Prologue

                                    

                                          
* 
                          
"Afrah, dear?" His voice came from the stairs. 
                          
"Yes?" Afrah dropped the remote she had been holding and hurried in the direction of his voice. 
                          
"When did you wake up?" he asked as she reached him. He was fully dressed, and seemed to be heading out. 
                          
"Just now," she replied, staring down at her feet. 
                          
"I seem to have forgotten my phone in my room, and I'm in a hurry. It's in my bedside drawer upstairs," he smiled sweetly at her. "Be a good girl and bring it to me quickly, will you? I'll be outside by the car." 
                          
Afrah nodded and hurried up the stairs, her beaded hair bobbing up and down as she did. She was eager to come back down and continue watching the animated movie she was so heavily invested in. 'A Bug's Life' had always been her favorite movie of all time. 
                          
The room was cold and dark, with the curtains drawn and the air conditioner cranked up to the maximum setting. She briefly wondered why he had his curtains drawn in broad daylight, when the sun was shining so brilliantly outside. 
                          
Her eyes fell on the drawer he was referring to, and she tiptoed towards it, afraid of breaking the seemingly sacred silence of the bedroom. 
                          
Oddly enough, the drawer was empty when she pulled it open. Afrah furrowed her brows in confusion, scratching her head. He had told her that his phone was in here, so where else could it be? She walked around the bed to the other drawer and opened it, but the only thing inside was the remote for the television. 
                          
The door opened behind her suddenly, and she jumped slightly. She relaxed however when she saw the familiar face. 
                          
"The drawer is empty," she said. "And I can't see the phone anywhere else." 
                          
He didn't reply. There was something odd about the way he was looking at her, with a shadow over his eyes. He took a step towards her, tugging at his collar. Afrah took a step back, uncomfortable with the way he stared. 
                          
"Don't scream, little girl," he said as he quickly pulled his shirt off in one fluid motion. "This will be over before you even know it." 
                          
*