*** #CLARA (The State Governor’s Daughter) ***
Episode 51
Clara’s side of the story continues from the previous episode
Scene opens at the governor’s house which looks busy as Clara and Charles get set for the journey that would change their lives forever. Charles looks overly excited while Clara looks very withdrawn. It’s very obvious she isn’t happy at all. She is seen discussing seriously with Vivian
‘’I beg of you dear sister don’t leave with that bastar.d . Don’t ruin your happiness. Don’t sacrifice your life like that. You need to be strong and stand your ground my dear’’ Vivian begged for the umpteenth time but her words made little effect on me. I was very much ready to leave with Charles, very much ready to face any outcome. It was really pointless fighting a lost battle. Perhaps I could even end up loving him, I hoped with all my heart.
‘’you know the situation of things. It’s pointless trying to stop me from leaving. Save the energy my dear’’ I muttered with a smile while Vivian shook her head in despair.
My mother and Charles walked into the room that moment, smiling happily. She drew forward and hugged me while Charles watched with a smile.
‘’my dear, I know you are very nervous. Yes your life is going to change once you step foot in Paris. You are a woman now and I wish you nothing but the best. Your father and I will be in Paris next week for the wedding’’ she breathed happily, kissing my hair.
‘’my dear we have to leave now. Your luggages are all in the car. We have to get going’’ Charles muttered while I breathed deeply.
‘’bye mum, see you in Paris’’ I managed to mutter.
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As we left the house and headed to the airport, I couldn’t help but notice two cars following us plus one in the front.
‘’why the long convoy?. You hardly use this much security?, what’s wrong?’’ I asked Charles curiously. He smiled.
‘’many things have changed my dear. I have lots of enemies including your silly boyfriend agent Val. I’m not taking any chances sweety’’ he replied while I sighed and faced the window once again. Of course I was very nervous and anxious at the same time.
‘’my love, check out this tourist magazine. I hope you can still read French or have you forgotten all you learnt in secondary school?’’ he joked after few minutes of silence, dropping a French magazine on my laps.
‘’we will visit the Louvre museum which you know is the most visited art museum in the world. We will take a boat tour of the seine river, we will climb some of the tallest towers in the world. We will visit churches of the last century, plus the classiest restaurants and cinemas. Come on dear you really have to thank me you know’’ he breathed, trying to make me cheer up but I really was far from being happy. Of course the places he mentioned and the pictures in the magazine were quite captivating and the dream of every woman but on the contrary I felt empty. I felt hollow..
Suddenly a loud explosion happened right in front of us, shattering the first car and sending our own car into a gutter. The force of impact almost knocked me out with its pressure. Everywhere instantly became dark as I struggled to get up. I just can’t explain what happened, it was just like a dream. Out of nowhere the car door in charles’s corner was thrown open as a masked man sprayed something inside the car. I instantly lost consciousness.
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Val’s side of the story continues
I nervously watched as Charles’s convoy pulled out of the governor’s house and headed towards the airport. I quickly followed, keeping a good distance to avoid being noticed. I was yet to get the necessary order to stop them and I was really getting impatient and worried.
‘’they are on the move sir. They are headed to the airport, should I make my move now?’’ I asked over the radio.
‘’just hold on, Jennifer and her team is yet to make any discovery. Just keep following them’’ the head of operations replied, leaving me hissing with anger.
But then suddenly, a loud explosion took me and my colleagues by surprise as we got to a lonely road leading to the airport, knocking out Charles’s convoy and leaving me with no choice than to apply my brakes with full force, screeching the unit car to a stop as rain of bullets rained from nowhere on Charles’s convoy, leaving his bodyguards with little or no cover to return fire.
The attackers never noticed I and my team, giving us the opportunity to take good cover and fire our F2000 rifles in quick succession, but unfortunately it made no difference to the attackers who were more prepared and probably military trained. Three smoke grenades were instantly thrown towards our direction, blinding our view as we held fire and took cover.
A minute later, everywhere was silent. We cautiously approached Charles’s convoys which were now nothing but piles of wrangled metals. The four cars took quite a hit as if they were fired at by a six pounder or an armored tank. I nervously got to the second car which the rear right door was surprisingly open.
I peeped in to see only Charles lying face first on the back headrest of the front seat, struggling to get out of the car. I quickly pulled him out while searching for Clara at the same time but unfortunately she wasn’t in the car.
‘’where is Clara you bastar.d?’’ I screamed.
‘’I guess she’s with the devil?’’ he replied, spitting out blood.
‘’what do you mean she’s with the devil?, who’s the devil and where can I find him?’’ I screamed with frustration as I made to hit him with my F2000 but was held back by my colleagues.
Tbc
To be continued