Silent scre-ms batch 4

SILENT scre-mS

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Sequence 6

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She suddenly sat bolt upright in bed & scre-med so loud that it woke everyone and they rushed to her room. Her mother flipped on the lights & rushed over to her. Leila was shrieking on top of her voice with tears rushing down her face, her mother took her in her arms & rocked her back and forth in an attempt to calm her.

‘What is it Leila?’ Her mother asked, sincere concern filled in her voice she could feel Leila’s heart beating so fast and loud.

Leila was too shaken to talk & deep down she was too scared to tell her parents about what had just happened to her because she knew they wouldn’t believe her, she could still feel a little bit of pain on her th-gh, what happened to her was no accident, there was something hunting her, she had to find out who and why.

Her father yawned loudly, ‘Leila what was all the scre-ming about? I hope you didn’t wake us up just to play games with us.’

‘Daniel, how could you be this insensitive can’t you see how shaken up she is?’

He chuckled, ‘We both know she can be a drama queen. This could all be an act.’

Jada gave her father an evil eye unable to believe he had just said that, couldn’t he see the fear in Leila’s eyes? Leila was too shaken up to make all this up.

‘Let me get her some water,’ Jada said and left the room.

She came back later and handed her the water, Leila grabbed the glass of water from her sister and gulped it down eagerly she began to calm down after a few moments.

‘What happened?’ Her mother asked again.

‘There was someone in this room,’ her voice cracked in her throat.

Her father laughed, ‘Try something better.’

‘Dad!’ Jada yelled

‘I think this is my queue to get back to bed, I have no time for all this,’ he walked out and slammed the door behind him.

‘Don’t mind him,’ Jada said.

‘Mum I swear I am not making all this up, he was here and he was touching me.’

‘Who is he?’

‘I don’t know but I feel like someone keeps following me and hunting me.’

‘Hun, maybe you are just imagining things.’

‘That’s the problem with you. You never believe what I say you are just like dad.’

‘Leila, baby!’

‘No don’t touch me, you know what just go back to bed let me deal with this on my own.’

‘Maybe you should see a psychiatrist & ……….,’ she began talking but Leila cut her short.

‘You think I am mad?’ she asked eyes wide open.

‘No, talking to a professional might help, maybe all these things happening can be clinically explained.’

Leila breathed a sigh, ‘I think I need to get back to sleep please leave me alone.’

‘Leila…..,’

‘Leave mum!’’ she snapped.

‘Fine,’ her mother turned to leave, she gave Leila one last glance before walking out of her room.

‘What are you still doing here?’ She asked Jada

‘I will sleep here, I want to watch over you I swear I won’t ask a question neither will I suggest anything silly.’

Leila smiled, ‘Then you are free to spend a night here.’

*

‘That was uncalled for,’ Abby said as she got back into bed with her husband.

‘This is bound to happen.’

‘Why have the nightmares become so frequent?’

‘Your daughter might have done something to offend Ngozi.’

‘What? You think she had s€×?’

‘No I doubt she had s€× maybe she has a boyfriend.’

‘Don’t you think I would have known?’

‘That girl is secretive trust me you wouldn’t know if she had a boyfriend.’

‘So how do we deal with this?’

‘I will go over to the Kalufyanya’s tomorrow they will be able to give us some answers.’

‘Alright hun,’ she yawned silently.

‘Please get some rest,’ he leaned over and k-ssed her, ‘goodnight.’

‘Goodnight.’

*

Jada lay silent for a while before she spoke, ‘Tell me about the nightmares,’ she said

‘I thought you said you wouldn’t ask questions.’

‘Leila I want to help you but before I do that you need to open up to me.’

Leila closed her eyes as flashes of the dream came back to her, the man in the black cloak, Owen, the weird laughter plus what she had experienced in her room. She shook her head to clear those horrible images.

‘Talk to me,’ her sister held her hand.

‘I have been having these strange dreams for years now, at some point they had completely gone but now they are back and they seem so real.’

‘What are they about?’

‘A strange man whose face I haven’t been able to see but tonight was so different, this man he strangled Owen to death.’

‘Couldn’t you reach out to him in the dream?’

‘I woke up before I could do that and when I did wake up I couldn’t move, neither could I scre-m and then my door opened and closed on its own, I felt a strange presence in my room, someone was here I could feel his hands on me. Then there was this sharp pain on my th-gh before I managed to wake up.’

‘This is all so strange.’

‘Yes it is, I have been hearing voices as well. What if I am going crazy, what if mum was right and I need to see a psychiatrist?’ Fear rose in her voice.

‘Leila you are not mad but I fear if you don’t find a solution soon, you might actually end up going mad for real.’

‘What should I do?’

‘I know a traditional healer that could be able to help you.’

‘You do?’

‘Yes I do, I will make an appointment for us.’

‘As long as he is able to help me get rid of these dreams then I am game.’

‘Great, aren’t you going to call Owen?’

‘oh ya.’

She got her phone and dialed his line but it took her straight to voicemail.

‘It’s off, I guess I will have to call him the morning.’

‘Sure thing.’

‘Good night.’

‘Good night sis.’

Jada instantly drifted off to sleep. Leila lay there for a long while before she was able to fall asleep again.

 

SILENT scre-mS

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Sequence 7

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The next morning, Leila woke up with a start at the rattling sound of her alarm clock she let out a yawn as she reached across her stand and turned off the alarm. Jada was still asleep but Leila knew she wouldn’t be for long.

