The horizon was glowing with bright city lights, and the pale crescent moon shone like a faint silver claw in the night sky.
A young woman looked up at the blanket of stars above her as she stretched her slim neck from the car's window. She held still for a while, gazing at the beautiful and lucid sky.
Her lips formed a bright smile, and her black eyes twinkled in the dark like the stars in the crisp, cold air. She enjoyed this serene atmosphere. The small car park was empty and quiet, and she could hear herself breathing. For some reason, this cold night felt exceptionally warm.
Ping!
An incoming message on her phone mercilessly disturbed the pristine silence.
The women kept her eyes on the dark sky as she fished her phone from her handbag. She blinked when the crude light of the screen forced itself on her eyes, and squinted to turn the brightness down.
She scrolled down her inbox, her eyes moving up and down in sync with the scrolling screen. It wasn't the message she had been waiting for. She stopped scrolling and tapped on the conversation between her and her partner, Eros.
[Me: Darling! What time are you getting home?
04:16 pm not seen.
Me: I've just finished shooting the third episode, and I sprained my ankle. It hurts...
05:40 pm not seen.
Me: Come home early if you can. I have a surprise for you!
08:57 pm not seen.
2 unanswered calls by you at 09:01 pm
Me: Eros?
10:51 pm not seen.]
Serena's lips curled down as she continued to stare at the inbox until the screen turned off to save power. Their wedding was a week ago, but her husband had not come home in the past three days. She shook her head and fumbled for her cigarettes. She thought he had been acting a bit strange before the wedding as well, but she had blamed that on common cold feet.
She wasn't sure whether she was disappointed or worried.
It was very unlike him. They used to be inseparable. He could usually not wait to get back to her, and she couldn't remember him ever being late. She tried calling him again, but the bland beeping on the other end confirmed that his phone was still switched off.
Their company that they both built from scratch had notified her that he hadn't been to work in the past four days either. Even his secretary was nowhere to be found. It didn't add up at all, but she shrugged her shoulders to shake her worries off. She trusted him, after all.
Her mind told her that he was probably very busy with something important, while her heart warned her for something she couldn't quite fathom.
She sat up straight, opened the message from the disappointing sender, and typed a quick reply. When she turned around to gather the shopping bags from the back seat, her eyes fell on the fat, pink and blue coloured folder. Another bright smile danced on her beautiful features.
It was his birthday, and she had the best gift in the world to give to him.
She was pregnant.
She carefully slid the folder into a shopping bag and climbed out of the car. The car door made a muffled noise when she closed it with a gentle kick.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
The sound of her heels echoed against the marble floor, her ankle still aching from her little accident at work. She pushed against the locked door. Locked? Oh well, Marie must be out.
Marie was the new caretaker of their villa. They had hired her a couple of weeks before the wedding when they bought the estate. Marie was a bright young woman in desperate need of a job, so Serena kindly agreed to give her a chance. She hadn't planned to hire someone straight away, but she was glad that she did. Marie would be the perfect nanny once their child was born.
She unlocked the heavy door with the elegant, ornate key. The hallway was shrouded in darkness, sending a shiver down her spine. The quiet and the dark that she appreciated outside didn't quite feel as comfortable in here. She activated her phone's flashlight and felt around for the switch.
As her eyes got used to the light, she frowned at the living room in surprise.
Everything was exactly how she had left it this morning. The breakfast plates were piled up on the dining table, the kitchen was a mess, and yesterday's newspaper with its completed crossword puzzle was still on the sofa.
What the hell is going on? A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she kicked her heels off and marched towards the cluttered dining table.
She didn't like her home to be messy. Her days at work were busy, and she had been relieved with the help she hired to keep her house clean and tidy. Why had Marrie not been in to do her job?
This was not Serena's day.
At work, she had almost slipped from the harness that held her up in the air. If it hadn't been for her co-actor Jasper, she would've hurt more than just her ankle. She had hoped for a cozy night in with her husband tonight.
But Eros was still nowhere to be found, and her home was a mess.
After collecting the dishes in the sink, she dropped into a chair and poured herself a large glass of water. Sipping slowly, Serena was lost in thoughts when she suddenly flinched.
Creak!
The faint noise drew her eyes towards the slightly opened sliding door, which led to the lawn. Why was that door open at this hour? A foreboding, ominous feeling crept up on her.
Everything about today had felt odd. As she stood up, she felt a cold gaze on her back, as though someone was staring at her with frozen eyes. She was suddenly very aware that she had only turned on one light. The darkness pressed on her from all directions.
Nailed to the floor, she tried to see from the corner of her eyes, and she cautiously turned on her heels. With a stifled sigh, she finally released the breath she had been holding,
There was no one there. Somehow, the grand wooden staircase's shape seemed distorted in the shadows.
Why was she feeling like this? There was no one in the villa but her. Or was there? Had Eros come back to surprise her? Was he outside in the garden? Her heart fluttered at the thought, and she forgot all her fears for a second.
But what would he be doing outside at this time of day? Is he trying to scare her? She relaxed a little. So he wasn't taking my calls, and now he's trying to scare me. Very naughty.
Serena was on to Eros. She finished the rest of her water with a gulp and began to walk towards the sliding door that let the cool evening air in, grinning.
She opened the door a bit more and peeked out into the yard, but she couldn't see a thing. It all looked dark and dreadful with the outside lights off.
