Nairaland Forum

Guy, d suspense here go too tight o, and frank dont mind dose ppl that want rodgers 2 kill all me then finish, am sure he will neva kill ikenna and jennifer, those are my best characters, and make sure u dont hang ur this tyme o. Oya ppl make v comment as u dey read o.

frank, frank, frank. No let d spit wey i spit for ground dry b4 u com complete this story.

Na wa for dt Vampire guy dt was wishing Rogers to eat them all like spheres. Sorry for been disappointed weirdo.

Btw, Franko u've really done a great job. Just work on ur typos. Weldone!
When is d next update?

Avicky dont mind dt vampire jawe. But frank u dey full us o,u dey fall our hand.

i dnt knw if u guys on this forum derive pleasure for keeping the reader of your stories in suspence. This is 4th uncompleted story i am readin on this forum within 7days. I am new here and i am not encourage at all.

Sory guys, i will definatly update 2morrow once i get bak 2 abj

James was impatiently starring at his phone. What kind of meeting was Andrew in that seemed to want to take the whole day? He was expecting that either Mr. Agu or Andrew would call her any moment from now. This could be the break he was looking for. James was sure that Andrew must know something about the where about of the bead. He had no choice but to believe so.

Barrister Emeka, who seemed to know much about Andrew, had been calling him all day to know if he had heard from him. James had promised him that he would let him know as soon as he gets any new information.
His phone rang.

He rushed it like it was his life. “Hello, this is Inspector James. Who am I speaking with please?

“I am Mr. Andrew Akpan. I am already informed that you are expecting my call.”

“Yes please. Do you have any information concerning the bead?” James went straight to the point.

“I think so”

James held his breath. “I am listening to you.”

“Mark had informed me that the bead was taken by a lady whom he used to date on the day he told her he was engaged to another lady. She was expecting that he would come begging her for the bead. At least that was what we guessed she had in mind, if not why would she take the bead? But Mark did not go for the bead, he left it for her. They never had any contact with each other again.

“Do you have any idea how I can locate her?”

“Yes, Mark once gave me her address a few years ago.”

“Why would Mark give you her address, and why should you guys talk about her years after Mark was no longer seeing her?”
James wanted to be sure that Mark had not in any way gone to collect the bead from her.

“You see, Mark really never got over the guilt he felt for leaving her the way he did. That was why he looked very depressed at the time he went to visit Clara his present wife. He didn’t realize that the bead had been taken until Clara noticed it. He couldn’t tell her what happened, so he told her that he didn’t feel like wearing it any longer. I was the one who encourage him to forget about her, he wouldn’t have had the courage to do it without me. But he kept track of her well being. He wanted to be sure that she was okay. And so when he found out that she was doing well and bought a house of her own, it made him feel good.”

“Can you give me her name and address?” James picked up a pen and Jotted down the number as Andrew read it to him. “One more thing, why did you encourage Mark to leave her?”

“We weren’t getting along very fine. Stella accused me of being the one leading Mark to womanize. I didn’t like her for that.”

“Did Mark tell you anything about the bead?”

“No, he just told me that it was given to him by his father, which had been a ritual in their family. But he once told me that he had always wanted the bead to be on his neck, like he was obsessed with it. He didn’t understand why he suddenly didn’t miss it when Stella took it from her.”

“Is there any other thing I should know?” James had suddenly realized that if Mark knew Stella’s address, he must have given it to Rogers. That meant the psycho would have gotten her by now. His heart was beating faster. He hoped that Rogers had not found her since there had been no news of death.

“Nothing else,” Andrew replied.

“Thank very much Mr. Andrew, I will get back to you if need be.”

Inspector James called on sergeant Bill and Ted. “Hurry, get back up, we are going to Area L in World Bank Housing Estate. Let’s just pray that our man hasn’t gotten there before us.”

While in the car and driving towards World Bank Housing Estate, James dialed Emeka’s cell phone. “We have gotten the location of the bead,” he quickly said as Emeka answered his call. “Andrew Just informed me that one of Mark’s ex had taking it so as to get back at Mark for hurting her. We have her house Address, I am heading there now.”

“Very good. I hope the god has not already gotten there before you. But in case you get the bead, do not destroy it yourself; you must understand that you are not worthy of destroying the bead, besides a ritual must be done before destroying it.” Emeka instructed.

“Okay,”

“Give me the address so that I can come there right away. The bead must be handed to me for proper destruction.” Emeka said.

“I wouldn’t want you to be in any danger,”

“Don’t worry about me, just give me the address.” Emeka firmly said.

Jack quickly gave him the house address and dropped the phone.

He looked at his wrist watch, 5:15pm. I hope that we won’t be too late, please God, don’t let him locate her before us, he prayed.

At exactly ten minutes past five, Stella pulled over in front of her gate. She got out of the car and came out to unlock the gate. She slided the key into the padlock and before she could twist, the padlock opened. What was wrong with this padlock? She thought, she promised herself that she was going to buy a better one, thinking that this one was a fake or has gone bad. She opened the gate and drove her car into the compound.

She was weak and worn out. She slowly got out of the car and walked to the gate and closed it, then slowly walked towards the building. She wished that Jennifer was around to prepare dinner for her. The thought of going to the kitchen to prepare something for herself after the whole stress she had undergone in school wasn’t pleasant at all.
She unlocked her door and walked into the house.

A strong hand held her on her shoulder as she turned around to close the door. “Welcome home Stella, I have been waiting all day for you” Rogers whispered into her ears.

The grip was abnormally so tight. She felt goose flesh quickly spring out of her whole body. “Please… I… beg you…please wha… whatever you want, just say it and I will give it to you.” She managed to say.

“I want the black bead you took from Mark a long time ago. I want it now.”

Stella instantly remembered the bead, the one that Jennifer picked up and she asked her to throw away. When was that, two or three months ago? Where must she have thrown it? “I don’t know where it is, I asked my niece to throw it away some time ago.” So Mark sent this fellow to come and get the bead from her? She thought, but why had he waited this long?

Not again, Rogers thought. He was filled with fury. He pushed her very hard to the floor allowing her to crash on her side. Her left arm hurt so bad, perhaps it was broken.

“You asked your silly niece to throw my bead away?” he couldn’t believe it. “Where did she throw it, where is my bead!”
This is a devil Stella thought, what was Mark doing with this kind of person? “I…don’t know where she threw it, it’s been a long t…”

“Shut up. Where is she? He picked her up and shook her violently, “Where is she? Answer me.”

In a daze she answered, “She is at school, she should be reading her books somewhere in the school compound, I really can’t tell where.”

“What is her name? Is she Jennifer?”

“Y…yes” Stella wasn’t in control of herself anymore; fear had taken over.

“Which school?”

“Imo State University.”

“Now tell me,” he voice became devilishly mild. “How can I search for someone I don’t know her where about in school? I just want my bead I am not going to hurt her.”

“Her name is Jennifer Nwankwo. She is a psychology student; go to the library or the general hall, that is where most students read at night. Please do not hurt her.”

If she had imagined how angry he was she wouldn’t have asked Rogers not to hurt Jennifer. Rogers was not only angry, but mad and taken over by rage that the bead was not with her. He wasn’t thinking any more, all he wanted to do was to reap her apart. He instinctively punched her very hard on her jaw. Stella thought her head was going to fly out of her neck. She crashed once more on the floor and felt her whole body go numb. She became unconscious.

Rogers was stepped forward to tear her apart when the door suddenly opened and five uniformed men rushed inside.
“Freeze!” they said to him pointing their guns at him. “Move away from her.” Sergeant Ted commanded.

Rogers turned around and faced them. He was very surprised to see them. How did they locate him? He knew it; these humans were much wiser than they used to be. He took a step towards them.

“Stop right there, I will shoot you if you move another step closer.” Ted said again.

Rogers wondered what they think they could do to him. These were the policemen who promised the public that they would get him and here they are. Do they know about the bead? He looked at their faces and was able to recognize inspector James. Should he kill them all or first of all find out how much they actually know? He decided he will take inspector James along with him to help him locate Jennifer.

In a sudden brisk movement, he began to move closer to them. Officer Ted, who was much closer to him than the rest, fired his gun at him. Rogers felt pain shatter through his brain, as blood oozed from his chest where the bullet got him. He stopped for a second; he didn’t believe what had just happened to him. He never though that humans were capable of inflicting pain on him so easily like this. He suddenly remembered that this was another function of the bead. It was meant to give him total protection and make him not feel any pain.

Although Rogers felt the pain of the bullet, the cops didn’t notice that it affected him. Unknown to them, the only emotion Rogers was capable of showing was anger. He wasn’t capable of showing pain. Another bullet was fired at him before he finally got Sergeant Ted’s right hand; the hand that held the gun. Rogers twisted Ted’s hand, causing it to break instantly, and then he turned the sergeant around and held him like a shield unto himself. Ted was facing the other officers with Rogers arm around his neck.

Ted was already screaming unpleasantly, he was in pains. His head was swinging and he felt like he was going o die. The other police men were both confused and surprised. Rogers had been very fast and they had seen as the bullet that was fired by Ted made no impact on him. They were all amazed.

Inspector James saw it all. Now the monster held his man captive. What should he do? Confusion was in the air.

“I can break his neck with just a twist,” Rogers said to them, as he felt shrieking pains from his chest and shoulder where the second bullet had hit him. He knew that nothing could kill him except the bead was destroyed, but the pain he felt was another unwelcomed state of affair. It made him so uncomfortable, but wasn’t capable of stopping him. “And I can equally do the same to every one of you. Your guns are useless to me, so you better wizen up and listen to me. Inspector James,” he called “Come forward to me before I start breaking necks”

He knows my name, James thought. How? He, like every other cop that was present in the room was terrified by what Rogers had just done in their presence. He was surly a demon from the underworld. Now he was calling him to come forward, what for? Should he come?

The fear he felt couldn’t make him decide if it was wise to come out immediately or not. Could this be the last of him? He looked around and noticed that his boys where all looking at him as if their life depended on his decision.

Roger didn’t have time to play games. He held Ted on his broken and squeezed it hard. Ted gave out a very painful and shrieking cry. “I won’t repeat myself.” He warned.

Inspector James slowly came forward, wondering why he had demanded for him. Rogers was definitely not bluffing about breaking bones, he was obviously in the mood.

Rogers quickly shoved Ted aside and pulled James close to him, holding him the same way he was holding Ted earlier.
Inspector James had always thought himself to be very brave, but the way he felt now seemed to contradict this feeling. He felt the devil himself was holding him and he was almost sure that his fate was definitely going to be like that of people he had been investigating in the last few days.

“You are going to take a little ride with me. Your life right now depends on your fellow policemen. I will walk with you to your car outside and as we drive away, I don’t expect any car to follow us; neither do I expect them to shoot. If they try anything funny, I will pull out your head in their presence and take another officer with me. I will continue in that way until they learn to behave. Don’t think I am bluffing; it will give me so much pleasure to reap out your head, as a matter of fact you are lucky that I have not done that already.” He whispered into James’s ear as he talked.
“Now I want you to give them the instruction, they must not move as we go out of this building and drive away.”

Without hesitating, James quickly gave out instructions to his boys, “listen up, I want everybody to stand low as we move out. Do not shoot; neither should any car follow us as we drive out. Remember, to stay alive, you all have to heed to my instruction.” He said it in a way that they all could realize that his life and theirs depended on their cooperation.

Slowly, Rogers walked with him out of the building, still holding him in the same position. Rogers grip was so tight on his neck that he felt himself choking. He wondered if he would be able to make it before they get to the car. He couldn’t understand how such a smallish man could have such energy. It was like the grip of very big factory machines.

As they got outside the building, the other policemen outside received the same instruction.

Rogers shoved him into his car from the passenger’s side.

