MENACE

CHAPTER TWO : A Sheer Luck or Fate

3 weeks and 2 days have passed by since Rita woke up in a private hospital. She was quickly blown away by the torrential news covering the mass-killing incident.

"Isn't her ?"

"Yeah, the one who luckily survived.."

She heard the nurses' voice while she pretended to be asleep.

"It's really unbelievable. 48 people died, including those poor young ones...and she?"

"Right. It may sound too shocking, but it must be a work of a devil !"

"Still, atleast one soul was spared..."

Rita's ears itched. They're talking like saints out of the bible. She felt tired of hearing these conversations all day, and all she ever wanted is to go back home and forget everything happened from the start.

"How is she?"

The small group of nurses immediately scattered when someone entered.

"H-hello madam, she is currently in a normal physical condition, however she may suffer symptoms from post-traumatic stress disorder due to such cause." The young nurse explained while the other woman turned quiet.

"Thank you for looking after her.."

The nurses immediately exit to give the visitor's time with the patient.

A woman in her late 40s sat beside Rita's hospital bed and gently squeezed her hand.

"Reichan....I'm so sorry, you went through such thing." A sequence of sobs came in and she felt her hand got wet by her mother's tears. Rita's chest tightened that she struggled to fake her unconscious state.

"... I shouldn't have let you stay in this big city alone to work for your siblings. I'm sorry."

Guilt came crushing in like a ton of bricks on her head. Right, she came here to work for her family. Not to escape from her tedious reality. I am such a dumb and useless daughter. I should be the one apologizing for wishing to be dead like one of those people in the train.

She wanted to cry and hug her tight and say don't worry. She wanted to be selfishly glad that she still has the chance to redeem herself. Rita wanted to do better and she couldn't miss this tremendous luck to survive at all.

Survive? A series of scene flashed in her mind. Gunshots. Painful cries of people getting murdered one by one. A deep voice that echoes at the back of her head that clearly emphasized.

"...I need you to be alive Miss Norman."

Was she spared? Why did those people get killed? What were those men's intention?

Who was he? He called my name as if he knew me from the start.

"You'd notice right?" That chilling voice and those demonic eyes.

What in the world does he want?

A series of question kept brewing on her mind that Rita forgot time and she truly fell asleep that afternoon.

- The next day.

She finally got discharged and her life seems to come back from what it supposed to be.

Not exactly as she wished.

"From now on, you'll be quiting your job and come back with me to recuperate. When you feel much better, you can help me on the shop."

Her mother was already packing her things up and settled things in Rita's absence.

"Mom.. thank you for worrying about me, but I'm okay now so-"

"NO." Suddenly her voice now turned cold and she gazed at her daughter's lanky figure.

"I mean, you can't. I can clearly see you haven't been taking care of yourself since you've started living here for a year now. I can't believe you managed to live in this dirty apartment, and even lied about having a boyfriend so you can't marry Mr. Jan's son ! "

Rita's head hung low like receiving a judgement from the court. Her mother's words were always been absolute for her so she could never say an opposing word to explain her side.

I've been doing everything just for you.

She wanted to make her smile and be proud of her hardwork. To be someone reliable as her dad who left them when she was the age 18. To be someone that could fully support and love her family more than anything else, to the point of ignoring her own self.

Am I wrong ? Yes. I am just being in between my own selflessness and futile aspirations. Rita choked back spouting these words but instead apologised as usual.

"I'm sorry..." She could hardly whisper those weak words and followed everything what her mother said like a collared puppy.

Am I that unreliable ?

Curse it.

***

Rita came back at her hometown and embraced the warmth of her family. Her father had passed when her little siblings were just 4 and 6 years old. Therefore she worked hard with her mother at her small flower shop and worked part-time jobs to manage their living expenses.

Rita's priority was to always look after her family as what she had promised when her most admired person passed away.

/-

"Papa, I want to be a responsible adult like you too!" A deep chuckle that she surely loved echoed, and he messed up her curly hair.

"Haha Of course! But for starters, you should look after your little brothers okay?"

"Mhm!" -/

Her days full of sunshine and warm hugs were immediately drained away on her exact 18th birthday. She was grimly greeted by her adult years with the death of her father by an accident— or what they've said, but some pointed out that it happened when a criminal broke from jail and stole a taxi driver's car. He drove manically from the police but only lead to a car crash which immediately both killed the driver and the passenger. Unfortunately it was her father who rode that taxi.

Rita only knew this happened when her father's old friend helped to investigate and told her. She couldn't definitely blame anyone, except those individuals who continuously do harm in the society.

Hence she strive to be a good and responsible citizen as she grow up.

But was she? She couldn't think of herself much better after she had cause her mother to worry in a high level degree. In which made her to completely tied useless back at her home.

Ahh I need to earn more money.

"Big Sis! Pierre just got a girlfriend -"

"Shut up, Peter!" She watched her two brothers that only differed by one year, trying to make a conversation with her as they sensed her heavy atmosphere ; to possibly cheer her up.

"Hmm, make sure to treat her well, alright?"

Rita said and playfully messed their hair. She put on a high-spirited appearance straight -away, which seems like nothing ever happened just a month ago.

***

After 6 months, Rita had managed to live quietly at her house and took her time to distract her mind– positively, to heal from the trauma she'd received. Because everytime she sees the newspaper or television which reports about the incident, she get reminded by those falcon eyes which continuously haunt her sleep every night and day.

She helped her mother at her small business and positively got encourage that everything's just perfectly gonna be alright.

"The lucky survivor."

"A sneaky woman."

Except that she's been constantly reminded by these words she heard when people get to see her.

At first, a tumultuous time flowed on Rita's mundane life. News kept flying around regarding the incident that she could barely breath, as the media squeezed out any details from her which she deliberately shun. As she vowed not to remember anything by lying that she got unconscious during the attack, and kept her mouth zippered furthermore.

Needless to say, many conveyed their sympathies, whereas doubts and deprecating rumors circulated.

"She must've known something."

"Did she beg like crazy? Those people deserve it better."

"Don't get close to that woman, those criminals might come back anytime to get her."

It's sickening.

However, she was able to handle it by completely ignoring, and by focusing her sight on her family. To be better and deserving of such life she has been spared.

Unknowing the fate that has spun it's wheels, as those cold eyes haunt her once again.

"It's been awhile."

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