat.
"Your son, Omar, is going through with the wedding plans?"
"He has no choice, Prince Aazim, as you have requested, every obstacle has been taken care of, absolutely nothing can go wrong any more. Haha."
"It should be so. I have waited a long time for this, exercising more patience that I ever had in my life, Jaan would feel the taste of my wrath and I would take his daughter!"
"His daughter? But my son is to marry...."
"This marriage is a sham! A disguise! Do you have other motives Khalid?"
He was taken aback by the question. "No Prince Aazim, I just.... I'm surprised that's all. We didn't plan this. They would be married."
"Well now I'm replanning it, we attack before they get married. You should rest now, tomorrow is going to be a long and tough day." With that he disconnected that call.
Khalid stood up and walked to the bed, his own plan was crumbling right in front of him, if his son doesn't get married to Mariam, then he would have no connection to the throne, so if the attack was unsuccessful, he would fail on both sides. He stood up and paced the room, he would have to somehow find a way to delay the attack, quickly he rushed out of the room.
Omar stumbled out of the wardrobe and fell on the bed, sweat had soaked through his cloth and he tried to breathe properly. An attack, there was going to be an attack on the King tomorrow and this marriage was just a distraction and Mariam, she would suffer if the so called Prince Aazim got to her, he had to do something. *Think, think, think!* He got up and left the room quietly, his initial plan of getting his passport vanished from his mind as his thoughts were running wildly in his head. He knew he should see the King and tell him about the threat to his life but how was he going to do that and still manage to save his father?
@Ozzyy @Hanzell anticipate the next part. Hehehehe😁😈
Hungry?
Camille hummed as she washed the dishes in the sink, dinner had been courtesy of her dear husband Mark, so she had opted to do the dishes for him saving her the stress of making dinner. Holly, their seven year old daughter had talked non stop about the monster staying under her bed and to make matters worse, Archie had chipped in, defending her claims jokingly, she had slapped his thigh to hush him, he was Fifteen and was supposed to be discouraging such thoughts.
"Archie don't encourage your sister's monster belief." She shunned.
"Ohh honey, now now," Mark smiled at her, rubbing the back of her hand then he faced Holly. "Sweetie, how about we go check it out after dinner?"
"Okie dad." That stopped her from mentioning about the monster and Camille smiled at her husband gratefully.
*
*
“Mummy!! Mummy!!” She heard Holly yelling her name from upstairs just as she was dropping the last plate.
"Coming darling!" She yelled back. She climbed upstairs and entered her daughter's room, “What is it, baby?”
Holly was seated on the bed, legs crossed and clutching her teddy tightly, she looked at her mother with wide eyes and in horror, she looked tired and scared, she beckoned to her mother to come closer.
"There's something under my bed."
Camille sighed in exhaustion, not again, for two nights Holly had been going on and on about this monster under her bed. She was tired, she was fed up, no more, time to put an end to this.
"Holly, for the uptenth time, there is nothing under your bed! Maybe you just had a bad dream.”
"But mummy, I know what I saw, I know what I heard, I know there is something there!” Holly was adamant, no one was believing her.
Camille sighed, she just wanted to eat, and relax, stretch herself in bed with her husband's hands wrapped around her and drift off easily to dream land, but Holly was going to make this a long night. She had to end this tonight.
“Holly, if I check under the bed and find nothing, will you go back to sleep?” she asked her daughter.
“Maybe…” Camille gave her a stern look. "Yes I promise." She smiled.
“Ok, let me get the flashlight…” she said and walked out of the room to call her husband but there was no response.
“Mummy!!” Holly yelled again, Camille walked back into the room.
"Yes baby?"
“Daddy went under the bed with the flashlight…”
“What?”
"Yes, Daddy went under the bed with the light right after dinner, it must still be lying there.”
Mildly surprised, Camille bent down to look under the bed, she saw the flashlight alright but the light was already dim and was flickering, she bent lower to reach for the falshlight but it rolled further away, so she dragged her finger then she felt something sticky on the floor. She pulled back her hand and got up to check it under the lamp on the bedside table. It was something dark and sticky, she looked at her daughter and asked.
“Did you drop something under the bed?”
“A chocolate…” the child murmured in a guilt-ridden voice. "I was going to pick it up later but it wouldn't let me."
"It? Ahh...the monster." Camille laughed a little. "Ok, let's get rid of that monster, right?"
Holly nodded.
“Where is Daddy?” Camille asked as she bent down again.
“He is still under the bed…”
Surprised, Camille bent lower, the flashlight had rolled towards the other end of the bed against the wall. She crawled under the bed and grabbed a hold of it, but before she could turn it on, she felt something or someone grip her hand tightly, she let out a small scream in fear, but calmed down, if this was a prank by Holly and her brother, she was sure to give them a beating for it, she tried yanking her hand free but the grip only tightened so she shouted and thrashed, but something clutched her throat, squeezing the air out of her lungs and her voice was cut off. She struggled for air and fear registered in her mind, this was in no way Archie. Her husband? No he wouldn't, she struggled some more but in another five seconds, her body stopped moving and she was dragged under.
Holly peeked over the edge of the bed and saw a small dark puddle of liquid starting to slowly pool out from under, she smiled.
“Are you still hungry?”
Thunderstorm
Jay was becoming bored after a month of leisure at the classy hotel with nothing really important to do, so when the call came he was somehow glad. Glad to get some work given to him and not so glad because the work was to fly his boss's over bearing wife back home. He really disliked her so much that he tried as much as possible to avoid her but then no other person was flying were them so it meant he would be with her alone. Hopefully, she would be asleep throughout the trip.
He went over the weather charts as he waited for Sydney, he was not happy with the forming clouds but he figured he could fly over most of them, but mostly because he did not want to tell her that they couldn't fly, he knew her temperament so he kept it to himself. After a long wait, he saw a car pull up at the entrance, when the doors opened her noticed that she was fashionably dressed, a little bit too much makeup, he thought. She held out her hand and he noticed the deep red nail polish, he took her hand and escorted her to the plane.
The take off was smooth but he was still a bit nervous because of the weather chart so he remained in his seat without switching to auto pilot, it was quite calm in the plane, maybe she had fallen asleep. He kept flying, getting closer to the thick clouds which had suddenly built into a thunderstorm, there was no way to avoid them now, he tried to fly steady but the plane shook violently and then the engine was hit, it burst open into flames, the plane slowly began falling out of the sky. His years of piloting kept him from being hysterical but Sydney wasn't at all calm, he left the cockpit with an emergency kit and ran to where she was, she was yelling and screaming at him but the noise didn't let him make out what she was saying. Ignoring her, he reached out for another kit and with much difficulty, forced the life jacket then strapped the parachute on her before doing the same for himself.
He yanked the door of the plane open and a blast of cold, wet wind rushed in, he grabbed her as she kept hitting and scratching him, raining curses on him, he yelled out some instructions for her before pushing her out, after a few seconds he jumped out. He watched her as she fell below him before her parachute deployed, after a while his own deployed and a wind knocked him, blinding him for a while and pushing him towards another direction, when he opened his eyes she was gone, asides from the clouds and lightening bolt, he saw nothing. He looked below and the ground was now much closer, he blacked out before his feet touched down.
When he came to, he felt someone poking him, his eyes opened wearily and he saw a group of dark skinned men surrounding him, he tried to stand but fell back down, his ankles and wrists were bound. They spoke in a language he did not understand before four men hooked his wrists and ankles to a thick branch then carried him on their shoulders. By the time they reached their village, his neck and back were already aching, they dumped him carelessly on an open patch on the ground and he passed out from the pain.
Jay looked around and saw that he was placed in the centre of a shaded clearing on the ground. He was surrounded by a frail wall made of sticks held together by ropes and without a roof, he wasn't tied anymore and he could see outside from the spaces in-between the sticks, two men stepped into the space, one had a bow and arrow which he kept constantly pointed to Jay while the other carried a wooden bowl and a wooden slab. The slab had strips of meat on it that had recently been roasted on a fire and seasoned, the aroma was mouth watering and Jay realized that he was indeed very hungry. In the bowl was a kind of soup with large chunks of meat in it, as soon as the men stepped out, he grabbed the food. The meat strips were quite chewy, but full of flavour and soup was also tasty. After the meal, laid down and sleep soon enveloped him.
Five days he had been here, but the people didn't seem much of a threat, they fed him three times a day and actually brought a straw mat for him, he wasn't afraid anymore but he also knew he could stay here for much longer, somehow he had forgotten all about Sydney, he would have to find her and if these people had her, maybe they could let them go. He made friends with the man who brought him food and although neither could understand what the other was saying, they kinda made a bond and he always looking forward to his next meal, more because he enjoyed the chewy meat.
The children were constantly around the roofless hut, staring at him and pointing, they obviously had never seen a white man before, then they would giggle and run away when he looked in their direction. His new friend stepped in with his last meal for the day as the sun was already setting, he placed them on the ground and smiled at Jay then he left, shutting the door behind him. Jay finished off the meat strips and picked up the bowl, he drank some of the soup before picking out the meat, the first piece was slender and he turned it around. All the food he had eaten unsettled in his stomach and rose up to his mouth, he dropped the bowl and the piece of meat and screamed.
The red fingernail was pointing at him accusingly.
He couldn’t take his eyes off it. He couldn’t stop screaming…
@Ozzyy and @Hanzell just a quick break away 😌😁
Guardian Angel
**[Prompt] Your grandma believes in guardian angels, she asks you who yours is, you say you don't know. You're driving home one day and another car hits you, you're in the hospital and you see your guardian angel watching over you, it's the devil himself.**
If it were up to grandma, she probably would hire a guardian angel for me, because she never stops asking me the same questions over and over and over again;
*"Finlay, do you believe in angels?"*
Which is why most times I just drive past her house without stopping by to avoid such repeated classes and today was one of such days that I chose to drive past. Nicole had called, said she had a surprise for me at her place and telling that Valentine's day was just two days away, I kinda knew what the surprise would be. Nicole and I have been together for eight months now and she was the absolute best, in everything, she was the best cook - well asides grandma that is - the best dressed, like she literally killed it every single time, she had the best body figure which was a plus on my side too because whenever I took her out to show her off, my guys would drool over her but Nicole was faithful and I couldn't help but be grateful for my shining luck. Maybe I had an angel after all, and maybe that angel was Nicole.
