Beldame Forte

A cool breeze swept across the campus, waking a particular sophomore student in the process. Gasping for air, he felt sweat trickle down his forehead. He looked at his mobile phone and checked the time. 6:12 pm. It was time to go home. The Council meeting had ended about half an hour ago. Dale Winter had fallen asleep in the conference room after the meeting finished. It was almost natural since Dale had been busy with his school activities and it seemed that he was bound to arrive home late once again. He had been scolded about it numerous times but it was inevitable. Activities from the Student Council had been pressuring him, as well as responsibilities in his extra-curricular organization. It wasn’t an easy life but it was something he had gotten accustomed to. This night however, was something different.

The evening bus was filled up as usual and varied scents were prominent. Dale stood somewhere along the aisle of the bus along with about ten other people just as eager to return to their homes. There was hardly any standing space left yet the conductor continued to let passengers in. People could be heard speaking ill of the conductor and some even spoke loud enough for others to hear then others would concur in silence. Dale almost missed his stopped as he had difficulty fighting his way through the crowded bus to reach the only exit.

Cars passed by and the night sky was covered with a layer of both clouds and smoke. It was difficult to distinguish but it didn’t really matter. Dale lived in a condominium that had been dilapidated through the years of the old coup d’etat. The old wooden door to his home had many scratches and didn’t look like it would hold out much longer. No one answered. Pulling out his key from his wallet, he inserted it and pushed the door open. The creak of the door echoed through the small condo and Dale proceeded to his room. As he stepped through the darkened hall, the scent of blood was evident in the air. He flipped the switch for the light and stepped back as he saw the pool of blood beneath his feet. Dale took another step back but tripped on a small toy of his baby sisters’. The assailant, still within the condo, heard the noise from the hall. Dale tried to stand but slipped on the blood and felt that it was still warm. Thoughts began to clutter his mind and fear clouded his judgment. He was panicking.

Dale turned and began to crawl for safety. It was dark in the rest of the hall but he made his way to the dining table and tried to secure a spot beneath the table. The light was turned on and Dale watched closely for any sign of the attacker. He slowly scanned what little he could see of the area around him and began to hear faint footsteps from the distance. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead and Dale could feel his body slowly going numb from fear. A man appeared from the hall Dale came from. The man wore jeans similar to his own and held a knife which was stained in blood. Dale mustered what strength he could to prevent making any sudden movements which may draw the man’s attention.

From underneath the table, Dale could only see the man’s legs and the knife he used to slay whomever he already encountered. He wasn’t sure whether everyone in the house had been killed already or if there were any survivors. It didn’t really matter to Dale anymore. The only thing that did matter at the moment was his survival. Selfish as it seemed, it was the instinct of any man: To preserve oneself. In this case however, he was confined to underneath the table. Should he go beyond this, his life would perish.

Dale took slow, deep breaths as the man looked for the one who distracted him away from the room. This man was cautious. He knew there was someone else who may pose a threat to his presence. To ensure his victim would not escape, he first locked the main door which was not too far away. The ceiling light in the dining room flickered as he took each step as if waiting for a chance to surprise him. Blood dripped from the blade he held in his right hand. The blood was still warm from the flesh it had been plunged into. How sweet the sensation was for him. The screams of agony from his victims gave him pleasure beyond his own understanding. All he understood was that he wanted more. He wanted to be the thread on which his victims life hung by. The light flickered once more. This time however, the light did not flash back on. Once again, both men were surrounded by darkness.

The man squinted and tried his best to adjust to his new environment. Then he heard something. Dale’s mobile phone began to ring and broke the dead silence of the dining room. As the man peered through his pitch black surroundings, he followed the sound to underneath the table. Dale fumbled to reach his phone to shut it off but it was too late. Despite the darkness, it was not difficult to see the man’s eyes filled with madness. Dale was quick to push a chair towards him and made his way to the opposite direction. The man stepped back and tried to locate Dale. He squinted once again and saw Dale dashing towards the kitchen.

Outside the house, the rain began to pour down from the evening sky. Everything was engulfed in the rain as if trying to wash away the blood that had been spilled. The man slowly made his way into the kitchen, ready to counter any attack Dale may attempt. Lightning flashed and through the kitchen window, the man was able to see Dale with a kitchen knife. He was quick to dodge the knife and pushed Dale towards the dining room again. Dale tried to run towards the main door but realized that it was locked. He tried to unlock it but the man caught up with him.

Dale barely managed to evade his death but as he tried to make his way to another path, he slipped on the blood he had slipped on earlier. He twitched in pain as his elbow slammed on the floor. The man felt sure now of his victory. This was another moment for him to relish. Dale on the other hand felt all hope fall away as the man took every step. His heartbeat quickened as the fear of finally losing his life began to sink in. An unexplainable feeling began to reside within the now limp body of Dale. The man crept above Dale and raised the blade above his head. Lightning flashed once again and through the window Dale was able to see the face of the man who would bring him death. He was shocked to see the man’s face was his own. Everything in Dale’s vision faded into white.

A cool breeze swept across the campus, waking sophomore student Dale Winter in the process. Gasping for air, Dale felt sweat trickle down his forehead. He looked at his mobile phone and checked the time. 6:12 pm. It was time to go home.