Something really terrible

Sam’s heart was beating fast, she held unto the steering of the car, with the car running but she could not move, she froze just as she had in the house.

After hearing her mother scream, she had instinctively run out of the house.

She heard Chris calling her name but she did not answer, until she was out of the house. Nothing could prepare her for what she saw next.

Her father’s body laid on the ground, battered beyond recognition. It was obvious that he was dead already.

She looked up, only for a split second and saw the man that was smirking at her mother looked up fleetingly at her. He did not register her face she thought.

“Alexander,” she whispered hoarsely to herself.

A hand yanked her back into the house and twirled her around, she came in face to face with Christiana.

“Samantha, Sam! Put yourself together and get out of here! He has seen you now. You have to protect yourself to protect your brother, go! Get out of here now! Go find Noah now!”

That seemed to snap her out of her hysteria and she began hurrying out of the house but not before she heard gunshots sounds.

Sam took deep breaths in and snapped out of her panic. She turned the key in the ignition and pressed on the gas, accelerating out of the garage.

The automatic garage gates opened up to a lonely road that was covered by bushes. Sam kept breathing through, trying to calm her nerves as the image of her father’s lifeless body kept flashing before her eyes.

“Arrrghhhh!!” She screamed and slapped the steering wheel as tears kept streaming down her face fast.

Soon she was on a highway and she had to slow down to match the speed limit of the town. She kept on driving until she found a parking spot where she could park.

She slowed to a stop and brought out her phone, dialing Noah.

“Hello?” She spoke quietly after Noah had picked up.

“Sam? What is going on?”

“Where are you guys?” She went ahead to ask ignoring his question.

“We are at that little cafe Liam likes getting ice cream from.”

“Okay, I will be there in fifteen minutes.” She promised and hung up.

Sam put the car in motion again and made a u-turn, driving to the cafe Noah had told her about.

She drove in utter silence, burying her pain deep down in her heart, she will soon meet her brother and she had to be strong for the both of them.

She arrived at the cafe in exactly fifteen minutes, a few seconds late probably but she was not bothered about that.

She quickly fixed her hair and brought out a pack of wipes from the dashboard. Taking one out, she wiped her face clean. Removing any trace of her crying previously.

She looked into the rear view mirror and saw that her eyes were a bit red but she was not bothered, she could easily rectify it by slipping on her medicated glasses which she hardly wears except when studying or at school.

She came down from the car and entered the cafe, plastering on a bright smile.

The bells of the little cafe jingled as she opened the door, she knew where she would find the duo. Liam her baby brother only sat in one spot in that cafe, she sauntered towards them like nothing had happened, like she was not crumbling inside.

As she approached the booth, Noah first saw her. She noticed his searching gaze and made sure her face remained in its poker state, something she was very good at.

“Sam!” Liam exclaimed as he saw his big sister.

Sam smiled a bit brighter so the sadness and pang of pain she felt does not betray her and breakout on her face.

“What’s up big boy!” She called out affectionately as she and her brother did their special siblings fist bump which ended up in a handshake.

She slid into the booth beside him.

“There is no ice cream for you though, I finished a long time ago but Noah said he was not ready to leave yet.” Liam pouted.

Sam looked at her seven year old brother and the sadness washed over her again, but she made sure still that nothing was reflecting on her face.

“Sure,” she drawled instead at her brother.

“I was coming over anyway, that is why he told you that I’m sure.” She glanced at Noah and gave him a wink.

The boy in question raised an eyebrow.

“Will you order an ice cream? I want another one.”

“I wish buddy, but we have to go on a little road trip now.”

Liam frowned. “Now? Why?”

“That is a surprise, you wouldn’t like to spoil the surprise now would you?”

Her little brother’s face suddenly scrunched up in the cute adorable way it does when he is thinking.

“Okay! But we still need to get ice cream for the road, should in case I get hungry.”

“No Liam.” She laughed genuinely.

“I packed some food and lots of tiny juice packs for you, with snacks too.”

Liam groaned in his childish voice.

“You’ve sold me on that Sam, let’s go!” He squeaked.

Sam stood up to let Liam out of the booth, she made to follow her brother but Noah held her hand back.

“How bad?” he asked in a whisper.

Sam shrugged and gave him a bitter smile.

“Dad is dead.” Was all she said.

Noah’s grip slackened and she went after her brother, out of the cafe.

She opened the car door while glancing around nervously, she knew she had made a mistake of letting the bad guys see her face even if it was just for a second.

She then helped her brother into the backseat after she had opened the car door and buckled him up.

“Are you sure you are okay?” She asked Liam again and the little boy rolled his eyes.

