Her Name Was Gabrielle

I felt the pain terribly as my entire body began to shudder in perfect agony. I clasped my fist in anticipation to the routing anger and madness in me. They held me tightly, two people clutching my arms at my back as I struggled hard against them, my knees flat on the ground and my eyes covered with a piece of cloth. There were seven of them, tall shadows in the dark, laughing hilariously as I screamed in pain. Another drop of hot wax ripped off my bare skin at the back and I let out another scream.
I heard their demonic laughter like warring thunder in my ears! In my mind was a desperate hope. Maybe someone would hear me, bring others to rescue me but no! The place was deserted remote cemetery, far from the vicinity of the town. Who would hear me? Ghosts?
“Who the hell told you to touch my girlfriend?” It was a husky voice buzzing my ears in an angry whispers. For a moment my mind froze and I remembered Gabrielle, the small woman I bumped and met yesterday in the bar. I’ve almost kissed her but a bulky man suddenly appeared and hauled her helplessly out.
Abruptly a hand ripped off the cloth that covered my eyes. I can’t see clearly, I was squinting in the dark, though I saw the nearby graves in blurring light. The face of the man in front of me was not quite clear but I remembered him. That arrogant man who dragged Gabrielle! I felt another full fist booming in my face. I fall on the ground, helpless like a wounded stag.
“Stand up and fight me you little squirt!”
I rolled on the grassy area, softly whimpering as I tried to stand but it was the moment where I felt so heavy; my body sagged completely on the ground. The scratches and burns all over my body hurt like hell! I was growling and my hands trembled, weak enough even to clench a fist!
I was dragged by two people towards that husky-voiced man. They held me upwards, my knees bending and I was facing the silvery night sky.
I heard the other one near me asked, “Can we just punish him more if we can’t kill him?”
“Well yes of course!” Another hilarious laughter rang in the air.
To my horror, the man lifted up a lighted candle up to my face. “Ah this can be done this way as well!” He smiled as if he would consume me alive.
“Let’s see after this if you can still use your charming eyes to attract everybody’s girl, you wretched crrrreep!” He even emphasized the letter that showed clear his crooked teeth. They were too provocative. I wanted to tear them all down in madness so that nothing will be left for him to smile! And his devilish eyes! How I wanted to slit them out!
Slowly he pushed the candle towards my face, near my wide, wrathful eyes. He let a drop of hot wax from the melting candle in my right eyes. It made me screamed in wild anticipation. The wax devoured my entire eye sockets!
“My eyes!” I screamed as hard as I could. “Damn you all son of a bitch!” I almost heard my voice like a wild roar from a wildly beast. I staggered down and lost my senses. I never knew what happened next.

The atmosphere of that ward made me sick all over. My eyes still hurt a bit but I’ve endured it somehow. How I wanted to get this bandage off my eyes now, I wanted to see light and get off from that smelly stench of the hospital and I’d hope it will be soon. Oh those furtive thoughts!
And my mind returned to the thoughts of our conversation. I wondered why she stayed silent then. I guess she just felt pity to what misfortune had befallen me.
“So that’s how fate has brought you here.” She suddenly broke the silence.
“Well yeah, sort of. Do you feel pity for me? If you do, then can you remove now this plaster thing in my eyes so I could see the beautiful face of this nurse who took care of me?” I deemed I sounded confident yet desperate to ask that from her.
“Not now. The doctor said your eyes will need some more days to heal.”
I definitely knew that but I really wanted to see her face, her voice quite so familiar to me. I’ve heard that and I knew we had met some time ago. I called her in the name those people in that hospital called her, Gabby. Such a nice name I guessed.
“Probably I’ll be staying here and I hope it won’t be too long. I can bear a couple of weeks more if this woman with a beautiful voice will have a conversation with me often.” I was definitely teasing her.
“Well, I would love to but I still have other patients to attend to. They also need me. For now I have to go, I’ll have to meet someone down there. Have a nice day Wilson!” As soon as she was leaving, a loud husky voice from someone outdoor was heard..
“Gabrielle! Over here!”
The name resonated at the back of my brain. Gabrielle. Where did I hear that name?
I trembled. An awful coldness seized me, this soulless anger and madness soon to regain in me, desperately and hopelessly I lay in that bed. How I wanted to disappear from that place!