PSLE: Robbery

It was a chaotic flurry of activities. A yellow cordon-off tape lined the crime scene. Reporters were snapping away and onlookers were busy speculating.  Mary was lying in the lift, her blood pooling ceaselessly.  Paramedics who had just arrived were fighting to staunch the blood flow. Every second was a matter of life and death. As Mary watched weakly the stir around her, horrifying images of what had happened earlier began to coalesce in her head once more…

It was Christmas Eve. The festive mood was in the air. Mary was waiting for the lift to arrive, feeling exuberant and looking forward to meet her ex-classmates. Eager to flaunt her wealth on this rare occasion, she was dressed to the nines in a sexy Ralph & Russo lacy couture gown with intricate cream embroidery that revealed her soft tofu skin. Huge gargantuan diamond rings adorned her skinny fingers and dangling sapphire earrings hung ostentatiously from her ears. The iridescent glint from the stones were almost glaring to the eye.  She was decked like a Christmas tree, full of style and glamour.

Unknown to her, a scrawny man was lingering behind a pillar. As quiet as a church mouse, he was definitely up to no good. Blink! The lift doors swung open. Mary stepped into the minuscule lift and pressed the button. Making sure the coast was clear, the evil man sprang into action and slipped in like a slippery eel, flashing a sinister smirk.

Their eyes met. The malicious man had daggers in his eyes. His face was gaunt and his nose runny. Instinctively, Mary knew he had devised a devious scheme. Shivers ran down her spine. Her brain searched frantically for a solution. Trapped in the lift, there was nothing she could do!

“Surrender your valuables now!” he snarled. Mary glowered at him and adamantly refused to comply. The man’s face flushed red in anger. “Give them to me now!” he roared. She still refused to budge, thinking that he would not dare to harm her.

Villainous rage soon engulfed him. He whipped out a glinting dagger from his leather bag and attempted to stab her. There was a violent struggle and before Mary realized it, there was a huge gaping wound and blood was oozing from her stomach. Mary collapsed to the floor, her mouth agape in horror, her limp body quivering in excruciating pain. The merciless man then removed every piece of jewellery and bagged them.

Just then, the lift doors sprang open and the robber made an attempt to dash out. Mary summoned all her strength and grabbed his leg. “You’re not going to get away with this!” she cried. The man plunged another jab, deeper and wider. Mary lost her grip and the thief escaped with a sandal left at the scene. He broke into a run and whizzed off. Mary’s gown was stained crimson red while her face had turned ghastly pale. She was writhing in agonising pain that shot through her entire body. Life was seeping out of her as her breaths became slow and labored.

A deafening shriek suddenly sliced through the air. It was a passer-by who was ambling by and spotted her.  She immediately rang the police and the ambulance. The paramedics finally arrived and, after staunching the blood flow, they whisked her to the nearest hospital. 

Fortunately, Mary survived the ordeal. She thanked her lucky stars and realized that no valuables could ever be compared to her precious life. As for the thief, justice has long arms. The drug addict was nabbed within a week due to the help of the surveillance camera and the DNA testing of his left-behind sandal. He was definitely going to pay a heavy price for his heinous crime.