“I’m a big boy Sam, I don’t need a baby car seat.”

She raised her hands in surrender.

“I’m just asking, it’s going to be a long ride.”

“I’ll be fine sis.” Liam said with confidence and Sam agreed with him, shutting the door close.

Noah joined them outside, he held three paper bags and Sam could only guess what they were.

“You are spoiling Liam!” She exclaimed playfully.

“Who said these are for him? I got them for you.”

“How will I eat it? I’m driving.”

“No, you are not. I am driving.”

Sam rolled her eyes.

“I’m eighteen Sam, I have my own license.”

That statement made all the argument to leave Sam’s body as she collected the bags from him and threw him the keys which he caught smoothly.

She opened the passenger’s door and sat down, doing on her seatbelt.

“Let me guess, the cabin two hours out of town?” Noah asked and she nodded, peering into the bags.

Noah had gotten burger, fries and her favorite milkshake.

She checked the other bag and found fried chicken and ketchup, she gave him a look and smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Nothing for me?” Liam asked with disappointment and Noah laughed.

“There is ice cream for you and chicken nuggets.”

Liam collected the paper bag with glee and dug in immediately.

Noah inserted the key in the ignition and turned it on without a word and pulled out of the parking lot of the cafe, into the highway.

Dusk was already setting in, the sun was going down.

They had only been on the road for a little over an hour and were almost out of the town when Sam heard soft snores coming from the backseat.

She turned back and saw that Liam was already fast asleep, clutching a piece of chicken nugget in his hand.

He had finished his little tub of ice cream.

Samantha looked ahead and saw that they were approaching the checkpoint that indicated the boundary of their town.

“Will they pull us over?” She asked Noah.

“Maybe or maybe not. Legally I’m allowed to travel because I’m eighteen, almost nineteen. But then you are a minor and Liam too.”

“Oh,” she muttered.

“My mom gave me something to show to them in case we get stopped.”

“Now will be a nice time to bring it out.”

They approached the checkpoint and Noah wind down the windows.

An officer approached their car and did the normal inspection routine, he asked for Noah’s license which he provided and the papers for the car. Sam provided that alongside the little card holder that her mom had asked her to show anyone that stops them.

The officer flicked through it and waved them along.

“Be careful kids, stay safe Sam.” He said to Samantha.

Noah moved on and Sam was shocked.

“Who are her parents really? Seems like they had a lot of connections even in the police force.”

“No wonder she was so confident.” Sam muttered and Noah chuckled.

“You need to eat and sleep Sam, we still have a long way to go.”

Sam was about to protest but she realized that she really needed the food, besides the milkshake would be almost warm by now.

“I don’t think I can sleep though.” She said as she tore off the wrap on the burger and bite into it.

“What happened?” Noah asked calmly and Sam knew she had to explain everything in detail to him now.

So she started from when they were preparing dinner in the kitchen, more like their moms making dinner while she was hanging out with them in the kitchen.

Noah listened calmly as she gave him in details, everything that had happened.

He closed his eyes briefly when she got to the part of her father dead.

“You acted recklessly,” he chided her.

Sam flared.

“I know you are older than me and think that you are better but you don’t get to talk to me in that tone! You are not my father!” She snapped.

Noah glanced briefly at her face and returned his gaze back to the road.

“I know I am not your father,” he started out calmly. “But then, you also don’t get to talk to me in that bratty tone too, I might be your legal guardian soon. Who knows?”

Samantha narrowed her eyes into slits and glared daggers at him.

“It won’t work.”

Noah gave a lopsided grin.

“You don’t want to find out princess.” He replied, calling her the nickname he had given her when she was much younger.

Samantha removed her gaze from him and continued eating, ignoring him like he wasn’t in the car.

Noah was grateful for the silence, for he was panicking. He could not bear to lose his mother.

This was something they had been preparing for, he knew that his mother’s work line was dangerous.

Even though they were living with the Aaron’s, his mother would still go out for a jig or two sometimes.

She claimed that she couldn’t be indoors all day doing nothing, she loved the thrill of danger. It kept her alive but could also take her life, now something more dangerous has happened and he was uncertain about her safety. Wether she would make it out of this danger or if the danger would take her away from him.

Noah looked over at Sam again and saw that she had abandoned her meal and was dozing off, he looked back and saw that Liam was still strapped on tightly and was still sleeping soundly.

Noah stared at the time blinking on the dashboard.

Sam had said to call home in forty eight hours if they don’t get a call from home.

He knew that was a way to dispel the girl’s fears.

If they don’t hear from home in few hours today then something had happened to them and deep in his guts, Noah feels something really terrible has happened.

Something really terrible has happened or about to happen.