“Now, drive!” he commanded. “Drive straight to Imo State University. You have enough questions answer”

The cops in the compound watched helplessly as their boss was held captive and coerced to drive away with the psycho who had been committing the most gruesome murder that Owerri had ever witnessed. It was like they were all in a trance, nobody dared follow and nobody could make any move.

The trance broke as soon as the car disappeared out of their sight. Bill rushed out of the building calling for medical attention. He couldn’t help but wonder what will become of Inspector James in the next few hours. He tried to concentrate his mind on the two very injured people in the house. Ted was already unconscious while Stella lay lifeless on the floor. He prayed and wished the she wasn’t dead.

If the safety of these two can be guaranteed then they must think of a solution for rescuing James.

Barrister Emeka arrived Stella’s home at about forty minutes later. There were cops all over the place but he quickly scanned around for Inspector James. There was nothing about the policemen’s posture that made him feel optimistic that they must have found the bead.

Soon he saw Sergeant Bill coming towards his way.

“Good day Barrister, we have a situation at hand.” Bill said.

“What happened? Where is James? Did you find the bead? I need to know what is going on.” Emeka quickly said.

“The psycho got here before us. He took a couple of bullet shots like he was punched by a baby. He succeeded in breaking Sergeant Ted’s hand and taking Inspector James along with him. We are yet to know where he took him to. I just hope inspector is safe.” Bill explained.

Emeka couldn’t believe his ears. How had the demon overcome them all? He wished he was here to see for himself. “Do you think the killer must have gotten his hands on the bead?”

“It’s not been confirmed yet, the occupant of the house was found unconscious and she is the only one who can tell us that. We are waiting for her to recover at the hospital.”

Emeka was totally frozen, he felt very guilty. If only he had taken the warnings of the Saviours seriously. “But why did he take James along with him? Did James provoke him?”

“No, he just asked James to come forward, threatening that he would break everyone’s neck if James didn’t obey him. Inspector had no choice but to tag along. He put him in the car and they drove away. Perhaps he needed someone to drive him around. But he specifically asked for Inspector James. I wonder how he got to know his name.” Bill said.

“I wonder where he had taken him to.” Emeka wondered loudly. “Was the woman victim the only occupant of the house?”
“I don’t think so. There are indications that she lived with a young girl. There are also indications the she is a student, most likely studying at Imo State University.” Bill said.

“How are you sure of this information?” Emeka inquired.

“There are documents in her supposed room that are directing our conclusion. She should be a psychology student. We are suggesting that since she is not at home, she could be in school. But we can’t tell if she is hanging out with friends.”
Emeka remembered his conversation with Ikenna this morning. “Their exam is around the corner. Most students are taking their studies more serious at this time in the school calendar. We just have to assume that she is still is school, perhaps she wants to study till late night with her friends. Let’s just go to the school and try what we can to locate her. She might tell us anything she knows about the bead instead of sitting here and waiting for an unconscious woman to wake up. I really will like to know if the god had gotten hold of the bead.”

Sergeant Bill welcomed the idea. He called two policemen to join them. They all got into a police vehicle and drove off towards the university.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Jennifer’s last lecture was over by four pm. She thought it was best to hand around with her for some time before going to the General Hall where most students preferred to read at night. The hall was so large and airy with very comfortable chairs than all other classes or reading venues. Jennifer and her friends had thought against studying in the library because of the very formal atmosphere it had. In the library, it would be impossible for them to discuss any problem together in the course of their reading or chat about anything that catches their attention.

While they hung around at love garden, Jennifer noticed that Sean had been stalking her all day. She was with Susie and another friend of hers called Blessing who stayed in the school hostel and would be their host for the night.
“What does he want from me?” Jennifer asked, partly to herself.

“I thought you haven’t noticed him.” Susie said. “Hasn’t he got better things to do?”

“I wonder what he has in mind,” Jennifer was getting more concerned about Sean’s behavior.

They were eating snacks in a small joint situated the garden, while they enjoyed the way the opposite sex stared at them. Some guys would come around and give them a little chat before moving along. Jennifer decided to get Sean out of her mind; she would take care of him later. If he continues to follow her, she would have to confront him and hear what he had to say. Right now, she was going to enjoy the little free time she had.

Two hours later, they hurried into the hall, knowing they might not get a seat of their choice if they come in late. They made themselves comfortable and began to read.

They had not read for more than five minutes when the notorious Ikenna walk into the hall. He was alone, not seeming to care for his environment as he entered the hall. A medium sized bag hung on his left shoulder.

Jennifer looked up and saw him, so did a lot other girls in the hall. They were all distracted. Jennifer could not help but admired the handsome figure as he walked with an admirable rudeness and confidence towards an empty seat in the hall.
“Take it easy Jennifer and eat him gradually with your eyes.” Blessing whispered into her ears, she was also carried away.

“Does he always come here to study at night?” Jennifer asked, obviously surprised that he ever reads at all.

“Yes he does, but not regularly. I heard he is a very intelligent guy.” Blessing who stays in the hostel continued.

“Wow, he is very cute. I wonder why he chooses to live a very rough life. Did you notice the distraction he caused as he walked into this hall?” Jennifer said.

“Somebody is tripping. Remember you have a guardian angel out there watching out for you.” Susie said.

“Should that bother me?”

“Take it easy girl, Ikenna is not your type, he is a bully as well as a roughian.” Blessing said.

“I never said I wanted him, you mustn’t tell me that. Well, enough about somebody who probably has not noticed us, you girls know I have my book to read.” Jennifer said and concentrated in the book in front of her.

The others joined her.

Sean had been watching her all day. He didn’t even understand what he was doing. He knew he shouldn’t be hanging around her like this but he couldn’t stop. He was supposed to walk up to her and continue to confess his love for her instead of following her around the school premises. The most annoying part of it all was that he had suddenly lost the courage to confront her and talk to her.

His frustration was eating him up. It was making him think of ways that he can harm her, but he didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize his chance of winning back her love again. What else should he do? He can’t continue to make a fool of himself by watching her all day. She probably would have noticed him.

Something must be done.

He believed that he still had a chance to get Jennifer back into his life, especially as he had not yet seen her with any other male. There was no competition yet. This discovery was the fruit of stalking her. He had watched her all day and had seen her with no other male that looked like a new lover.

She was now in the hall. Perhaps he had unnecessarily over reacted. Maybe she was serious that she wanted to concentrate on her studies. No, that wasn’t the problem; the problem was that she stopped giving him the attention she used to give him. He decided he would stay outside for sometime before retiring for the day. Then when he gets to his room, he would use the night to find the solution to this problem. He will do anything to get her back, even if it means using some forms of threat. What matters is getting her back to his life.

As they drove towards the University, Inspector James wondered what Rogers was up to. What does he want to do at the school? Maybe Stella had given the bead to somebody at her school and he had succeeded in getting the info from her. Now here he was, with the most ruthless fellow he had ever seen; with the suspect he had been looking for.

From what he had seen this afternoon, he now truly believed that Rogers was really far from being human. Emeka had spoken nothing but the truth; Rogers was a god!

What can he do to escape and then save whoever Rogers was seeking for? He remembered what Rogers had done to Ted and shivered; even his grip was something else. How can Owerri be saved from his ruthlessness? Oh God, he thought, what had befallen Owerri?

“Do you know who I am, inspector?

“No, perhaps you could tell me.” James replied.

“Shut you mouth. Don’t you bloody talk to me like a kid. Listen, I am the god of your fathers, the great god of destruction; the great Alaogbaga. I have, through a covenant with the ancient people, come to take over the world like the way I used to a long time ago. Only this time around I will be around physically, doing what I love doing most. Do you want to know what it is?”

James didn’t know what to answer, he was terrified.

“I will tell you. I love killing people. I take pleasure in tearing people apart and letting their blood flow; that is why I choose to be called the great god of destruction.” His voice sounded so mean and desperate.

Imo State University appeared before them. James drove the police vehicle into the school compound. The school was a little bit scanty, but James could notice that there was something solemn about the environment and it made him feel the examination was fast approaching.

Every official activity in the school was over for the day, the only people seen outside the classroom were a few lovers who hung around secluded area while their mates choose to study in the classrooms. Somehow he could notice that the Friday fever was in the air and few of the students were dressed in a fashion that suggested that they were already set for clubbing, parties or church activity.

James noticed Rogers look at the hole on his shoulder, where blood was oozing from. The other wound was at the right top of his chest. James couldn’t tell what he felt about both of them.

To Rogers, the pain was already subsiding and the blood had stopped. But it wasn’t very easy for him to move his right arm with ease. He promised himself that he wouldn’t allow any injury to befall him; the pain was actually a different ball game.

They continued to drive into what seemed like the central area of the school. Inspector James was trying to figure a way out but nothing seemed to come up. Beside there was a lot he couldn’t predict about Rogers. Why had he brought him here? What was he going to do to him if he got what he wanted from the school? James was very sure that he will break his neck and tear his body apart once he gets whatever brought him here. He shuddered with that fear of that possibility.

It wasn’t easy for him, staying in the same car with lunatic was obviously wasn’t human; who had made a mess of Mrs. Okon’s body, Juliet’s parents and Mark; the same person who claimed to be a god and a devil of destruction; the same person who had before his very eyes been shot at, at a close range and had not flinched; the same person who had with so much ease broken Ted’s hand like he was breaking a straw.

“Stop the car here” Rogers said; James found himself startling like a baby.

He stopped the car abruptly and noticed that Rogers was staring at him with sudden interest. “What made you feel that you must get me at all cost?”

James didn’t understand what he was talking about, so he remained mute.

“You come out and tell the public that you will get me at all cost without knowing what you are up against. Isn’t that silly? Or do you just want them to think you are brave?” He suddenly looked distracted, and looked all over at the inspector and saw the cuffs on his belt, he smiled wickedly; he was going to use it to keep the cop stationed to one place while he searches for the girl with his bead. Then he said, “I want you to stop somebody for me some information.”
Inspector James saw a young boy coming towards their direction. The boy was already looking inquisitively at the police vehicle obviously wondering what a police car would be doing at the school premises at this time of the day.

“Hello, excuse me please.” James called on him.

“Ask him how you can locate a psychology student named Jennifer Nwankwo... She is supposed to be reading somewhere.” Rogers instructed.

The student came forward and James spoke up, “How are you, please how can I locate a psychology student named Juliet Nwankwo, she should be studying somewhere in the school premises.”

“Lectures are already over and most of the students have already gone home. But, why don’t you check at the library or the general hall, preferably general hall, that’s where most students who read at night prefer reading.” The boy replied, obviously willing to help.

“Tell him to help you locate her, and tell her that you are a cop and you’ve got a message for her from Aunty Stella.” He noticed that the inspector hesitated and said, “Do it, don’t make me mad.”

“Please can you help me check for her in these two places? Tell her that a cop wants to see her; he’s got a message from her Aunty, Stella.”

“Okay” the boy looked back at a very large hall that was filled with students. “That is the general hall; let me check her there before going to the library.” He turned around and walked away.

Rogers grabbed the cuff from James’s belt and cuffed him to the starring wheel, and then he searched through James’s pocket and took out his gun, handset and wallet and put them all in his pocket, then left the car after making sure that he had rendered the inspector defenseless.

Rogers followed the student towards the hall; he could see the boy walk into the hall to search for Jennifer. He moved closer, not bothering if he was attracting any attention.

The young student who was trying to help call Jennifer walked into the general hall. He stood in front of the students and announced.

“Excuse me students, sorry for disturbing you; is Jennifer Nwankwo in this hall?” his voice was so loud that it attracted everybody’s attention; most of the students in the hall looked up to see who the Jennifer was and if she was really in the hall.

Jennifer stood, up. She wondered why this student whom she was not familiar with was calling her name. “Yes, I am the one.” She stood with an inquisitive look on her face.

