Chapter 8 – Nightmares
“Nooo……!!!!!!”
Jolene sprang awake from her sleep, beads of sweat on her forehead, panting and shivering as she remembered the horrible dream.
The dream had haunted her sleep for the past few months. The dream that gave her no rest even when she was tired to the point of fainting. The dream that threw her into depths of despair. The dream that started because of him.
Again and again she asked herself – Why? Why her? Why him? Why Eng Tat?
She shakily reached out and switched on the light on her bed stand. The hands on her clock showed that it was 3.25 in the morning. There were an array of bottles on the bed stand, as well as a glass of water. A quick glance at the names on the bottles made no sense to the average reader. But to the trained eye, it showed the names of anti-depressant and sleeping pills.
Jolene hated them. She hated the look of them, the taste of them, the feel of them.
But now, she opened the bottles, picked out a few of the pills, put them in her mouth and gulped them down with the water. Still breathing heavily, she slumped back into the pillows and waited for the dreamless, drugged sleep to take over her, like the many nights before.
****
Jack and Eng Tat were sitting on the sofa, staring at one another. There was a plate of untouched cookies on the coffee table before them. Jack, who had been starving since he got down from the plane was in no mood whatsoever to eat, not until he heard what happened between Eng Tat and Jolene.
He blinked, and sipped the hot, black coffee that Eng Tat had made. He needed the caffeine badly. His love of coffee had never diminished, and he was touched that Eng Tat still remembered it.
Putting down the coffee mug, he looked at his friend, who had seemed to lasp into a state of withdrawal.
“Eng Tat?”
Eng Tat started, and stared at him for a long time. Too long, Jack thought.
Then he opened his mouth.
“She was raped.”
****
Shun Yee was having the best time of her life. She and Jack were strolling hand in hand on the beach, enjoying the sunset and the sea breeze and the feel of the sand beneath their bare feet. They were talking and laughing happily.
Then they heard an angry roar.
Out of nowhere, Melvin came charging into the picture with a gun in his hand.
It was aimed straight at Jack.
“Noo……!!!!!!”
Shun Yee’s eyes snapped opened.
The first thing she noticed was the dull throbbing of pain on her forehead and pain of the seatbelt cutting into her mid-section.
“Where am I?”
****
Jolene finally fell asleep, but not until she had shed a few quiet tears.
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