Bianca Page 3

  ***

  -4 -

  "Sarah"

  Her step father's dead body..!!

  The reason for being that sure..? Because she killed him when he found out that she was running away and tried to stop her..

  Looking at the dark blood stain on the corner of her suit, she recalled the bloody memory in her head.. She could still see blood exploding from his head within seconds in front of her, after she fell over it with the hammer that appeared in front of her eyes suddenly..

  She remembered his hand clinging to her arm strongly, the thing that scared her and made her lose her brains.. At that moment all the worst possible scenarios just popped up in her head.. What if he defeated her..? What if he dragged her inside and closed the door..? That was when fear got over her mind and didn't feel herself except after she fell with the hammer over his head several times. She remembered his body collapsing before her silently, while she grabbed her suitcase in horror and ran from the whole house, trying to only think about "Magdy", and how she was supposed to hurry to catch him.. If she didn't catch him, she would be stuck in this life forever..

  Looking around, she felt that her thoughts were too loud that everyone around her could actually hear them..

  Then the hallucinations started, and she started feeling that everyone around knew what she did, or at least checked her suitcase suspiciously.. They knew what you did stupid.. You think yourself smart enough to commit the perfect crime..? Sorry to disappoint you, but that man looking towards you suspiciously before having some angry words with the guy sitting on his table knew.. That waiter whispering few words with the other fat waiter while looking at you knew.. Even the woman who shouted at her child when she smiled at you knew.. All of them suspect you smarty.. There won't be a lot time before the dead body being found, and the search for the suspects among the dead man's relatives starting.. If too much time passed on you here, it would be late and you won't be able to leave the city on time..

  Taking a look at the accelerating clock's arms anxiously, then she looked at the TV turned on the news and....

  - Miss.. Someone left you this before leaving the café..

  She was startled on cutting her thoughts.. It was one of the waiters handing her a folded piece of paper.. She took it wondering whether it was “Magdy" telling her that he will be late..? But the waiter just told her that whoever left it was in the café and left.. Dammit.. Read the damn paper first, then decide what to think next.. What was written on it was one simple sentence, but it was scary enough to send shivers down her back..

  Your crime wasn't without a witness..!!

  Signature: none of your business.

  She set the paper aside silently.. Now she knew what she was supposed to feel for sure.. Fear..? Probably.. She looked automatically at the people sitting around, but none of them was looking towards her..

  But one of them must've sent her that paper for sure, because it won't send itself, right..?

  But thinking more, didn't the waiter say that the one sent it left the café..? Anyway it became far more than just a terrified girl's hysteric thoughts.. There was a solid evidence in front of her now that someone saw her committing her crime.. And what was even worse was that he didn't threaten her, nor did he say that he will call the cops if she didn't turn herself in.. Obviously he was leaving it up for her to make the move..

  Reasonable reaction then..?

  Any human being with brains should think of running away as if running from hell, but since she was dumber than average, she left herself being eaten by her thoughts for a while.. She needed to see the next topic on the news before making a Crucial decision like the one she was about to make in few minutes..

  The topic was about Finding the dead body of a guy in his forties in his flat, with smashed head by a hammer that was found next to him.. The police think that he was familiar with the killer because there were no signs of breaking in.

  Not to mention that the killer was familiar to us too, but do the cops know that it was her..? That was what she thought of, but she told herself that there was no need to worry.. In no time the police would know it was her too..

  Great.. No escape then.. The police knew about the dead body, and soon enough the mysterious witness will take care of informing them about the identity of the killer.. Mmm.. Where to escape then..? Probably to hell.

  She stood, feeling gloomy, and started heading to the bathroom.. Her purse hanging on her shoulder, trying not to look around her, otherwise she wouldn't be able to hold herself more, and would burst into tears..

  She just looked at the ghost that appeared before her eyes, that looked like her as a child.. She left the smiling ghost to hold her hand, leading her through the tables..

  The ghost tenderly held "Sarah's hand, leading the way through the corridor ending by the bathrooms, before just disappearing in the thin air after she reached the intended room, the one with the women's logo on its door.. She walked through the door quickly, before closing it behind her..

  The reporter's sound could still reach her, sneaking from under the door.. Just few scattered words about the cops still searching through the victim’s relatives

  While the gramophone was still sending her his songs, and she still couldn't understand a single word..

  Your dreams are full of madness, Mrs. Sophie..

  U had beautiful hair,

  A lovely smile,

  And eyes full of dreams.

  The one that entered your life, Mrs. Sophie..

  And told u that you were his only love?

  OK.. He was lying to you, honey.

  He ran away leaving you, Mrs. Sophie..

  Edith Piaf.. Sophie

  ****

  - You won't let them catch you "Sarah".. Right..? You aren't that stupid.. Stupid maybe but not that much..

  She heard the question from her reflection In the mirror.. She’d gone mad finally..? Probably.. She answered bitterly:

  - And what would be the suitable solution since you are that smart..?