“There is a police car outside, the cop inside said that he’s got a message for you from Aunty Stella.” The student told her.

She felt her heart jump very high. She wondered what must have happened to Aunty Stella that the cops had to come to look for her in school. “Where is the policeman?” She asked, already walking out of the hall, her legs shivered with anxiety.

Ikenna was among the students who looked up; he couldn’t help but admired the beautiful worried looking girl who had an innocent beauty, and carried her straight legs gracefully like an innocent teenager. He continued to stare at her as she hurried towards the exit of the hall. Susie and Blessing were already packing their books in the bid to follow her to see what was wrong.

From out side as he approached, Rogers heard the announcement and saw Jennifer when she stood up, he was certain that she was the same girl he had seed in the pictures at Stella’s house.

He was already by the door and by the time Jennifer got to the exit and before she could step out of the hall, he fiercely grabbed her by her shoulder.

In great shock, she screamed. Her scream was so loud and penetrating that everybody in the hall was startled. From the interior of the hall, they could see a smallish blood stained male struggling with her. There was commotion in the air as students began to run away in confusion, fear and anxiety.

‘Who are you? Leave me alone! Please… Leave me alone!!” Jennifer repeatedly shouted. His grip was tight and the air around him was redolent of an unpleasant odor of blood and sweat. She could not make any sense out of the whole situation, what had she done to this monster? Two names came into her mind as she struggled for what seems like her life; Aunty Stella and Sean.

Ikenna saw and heard it all and everything that was happening geared him into action. All his father’s warnings about being careful and avoiding danger went into his unconscious. He was now being controlled by the instinctual desire for violence in him. He reflexively dipped his hand into his bag that lay beside him on his chair and brought out his medium sized machete and began running towards the struggling pair against other students who were running away from the seeming danger.

“Shut up” Rogers commanded. “Shut up or I will make keep quiet forever.” His intention was to take her to the car where he would relax and interrogate her. He wasn’t interested in the noisy crowd; he didn’t care either.

It was obvious the Jennifer was struggling in vain; with ease he dragged her towards the car and away from the hall. He was oblivious of Ikenna as he approached towards them.

As he got close enough, Ikenna raised his knife and lashed Rogers on his left shoulder, very close to his arm.

Rogers felt his left hand go weak as a sharp pain on the region made him release his hand from her. He turned around and saw the young man with a machete. The machete was up in the air, ready to cut him again. With an uncontrollable anger, he violently pushed Jennifer away causing her to fall so hard on the ground. And as Ikenna lunched the second strike which landed by his side, he punched him very hard on the jaw, Ikenna also reeled backwards, he thought he had been hit by a rock and fought so hard to stay conscious.

He wanted to go ahead and pull Ikenna’s head out of his body, but through his peripheral vision, he saw Jennifer attempting to get up and run. She was of more importance to him, so he neglected Ikenna and rushed to grab her.

Ikenna was still holding tightly to his knife even as he fell on the ground. He struggled to his feet, feeling the right side of his face go numb. Rogers was bending over Jennifer, struggling to pick her up as every part of his body fumed with pain. Ikenna rushed to him and used the knife once again to slash his back. Another flood of pain rushed through Rogers brain, and he found himself lost concentration; he couldn’t grab Jennifer. While he struggled to concentrate, Ikenna administered another cut with his knife, this time very close to his neck, then another on his head.

Rogers who had gotten so much pain for the night felt himself go off balance and searching for energy within him. While he struggle for strength, Ikenna, who was shocked at Rogers strength, seized the opportunity and dragged Jennifer up and ran away leaving the confused crowd behind as they ran into the night.

From where he sat and observed his beloved Jennifer study, Sean saw all the action. He wasn’t sitting far away from the hall, in fact, he saw Rogers at closed range as he approached the hall. Everything happened within a second; he couldn’t get up and help his beloved, which was impossible for he couldn’t possibly fight the blood stained psycho. So he watched it all with pang of jealousy as the notorious, handsome Ikenna saved his girl and ran away with her into safety.

Why had he decided to save her? Sean knew quite well that Jennifer had nothing to do with Ikenna, but he had seen him rescue her from danger, he could win her heart with that, Sean thought with pain and regret.

Sean was very sure that he will definitely eventually loose Jennifer if Ikenna becomes his opponent and competitor. He wished he was the one who had saved Jennifer from the monster; this would have been a very good opportunity to get his girl back. But Sean knew very well that he wasn’t as brave as Ikenna, he would never have done what the brave boy had done even if the girl was his mother.

But why was the big man after Jennifer? What has the innocent and harmless girl done to him that he had desperately wanted to adopt her? Further he didn’t seem like human to him; what sort of human would receive all those knife cuts he had just seen him receive and still have the strength to stand up and fight. Besides he looked like he had been injured with what seem like a bullet before he came for Jennifer. Well, he was going to hang around and find out what was happening even if it meant staying awake all through the night. This might be the break he had been waiting for to get his girl back. He will continue to watch like a hyena.

Immediately Rogers left him in the car, Inspector James began to think of a possible means of escaping. The guy might be, strong and ruthless, he was definitely dumb. How could he expect him to stay here and wait for him until he comes back?

He knew he was supposed to have the duplicate of his cuff’s key somewhere in the car but he couldn’t remember where he kept them, besides both of his hands were cuffed to his starring wheel. What should he do now?

He looked up and saw two students coming his way; they were probably going to study in the general hall. Inspector James called them and they obliged. He was willing to do anything to get himself free, even it meant begging the students to help him.

“Look at that guy walking over there” he told them as they stood at the window of his car. “He is very dangerous; he has murdered a lot of people lately, now he wants to murder one of your students. I am a police man and in order to save some souls I allowed him to abduct me, I need you to help me locate the key to my cuff some where in my car and set me free.” He tried to raise his hands up for them to see that he was cuffed.

There was a scary confused look on the boys’ face. They seemed to be in a state of dilemma on the decision to take.
“I need you to hurry; the psycho can hurt a lot of your students. Help me and set me free before he comes back, my life is also in danger.” He pressured.

The students were still in a state of dilemma when they heard a sudden scream from a girl at the hall area. The scream pushed them into action and they opened the car and began to search for the keys.

The noise from the hall was too much and James could observe from his position that students were running in confusion away from the zone. He could not tell what was happening from where he stood. He could not even make out Rogers large form in the confused crowd.

He was sure the key could be somewhere in the dashboard. “Check very well in the dashboard; remove all the papers there and search thoroughly.” He looked up towards the hall; he still couldn’t make out Rogers’s figure. The boys couldn’t find the key.

Students kept screaming and their fearful sound seemed to affect the boy’s ability to concentrate and search for the key; they began to tremble.

James looked up and saw Rogers coming slowly towards the car. He looked weak and depressed. Then James made the mistake of telling his helpers that Rogers was approaching. They boys wanted to leave him and run. “Please search very well, he is coming slowly. Just search carefully.”

“Is this the key?” the boy who had emptied the dashboard asked.

“Yes, hurry, try unlocking the cuff.”

The boy was trembling, likewise James. The key didn’t seem to fit into the key hole of the cuff. James looked up; Rogers was now about thirty feet from the car, his mind seemed to be else where order than the car.

‘Click’ the cuffs opened. “Thank you very much, now move away from here, hurry. He opened the door and left the car he was sure that Rogers didn’t see him.

Inspector James ran towards the hall, he wanted to see if somebody had been hurt. The hall and it environment was already getting isolated; all the students had ran away in fright. He noticed to girls, who looked more worried than afraid; they were standing in a considerable distance from the hall. James decided to approach then and get information.
“Excuse me girls, I need to know what happened here, can you girls help me?”

The girls were Blessing and Susie. They had seen it all and were now wondering where Ikenna had taken their friend to.
In a hysteric tone, Susie explained to the James what had happened to Jennifer. “Where you the cops who sent for her?” she finally asked, looking more worried.

“Yes, but I was coerced by the psycho to send for male student for her. I need to locate her, do you girls have any idea where they might have ran to?” what James didn’t know was that the girls were very close friends to Jennifer and that Susie had knowledge that the bead lay in Jennifer’s classroom, in her locker.

“I don’t know. I saw them running them towards that direction.” Susie replied pointing towards the directing she meant.
“Okay, thank you. Now I need you girls to leave this zone. That guy is very dangerous, he is a murderer.” James told them and ran towards the direction Susie’s finger had indicated.

He was still confused on what he should do, not sure if he should follow Rogers and find out what next he will do and where next he would go. But on a second thought, he felt that for now, Rogers wasn’t important to him. Not that he was going to be able to kill him. The important thing for now was to locate Jennifer and find out if she had the bead, then he would decide on what to do next. But first it was important that he informed the school security not to bother about having any encounter with Rogers since it would be fruitless and would definitely lead to more deaths. Then he will think of how he can locate Jennifer.

Yepa, but ikenna sef,why him go tell dt guy all d story,haba,now dt guy don spoil show. I think d police sud av gone wit a casual clothes and casual car,instead of d uniform,now, ikenna wen u wake up,teach that sean of a guy that nobody try that wit ikenna, the slayer of alaogbaja.

Oh boy wetin dey worry this dean self,now him don spoil show,poor him coz his arrogance and jealousy will put him to death by the great Alaogbaba now. Another susence again,please frank don't let it be too long before you post another ooo,don't leave us hanging like before again abeg. Kudos to you,enjiying every bit of it

wow, u guys are already through, well the story is almost finished, let me see if i can post it all right now, but if i cant, we will see.

Rogers was astonished. He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him. He had really underestimated the abilities of these humans. They were no longer as weak and dormant as they had been a long time ago.

He looked at his body. He felt pain all over, yet he had not gotten the bead. He should have taken his time and not just decided to take Jennifer away just like that. It had all been his mistake. He had been over excited with the thought of getting the bead from her and killing her afterwards, forgetting that he was in the mist of people who probably cared about her. How could he have thought that they would allow him to take her away just like that? Now the mistake had caused him dearly. Not only did he lose her and the bead, he had also gotten so much injury for the night.

He was beginning to regain his strength. As he got to the car only to see that Inspector James was no longer there.
Another silly mistake from him, he was learning so many lessons. Inspector James was gone! He was hoping that he would use the Inspector as bait to get Jennifer or his bead back. He leaned on his car and thought of what else to do. He couldn’t think, the anger he felt right now couldn’t allow him to think. He looked around and felt like killing every human that came to his sight. Maybe that should be the next and best thing to do. Maybe he should forget about the bead and start his mission. Yes.

He looked up and thought once again, these humans could probably have known about the bead by now. They could probably have been doing their research and maybe have found out something. Even if they haven’t done anything, sooner or later they will.

Did he kill Stella? No he didn’t. She could probably regain her strength and probably tell them the little she knew about him. What might Amaka have told the cops? How did they locate him to Stella’s place? All these questions made him realize that his life might probably be in a greater danger than he thought.

He needed to think on what next to do instead of killing.

He looked around him; he needed somewhere alone, where he could cool off and think. Somewhere he won’t see any human to distract him and make him do otherwise.

Rogers left the car and began to walk out of the school premises. He seemed to be alone. Every student had run away from the school compound. He walked through the school gate, his whole body was stained with his blood and the opened wound all over his body did not seem to bother him. The security watched as he walked through the gate in astonishment; they wondered how somebody with such gruesome opening all over his body could be alive and healthy like this. There was no sign that he felt pain rather he looked so strong. They had already been instructed by Inspector James not to harass or interrogate him. Now as they watched him, they understood why he had instructed them so, they were looking at a human monster.

Rogers walked out of the school premises, into the dark street. He continued to walk straight looking for an isolated street that would take him out of the starring eyes of the few people he came across. He saw one and diverted. The street was quiet, exactly what he wanted. He continued to walk straight until he saw an isolated uncompleted building. He entered and made himself comfortable. He needed to think.

