Chapter 8

"Somebody help me!" I kept screaming as I kicked the boot repeatedly, trying to escape, "no! Please, help!" I sobbed hysterically, unable to get the image of my brother's lifeless body, blood pooled around it as they dragged me away and threw me into the boot no matter how much I fought and screamed but they lifted me like I weighed nothing. 

The tears felt scorching hot as they poured down my face in numbers and I'm sure I probably won't ever speak again with the way I've used my vocal cords in the past few days, especially in the past few minutes...or was it hours? You kind of lose track of time when you see the bullet lodged right in between your brother's eyes. 

I knew the car was moving at great speed, with the way I kept rolling around in the boot as the car swerved and the tires screeched outside. I was heading straight towards my death as I kept screaming and kicking, but I wasn't going to go down without a fight. 

All too suddenly the car stopped and I gasped, holding in my breath and my sobs quieted down before I heard the sound of two car doors slamming shut and then the sound of heavy footsteps. 

The boot was opened and sunlight blinded my eyes and I shut them for a quick second before I looked frighteningly at the two big burly men in suits. They both reached for me at the same time and I started fighting. Scratching, biting, kicking, everything you can think of- I did it all. Yet again, I was like nothing but a toddler throwing a tantrum because they picked me up and started dragging me as I screamed for help. 

"Help!" I shouted as loud as I could but one of them covered my mouth with his hand and I tried to bite it but he held my mouth so tightly I could barely breathe. 

My eyes frantically looked around and saw that we were in a bushveld, covered by tall brown crunchy grass and thick trees. There was no sign of birds or of any kind of life here as they kept dragging me further away from the sleek black foreign car. 

"No, please," I pleaded when he took his hand away from my mouth but instead stood behind me, brought me to my knees and held my arms behind my back. I turned my neck sideways to look at him, hoping to appeal to him in some way, "I won't tell anyone I saw anything, I swear." 

I looked around quickly at the other man who just cracked his neck and I felt my heart almost still but also pick up its pace at the same time, as I shook my head repeatedly, "what are you going to do? Kill me? I haven't done anything wrong," I said to the two, my voice panicked and fearful, "I'm innocent!" 

They both just laughed as I watched the other reach behind his back and then pull out a gun along with a handkerchief. Taking his time to shine the gun, like it wasn't about to commit the ultimate sin of murder. 

I held my breath, and with sudden strength I don't know where appeared from, I hit the man behind me with the back of my head- using every bit of my energy- and before the other guy could do something I hit my head against his groin and he groaned. 

As though I knew exactly what to do, I grabbed his hand which was holding the gun, pointing it at his foot, and pressed his finger on the trigger and he yelled out loud. I didn't let him do anything else as I grabbed the gun from his hands and pointed it at his stomach and pulled the trigger a second time. 

The gun shot was just as loud and the trees seemed to sway in fear of the sound before I felt myself being tackled to the ground and I moaned in pain as my head hit the ground where sharp stones poked into my forehead and mouth. 

I started to fight beneath this man as I kept throwing my head back, hoping to hit him with the back of my head again but he knew this time not to get too close and instead wrapped his thick arm around my neck and started to squeeze real tight. I started scratching at his arm relentlessly and felt tears coming down my face, my head felt like it was going to explode as I started to lose oxygen with each breath. 

I looked around and saw the gun just an inch from my face and I reached for it and pointed it carelessly in my direction, aiming just a bit higher with my shaking hands and pulled the trigger. 

The man's weight on my body felt like I was carrying an entire car as he fell limp on me and I let out a cry of relief as I felt his arms loosen around me and I laid my head on the floor for just a split second. 

Quickly realising that I had no time to waste I threw the man off me as I turned over and took several loud breaths, my chest heaving up and down and my stomach doing summersaults. I rushed to my feet and looked at the two dead men, bleeding away on the brown grass. 

I stood and reached to the man who was strangling me and reached into his pockets, searching for his gun. I found it and pulled it out as I gripped it tightly into my hands. The heavy foreign objects weighed heavily in my tiny pale, but mostly pink hands as I shut my eyes, feeling anger, so much anger swell up inside me as I turned my head in the direction that we had come. 

That son of a bitch Leonardo was going to pay.

I held the two guns up as I started to walk back to that sleek black car- I was going to avenge my brother. I was going to kill that bastard and show him exactly who he had messed with. 

I grit my teeth together with each step, I felt like I had stepped into someone else's body as I held the guns like they belonged in my tiny delicate hands. I was covered in blood; my bare feet were drenched in the blood of those two men and my own brother whose blood had pooled around my feet as I stood before him. My hands were covered in blood from patting down the bodies of those deceased guards for weapons. 

No doubt I looked like I had been through hell but one thing was certain as I stood outside the sleek black foreign car where Leonardo sat inside, texting on his phone, unaware as I opened the car door and climbed inside the car as though I had been invited; I was neither vengeful nor a murderer, but a lot can be achieved when you've been pushed past breaking point by an Italian man. 

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