Fate (Completed)

Short Story

Crying, sighing, wondering what else life would throw at her, Ajani lie in her bed, on her stomach, grieving at the loss of her mother, her best friend, her only hope.  Her mother was killed for unpaid drug uses. The dealer had given her mother two months to pay fifty thousand back, and because her mother couldn't and wouldn't do it, the drug dealer lived up to his promise of killing Ajani's mother with his bare hands. 

Memories of the event that had taken place days earlier continuously played throughout Ajani's mind. She could remember the man picking up her mother by her neck and choking the life out of her, after previously beating her. Ajani's eyes watered, the man had killed her mother in the worst way, slowly and painfully.

What was she to do, now? Ajani was a twenty two year old woman who worked at Louie's Place for a living, which was a private grocery store in the heart of Helena in Montana.  She was a simple woman who confided in her mother for everything, her mother was her rock, even though she was formerly strung out on crack.

As Ajani wiped another tear, her eyes fell upon an old picture of her and her mother. They were outside on the porch. A glass of lemonade sat by Ajani's leg as her mother twisted her hair into kinky twist braids. Ajani remembered the pain she constantly endured from the beautiful braids and, though she loved the results, she never wanted to revisit the torturing twists.

Ajani smiled as she observed as her mother's concentration in the picture. Even when her mother didn't try to be, she was absolutely gorgeous. Her mother was known as one of the most beautiful women in all of Helena, which meant Ajani had an angelic beauty to her, also.

Ajani put the picture on her pillow and walked to her bathroom, preparing for work. She got herself together, and in less than two hours later, she was out the door of her two-bedroom condo.

As Ajani drove to work, the radio played played Have You Ever Loved Somebody by Brandy. Brandy's words began to get to Ajani, so she cut it off before it would get too far. As Ajani stopped at the red light, she knew she would be late for work. The street light was particularly slow when it came to the lane she was in. She quietly cursed, wondering why she even got in the lane.

The time hit 7:03 A.M, and, at last, Ajani was in "Louie's Place" parking lot. Ajani walked in her job looking as if she had the utmost confidence, when, in reality, she wanted to give up on everything. Her mother had taught her better than that, though. She knew she couldn't give up, no matter what.
"Ajani, can you please clean up aisle 5?" Ajani's boss, Mr.Nelson, asked.  Ajani willingly obeyed, and went off to do her job.

As soon as work started, it ended, well, in Ajani's eyes. She walked out into the cool of the night, looking for her 2012 Honda Civic. The parking lot was full with cars who had parked her only to go elsewhere. As Ajani got closer to her car, she heard a loud thump behind her, then feet running.
"Probably just children." Ajani carelessly thought. 

Right now, she just wanted to get home and get some sleep. Today had been a long day, as she inched closer, she began to spot someone in her backseat. Her heart dropped and she stopped in her tracks. She had nowhere to go, she had closed down the grocery for the night and she knew she wouldn't get inside in time.

"Get in the car and drive." A deep voice had commanded her. She felt cold metal being pushed against the back of her head. Tears began to roll down her face, today's events had definitely taken a toll on her. If she had a dollar for every tear she had cried, she would, soon, be living in the lap of luxury.

"Hurry up!" The man forcefully pushed her towards her car. She sobbed and open the door, sitting in one of the most uncomfortable seats she had ever been in, the seat of fate. She knew that ultimately, she controlled what happened to her tonight. So, she had better play her cards right.

Around 10:00 PM, she and her uninvited company had finally made it home. She sniffled, getting out the car and locking the doors. "Don't even try to run!" The man growled. She nodded, walking to her condo and unlocking the door. As she walked in, fear began to set in. They were really in private, now. They could kill her and no one would know. The last thing she wanted was to die in her own home. Her heart began to thump and anxiety began to overcome her with each step she took.

The door had closed, causing Ajani to flinch. "Two for flinchin'!" The man, who was previously in the backseat, carelessly joked. Ajani had stood there and thought about how she might have been seeing her mother earlier than she expected.

She heard her mother's words immediately flow into her ear, "Its better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life." 

That was all it took for Ajani to swiftly turn around, take man's arm and shoot his partner in the chest, immediately knocking him down. She shoved her fist to the first man's neck, choking him and making him drop the gun. As she tussled with the foolish man, she had an ounce of hope that she would live past this. GOD had blessed her with hope, causing her to kill the man with a leg wrapped around his neck, pushing his laryngeal prominence to the back. 

What she didn't notice was the man who was shot picking up the gun. As she tried to catch her breath, she heard a click. She quickly turned her head, but it was too late. The man shot her three times, one in the leg, in the chest and the last in the head. Ajani's lifeless body fell to the ground. She was gone, but not without a fight. The man sighed with satisfaction. At last, he had carried out the plan. He had killed both Ajani and her mother.