Blood and Water




A Short Story




by



Kayode Odusanya




















© 2015 Kayode Odusanya


Mark was trying Susan on the phone as he walked briskly to where they were meant to meet. He kept getting a busy tone, and he wondered who would be on the line with this girlfriend for this long. An hour had gone by since they were meant to meet at the cafeteria, and he was sure she would definitely be pissed at him by now.

“Hi?” A girl said as she walked up beside Mark. She quickly wrapped her arm around his arm, and put up a smile. There was confusion all over Mark’s face. She moved in closer and whispered in his ear. “Please act like you know me.” He frowned, but the smile didn’t leave her face. As they got to a tiny path in the road, he saw about four guys gathered under a tent that was usually occupied by the lady that sold doughnuts. He put two and two together, and decided to play along with the girl.

She kept talking as they walked and Mark played out the fake conversation to the best of his abilities. As they walked past the tent, he saw disappointment in the eyes of the men. He tried to walk faster, but the girl pulled him back, and tightened her grip on his arm. At the end of the small path was an old rusty gate. Mark opened the gate gently and stylishly looked back towards the tent. He saw the four guys arguing, and just then, they looked in his direction; In their eyes was a renewed sense of determination. Just as he was about to drag the girl along with him in a dash for the main road, she pulled his face towards hers’ and kissed him passionately.

After a couple of seconds, they disentangled, and continued walking. They stopped when they finally got to the main road, and the girl leaned on a sign-post on the side of the road that read Speed Limit: 40 Km/Hr. Mark had always thought that that was ridiculous for a University campus road, but that was the last thing on his mind right now. “Do you mind telling me what that was all about?” He said with a shaky voice. She looked his way but didn't say anything. He took a good look at her now, and noticed that her height was quite intimidating. He wondered why she needed his help earlier. He observed she was still staring at him, and it freaked him out; just then, she stood upright and sighed.
“Thanks a lot for that.” She said with a smile.
“Well…its okay, but I’d still like to know what kind of trouble you are in. You know…”
“Sorry I had to kiss you.” She said with a frown, cutting Mark off. “You will surely feel as bad as I do later, trust me.” She said in a barely audible voice.
“What?”
“What? Oh! Nothing…I wasn’t talking to you.” She said, and started playing with her hair. Mark looked around him and noticed no one had passed by since they had been standing there, and fear slowly crept into his mind again. He wondered why the girl was still standing there staring at him, and not running off some place safer.
“Look…” He said as he scratched his head. “I really need to get to my girlfriend, are you okay?”
“Oh! Yea, I’m going this way.” She said, pointing towards the right side of the road. “I stay at Amina hall.”
“Okay. That’s not far from here. I’m actually going across the road to the cafeteria, are you sure you’ll be okay.”
“Yes.” She said before turning around. Mark stood there, staring at her coke-body figure walking away from him, and he wished he could get to know her a little more. Just then, she looked back.
“I’ll be expecting your call.” She said, and quickened her pace.
How am I supposed to call you when I don’t even have your number, Mark thought to himself. “Hey, wait. I don’t have your number.” He shouted out, but she didn’t look back. She just kept on walking, till she got to the school chapel, and disappeared by the bend in the road.



He made his way uphill to the cafeteria. That part of the campus was an old abandoned village. Many years ago, the inhabitants of the village had won many battles because of the advantage they had of seeing their enemies approaching from downhill, and having the upper hand with fighting them off from that position. But as time passed, and warfare became more complex, the village was finally conquered and pillaged by foreigners who wanted the area for selfish reasons.

Mark wiped sweat off his brow as he walked into the cafeteria. It was always a tiresome walk up the hill, and he wondered if the school made it that way so people would eat less and read more. He saw Susan sitting by her usual spot close to the Coca Cola Refrigerator, wearing one of her favorite Polka Dot gowns. She was talking on the phone, and she seemed really pissed.
“Hey Mark! How are you doing?” A familiar voice called out from behind him. He reluctantly turned around.
“I’m fine. Abigail, how are you doing?” Abigail had been trying to get Mark to attend her church fellowship for a while now, and she just wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. She went on and on as usual, telling Mark how good things would become once he gave his life to Christ and started attending church regularly. When Mark noticed she wasn’t going to let him go easy this time, he decided to give in, and promised to attend her Church. A big smile appeared on her chubby face. She took down Mark’s phone number, and gave him about half a dozen Christian tracts. He collected them, and slipped them in his pocket.