The thought drove me and I felt my hormones bubbling, I floored the accelerator in anticipation, I had to get to Nicole fast. The speed limit on the sign said 70km/h but the road was free so why drive slow with all the free road there was, besides there were no cops in sight, I grinned and tried to imagine....!!!
*
*
*
The lights that flooded inside the room when I opened my eyes was almost blinding, I groaned and reached for my head, feeling the bandages wrapped around it.
*Wait, bandages?*
I looked around, I was on a bed and wearing a hospital gown, my left arm was in a cast and the left leg was strapped and hanging.
"My God...what the hell...?"
"Ohh you woke up, that's a relief." I turned my head to look at the man who had just spoken, how had I not noticed him there before? He sat, legs crossed and reading a fashion magazine, he didn't raise his head up when he spoke.
"And you are...a doctor?" I tried to sit up, the pain in my abdominal area was excruciating but I managed to sit up.
He put the magazine down and looked at me, his yellowish pupils bore into my brown eyes. "You could be smart enough to know that I am not."
"Then you are...?"
"I'm Lucifer, the devil. Nice of you to notice me."
"The what now?" What moron was this, my head ached badly.
"You don't know of Lucifer? Dude, I'm like the most popular person on Earth!"
Ok, whatever, I don't have time or the strength for this. "Ok Lu and you're here because?"
"First, don't shorten my name ever." He stood up to walk beside my bed. "Second I'm supposed to be your guardian angel, or something like that."
"Sorry, you're... Ohh I see, grandma set you up for this? How much the old lady paying you and how would you be comfortable collecting retirement money from her? You dirty thief."
He sighed and rubbed his temples. "You think I would come to you with mighty black wings and a freaking horn sticking out of my head? Ohh please, I've got to look good for the ladies...and the guys too maybe."
"So, let me get this straight, you're telling me that you're the devil himself?" *Hahaha, they actually sent a comedian to me! Alright let's play that.* "Ok then, prove it!"
"What do you want me to do? Oh ye of little faith."
*Make it rain a thousand bucks!* But it would be too much for the guy, I laughed, looking out the window beside my bed, I noticed some kids and a dog playing in the garden below. "See that dog over there, playing by the fountain? Kill it without lifting a muscle."
The man smiled and turned away from me, focusing his attention on the dog, I looked out and watched the dog, it kept running and jumping around, I smirked, some devil you are, yeah right. Almost immediately the dog dropped, like suddenly, running round and just suddenly drop. My eyes widened.
"Woah! Coincidence? Bring it back to life." I still didn't believe the clown.
"I don't give life you moron. I take. Steal, kill and destroy. Don't you read your Bible?"
"Haha, yeah whatever, I still don't believe, not until you show...." The room became hot and the suit burned off, his body glowed red hot and his eyes dripped larva, the horns shot out of his head and I almost fainted but as quickly as it started, it calmed down, his suit back on his body and the grin on his face now a smirk, he walked back to sit down. I shook like a leaf caught in a winter storm, how the what now...?
"So...err.... guardian angel you say?" He couldn't be MY guardian angel. He didn't answer. "If I had died in this accident, I would have just died? Since you don't give life?"
"Hmmm...yea pretty much." He said indifferently.
"Ohh look at that! A guardian angel! Where were you when I had this accident? Isn't protecting part of your job description?"
"You know, you should be afraid of me as you're just human."
"Why? You're gonna kill me? You're a guardian angel, it's not something you can do...or should do."
"And who says I didn't plan your accident? Who were you going to meet in a hurry? Nicole?" He laughed. "Humans, so easy."
"What....what do you mean..?" Was he telling the truth, no, Lucifer wouldn't say the truth.
"I'm saying, the car that hit you had Nicole in it, wanna see her?" He smiled wide, I slowly shook my head, it can't be. "You want to? She's in the morgue."
Scorched 12
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Megan sank into the bathtub, allowing her body welcome the warm and soothing water, she reached out for the bottle of wine which layed just below the tub, grabbing it up she didn't bother to refill the now empty glass, rather she brought the bottle to her lips and tipped her head backward, gulping the liquid down in a rush, she choked and coughed, brought the bottle down and began to laugh.
"Omar, I'm really sorry." Hiccup. "I'm really really sorry. But I needed this break, at least I thought that was what I needed....I miss you...."
Her heart ached badly, she had left Omar and it was killing her, she knew she shouldn't have, she knew he needed her but she saw no reason why she should continue staying there since she was just used to hold Omar down. Now that she was gone, she really hoped that he would find his strength and maybe come back for her, she hoped he didn't believe what she had said about her getting back together with Samir.
Samir. He had dropped her off right in front of her apartment and she had shut the door in his face, she was weak emotionally and knew she would be very vulnerable if he made advances, she didn't want to take chances, she didn't want him to think she was actually getting back together with him, she would never, even if things didn't work out between she and Omar, she would never get back together with Samir. He had chosen work over her before, what was the guarantee that he wouldn't do the same again. Or worse. He wasn't a womanizer, that much she knew but he attached sentimental value to work, business and religion, if he had to choose between her and these things of value to him, she was almost certain she would be kicked to the curb.
She turned her head and caught sight of her drunken self in the mirror, she looked pitiful, drained and weary, she began to cry, was it a crime now to fall in love? Twice now, she had been left shattered. She didn't want to fall in love anymore. She just didn't have the strength to do so anymore. She picked up the bottle and swallowed the last gulp then relaxed into the bathtub and allowed sleep take over her slowly, some how she felt Omar's arms around her, she knew it was an imagination but she smiled still and slept off.
Mariam walked through the garden absent mindedly, her mind went back to Omar, when he had grabbed her by the waist and held her still, kissing her hungrily, she had felt... strange, a strange feeling that had felt just so good and just so right so she had reached out for him too but then as quickly as he had kissed her, he pulled away suddenly. His words rang repeatedly and painfully in her head and it broke her.
*"I will never love you."*
*Never.*
*Never love you.*
No! She shook her head and folded her hands into fists, no. She staggered and fell back down to the ground, her eyes darted left and right as the tears built up, she grabbed a fistful of grass, she thought of Aadil, her dead lover and wept. She had betrayed their love by falling for another man whom she had clearly told at first that she would not be happy if they went through with the marriage, she had told him she didn't want this, she had fallen for a man who had told her that he loved another, didn't she also love another? But he was dead now and the living had to keep on living.
She wept at her own weakness, her swaying emotions and feelings, she wept at her vulnerability and her frail heart. She wasn't sure of her feelings right now and it annoyed her, she wanted to scream out her frustration but if she did, the guards would rush into the garden in minutes and if they saw her crying like this then her father would know about it and he would demand to know what would cause his daughter to cry so much, she didn't want Omar to be hurt because she couldn't keep her emotions in check. She wept softly and remained on the ground.
The evening was chilly and the breeze that blew in was cold to the skin but Omar didn't bother to get up to shut the windows, it was going to rain tonight he knew it, he could sense it in the weather. He got up and walked out of the room, down the halls, down the stairs and out the house. He had two days left until the wedding and honestly he didn't know what else to do. He breathed and shoved his hands deep into his pocket, continuing his walk, the rain came down now in light showers but that didn't stop him neither did he turn to walk back towards the house. He needed this calm, he needed this serenity, he needed this......he sighed.
He felt bad at the way he had spoken to Mariam but he had been angry, hurt and very emotional then, it frustrated him that he had no control over his life as a thirty four year old man! He couldn't protect the woman he loved, he couldn't assure her of his devotion to her and his marriage to Mariam felt more like a betrayal so somehow he understood why she would want to leave but with him?! It had to be Samir?! He really didn't want to believe that she would chose to get back together with him, he needed something to believe, something that would help him but then did he really have no other option than to marry the girl?
@Ozzyy @Hanzell emotions are flying...!!
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When the message had come to her that Omar had arrived, she had been thrilled. It was her birthday and she had been showered with lots of gifts by her father, friends and well wishers but the man she was set to be getting married to in two days, her husband to be hadn't sent anything, not so much as a word, so when the message had arrived that he was here and that her presence was required, she almost ran out of the room without wearing her abaaya until Parvina had yelled to remind her.
"Mariam! You have to put this on first!"
"Ohh yes. Hahaha, right." She grabbed it off the hook.
"Uhhh... someone seems in a hurry..." She teased, causing Mariam's cheeks to burn bright red. She snatched the abaaya and put it on.
"Ohh stop it!" She ran for the door.
"Chill Mariam!" She yelled. "You're putting it on all wrong, wait let me help you."
Mariam took it off and allowed Parvina help her, she tapped her feet impatiently, allowing different thoughts run through her head. Parvina took her time in helping with the abaaya, a sly smile on her face as she watched Mariam, her friend was in love! With the exact man she had sworn never to love. Somehow it looked cute.
"Ohh Parvina I feel like you're delaying on propose! Hurry!"
"Haha, I am delaying, I want you to calm down." She laughed. "Alright I'm done, just..." But Mariam had already ran out the door, cutting her short. She smiled.
Mariam paused when she got to the door of the King's chambers breathing in and putting on a smile like any one would see through the thick abaaya that covered most of her face, then she nodded to the guard to open the door. Omar stood, laughing with the King as they shared a few talks and humor, they both turned when the door was opened and Mariam walked in, bowing first to her father in greeting and then to Omar. She tried to avoid looking at him because he wouldn't stop looking at her, it made her insides turn to jelly and she blushed.
"You called for me father?"
"Haha, not me my daughter, him." He laughed heartily.