He was oblivious of the Sean who was curiously following behind him, while he maintained a reasonable distance.












CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Ikenna and Jennifer didn’t leave the school compound through the school main gate. He led her through a smaller gate that was at an isolated area of the school. They continued to run until they had gotten to a reasonable distance from the school with Ikenna constantly looking back to see if the strange being was following them. He noticed that the girl by his side was already out of breath, so when he was very sure that nobody was following them; he asked that they stop running. Even as they stopped running, they continued to walk silently.

They reached a point where Ikenna felt that they were save for the meantime and where he could watch out for big figure. Ikenna spoke to her for the first time. “I think we should rest here.” His voice made her wondered if he was tired or if he just wanted to rest for her sake. He was in total control of himself.

Jennifer quickly sat down; she was exhausted, breathing hard with without saying a word. Ikenna had so many questions to ask, but seeing that she was very tired to speak at the moment, he waited for her to regain her lost strength. He remained standing while he continued to observe her as well as observe the street.

After about five minutes, he asked, “So who is the fellow that was trying to abduct you?”

“I don’t know. I am seeing him for the first time.” She thought of her aunty as she spoke. “He was so strong and even before you inflicted him with the knife injury; he had blood stains all over his body.”

“Yes, I noticed it while he struggled with you. How did he get to know your name?” he continued to probe.

“I don’t know. Oh my God, he is a monster.” She still shivered as she thought through her encounter with Rogers.

“Are you sure that you haven’t hurt anyone recently? Perhaps they are trying to get back at you”

“No… but I just broke up with my boyfriend, and he is obviously not taking it lightly. He had been threatening me and I noticed him following me all day. Right now he is the only person that I think might be planning to hurt me.”

Looking at her, Ikenna understood why a boy should go paranoia just because he broke up with her. She was a real beauty, she had strong effect on him even though he really wasn’t in the mood for that. He felt that the boyfriend had over reacted if he was really the one who sent the monster after Jennifer. “Does your boyfriend know your aunty?”

“Yes, Sean knows my aunty very well. He probably might have told the beast to use her name as bait to get me out.” She said thoughtfully.

“Is he a cultist?”

“I don’t know. Is he supposed to tell me that he is a cultist?”

“No, but I am wondering why he should send that guy after you. A cultist will definitely send his members to you and not such a strange fellow. What if this is not his plan? What if this is all about something else you might not be aware of?” Ikenna suggested. “Are you sure that your aunty could not be involved in any way?”

“How? I don’t understand what you are asking?” she asked, getting more worried.

“I don’t know. Maybe I should take you home first, and then we can go to the police. All my life, I have never seen anybody as strong as the fellow who tried to abduct you.” He stood up and stretched out his hands in the bid to support her. She held and he pulled her up.

“Thank for coming to my rescue” she said, more seriously. “You saved my life and I don’t know how to repay you.”
“It’s okay. Let’s go home and get things straightened up.” He still felt a serious pain on his jaw. He knew that his face will be so disfigured by morning.

After he was through with instructing the school security, he tried to reason out where Jennifer would probably run to. His senses told him that she would probably want to go home. He was just about to go out through the school gate when he saw a police vehicle drive into the school gate. At first he thought it was Rogers. He stepped backwards to observe. The car stopped and Sergeant Bill and Barrister Emeka stepped out.

“Inspector, thank God you are safe. What happened? Where is Rogers” Bill gladly asked.

“Let’s get out of here first. The demon is still in the school compound, we have to locate Jennifer, I think she is the one with the bead.” James opened the car door as he spoke.

Emeka and Bill followed him in. while Bill reversed the car, Emeka asked, “But what happened? Why is everywhere in disarray? Isn’t leaving the demon among innocent student very dangerous?”

James gave him a surprised look, “Do you want to go and bring him out? There is no need wasting unnecessary time here. If you say the bead is the only way he can be destroyed, then we should concentrate on locating it wherever it is and destroy it…” quickly, he told them what had happened right from when he had been abducted by Rogers. “Just like you told me, he said he wasn’t human and that he loved killing people.”

“That means that Stella must have told him that her daughter was with the bead. Yes, we have to locate her, but who was the brave boy who rescued her? Perhaps he will take her to wherever he feels is safe for her rather than her home.”
Emeka said. Then he remembered that his son, Ikenna was supposed to be in the school by this time. He suddenly became alarmed. He picked up his cell phone and dialed his Ikenna’s number.

“Who are you calling?” James asked.

“My son; he should be in the school compound. I want to ensure that he is safe. “Emeka said with the cell phone to his ear. “Hello, Ikenna… where are you right now?” he was glad to hear his voice. Somehow, his dream was coming to pass.

“Dad, I am somewhere behind the school. A stranger tried to abduct a girl this evening in the school compound but I rescued her dad,” Ikenna proudly said, “Right now I want to take her home and make sure she is safe.”

Emeka couldn’t believe his ears. Ikenna was the student who had fought the demon. Did he know what he was up against? He would have been killed. “Don’t move away from where you are, tell me your location and I will be there with some police officers right away. Are you sure the stranger didn’t follow you?”

“No dad, we escaped from him, he didn’t know the direction we headed. Besides I hurt him real bad, he wouldn’t have the strength to come after us.”

“He is not even human and can’t be injured like you think. If you think you are safe wherever you are, then stay put. Give me your location.” Emeka said.

“What is happening dad? Are you involved in all this?” the astonished Ikenna asked.
“Just give me your location. I will explain when I get there.”

“Okay, I am at the back gate, along Jubilee Street in Aladinma.

Emeka dropped the cell phone and said, “My son just confirmed that he was the student who rescued Jennifer. That boy is trying to give us hypertension; his mother will worry herself to death if she discovers this,” to Bill, “let’s go pick them at Jubilee Street.”

“Wow, what a coincidence,” James said thoughtfully. “Look at the bright side, your son had not only saved a life, but he had saved the day. He had done what a group of policemen couldn’t do. You should be proud of him because he is a hero.”
Soon Ikenna and Jennifer were in sight. They picked them up and drove straight to the hospital to check out how Jennifer’s aunt was doing.

On the way, Emeka explained everything that had happened to his son and Jennifer.

“That’s strange…was that why you have been asking me to be careful?” Ikenna said.

“Yes, what were you thinking going after the beast? You could have been hurt.”

“But I wasn’t, dad. Jennifer would have been hurt and I expect you to be proud of me.” Ikenna defended himself.
“I owe my life to your son sir. How could I have escaped from that beast if not for his intervention?” Jennifer put in.
“Do you know where the bead is?” Inspector James asked. He was getting sick of Emeka’s complaints.

“Yes sir, I have the bead locked up in my school locker right now.” How would I have known its significance? It had always amused me and that why I had kept it against my aunt’s instruction.”

“Let’s get back and get it right away.” Ikenna quickly said, he had almost forgotten that his father was right there. He was having the most exciting night of his life and his whole body receptors craved for more.

Emeka almost screamed. He was also having an exciting time but his son was taking it to the extreme.

“Please, I have to see my aunty first. I want to be sure that she is ok. Oh poor aunty; facing the devil all on her own. I hope she has not been badly hurt.” Jennifer cried.

“She will be alright,” Bill said.

“We will see her first and then take our time to plan on how to retrieve the bead from the school.” James concluded.
They got to Federal Medical Center, where Stella and Ted were receiving treatment. There were lots of cops in the vicinity and they were both surprised and glad to see the inspector sound and healthy.

Stella was conscious and there was gladness written all over her face when she saw her niece. Jennifer rushed to her sick bed and gave her a hug.

“I am sorry for what happened aunty and I am glad you are alive. I can’t imagine what you might have gone through in the hand of that terrible being.”

“It is okay, I will survive and thank God you are safe too.” Stella managed to say.

“I was rescued by this student. I was almost adopted.” Jennifer pointed at Ikenna as she spoke.

“Thank you young man, I will ever remain grateful.” Looking at the inspector, she said “Please ensure that she is safe, and don’t let her out of your site until something is done about that devil.”

“We will protect her madam. We better be leaving; we have to think of a way to get that bead and destroy it before Rogers causes more harm.”

They left the hospital after a brief visit to Ted on his sick bed.

“Let’s all go to my house and have a brief rest. Rogers wouldn’t know we are there, and we can plan our next move without interruption.” Emeka said.

Inspector James ensured that nobody knew where they were going to. Anybody who would want to contact him can do that via his cell phone.

It was almost ten pm as they headed for Emeka’s home with Sergeant Bill on the wheel.





Jennifer helped Adaku in serving the late dinner for everybody, while they discussed on how they would get the bead.
“But why don’t we just go and get the bead this night so that early tomorrow morning we all head for Duruji,” Ikenna suggested.

It’s already late; I don’t think it is safe for us to embark on any mission to the school. Let’s leave it till tomorrow morning when, I believe, the coast will be clear, then I and Bill will go and get the bead; we will meet you all here and then we will all go to Duruji together to destroy the bead.” James said after putting a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

Ikenna wasn’t finding this funny. They were letting him out of the action. “Do you suggest I sit here with my folks doing nothing while you go and get the bead?”

“You are not going out there Ikenna. It is too dangerous so leave the policemen to do their jobs.” His father returned.

“But dad, you weren’t with me when I had a confrontation with him in the school premises. I know how dangerous he is and I am sure I can protect myself. With Jennifer’s description, it will be easier to locate her locker with me out there in school because it’s my territory. After all, we are almost certain that he wouldn’t be around by the morning so why the tension?”

“We have to thoroughly ensure your safety,” Adaku explained, “remember the dream your father had, I believe we were being warned to keep you as much distance as possible from Alaogbaga.”

“Come on mum. How would we have known that the beast would be heading towards the school when I simply planned to stay over and study?” Ikenna defended. “The being, as dangerous as he is, is out there. We should be thinking of ways of destroying him and saving not only your son but mankind in general.”

“I think Ikenna is right. He will help us locate the bead faster; we wouldn’t want to go about asking questions that early morning and drawing attention, we want to be as discrete as possible in retrieving the bead. Let’s do it this way.
Bill will go with Ikenna to get the bead while I and the rest of the crew head for Duruji to make preparation. Once you have the bead you meet us up in Duruji. That way, I can ensure some police protection for you all while we head for Duruji and Bill will protect Ikenna. Ikenna on the other hand will give Ted direction to Duruji once they have the bead”

Everybody saw it as a good plan except Adaku. But majority carried the vote.

After dinner, they recounted, in astonishment, the event of the day. And within a short time, with their plan set out, they decided to retire for the night so that they would wake up early and prepare for their mission.

Emeka and his wife prepared the visitors room for the two cops and their daughter’s room was prepared for Jennifer.
Jennifer and Ikenna weren’t in the mood to retire so they remained in the sitting room and discussed.

“I feel like going over to the school to and get the bead.” Ikenna said.

Jennifer looked at his face, he was dead serious, “I don’t understand. You want to go into the school premises this night with that thing hovering all aver the place and probably looking for you?”

“We can’t just sit here doing nothing. He could hurt more people.”

“Have you thought of the possibility of him seeing you and getting the bead from you? Besides, what do you want to do with the bead if you get it this night?” she said, getting heated by his stubbornness.

The thought of a likely confrontation excited him and the risk made him felt he was wasting his time in this house with a pretty lady, his old folks and two cops who looked very tired. “I believe that the earlier we get the bead, the better. Anything can happen before morning, you never can tell.” Why does she think she can tell him what to do? He thought.

“No Ikenna. Please leave it till morning, it is very dangerous out there, he could see you and I don’t want any bad to happen to you.”