"Eros? Are you there, darling?"
Other than the familiar sound of locusts, she was answered by an unsettling silence.
"Eros, that's enough! Will you come out now?"
There was no reply, which made sense, because there was no one there. Serena's smile fell as the disappointment flashed across her face. What was she thinking? Eros has not been home for days. Had he abandoned her?
No, that's a ridiculous thought. He loved her, and she loved him.
Serena composed herself and locked the sliding door. But when her gaze moved back from the lock to the crystal clear glass of the door, she gasped.
"Heuh!"
Her pupils widened as she tried to understand what she saw in the reflection.
Thump! Thump!
Her heart began to beat wildly, and her back broke into a sweat when her quivering eyes focused on the figure of a masked man coming up behind her.
An intruder! Definitely an intruder!
She could feel danger in the air. Her instincts told her to run for her life, but strong hands got hold of her faster than she could move. They clutched her hair harshly.
"Ugh." A small whimper was all Serena could utter from the pain in her scalp.
He began to drag her away from the door by her hair. Despite being an excellent fighter, Serena couldn't fight back. She felt paralyzed by shock. Her heart raced, and her chest tightened; it felt as if the centre of her head — right behind her nasal cavity — was being pulled back. A sound roared through her reeling mind as her knees buckled, and seemingly black clouds pressed their way into her vision.
Something was utterly wrong with her. Had she been drugged? She didn't get time to think. The intruder slammed her head forcefully against the concrete wall.
"Ugh… W-what..."
Her mind was already drugged and wrapped in chaos, and now began to hurt like hell. It felt as if her skull was trying to explode into one million pieces. She couldn't even try to stand up anymore, and her mind flickered to the life in her stomach, desperate to protect it.
Warm crimson blood gushed out of her forehead and nose.
She was on the verge of fainting when the intruder yanked her up by her collar and held her wrist with his other hand.
She was close to him, very close. Goosebumps covered her body when his warm breath fell on her face. She could smell the familiar musky-minty smell as her clouded gaze leveled with the man's cold eyes. He continued to stare at her.
Serena clutched at his grip on her collar with her free hand.
"I-I beg you… P-please don't kill me..." Tears threatened to mingle with the blood as she continued: "I don't want to d-die… I want to bring my child into this w-world… Please..." she pleaded.
Time began to move at a lumbering pace, but the man's vacant eyes didn't budge. He stared at her without blinking. She could hear the ticking of the clock louder than she had ever heard it before, until the ringing of her phone interrupted it.
Both of their faces turned towards the phone. Serena was the first to look back at him and took the chance to struggle free from his grip on her collar. She bit the hand that had been clutching her wrist. Unbalanced and sick to the stomach, she ran to pick up her phone with incredible speed.
'Jasper!'
Her shaky thumb swept across the screen to accept the call, smearing the screen with blood.
"Jasper! Help me! H-he will kill me, Jasper, hick..." She wept loudly as the intruder got back up and walked towards her like a robot, void of any emotion. The cold reality dawned on her.
He was here to kill her.
"Serena! What's happening? Hold on; I am coming over straight away!" Jasper's voice screamed in panic.
She didn't hear him as her tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the cold marble floor.
"Eros, help me... Help me..." she whispered in between her sobs as she shuffled backwards. She realized that she was trapped and that she had nowhere to run anymore.
"Don't come near me… NO! NO!" she screamed and reared her head back.
The man didn't seem to acknowledge her screams. His hands snaked around her delicate neck, and her fingers swept over the piano keys as he dragged her away.
He slammed her back against the dining table and began to choke her. His hands were cold as ice as they closed in a vice-like grip around her neck. The vacant, crazed look in his eyes terrified her as his grip became tighter and tighter until she couldn't get any air through anymore.
She fought back instinctively, her mind clinging on to the life inside of her. Her nails dug through his skin, but his grip was unyielding. She could feel her lungs burning from lack of air when she reached for his face. She needed to see whatever was behind that mask.
Her mind went blank, and she saw dark spots appearing across her vision. What possible reason can this man have to do this to me? What about my unborn child?
Thick, salty tears from frustration and terror washed the blood from her face in long, thin streaks. Her chest stung as though her heart was breaking in ways she had never thought possible.
A crooked smile formed on her pale lips as the last tears found their way across her face.
She knew she was dying. She could feel her gentle soul departing the shell that was her body, ever so slowly. She felt the weight of her upper body, and her lungs burned painfully as her legs stopped kicking. Darkness filled her lifeless eyes.
Sensing that the woman had stopped breathing, the man let go of her.
Her head fell limply to her right, exposing the dark bruises on her neck. The man stared at her pitiful state with his penetrating gaze. He pulled out a dining chair and sat down. He kept staring at her dead eyes as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag. He lifted his hand and touched the bite mark on his hand.
Lingering in the shadows, his men stared at the dead women and their boss. No one could even begin to guess what he was thinking.
The man finished his cigarette and stood up. He left without any regrets.
Serena didn't get an easy or merciful death. The twinkle from her raven eyes had long vanished as they continued to stare at the dim-lit living room.
A well-known saying tells us that your entire life flashes before your eyes, right before you die.
But Serena never experienced that romantic version of dying. If anything...
...her dramatic life didn't end here.
***