She tried to thrash the weakness in her body; gasped and coughed, straining for air.
The acrid smell of the cigarette she held in her hands wasn't good for her, but she kept inhaling it and exhaling through her nose.
She whimpered hoarsely and struggled weakly, fast running out of energy and will.
She gulped the second bottle of dark rum and coughed, then sucked air in through her mouth.
She felt terrified, as if she was experiencing claustrophobia.
Her stomach had started paining her, but she was so drained in the alcohol that she was drunk and didn't feel much of the pains.
"God go punish you!" She yelled. Dazed and nauseated, and choking from the acrid smell of the cigarette.
"I say my God go punish Una!" She coughed again uncontrollably.
"Harrison and her mother are fools! poor wretched fools....oh my Harrison. My Harrison...You hurt me!" She kept yelling, futile as it was.
Her chest was squeezing so tight that it hurt so bad.
Then she began to feel thrushes of blood running through her panties. She began to hum sorrowful songs to herself, mumbling senseless words.
The door suddenly clicked open, and all she heard was, "Why are you smoking in my house?"
Linda said with an angry stare. The whole house was stinking ethanol and mint cigarette.
All she could see was that the dullness in Atimma's eyes were grieved, and that the slump In her shoulders was defeat, and that she had never seen her smoke before. She stared at her for a while.
It was just too much to take in, she thought of how much she must have hurt her friend.
"Atimma I don't like this. Why are you smoking?" She asked again with a gruff voice. She got choked and started coughing.
"Is that you Linda Darling?" Atimma asked in a strange but weak tone. She was obviously drunk, but could not control it.
"It's me." Linda replied softly.
"A lawyer said you stood for me in court, thanks to you. You divorced my husband for me, so that you can take him."
Linda's heart skipped.
"What are you talking about?"
"Do not say that crap! you're a liar, you took away everything from me!" She screamed as she pulled out the gun from her pyjamas which had starting draining blood.
"Jesus!" Linda exclaimed at the sight of the gun. "Listen Atim, please do not pull the trigger. There are bullets in that gun."
Atimma laughed strangely like she was possessed.
"Oh My best friend. You dealt with me. I was so foolish I would have known. From the day I met you, things started turning around negatively.
You know who you are? A killer! you have killed me! yes you have. You have taken away my joy and everything."
"That's not true. Harry wanted to divorce you. He doesn't want you anymore. He told me he loved me, and that he will marry me if I make you sign the divorce papers..." She said in a shaky tone.
"Liar! Harry will do no such thing. Even if he agreed to a divorce, he will never marry you. He never liked you being my friend.
He hated your nose rings, he hated the color of your hair, he will never marry you! He just deceived you, but you will never live to realize...."
"Look Atim, you're bleeding... please I need to take you to the hospital!"
"I will kill you right now..."
Remembering back, Linda was amazed at how callous Atimma had been. In reality, she is been numb, running on nervous energy and caffeine, desperate to be her friend and sister. And now, she was the embodiment of everything she had lost.
And then Atimma pulled the trigger. Linda fell on the floor, pain exploded in her Brain after few moments.
Something smelly and hot covered her legs. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't see. Her legs were kicked out from under her and she was dragged across the floor.
She tried to scream, but when she took a deep breath, all she got was a lungful of smokes. She coughed, choked and coughed again.
Then like a flash of lightning, she knew she was shot the third time on her laps. Adrenaline shot through her, and she forced air into her burning lungs and screamed.
Atimma whacked her upside the head with something heavy. She rolled and kicked, trying to get her feet under her, screaming at the top of her lungs.
She plastered a strip of tape across her mouth, cutting off any sound she might have made.
Then she heard the siren wailing in front of the house.
She squinted against the bright blue and red light that flashed from the siren. Her pale body thinning, her bloody look, her red teary eyes shinning brightly.
©reserved
Written by Vicky Bon
June 2, 2017
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