Ikenna was starring at her face. It was obvious that she meant what she said and he was surprised that he was touched by her concern. He knew deep down within him that he would never step his legs out of the house if she insisted that he shouldn’t. Somehow, he liked here and wouldn’t want to hurt her.

“I am worried about Aunty Stella. I can’t help imagining the hell she might have gone through in the hands of that beast. Poor Aunty Stella, she would never hurt a fly” she changed the topic.

“I understand how you feel. If it were my parents I would feel the same way too. But we should be glad that she had regained consciousness and is responding to treatment. I believe she will be better by the morning.”
He was so comforting; she raised her head to stare at him. She couldn’t believe that she was sitting in his house with him. Ikenna the notorious boy, she thought. She never thought he could be this soft, not after all the violent stories she had heard about him in school. “Why do you always like to fight?”

“Me?” He was surprised at the sudden change of topic. “Are you always fond of jumping from one topic to another?”
“Are you always fond avoiding questions about you violent life style?”

They both laughed at their sense of humour even after the day’s near death experience.

“Well, I don’t know, I guess I just like it.” He carelessly answered.

A blunt answer, she thought. “It gives people wrong impression about you.”

“I am not bothered about that.”

“Are you not bothered about getting hurt?”

“No, I don’t even think about that.”

“Then you are probably not thinking about those who love you and care for you like your parents.” She said.

“Who told you that and why should you say that. I care bout them, you don’t know me.” He defended.

“If you think about people who love you, you won’t want to get hurt for their sake.”

“I can take care of myself; people who love me don’t need to worry.”

“Well, I am one of those people who have the impression that you are bad based on the terrible stories I hear about you.” She said looking directly at him.

“You?”

“Yes.” She said as she continued to watch him. He was beginning to get uncomfortable.

“I didn’t know that you even knew me in school, Today is my first time of seeing you” his tone careless again.

“Everybody knows the boy who is always involved in one fight or the other.”

“So?”

“I don’t like it; I think you can be a better person if you avoid fighting.”

“Perhaps, your Bottom wouldn’t have been saved if I had not been a fighter.” He said, this time smiling mischievously.
He looked very cute in that smile. She wished he could hold her tight and comfort her. She stood up from her seat and slowly walked up to him. Then she sat down very close to him on the same seat. They were so close that they could feel their body heat and feel their breath.

Ikenna had watched her walk like an angel to him. He was stunned by her beauty and graciousness. He had a strange urge to reach out for her and hold her forever.

“What were you thinking when you struck my abductor with the machete? Did you want to kill him?” She asked.

“I just wanted to rescue you. Striking him hard with the knife was the only way I could do that and I am glad I did it. Or aren’t you glad I used the machete on him the way I did?” He asked.

“I am, and I want to thank you once again, but I want to understand why you chose to live a violent life. I want to know you and your view about life.” her voice was soft yet the energy in it got his whole sense organ yielding for help.

“I don’t really know how to explain it to you.” He said, after a loud sigh. “My whole senses always crave for excitation, I mean… I love living life on the edge and it is beyond my control. I hate being bored and unfortunately I easily get bored, therefore I allow myself to seek out new sensation so that life for me could be more interesting.
Fighting is the best experience that satisfies my urge for excitation that my environment can readily offer. So I don’t hesitate to indulge whenever it comes my way. But I don’t want you to see me as a troublesome person. I don’t go around seeking for innocent people’s trouble; neither do I have fun in hurting people. I hate hurting people, so I fight only people who hurt people.”

“Was that why you rescued me this evening? You wanted to fight the person who was hurting someone?” she asked.
“Yes. But actually, I also wanted to help the pretty girl who walked like an angel out of the hall. I must confess, you really got me distracted when you stood up to answer the call. I couldn’t help but stare.”
She smiled, he could be romantic, she thought.
Then Ikenna said. “Tell me about yourself.”
“I am the girl who has the life of an ancient god in her locker, the saver of the world.” They both laughed. Ikenna loved her sense of humor. “Well, I am a 200 level psychologist student.” She said.
“Now I understand why you are so probing.” He said cutting her off.
She smiled and continued. “I lost my parents when I was still an infant and I grew up knowing Aunty Stella as the only mother and father I could ever have.”
Ikenna was touched. “I am sorry.”
She didn’t answer, and then he quickly asked, “Why did you choose to study psychology?”
“I have always wanted to understand why men behave the way they do. Aunty Stella told me the story about how the man she love and was hoping to marry jilted her for no good reason. Can you believe that all the while they were together; shearing what seemed like the best feelings together, he was dating someone else and used her to make his boring times exciting? He told her off without any remorse when he was tired of her knowing that him that she wasn’t getting younger.” She was angry “He felt no remorse, and I kept asking myself why? Why are people so heartless and wicked? Especially men.”
When he made no attempt to answer her, she acknowledged that he was a good listener and continued. “My aunty later married a man who was much younger than her. Uncle Uchenna gave her all the loving that she always prayed for and for the first time in her life she felt she had found something real.
When I was seventeen years old, I happened to be at home for one of my long holidays. This resulted in me and my aunt’s husband being alone at home for so long, because he was out of job then. I became aware of the way he was starring at me and even though I was never comfortable with it I did not do anything about it, neither did I think otherwise. I thought that it was just one of those things. You see, I was very inexperienced in matters like that. One day I was in my room and uncle Uchenna suddenly walked into the room. There was something different about his movement. Then he started telling me how much he liked me and how he would give me anything I want in life if I would just allow him to make love to me.
I never expected he would tell me such a thing, off course I admired boys and craved to love some of them, but not my aunt’s husband. He came closer and started touching me and as I tried to shove him away, he suddenly became violent and desperate. His countenance changed, he tried to force me into doing it and I screamed. I continued to scream until the neighbors heard my cry. They came to my rescue, and that marked the end of his marriage with my aunty. So I became interested in understanding men and humans in general. Psychology provided me with the opportunity to see and understand people the way they really are and not the way they are meant to be.”
“What about your boyfriend? Did psychology make you understand him?” He asked.
“You mean my ex? Yes, I have been putting up with him for a long time; unfortunately my knowledge in psychology cannot make me change him, so I had to let him go.”
Ikenna didn’t want to ask what he did. “How do you intend to handle his stalking attitude?
“I intend to confront him soon. Why are men mean and selfish?” she asked.
“I am not like that, I am not mean” he said.
“You just said it.” She replied.
“Don’t you believe me?”
She didn’t answer; rather she pulled closer to him. “Ikenna, I am so scared, but you are making it easy for me.”
Ikenna wondered if she believed him, but he allowed her to change the topic once again. “I promise you that I won’t let anything to happen to you, I never will.” He allowed his right hand to wrap around her as she laid her head on his chest.
She felt secured. She believed him.

Sean continued to watch the uncompleted building. He wondered what the strange fellow was doing inside there, all alone. Where there others that he had gone there to meet? The whole place was dark and scary, he felt cold and tired. He wondered how long he was going to wait for the guy to come out.

The stranger might probably not come out from the building until morning. Sean was confused. Should he go home and come back in the morning? It was quite impossible for him to stay out here all alone till God knows when. But he really wanted to know who this stranger that wanted to abduct Jennifer was.

He began to feel sleepy and it became obvious that his body needed rest. He decided to go home and come back very early in the morning. He hoped that he wouldn’t miss the big strange fellow by the time he comes. A flood of excitement ran through him; he was very sure that he would discover something important. Perhaps he should just go and tell the police where the abductor is, but he thought against it. Probably the police do not know about it, besides if he goes to the police, they would end up taking the glory.

After lingering for about thirty minutes more, he decided that he would go and sleep somewhere close by, like the hostel so that he would be able to make it back here very early in the morning. He turned around and headed for the school. He wasn’t going to let anybody know about his little secret, not yet, until the whole picture becomes clear to him.

































CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Ikenna and Sergeant Bill woke up very early the in the morning and in no time they were ready to leave for the school.

“This shouldn’t be difficult, be as discrete as possible, watch your back and make sure that you don’t attract attention. Go straight to the locker, get the bead and head straight for Duruji.” James instructed.

“You have to be very careful and observant.” Adaku added.

“I will mum.” Ikenna said. He looked at Jennifer, she looked gloomy, “Hey, cheer up guys; we are not going to fight a war.”

Jennifer handed him the keys to her locker and explained to him the how he could get to it. “Please be careful,” she said and gave him a hug.

He was touched by her concern. He was developing a soft spot for her. Surprisingly, he had found himself thinking about her all night. He wouldn’t mind being her hero forever.

“Alright, we will all converge at Duruji and destroy the bead.” Ikenna said.

“Be vigilant son, the world depends on you.” Emeka added as they got into the car.

Ikenna didn’t forget his bag, neither did he forget to put his short machete inside.

Immediately they drove off, Jennifer asked that she speak with her aunty on the phone. Inspector James gave her his cell phone and she dialed Stella’s number.

“Good morning aunty.” Jennifer said into the phone. “How are you today?”

“I am much better, although my left arm and my jaw still hurt pretty much.” She actually sounded stronger
“Oh aunty, I can’t imagine what you had gone through in the hands of that bully.” Jennifer cried.

“It’s alright Jenny, I hope you are secured wherever you are, and I hope you have gotten over last night’s trauma?”
“Don’t worry about me aunty, I am in safe hands. Besides I now have a guardian angel.” She said as she thought of Ikenna.
“I am sorry Jenny, It is all fault; I shouldn’t have brought that devilish object to the house, now we are hunted because of my stupidity.”

“No aunty, you don’t have to blame yourself, it is not your fault. As a matter of fact you unknowingly did the right thing. If you had not taken it, the god would have gotten hold of it by now. We will soon destroy it and all these will be over,”

“Alright, please be careful.”

“I will aunty. I wish you quick recovery, bye.” She handed the phone back to James, feeling a little bit relieved. Aunty Stella had sounded stronger than she expected.

James also spoke with some cops at the vicinity; he wanted to find out how Ted was doing. Once he was through with the cell phone, they all got ready and hurried out of the house for Duruji village. Inspector James was very sure that Ikenna and Bill would come back home with the bead, somehow the boy looked very, very capable and dependable.






Rogers wasn’t able to sleep through out the night, how would he when his bead was out there. He was worried that his actions lately had given humans reason to know that the bead was very important to him and for the first time he was really scared that this wonderful life that had been secured to him by his servant Chika would son come to an end.

He regretted his recent actions. If he had known, he wouldn’t have started killing until the bead was secured. But the urge had been unbearable. Now look at what he had done. If the bead was found and destroyed, that would mean that he had waited for more than hundred years in vain. All his plans about ruthlessly taking over the world would be shattered.

This thought made him very angry.

These humans have bitten more than they can chew. He was going to come out with something new. Since they think they can keep the bead away from him, he will kill twenty people everyday, starting from dawn. He will kill anybody he sees on his way. He will continue like that until they give him the recognition he deserved and desire. With or without the bead, he will take over this environment. They’ve left him with no choice.

He will paint their streets with blood and make them regret fighting him and misplacing his bead. They will know that Alaogbaga, the great god of destruction is back.

He had wasted his time thinking that he would get the bead, he had been very silly. The bead was lost, besides they couldn’t have found out about what happened between him and Chike a long time ago, after all nobody had been there.
But within him, he knew that his life was in serious danger, all he has to do was to hope that the bead was lost forever.
The sun was taking too long to come out; he couldn’t wait for the sun to come out so that he could start with his hobby. He had regained all his lost strength and was ready for a new hunt.

He came out of his shelter around 5.30 am and began to walk towards the school. He remembered seeing a lot of people there last night. He was going to start killing from there.

Once he came out of the lonely street, he saw a police vehicle heading towards the school gate.

The police are the main force behind the disruption of his plans and so he hated them more; well, he was going to start with anybody in that car. He was going to strangle them with their intestine. He quickly headed towards the school gate. The whole town was obviously still asleep.

