₦airaland Forum

Mario1983:
nice one hmm still feel scared for alice

hmmm, she seems like she is handling herself well.

drtwist:
Present ma. I have been around. You know its been long you update my brain. Welcome back. Taught you have abandoned the post.

now why would I do that?

I just have a lot going on.
Don't worry, update will swim in.

Cc TheRuthlexx, drtwist,biddieluvsyaho, Felinize,preciouswett, Ka52y...

Where are all these guys and the rest?

i know i will be fried for not updating more after the long delay, but i promise an update tomorrow,bear with me abeg.

We all sat at the breakfast table, not that I really wanted to be there because that was actually the first time Gloria and me will be sitting together since the fight, that, I didn’t like, but Elliot always had a way of getting his way, my guess was that Jerry had told him what transpired between Gloria and me, because I heard both of them with Steve the night before all chatty in the wine bar which followed with occasional laughter, and just this morning he decided to make breakfast, which he mostly did when he wanted everyone together at the dining table, well a breakfast of toasted bread with omelet and tea wasn’t bad.
For some reasons the three guys were discussing politics, they were talking about the Governor’s ten billion naira fraud, Jerry was on the defensive, I guess he was a staunch supporter of Governor Charles, on a normal day I would contribute but Gloria was awfully quiet, stealing glances at me which made me uncomfortable, each time our eyes met, there were so many unsaid expressions in them, at some point, the boys may have noticed because their discussion abruptly ended, it sounded as if we were asked to observe a five minute silence, as the only sound that filled the room were the clattering of cutleries.
Why are you not using cutleries? Elliot’s voice broke the silence, as we all looked at him, I realized he was referring to me?
Huh? I asked not really understanding the awkward question, why would he ask that? I had a spoon in my hand, yeah there is a set of cutlery before you, why are you not using them? He asked again keeping a straight face,
What is he up to? I wondered as I kept staring at him strangely, in fact everyone was, including Gloria who kept rolling her eyes, he dropped his cutleries, and reached out for the napkin as he spoke,
Lucas Mathews may be the devil, but he is classy, in fact at first I thought him to be some low life truant but recent information shows that he has a Masters degree in human psychology from the University of Sussex, he holidays in the best countries of the world, last Christmas, he was in Monaco, he can have any kind of woman he wants with his money and charm, in fact women are not his problem, because he runs his own play boy mansion which plays host to all kinds of women, which he can choose from, he doesn’t just sleep with one woman… I cut in immediately,
Okay wait, where is this going to? I mean what has that got to do with food and cutleries, in fact what is the point of all these tales? I could see confusion on the faces of the others too, so it was like I asked the question on everyone’s mind,
My point is Impression,
Impression? What does that even mean? I queried,
How do you intend going into this guy’s life, if he killed Evans, framed you up for murder and kidnapped your parents, don’t you think he knows you already? Don’t you think you won’t even get pass the gate, so I think if this is even going to work, you have to figure out a way to impress this guy, get his attention, starting from the little things like using cutleries, the way you talk, walk, think, just be different from the women around him,
Gloria burst into a loud annoying laugh, which stirred up a bit of anger in me, Elliot gave her one of those his cold stare which made her behave, Steve stood up and left as he murmured under his breath, “this plan sucks”,
I turned to Elliot and gave him a smile,
What? He demanded,

