THE RED CHRISTMAS ??⛄
Recap/Continuation: Her muffled cries went unheard as the assailant sliced then vanished back into shadow as swiftly as they came. Ada collapsed to the ground, lifeblood pouring from the wound as her world faded to black.
CHAPTER TWO: AWAKENING TO NIGHTMARE
Holy Family Hospital ?.
When consciousness returned, it was to the sterile realm of hospitals. Ada opened her eyes to blurry forms moving around her bed, muted voices speaking in worried tones. Her throat was thick with bandages and pain so intense it robbed her even of scream. Dark dreams had plagued her long hours of sedation – of the man with frigid.
Two weeks had passed in her unconscious state, as she would later learn. Fifteen hours of surgery were required to repair the savage injury to her vocal cords and carotid artery. Though she clung to life, her larynx was too damaged ever to speak again. As doctors and police questioned the now mute Ada through pen and paper, only one fact became undeniably clear – this was no random act of violence. Someone wanted her silenced, by any means necessary. Their twisted game had only just begun.
An Abandoned House In The Midst of Woods
The air is thick with an eerie silence as moonlight filters through broken windows, casting long shadows on the stained walls. The abandoned house is a forgotten relic, shrouded in darkness and secrets. The faint sound of footsteps echoes through the empty halls, growing closer with each passing moment.
A trail of blood leads from the entrance, staining the cracked wooden floorboards. The floor is littered with broken glass, remnants of shattered vases and overturned furniture. The scene is a haunting tableau of chaos and destruction.
In the dimly lit living room, a lifeless body lies sprawled on the cold, hard ground. The victim’s eyes stare into nothingness, frozen in a permanent state of terror. The room reeks of death and despair, the stench of violence lingering in the air.
Suddenly, a sound breaks the silence—a low, psycho laugh. The moonlight pans to a shadowy figure lurking in the corner. Its form is indistinct, a mass of darkness with piercing, malevolent eyes. Something about it is deeply unsettling, radiating an otherworldly presence.
As the figure moves closer, the light reveals its true nature—a monstrous creature with a cute and handsome face, just like a teenager. His skin is mottled with scars, evidence of countless battles. This is a creature born of nightmares, a predator in a world of prey.
Holy Family Hospital ?.
The doctors were grateful Ada had survived her brutal attack, but concerned for her recovery and well-being going forward. Detective Francis Okafor of the Lagos Police had been called in to investigate, and was at Ada’s bedside when she finally woke, a notepad and pen in hand to communicate.
“Miss Ada, I’m so sorry for what you’ve endured. Can you tell me anything you remember about the incident or your attacker?” he asked gently. Ada shook her head weakly. Her memories were blurred fragments – the glint of steel, a suffocating grip, and agony beyond comprehension. She scrawled a message with trembling hands: “He was…Swift and Fast. Knew…was following. He…..Enjoyed I..t”
Francis nodded solemnly. “We believe this was no random act of violence. You were deliberately targeted. Do you have any idea who might wish you harm?” Ada shook her head again, tears pooling in her eyes at the thought of an unknown enemy. Her world had been plunged into a nightmare, and she felt paralyzed with fear. What more did this mysterious attacker want from her?
In the following days, Ada slowly regained her strength though the emotional wounds would take far longer to mend. Francis visited daily to update her on the ongoing investigation, but without clear leads the case had grown cold. Ada offered any small details she could recall, no matter how insignificant they seemed – perhaps one small clue held the key to unraveling this conspiracy against her.
One afternoon, as Ada sat gazing blankly out the window at a busy Lagos street below, a commotion arose in the hallway. Raised voices echoed down the corridor as nurses attempted to de-escalate an altercation. Moments later Detective Francis burst breathlessly into Ada’s room, panic written across his face. “We need to get you out of here, now,” he urged, already unhooking her IVs with steady hands.
Ada’s heart leapt into her throat but she did not argue, signing a swift “Why?” as Francis gathered her belongings with haste. “A man with the description you provided us with was just spotted in the hospital. We believe he’s come to finish the job,” he said grimly. Within minutes Ada found herself bundled into an unmarked police car, speeding off into the teeming city as her hospital grew smaller behind them. Who knew of her whereabouts, and how far would they go to ensure her silence was permanent?.
The streets were choked with traffic as Francis navigated through the throngs of vehicles. Ada clung to her seat in raw panic, eyes darting every which way in search of any sign they’d been tailed. A dull ache pulsed through her bandaged throat where each frantic heartbeat could be felt. This was truly a nightmare from which she feared no waking.
As they drove, Ada noticed a large truck weaving erratically ahead. Before Francis could react, it swerved directly into their path with an earsplitting crunch of metal. Their car was sent spinning across the road in a shower of broken glass and tearing sheet metal. The world twisted on its axis as safety belts cut deep into tender flesh.
When the violent motion ceased, a veil of thick smoke shrouded the mangled scene. Ada emerged dazed and bleeding from the wreckage but otherwise unharmed. With a mounting dread, she turned back to Francis still trapped in the driver’s seat – and was met with a sight that made her scream silently in abject horror.
The detective’s usually lively face was torn and pale, eyes staring unseeingly at the sky. His chest was impaled upon shards of steering wheel, a growing lake of blood and other liquids consuming the seat below. Ada stumbled toward him with arm outstretched, shaking violently as tears carved trails down filth-smeared cheeks. But even as life ebbed away, Francis managed a final choked utterance:
“Run…Ada. Go…”
And with that, his hand slipped limply from her grasp. Those kind brown eyes saw nothing more on this earth.
Ada rose on legs like twigs, every nerve urging flight as trained. But where could she run to escape this plague of murder that followed so insistently upon her heels? Little did she know her escape had only just begun, and far darker destinies yet lay in store.
Tbc
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