42 Chapter 41 - In the Blink of an Eye
Point-of-View: Aurora Pretorius
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"Sh-she's a monster, we need to get away!" Came a panicked yell.
"Yeah, we have to report this to Miss Arisu, otherwise-!" Began another, before I shot towards him, leaping at him as I closed in and tearing his head off with a furious roar.
Blood burst out from his neck as I tossed his head aside, which hit the ground and rolled away, blood pouring out of the stump.
"What the h-hell is this, we didn't sign up for this, I-I can barely move!"
"Th-this Aura capacity and pressure is ridiculous! We don't stand a chance here, retreat, now!"
Retreat? What? Do they really think I'm going to let them run away? They can't run away...not after I already decided to kill them all.
These humans...these vile humans killed my family. So I'm going to kill them all. All of them will die...die...die, die, die, die, DIE!!!
"Y-you...all of...you, I-I will...I will KILL YOU ALL!!!!" I yelled in anguish, as tears of rage and sorrow ran down my face, my fingers dripping with blood.
Why...why does it always come to this? Why...why do I always lose everything I care about...?
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*16 YEARS AGO*
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Today's the 29th of April, 2010, and I was currently on holiday in Namibia with my dad. Today was the last day, and we were going to finish off this vacation with a nature reserve tour, that was newly opened to the public.
Oh, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Aurora Pretorius, nine years old. I have light blonde hair that goes down to my shoulders, dark yellowish eyes and slightly dark skin.
I live in Zimbabwe, though I'm not from there. My mom was from Sudan, while my dad is from South Africa. My mom passed away two years ago, so I live alone with my dad now.
We're not very rich or anything, so this is my first real vacation, and it's been a lot of fun. We went hiking and camping, which I really enjoyed a lot. Tonight, we'd be flying back to Zimbabwe, we had won this vacation in a raffle, and the ticket only covers expenses till tonight, so we can't stay any longer.
"What kind of animals are we going to see, dad? I want to see a lion...oh, and a giraffe! Um, and a zebra too...I also want to see hippos, and-!" I exclaimed excitedly, as we got ready to go to the nature reserve.
"Woah, now, slow down, kiddo," He chuckled in response, as he patted my head with a smile, "Keep your expectations in check, what do I always tell you?"
"Uh...have high hopes but low expectations. Right?" I responded with a grin.
"Exactly, you got it. What that means is, hope for the incredible, but expect the mundane...that way, you won't be disappointed. That said, at the end of the way, you live the way you want to live, Aurora," He advised me as he patter my head, before suggesting as he glanced at his watch, "Now, then, what do you see we head out, kiddo?"
"Yesss, let's go!" I grinned in response, jumping up and down.
"As always, you're brimming with energy, I see," He laughed, as we headed out of the inn room we were staying in.
My parents had gotten married even though both of their parents said no. My dad said that his parents were, uh...racist? Yeah, that's the word he said. I think he said that it means that his parents only like people with light skin. But my mommy had dark skin, and my skin is a bit dark too.
And my mommy's parents didn't want her to marry my dad because, uh...oh, that's right, because they're regilious whackjobs! No, wait, I think it was religious whackjobs. I don't really understand what that means though.
Dad explained it to me, but it was confusing. What did he say, again? Something about them being obsessed with some invisible thing that doesn't actually exist, and they only like other people who are also obsessed with that invisible thing.
Dad also said that they're sick and can't be cured, but we shouldn't feel sorry for them because they made themselves sick on purpose. He said that their sickness is called religion, and it's even more contagious than the flu...the only difference is that religion is a sickness that you intentionally catch.
Anyway, we left the inn and got in a taxi, heading for the nature reserve, as I felt a sense of giddy excitement. I love animals, and I've always wanted a pet, but dad said that we can't afford it. And if we get a pet while being unable to properly take care of it, it'll get sad...I didn't like that idea, so I didn't ask again.
And since we couldn't have pets, I made do with books about animals, mostly picture books and encyclopedias. That's why I'm so excited for this, I'm going to get to see animals that I've only seen in pictures before! I could barely contain myself, I can't wait to get there.
"Don't know how you do it, after the past week, I'm pretty worn out. But look at you, still raring to go," Smiled dad, as he patted my head.
"I can't help it, this is so exciting!" I responded with a grin.
"Ah, right on cue," He replied, nodding ahead as a tall fence came into view...it's the nature reserve!
In my excitement, I had repeatedly read through the brochures for this place. It used to be a large savanna, and to get rid of poaching and other bad human acts, the government built this fence and declared this place as a haven for animals.
Lots of endangered animals were also brought here, and have formed their own habitats inside. The jeep tour that we were about to go on stuck to a fixed trail and wasn't allowed to go off the trail. And the trail wasn't too near any of the animal habitats, to avoid agitating them.