By five thirty am, Sean was already on his way to check if the guy who had tried to adopt Jennifer last night was still in the uncompleted building he had left him last night. Although he had no idea what he was about to discover, he was very excited about the whole thing.

He still had his books with him as he walked through the classrooms towards the gate. Everywhere was quiet that early morning. The news of last night’s event was the only topic students in the hostel discussed. Little did they know that he knew where the strange fellow had taken refuge for the night.

Sean saw a police car drive into the school and headed towards psychology department.

He knew they were going to Jennifer’s class. What do they want? Well, he was going to find out. He quickly followed the car. He would check on the strange fellow after he was done with this.





Because of last night’s event, the school authority decided to tighten up security. Every car coming into the school must be scrutinized and verified by the security men at the post.

Sergeant Bill had explained to the two security men their mission and had asked them to be watchful for any stranger while they get the bead.

They got to the classroom. Bill remained in the car while Ikenna went to get the bead.

While outside, Bill saw Sean heading his way. He made sure it wasn’t Rogers and allowed the student to walk by and into the classroom. He didn’t want raise the boy’s suspicion by asking him anything. He guessed that Sean was one of the students who wanted to have an early morning study in preparation for the up coming exam.

Sean walked into the classroom and saw Ikenna opening Jennifer’s locker and picking something. It was the black bead she had once seen Jennifer observing with keen interest.

While he was approaching the police vehicle, he had seen Ikenna come out of the can and walked into the psychology lecture class. He had wondered where Jennifer was and felt a little of jealous with the thought that she was could have been under his protective custody all through the night. This thought made him develop a strong aversion towards Ikenna. But he was sure that whatever it was that had brought him to school early this morning must be very important, probably significant to what happened to her last night.

Ikenna was startled at his presence; reflexively, he dipped his right hand into his small bag to retrieve his machete.

Sean quickly said. “I am sorry to bulge into you. I am Jennifer’s boyfriend. I heard what happened last night at the general hall. I have been so worried throughout the night, so I decided to come to school very early this morning and see if I can get any information. You see, I couldn’t sleep in the hostel, so I decided to stay alone here. Am I not lucky to see you?”

Ikenna looked at him. He felt sorry for him. They had almost blamed him for what happened yesterday when he was innocent after all. He might have really loved Jennifer. Was he still stalking her?

“I really want to thank you for rescuing my girl,”

Ikenna wasn’t comfortable with Sean calling Jennifer his girl. He was beginning to like her and wouldn’t want to hear that she was for somebody else.

“You mean her ex?” Ikenna asked.

Sean was furious at this question. He felt like pouncing on Ikenna and giving him the beating of his life. Had Jennifer already told him that they were having problems? He ex? Was that what she told him? Just a night together and she had told Ikenna things about them. He just ignored the silly statement. “Is she okay?”

“She is alright.” Ikenna felt jealous, Sean still cared for her.

“Where is she please?” Sean was boiling with anger and frustration. He couldn’t help but imagine what would have transpired between them during the night. It must have been a romantic night. He was sure that she would be vulnerable because he had presented himself as a hero and rescued her. Sean was angry. He just wanted to hurt them both. If he can’t have her, nobody, not even Ikenna can have her.

“She should be on her way to Duruji with my parents and a policeman, she will be safe there.”

“Why would she go to your village?” Sean asked, with a concerned look on his face.

“That is a long story and I don’t have the time to tell you everything now, but it is all about this bead,” he looked it, “it is what the strange man wants. For some reasons I can’t really explain right now, all he wants is for her to give him the bead, and it is precious to him. So I have to take it to Duruji for destruction before the psycho gets it.”

So this is what this is all about? The strange bead, just the bead. Then he must first of all get the bead from Ikenna, that way her safety would lie in his hands. He wasn’t even thinking about the cops outside, he felt that Ikenna was taking all the glory and would be seen as a hero by everybody, more specifically, Jennifer. He must get the bead who knows, he could also be a hero.

He had been to Duruji village for a burial before; locating Ikenna’s parents would not be difficult. What should he do? Fighting Ikenna was very impossible

“I must hurry off to my village; I have to meet them there.” Ikenna said as he began to close the locker.

Sean was looking around for an object, one he could use to hit Ikenna. There was a thick wood on the desk behind him: like the leg of a broken desk. Someone must have dropped it there during the confusion yesterday. Sean shifted backwards a little bit and stood opposite the desk, his hand could now easily grab the wood. He waited for the right time to strike, knowing that Ikenna will definitely pass very close by him when leaving the classroom.

Ikenna hurriedly locked up Jennifer’s locker and walked towards the exit.

“Tell her that you saw me and that I am worried about her. You know, despite the problems we have been having lately, I still can’t stop worrying about her.”

“It’s alright, I understand… I am off, bye.”

As Ikenna was about to walk past the door, Sean picked up the thick wood and swatted him at the back of his head.
A flash of bright light appeared in Ikenna’s vision, then darkness. He slumped and fainted.

Sean stared at him for some seconds; he couldn’t tell weather he was dead or just unconscious. That didn’t bother him much, he would think about that later. He quickly searched him and took the bead. There was a sudden sound of gunshot just outside the classroom where he had passed the police car.

Bill had shot the gun at Rogers. While he was inside the car he didn’t notice Rogers waft through the classes. The sudden appearance of the fast young fellow about twenty five feet from the car had taken him by surprise.

Rogers had sneaked into the security cubicle and punched the two guards to death. He was so fast that they didn’t even have the time to scream and alert other security men.

He was more careful when he approached the police vehicle, he didn’t want to be shot at again. He wouldn’t like to feel the pain he felt yesterday because it would slow him down. The classrooms had provided him the cover he needed while he approached the vehicle.

Luckily for him the bullet Bill had shot at him missed him. With so much speed he got to the car, held Bill through the window and pulled him out of the car. The first punch dazed Bill, the second made him unconscious.

“I can take you to the girl!” Sean said aloud. He couldn’t watch the stranger punch the cop to death.

Rogers stopped and looked up. He was surprised at what he heard. He dropped Bill and slowly started to approach Sean.
“You wouldn’t want to hurt me, I am your only hope of getting the girl and your black bead.” If the insane stranger wanted the bead so bad then he would have to lead him to Jennifer.

Seeing the cops fall unconsciously to the floor, a nice plan suddenly came into Sean’s head. He would tell the cops that had gone to Duruji with Jennifer that the stranger had attacked him and the duo when he was trying to help them locate the bead. The stranger had then adopted him and coerced him to take him to Duruji.

Rogers was very close to him. His eyes were blood shot and he stank terribly of stale blood. This was the first time Sean was seeing him at such a close range, the guy was totally insane. What had he gotten himself into? Fear gripped him.
“Who are you?” Rogers asked, wondering how this stranger had gotten to know about the bead. What did he know.

I can help you get to the girl with your bead, just don’t hurt me or anyone again.” Sean managed to stammer.

Something about Sean reminded Rogers of something about Chika, his beloved servant. Frustration. Sean was frustrated and Rogers could see it, he had come to notice that such people who could do anything when frustrated were rear to find. People like him. Well, he will hear the boy out, if he has nothing serious, he will just pull his head out of his body and look for another victim. “Where is she?”

“She went to Duruji; I can take you there right away.” Sean replied. “Duruji Village is about 25 kilometers from here.”
The name Duruji made Rogers heart skip. Duruji! What had she gone to do in Duruji? Had she gone to find out more about the bead? He was suddenly alarmed. He didn’t even bother about probing further on why Sean intended to help him “Can we get moving?”








CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Dike was anxiously waiting for Emeka and the cops by the time they got to Duruji. He had kept tag of their where about via cell phone while they were on their way.

Two days ago when Emeka informed his father of the existence of the great god, Dike had gone to the few Saviours that were still alive to let them know of the situation. He had further inquired on how the bead should be properly destroyed, even though he had heard it before. He just didn’t want to make mistakes.

Soon Emeka and his crew arrived Duruji.

Everywhere was quiet and peaceful. The serenity of the natural atmosphere and environment gave Jennifer a strong feeling that her late parents were watching and guarding her. She was really surprised, because this was the first time she was having such a feeling about her late parents. Then a strong nostalgic harmonious sensation suddenly swept through her as a short fantasy of Ikenna loving her suddenly came into her memory. She wanted to run out of the car and embrace nature. It was real, visible and tender. The air was redolent of a natural and undiluted fragrance of nature.

Dike immediately came out of his house as he saw the police vehicle drive into the compound. He waited patiently for them to settle down so that he can ask them all about the great god. After all these years, he was also surprised that this child has long been born and waiting for the right time to manifest. He was grateful that the bead had not been within his reach all these while. All hopes would have been lost.

In no time the men were seated together in the lightly furnished sitting room. Adaku and Jennifer had already found themselves in the kitchen trying to prepare something for breakfast.

“Where is mama?” Emeka asked.

“Oh, she went for the village mothers meeting. But she will be back any moment from now.”

Emeka thought it was too early for a meeting. “And Nneka?” Nneka was a young girl who was employed to help his old
folks.

“She went to the stream to do some laundry.”

“Okay, well… this is Inspector James; he is in charge of investigation on the god’s activities. The young lady with us is Jennifer, she found the bead and kept it but she didn’t know the significance.”

“Do you have any idea where he might be right now?” Dike asked. The question was directed at James.

No sir. The last time we saw him was in the state university premises, he was badly wounded and so we think he might lay low for a while.” James answered.

“He will just feel the pain and become full of energy with a few hours. But tell me more about him. I want know about his activities.” The myth turned reality was worth listening to.

James told him all he knew about the birth of Rogers and his recent activities. “I just hope the destruction of this bead will ensure that he is destroyed once and for all.”

“He will definitely be destroyed once we follow instructions.” Dike said. “We are the descendants of Chike’s brother whose blood he cruelly used for sacrifice without his concert. This makes us worthy of destroying the bead, destroying it on your own would have resulted to the bead taking your life along with it. I have to confess to the land of Duruji that our blood, which was maliciously used for the sacrifice by Chike, is no longer a part of this covenant. We must denounce the covenant that our blood has been used to make, and then the bead can safely be destroyed after the confession and denouncement.”

Jennifer, who had taken a break from the kitchen to join them, couldn’t help but recall that she had been keeping such a devilish object in her locker all these while. She felt like washing her hands over and over again until every deposit of the bead was off.

“The best way I think we should destroy it is by fire, so that it will loose its form and evaporate into the air.” Dike concluded.

Emeka looked at his wrist watch. “Ikenna should arrive any moment from now. Everything depends on his success.” Emeka said, hoping that nothing bad happens to his only son.





Ikenna suddenly woke up. He felt like he had just landed from space. He looked around him on to find out that he was in the mist of students and guards. They must have found him here and resuscitated him. He couldn’t tell how long he had been unconscious. As he was trying to remember what really happened to him, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, which was accompanied by an intense headache. There was also a pain on his jaw; Rogers punch from last night was still having its effect.

Slowly, he began to remember. Why had Sean hit him on the head? He held unto the one of the guards and gently stood up and sat on the next desk beside him. The headache was becoming more intense.

The bead!

He quickly searched his pockets and realized that it was gone. What was he going to do? Inspector James and his dad had trusted that he would bring the bead along with him to the village and now he had disappointed them. He was very confused, what had Sean done with the bead? What had made him decided to take it? Jennifer had said that they were having problems and he had been threatening her, but that didn’t explain why he should take the bead from him. But wait, where is Sergeant Bill? Why wasn’t he here with him?

“What happened?” he managed to ask. “Where is the cop outside?”

“He needed immediate medical attention. He was beaten by the scary looking psycho from last night.” One of the guards answered. He was the school’s chief security; Ikenna was familiar with him given his troublesome life style.
“So where is the scary guy?” Ikenna probed.