Mariam's head shot up, she looked at Omar. Him? He had called for her? She wondered what for but she felt happy, did he remember her birthday? He had to, perhaps that's why he had called for her, to present to her his gift personally. She fluttered her eyes lashes and looked back down, color came to her cheeks again.
"Well, she's here now Omar, you may take her."
"Thank you." He bowed and turned to face Mariam, gesturing his hand towards the door way he spoke, "Shall we, princess?" She lowered her head more and followed him out of the room.
Mariam walked beside him towards another room a little distance away from the King's chambers, she couldn't help the happy feeling that rose from the pit of her belly and she nervously played with her nails. Omar watched her from the corner of his eyes and smirked then he led her into a room, closing the door behind them. As he turned, he saw her taking off her abaaya.
"Why are you taking it off?"
"To save you the stress of saying it, I know that's what you want me to do, or you wouldn't have brought me in here so we can be alone, right?"
"Really?" He smiled and watched the now twenty year old young girl. "Well, I wouldn't have asked because I don't need you to, but now that you have, hmm.."
She rose an eyebrow. "So why did you want us alone?"
"Happy birthday princess."
Mariam looked at him like he'd suddenly grown a horn in the middle of his forehead. Was he serious right now? "You brought me in here," she gestured with her hands, "so you could wish me a happy birthday?"
He shrugged. "So? I don't see what's wrong."
"You don't? Is your wish so special that other ears shouldn't hear it or do you have a request....?
Omar watched the girl talk, watched her lips move and her hands move so gracefully in motion with her body, explaining each of her words as they rolled out of her mouth, she reminded him of Megan, the way she would talk like she was never wrong, the way she would talk when she was teasing him, with one hand on her waist and the other moving every which way and her eyes rolling round and sometimes settling on him with a 'do you understand what I'm saying to you' kinda look, anger welled up inside of him when he remembered her leaving the house with Samir yesterday and she had wanted to leave without his knowledge, it pained him and without thinking, he took three strides towards Mariam, she paused at his sudden closeness and looked up, his expression feared her and she took a step back but Omar was quick, he reached behind and seized her by the waist, grabbing her chin with the other hand then he kissed her ferociously.
Mariam's eyes widened in shock, her body went stiff, her hands remained by her side and for a brief moment she didn't respond to the kiss, they shouldn't be doing this but it felt so right, so she kissed back, closing her eyes, she slowly brought her hand to his chest to hold his shirt and pull herself in. Omar felt the contact of her palm on his chest and stopped abruptly, breaking off the kiss with a hiss, he squeezed her chin a little too hard forcing her eyes open, she looked at him, confusion and pain in her eyes, he locked eyes with her, the anger burnt evidently in them.
"I will never love you." He pushed her face away and stormed out, leaving her hurt.
@Ozzyy @Hanzell hot? Getting hotter 😋 ohhh can't wait
Money for writing: magazines that pay.
Here are a list off magazines that pay for selected write ups;
Split Lip Magazine
This magazine publishes online monthly and in print annually – flash fiction, short stories, memoir, poetry, and art. For short stories, they accept literary, mainstream or experimental writing – no genre fiction. November is one of the months when they are open for general fee-free submissions. Free submission periods sometimes close sooner than planned due to overwhelming response; they recommend submitting early. For Black writers, submissions are fee-free till the end of the year.
Deadline: 30 November 2020 (for general fee-free submissions)
Length: Up to 3,000 words for fiction, 2,000 words for memoirs, one poem
Pay: $50 per author for web issues; payment for print is $5 per page.
Weird Horror Magazine
They want pulpy dark fiction in the weird fiction and horror genres. “Monsters, ghosts, creatures, fiends, demons, etc. Dark crime. Suspense. Mutants. Killers. Ghouls. Golems. Witches. Pulpy goodness!
"We are hoping to bring some fun (and terror) to our readers”, according to their guidelines.
Deadline: 30 November 2020
Length: 500-5,000 words
Pay: $0.01/word
The New Southern Fugitives
They publish work that “challenges our comfortable perspective of the South. We strive to promote diversity, reach a broad audience, and cultivate the new Southern voice of the New Millennium”, according to their website. They publish fiction (micro/flash, short), essays, book reviews, poetry, and visual art/photography. They nominate their writers for various prizes. They can only pay writers by mailed US checks, so writers should keep that in mind while submitting.
Deadline: 30 November 2020
Length: Up to 1,500 words for flash fiction, up to 5,000 words for short fiction, up to three poems, 1,500-5,000 words for essays, up to 1,500 words for book reviews
Pay: $15/page of prose up to $105, $50 per book review, $40 per poem and per piece of visual art (new rates as of February 2020)
The Iowa Review
This prestigious literary magazine accepts poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and translations. There is no fee for mailed submissions.
Deadline: 30 November 2020
Length: Up to 25 pages for prose, 8 pages for poetry (query for longer poems)
Pay: $0.08/word for prose ($100 minimum), $1.50/line for poetry ($40 minimum)
Green Inferno: The World Celebrates Your Demise.
This is a quarterly 120-page trade paperback anthology of original short comics and fiction centered around terrestrial horror – stories that take place on or involving our planet, often (but not always) with an environmental or ecological bent. They love Weird Horror, atmosphere, dread, and slimy things, and are also keen on Splatterpunk, moody Gothic creepiness, throwback-y and uber-contemporary. Sci-Fi and Fantasy angles welcome, but please keep it Earthbound (terrestrial) for now. They also like horror comedy sometimes.
Deadline: 30 November 2020
Length: Flash fiction up to 1,000 words, short fiction up to 8,000 words
Pay: $25 for flash fiction; $0.04/word for short fiction.
The Fiddlehead
This Canadian magazine is open to writing and translations into English from all over the world and in a variety of styles, including experimental genres. They read short fiction, excerpts from novels, creative nonfiction, and poetry. The deadline is for Submittable submissions only – mailed submissions are accepted all year round.
Deadline: 30 November 2020 (for Submittable only)
Length: Up to 6,000 words for fiction or creative nonfiction, up to six poems
Pay: CAD60/page; CAD200 for cover artwork.
Jaggery
This magazine “connects South Asian diasporic writers and homeland writers; we also welcome non-South Asians with a deep and thoughtful connection to South Asian countries, who bring their own intersecting perspectives to the conversation. (By South Asia we mean Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.) Our hope with Jaggery is to create a journal that offers the best writing by and about South Asians and their diaspora”, according to their guidelines. They publish fiction, art, essays & interviews, poetry, and reviews.
Deadline: 15 December 2020
Length: Up to 5,000 words for fiction, but will consider longer pieces
Pay: $100 for fiction, $25 for non-fiction, poetry, art, reviews.
Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing: Lost Contact.
This is a horror fiction anthology. Their guidelines say,
“To lose contact…does that bring to mind something physical, something intangible? Does it give you a sense of isolation? Does it bring to mind…aliens, maybe? Being stranded? Lost? I think, in the times we live in right now, the phrase “Lost Contact” might mean a whole heck of a lot to all of us, and we want to see what you make of it.”
Writers are free to interpret the theme as they like, though they will benefit if they include technology of some kind. Stories should be deeply rooted in the horror genre.
Deadline: 31 December 2020
Length: 1,000-7,000 words
Pay: $0.05/word.
Dark Dispatch: Redemption
This is a pop culture ezine devoted to all things dark: sci fi, fantasy, horror, and crime. The site will cover industry news related to these genres and publish reviews, interviews, commentary, and new fiction. They cover various forms of entertainment, including movies, television, books, and short fiction. Their intent is to begin publishing fiction in early 2021. They are currently reading on the ‘Redemption’ theme.
Deadline: 5 January 2021
Length: 1,000-2,750 words for fiction
Pay: $0.05/word for fiction.
Midnight & Indigo
This is a new platform for Black women writers, and they publish fiction and essays. They want submissions of character-driven speculative fiction/horror from Black women writers. They are also open for general submissions (character-driven short stories – all genres welcome; as well as narratives and personal essays). They accept book reviews year round, though these are unpaid.
Deadline: 10 January 2021
Length: At least 1,500 words for fiction; at least 1,200 words for essays
Pay: $75 for stories in print, $50 for stories on website; $50 for essays.
Belmont Story Review
They are reading submissions for Volume 6 – they aim “to surprise and delight readers through an eclectic mix of storytelling which includes fiction, personal essay, and poetry at the intersection of faith and culture.” They pay a check in US dollars only and do not offer any alternate form of payment.
Deadline: 1 February 2021
Length: Up to 12,000 words for prose; up to five poems
Pay: $50 for prose, $25 for poems.
The Dread Machine: 1986
They are reading fiction for their first annual anthology. The theme is 1986, and they want horror stories, and all submissions must inspire dread. Their guidelines say, “Do you remember a time before the internet? Before we each carried a lifeline in our pockets? Before security cameras documented everything? Back when parents didn’t worry about their kids until after the street lights popped on? Do you remember how it felt to step into the neon-lit arcade on a Friday night, your pockets heavy with quarters?
For our very first anthology, we’re seeking dread-inspiring stories that take place in 1986—either the 1986 of our reality or an alternate version. Bring us back to a simpler, scarier time.
Deadline: 25 February 2021
Length: 3,000-10,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word.
B Cubed Press: Three themes
They are open for fiction, essays, and poetry submissions for three anthologies. They will also accept reprints.
— Protest Diaries: “Stories from the front lines of revolutions throughout history.”
— Alternative War: “War shapes the world through technology, boarders, and norms. What will come next?” Stories can take place anywhere in time and space.
— Alternative Deathliness: “Death brings so many options” – this anthology will be a “fun filled romp into the concept and nature of Death.”
Deadline: 1 March 2021
Length: “Story length for our books average about 2200 words but have ranged from 100 to 7500 words. However, we only use one or two stories over 5000 words and our advice is to keep it under 5K, unless we communicate in advance.”
Pay: $0.02/word + royalties.
