A FLASH OF FEAR

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You really won't know how scared you will be until your lost your path in a dark forest with no hope of being rescued. It was already 19:00 hours and she is yet to discover her way back home. She remembered what happened the previous hours when she ran away from home cos of the excess battering she received from a man she called her father, well what did she expect since he wasn't her biological father but her step father and unlike some others who their step parents accept them as their own child, her step father didn't, maybe that's what fate has decided to give to her, she thought.

She had the beating of her life from her stepfather for not completing her house chores on time, it wasn't the first time she had been battered by him neither was it the second. She has been a victim of his physical abuse for 3years now but today was the day she summoned the courage not to stand up to him but make a run for it. She ran into the bush with teary eyes where no one can find her and out of sorrows and lack of careful thoughts she walked into the forest. Now, she is lost in the dark. She regretted not enduring all the battering. It was now 20:30hours and she could hear voices which sounded so close but she couldn't figure out the direction they were coming from.

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She was so scared to death that she hid herself behind a huge tree and suddenly, she felt someone hold her by the arm. Her breath ceased instantly and her skin became pale, she trembled with fear. She looked and behold it was her younger brother whom has come to her rescue he spoke to her rise and she did. Though she is much older than him, he was braver, he is the one who could stand up to their step father not her, he always was her knight. She wondered how he found her but didn't bother to ask cos she was so eager to get home. He held her hands as they walked together... Suddenly, she felt some kind of uneasiness, the smooth skin she held felt so rough and hard. She raised her face to look at him and realises a beast is what is holding her. She let out a scream as the beast raises up its hands to strike her.

She woke up sweating, got up to take water from the kitchen and she saw drops of blood on the floor to the sitting room. She got to the sitting room and behold she saw the lifeless body of her step father on the floor. She held his body as tears dropped from her eyes then she heard a trembling voice saying "you are next" . Next, she found herself in the market sitting in her mother's store and her mother beckoning at her. Mabel, I said you should bring sardines for the customer, she went inside to bring the sardines and came out to find her brother and stepfather walking towards the store. She was so shocked as her dream looked so convincing, so real or could she have being day dreaming or better still, hallucinations She thought.

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**I never knew I could write a story until I saw a short horror story contest of 100 words maximum by @destinysaid decided to give it a try and I was wowed that I could write a story of more than 350words so I decided to post the full story today. @jacksondavies you can find out what happened to the girl now.**

Thank you all for reading. Your comments, upvotes and resteems will be appreciated.