Caught Between Two Hearts

Anne's POV

I stepped out of the reading hall into darkness. My rechargeable lantern was fading, and the starless sky offered nothing but a thick, unsettling abyss.

I gripped my lantern tighter and started down the flights of stairs, straining my eyes against the dark.

It tugged on my mind to go back and wait for my friends, but my brain and body were exhausted from too much reading and little sleep, so I ignored the thought.

Night class has been part of my life since freshman year. Studying away from the hostel, away from the pull of a soft mattress, made reading feel… worth it. Now, in my 300 level, studying Medical Laboratory Science, I couldn’t go a single night without it. My body had practically set its own schedule. Every time I tried reading in the hostel, I’d wake up an hour later with my face in the notes and no memory of drifting off. The bed had its own agenda, and it was never academic.

Usually, I'd leave with a friend or coursemate. Tonight, however, I'd decided to go back alone.

Foolish me.

The hostel wasn’t far. Just a few steps, and I’d be in the light. The road outside the hall was unlit, an undeveloped stretch we called the ‘Sambisa forest.’ But the street leading to my hostel was bright. I just had to reach it.

What could possibly go wrong? From where I was, I could literally see the security house in front of my hotel gate.

I was safe…or so I thought.

Two silhouettes appeared from the corner. One was staggering, leaning onto the taller one.

'Drunks’

I quickened my steps so I could make it to the light, literally. I didn't realise I was holding my breath as they drew close, until I started gasping for air.

I exhaled loudly when they finally passed. "Crisis averted," I whispered to myself.

But I rejoiced too early, because almost immediately, I felt a hand cover my mouth and another grip 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 into the bushes.

I kept trying to scream, but the hand over my mouth muffled me.

"Stop squirming, princess." I heard one of them say.

I was violently shoved to the ground, sharp grasses piercing my skin. The hand over my mouth momentarily left it. I shrieked, but it was cut short when the taller one smacked me across the face, almost knocking me out.

My vision blurred.

God!

I shook my head hard to stop the dizziness.

I kept struggling and kicking as they pulled at my clothes, tugging and ripping them roughly.

One of them climbed on top of me, straddling me, while the other held my hands, securing them under his knees, the weight crushing into my veins.

"Wow, she's such a tiger," the one caging my wrists muttered, sounding amused by my struggle.

His drunk counterpart worked sluggishly, unbuttoning my jeans.

He yanked at my oversized shirt, tearing the fabric and exposing my stomach. His hands hovered for a second, like his drunk brain was struggling to process what was happening.

"Dude! Get on with it already so I can have my turn," the other hissed impatiently.

He continued, still fumbling sluggishly with my shirt but before he could do more, his eyes met mine and he froze.

Even in the dimness, I could see his eyes widen in shock as he stared down at me.

“No,” he said, shaking his head, his hands quivering as he pulled them away and staggered off me.

“Are you kidding me right now!” The other guy fumed.

I immediately flung my leg, aiming for the head of the person holding my hands, but he dodged it, then punched me across the face.

Everywhere blurred again. This time, I was certain I would pass out. I could already feel my body going limp.

“You're a simp! You only had one job!”

He shoved the drunk guy aside and took his place over me.

I tried to move my hands but they felt like dead weight. It was as if my brain had lost control of my body. I felt paralyzed.

This was it. They were going to have their way with me, probably kill me and leave me out here.

‘I should've waited,’ I thought as a tear slid down the side of my face.

“Dude, no, no, no, no!” The drunk guy chanted, coming over. He made a clumsy attempt to push the guy off of me, but the guy shoved him away, and continued. He was now sliding my jeans off of me.

“Come on, man. This is wrong, please!”

He came again, this time, grabbing the guy by the collar and pulling.

It was as if his actions gave me strength because out of nowhere, I felt a surge of energy.

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to move one of my hands. Working quickly, I searched the ground around me for something…anything I could use as a weapon.

My hand landed on something hard and stick-shaped. I grabbed it and began swinging blindly at nothing and everything.

In my desperation, the stick connected with something soft, and I drove it in harder, not knowing what I'd hit.

Liquid gushed from wherever the stick had punctured and splattered across my face.

Time seemed to stop…

Then someone screamed, clutching his neck. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain, while his friend shot to his feet, shocked by the sudden turn of events.

I sprang to my feet and took off, dashing through the bush and back onto the road.

Soon after, I heard footsteps behind me.

He's chasing me. God, I'm dead.

The footsteps caught up with me, then went past me. I faltered, confused. The man kept running until he disappeared around the bend, leaving his partner behind.

I made it to the gates of my hostel, entered, and fell to the floor.

I couldn't yell or scream. My whole body was violently shaking as I laid there.

"Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord," was all I could mutter.

My head pounded behind my eyes while my teeth chattered uncontrollably.

My mind was in chaos. I couldn't wrap my head around what had just happened.

I was going to be raped. Just like that. They had wanted to rape me. This was the kind of thing I heard about on the news and saw on social media. This was something I never once believed would happen to me.

"Oh, God. I stabbed that drunk guy."

I looked around, there was no one in sight. Not even the security guard. That man was bleeding out down there, if he hadn't died already.

I stared at my bloody hands. For a split second, the thought of going into my hostel, taking a long hot bath, diving into my bed, and pretending it was all a nightmare seemed like the best move. But then it hit me, I would be killing someone if I did nothing.

I sprang up and began pacing, ignoring the pounding in my head.

I was scared.

I wanted to cry out and wake the whole building but I didn't want to face the shame that would follow. I didn't want this nightmare to become real in front of other people.

Beneath all the fog and confusion, a small voice at the back of my head kept telling me to go back before it was too late. I could administer first aid, then call for help afterward.

"It's official, I'm going crazy," I muttered. Here I was, still trying to understand everything, and my brain was telling me to turn around.

What if he wasn't dead?

What if he wasn't even that badly hurt, and was actually furious, sitting there in the bushes, waiting for me?

But his partner had run, right? That had to mean something, didn't it?

I took a long, deep breath and sprinted back the way I came.

"I have a death wish."