Pantomaniac

Chapter 30

The car skidded. It was seconds before the front of the vehicle would collide into the road divider. Kef jammed his foot on the break.

But the car did not stop.

Kef's body jerked forward as his car smashed the steel divider. He put his arms on the steering just in time to cushion the impact on his forehead. Everything went still. Silent. Except for the sound of Kef's breathing.

He unbuckled his seat belt and scooted to the passenger's seat. The driver's door had been dented by the impact.

As Kef walked around his car, he noticed two cars slowing down by the roadside. He quickened his steps and inspected the damage. Miraculously, all his car suffered was a broken light and an awful dent at the corner and the side. The damage merged into the driver's door, creating an ugly wave of metal.

That was enough to get Kef going again. He had to get to Rina.

The man from the other vehicle had crossed the road but Kef put up his hand. "Thank you... but I'm okay. Thank you. Thank you."

Kef scooted back into his car. He released a sigh of relief the moment the engine started. Crossing his fingers, Kef started driving and he was beyond thankful that the car was still moving fine. As much as he was in a hurry, he managed to tell himself this time to drive more carefully. Another accident would do no good, he told himself.

Not even a few minutes had passed when something began to form on his windscreen. At first, he thought they were cracks. Maybe the minor accident had hit a part of the frame. But as he looked closer, all the while his car moving forward, he gulped.

He could make out the shape of the finger. Tiny. Small. Almost as cute as a kitten's fingerprints. Small palm prints were appearing on his windscreen.

One appeared on the top right corner. As it faded, another emerged to his left and before he could get the wiper going, that too, disappeared. And another one surfaced. They were the mime's palms. One after another kept appearing.

A drop of sweat fell down the edge of his hair, onto his neck and trickled down his back. Kef's eyes never left the windscreen. His heart pounded faster and faster. Without intending to do it, his foot pressed harder on the accelerator. Kef waited for the mime to appear. But seconds later, the palm stopped appearing.

Kef shook his head. Telling himself to focus, he sped. He needed to get to Rina and Maya. Fast.

*****

Rina was walking back and forth in front of her house when Kef arrived. Her mouth fell open when she saw the damage on the car. But she did not ask. No, Rina jumped straight to the pressing matter.

"She's gone, Kef! Gone!!"

Kef tried to form his words as Rina pulled at his sleeves. Tears were streaming down her cheeks like a river and his very own were threatening to start flowing.

"Calm down! Calm down, Rina. What happened?"

Rina struggled to drown her sobs. "I-I..," She coughed and cried. "I checked on her. I really...I did... really did. She was sleeping the whole night. But this morning... she... she was gone..."

Kef's mind travelled back to words Maya had screamed. No, not Maya. The foul thing that had possessed his daughter. He was certain the mimes were at work. They had warned him that Maya would be next. He contemplated between calling the ustaz and heading to the place where he knew would risk not only his life but Rina's as well. But whatever he was feeling inside, it had a strong voice. A voice that kept pulling him back towards the bungalow. He had to go there.