As a result, it'd probably take several tours in order to see every single species in the reserve, but I don't need to see them all. I mean, yeah, that would be amazing, but not knowing what I'm going to see is what makes this fun!
My dad then showed the guide our reservations, before we were led to a large jeep with a cage-like back, to keep us safe from the animals. There were a few other people already in it, looks like there's enough space for eight people to fit inside.
We hopped in through the back and sat down, there were three unoccupied seats left. The guide informed us that the tour would begin in two minutes, which felt like two hours to me.
"Is it time to start yet?" I asked eagerly, tapping my foot impatiently.
"It's only been ten seconds since we got in, kiddo, relax," Chuckled dad, as he ruffled my hair.
What? Only ten seconds? Time goes by so slowly sometimes. But eventually, of course, the two minutes finally passed, the guide climbing into the back as the driver started up the jeep.
"We're finally moving!" I squealed in excitement, as the jeep drove into the reserve.
I peered out through the metal fence of the vehicle, looking around eagerly. My full attention was on the surrounding scenery, there were only trees and grassy patches in sight at first, but it wasn't long before I got to see some animals.
Herds of deer and antelope were the first animals I saw, before some zebras and giraffes came into view, as well as some monkeys in the trees. Oh, there's some elephants too! This is the best, I can't believe that I'm getting to see so many animals like this...and not to be too greedy, but I want to see some carnivores too.
I was so engrossed and fixated on watching the animals that I wasn't paying attention to anything else, and in what felt like absolutely no time at all to me, about half an hour had probably passed since we drove in.
And that's when the jeep to an abrupt, screeching halt, I let out a cry of surprise as I nearly fell down, before my dad quickly caught me before I could crash onto the floor. Suddenly, a loud noise echoed out, some of the other people screaming and gasping in fear.
Huh? What's going on? The sound came from in front...I turned my gaze forward, to see four men blocking the trail, with cloth wrapped around their faces, and big guns in their hands.
"Aurora, hide under the seat, now!" Dad urged me in a sharp whisper, as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face, his eyes trembling.
"B-but, dad-," I began, starting to panic.
"Calm down! Stay quiet and hidden, pull one of those black tarp sheets over yourself and don't move. Don't worry, it'll be okay. But...if something bad happens, run back to the entrance of the reserve, stick to the trail while you-...there's no time, hide, now!" He told me, as the sound of footsteps approaching from outside the vehicle grew louder.
I wanted to say something, but his tone of voice told me that I should do as he says, and I quickly snuck under the seat and pulled the tarp over myself, laying down flat on the floor, trembling slightly. The door at the back of the jeep then creaked open, and a harsh voice snapped...
"All of you, hands up and get out. Move quickly or I will shoot!"
The sound of bullets firing then rang out, panicked screams echoing around me, but it didn't sound like the bullets were fired inside the vehicle. The floor creaked as everyone inside quickly exited the jeep, I could hear some of them crying. W-will they search to see if there's anyone else? Am I going to get caught too...?
Hm...? No, it sounds like the footsteps are getting further away. I think they moved to the front of the jeep. Before I knew what I was doing, I quietly crawled out from under the seat and crouched as I slowly moved up to the front, peering through the glass...just in time to see one of the gunmen shoot my dad in the head, before the others were shot dead too.
Huh?
Th-this...this can't be happening. This is...this i-is just a really bad nightmare, r-right? I...I...
Tears began running down my face as my body trembled in shock and despair, my knees wobbling shakily as I felt my stomach turn, my vision darkening and blurring as my breathing became strained and ragged.
I then froze as I heard the sound of...laughter. Cruel, gleeful laughter. The gunmen were laughing...my dad was laying on the ground limply, a growing puddle of blood pooling around his head, and these men were laughing, so happily.
Wh-what is this...? Just a few minutes ago, I was having the time of my life, I was having so much fun, and now...a-and now, in the blink of an eye...
Huh? I blinked a couple of times in surprise, not sure I was seeing things right. Are those...lionesses? The gunmen were drinking something out of glass bottles, and a pack of seven lionesses were quietly sneaking up on them from behind, crouching through tall patches of grass.
'But...if something bad happens, run back to the entrance of the reserve, stick to the trail...'...in that moment, dad's words echoed through my head, and the next thing I knew, I was turning around and rushing out of the vehicle, falling onto my knees as I landed on the ground.
As the sound of alarmed yells, gunfire, and vicious snarls rang out behind me, I scrambled back onto my feet and ran back along the trail as fast as I could, a whirlwind of emotions tearing my mind apart as I stumbled and raced along the trail, a painful tightness in my chest while tears streamed down my face...
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