A Captive Heart

Screams, horrendous screams, shattered Sarah's dreams, turning them into nightmares that fateful early morning. Bolting upright in bed, she shivered as the shrieks grew louder and closer, piercing the predawn darkness. Gunshots rang through the village. Flames from burning houses lit up her window, choking her as she struggled to breathe. She realized now that some of the screams were coming from just behind the quilt which hung from the rafters of their house. She was too frightened to look and see what might be happening to her family.

Suddenly a bloodied face pulled back her curtain and hovered over, causing her heart to start beating so loudly that it almost drowned out and screams and gunshots. The frightful man was covered in black and red paint on his bare chest and face. His hair had stiff ridges that extended from his forehead to his neck. He jerked her from her warm bed and motioned for her to get dressed and follow him.