I have been thinking if this guy is this powerful, influential and evil like they say, he killed my boyfriend, framed me up, and kidnapped my parents, so do you think finding me is the problem? Remember he found me once when I was kidnapped and locked up in some basement, so I don’t think he doesn’t know where I am, he does, like you said it’s a game to him, he wants me to come to him, he wants me to bring myself to him, even if he wants to kill me, I don’t think he wants to do that just yet, or I would have been dead by now, you were right this may have something to do with Evans, that’s why i want to meet this guy, I have a feeling he is looking forward to meeting me more than I am to meet him. Elliot and Jerry stared at me like they just saw a ghost, I guess they were both thinking she has finally gone mad, but I smiled at them,
Elliot, you are right, the only thing that will work on this guy is impression, so I agree what do you have in mind, I have been studying all the information from your mail, there is more to them that what we know, something behind the curtain, something behind the facade of being a cold blooded son of a bitch, a weakness, I’m about to explore that weakness, I looked at them as I drain the last amount of my tea which had gone cold, I placed the mug on the table with an air of satisfaction, knowing that somehow I have impressed them in some way, especially Elliot who kept staring at me as I walked out of the dining room.
Few minutes later, Elliot walked up to me,
What are you doing?
What? I asked lifting up my face as if my spirit had just been called back to my body, I mean what are you doing with my laptop? I’m trying to make sense of all these emails, I replied focusing on the screen, if you are going to be obsessed with Lucas’s life and these mails that we are not even sure of, you might as well print them out. it’s okay to be scared of Lucas, Elliot, but I’m not more scared of him, if he wants to play games, I’m up for it now, yeah you are right, I should print them out, but Elliot immediately spun the chair I was sitting in such a way that I was facing him,
No Alice, I’m not scared of Lucas, I’m scared for you, I’m scared that this whole thing is making you go crazy, you are obsessed with these mails, what choice do I have? I raised my voice, Elliot, I don’t get it, one month ago, you were serious about helping me find whoever is doing this, but what’s wrong now? Are you scared? we are halfway to getting answers and you suddenly develop cold feet?
Yes Alice, back then, I didn’t realize we were dealing with a derange psycho. Well, good for you, you have that luxury of choosing who to deal with, I don’t, so just let me do the best I can do, you said something about training, what did you mean? I asked making it obvious to him that I wasn’t about to give up, he heaved a sigh of relief and said I was just thinking, maybe we should just put you in a position where you can defend yourself if anything goes wrong,
You mean like physical combat?
Kind of, he said chuckling, that and otherwise,
Did you say we? I asked again, yeah, Jerry, Steve and me, even Gloria could help, he said twisting his lips in a way that showed he was careful about mentioning Gloria’s name,

I bet she can too, I replied frowning, fine, I’m open to anything right now,
Good, then we will start with the simplest and fun ones, he said smiling,
we are not training right now are we? I asked,
no, we are not combat training right now, we are brain training, he winked, I was confused, as he walked to the shelf, did I mention or did you read in one of the mails that Lucas is a gamer, poker, chess, he has a game lounge inside his club, he said retrieving a board game from the shelf,
Great, distract me, you think I’m losing my mind, so you bring this up, but I will play along, I have always wanted to learn how to play chess anyway, he smiled as we both sat on the floor.
The chess game is a very tactical one, he began with a voice as if he was lecturing a class of graduate students, it is played between two opponents, he continued as he arranged the pieces, the board contains sixty four squares, each player has sixteen pieces, he counted lifting up each piece, one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. The goal of the game is to checkmate the other king, I curled up my lips, I guess he knew what I wanted to ask, so he quickly gave the answer, checkmate is when the king is in a position to be captured and cannot escape from the capture,
Now, the second row or rank is filled with pawns. The rooks go in the corners, then the knights next to them, followed by the bishops, and finally the queen who always goes on her own matching colour, the white queen stays on the white square, the black queen on the black square, then you place the king on the remaining square, the player with the white pieces moves first, he was about to continue, when he looked at my face
Alice, are you even getting me at all?

he was right to ask that question, because as much I wanted to learn how to play chess, but so far all he said was complicated, I only managed to get all that because I felt they were the basics and I was sure he was going to ask me to explain that back to him, he was about to say some other thing, when Steve rushed down the stairs,
You need to see this! he said referring to Elliot, Elliot stood up so fast that I wondered what the urgency what all about, but my curiosity got the best of me, I followed them and they both were focused on Steve’s laptop, but before I could walk up to them, Steve minimized whatever it was, Elliot walked back to me,
What is it? I asked curiously?
Nothing that concerns you, Elliot replied trying to walk pass me, I immediately knew he was lying, he had that look that he puts on each time he tried to keep things from me, tell me what is it, I asked this time following him as he headed down the corridor leading outside the beach,
he stopped abruptly,
You remember the mail that listed all of Lucas’s properties here in the state, one of the last mails Skiter sent, Elliot asked trying to control his breath which was unusually fast,
Yes, I do, what about it?