Epoch Magazine
This literary magazine publishes fiction, poetry, essays, cartoons, screenplays, graphic art, and graphic fiction. They read work submitted by literary agencies year-round. The magazine is edited by faculty in the Department of English Program in Creative Writing at Cornell University. They accept mailed submissions only.
Deadline: 15 April 2021 (for unsolicited submissions)
Length: No guidelines for prose; up to five poems
Pay: Up to $150 for stories, more for long stories and novellas, and those submitted by literary agencies; $50 per poem.
Legendary Tales
This is an online speculative fiction magazine. They are looking for science fiction, fantasy, horror, paranormal, and supernatural stories. They are interested in strong character-driven stories. Their first issue was in October 2020.
Deadline: Open now
Length: 1,000-7,500 words
Pay: $0.01/word.
D L Russell Books: The Noise of a Quiet House Anthology
They want horror, dark fantasy, and all its subgenres for a themed anthology on your worst childhood fears, real and imagined. “Not the monster under the bed or in the closet, but unique things and situations that can terrorize a child”, according to their guidelines.
Deadline: Open now
Length: 2,500-5,000 words
Pay: $50
The Masters Review: New Voices
For ‘New Voices’, they publish fiction and non-fiction online by new and emerging writers – that is, those who do not have a novel-length work of fiction or narrative non-fiction published, or forthcoming at the time of submission – published short-story collections do not count as a novel-length work and those authors are free to submit. They accept a variety of genres and styles.
Deadline: Ongoing
Length: Up to 1,000 words for flash fiction; up to 7,000 words for short fiction
Pay: $100 for flash fiction, $200 for short fiction.
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It was late in the evening when Megan finished packing, she didn't carry much so there wasn't much to pack but she had taken her time, thinking and crying and packing. She thought to forget Omar but even she knew that it would be even more difficult, he was to get married to someone else, someone of a higher social status and of power, someone of influence and she was just a regular, simple American who just fell in love. She had cried so much that her eyes were now puffy. She sat, and waited, gazing outside the window, she let her mind wander, praying that Samir got here before Omar, she didn't want him to see her leaving.
When Samir had gotten the message from the sheik, he hadn't hesitated but he was curious and he knew something was not right, the sheik wouldn't tell him but maybe Megan might if he coaxed her successfully. He arrived at the house an hour later, the sheik was seated in the living room waiting to welcome him, the sheik smiled when he saw the young man. Samir bowed in greeting.
"I came as soon as I received your message, is errr... Everything alright?"
"Everything is alright Samir, I just need your help with something."
"Anything sheik."
"Megan..."
"Megan?"
"Yes Megan, I need you to help me take her back to America," he faced Samir who was somehow shocked. "She requested herself."
"Hmm.." he calmed down a bit, breathing out before adding, "and Omar?" He knew of Omar's intentions towards Megan, he had done his homework which had binvolved paying for most of the information he now had.
"Work." His answer was simple, Samir knew that 'work' involved the marriage. If Omar was going to marry the princess, then why bring Megan in the first place.
A sudden noise claimed the attention of Samir, he watched her walked down the stairs dragging a small bag by her side, her head was down and her movement slow, when she got to the last stair she looked up, Samir was here. She watched his lips twitch in a smile, he stretched his back and shoved his hands into his trouser pocket the grey suit he wore encouraged his frame, he wasn't as muscular as Omar, but he was just as attractive.
"Megan, how have you been faring?" She looked drained and weak, making him wonder how she was being treated since she came here.
"Hmm... Good." She replied. She wasn't in the mood for talks, she was only in the mood to ride a plane back to America.
"Are you set? Then let's go." Samir said, reaching to help her in lifting the small bag. Megan nodded, she glanced quickly at the sheik and bowed slightly, not uttering a word.
"Let's go." She said to Samir, and almost immediately she heard his voice and they froze. She was really hoping to have left before he would come back.
"And where are you going to?" Omar stepped in, anger showed on his face as he focused his gaze on Megan, she held his eyes briefly before looking down, this was what she wanted to avoid - the questions.
"Where are you going to and without letting me know about it." He questioned, his voice echoing round the large space.
"Megan here says she wants to return home." The sheik answered and sat back down, crossing his legs.
"Megan...?"
"I'm returning back to America Omar, I want to go back."
"And without so much as telling me?" He moved his gaze to Samir who stood quietly watching Megan. "And you're going back with him?" Omar was broken.
'*I'm not getting back together with him Omar, I love you and you know it, but these few days have really broken me and I just want to fix myself up, away from all this mess, away from these troubles and mostly away from your father. You're to get married to a princess. A princess! And who am I to stop that? Even you can't stop that no matter how much hope you paint into my view. I'm not running away from you Omar but then what choices do I have here?'*
She wanted to say that to him, to assure him of her intentions but she couldn't, from the corner of her eye she saw the sheik whose attention was on her, watching her keenly like a hawk would watch a chick before swooping down to grab it. One wrong move Megan.
"Yes I am, with Samir." Both Omar and Samir looked at her in shock, Omar was pained, he watched her walk past him in a hurry then he grabbed her arm.
"If you do this then you would be dead to me Megan." Omar spoke, stopping her at the door with his words hoping for her to turn back and run into his arms, but she didn't, rather she paused, looked over her shoulder and smiled weakly.
"Goodbye Omar." With that she gently removed his hold on her arm and left with Samir who couldn't help but grin. She was coming back together with him. Haha.
The story is getting tougher and tougher as even I don't know who she should end up with. @Ozzyy @Hanzell
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Megan hugged her self as she walked down the halls towards the sheik's room, she had been summoned. She felt sad and broken...and lost and lonely, she just wanted to return to America, to have her sense of sanity back, to be in a familiar environment, to be able to step out whenever she wanted than to be cooped up in a room in another man's land, a strange land. She relished the feeling that came with waking up on her bed, in her comfortable apartment, the fresh aroma of the rich brewing coffee, now thinking about it she wondered when last she had tasted coffee.
Omar was understanding, he had taken their relationship seriously when he had brought her home to see his father, he couldn't have gotten married without his consent and she had thought he would be like most American dad's with the, "oh hello daughter in law" attitude. She sighed, she knew she loved Omar and he loved her just as much, but she was suffering here and she wondered if he was suffering to, afterall he is the one being forced to marry someone he doesn't want to, they were both pawns in the hands of the sheik, if she left then the burden on Omar to marry might reduce but then would he actually let her. She was a US citizen for crying out loud and what the sheik was doing by keeping her against her will was kidnap.
The guard leading her to the sheik totally ignored her, not for once looking back like he knew she was actually following him, she was expected to follow, they were all pawns for the sheik, whether you were paid to be a pawn like the guards or you were blackmailed into being a pawn, nothing changes. She watched him, he walked like he calculated his steps, his back straight and head up, his hands swung lightly by his side and his palms were in a fist ready to throw a punch.
They came to a stop in front of a room near the end of the long hall way and the guard knocked lightly on the door, announcing that he had brought her as demanded, he waited a while for a command to open before opening the door for her to enter, she shook a little as stepped in and he closed the door behind her, it was just her now and the sheik in the room.
"Megan," his voice was calm but held an edge of hostility, "I'll get straight to the point, Omar is to get married to the princess and somehow I see you as a threat to that so what do we do about that?" The question was rhetorical she knew but then it presented itself as an opportunity for her to voice out. She cleared her throat to get his attention.
"You have something to say?"
"I would..hmm!" She cleared her throat again. "I want to return back to America."
The sheik narrowed his eyes at her. "You want to return?" He smirked, "Omar told you to?"
"Omar doesn't know...yet. I'm not sure I want him to. I just want to go back to normal, I know Omar will have to marry her...err... princess, it would be useless and hurtful on my part to stay back. I don't want to stay, I don't..."
"And Omar?" He watched her but she didn't meet his gaze, he could see from the corner of her eyes that she was already tearing up, she fought hard to blink back the tears but it was of no use, they fell from her lashes onto her cheek which she quickly wiped away, suppressing a sniff.
"Funny how only a few days can change your heart away from Omar whom you claim to love so much."
Megan knew the sheik was teasing her, but it made her feel terrible because in all he wasn't far from the truth, she had gotten tired, not of Omar but of the situation they were in, she felt suffocated and she desperately needed to breathe, she kept her head lowered and couldn't stop the tears now, she knew somehow she would have to let go of Omar, she had faith in him before when he told her he would come up with an escape plan but that was then, now three days to the marriage she had lost all hope.
"You and Samir were once together." It wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact because he knew. Megan's head shot up and the look in her eyes confirmed it.
"So that's why you want to leave, to get back together with him." He sighed. "I knew most American women were loose and I expected nothing more from you but then I might have been impressed just a little if you had proven me wrong."
"I'm not getting back together with Samir!" She didn't mean to shout.
"That's the only way you'll leave here," he turned to face her, "if Samir takes you out, or I might have to believe that this is a plot by you and Omar to get you out and stop him from marrying the princess. I'm a smart man you see."
Megan froze, she looked at the sheik in awe, what kind of man was this? How could he force her to... Then she thought about it, if all it takes for her to leave was if Samir would take himself then she would do it, not like he could then force her to marry him, he just had to take her out of the house and out of the country back to America then she was free, she would never get back together with Samir even if things didn't work out between she and Omar. She would never. She decided to play along.
"You want me with Samir or you don't want me with Omar?"
"Frankly I don't care who you end up with, Samir or with any other Arabian man, seeing that they catch your fancy, but Omar is my son, and I would not be alive to see him ruin his chances by ending up with... you know...a loose woman."
Megan gritted her teeth in anger, she wasn't loose. "You don't value his happiness, do you?"
"I don't value this conversation. You will go with Samir if you want to leave, Omar will know you're done with him."
"No!" She breathed. "I don't want Omar to know I'm going or he might come find me."
"Smart." He smirked. "But he will know and you will tell him you're getting back together with Samir. Return to your room."
