Unearthly Dream

Sudden alarm clock alongside someone knocks on her door makes her jounce shockingly on her bed. She clicks the 'miss' button so the same mistake will not happen again as she sometimes forgot. She is somehow deaf as a post when her alarm ring for God knows how long before. She even makes her parent come into her room one by one just to off it. Too loud, damsel. Too loud. But much to her consciousness, she also sometimes click the snooze button by accident. Screw you, young lady!

"Farah... Farah, it's already crack of dawn. Go pray fajr before sunrise is up... Get up now, Farah"

Her mother gently taps her arm and tells her to pray. She remains laying but her eyes are slightly open and body barely moving. Her mother then heaves, switches on the light which makes her shut the globes in an instant. She sighs internally, did not open her eyes not until she recovers from the abrupt light. She gives in. Feeling everything but somnolent, she paces to the bog with tough effort, pouting as well as blinking a few times before habitually brushing her teeth and performing wudu'. Once cease, she takes her dark brown prayer garment, a green colour design prayer mat thereupon wears the prayer garment while reciting ta'awwuz three times before starting to pray.

10 minutes after carrying out fajr prayer, she recites the Holy Quran for about 2 pages including the meaning. She closes it after finishing them and by some means yawning as she is still drowsy. An idea comes to her mind to get a little kip but she has tasks to finish first. She shortly washes her mug before her drowsiness gets the better of her and helps her mother with laundry and breakfast. She eats an omelette with bread after making breakfast and directly walks to her room while hands on her mouth as she keeps yawning. She slumps against her pillow as soon as she closes the door and drifts off after.

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An hour pass after her last class, Anne leaves her two classmates behind as they look rushing to go somewhere so she bid goodbye. Whilst Farah eyeing her from afar as she just arrives at the corner of Anne's alley. She wants to meet her. She wants to gossip with her regarding two male students in Engineering Faculty. She decided to silently follow her. Anne's fizzog is somewhat queer as what as it seems while treading home. Bizarre. The oscillation of her body could not go unnoticed by Farah as she quivers and falters as soon as the bid takes place.

It makes her on tenterhooks, taking little steps to wherever Anne is heading to. She has no idea what the two classmates say to Anne. Are they bullying her? Why does Anne's mug look sad? On the other hand, Anne unwilling apprehensive takes her time and pleads herself to be assuasive. She know she could lower down her outrage. Farah keeps peeking at the rear of the wall at the alley as she is worried about Anne. "Ya Allah, hope she's good. But she's something else just now. It freaks me out. What are the two friends telling her? And where's she going?" She whispers.

Anne turn left the moment she reaches her house. Suspire far down twice because of what the two friends said earlier before she pushes the gate. Farah quietly pursues her, does not bother to surprise her anymore. 'Ah, of course, she will go home. Where else she wants to go, right? But... why she didn't sense my presence? Obviously, I'm right behind her and she's a good observer. I'm a ghost now? Oh, c'mon. How come you didn't notice me? Gurl, I'm mad' She huffs.

'What... what the?!!' She swears inside and her eyes widen after seeing something shocking.

Anne directly walks inside after closing the door meanwhile the two friends earlier chatting and treading to their respective houses on the right side. Aren't they in a hurry? They said they've to help their parents? Whilst Farah's breathing space is halting as she runs out of puff the moment she sees a black figure that turns into a gigantic snake at the corner of Anne's house.

It is in the middle of the living room when the latter is securely locking the door and moves slowly towards her. She did not see it but not when Farah go to the rescue. The latter shouts her name but somehow her lips are in control as in mute mum. She tries for the second time to help but to no avail. The gigantic snake is halfway to wound or maim or even worst maltreat her best friend to death. She will not let that happen. No! It is not going to happen!

"Not in my watch, you big monster" She mutters in dissatisfaction. Please, please, please, please, please.

She hopefully begs it would work on the next try while closing her eyes and concentrating on asking for help. A loud thud could be heard on the floor as she attempts for the third time. As soon as she opens her brown exquisite orbs, Anne gets slammed and thrown on the door harshly. Her mouth agape in disbelief meanwhile the giant snake shift its gaze at her intently as now it is her turn. It wants to hurt her to boot. But she is too dumb to realize it as she keenly checking on her best friend.

No single glance and later pleased Anne is still in a good state after being thrown. A force noisy grunt makes it speedily spin on Anne's way back. She feels weak but at the same time tries to gather her strength with all force she has and carefully lift her body. A glower is written on her physiognomy. She has to endure it. She did not know why this snake appear in her house out of nowhere. She did not know how long she could survive. She just wants to know why.

Crack!

A wooden table in the living room is poorly damaged after she is being thrown on it for the second time. There is no sound and movement from her after that and that makes Farah worried so bad. The door is lock thus it is going to be arduous for them to break out albeit it is close. The small living room space is not helping either. There is a rack and bookshelf full of work and personal files, research papers, novels, dictionaries, encyclopedias, business books, religious books and how-to books on their rear, a set of sofa in the middle with the crash table, television on the wall and two clothes baskets at the back. Bet this would look like a horrendous room she has ever seen. It throws every single thing in the bookshelf and baskets on Anne. Things are getting perilous and lamentable. She detests this but the more she is watchful of Anne, the more the latter looks sallow.