“One of our students was seen driving of with him in the police vehicle that was left here last night. We also lost two of our men. Can you tell us what is happening? This school has been in disarray since last night and you seem to be at the front of it all.”

Where have they gone to? Oh my God! Sean must have given him the bead. He felt disappointed in himself. He had messed a single task given to him.

“Young man, we will have to detain you until the cops come around and so that we can hand you over to them. We will need a lot of explanations from you though.” The guard continued. He noticed that Ikenna was distracted. This got him angry. The notorious boy wasn’t listening to him. For a long time now, he had been waiting patiently for Ikenna to fall into his trap. He hoped this would be an opportunity.

“You can’t detain me sir, I am working with the cops and I have to look for the black bead.” Ikenna complained. He was ready to look all over the town for Sean and Rogers; he would fight them, no matter how strong the bead might have made Rogers become, and get the bead back from them. How would he have known that Sean was working with Rogers?

“I have already sent for the police. I am sorry you can’t go anywhere until I hear from them.” “The guard insisted.
“Alright, can you allow me to call my dad? He is a lawyer and he is with Inspector James right now and they are expecting me. I have to let them know the situation on ground.” Ikenna pleaded.

The Guard reluctantly handed Ikenna his cell phone which he had taken from his pocket when he was unconscious. Ikenna quickly dialed his dad’s number.

“Hello dad, we have a problem.

“What happened?”

“I got knocked out by a student; Jennifer’s boyfriend. I really don’t know why he did it, but he took the bead from me and drove off with Rogers. I am afraid he must have given the bead to him. Meanwhile, Rogers attacked Sergeant Bill after killing two guards. He is critical in the school medical centre.”

“Oh my God. Where are you now?”

“I am still in the school, the guards think that I am involved in the killings and have decided to detain me until they hear from the cops. You have to do something dad, I have to locate the bead before it is too late.” Ikenna said.

“Listen to me son. I am going to let Inspector James talk to the guard, but you have to promise me that you will come straight to Duruji. If the boy had given the bead to the god, there is nothing you can do about it. It is already too late and it would be very dangerous for you to go searching for them. Do you promise me?

“Yes dad. I am really sorry I messed up the mission.”

“It’s okay son. I am proud of you and I am glad you are safe.”

Ikenna handed the cell phone to the guard as Inspector James came online.

After a few minutes Ikenna was released. He left the classroom with his small school bag and went outside. The atmosphere was brighter as silver shade of the early morning sun lightened the earth

He got into Sergeant Bills Car and headed for Duruji. He felt ashamed of himself.

They got to Duruji in twenty minutes but they spent an extra forty five minutes asking for direction to the home of the Dikes.

At Owerri, before they left for Duruji, Rogers had suggested that they should both drive in the police car he had left in the school last night after Inspector James escaped.

When the got to the car, Sean asked “But where is the key?”

“I got it,” he brought out, from his pocket, everything he had collected from James before he went to get Jennifer.
Sean saw the inspector’s gun and backed away. The crazy guy has got a gun with him, he thought.

Rogers threw everything in his hand away and handed the key to him.

“Is that gun bad?” Sean asked with a surprised look on his face.

“I don’t know. I don’t need it. Now let’s get out of here” Rogers grabbed him by his right hand and dragged him as he walked towards the school.

“Please, can I have the gun?”

Rogers looked at it then said “Pick it up and let’s go.”

Sean picked it up got into the car and drove off.

Now in Duruji, Rogers was already feeling at home here, memories of how he oppressed and ruled over this land through Chika became fresh in his mind. They drove the police car silently into the big compound and Sean’s heart skipped as she saw his beloved Jennifer. She was sitting in front of the beautiful bungalow, with an older woman beside a fire. Jennifer looked more beautiful than ever as she sat innocently beside the fire and told the woman something obviously interesting, because she was listening attentively to her.

After Inspector James had ensured that the school guard had let Ikenna go, they had all became very sad and disappointed. There was no other way Alaogbaga could be destroyed. They couldn’t imagine the terror that the world was about to face.

Inspector James had decided to wait for Ikenna to come around before going back to Owerri.

Jennifer also felt very bad. Her acquaintance with Sean was going to cause doom to the world.

She was the first to look up and saw the approaching car before alerting Ikenna’s mum. At first Jennifer thought that it was Ikenna , she couldn’t wait to see him. But the person on the passenger’s side was way too smallish to be Ikenna. Her whole senses shrieked as she remembered the small figure that wanted to abduct her last night.

Rogers!

Then the figure driving the car became familiar.

Sean!

She had been giving Ikenna’s mother the details of what happened last night. The look on Adaku’s face told Jennifer that she was really appreciated by the older woman.

Adaku saw the look at her face and instantly looked intensely at the approaching police vehicle. They both stood up and ran into the building.

Rogers saw Jennifer, his brain stopped working. The thought of catching the girl and taking his bead from her was the only thing that occupied his mind. While Sean drove him towards Duruji, he had wondered if she was really with the bead. Then something told him that if she hadn’t been with the bead, she wouldn’t have taken a trip to Duruji village, where the covenant had been made in the first place with Chika. What had she gone to do in Duruji, just barely fifteen hours after he had had an encounter with her? Something told him that danger was ahead if he didn’t see her in the next few hours. He became more desperate than ever.

He quickly got out of the car and scurried after her, ignoring everything and everybody in the environment. He was incredibly fast; all he wanted was get the girl that had his precious bead.

Dike, Emeka and Inspector James were busy wondering what next to do when they heard the sound of the approaching vehicle. Inspector James was the first to stand up and check out who was approaching through the window. He instantly recognized his car, and reflexively reached for his gun. The other men saw his reaction to whatever he had seen through the window and quickly stood up. James was about to shout at the ladies to come inside when he saw them running into the building. They had barely entered into the sitting room when Rogers nimbly entered behind them.

James rose up his gun and released three shot, while Jennifer struggled to get to his back.

Rogers was concentrating so much on getting hold of Jennifer that he forgot to feel the pain that the gunshot had caused. At least the pain he felt now wasn’t as intense as the one he felt yesterday. But the bullets only succeed in reducing his speed a bit. He was already close to the inspector but he continued watched the girl get behind him. He punched James out of his way and reached out his hand and caught Jennifer in his strong arm.

Jennifer screamed. The small devil was just way too strong for his size, what a grip! Rogers was holding her so tight with his right arm across her bosom allowing her to back him. She felt her back soak in his blood, she was trapped.


Ikenna saw the police vehicle parked in front of his grandfather’s house. The bastard was taking Rogers into his family house, just because he had told him that Jennifer was here. But what did Rogers still want with Jennifer? Hadn’t Sean given him the bead?

Ikenna stopped the car about sixty meters from where Sean parked the police vehicle. He took the machete from his bag, opened the car door and began to walk out. From where he stood, he could see Rogers chasing after his mother and Jennifer. Behind him was his grand mother approaching. He heard her approaching sound.

“Grandma, there is trouble going on in the house. Please stay here for sometime; you will surely get hurt if you come closer. I will explain to you when everything is over.” Before she could say a word, he ran towards the building. As he approached, he noticed that Sean had already opened the car door and entered the building with quick scurried steps.

Sean quickly rushed to the entrance of the sitting room and a quick scan around the room revealed Emeka, his father and Adaku at the extreme right corner of the room looking very scared, confused and helpless. Inspector James was on the floor struggling to pick up his gun that had fallen by his side after he had been knocked down by Rogers. Rogers had turned Jennifer around and she was now facing him; he was violently shaking her and saying, “Where is my bead?”

Oh God, Sean thought, he was going to kill her. He might have been nursing the intention to hurt her, but right now he could intervene and be the hero. He could win her love and admiration back. He quickly reached for the bead from in pocket and brought it out. Holding it up in his right hand, he said, “Don’t hurt her.”

Rogers didn’t seem to hear him. At the moment he felt like strangling Jennifer. Even if he couldn’t do it now, he would definitely do it once he gets the information about the bead from her.

Sean repeated himself, this time louder, “I said, don’t hurt her! I have got the bead her with me!”

Rogers heard him this time around. He quickly looked up and saw his precious bead. He looked at it with a lustful desire. He couldn’t believe his eyes.

The bead!

It hung preciously in the young man’s hand. Where did he get it from? Had he been with it all the while they have been in the same car? What are these people up to?

Every other person in the room saw the bead. So Sean didn’t give the bead to Rogers? But they couldn’t understand the game he was playing.

An uncontrollable anxiety took over inspector James as he picked up his gun and aimed it at Rogers who had gotten distracted by the sudden appearance of the bead. He wouldn’t allow Rogers to get the bead.

Rogers pushed Jennifer aside and swiftly went for the bead.

Sean didn’t know what he was doing, but he was glad that he had saved Jennifer’s life. He stood motionless and waited for Rogers to come and take the bead; what the bead meant to Rogers did not bother him.

Inspector James saw in horror as Rogers went for the bead and shot two rounds of bullets at him; both bullets hit him on the chest.

Rogers felt the pain, but he didn’t allow it to bother him. If he could just let his hands on the bead all these won’t be a problem, therefore he won’t allow the shots to distract him even though it slowed him down. He continued to walk towards Sean. He impatiently stretched out his hand to collect the bead as he got very close to Sean.

Ikenna had just entered the house and saw Sean’s back. At first he didn’t understand what was going on, and then he saw Rogers reaching out for the bead. Quickly, he pushed Sean away and used the matchet in his right hand to strike Rogers hand.

Rogers pulled back his hand, but couldn’t take his eyes off the bead. He watched it as it fell along with Sean to the ground. Sean lost grip of the bead and it fell about forty centimeters away from him. Despite the pain he felt in his in his right hand and all over his body Rogers was still focused on the bead. He went for it, taking his attention away from Ikenna for a while.

Ikenna struck him twice again, one on the neck the other just above his ear. Ikenna also kicked him and put him off balance.

Rogers couldn’t stand it any more. Angrily, he turned around and blew Ikenna on his left rib cage. Ikenna thought he heard the sound of his side bone crack as he hit the wall behind him before falling to the floor. The pain he felt on his head, rib and back made him sick and weak, but he struggled to stand up.

Rogers didn’t go for him; he knew that he was supposed to go ahead and twist the stubborn young man’s neck, but he couldn’t afford to take his attention off the bed at the moment. He turned to pick up the bead but was faced with the nozzle of Inspector James’ gun. Before he could raise his hand to get hold of gun, Inspector James pulled the trigger.

The impact of the bullet was more effective this time around, causing Rogers to reel backwards. The bullet had opened up his fore head and he found himself going out of consciousness.

Inspector James quickly picked up the bead and gave it to Dike. “Hurry, perform whatever ritual you need to perform and destroy it.”

Dike did not waste anytime; he collected the bead and stepped outside, Inspector James followed behind him. Dike was confused on what to do next. Looking around he saw the fire that Adaku and Jennifer had put on earlier before the arrival of Rogers and Sean and went towards it, he held the bead on his right hand just over the fire and placed his left hand on the ground.

The villagers who had heard the sound of gun shots and confusion watched from the distance. They saw him come out to perform the ritual and watch in astonishment yet none of them came closer to help. They only tried to console Dike’s old wife as she cried uncontrollably for her family whom she felt were in severe danger.

Dike raised his voice and said. “Oh land of Duruji! The land that had witnessed generations of the people of Duruji come and go. Oh land that had witnessed all deeds of men, both in secret and in the open. You have seen every evil and good that had been done by all generation of the people of Duruji, but had chosen to remain quiet and unshaken.

