THE PRICE OF REVENGE
The blood pooled around Jibba’s lifeless body, the metallic scent thick in the air. Malik stood over him, chest heaving , his hands trembling as the knife slipped from his grip and clattered onto the cold tile floor. Awa sobbed in the corner, her arms wrapped around herself, shaking violently. Malik turned to her, his eyes hollow. “You let this happen,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding in his head. Awa looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. “Malik… I didn’t have a choice. He trapped me.” But Malik wasn’t listening. The weight of what he had done pressed against his chest. He had killed his own brother. The same brother who had once protected him from bullies, who had given him his first bicycle. But that brother had also betrayed him in the worst possible way. A knock on the door jolted them both. Malik’s breath hitched. Someone was outside. “Jibba?” a voice called. It was the receptionist. “Is everything okay? Guests are complaining about nois...