A Dangerous Love

Chapter One

Guys please do read the author's note at the end.

                                                                        ...................................

The young girl stared at herself in the mirror as she studied her sombre expression. Her face was deathly white, her eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red due to lack of sleep. Swallowing hard, she flicked her tongue around her lips – trying to draw some moisture to her mouth and lips.

They were back. The nightmares.

She just couldn't seem to get rid of them. The pain of loss in her chest was making her feel sick and dizzy, as she bent forward with her hands on her knees. Gulping for air, her fast breaths came out in painful gasps.

Loud sobs escaped Cecilia's mouth as the horrible memory of her nightmare came rushing back to her. It had been nine years. Nine years since that dreadful night when she had seen her parents' lifeless bodies thrown out on the ruined streets of their village, which was nothing more than a pile of stones and shattered walls.

She remembered that night when, after God knows how many hours, she had finally gained enough courage and had opened the basement door, walking out into the small dimly lit lounge.

She had studied the room with great concentration but nothing was amiss. It was the same old, and battered furniture with a dirty, torn carpet. However, that day the old house looked dark and forbidding. The wind was bitter as it tore through the narrow, small hallway and rattled the windows as she made her way to the entrance of her house.

When she had opened the door and made her way outside into the street the hot, wet air had enveloped her like a damp towel. She inhaled sharply at the scene before her, the dry air hurting her nose and burning her nostrils.

Bodies.

The street was covered in dead bodies and there was a sea of blood everywhere. Cecilia whimpered at the horrific scene displayed in front of her. She wanted her mama to hug her and her papa to take her away.

"But where were they?" She thought. Some of the town people who had survived covered their nose and mouth to block out the putrefying smell of rotting bodies. She herself coughed and retched as the horrible smell of decaying flesh wafted towards her.

Slowly she walked down the steps clutching her book close to her chest. She had just touched the ground when a familiar face caught her eye. The body was in a sitting position with her back against the wall, her eyes were open but lifeless.

It was her mother. For her eight-year-old little mind it didn't seem wrong to her. For her, her mother was just sitting. Giving a happy squeal she skipped towards her mother and stood in front of her as she said,

"Mama? Mama? I'm tired. Can we go inside?"

Unfortunately, she received no response. Her mother just stared ahead. Cecilia opened her mouth to shoot another question when a large shadow covered her small figure. Confused, she looked up and saw their neighbour of the past six years and her father's best friend, Robert. He was a tall, thin stick of a man, with hips that stood out like two tusks.

"Come on little lady. Come with me okay. You can sleep in my house today with Victoria, in her room. After that you two can play together as well." There was a small sad smile on his face as he tried to convince her.

"No!" She said in defiance. "I want to go with my mama and papa. Where is Papa, Uncle Robert? Tell Mama to wake up. She is not listening. Look, her eyes are open. She is staring at me."