SHOCK
EPISODE 1
WRITTEN BY RUKEVWE MERRY
As 15-year-old Daniella was walking home from church on that sunny afternoon, she suddenly felt a pressing need to urinate. She had been holding it in for a while, but now it was becoming unbearable. She looked around for a suitable place to relieve herself and spotted an uncompleted building nearby. It was the perfect spot – secluded and out of sight.
As she entered the building and made her way to a corner, she began to prepare herself to urinate. But just as she was about to squat down, she started hearing voices. At first, they were faint, but then they grew louder and more urgent. A man and woman were pleading for their lives, begging someone to spare them.
Daniella’s heart skipped a beat as she froze, her bladder forgotten. She decided to hold herself and stood up, trying to make sense of what was happening. Who were these people? And who was threatening them? She took a cautious step forward, her ears straining to pick up more of the conversation. And that’s when she saw them A husband and wife, Alice and Justice, were tied up on the ground, their eyes filled with fear, tears, and desperation. They were surrounded by two men, James and Jude, who were giving orders to three goons. The heartbreaking aspect of the situation was that James and Jude were Justice’s brothers.
Alice pleaded with them to spare their lives, begging for mercy. “Please, don’t ki!! us. We’ll give you everything we have.” Justice tried to reason with his stepbrothers, adding, “Guys, please. Think of our son, Daniel. He’s just 18years, Spare us for his sake.”
However, James sneered at his brother, “You should have thought of that before you refused to give us money to start our business. Now, we’ll take your money for ourselves.”
Justice replied, “But I have helped you guys a lot in the past. You should have asked me again. I’m your brother, for crying out loud!”
Jude chimed in, “Stepbrother, to be exact.
It means we own all you have, but you chose to spend your money on your wife, Alice, and your son, Daniel, forgetting us, your elder brothers.”
James added, “Yes, and don’t think about Daniel. We’ll get to him too. He’ll p@y for your mistakes, for not making us rich as you are.”
Alice begged, “Please, don’t hurt our son! He’s just a child!” But James and Jude just laughed. “You should have thought of that before,” James said. “Now, say your last prayers.”
The goons moved closer, their guns raised, and Alice and Justice knew their time was running out. They closed their eyes, praying for a miracle, but it was too late. “Pull the trigger,” James ordered, and the goons ended Alice and Justice’s lives in an instant.
The traumatic event left Daniella in a state of catatonia. She was unable to speak or move, her mind frozen in fear. She somehow managed to walk home, but the shock of what she had seen had rendered her mute. From that day on, Daniella suffered from selective mutism, a condition where she was unable to speak due to the trauma she had experienced.
Her parents took her to see a psychiatrist, who diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Daniella mind had blocked out the ability to speak as a coping mechanism to deal with the horror she had witnessed. The psychiatrist prescribed Daniella some medication to help her cope with her symptoms. She was given a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) to help regulate her mood and reduce her anxiety. She also received a medications to help her relax and sleep. With time and therapy, Daniella started recovering from the horrific scene but she was still mute,she could only communicate with writing and sign language
Five Years Later
Daniella gained admission into the university to study Business Administration. She was studying fine, but people made jest of her, calling her a deaf and dumb girl. Most times, Daniella would cry, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t speak.
Tbc
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Β© Rukevwe Merry