@Ozzyy @Hanzell what do you think of this 😅
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Over the sleeping town of Riyadh the moon rose, lighting up the empty streets like a bright white bulb, like an awakening call to the rulers of the night, bringing with it the greed of power and recognition and the ultimate secrecy of royalty; the lost Prince and son of King Faad, the outcast brother to King Jaan and the man for whom these gatherings has been of top priority for the past years. Aazim. Prince Aazim.
His place was at the head of the table and seated around were his faithful followers, his powerful men of loyalty who wouldn't hesitate to kill for his cause, and that was what they were to do - kill. Jaan had been King for way too long and Aazim was in no mood to play faithful, he had wasted his youthful life within the confines of this fine hidden palace, addressed only as Prince by the people who knew of his connection to the throne, to the outside world, he was just another wealthy man who lived extravagantly. He had had enough.
The meeting room under the palace was off limits to every other person except these men here now, over the years they had conveyed and discussed and plotted and now, the perfect opportunity show cased itself in the disguise of the princess's marriage. Mariam was set to marry the sheik's son, Omar. The distraction would be the perfect bait. Aazim looked round at the men as each one offered a different opinion, some he took into consideration, some he ignored.
"...we have enough men now to overwhelm the palace guards, we can attack without waiting for the marriage as a distraction."
"The marriage is set to happen in four days, we already have some people place strategically within the palace itself, Jaan isn't all carried away. We will wait."
"Yes, it has taken us years, just a few more days won't matter now that it is within our reach, we do not want anything that would jeopardise this now that we are so close."
"Are they in consent with the marriage?"
"Do they have to be? It is an arranged marriage, their permission isn't needed. They are not some random Arabian, these are people with power."
"I agree with you, and power is selective, given to those who earn it."
"Or fight for it! Glory to King Aazim! "
Aazim leaned his fore arm on the table and scanned the people seated round, they looked at him with admiration and he looked at them with respect, his eyes went round before settling on one man, the one person on whom the majority of the success of this attack rested, he waited for the discussion to die down then he asked,
"Are the preparations according to plan?"
"Yes Prince Aazim, anything that could cause a hindrance has been taken care of, be rest assured."
Aazim smiled and reclined on the chair. "Then your son shall go ahead with the marriage to my dear niece."
Khalid beamed, things were falling in place piece by piece and he was in a win-win situation; if the attack was successful, he would be placed in a higher seat of authority, if it wasn't successful, he would still be related to the King, earning him more power. He laughed with the men around the table, there was absolutely no way he could lose, they rose their glasses to toast and continued discussing the plot.
Mariam returned to the palace with Saadiya and Parvina from their shopping trip which had taken most of the day, she collapsed exhausted on the bed after ripping the abaaya from her body, the weather was hot and she imagined herself submerged under the cool waters of the pool of Al Lith. Sometimes she hated being royalty because it limited her, there were things she couldn't do and places she couldn't go, and places she was allowed to go, she didn't go alone, Saadiya and Parvina were her only true friends and she wondered how things would be between them after she had gotten married.
"Saadiya? We would still be friends right? And Parvina?" She asked.
"Yes of course, what made you ask?"
She sat up. "I'm getting married soon, we would have time for each other won't we?"
"Oh, I don't know about Saadiya, but I'll visit you everyday! To see you."
"Or to see Omar?" Saadiya teased. Parvina laughed.
"If he wants a second wife, I'm here for you Mariam."
"Parvina!" Mariam shrieked
"What? We could still be Friends..." She laughed hard and held her stomach, Saadiya slapped her lightly in the head and all three girls laughed.
And so... @Ozzyy and @Hanzell this is how I introduce the fight scene....it will take a while though 😏😁😂
Closed case
They said she was the best in her field, the badass woman who gets the dirty works done and cleaned up faster than Sherlock Holmes could solve a kindergarten missing toy mystery. And that was why she had practically been summoned from her high office in New York to the sub-urbs of Rolfdale to solve the psychiatric case. She felt highly insulted to be called for such belittling case and somehow praised too, no one in the police force of Rolfdale could solve the mystery. They had to call her. They needed her help.
Alighting from her white Hyundai which came to a halt in front of St. Luke's care home, she took a long look at the gigantic work of engineering art and sighed esperatedly before walking into the premises, her chic leather trousers and matching coat spoke of her arrival to the area, it stood out sharply amongst the simple clothes the town folks wore. It worked well for her, she didn't want to be recognized as "one of them."
The crime scene was repulsive, blood was smeared on the walls and across the floor, the body had long been taken for an autopsy but the white chalk drawing on the floor showed where and in that position the body had been. Asides from the body, nothing else in the room had been moved. Sienna stood at the door post, taking in all the details her eyes could at the moment, she had gotten used to the acrid smell that emanated from such crime scenes.
"You must be Miss Mitchell," she turned to see a doctor behind her offering her his best doctor smile, "I'm doctor Frank Carter." He offered his hand.
"Sienna Mitchell, from the New York police crime division squard." She held his hand firmly as they exchanged pleasantries.
She had done her homework about the case before hand, so what doctor Frank told her now was already something she new or his own perspective of the matter, further affirming her suspicions. He wasn't sure and the police had no strong lead, it was up to her to investigate how the accident had really happened.
Timothy Quinn, a patient in the care home had been found gruesomely murdered in his ward one morning with a silver spoon shoved deep into his mouth with a half eaten sandwich in his hands. The door had been closed but left unlocked and the windows thrown open - the culprit had escaped from the windows and manueverred his way down, two stories above the ground. He was athletic.
One thing baffled the police and herself; what was the motive?
"I was told there was no CCTV coverage?" She inquired.
"Not in these halls, we haven't replaced them."
The culprit also knew that, strengthening her theory that this mystery person was no lunatic being treated here. She nodded.
"Any suspects?"
"We have a few.."
"Patients?"
"Yes. Naturally they would be. Bob for one, has a tendency of having violent fits and beating someone to a pulp. He was our very first suspect."
"Hmmm...I'd like to meet Bob, doctor Frank."
*
Bob was calm and he smiled at Sienna, his huge bulk hardly fit comfortably into the tiny metal chair and it looked like he was being squished between that and the matching table, but still he smiled, the kind of creepy smiled that would set you on edge, the kind of creepy smile that made you want to be close to the exit and your hands ready on any available and effective weapon. But Sienna was calm, she had handled situations like this numerous times so she smiled back at Bob and asked the doctor to leave them alone. He reluctantly did.
"Hello Bob."
"Sienna... You remembered me. How long has it been? Years? And the only way to get your attention was for a murder to happen."
She folded her hands across her chest and leaned back. Noah Hamilton, nicknamed Bob, was one of the mentally unstable murderers she had "discovered". Bob here had killed two school children with brute force because they didn't give him candy when he had "...asked so nicely..." as he had said in court. He said he didn't mean to, he just got angry and forgot that he held a metal baseball bat in his hands. He had swung twice, strong enough to crack open one skull and maim the other but then they both died.
"I was hoping you'd forget me totally Noah..."
"Don't call me that!" He pounded his fist on the table, creating a small dent. Sienna couldn't help but flinch a little.
"Still with the anger issues I see." She stood this time to stand behind the chair. "How do you feel.... Bob?"
"Scared sometimes, you know..." He began to sob now which kinda surprised Sienna, this isn't want she had expected, they had played it safe to include him as a suspect but she had her doubts.
"I don't want to stay..." He continued. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Help me out Sienna."
"Ohh stop with all the broken heart bullshit. You killed children! And probably killed Timothy too, isn't it?!"
"I loved Tim actually, the boy was a bit overbearing most of the time and ugh...! I imagined smashing his head in but I couldn't, I liked the boy you know. Like a son." He flashed her a pity smile, she scoffed.
"Yea? And what was your reason for killing your so called son this time."
He stood from the chair and climbed the table to sit, folding his legs and rocking himself. "I didn't kill Tim. I can tell you who... I know.." Sienna stepped closer now but still maintained an arm's length distance.
"I want to talk to my daughter, I'll ask her to just get me out of here. It's so boring already, I want to hear her call me dad once more."
"You think it's that easy!" She yelled now. "You cracked open the head of your grand children because they didn't offer you candy! Because you couldn't control your anger! Because you're sick! So you will tell me what I bloody need to know so I can be away from you!"
Bob paused, he hated tears and they were already threatening to drop from her eyes, he didn't want to hurt her. He frowned, got down from the table and stood facing her.
"Sienna? I really want to talk to my daughter."
She paused at the door and without turning back she said, "you know you don't have a daughter."
"Sienna..."
"Noah Hamilton! You know very well that your daughter died that day as well. We do not share the same surname anymore! I'm Sienna Mitchell. And I really hope never to see you again!" She stormed out of the room, this case was already closed.
Scorched 7
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The sheik watched Megan's reaction after Samir had called her, and he had called her by her name, she had frozen on seeing him and was visible shaken. They knew each other, that much was obvious, the smirk on Samir's face spoke of a long history between the two. Old flames? Or enemies? Khalid was curious but he kept quiet, choosing to rather observe, such lively atmosphere was rare to happen and he wanted to enjoy every bit of it.
Sam stood calmly with both hands shoved into his pocket, looking straight at Megan, in his eyes she hadn't aged a bit, she still had those innocent and curious eyes, those full cherry lips that he had kissed a thousand times and now all he wanted to do was to walk up to her and reach his hands around her waist to pull her close, to feel the curve of her body and the scent of her hair. He had missed her, although he hadn't really thought much about her since he left, at least not until he had seen her here. He studied her, she looked shaken and somehow scared, he didn't know why she should be feeling such but he knew that she felt scared. She stood, unmoving, her gaze moving from Sam to Omar who was close now.
"Father," Omar greeted as soon as he crossed the threshold into the house, coming to a stop right beside Samir, he glanced at Megan and winked, the two men turned to face each other before shaking hands.
"You come here more often now Samir," Omar smiled. "You're taking the business seriously as I can see."
"Ahh yes, some more than just business."
They laughed.
"And I heard, congratulations, you're getting together with the princess. She would be a powerful tool for you, you know?"