Susan had just finished answering a call and was putting her phone in her bag as he approached her. She looked at him, hissed, picked up her bag and walked passed him. He pulled her back by the arm, and was about to apologize, but the look on her face made him let her go. Mark knew what his girlfriend was capable of doing when angry, and this was definitely not a good place for them to settle their drama. He leaned on the Coca Cola Refrigerator and thought of what to do next. He brought out the tracks Abigail had given him, and looked to make sure she was not looking his direction before putting them on a chair next to him. Someone that needed it more than him would find it, he thought to himself. Just then, a girl walked up to him, with the look like he was supposed to do something. He stared at the bald headed girl standing in front of him, wondering where he knew her from. “Hello!!! I need to get a bottle of Coke, duh!” She finally said.
“Oh! Sorry.” Mark said, and moved out of the way.

He walked out of the cafeteria, and stood by the entrance. The view was another spectacle, and he could see the whole hostel area from here. He looked towards the brown multiple storey building by the chapel, and wondered if he could spot the girl he had met earlier from the tiny dots of movements he could see from where he stood. His eyes hurt from focusing too long, and he stretched. He felt something when he slipped his hands into his pockets. He first thought it was one of the tracts that Abigail had given him, but when he brought it out from his left pocket, he found out it was a sticky note with something scribbled on it. Just then, he noticed someone approaching him from his right side.
“Who was that girl you were talking to?” Susan backed out as she stood inches from his face.
“What?” He said, and quickly put the paper back in his pocket.
“I saw you talking to a girl; who is she?”
“Abigail?” Mark said, and laughed. “That’s a girl from my department, she…Come on! You can’t possibly be getting mad over me talking to Abigail?”
“What are you talking about? I saw you…”She stopped mid-sentence as she was hyperventilating now. Mark stopped to think for a second, and realized who Susan was referring to, but he didn’t know how he was going to explain that situation to his her. “Mark!” She shouted out.
“Hey! I’m sorry. I actually thought you were talking about Abigail.” Mark finished his sentence with a chuckle, and started walking towards his girlfriend. She put up a hand, and Mark knew what that meant, so he stopped approaching.
“So, who is she?”
“Susan, technically speaking, I don’t know her.”
“What are you talking about?” She said with a low menacing voice.
“Some guys were going to beat her up, and she just used me for protection or something.”
Susan squeezed her face, and looked into space. “Susan, I swear, I don’t know the girl.”
“Call me when you get your facts right.” She said, and angrily walked out on Mark for a second time that day. He leaned on the barricade outside the cafeteria and watched her walk downhill. When she got to leveled ground, she looked up towards him and shook her head before walking off. Mark sighed, and reached into his right pants pocket for his phone. His heart skipped a beat when he discovered his phone wasn't there. He checked his pockets again and again, and then he pulled out the small sticky note he had noticed earlier. Helen- 08027794635 was written on it. Just then, it hit him.

Room number 006 was pasted on the last room by the right, on the long dormitory corridor. He knocked on the door three times just as the girl had instructed him to do when they spoke on the phone. After a couple of seconds, he heard the door being unlocked from inside, but no one came forward. He looked to his right, and all the girls going and coming looked at him strange. He was thinking of turning around and walking away, but his phone really meant a lot to him. The girl was sitting on a neatly made bed, typing something on her laptop as he walked into the room. She didn’t look up at him, and he just stood there in the middle of the room, wondering if he had walked into a trap. “Relax; take a seat.” She said and patted a portion of the bed. She had an Aiwa sound system opposite the bed, playing jazz music at a low volume. He looked at it as he sat on the bed and it reminded him of the one that had been in his Dad’s room when he was a teenager; it was an exact replica. He remembered always sneaking into his Dad’s room to play his favorite Hip Hop music on the player back in the day.

