Code Word

They had a code word: Marmaduke.

When Gloria read the text, "Marmaduke needs a lift home," from her teenage daughter, Libby, she immediately sprang into action. The only problem - that it had been twenty minutes since it had been sent.

The palpitations of panic in her chest sent her racing for the car.

*

Gloria was driving at breakneck speed down lanes that narrowed over her, whipping hedges with her side mirrors as she sped past.

A lot could happen in twenty minutes.

Gloria needed to get to her little girl.

Libby's phone kept going to voice mail.

As she rounded a blind bend in the road, there was a flash as something glanced off the side of the car. An animal? The car jolted as Gloria applied the brakes. She looked back and saw someone lying in the road.

"Oh, God!" Gloria took in the enormity of the collision, her hands clenched on the wheel. There was nothing that she could have done but...

She sat, her lungs scrabbling for air, and looked in the mirror to see if there was any movement.

Nothing.

And now a dilemma presented itself. What should she do? Had she just killed someone? Should she go check? And what about Libby?

She glanced in the mirror and saw that she was no longer alone. Someone clad in black was standing over the prostrate girl. Gloria could see a red laser shining into the road.

Gloria felt relieved. Someone to help! But as she watched, the figure went round the girl slowly, their head cocked to one side. Their face was masked, no expression visible.

When she heard a gunshot, Gloria gasped.

The girl was definitely dead now.

In her mirror, Gloria could see the red laser rising towards her.

*

Libby was okay. She'd been left on her own, her friend disappearing earlier in the night. She had felt vulnerable. She just wanted to leave. She called her mother again. No answer.

Where was she?

*

Gloria screamed as the glass in the back window shattered. The red light danced as the figure approached. Desperately trying to get the car into gear, her last thoughts were of how she loved her daughter.

***

366 words

Again, this started as something completely different and morphed into this. I had to judiciously edit it and that is one of the good things that this word count does - it makes you look at what's needed to drive the story to its end point.

This microfiction challenge is hard. I feel like I'm in the scree, coming down the mountain, quickly but not really sure of my footing.

Thanks for stopping by! If you do read this, please do leave a comment as I love to interact with my readers.

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