Our Hearts Beat For Anne

Anne pov

I stepped out of the reading hall with my fading lantern. Everywhere was so dark, no stars in the sky, creepy.

Night class was a part of me. It was a thing we did around here. You know, studying at night away from our hostels and comfy beds. Been doing it since my 100level and now in my 300level in the university studying chemical engineering, I couldn't stay a day or two without going. It's like my body had programmed itself because all the time I tried reading in the hostel, I ended up sleeping or was it the cozy bed that kept attracting me to lie on it, hmm who knows.

Well the thing was, I go to night class with my friends and course mates most of the time. I go alone on very few occasions and this night was one of them.

I continued down the few flights of stairs gripping tightly to my lantern straining my eyes to see clearly. It tugged on my mind to go back and wait for my fellow hypers (nerds) whom I could walk with but my brain and body were exhausted from too much reading and little sleep that I ignored the thought.

My hostel wasn't that far off so if I hurried, I would reach my room and my bed in no time. Wow, just the thought of it was making me happy.

There were no street lights on the road i was walking on cause well, the reading hall was situated in an under developed surrounding or as we called it 'sambisa forest.' But the adjacent road leading to my hostel was lighted. I had to make it there.

Two silhouette were coming from the opposite direction and from what I could make out, one was staggering and the other who seemed taller was supporting him (guessed they were guys). 'Drunks.' I thought. I quickened my steps so I could make it to the light, literally. I didn't realize I was holding my breadth when they were close until I started gasping for air.

I exhaled loudly when they finally passed "crises averted." I whispered to myself. But I rejoiced too early because almost immediately, I felt a hand cover my mouth and a hard grip on my arm.

My heart sank, "oh my God, this is not happening." I struggled to free my hands to no avail. Another set of hands grabbed my waist and I was dragged towards the bushes away from civilization.

I kept on trying to scream but they were muffled by the hand covering my mouth. "Stop squirming princess." I heard one of the delinquents say.

I was violently shoved to the ground and I felt sharp grasses piercing my skin. The hand covering my mouth momentarily left it. I shrieked so loudly but it was cut short when one of them, the taller one, slapped me across my face almost knocking me out.

My vision blurred. I shook my head vigourously to stop the dizziness.

I kept on struggling and kicking as they made their way, tugging and ripping roughly on my clothes.

One of them climbed on top of me straddling me and the other held my hands with one of his securing it under his knees crushing it, with his other hand still covering my mouth.

"Wow, she's such a tiger," the one holding my hands drooled l.u.s.tfully as his drunk counterpart worked sluggishly unbuttoning my jeans.

I didn't know how I did it but I managed to free one of my hands from the guy holding it down over my head. Working quickly, I searched and searched for anything I could use as a weapon.

My hand landed on something like a stick. I grabbed it, flinging blindly, aiming at nothing and everything.

In my bid to save myself, the stick came in contact with something soft and I pushed it further into whatever it was.

Liquid gushed from the place the stick punctured.

Time froze or was it my imagination? The guy on top of me screamed, holding his neck. He fell off me to the ground beside me writhing in pain while his friend stood, shocked by the sudden turn of event.

I sprange to my feet and dashed across the bush, making my way to the road.

I heard footsteps behind me, "he is chasing me, God am dead!" He ran past me causing me to momentarily falter. The dude kept on running until he disappeared around the bend.

I made it to the gates of my hostel, entered and exhaled shaky breaths. "Thank you Lord."

My whole body started shivering, head pounding and my teeth chattering.

My mind was in chaos because I was finding it difficult to wrap around what happened.

Amidst the whole fogginess and confusion, I could still make out that tiny part at the back of my head that kept on telling me to go back. "Its official, am going crazy." Am still trying to understand what happened and my stupid head is telling me to turn around. "I have a death wish."