Revenge Of The Dead

Chapter 1

A woman in her fifties was sitting on an armchair with her head leaning on the headrest and her eyes shut. A four-year-old girl came running to the room with a trophy in her hand.

"Granny, Granny look I won a trophy", she told with an enthusiasm in her voice.

But her grandmother didn't reply. The girl thought she might have fallen asleep, so she went beside her and shook her gently. But, the women's head fell from the headrest and her hands were icy cold.

The girl got frightened and ran downstairs to the living room and found her mom, sitting on the sofa and reading magazines.

"Mumma--Mumma----something has happened to grandma", She told panting heavily.

"Selina, what are you saying baby?", Asked her mother concernedly. Selina held her mother's hand and led her upstairs, to grandma's room.

Selina's mom, Zeenia was shocked to see her mother sitting on the armchair with her head fallen from the headrest and motionless. She ran towards her mom and tapped her cheeks gently.

"Mom, please open your eyes."

Listening to Zeenia's screams, her husband Alexander came running to the room and saw the entire scenario. He checked whether his mother-in-law was breathing.

"She---she is dead", He told with tears in his eyes.

Zeenia kept her head on her mother's lap and cried bitterly, while Alexander tried to console her.

*****

By evening, they buried her dead body and performed the funeral ceremony. Zeenia went to her mother's room and sat on her armchair, holding her mother's stole close to her. She was missing her presence a lot. She began to recollect all the memories, how her mom used to sit on the same armchair and knit woolen caps for her, how she used to narrate her stories. Everything in the room, made her miss her mother even more. Suddenly, she spotted a diary kept on the table. She took the diary in her hand and sat on the bed.

It was a brown handmade leather diary and " SOPHIE'S DIARY", was written on the cover. Zeenia never knew her mother wrote a diary. She opened the diary and saw a bunch of photographs and letters on the first page. She took the photographs in her hand and started looking at it carefully. In the first photograph, she saw eight students in school uniform. She quickly recognized her mother in the photograph, but she couldn't recognize the other seven people. In the next photograph, she saw a boy on his knees, proposing to her mother. She was about to keep the pictures aside when her eyes fell upon another guy in the same picture who was at a distance looking at her mother while the first guy was proposing to her. She kept the photographs aside and took the letters in her hand when suddenly a locket fell from the diary.

Zeenia picked up the locket from the floor and examined it carefully. It was a golden colored pendant that had the initial of "R". She kept the locket aside with the photographs and took the diary in her hand. When she was about to open the diary her husband came.

Zeenia was startled when her husband called her out.

"Baby are you okay?", Her husband, Alexander asked concernedly. Zeenia kept the diary aside and replied, "Yes, I am fine Alex"

"The cab is ready, I have kept all the luggage too.", Alexander informed.

"Alex, would you mind if I stay here a few days?", Zeenia asked hesitantly.

"No baby, how can I leave you alone, immediately after your mother's death? I would have stayed back with you, but I have got a call from boss and he wants me to join the office from tomorrow and Selina also has her sports event tomorrow.", Alexander replied.

"Alex please, I want to stay back for a few days. I'll take care of myself", Zeenia pleaded. Alexander denied at the start but later permitted her to stay back.

Zeenia hugged him tightly and thanked him.

"Take Care of Yourself, I'll try to convince my boss to grant me leave for a few more days", Alexander replied pecking Zeenia's lips.

Their daughter Selina came to the room.

"Mom dad, the cab is waiting", Selina told cutely.

"Selina baby, Mumma is not coming with us", Alexander told.

"Why?" Selina asked innocently.

"She wants to stay back for a few more days"

"So even I am staying back with her"

"How can you stay back? You're having your sports event, don't you remember?", Zeenia asked.

"Oh--it slipped off my mind", Selina told.

The driver started honking. "The driver is tired of waiting since the past one hour", Alexander laughed.

"Bye mom, I'll miss you", Selina told hugging Zeenia.

"Bye baby, I'll miss you too", Zeenia replied hugging her back.

Alexander also hugged Zeenia and told, "Take care of yourself okay?"