Leila slipped out of bed careful not to wake Jada she went straight to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and slipped out of her night gown which she stuffed into her laundry basket then she sat on the toilet seat to relieve herself and that’s when she noticed something strange marks on her left th-gh.

Leila took a closer look & she was stunned to see a symbol of a heart & the word ‘Mine’ inked on her inner th-gh of her left leg. She froze and started breathing heavily, what was the meaning of all this? Who could have done this?

‘Whose am i?’ she asked no one in particular.

‘Mine,’ came a harsh whisper and then louder, ‘Mine’

‘Leave me alone, what the hell do you want from me?’ she yelled

She heard a chuckle followed by a louder, ‘Mine,’

Then a deep rumble of laugh echoed throughout the room.

‘No,’ her breath came in deep gulps.

He kept laughing and saying that she was his.

The laughter suffocated her she crumpled to the ground and curled into a ball while covering her ears with both hands to escape the noise.

Leila didn’t know how long she been in that position till she heard a voice, ‘Leila are you okay?’

It was Jada asking, Leila could tell from the tone in her voice that her sister had just woken up.

‘Yes,’ her voice trembled.

‘What’s the matter? I heard scre-ming.’

‘Um…,’ she was thinking weather to tell her or not about the strange things that had just happened to a few minutes ago.

‘Talk to me,’ her sister worriedly said

Leila stood up and opened the door for Jada, ‘Come in.’

‘What‘s the matter sis?’

Leila took a deep breath and let it go, ‘I had one of those strange encounters.’

‘Tell me about it.’

‘Look!’ Leila pointed towards the tattoos on her th-gh

Jada’s mouth dropped wide open in disbelief, ‘Leila when did you do this?’

‘I didn’t.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘I woke up today and found this on my th-gh, Jada you have to believe me I didn’t do this, you know how much I hate tattoos.’

Jada glanced up at her sister, she could see in her eyes the same fear that she had seen the previous night, she had to find a way of helping her out or else these strange occurrences would drive her insane

‘You have to believe me?’ She desperately said.

‘I believe you Leila but all this has come to an end, we need to go out there and search for answers.’

‘What of that traditional healer you talked about?’

‘Mama Zuka!’

‘Can we go there now, please?’

’The woman in question is related to my friend Bertha I hear she is very powerful but we need to make an appointment before we go there.’

‘So how do we make an appointment and how long does it take for her to accept to see us.’

‘I will talk to my friend to make an appointment for us.’

‘Please do sis I am desperate, I will pay any amount of money.’

‘I will talk to Bertha once I get to school.’

‘Thank you for not doubting me Jada.’

‘I know you would do the same for me.’

She smiled, ‘I am lucky to have someone as kind as you for a sister.’

Jada laughed, ‘I am gonna grow wings.’

‘And I will cut them off.’

‘Dah, let me get myself ready for school.’

‘Sharp, I will take a quick bath too hope the strange man doesn’t come back.’

‘Hope so,’ she opened the door and closed it on her way out.

Once Leila was alone, she tried to examine the tattoos on her th-gh she was scared to death with the strange happenings around her. She decided to take a bath and tried to wash off the tattoos but they wouldn’t come out.

Frustrated she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel she walked back to her room and quickly got dressed then she walked out of her room to the dining room where she found everyone seated at the large table ready to have their breakfast.

She was almost going back when her mother called her, ‘Hey hun come and join us.’

Leila faked a smile, ‘Morning,’ she said

‘Morning,’ her father looked up at her, ‘Is that dress appropriate for work?’

She was wearing a white and gold summer short sleeved dress which was slightly below her knees.

‘I think its okay,’ her mother responded.

He cleared his throat, ‘I want to see you wearing longer clothes next time.’

‘But dad…’ Jada started but her father gave her the evil eye, she sneered at him but she shut up.

‘Jada, you must be more concerned with your school work, this being your final year I want to see you clear with flying colours.’

‘Okay.’

‘And you,’ he turned to Leila, ‘you need to start behaving like a married woman, take time to be in the kitchen, take part in all the house chores and please dress decently no married woman dresses sed-ctively.

Leila gave her father a hurt look, for a minute there she wondered if he was really her biological father.

‘Honey let’s eat the food is going to be cold,’ his wife said

For a few minutes they ate in silence though Leila wasn’t paying any attention to her food because of the deep sense of dread bubbling in her stomach.

‘I have to go now,’ Daniel stood up. He planted a soft k-ss on his wife’s forehead.

‘Take care of yourself love.’

Leila watched as her father walked out the door she was slowly starting to hate him, what sort of a father would marry off his child without her consent.

Jada stood up, ‘I have a test at 9 I need to get going. Do you need a lift?’

Leila managed a weak smile, ‘Nah I will walk.’

‘You are sure?’

‘Yes. A walk will do me good I have a lot on my mind that I need to clear off.’

‘Okay, I will see you then.’

‘Okay,’ she turned to leave.

‘And you won’t say bye to me?’ her mother asked.

‘Bye mum,’ she said, hurrying off before he mother could respond.

‘I think I should get going,’ Leila stood up too.

‘You can use my car.’

‘I will be fine mum.’

‘Leila um, I ….,’ she fumbled with the words

‘Just save it mum.’

She grabbed her hand bag and headed out the door.

Her place of work was thirty minutes away from her house. As a child Leila dreamt of becoming a nurse but her father would not hear of it instead he forced her into becoming a teacher & now she was working as a third grade teacher, she found this job really frustrating but she couldn’t quit because of her father would skin her alive.

Ella

So there is too much ghosting here & it’s really demolishing. Let’s try to leave feedback so I know if the story is making sense or people aren’t enjoying it.