My Instagram Love

Episode 24

I couldn’t take the risk at the expense of my life and the life of an innocent lady who had begged me enough to quit being stubborn and obey simple instructions. I was on the verge of giving in already, but on second thought, a radical idea popped into my head and I executed it without any form of hesitation. I set one hand on the steering wheel, placed the other on the gear lever, pulled the gear lever and mashed on the pedals as fast as I could, hoping to make a run for it, and I was lucky enough to have knocked off two of those men out of the road. As I switched gears and placed my other hand on the wheel so I could steer it better, three consecutive gunshots was all we heard and my car started slowing down little by little. I tried steering, mashing on the pedals and switching gears again for it to work properly, but it surprisingly didn’t move an inch after some seconds. Antonia was crying already, mumbling a prayer and doing the sign of the cross in a manner which showed that she had almost lost all of her faith and hope of living.

When I tried to hit the pedals and steer the wheel for the umpteenth time, having the belief that the odds might be in our favor, my high hopes were soon crushed like fresh assorted fruits in a brand new grinder particularly when I came to the startling realization that the tyres of my car had been deflated by the gunshots we heard before.
Knowing what would come next if I continued acting so stubborn, I took a deep, soothing breath, blew it out and clicked on a button on the dashboard that cancelled the security protocol I had turned on a few minutes ago. At that, the doors were unlocked and I stepped out of the car after Tonia did. My hands were raised up to the sky in total surrender as I looked around, waiting for the men to come closer so I could weigh them all and predict my chances of survival if I were to engage in a fist-fight with all of them. Unfortunately, by the time they approached the car, I realized that my chances were beyond slim. I wanted to say something to the first man who was coming towards me, but before I could even open my mouth to apologize, a heavy punch caught me unawares—right in the chin, and then hard kicks and sharp blows followed from behind until I got pushed and fell down on the bare ground. I tried my best to stand up but I was outnumbered and overpowered by the furious men. Antonia was screaming at the top of her voice as she watched me getting beaten to pulp. My nose, cheeks and neck were starting to bleed in no time. My desperate efforts to regain my balance were all to no avail. I couldn’t do anything to them than watch them beat me mercilessly like a common thief, which I was not.

All of a sudden — just when I thought it was all over — the first man in front of me brought out his pistol from the back of his belt, cocked it menacingly, pointed it at me and said under his breath:
“Bastard!”

That was the last word I heard before the gunshot followed immediately.