The Lasting Days Of Samantha Piper

16- Edmund

I'M TRYING MY BEST TO KEEP THIS THING GOING ON A WEEKLY HABIT (BECAUSE I'M AFRAID THAT A WEEK OF DELAY COULD RUIN  MY WHOLE TASK TO UPDATE THIS) SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF IT GETS SHORTER THAN THE USUAL, BUT THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY ;)

I heard a loud crashing of a skull behind me while bony hands are dragging my limp body. All I can manage is to tilt my head slightly so I can take a look of what was happening around me.

It was Michael, lying on the ground. Shantelle's hands were bloody from Michael's jacket. A man, field with earrings and weird tattoos was about to take hold of Shan's back; a hand gagged him out of sight.

"You filthy smugglers!" Within the darkness emerged a middle aged man wearing a bright yellow bath robe and on his hands were an unmistakable rifle. "Leave this compound and never come back or you'll taste my wrath!"

The gang that drags me stopped on their tracts, for a moment they only stared at the man in robes then began to laugh and shout insults. "Oh we all know that it is not loaded you fool!", the crook that holds me spits on the pavement.

The man looks angry and fired his rifle to a pack of cement, the pieces of rocks burst into fountains. "Fool I am, but no one dares to terrorize my family's compound!" He began to run past Shantelle and Michael and towards us, his bath robe dangling from the night air. The mob of panicked street rogues began to flee away, leaving me alone lying on place. They were all gone. As the possessor of the rifle neared towards me, I started to back away. But he had put a feet on my back and held me to the ground, "Tell me boy, what is your name?"

I did not dare speak.

"Tell me or I'll not be helping your friends! Someone who hides his identity must be hiding his true purpose, so tell me your name for I'll know that you only came wandering around."

I'm helpless so I did so. ""Tr-oo-yy."

"Again boy?"

"Trr-oy."

"Troy what?"

"I am Troy Pendelleton. What's your jurisdiction then?"

He quickly removed his foot from my Back and helped me to my feet. He almost hugged but I had the strength to resist, "Woah there! What's the matter with you? Are you a relative of mine?"

He stood there, I can see the wrinkle in his eyes as he smiled at me- it was really, surprisingly awkward.

"Oh my. Here's a phone, call an ambulance and report to the police. Your friend back there was hit by a hammer. And tell your girlfriend to come with him to the hospital. I need to talk to you alone."

I dialled the local police and asked for immediate help. I was about to call Michael's parents but I remembered that he'll hate me if I did, so I hesitated.

After asking for help, I returned the phone to the man who lend it to me and asked him, "Is there a chance you are the Trevor we've been looking for?"

He looked puzzled for a moment but replied, "My name is not Trevor! I am Edmund Horace. But you, you are the Troy I've been waiting for."

. . . . . . . . .

After Shantelle took off with the ambulance carrying Michael, Edmund invited me inside his house for an immediate talk.

"What's that banner of ice cream means? And that apron with the same logo of Lenni's Vanilla Treat? Do you work there?" I asked.

He heaved a sigh and said, "Oh it was a long story, my family lives in this whole place. Though I have a small business of button factory, I needed first to run my own experience on direct selling. It was months ago when I applied to Lenni's. Never have I expected to meet such a stranger who will be good to me."

I took a sip of the coffee he gave me, "Who is that stranger?"

"Her. Samantha. It is she that led you here, right? I'm sorry to hear that she already passed away. She was gentle and kind, never have I expected from her to end her life."

"What? You know why I'm here?" I the coffee where spilling from my mouth. I can't believe this. But he said he is not Trevor.

He stood up and grabbed something, a small jewellery box, from the desk near him. He offered it to me and asked me to open it.

As I picked the lid away, a shiny necklace revealed itself before my eyes. It was ring, entwined with silver chains hooked on the both sides of it.

Edmund spoke, "Four weeks ago, I heard a noise coming from my window in the middle of the night. When I came downstairs, I found this box with a necklace inside of it and a note taped within. It was from Samantha Piper, a stranger that I met not once before, we used to talk on the park."

I stared at him blankly, Samantha never, mentioned him to me. Well, she failed to mention that Trevor to me also.

He continued, "It was when I found out that she took her life later on that I figured that she wants me to wait and give this thing to the Troy Pendelleton she talked about in her note. And here you are now, at least I think she finally will have peace."

"But you should understand," I replied, "that I may be the Troy she mentioned of, but I am looking for someone she also mentioned to me. Trevor was the name."

"Like I told you, we were just strangers. I've never heard of any Trevor." He finished. But before I can continue talking to him, he was already busy texting on his phone. "Sorry, I think we must follow you friends to the hospital. I've got someone to visit there to."

"Are you sure, I should keep this as we go there?" I motioned to the box of necklace I carefully held in my hands.

Edmund winked at me, "Oh sure, it was yours and always will be."

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