  It answered:

  - Look in your purse.. The small mirror.. Break it.. Pick up a small piece and.... I know it will hurt a little in the beginning, but believe me it deserves it.. I promise you the pain won't last for long dear..

  And from under the door, the song was still playing...

  ****

  One sad rainy evening

  Gave to God the desire

  To take your life

  Miss Sophie

  Oh, Sophie, Sophie!

  But what possessed you

  To leave us like that

  Without telling us anything?

  You killed life

  Edith Piaf.. Sophie

  ***

  She cleared her thought, thinking that the solution it gave her wasn't that bad.. But a part of her was still afraid.. A part that was still clinging to life..

  - But.. But this way I'll go to hell..

  - Oh really..? As if you aren't in one already..?

  It answered her, smiling sarcastically.. Well.. She had to say that the bastard got a point.. She sure will end up in hell, but who said she wasn't in one already..? Maybe the hell waiting for her on the other side was better..

  - At least here I can try to make things right.. But if I agreed you now, I will end up in a hell where I couldn't change a thing..

  She answered crying, while sitting on the toilet seat, but the devilish eyes of her reflection got her attention again..

  - As if you made anything right when you had a chance.. If I were you I would take the risk.. What will you end up losing anyway..?

  - Besides losing everything literally..? Nothing I guess..

  - Until when will you be that coward..? Take the damn risk and we shall see together..

  - Don't flatter yourself.. You won't see anything with me.. I will be the one ending up taking the whole prank..

  She rested her head on the white ceramic sink's edge crying, but her reflection didn't give up, i
t shook it’s head answering:

  - Nope.. We are in the same boat sweetie.. Just hold yourself together and I'm there for you...

  She found herself thinking that her disappearance would probably change the lives of the people how knew her to the better.. Disgusting..? More of pathetic actually.. She raised her crying eyes to meet the caring eyes of her reflection.. The reflection extended its hand towards her..

  - I know you’re afraid.. But that's the only way if you don't want to hang from the rope when they discover your connection with the crime.. Are you even sure of what’s waiting for you on the other side..? It might be better.. You won't know till you give it a try.

  She looked at the pieces of the broken mirror in the sink, picked one of them and..

  And started cutting her wrist coldly...!!

  Pain..!! Pure crazy pain starting from that point then spreading through her whole body, while watching her wrist's skin starting to separate, revealing the veins and flesh underneath.. She was always disgusted from the sight of blood, so her eyes automatically went towards the corner of the room..

  She left her body collapsing on the cold bathroom ceramic floor, while around her scattered her things and her blood..

  She felt shivers running through her body, and for some reason, she found herself thinking about God..!!

  Why did she..? She stopped praying for him long ago, and stopped feeling belonging to him.. Why did she think about him now..?

  Did she really love him..? She never knew the answer for that question for sure.. Love or just plain fear from him..? And because she felt that she was somehow maltreated because her life went that way, she felt that he was away from her, so she just walked away too..

  More important question: Did he love her from the first place..? Love her though he saw her getting lost many times as a miserable piece of chess, on her way searching for a meaning for her life..? For love..? Happiness..? A search that she lost long time ago..?

  Anyway her belief in his presence or absence shouldn't affect him that much.. Shouldn't affect him at all.. Wouldn't enforce or weaken him.. The most important thing, did she have enough courage to face the possibility of her being wrong about his absence..? What will he do with her then when she faces him..?

  Stupid..? Wow.. That was new.. Anyway she took the first flight to hell already and won't be able to exit before reaching her final destination..

  Starting to feel the coldness of the walls sneaking to her soul as it was sneaking to her body, she started feeling shivers all over her body again..

  And for some reason she remembered her stepfather again..

  She remembered his disgusting touches, which made shivers running through her body even worse..

  Maybe she deserved this.. Maybe there was something wrong about her.. There must be something wrong in her after all to attract all this bad luck..

  Her body trembled again while she started feeling pity for herself.. She remembered when she was an innocent child, just like that blond little girl who was smiling at her minutes ago.. A dear child that her parents wanted nothing but her happiness.. What took her story in such a bad twist then..?

  After few minutes and some lost blood, her conscious started drifting away along with her soul.. Was that what "Veronica" felt in the novel: ("veronica" decides to die) after she finished swallowing her sleeping pills box..? She shall know shortly..

  Was the short period left in her life enough for her to know the meaning of her presence from the first place..? Why was she created at all..? Too much existential questions sweetie.. You don't have enough charge in your soul battery to answer any of this unfortunately..

  Anyway no need to even try because you are supposed to deliver your soul in few minutes to know the results of your test, though you know you are far as possible from the passing degree..

  The thread of blood running underneath her caught her attention for few moments.. She felt no more grudge, anger, or hatred towards anybody.. She felt nothing anymore mostly.. Just a tiny feeling of sympathy towards herself..