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed the girl had been staring at him, and he nervously sat upright. The strange thing was that she didn’t avert her eyes when he caught her staring, and it made Mark uncomfortable.
“Can I just have my phone and be on my way.” Mark said. He had heard crazy stories of Hot University girls ganging up to rape boys, and he wondered if this was her plan. He looked at her again, and he saw something in her eyes he couldn’t describe. It wasn’t desire; it was more like joy, and it left Mark confused. “Angela, I would appreciate if you would just hand over my phone, please.”
A frown appeared on the girl’s face, which was quickly replaced by a smile. She reached under her pillow and pulled out Mark’s Xperia X10.
“My name is Helen, not Angela.” She said as she handed Mark his phone.
“Sorry.” He said.
“Those guys earlier were going to give you a real beating.” She said. Mark froze, and his attention shifted from the screen of his phone to her.
“What are you talking about?” He said with a puzzled look on his face.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of The Dalmatians.”
“Well…I have heard a little about them”
“Those were their pimps.” She said in a most confident manner. “You must have offended one of The Dalmatians.”
“I don’t understand all you are talking about. I’ll be on my way if you don’t mind.” Mark said and stared heading towards the door.
“Mark, wait.” She said in the softest pitch of her husky voice, and rushed to block him from leaving the room. Mark stood their stunned.
“How do you know my name? I don’t remember telling you.” Mark said, looking straight at her for answers.
“Mark; who knew you were going to be passing through that road path earlier today?” She asked.
“No one; I was going to meet my girlfriend.”
“Okay then, your girlfriend knew. What’s her name?”
“You are kidding right?” Mark said with a little laugh. “Are you trying to tell me my girlfriend set me up? That she’s in some sort of cult?” Mark stood there, shaking his head. “Why should I believe any of this bull crap?”
“Because...” She stopped mid sentence and headed over to the Aiwa. She bent down, and turned up the volume a few notches. She removed the scarf on her head as she walked to where he was standing. He stood there, staring at her lovely black hair, which fell down to her waist. “Mark, I’m the head of the Black Amazon cult. I know everything that happens on this campus before it does. Mark got weak in the knees and held on to the door handle for support. “So…what’s your girlfriend’s name?”
“Susan Jones.” Mark said, reluctantly.
Helen smiled before talking. “Mark, your girlfriend is one of The Dalmatians.”
“That’s impossible. Susan?’ Mark said and laughed. “Your story is ludicrous.”
“Why? Because you think you know her?” Helen said, looking into Mark’s eyes. “Why do you think she wears all those white Polka Dot dresses? You think she’s a big Disney fan?”
Mark was confused now. “How did you know that? How do you know…?”
“Don’t be naïve.” She said, cutting him off. “That’s how they identify themselves.”
Mark was lost in thought now. He was thinking of any incidence in the past that would give him a reason to believe that Susan was really a member of that cult, but he couldn’t find any. He looked up at the mystery girl again, and asides from the weird way she always looked at him, there was something else about her he couldn't place. He had a feeling he had met the girl before, or seen her at a party recently. He went back to the thought of Susan being an actual cult member, and he just couldn’t come to terms with it. Even if she was in a cult, he couldn’t think of any reason why Susan would get guys to beat him up.
“They believe in Earthly punishment to ill-treatment of the vulnerable. You must have done something to offend Susan.”
Mark thought about the party he went to last Saturday, and he remembered getting drunk and having sex with Alicia Johnson in his car. But he didn’t think Susan would have found out about that. Besides, everyone lies about having slept with Alicia Johnson, because of how loose she was, so it would be hard for Susan to believe any rumors of him sleeping with her, he thought to himself. “But Susan would never do that t me.” Mark said out loud.
“She would be going against their laws, and there are consequences for that.”
Mark’s face was screwed up as he looked up at her. “Why did you help me?” It got Helen off guard, and she became speechless. After a couple of seconds of silence, Mark walked out of the room.




He saw his Dad driving the Jaguar out as he drove into their street. He waved at Mark, and Mark bowed his head in greeting. He had been looking at his Dad differently lately, ever since he caught him at a park close to his school with another woman. He wasn’t pissed because his Dad was seeing another woman; he was pissed because she was a very much younger woman. He had watched them from afar for about half an hour, and they hadn’t spoken much, but as they held hands, he could see there was a lot of passion in their eyes.

He was parked in the garage now, but was too lazy to come out of his car. He slouched in the car, and got lost in thoughts again. Somewhere in his subconscious, a thought popped up, and made its way to his conscious mind. He processed the data, and with every second that passed, he was sure he was right on his conclusion. He had come to the realization that the girl he had seen with his Dad at the park was none other than Helen, the mystery girl. He got out of the car, and as he walked into the house, he wondered how his Dad had ended up dating a cult member. He also wondered why on Earth his Dad’s mistress would be on the lookout for him, and put herself in danger just to protect him.

He exchanged greetings with his Mom as he walked into the living room. She had been using her iPad, and she looked at him funny when he came to sit beside her on the couch. He was shocked when he saw that his Mom was actually going through Helen's pictures on Facebook. He felt bad for how she would be feeling at this very moment. “Umm! Mark, I have to tell you something.” His Mom said and tapped his knee. Mark prepared to act as surprised as possible to what his Mom was going to tell him. “Mark, you…” She was saying and paused to hand him the iPad. He squeezed up his face as he collected the device from her. “She actually goes to your school. Mark, that's your half-sister.”

The End

The story ended too abruptly. It could become a masterpiece of you could continue the story. Tell us about Susan and how she came to become a cultist. How did Helen become Mark's half-sister? There are so many questions hanging.

You're a nice writer, but this story ended disappointingly.

Feed us more. Thanks.

kay29000:



Well, that is why it is a suspense romance SHORT STORY...Not a novella, or a Novel. Thanks for the feedback anyway.

I rest my case, if that is how you write your own 'short stories'.

LarrySun:
I rest my case, if that is how you write your own 'short stories'.

Nice write-up

ruffhandu:
Nice write-up

Thank you.