Chapter 95

Sarah turned around and noticed a pair of boots close behind her. Her heart pounded in her chest. She looked up and saw an elderly man looking down at her through a pair of thick glasses.

'What are you doing on my property?' he asked pushing his glasses back on his nose with his index finger.

Sarah felt relieved. 'I'm sorry, sir. I...I need help,' she stuttered. She got to her feet and stood up. She noticed that he was a skinny man in his mid-sixties. 'I was hiding in your garden from very bad people. I was really thirsty.'

'I think you need a doctor as well missy,' the man said. 'There's blood on your face.'

'I know,' Sarah said feeling self-conscious as she gently touched her nose. Somehow she had forgotten all about her face while she was trying to escape.

The man regarded her for a moment and said, 'I think you need to come inside and wash your face at least.'

'I don't want to bother you sir, but I'm in big trouble,' Sarah said not certain where to start. She felt bad for trespassing, but she had no other choice. If the man only knew that his existence alone saved a life today.

The man waved it off and said, 'follow me.' He turned around and walked through an arch that led to another part of the garden. His house was in the middle of the property surrounded by a luscious garden. The man walked through a side door to the right. Sarah entered the house and noticed how clean and orderly it was. The man was obviously not just particular about his garden but also his house.

'The bathroom is down the hall there, the first door to the left,' he said pointing down a long hall with a wooden floor.

'Thank you,' Sarah said. She entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She looked into a large mirror mounted on the wall. She noticed the dry streams of blood underneath her nose, which already started to peel off at certain places. She wondered how long she had been in the garage and what the time was. She walked down the hall and entered the bathroom. The blood disappeared down the drain as she rinsed her face and gently rubbed over her nose with her hands. She felt better already. There were some blood clots in her nose. She blew hard on a piece of toilet paper and noticed a mass of red blood. She repeated the process until her nose was almost clean. She removed the remaining blood from her nostrils by twisting the toilet paper into spikes and carefully poking around her nose. She looked in the mirror again and saw that she almost looked at herself again except for a little swelling around her nose. At least all the blood was gone. She had to use the old man's telephone.

'Can I get you anything to drink or eat,' he asked when Sarah entered the kitchen.

'No thank you, sir,' Sarah said.

'You can call me Richard,' he said.

'Richard, I hate to ask, but can I please use your phone? I need to call – '

'Sure,' Richard interrupted. He walked towards the kitchen counter. He picked up his cell phone and held it out to her.

'Thank you so much,' Sarah said. 'I won't be long, I promise.'

Richard dropped his hand in a disregarded manner, 'use it for as long as you need.'

Sarah punched in Craig's number and pressed dial. The call was connected almost instantly.

'Hello,' Craig said.

'Honey, I'm safe,' Sarah said. It felt good to hear her husband's voice.

'Sweet Jesus Sarah...Oh my God, where are you?' Craig asked hysterically.

'I'm safe, that's all that matters. I'm in Vredenburg I think,' Sarah said looking at Richard who regarded her with big brown eyes through his glasses. He nodded and whispered the address. Sarah nodded in appreciation.

'Where in Vredenburg? What happened? There was so much blood - '

'I can't talk too long. I'll explain everything later. The address is De Lama, number 23.'

'I'll be there right away,' Craig said disconnecting the call.

'Thank you once again,' Sarah said handing the phone back to Richard.

'No problem. You sure I can't fix you anything to eat or drink?' He regarded her with curiosity and a hint of concern.

'I'm fine really,' Sarah said.

'Why don't you sit down?' Richard gestured towards one of the couches. 'I know it's not my business, but what happened to you?'

Sarah sighed, shook her head and said, 'maybe we should sit down after all. Can you please lock the doors first?'