"Yup, you too. Go safely", Zeenia replied hugging him back.

Zeenia went downstairs to see them till the door. She bade them farewell, locked the door and went upstairs to the room.

She sat on the bed and opened the diary and started reading it--

"April 20, 1995

Time flies so fast, I cannot believe ten years have passed since Ryan and I broke up. He moved on in his life so easily, not a single letter from him. He thought I was cheating upon him, did he not trust me? He didn't let me clear out the things. It was one of the unluckiest trip, the trip to Ladakh. I cannot forget that unlucky day. Since that day, I lost all the contacts, not only with Ryan but also my best friends during school time. I went to the mall to buy some groceries, with a turmoil of thoughts. Suddenly I bumped into a girl and the bags fell from her hand

"I am so sorry----", I instantly apologized picking up her bags.

"Sophie?", The girl asked looking towards me.

"Yes?"

"I am Amber---Amber D'cruz"

"Amber, you?"

She immediately embraced me and I reciprocated by wrapping my arms around her hugging her back. Amber was my school friend, my best friend. I didn't meet her after the trip to Ladakh, ten years back.

"How are you and how did you recognize me?", I asked smiling.

"Due to the tattoo on your wrist", Amber replied and I held back my tears.

Suddenly a boy came and told, "Amber, the cab is ready"

"Abram, meet Sophie, and Sophie meet Abram", Amber told.

Even Abram was our school friend and he was dating Amber. I cannot believe that they both are still together even after ten years.

"I cannot believe, that we are meeting after ten damn years", Abram told hugging me.

"You both stay, here in the USA?", I asked.

"No we live in Dubai, together", Amber told.

"Engaged or married?", I asked and she replied blushing, "Will be getting engaged soon"

"Actually Amber had her exhibition here in the USA", Replied Abram.

"Exhibition?", I asked confusingly.

"Yup, I have become a fashion designer and I have got an opportunity to hold an exhibition in a renowned Fashion store, Gianni Versace", Amber replied.

"Oh Congratulation babes", I congratulated her. She always wanted to become a fashion designer and I was extremely happy for her.

"Abram, what about you?", I asked. "You wanted to become a doctor, didn't you?"

"Yes Of Course and I have become one", He told smiling brightly.

"Sophie, what about you?", Amber inquired.

"I'm a BBC Reporter", I replied.

"Are you in a touch with Amanda, Xavier, or Terence?", I inquired.

"Nope, by the way, you forgot to mention Walton", Amber told smiling.

"She purposely didn't take his name, isn't it Sophie?", Abram asked and I just looked away not knowing what to say. Yes, I purposely didn't take his name, as I am uninterested to know whether he is alive or dead.

"What about Ryan? Are you in touch with him?', Amber inquired, and I nodded negatively. Tears welled up in my eyes but I held them back.

"Sophie, why don't you join us today in the exhibition?", Amber asked excitedly.

"What will I do in that exhibition of yours?", I asked.

"I want to show you my designs and then after the exhibition, we are going to spent some time together", Amber started to plead and I agreed. Amber noted down my address.

" Alright, so I'll pick you up by four", Abram told smiling.

We exchanged our number. Abram and Amber boarded the cab and I went back home walking as there was not much distance between my house and the supermarket. I sat on the bed smiling. Damn, I have met my best friend after ten years. The hope of meeting Ryan has rekindled again. I just want to meet him once and want to clear out the things. 

I had my lunch and quickly got ready for the exhibition. I wore a long-sleeved, short black, knee-length dress and matched it with a pair of black wedges. I combed my long curly hairs and applied a light makeup. I wore a delicate heart-shaped pendant and a bracelet that mom gifted me on my 19th birthday. I miss her a lot since she has passed away as she got a cardiac attack six years back. Tears welled up in my eyes, thinking how alone I was. No one besides me. 

There was a knock at the door. I quickly wiped off my tears and went to open the door. It was Amber.

"Babes, you're ready?" She asked.

"Yes I am," I replied.

"Let's leave then, Abram is waiting in the car," Amber said. I locked the door of my house and we sat in the car and drove off to 'Gianni Versace' store.