  She took another look at the thread of blood that made its way in between the Ceramic slaps as if it knew it's direction.. She took a dizzy look at the walls around her, then listened to the voices sneaking from beneath the door..

  She found herself thinking about how many idiots were passing by from outside without even knowing that someone was taking her last breaths behind that innocent looking door..?

  Her eye lids dropped down and the whole world around her started to darken..

  Just the buzzing voices of the café's air conditioner, and the coldness of the ceramic against her body..

  Couple of moments passed before the news reporter’s voice sneaked to her ears, telling another report in the same program..

  - ..... And the young man's body that was found in "Emad Eldin" street Was identified to be "Magdy Masood", a local young man in his mid-twenties, and the police is still searching for the Car driver that did that hit and run..

  And in the background, “Edith Piaf" was still singing..

  No..never..

  No.. I'll never regret..

  Not for the good things I did, nor the stupid ones..

  Cause they are all the same to me now..

  Non.. Rien de rien..Edith Piaf.

  ***

  -5 -

  " Nadine"

  - No need to tell you that I want a quick method, right..? Just a clean fast method that will take me to the other side quickly please.. I don't want to survive distorted or with permanent disability.. Can I depend on you..?

  She asked him in a low voice while looking at the body that passed beside their table.. It was the lonely brunette sitting by the window.. But she didn't seem normal to "Nadine".. Maybe her dizzy eyes and trembling body while passing quickly like a ghost between the cafe's tables..? She saw her disappearing in the bathroom, so she looked again at her companion..

  He looked at her silently for a couple of seconds, Then he told her few words that kept ringing in her ears for so long after that..

  - Yes.. You can..!!

  The answer she wanted to hear a long time ago.. Why did her body shiver at that moment then..?

  The death sentence was announced.. No changes or delays shall be done..

  At that exact moment, she felt fear starting to eat her soul.. Stupid..? Maybe.. People around her mostly told her that she was stupid and mostly made stupid decisions.. So this time shouldn't be exceptional.. But what would a normal human being do in such position..? She didn't know the answer unfortunately..

  She took another sip from her hot - now cold - chocolate drink, before raising her eyes to look at the people around.. The golden beam of sunlight entering from the big glass window got her attention .

  She started thinking about the method that guy would choose to kill her, the time he was intending to do it, and the place she would be in at that moment.. Would she be crossing the street when an anonymous car hits her and run..?

  Or would she be walking in an empty street when that guy or one of his assistants appear to her suddenly with a penknife to cut her throat..?

  Would he even use a near method like the previous, or use a different method like pointing a long distance shotgun at her heart, while he hides in a near building..?

  Shit.. Her body started to shiver again and she didn't have the guts she had minutes earlier anymore.. She started feeling regret for calling him so early.. Maybe waiting for natural death wasn't that bad after all.. At least she won't know the exact moment of death.. But remembering the sight of " Rania" in her final days, and how she was closer to the dead than she was to the living, made "Nadine" feel that she took the right decision.. For a couple of minutes at least..

  Anyway, she was going to die in few days.. What difference would it make if she made the appointment a little earlier..? Stupid..? Oh really..? That would be a new one.. She smiled bitterly while looking at her watch to decide whether to stay for some time or leave.. She
found that she hadn't been here for long, so decided to order another hot chocolate, while passing time by guessing which way will that guy choose to kill her..

  But she didn't know that he was going to meet his death few hours later, in an attempt from a thief to rob him, while the hit man was going to buy cigarettes.. Not a complete successful job unfortunately, because it ended up by him trying to fight the attacker, which made the thief stab him with his penknife, a stab that centered through his heart right away, before the thief running away scared, leaving his victim bleeding his blood and soul in that empty alley, with no chance of being discovered before the morning..

  She didn't know that her attempt to cheat death was a failure, and the one she chose to be her angel of death shall walk away on her, leaving her alone facing death In the exact moment that suits it.. Slowly.. Painfully.. Non predictable.. But that's unimportant to us now.. Let's go back to the café to see what the coming moments hold for us..

  ****

  -6 -

  "Yousry"

  Something was weird about that café.. “Yousry" could sense that.. The moment he entered he felt like he walked into a time machine that took him to the nineteen fifties or something..

  Was it the walls covered with pink wallpaper in some places, and wood in others..? Or was it those records hanging on the walls in many places..? Or was it the old gramophone in the corner that didn't stop playing old "Edith Piaf” - his favorite singer - songs..?

  He walked through the tables without looking to anyone, and sat on the first empty table he passed by..

  He closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, trying to grab his nerves together, and trying to forget the murder that he just saw.. That guy's dead body lying on the floor, and the shock he saw on the blonde's - that was driving the car- face, before grabbing herself together and run away with the car before anyone noticed her, and finally the blood leaking from the guy's smashed head quickly to the street floor.. The guy who was moments ago crossing the street quickly, and was just full of life, carrying a bunch of roses that were now scattered around his lifeless body.. What drove him mad was that the killer would run away without punishment..