"Haha, about that...." He looked at his father then to Megan who had her head down, she was squeezing her fingers, he knew she was uncomfortable just standing there and that the mention of his marriage to the princess disturbed her, he smiled weakly wanting to ease her mind he added, "we'll see about that." He slapped Sam softly on the shoulder.
Khalid shot his son a warning look, narrowing his eyes on the young man who only held his gaze for a milli second and was already approaching Megan to take her away. He wondered if Omar knew of the tension hanging between Megan and Samir, he chose to pry.
"Megan, Samir here seems to know you as he had called you by your name despite having never actually met you, you must know each other, or don't you?"
Omar who had already walked up to Megan, turned to face his father who had a curious look on his face before they both shifted their attention to Samir who seemed to have been caught off guard. Omar unconsciously placed a palm on the small of Megan's back, pulling her lightly closer to him. Megan, surprised by the unexpected action tensed under his touch then faced the sheik and forced a smile.
"We had met in America long time ago." She looked at Omar whose attention was still on Samir. "Then we got err..."
"...seperated." Samir finished. She looked at him without any hint of emotion in her eyes, Sam smiled. "We got seperated years ago. I was actually very excited when I saw her just the other day from the window," he brought out a hand to gesture, "and I was shocked, you say she's a guest here?"
Guest. Omar knew it was his father who would have introduced her as a guest, he sighed then smiled, turning his face to Megan now, she still hadn't looked at him. He excused himself and Megan from their midst, leaving his father and Samir to talk business or whatever subject they fancied. Megan, grateful for the excuse squeezed Omar's hands gently as they walked away.
"So Sam, your ex boyfriend is actually Samir downstairs?" Omar was in awe, what a really small world we lived in. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're attracted to Arabian men." He winked and pulled her closer.
Megan wasn't in the mood for jokes, she wasn't in the mood for anything, she just wanted to lay her head down and sleep, to wake up and realize all these was just a dream, she wanted to cry, she wanted to run, she wanted to just.... anything but this, she circled her hands round his torso and buried her face into his chest, Omar felt the wetness that soaked his shirt and it broke his heart, she was crying because he had gotten her entangled into his family's mess. He hugged her tighter, stroking her hair and rubbing his hands down to her back, she began to sob.
"Omar," she called without looking up, he placed his jaw on her head and hummed in response.
"You'll be fine baby girl."
"Omar, I want to go back."
@Ozzyy and @Hanzell and to every other read casher who follows this story, I'm really sorry for the long delay, birthday had taken two full days. Haha it was fun though 😂😋.
Happy birthday Jessie
So yesterday being the 14th of November, my girlfriend @Jessiepinkss celebrated her birthday. It started off as dry and boring because she couldn't avoid work so she was there, bored and alone haha and we, the geng were busy with plans. Haha
So 10am I as out and went to get her a cake, it took a while though but I got it. Then headed to @Lil.nelly place. Trying to kill time and "forgot" her birthday, lol. She kinda got frustrated and I had to keep her online from being too bored and she kept asking, "Nk, what is the plan?"
😂😂😂
She closed work by 4pm, we were at her house before then with the cake and all and surprise!! In all it was fun and she had the time of her life. I was too busy to actually take pictures but we gat them😁
So happy birthday to my girlie❣️
Scorched 6
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Samir stood on the balcony gazing out over the perfectly mowed garden with both hands shoved deep into his pockets, he smiled to himself as he thought of Megan, how long had it been? Two years? Three? Still she looked beautiful as always. She had haunted his dreams ever since he left her, he knew he had left her heartbroken and without much of an explanation, his father had been critically ill then and it was of utmost importance for him to be present and to fulfil his father's last wishes, to perform the last rites and also to take over the business, she wouldn't have understood then if he had told her, show would have wanted to return with him but things didn't just work out that way in this part of the world, you don't just show up back home with a girl whom you weren't sure of settling down with.
Yes, he hadn't be sure then, they were both still young and he just felt to catch some cruise and then return back to Saudi Arabia, to the bride his father would have chosen for him, but his father hadn't chosen a bride for him before his demise, meaning he was free to make his own choice, he really didn't think much about it because his mind was on the business but he had seen her in the sheik's home and the feeling had ignited in his heart once again, this time he was sure he wanted to settle with her, she was here now and he could, but why was she here? For how long? And how is she a guest of the sheik? He would have to find out.
He walked back to relax on the couch, pouring himself a drink and enjoying the scenery from the glass walls that lined the left part of the room, giving him a pretty view of the pool, its architectural structure gave it a jungle twist with the planted trees surrounding and the colourful stones placed decoratively around it. He smiled at Megan imaginatively sitting there, with both legs in the water just swinging and she singing, the thought liberated him. He had to see her again. He stood up without having touched his glass, he would be seeing the sheik today.
Omar wasn't home, so this would be the best time to move the girl away, he would take her to another house and deal with Omar's questions later when he returned. Nothing could go wrong with the wedding plans. He would allow absolutely nothing.
"You have be summoned by the sheik." Megan trembled when the guard came into the room to announce and she wondered if she had done something which she shouldn't. She swallowed.
"Is Omar home?"
The guard paused then nodded negatively. She feared the sheik which was a wise decision on her part, the man had threatened her life, something she still love to hold on to. Gathering herself together she left the room and allowed the guard lead the way.
He sat calmly downstairs, his eyes to the front door until he noticed her presence, he smiled at her but she was too shaken to smile back or even to move, he stretched out his hand, gesturing for her to sit on the adjacent chair, she nodded, the side of her lips twitched in a brief smile and she sat, head down and her eyes focused on her fingers which nervously played with each other. She heard her heart beating loudly and her eyes wandered in fear of someone suddenly placing a knife against her throat. She couldn't properly breathe.
Khalid studied her, he could tell she was uncomfortable, that she was afraid and nervous by the way her fingers played, he smiled, happy at the effect he had on her, glad that he wasn't seen as being soft, talking to her would be much easier. Raising a hand, he waved the guards away, he felt her tense up and adjust herself on the seat.
"Megan..." She jumped, he had called her name calmly but she couldn't help the way her heart beat sky rocketed. Omar wasn't home so she was at the mercy of the sheik. She bowed her head in response and avoided his gaze.
The front door suddenly opened and a guard stepped forward, ushering someone in. Megan released the breath she was holding, grateful for the break, still she didn't lift her head, it remained bowed, both eyes fixed to her fingers, she breathed calmly now but still wishing and praying that Omar just show up and make this *"meeting"* less threatening.
"Samir," The sheik called, diverting his attention.
"Sheik," he greeted, bowing his head a little, "I'm here on business related matters."
Megan felt her heart beat rising again, that voice was very familiar to her but she didn't want to believe it came from him, too afraid to confirm she kept her head down. It can't be Sam, it couldn't be Sam. She couldn't breathe from her nose so she opened her mouth, she felt faint, can't be Sam, she rubbed her temples. She still couldn't look up to confirm. The sheik noticed her actions and for a man as cold as he was he wouldn't want someone dying in his house, at least not when he didn't approve of it.
"Megan..." his voice was cold, "...you should return, we will talk much later." She nodded and stood up, then bowed. Resisting the urge to look at the person who had walked in she turned away so her back was to him and proceeded to walk back to her room until she heard her name.
"Megan..."
Her head shot up and she turned, gasped and froze. It was Samir, her ex boyfriend who had dumped her without no apparent reason and behind him was Omar who was just entering the house.
@Ozzyy @Hanzell there might be a showdown coming soon.... Or.... It could b avoided😈
Stalker
**[Prompt] As you drive to work yesterday, you noticed a man looking at you. That same man was at your grocery shop and at the park you jog at. You seem to be noticing him looking at you, watching you, almost everywhere you go. One day you wake up at night and find him standing at the end of your bed.**
The odd presence was difficult to ignore when he appeared everywhere, sticking closely like a shadow which formed at high noon, and maybe he was - a shadow - blending into the darkness and standing behind trees and parked cars. He wanted to be seen, that much she noticed because he made no successful attempt at staying out of sight. He would stand and stare at her, the black cloak drapped over his body was worn out like a weather beaten rag and drained of the actual colour so much so that it now looked to be bronze when he stood under the sun, it's collar was raised up high enough to hide his face from the side and the back, sitting wearily on top of his blond head was a long rimmed hat which shaded the sun from his face, partially burying his face in mystery, his eyes watched her constantly and under those burning gaze she felt like a prey.
She first noticed him on her way to work, lurking behind a car parked in front of her apartment, his eyes were fixed on her, following her every move. She hadn't taken it seriously then and even when she saw him at the grocery shop, she had tried to ignore him but his very presence was unmistakably haunting, she had been startled then to the point of not completely purchasing the items on her shopping list, she hurried out and he watched her get into her car and hurriedly left the premises.
Again she saw him at the park where she jogged at so very early in the morning, he had begun to approach her but stopped when other people jogged by, she had taken the opportunity and joined the group but that hadn't stopped him from stalking her all the way home. She made sure to bolt all the doors and windows that night but she was still shaken so sleep didn't come until the early hours of the morning.
