Zeal's breathing stilled as she heard the loud clasp of thunder coming from outside. Rain was beating down heavily on the panes of the window as the car trudged along the street and meandered through the speed breakers on the road.

She couldn't see anything. Her hands and legs were tied with a thick, woven rope and her mouth was covered with a red piece of cloth that made her breath ragged every now and then.

The cackling sound of radio filled the car and she could hear the high pitched voice that sang along with the music that was being played. Zeal took note of a low guttural sound that was almost indistinct but, her sharp ears latched onto it.

This made her struggle against the rope that bound her hands as she tried to work them through and break free of the stronghold. After a while of pulling and scratching against a rusted iron, the only useful thing she could find in the car trunk, she gave up and closed her eyes briefly.

Willing her breath to come out even, she shot up from cold floor and sat upright. A metallic stench filled her nostril and she was just about to gag on the floor as the car hit a speed bump and her forehead connected with a sharp nail that was by the left corner of the passenger seat.

She let out a loud screech that deafened her ears and she blinked unbelievably. Her eyes were trained on the rusted nail that was stuck to her head as a tear slid from the corner of her eyes.

This was beyond an inhumane form of treatment. It was something vile and evil.

How could someone treat a fellow human being like an animal and tie them in a car trunk that was both stuffy and reeked of blood? That was the thought running through Zeal's head and more tears cascaded down her face. Her cries of anguish were drowned in the noisy background of the car.

Blood began to drip from the gash on her forehead as she slowly pulled it from the nail and a loud wimpher escaped her thin, pale lips. She gasped as she felt an intense pain split through her brain and her eyes slowly closed in defeat.

***************************

Hours later, the car had come to a halt and Zeal sat up painstakingly, she wiped tried to wipe away the remnants of sleep from her eye with her right hand which remained in a tight grip with her left.

Her whole body ached and her brain was foggy but then, she remembered something. Bringing out a small, switch blade that she had snuck from the metal table at the hospital, she waited patiently for what was to come.

A loud slam of the car door was heard and boots crunching on the gravel resounded through the silence that engulfed the car.

Crickets chirped in the distance and a low breathing caught her attention for a minute. It was that little girl. The one that was afraid of the evil wench, Zeal thought as she made a firm resolve in her mind to get her out.

The trunk door was slowly being opened at the sound of a loud key beep. Zeal held her breath and hid the blade behind her back. The blood on her forehead had caked and was a sore sight to see. Her hands started to get clammy as she began using the blade to cut the rope that bound her hands together.

For a full minute, Zeal continued to work through it until she heard a satisfying slit. Her hands were now free. She wiggled the rope remnants away from her and gripped the switch blade firmly.

The trunk door was fully open and the moon and the twinkling stars dotted and illuminated the night sky. Zeal felt a slight chilly breeze that made goosebumps appear on her arms as she rested her back against the passenger seat, her breath coming in spurts.

It was now or never. The evil wench appeared in her vision and blindly used her right hand to grope for her body. Zeal had squeezed herself into a tight ball to prevent her from being seen at first sight.

She could see the lady's claw nails roving in the darkness as she sullenly cursed under her breath.

Zeal held still and waited.

As her hand connected with Zeal's legs which remained bound, she dragged her out and was unaware of the weapon that she held.

Zeal's heart was thumping loudly in her chest as she slided across the length of the trunk. Finally getting close enough, her eyes veered away as she connected the switch blade with the skin of the wench.

A loud wail was heard and a body slumped on the floor. Zeal's nerve endings were frayed as she hurriedly cut through the rope on her legs and made her way to the ground.

She gasped as she saw the sight in front of her. The blade had connected with the lady's left eye and her right was in a daze. Blood gushed out from the wound as she cackled, obviously gasping for air. It took Zeal a full minute to recover.

A metallic stench suddenly hit her nostrils as she wrinkled her nose and turned to throw up on the grass twinkling with fresh dew.

Firm hands gripped her right leg in place.

"Please do- do-n't ki-ll m . . . eeee." She saw the wench stutter as her eyes grew round in fear. The moonlight partly illuminated her as Zeal crouched to her level, staring at her in the face. She watched blood gush out from her mouth as a thought occurred to her.

This was the same woman that tortured Lisie, Zeal's daughter, and tried to pry her away from her.

Realization slowly dawned on her as her fists connected with the wench's face and her breathing stilled.

She was dead. And even so, there was still that evil glint in her left eye. The one that had been functional some minutes ago. Zeal felt a sharp pain slit through the hand she had used in finishing the kill.

But that not withstanding, a wry smile escaped her lips as she cried out in victory. Her voice echoing through the still night.

Just as she tried to pinpoint where Lisie was exactly, she heard a loud wail that pierced through her ears and stalled her in her tracks.

The mother and daughter reunion was indeed a wonderful sight to behold.