Exceprt From Episode 7:

She was out of the ward when her phone beeped and she flipped open the phone to read the text message. The blood drained out of her face as she read, ‘Secrets are meant to be kept Chi, if you don’t keep mine, I won’t keep yours. It is better you keep your mouth shut or YOU MIGHT BE NEXT…” To read episode 7, visit profile or www.penastory.com

“Do you think I should call the number,” Chioma asked Maryam whom she had called immediately she got back to the house. They were sitting in Chioma’s bedroom. When Maryam arrived after sensing the urgency in Chioma’s voice, she too had gone through the horrified reactions of Chioma when she read the text.

Maryam’s face was confused as she said, “I think this is a matter for the police, we really need to inform them of what is going on.” Chioma turned around sharply from the wall she had been staring at blindly and looked at Maryam. It was like she was seeing Maryam for the first time and her mention of the police an indication that she had lost her mind. Chioma laughed mirthlessly,

“The police? You have been watching too many Hollywood movies. How do I explain that I killed and buried a man that miraculously found his way back to life and ended up in a hospital? ”

“He tried to rape you!”

“This is Nigeria, he tried to rape me but somehow I managed to bury him, have you thought of that? Who would believe me?”

“That is the hard part, have you tried talking to David himself? To get information on how he got to the hospital.”

“Do you try to kill a man and then ask him how he survived?” there was frustrated sarcasm in Chioma’s voice as she continued, “besides, mother has not left his side since she got back from Abuja. Her precious David! I never got a chance to really talk to him, he was pretty shaken by the news of Matthew’s death. What I do know however is that the police is out of the option, we cannot consider the police.”

“Give me the phone, let’s see who will pick if we call the number.” Maryam said and stretched out her hand to collect Chioma’s phone. They both held their breaths as the phone rang but nobody picked the call.

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” there was fear in Chioma’s voice but Maryam ignored her and kept dialling the number. On the sixth try, a female’s voice came on the line.

“Hello,”

“Hell…hello. Hello,” Maryam stammered. Even though she had been dialing the number, after the third try she hadn’t really expected anybody to pick, the voice coming from the other side suddenly made her realise she didn’t even know what to say and Chioma’s tensed frame wasn’t helping her train of thoughts either.

“Hello?” The voice sounded faintly familiar to Maryam and slowly, the wheels in her brain began to turn as she tried to place where she had heard the voice before.

“Who is this please?” The voice was sounding impatient and when Maryam still maintained her silence, the line went dead.

“What did the person say?” Chioma asked with a noticeable tremor in her voice. There was a thoughtful expression on Maryam’s face as she kept on racking her brain. She had heard that voice before, she was sure of it. Where had she heard the voice before? It sounded polished and educated. The voice had sounded a bit professional and then it hit her,

“I think I know who owns the number. The voice, it sounds familiar,” Chioma looked as if her eyes would pop out of their sockets as she watched Maryam stand up excitedly from the bed she was sitting on.

“Well who is it? What did the person say? Did the person say what they want? Was it male or female? Maryam who na, tell me!”

“I dunno, what’s the name of your mother’s secretary? It sounded like her”

“Gift?”

“Yes, Gift, the voice sounded like hers.” There was an incredulous look on Chioma’s face as she allowed the news sink in before shaking her head. She laughed again mirthlessly laugh again.

“It can’t be Gift, don’t be silly. What will Gift have to do with all of this?” But even as she asked the question, Chioma’s mind went to the day she had seen David and Gift laughing together against one of her mother’s car in an obviously romantic manner. So David was linked with Gift maybe but how did that translate to threatening her?

“I am sure it is Gift. Very sure now.” Maryam’s voice was firmer and surer now, totally convinced that the voice had been Mrs. Ugochuwkwu’s secretary. Just like Chioma, she was wondering what Gift had to do with all that was going on. With shaky hands, Chioma dialed her mother’s number,

“Mom, send me Gift’s number, I need to call her about something right now.” Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she waited and she was unable to control her shaking fingers when her text message tone beeped to alert her of the message. With shaky fingers, she opened the message and stared in disbelief at the exact same number. It was the same number. What was going on? What game was gift playing? How much did she know and what had she meant by that YOU MIGHT BE NEXT?

Source: PenAStory www.penastory