*She was in a farm, standing in front of a corn maze with the farm house behind her. She looked round, unsure of how she had gotten here, it wasn't a place she knew it should know, the maze was spooky and dark, the sound of the stalks rubbing against each other was carried by the wind, reaching her ears like calling voices, she turned from the maze to head to the farm house, maybe she could ask for help but she was frozen in her steps, he stood a few distance behind her, holding a large knife and smiling that creepy smile he always had plastered onto his face, then he suddenly broke into a run towards her.*
*She moved, no time, she turned and ran straight into the field, racing through, not exactly knowing where she was going to or in what direction she was headed or how deep she had gotten to in this maze or if there was a way out she could find but she ran to get further away from him, the stalks stuck out like hands eager and waiting to grab her and hand her over to him. She slashed through the narrow path way, whimpering and constantly looking behind for a glimpse of the stalker who chased her but she saw no one, that didn't keep her from running, she continued until there was a sudden violent impact to her stomach, sending her crashing to the ground on her back.*
*She gripped her stomach in pain, groaning and coughing, feeling the taste of blood in her mouth, she curled up and cried then she heard whistling, causing her to open her eyes, he was there, standing over her and still holding that knife, a huge wooden stake was in his other hand. He continued whistling while walking intimidatingly slow towards her, she cried and pleaded, still on her back she could only use her elbows to crawl backwards away from him, the tremendous pain in her stomach kept her from standing. He stepped on her foot forcefully to keep her from moving, she felt it snap and the pain shot up her body. He lifted the knife and brought it down, straight into her thigh.*
She screamed and woke up from bed in fright, she could hear her heart thumping hard against her chest, the sound filled her ears and she suddenly felt scared. Looking at the ceiling and trying to steady her breathing, she felt hot, sweat had soaked through her night gown which now clung to her body like wet paper on skin. She blinked her eyes severally, the stalker had followed her even into her sleep, she exhaled, sat up and almost screamed when she noticed him standing at the foot of her bed, brandishing a knife which caught whatever light that filtered through the windows, he cocked his head and smiled, a kind of wicked grin which told you that you had run out of escape chances, he rounded the corner, slowly approaching the side of the bed where she sat. She sighed.
"Ohh for crying out loud!" She yanked off the bed sheets and reached for the man, tearing off the heavy cloak and the hat. He smiled.
"Ok Michael you win, you can take the role of the grim reaper in the movie. Now please stop all these stalking behavior of yours because it's beginning to creep me out!"
@Ozzyy @Hanzell I bet you weren't expecting that! 😂😂😂
Cook book
**[Prompt] The demon stands amid your destroyed kitchen screaming, "How? How are you able to summon me?!" You're standing in the corner flipping through your grandma's cookbook as fast as you can, screaming back, "I don't know!! You're supposed to be chicken soup!"**
Whitney was so far the hottest girl I had ever come across, she had that killer body figure and soul piercing eyes, her voice was unique and her laugher was like a lullaby. She was my crush and had been for two months now, her house was only a block away. Did I stalk her? Ha! Only a desperate moron would do that!
I only passed by her house like fifteen times a day, checked her social media handles like every two minutes because she was always posting something. And silently watched for the time she would be leaving or entering the house so I could "accidentally" bump into her and be like, "hey, what's up girl!"
*Sigh*, maybe I was a desperate moron. But it was worth it because it eventually paid off! Ha! In your face!
So she accepted my invite to treat her to lunch at my house and at the time I was boasting to her of my excellent cooking skills, it seemed like the killer line, the best thing ever because I believed I could actually cook, but now standing in the kitchen with an two hours and ten minutes left to kill, I had absolutely no idea what "beat the egg into the dough" meant. Eggs get beaten? And what the hell is a dough?
I felt my pride washing away, I would never stand a chance with her if I didn't pull this off, I said a silent prayer of help shoving my hands deep into my trousers pocket and felt the condoms I had bought earlier. In anger I kicked the cabinet causing the door to fall open under the impact. *Ugh*! I bent to pick it up and my forehead came down hard on the cabinet top. *Fuck*! I sat on the floor, holding my forehead to rub the pain away and that was when I saw it. It was a book, huge and dusty, it was very old, I knew because the pages had turned yellow and were breaking off. I brought it out and put it on the cabinet, the front cover read "Secret Cook Book".
Prayer answered!
The first instruction inscribed onto the first page was, "*use with extreme caution*". Of course yes, the book was falling apart. Flipping through the pages, I decided to go for something more than simple noodles. 'Chicken Soup'. Perfecto!
**Each ingredient should be added accordingly and in order of timing*. - Yea, ok sure.
**A circle of salt should be drawn round the cooking pot before proceeding.* - Errr...ok? I'll skip that.
**Procedure takes exactly two hours to complete. -* I glanced at the time, I had two hours five minutes. Yea, I was on track. I began.
I whistled and danced as I cooked, the aroma coming from the pot was encouraging, I felt pleased with my self. I began to imagine Whitney sitting across from me on the table, enjoying and praising my master cooking skills while laughing cutely at my jokes - jokes I had memorized the previous night - yea, my jokes. I checked the time; two hours had passed and I turned off the cooker, opened the pot, the mouth watering aroma hit my nose and I grinned. I glanced at the cook book and caught the last instruction;
**When done, invite Ragondra.*
"Invite Ragondra? What the hell is..."
*Boom*! There was a sudden explosion in the kitchen, it was minimal but strong enough to split the cooker and throw me back to the wall, landing me on the floor. I shook my head and opened my eyes to behold a horrific sight. In the middle of the kitchen was.....a thing. No, not a thing, a beast, like the evil beast you see when you watch Lord Of The Rings, a demon is what you would call it, his wings, spanned the full length of the kitchen and his head touched the celling. Absent mindedly, I hugged the book and screamed.
"How? How are you able to summon me?!" His voice pained my ears, he didn't seem to be shouting but it was damn loud.
*Summon? I didn't.....* Quickly I flipped through the book, searching for where the chicken soup recipe was, my hands shook and I looked from the demon to the book then back to him.
"How?!" He thundered.
"I didn't... I don't.... You were supposed to be chicken soup!"
At that moment the door bell rang and for a split second I froze, Whitney was here. Oh no no no!
"Expecting someone?" He didn't sound so angry this time.
"Err... Yes yes my err... girlfriend. You should...errr... I don't know, go back? How do you go back?"
"I don't want to." He smirked. *Ding-dong, ding-dong.*
"What? I... I summoned you, I can order you... I command you to go back." I stretched the cook book towards him, expecting a kind of miracle like him disappearing and the kitchen coming back to normal.
He looked around then back at me, "I don't see a circle holding me back. You must be a rookie, how did you come in possession of the book?"
Circle. Circle! It was part of the instructions, I had considered that weird for making chicken soup.
*Ding-dong ding-dong ding-dong*
"You can't send me back." He morphed into me and I gasped in awe. "I might as well enjoy my time here before someone else summons me to another part of the world and I assure you it's gonna take a pretty long while. In the mean time, why don't I welcome your guest."
He slashed the air in my direction and I immediately felt my insides beging to boil, *too hot, too hot*, I was melting. I watched him step out of the kitchen, closing the door behind him, heard the front door click open. "Hey baby girl." I heard him say and I melted completely.
Been a while, let me just step away from the series a bit😌 right? @Ozzyy @Hanzell
Galexia 5
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Monday came swiftly and I hurried to work hoping to get there early and meet Fred alone, there were questions he had to answer but Fred didn't arrive on time, he came late and I couldn't talk to him, so I patiently stalked him, waiting for when he would be alone. I got the opportunity when it was time for lunch break.
Last night I had stayed up throughout, unable to fall asleep after the vision I had, the revelation shook me to the bones and I just laid there staring up at the ceiling and trying to process everything slowly. Fred and April.
April.
I flung the sheets off me and raced downstairs to the room where April was, but she wasn't there. I opened the door into an empty room, the anger in me boiled, I had been fooled into welcoming her, willingly allowing her to take Galexia right from under my nose. Thinking back, I suddenly realized that Galexia had gone the night April was first here. They had put up an excellent and rather convincing show and I wanted to know how she managed to convince Fred into doing this. Except if.....if that wasn't Fred at all.
Now, walking into the restroom, I saw Fred but he wasn't alone, Henry and Ethan were with him, I gritted my teeth in annoyance then I remembered something, I could freeze them, but then "Fred" had done that the last time we were here together and right now I didn't know if it would work but it was worth a shot. I waved my hand. Ethan and Henry froze immediately, Fred didn't.
Perfect.
I walked up to him and threw a punch, it caught him on the side of his jaw, he stumbled back, holding his jaw which was now bleeding from his lip, he looked at me in shock and anger.
"What the fuck man..!"
I swung another fist but he stepped back so I punched only air. I fumed. "You fucking b@stard! You brought her into my home! You let her take Galexia!"
"The fuck are you talking about?!"
"Ohhh now you want to play dumb? Don't you dare fuck with me Fred! Where's April?!"
"What?!" He frowned now. "What are you talking about?"
"April, goddamn it! Where is your precious wife?!"
"Wife? I'm not married yo, you need to wake up... Wake up..."
*Wake up? What the hell..!*
Slowly the words kept echoing, I felt myself drifting away from him, further and further, the room was getting smaller, the voice was now distant and the whole place was darkening. I floated, my head was spinning
I woke up to the sound of the alarm and Victoria bouncing on my bed, yelling something. I groaned and rolled over, pushing her off. What time was it? What day?
"Shards!!! Happy birthday!" She screamed. Ohh yea, September thirty, happy twenty eight birthday to me.
I opened my eyes and looked at the time. "For goodness sake Vi, it's ten in the morning."
"Get your lazy ass off that bed and come downstairs, the whole gang is here. James is already in the kitchen." She laughed and left the room.
I sprang up immediately, James in the kitchen? Lord, I hope I don't have to call the fire department again this time. My body felt weak and beaten, I managed to dragged myself to the bathroom and in ten minutes I was out, I got ready and joined the guys downstairs.
"Well, about time Mr birthday boy." James teased with a mouth full of toast.
"Vi, remind me to collect my keys from you guys." I yawned and reached for a toast but James slapped my hand painfully away. I glared at him.
"Pick up the bag, we don't have all day, we gat to mooovvveee..." He stood up heading for the door, Vi was already outside waiting.
"What's in this?" I tried lifting the bag. "It weighs a ton! I can't carry this alone."
"Don't whine, it's only camping stuff and you're just gonna carry it out to the car." He winked.
It was a struggle carrying it so I dragged it across the floor till I got to the front door. James walked ahead like a puffed up cat, stuffing his face with the last of the toast.
"Hey, looks like you've got a new neighbor." James announced as soon as we stepped out. I nodded, still dragging the huge bag out.
"And she's damn hot, dude!"
"Hmmm.." I huffed, what did they actually put in this bag, it weighed a ton.