On behalf of my entire family, I Dike, a descendant of Chima whose blood was, without his concert, crudely used for the sacrifice that led to the covenant that assured the birth of Alaogbaga, the god of destruction plead with you oh land of Duruji that you forgive all the injustice that our blood had been used to perpetuate. We denounce being a partaker to the evil sacrifice that was done by Chike years ago and ask that you and the entire gods of our land forgive us and withdraw our blood from the covenant. In my right hand lies the bead which is the symbol of the evil covenant between Chika and the Great god of destruction; permit me to destroy it…”

While Dike continued with the rituals, Inspector James stood with him by the fire; he wanted to insure that the bead was finally really destroyed. Emeka and his wife rushed to see the condition of their son, after the blow from Rogers. Ikenna, even though in pains, quickly stood up from the ground and leaving his worried parents behind went to Rogers as he lay unconscious on the floor. He rose up his knife to chop of his head.

“Its aright Ikenna, the mess in this room is too much already. I believe he should be dead by now, besides, your grand dad has already gone outside to destroy the bead.”

Ikenna heeded to the instruction of his father, but stood there and stared at the bloody face of Rogers. Half of his face was no more there and Ikenna thought he could see all the interior of his head; he didn’t like the sight. So he turned around to see how Jennifer was faring.

Rogers was regaining his lost energy, he found his strength coming very fast back to him. He tried to open his eyes but found out that he couldn’t see clearly; something had happened to his eyes. He forced them open but could open only one of them. That was okay; at least he was not yet blind. Then he remembered his bead. Where was his bead?

He tried to look around for it but his mind couldn’t concentrate very well. Ikenna was backing him, he saw him walk towards Jennifer and felt a strong wave of anger take over his whole body. The anger he felt seemed to give him strength. This was the boy who had hindered him from getting hold of his bead even after he had seen it and almost touched it. Nothing else mattered but to get hold of the young man’s head and reap his neck off.

Rogers stood up with great speed and before every other person who had seen him get up could cry out for Ikenna to watch out, Rogers was already reaching for his neck. Ikenna was only fast enough to turn around, Rogers wounded hand was on his neck. He lost his knife as he reached with both of his hands for Rogers’s bloody hands. It wasn’t Rogers’s best grip around people’s neck, the wound Ikenna had inflicted on him with his knife when he was going for the bead couldn’t allow him to hold onto the neck as tight as he wished he could.

Yet Ikenna was suffocating. He began to fight for his life. To him the grip was tight enough to stop him from breathing. As he struggled for life by kicking and blowing all around him, it was obvious to everybody watching them that the boy was fast loosing his life.

Jennifer screamed, while Ikenna’s mother cried out for her dying son.

Outside Dike was almost over with the ritual. Both him and Inspector James heard the cries of the women from the house and knew instantly that Rogers had risen up to fight. James watched impatiently as Dike continued to speak, he hope it wasn’t going to be too late for who ever the devil was fighting with; he quickly entered the house to check out what was happening.

“…Let this mark the end of the covenant and let the great god of destruction go back to where it belongs.” Dike concluded and threw the bead into the fire.

Ikenna felt his life sleep away. In the darkness that occupied his brain, he saw his father’s worried face as he warned him to be very careful of something he was not sure about, then his mothers loving and kind face took over his dad’s, he had never appreciated her the way he did now; somewhere within him he knew he was crying. Lastly Jennifer came into view, she looked very vulnerable and harmless and so much in need of his love and protection. He found himself wishing for a second life; a life where he would make up for all the wrongs he had unconsciously done to the people who loved him. He wished for a life where he will have the opportunity to express his love for humanity in a gentle and reasonable way instead of expressing it through violence. He wished for a life where he would have somebody special in his life, somebody he can love forever in the most tender and passionate way.

Then Rogers cried out and released his grip on Ikenna’s neck, it was a deep and painful cry; something was happening to him. The cry was a mixture of anger, pain and hatred. He began to scream very loudly as the pain he felt increased. He felt internal heat that was too much for him to bear. Then he fell to the ground and shook restlessly all over, suddenly turning black all over.

Everybody watched in astonishment as he struggled for life, but their attention didn’t go away from Ikenna who fell unconsciously to the floor as Rogers released him from his tight grip. Jennifer was the first to rush to him on the floor. She lifted him up to her laps and cried; she thought that he was dead. The way she cried alarmed Ikenna’s parents and they all knelt by the side of their son thinking of the next thing to do.

Suddenly Ikenna stirred and weakly opened his eyes.

He was alive! Everybody was joyful and Jennifer hugged him with so much passion.

Inspector James and Dike were watching from the door. James didn’t take his eyes of the dying Rogers. He watched as Rogers finally give up the ghost looking like he had gone through hell before landing on earth. Rogers was a terrible mess as he lay lifelessly on the floor.

Everybody’s attention seemed to be away from Sean at the moment. He had watched everything that had happened in disbelief, still in the same position he had landed when Ikenna pushed him earlier. The gun he had taken from Rogers was still in his pocket. He knew that he was in a serious trouble. He would probably spend his next five to ten years behind bars. Now the lady he that had led him into this mess was hugging and sharing passionate moment with another male right in front of him.

He hated Ikenna for coming between him and his beloved Jennifer; he hated everybody in the room. He began to imagine himself behind bars while Ikenna takes over what should rightfully belong to him. It was something he couldn’t bear. She had eventually ruined his life.

Irrationally, he took the gun out of his pocket. If he goes down, then Jennifer must go down with him.
Inspector James was the first to see the gun. Sean was pointing it at Jennifer. “Stop it young man. Don’t do what you are about to do.” James pleaded.

“No!” Sean said loudly. Everybody turned around. They all became alarmed. “Jennifer belongs to me and nobody else. Get away from him.” He commanded.
She quickly obeyed. Every other person in the room remained static. The gun stood dangerously in Sean’s hand pointing from one person to the other.

Sean wasn’t sure of what next he should do. He was equally terrified, not knowing if he had the courage to pull the trigger at Jennifer. But he was more terrified at the fact that he would eventually shoot her. Looking at her standing like an angel and imagining that he will never be able to have her as the love of his life wasn’t something he thought he could remain comfortable with.

Perhaps he should just shoot her and then shoot himself. After all his life was already ruined by all the things he had done today. But he would love to touch her once again, at least one last time before he puts their life to an end. God, she was so beautiful, he thought, he must have to touch her and feel her once again.

Sean knew that he was acting out of confusion and fear, further the sense of loss he felt had taking over his whole sense of reasoning. But no matter what he felt, no matter what happens after now, he must touch and feel her. They will die together and beside each other.

“Come here, he commanded.”

Inspector James was watching closely. He must wait for the boy to make a mistake. He hoped that it wouldn’t be too late. He wished there was a way he could talk to Jennifer to find a way to make him linger in his threat.
Jennifer walked slowly towards him. She had never seen Sean in this mood before. He looked deadly and out of control.
“Hurry” he said and pointed the gun at her.

She walked faster up to him. He reached out his hands and held her.

Without giving the outcome of her action a second thought, Jennifer used her free hand and with her whole strength hit the gun out of Sean’s hand.

Everything happened so fast. Sean saw the gun flying out of his hand. In confusion, he tried to catch the gun and at the same time tried to get hold of Jennifer. The gun fell on the floor and before Sean’s hand could reach it, Inspector James who had already taken advantage of the confusion was already so close to them. He kicked the gun away from Sean’s reach and was on top of him before he could make any other move.

Jennifer ran back to Ikenna and they all watched as Inspector James held Sean to the floor. “Go and get me the hand cuff in the police car,” James said to no one in particular.

Emeka quickly rushed out to get the cuffs. He couldn’t wait for all this horror to be over.

Sean was cuffed and bundled into the car. Ikenna who seemed to have gotten his strength stood up and sat on an empty seat close by. The whole house became relieved, every thing returned back to normal. And the whole place seemed safe for the villagers and Ikenna’s grandmother to come close by to ask what was really happening.




CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Ikenna and Jennifer watched as Sean was taken away in the police vehicle.

“I am sorry.” Sean pleaded. I didn’t know what came over me.” He looked at Jennifer. “Jennifer, please talk to them. You know me better; I wouldn’t do such a thing if I was in my right senses.”

His pleas were falling on deaf ears. Ikenna had already told them how Sean collected the bead from him and it was obvious that Jennifer’s life would remain in danger if Sean was left a free man.

Jennifer held tightly to Ikenna, and enjoyed the moment of euphoria that swept over her whole body.

“I didn’t know you had enough courage to hit a gun out of someone’s hand. You took a risk you know?” Ikenna said to her.

“Well, I didn’t know what came over me. I guess I’ve been learning a little about fighting from you. You are becoming a bad influence on me.”

Ikenna laughed, and then said, “I thank God you saved the day. I don’t know what my life would have been like if he had shot you.”

Her heart melted at the way he sounded. His tone was serious. She tightened her arms around him and said, “Thank you Ikenna. You saved my life and at the same time saved the world, I feel I owe you so much and don’t know how to repay you.”

Ikenna felt loved. He felt like he was holding an angel in his arms and it felt good. “Well I guess I have been looking for excitation in the wrong places all these while.”

“What do you mean?” she asked looking up to him.

“I have always thought that the world was boring and that I could get excitement through violence. But I am beginning to realize how exciting this world can be with somebody like you by my side; I have reached the height of the excitement I always craved for and, the pleasure is beyond my imagination.”

“Stop it,” she bantered, enjoying the fact that she actually made him feel this way.

“Now tell me.” He said, more seriously, “Why did you refuse to answer me last night when I asked you if you believed that I am not as mean and cruel as other men you have heard of or encountered? Don’t you believe me?”

She pretended to think over it and said, “For a man who took great risk and saved my life, I believe you. I believe you are different.”

He hugged her tightly and said, “Allow me to show you the other interesting part of my world.”

“And what’s that?”

“You have to love me with all your heart to know” Ikenna said and dragged her into the house.

“I love you with all my heart Ikenna, now; tell me what you are talking about.

Ikenna didn’t intend to tell her anything. He meant to keep her in suspense. They walked into the house as Inspector James drove away with Sean looking very miserable at the back of the car.

THE END

ok guys, The tenth Generation ends here. pls update me on what u think. let me know what u think about the beginning, each individual parts, the ending etc. as u know writing about ghosts, demon and supernatural beings could be very difficult since the writer could in his own excitement make a mockery or comic out of his/her idea. only a reader can tell what he thinks, did u feel rogers was a joke? or did he look real?

pls let me know what u think of a general idea. looking foward to ur updates, thanks

xtfranks005@yahoo.com, 08027410988

well me dont have much to say but i can say i enjoy every piece of it ,it was so real right from the the beginning to the end juat like the cyber love. Thank God rogers didnt get the bead if not MEHN :-Xthe whole world would have been serious wahala. kudos to you frank,you are good,waiting forward to your next story [i][/i]

oladimeji101: well me dont have much to say but i can say i enjoy every piece of it ,it was so real right from the the beginning to the end juat like the cyber love. Thank God rogers didnt get the bead if not MEHN :-Xthe whole world would have been serious wahala. kudos to you frank,you are good,waiting forward to your next story [i][/i]

Thanks, i appreciate.

Rodgers was so very real,and this story kept me on d edge,every character made prove their worth,wonderful piece frank,really wonderful piece. In my opinion,it more interesting than d cyber lover. It must be put on d front page and i must let alot of ppl knw wat a story this is,one of d best av read so far.
Thanks frank 4 ds wonderful story,

Frank thank you for your work,i enjoyed reading it just like i enjoyed the other about cyber lover. Once again thanks and more flow to your pen

i love the story, the characters and the use of english. So simple and easy to understand without consulting dictionary. I shld ve given 10/10 but for not updating on time i am gonna give you 8/10 ... No be my fault na u cause am ooo

Soooooooo gooooooooood Soooooooo gooooooooood