Blood and Bondage

Nora’s POV.

“Shoot her!!!” his harsh, stern and firm voice commanded, making fear grip me. He was seated in an armchair, smoking his hemp and exhaling it in a single puff. His men surrounded him, each heavily armed, as if waiting for a directive to strike.

The 10-year-old me was standing, holding a gun with my little trembling hands, aimed at my own mother. That wasn't my first time holding a gun, as I had practiced with it every day of my life since I was age five. But that was my first time of pointing it at a real being, my mother at that.

“Shoot my mother? How can I?” I thought as my hands continued to tremble, with my eyes fixed on my mum, who was consumed with fear. Her eyes, filled with fear and anxiety, were pleading with mine, begging me not to pull the trigger ……. to save her life.

“Are you deaf? I said to pull the trigger!!!” Dad’s resonating words hit my ears so hard, that the gun fell off my shaky hands.

“I …. I can’t, Daddy” I stammered with my voice trembling, out of fear of the wrath that I was about to face. Hearing those words, his eyes turned red and he steadily got up from where he was seated.

He threw the hemp he was smoking on the floor and stomped on it with his foot. As he took each step towards me, his steps felt heavy and right where I stood, I peed on my body out of fear.

Before I knew it, he closed the gap between us and landed a loud resonating slap, that could make one lose his hearing on my cheek. The pain I got from the slap circulated through my body, making my knees weak. I fell to the ground, unable to maintain my stand, my palm on my cheek that hurt.

“Did you just go against my order? Did you just say NO to me, bitch? Huh?” he yelled angrily, as he stomped on me repeatedly with his feet. Each kick was like a blade, piercing through my skin. I was hurting, groaning in pain but my father failed to see that.

He continued to kick me until he was satisfied, with my mum pleading for him to stop, wanting to come in between us, but was restrained by his guards who kept her from moving an inch.

“James, please. Please, let go of her. She is hurting. I am the one who offended you. Please, hit me instead” Mum sobbed, repeatedly begging for him to stop. But all her pleas fell on his deaf ears.

After minutes of trashing me up, he finally stopped. Him stopping made me realize how badly I was injured. The pain which was meant to reduce after he stopped, only intensified, making me wallow in pain.

I tried lifting my hands but I couldn’t. My belly hurt and so did other parts of my body. I was covered in bruises and blood came out of my mouth as I coughed. The pain was excruciating, and I had thought that was my last day on Earth, but miraculously, I survived.

“I should let her go? I should hit you instead? HELL NO!!! The punishment for what you did is greater than getting bashed up. How dare you cheat on me with this thing?” he annoyingly asked, pointing in the direction of his right-hand man, who had been shot dead by him.

The betrayal he got from mum was consuming him, which was quite evident in his eyes.

He found out mum was cheating on him with one of his men, who happened to be his right-hand man. He couldn’t forgive their betrayal as he had always told me forgiveness was a weakness; a weakness that could get one trampled over.

“How could you? You ridiculed me, you tarnished my image!! The punishment for your sin is death, and you will surely get that right now; at this moment” he firmly said, his voice resonating another wave of fear in Mum.

Mum’s lips trembled, as if she was trying to say some words, but the words never left her throat.

“Get up, idiot. Get up and do what I told you to do” he yelled at me, urging me to get to my feet. But I couldn’t, as I was too weak to move.

“You don’t want to, right? You love this your prostitute of a mother that much? " Then, it’s better you both die together!!!!” he said, his voice unwavering, which showed he meant what he had said. Pulling out his gun from his back pocket, he aimed it at me, ready to pull the trigger.

Sensing the danger, mum yelled, forcing her way through his guards, to where I was lying and where he was.

“James please. Please, don’t. Don’t kill our daughter. Kill me instead, take my life” she desperately pleaded, as she knelt in front of dad, sobbing profusely.

“Then, if you do not want her to die, tell her to get up and do what I instructed her to do. That’s the only way she can live”, he responded, his voice devoid of empathy.

As his wife who had known him for more than 13 years, Mum knew what he had said was the only way to save me. It’s either she dies or we both die. So, she moved to me, held my hand in hers and said:

“My love, I want you to know that I love you and will forever do. Even though I will not be here with you physically, I will forever be with you in spirit, watching over you. I do not wish to leave you now, but there is nothing I can do as this is the only way to save us. I love you, baby girl. Do take care and stay strong” she said softly to me, as she kissed my forehead, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Picking up the gun which I had dropped earlier, she placed it in my hand, cupping my fingers around it. I knew what she was trying to do ……. I tried resisting, tried stopping her, but I couldn’t as I was too weak to even lift my hands. My eyes pleaded with her not to but her eyes instead showed that her mind was made up.

I shook my head, hot tears rolling down my cheeks, softly whispering the words “Mom, don’t” to her, but she only smiled at me. She laid beside me, held my hand which the gun was in and aimed it at her forehead.

With the words ‘Goodbye, Mon Amour” leaving her mouth, she pulled the trigger and what I saw next was the blood of my mother, splashing on my face.

That night, she sacrificed her life to save mine, but I wished I had suffered the same fate as hers. Because, the coldness of her loss haunted me forever.