"And she's walking over! I'mma get me a girlfriend soon!" He tapped my shoulder a little bit too hard, the bad dropped.
"Dude..! I'm not picking that up this time."
"Hey neighbor." Her voice was soft, I turned, James was already stretching his hand, he flashed her his killer smile, "guaranteed to trip any girl" as he would put it.
"Hey." I smiled
"I'm James, the ugly dude over here is Shards, what's yours cutie?"
She laughed out loud and I could have sworn that laughter sounded familiar. She took his hand and replied,
"I'm Galexia, nice to meet you."
@Ozzyy @Hanzell this....my lovies....is where the story ends😌
I'm sure you never expected this ending 🤣🤣
Scorched 5
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Khalid was a man of calm nature, and being the sheik wasn't a position for the weak. He wasn't weak, he was like the calm just before the storm, he was strict and he was brutal but he believed in tampering justice with mercy until mercy was exhausted, and his mercies didn't usually last long. His mercy towards the simple American was wearing thin, and at some point he began to wonder if he was softening up.
Standing outside his room, he let his eyes follow Omar as he walked out of the room where the American was, carrying with him a food tray, this would turn out to be a problem in the future of he allowed this behavior to continue, he had to seperate them, move her away to a place where Omar wouldn't know of, at least not until the marriage between him and Mariam had taken place. He signaled to the nearest guard to come into his room, closing the doors behind.
Megan leaned against the window, letting the cool evening breeze come straight to her face and flow through her hair, she exhaled and smiled, relishing the moments Omar had spent with her. She looked beyond the courtyard and allowed her mind drift back, back to when they were in America, to the first time they had met in New Orleans. She had come to the mall alone and wishing to actually be alone, just browsing through and window shopping, she had cried in the restroom numerous times that day having been dumped earlier that morning by her boyfriend after just seven months of dating, she thought their relationship wouldn't end.
Now standing in this wide space in the large mall holding on to her camera, she felt a sting in her eyes and her heart ached once more. She stood, lost in hurtful memories until a white material came into view, someone was offering her a hanky, she blinked and looked up at the person, he smiled a kind of pity smile in a way that showed concern and it consoled her somehow, his soft eyes held such calm emotions and she managed to smile back a little. She reached for the hanky, trying to suppress a sniff, her fingers slightly brushing his and she bowed just slightly in appreciation before turning round and walking swiftly to the nearest restroom.
They had "bumped" into each other on seperate occasions, and she smiled at the way Omar had easily eased her heart and eventually won her over. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, the cool breeze washed over her penetrating even into her soul and she felt at peace for now.
Samir stepped out of the car along side his brother, they had come to the sheik's place for important business, a business he had given all his heart to. He didn't smile when he exchanged pleasantries with the sheik who was just stepping out as they came in. He let his eyes wander round the premises, he had been here countless times on business related issues but never before had he seen her here. He looked up to the window of the third floor, where a girl leaned out of, enjoying the breeze and obviously lost in thoughts. She was American, he knew. Megan.
"She's a guest here." The sheik said when he noticed Sam staring at Megan who hadn't noticed them yet. "Come, let's go inside." He ushered them in.
As Sam walked in, he made a mental note to come here more often now that he knew she was here, he wondered for how long she had been here and how she had become a guest at the sheik's home. He had broken up with her in America to come here on his father's orders, he was a dying man so Sam had to fulfil his rights as the first son and he had to take over the business after his father died. Now seeing her, a fire rekindled in his heart warming him up, it felt good, he bubbled. He would get her back.
She wondered if she was falling for him already as she walked down the halls heading to the back garden, she had met him just once and honestly she wanted to meet him again. She felt stupid when she thought of what Saadiya had said to her about falling for him in a glance. She blushed heavily.
"You know, you should be lucky, you get to marry a young man," she had said, "Madeeha was given to an really old man you know? I do feel for her. You'll fall for Omar in a glance," she smiled. "It'll be soon."
She heard voices coming from the last room in the hallway and wondered if father had a guest but then none of that was actually her concern, she would have just walked past the door minding her business but it opened when she was a little distance away and Omar walked out. She froze on seeing him, he smiled and bowed slightly, she responded the same way in greeting, lowering her eyes. She couldn't help the smile that came to her lips, grateful that he couldn't see it because of the cloth that covered the lower part of her face.
Out of curiosity, she asked, "You came?"
"Hmmm." He nodded. "Business matters, I'll take my leave now, it was lovely seeing you again princess." He spoke without emotions as he was slightly upset which made Mariam wonder what they had discussed. Had he come here to speak of his lack of interest for the marriage? No, she doubted that, if that was what he came here for, he wouldn't have come alone. Or maybe...?
Mariam turned, heading back to her room, the thrill of going to the garden having vanished. She was happy that she had seen Omar, and she wished to see more of him. Six days now till the marriage.
@Ozzyy and @Hanzell another character to double the fun!! Haha, can't wait for a showdown 😁😋🤸♀️
Scorched 4
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Mariam laid down on her bed staring up at the ceiling and not paying any attention to the chattering of Saadiya and Parvina, they had been talking non stop of Omar, especially Parvina who had made her intentions crystal clear about him; if the marriage didn't work out between Mariam and him, she would convince her mother to talk to her father about the matter. She was after all the daughter of the King's cousin so she stood with just as much chance of getting him as Mariam.
"Mariam, what did you to talk about when he took you away?"
"Did you really tell him you were not interested in the marriage?" Parvina chipped in impatiently.
But Mariam wasn't listening, she was thinking of Omar, the man was proud and she would love nothing more than to hurt his pride dangerously. She thought of what he had said earlier and her anger rose.
*
*
"Take it off, I want to see what you look like."
She had given him a death stare to warn him of the implications of what he requested, she was not supposed to expose her face in the presence of any man except her father and husband, but the man was adamant and he tapped his foot impatiently, looking straight into her bewildered eyes.
"I am the daughter of the King, I can't show my face to just anyone." She tipped her head higher in pride. He would not be having his way with her just yet.
He chuckled. "Just anyone? I am the man set to marry you, the first and might I add, the only son of the sheik and probably or most definitely the man you would dream of tonight, should I go on... *princess*?"
He had pronounced "princess" in a mocking tone, it made her boil, how dare he! She would never give him the honor of grazing upon her extraordinarily beautiful face, not until he apologized and flung his prideful attitude out the window. She turned away.
"If you're not so beautiful, it's nothing to be shy of, except if you're as ugly..."
Mariam spun towards him, ripping off the cloth that covered the lower part of her face, she charged at him.
"There! Look! And be satisfied because you'll never be this privileged ever again!"
The girl had an attitude to match her beauty, Omar was impressed, her large eyes were perfectly curved under her long lashes, fitting into her small oval face, her lips which was pouted in annoyance was just full enough and coloured in a dangerous red. He smiled, the girl amused him, she was beautiful but he was not just about to admit it. Megan was still more appealing.
"Hmmm...not bad." With that he walked out, leaving her annoyed and alone in the room. Her face was flushed red in anger and embarrassment. *Not bad? Not bad?!* She fixed her abaaya and remained in the room, too angry to step out, they wouldn't be requesting for her presence anymore, whatever needed to be discussed would be amongst the men.
*
*
"Mariam!" Parvina yelled, bringing her attention back to room, "where is your mind?"
"Huh? What?"
"See, I told you she'd fall for him, just look at how she was daydreaming of him." Saadiya cooed. Mariam turned red in the face.
"I was not!"
"Well... Did you tell him your opinion about the marriage?" Parvina jumped on the bed to sit beside her.
"That man is as proud as a peacock! Prouder! Ugh!" She sighed, "he likes someone else but he said he'll have to marry me for her sake."
"What?? No...!" Parvina was pained. "Who does he like? Is she also a princess?"
"I didn't ask, I didn't bother to care about that. I don't want to know!" She said, burying her face into a pillow, right now she was still pretty upset.
Megan paced the room, she was bored already and really just wanted to leave. Was she going to be locked in here till after Omar's marriage to the princess? Seven days now? Wass Omar really going to marry her? If he refused and didn't go through with it, what would the sheik do to her? She crashed on the bed tiredly and just wished Omar would come and assure her that all was well and that he would never leave her. If he married the princess, she would have to return to America with a broken heart. Although he could marry as many wives as he wished but she would never agree to a polygamous marriage.
The noise outside prompted her to walk to the window. Looking down, she saw Omar and his father walking into the court yard, they were both arguing but managed to keep their voices relatively low, Omar was visibly angry when he walked out on father who turned to look up at her direction, her heart beat accelerated and she quick shrunk back into the room not wanting to be seen by him. Were they arguing about her? It relieved her that Omar hadn't forgotten her in here but it also made her uneasy that she was the cause of their argument. She just wanted to love somebody's son and get love back without any qualms, she hadn't expected this kind of violent turbulence.
When Omar barged into the room it made Megan jump in fright, then she calmed down when he smiled and ran into his embrace.
"I've missed you." She breathed into his chest, absorbing his scent, he hugged her tighter, he had missed her equally.
"She's very pretty you know?" He suddenly said, Megan broke away from the hug but still kept her hands wrapped around his torso, she looked up at him.
"What...?"
"The princess, she's very pretty."
She loosed her hold on him and folded her hands across her chest, a frown appearing on her face.
"And so..?" She was annoyed, here she was, trapped and thinking only of him and he was out admiring another woman's beauty. Omar burst out laughing, his deep baritone voice echoing throughout the room, he reached out for her but she shook his hands off.
"Ohh, you should look at your self right now, hahaha," he kept laughing. "Come here." He grabbed her and pulled her to him, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"She's very pretty, but there was someone prettier on my mind. A girl called Megan, you know her?" She slapped his chest and smiled. She loved this man so much. Leaning on his chest, she listened to his heart beat she sighed, wishing to be with him like this forever.
@Ozzyy and @Hanzell this story is going quite smoothly 😁 right now I'm not even sure who Omar will end up with. But let's keep moving!
@Leo_kitti
