Chosen Topic:
That moment
'N' Level student-inmate from institution TM1
1st Prize
The moment I stepped onto the veranda, I knew something was wrong. The door was left slightly ajar, and through it, I caught a glimpse of the smashed furniture within. A sense of foreboding as thick as gloom clung onto me like a cloud while I stepped forward to enter.
I began a slow methodical search almost immediately, although I knew deep within that I would not find anything significant until I reached the third floor. I felt nothing untouched, no stones unturned. The entire place looked uninhabited, especially so it had been so thoroughly ransacked. It was pointless, yet the tiring process of searching for clues had to be conducted nonetheless. I was only bringing forward the motions, desperately trying to buy more time to brace myself for what would be expected afterwards. After forty anxious minutes, I finally stood outside the master bedroom, the only place in the entire house left uninspected. There was a sudden acrid taste in my mouth. Unknowingly, I bit my tongue hard as I pushed the locked jammed door backwards.
That very moment, I knew my life would be altered by the change of events, I could not control. Lying on my matrimonial bed was the naked svelte figure of Lisa, my devoted and loving wife of almost six years. Both her hands were hand-cuffed to the dragon bed posts that were hand-carved by a master artisan. The sheets were badly crumpled and the area between her legs was a darker shade of violet. Probably damp with fresh blood. At that moment, I felt like my soul was being ripped out of my body. The horrific sight of Lisa made me feel the shock, anger, and sadness that I could not fathom. It was obvious that she was violently gang raped before they suffocated her to death by the same people I used to work with. This was their signature method that I am very familiar with.
The truth is, I was once a member of an Italian mafia organisation. I was known as Juliano for decades of my mafia life but that identity was long gone for I am now known by my name. During that time, I was a staunch believer of Mafioso which I foolishly got myself involved into a highly notorious organisation back then in Italy. I had worked for them for a number of years before I arrived in the United States (US). The objective of coming to the States was to make the organisation known and establish it. There were thirteen of us and each of us held a specific position. I myself started as a henchman and over the years I rose and held a significant position in the upper echelon.
Over the years, I performed my duty towards the organisation exceedingly well, having subtly influenced and channeled millions of US dollars to the motherland. They’d lined their own pockets while building up their crimes chest, plotting secretly in bringing the organisation system running smoothly in the States. But by then, I was already disillusioned with the whole ideology. After many years of involvement in the organisation, I realised my mistakes and decided to make amends for my notorious life once I got married to Lisa. Unfortunately, I was arrested by the federal for international money laundering for the organisation right after my honeymoon and I was incarcerated for 10 years.
My days in the State’s prison made me wiser as I took up classes and studied business. I excluded myself from mixing with people, where crimes were unthinkable and I spent my time mostly on studies and religion. The only consolation I had at that time was God. He kept me alive and placed hope in my heart and showed me that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. God gave me the courage to stand up to my fears, my setbacks and ultimately myself. It changes everything about me that was a paradigm shift in my character except my love towards Lisa.
After my release from prison, I left my past behind me and I continued studies in business and eventually became a businessman. Apart from being a businessman I am also an extremely successful investor, having made a couple of shrewd investments and securing the exclusive rights to introduce Japanese cars into the American market in the initial years. It was hard not to be grateful to the capitalist system that enriched me. All these successful investments and opportunities were due to my hard work that made me go against the very people that prepared me to who I am today after I closed the lid on illegal activities and contributed my time for them. I thought after all my years of faithful services, I would finally be spared. But the organisation never releases anyone. You live and die as Mafioso.
After what they did to Lisa, I needed revenge. An eye for an eye. I un-cuffed my beloved wife's hands, I heaved her body towards the left-hand corner of the room. I looked at her beautiful face and could still remember her warm kiss on my lips that morning. As I fought back a tear, I called the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to provide them with all their names, their safe houses and their bank accounts in the Caymon Island where they kept most of their black money and also the list of victims they executed through the years. I even provided the FBI the locations of bodies that were buried. Moments later, I could hear multiple footsteps approaching my room. I knew who they were. With the gun ready in my right hand, release is a trigger away, waiting for what is to come…
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