A smudge of thick and dark red droplets dribbles on the fluffy carpet below her best friend. Wait, thick and dark red water? No way! Aargh! Why I can't move at all? I must help her! Anne abruptly coughs and out of the blue Farah feels alive from her trance. She begins to sprint with all her might. She is back but somehow peculiar because her height is taller and her body is much bigger than usual. Is she inside someone else's body? For real? It is even new for her. Without further ado, she approaches and calls Anne in horror.

"Anne! Ya Allah, Anne!" She anxiously screams while checking on her condition.

The giant ophidian quickly strives, twining its body. But Farah gets time to break free from its body and tail and subsequently bites the body till it loses the twine. Whilst Anne is getting weak and not moving at all as it presses hardly on her deep wound. She sustains the smarting inside attempting to be alive and be upright. Swell is invisible on Farah's knee albeit she could feel aching but she regards it. It is just a tiny bruise she could care for later. She knows Anne needs her succour at this moment. Hacking is apparent on the latter's face together with a blood fluid draining like a cascade. The edge of her mouth on each side is swelling up too. Wait. The thick dark red water is her blood?

You bad serpent!

She props Anne's left hand on her left shoulder at a rate of knots and carries her upstairs where her room is located. She plans to call the police, swiftly reaching her phone taking it out but nothing come out after she pushes the 'on' button. Only blank in sight. It takes her a matter of seconds to realize that the battery is empty. "No, no, no, no, no. Ya Allah, help us" She whimpers.

Anne remembers there is one lock window though needs maintenance as the handle is a bit stuck even the possibility is low and the window is placed at the corner close to her desk. They have no time to fix it. Thus, she hastily begins searching so hard for the key in the drawer but she gives up after a few minutes. The key is nowhere to be found and she does not want to waste time anymore. The room is also as messy as the living room.

But then, she gets another idea. Any heavy or sharp things could help them. "Wait, this? No. This one? No. That one? No" She mumbles while raking through her things. Later, she discovers a trophy she barely knows exists inside her rack alongside the bookshelf(in between) after rummaging her closet. The window ends up shattering. A cacophonous thud is audible along the stairs. In addition, hissing and banging sounds are clear making them quiver in their spot. The sound is getting near minute by minute without fail. The big serpent smashes the door with its tail after innumerable times attempting to break in.

"Farah! Now.or.never! Go! Before I push you!" She shouts.

She screams at her one more time as Farah did not move at all, feeling hesitant and ambivalent to jump. She orders her, again and again, assuring her it would not hurt her more than what it did to her just now before the big ophidian get them both. Just, please. She begs. I promise I will jump after you and you should jump first. At last, Farah does it even it is abnormal as she never jumps from a two-storey height. Never. And she never will. Unless she had to. She feels like dying after the jump, landing near a tall and huge Durian tree and it is Anne's turn to jump. As the latter is about to jump, the giant snake captures her, clench her body and throws her on the Durian tree.

It lifts her and throws her away over on the other side of the same tree where the offshoot is sharp and firm for one last time. It causes penetration through her stomach making her inert with remorseful as she thought it is going to target and kill Farah after her. But no, it is not going to kill Farah at all. Just hurts her if she interjects its work but she did not. The serpent purpose for coming here is because someone was giving it a task to kill Anne and it succeeds. It would go through anything just to kill her but it was unbeknownst to them. Her pulse becomes slower.

She smiles thereupon recites shahadah knowing this time would come. Could not be free from dying, she accepts her kismet. "No! I'm sorry... Anne! I'm so sorry... I couldn't save you" She weeps, hands palpitating tries to touch the gash on her anatomy but could not. Knees then fall on the ground.

The weep turns to blub as she thinks this is not fair and grieve for her best friend. Sadly watching her with blood drops out of her mouth and abdomen like raindrops. Moreover, there are two girls opposite Anne's house also 80 metres away from her just standing there and doing nothing. Strange and absurd. Not knowing they are smirking and scoffing as if satisfying to see a person with one foot in the grave. She did not know when they appear together as they are supposed to be in their own respective houses after bid Anne goodbye. Unbeknown to her, those girls are merrily pleased with what had happened the moment Anne was thrown away as they got their revenge(envy with her 'fake' kindness and happy life) and backstab her at the end.

"Anne... it's my fault. I'm so sorry... I'm-"

Farah rises from her dream, catching her breath and pretty hard sweating as well as feeling fresh tears streaming on her cheek. Her mind is blowing as the dream pretty much looks real because of the places and people in it. Both are real. Heavy breathing makes her surprisingly stay still with her state of mind that is somewhat shocked. Confusing. Anxious. Frightened. These describe what she feels inside. "It's just a dream? It felt real somehow... ya Allah, protect Anne wherever she goes ya Allah. I'm not supposed to sleep after Fajr. This is what you got, dear self. Forgive me, Oh Allah the Almighty" She whispers while rubbing her eyelids.