SILENCE

There was silence in the room as Fernando tried to think of what Larna had said, Elisha was looking at her with tears in his eyes.

He had grown up as a good person, he had never for once stolen or cheated or hurt anyone and now he just couldn’t understand how life could turn out like that for him.

‘Just as I thought, you are a coward and you can’t do anything about it!’ she spat in his face

Ben moved from where he stood and moved closer to the three.

‘Fernando this is not part of the plan!’

‘Shut up you good for nothing son of a gun!’ he yelled

This should have scared Larna seeing how serious Fernando was but she found herself amused and laughing at them.

‘Stop laughing!’ both men said at the same time

‘Ben Ben Ben!’ she said trying so hard not to laugh

‘I told you, you were being played all along. You were just a pony on the chess board protecting the king, like the game itself you were meant to protect and sacrifice yourself for him; but look at you now. Your end is here and guess who is taking you down? The very person you trusted!’ she laughed some more

‘Stop talking or I swear I will kill you!’ Fernando screamed

‘Brother is this true? That all along you were using me?’

‘Don’t mind anything that she is saying.’

‘Look me in the eye Fernando and tell me that this witch is just bluffing!’

‘Tell me!’ he yelled again when he didn’t respond

Ben laughed an anguish laughter when there was silence.

He laughed again.

‘So this is how it has been right? You playing me for Larna, I thought this was about Ferbian. I thought this was about our brother!’

Fernando now looked at him

‘Can you repeat yourself; did you just say our brother? Ferbian was my brother, he was my blood and you were just some bastard that crawled your way into our home.’

‘Stop it right there! I didn’t choose to be born in the conditions that I was, infact I didn’t ask your mother to take me in!’

‘Aren’t you too old to be crying victim? My mother’s love was supposed to be shared between the two of us but you came in and took part of it, I never loved you! I never did and I always secretly prayed that you could varnish the same way that you appeared. But no, my brother had to be the one to be taken away and trust me I couldn’t wait for the day when I could take you down myself.’

‘Fernando.’ Larna said reading between the lines

‘I played you Ben, I used you. Each and everything I ever did was because I wanted to see your downfall. Everything and I guess now you don’t have any use any more.’ He said lifting up his gun

Ben was just standing there in hurt and disappointment

‘Fernando I gave up my life to try and bring justice for our brother, I thought blood runs deeper than water.’

‘You were nothing to me and your death won’t even matter.’ He said

Ben was too weak to argue, he had been betrayed and the worst that could ever happen to a man is betrayal from people he considered family.

Fernando moved to where Elisha was and handed him a gun.

‘Here, shoot him or I kill her.’ He said pointing his to Larna’s head

‘What?’ Larna asked

‘Do it!’ he commanded

‘Babe you don’t have to do this, remember I brought this upon our lives and you don’t have to do anything.’ She begged

Elisha was torn between listening to his wife and Fernando, he loved Larna with everything in him and he couldn’t let her die because of his weakness; he wanted to protect her till the end.

He pulled the trigger and shot Ben in the leg causing him to fall on his knees.

‘That wasn’t hard.’ Fernando said as he finished off his cousin

‘You are a monster you know that!’ Larna yelled

‘Yes a beautiful monster! A monster that you fell in love with. A monster whose name you uttered with each thrust, or have you forgotten too soon?’ he teased running his finger on her face as she tried to look away

‘Leave her alone!’ Elisha yelled

‘Well well well, see who just grew some balls? How about I show you something that will make you sick?’

Fernando connected his laptop to a projector and went to stand behind Elisha, he put the video on play and held Elisha by the head so that he couldn’t make any movement.’

‘Oh Fernando.’ Larna’s voice echoed through the sound system

‘Ah, ah ah..’ she continued to moan as he thrust deeper into her

The camera had been positioned in such a way that Larna’s face could be shown and without doubt her wildest desires had been fulfilled

‘Tell me if you still want to be with her after this.’ Fernando said when the two climaxed and the video finished playing

‘I made vows before God and my family, I will stand by her no matter what!’ he said strongly

‘Bullshit!’ Fernando yelled as he shot him on one leg

‘Oh my God you murderer!’ Larna screamed

Elisha continued to groan in pain as blood oozed from his leg

‘Why don’t you just kill me already? Why do you have to punish him?’ she yelled as tears ran down her cheeks.

‘Because guess what sweetheart, killing you won’t give me the satisfaction I need. You are already dead in the inside but I know torturing him slowly awakens emotions in you.’ He said shooting Elisha’s other leg

‘Fernando I am begging you, take me with you. Make me your slave, do anything but please don’t inflict any more pain on him.’ She begged

‘Yes Larna, seeing you beg turns me on. Do it again, make me yours once again.’ He said lifting up a knife

‘What are you doing?’ she asked with fear in her eyes

He moved to where Elisha was and grabbed the hand with the missing finger.

‘How about we make this hand uniform?’ he asked

‘Fernando.’ Larna begged as she shut her eyes

‘Ah!!!!!’ Elisha screamed

‘Look at him!’ he ordered her

Larna shook her head vigorously with eyes closed

‘I said look at him!’ he ordered

She slowly opened her eyes and seeing his fingers on the floor just made her break down.

‘Kill me already.’ She said in between sobs

‘With pleasure.’ He announced pointing the gun into Elisha’s head

The last thing she head was a banging sound

*

‘Babe!’ he yelled

‘Babe!’ he yelled again shaking her body

She opened her eyes and there he was, the kids too.

‘You were having a bad dream.’ He said as he held her

She was still shaking as he held her tighter.

‘You are alive.’ She said allowing the tears to fall.

‘Mummy are you okay?’ both Saidi and Sarah asked at the same time

‘Mummy was having a bad dream. Please leave us alone.’ He said

‘No, don’t leave the room. All of you. Please stay.’ She begged as tears continued to roll down her eyes

‘Call mum and dad, I need to speak to them.’ She added as she remembered how real the dream felt.