There was this blue seal, he continued, you mean the private security company, yes, how did you know? he asked Surprised, I have been doing my research too, so what about the security company?
Did you try accessing their website? He asked,
No, why? There is a part of that website that is accessible to just the agency, that means you must have the password to be able to access it, so I asked Steve to try his hacking skills, he has been on it for a week now,
Wait! Steve is… yeah he is, he quickly interrupted and continued, he broke through, but what he found were just some information about the agency that the public doesn’t need to know, though he found another link, he clicked on, and it demanded for another password, so he tried again and cracked it, he paused, looking at me all bright eyes,

Yeah, so what did he find? I asked almost jumping out of my skin with curiosity,
A lot of pictures and videos, pictures of Evans, you, Evans and you, without waiting to hear another word, I ran back into the house,
Show them to me! I screamed to Steve who was still busy on the system, I want to see them now, he looked at Elliot who was already at my back, as if to seek for his approval, Elliot nodded to him, and he stepped away from the laptop, I clicked the first folder,
Oh my God! They were pictures of Evans from three months before he was killed, Elliot at work, Elliot at the supermarket, Elliot by the roadside, even pictures of him at his mechanic’s, the second folder contained pictures of Elliot and me, some I couldn’t even remember where we took them, our valentine’s day outing to the park, pictures of us sitting out with friends, pictures of Evans and his mum, pictures of Evans with Sarah Jameson, so they even had time to be going out and I didn’t know, pictures of them in Sarah’s car, some of those pictures didn’t even seem like they were taken in the state, but that wasn’t the issue right now, I assured myself as I was about to get jealous of a guy who is dead and was probably murdered by a sociopath, I quickly clicked the on the videos, but what I saw was so shocking, I couldn’t bring myself to even look at it a second time,
Videos of our lovemaking sessions in his apartment, videos of Evans and Sarah’s lovemaking sessions, Evans entire life was on tape, it was as if I was watching a reality TV show, I quickly minimized the window, out of shame, I left the living room.
That single discovery set a turn of events in our lives that fuelled our intensity to finding out more about Lucas, and also preparing me for my meeting him which went against all efforts by Elliot to convince me to change my mind, well, we decided that we were going to play Lucas by his own game, in order to fight evil, sometimes you have to become the evil yourself, I told Elliot, each time he tried to talk me out of the plan, I soon got close to Steve whom I later found out started out as an internet fraudster, who has soon gone into hacking, he spent most his time reading manuals and books written by the world best hackers, he once told me that his dream was to be one of the greatest hackers of the twenty first century, I still remember telling Elliot how deluded he is, for keeping a friend like Steve, but Elliot told me he wasn’t always like that, that they have been childhood friends,

He told me how Steve defrauded an investment company of a hundred million naira, the guy was just too creepy for my liking, but I had to put up with him because he was a genius when it had to do with figures, codes, and systems.
Jerry on the other hand was something else, we didn’t really relate as such until one morning when I passed down the corridor, I saw his room open, so I was curious, I had never been in his room, I snuck in, I didn’t know what I was there for, maybe I wanted to just have a look, but the bedside drawer was slightly open and something caught my eyes, at first I wasn’t sure what it was until I moved closer, I removed it, looking at it, wondering why Jerry will have this, immediately I had flashes of the scenario from months ago,
That’s a Beretta M9, a voice from my back startled me, causing me to drop the handgun on the floor, he jumped pushing me to the bed, as a loud sound enveloped the building, and the chandelier splattered into a thousand pieces,
In a split second Elliot, Gloria and Steve rushed into the room, Steve was still holding me tight on the bed to stifle my resonating screams,
What the hell? Steve screamed, while Elliot rushed to my side holding me up to see if I was hurt, what happened here?
She was just in here, the gun in her hands, the next minute, she drops it on the floor, Jerry explained stammering,
You mean you left a loaded gun here? what’s wrong with you man? Elliot asked sounding angry, I’m sorry, Jerry stammered again, but what was she doing in here by the way? Elliot took me out and the rest followed,
Are you okay? Elliot asked, for the umpteenth time, I am fine, I just saw the door open, and I…why would Jerry even have a loaded gun on his bedside drawer?
For security reasons Alice, you had no business being there in the first place, Elliot stressed the point,
is he having security threats? It’s a licenced gun, Jerry just like his toys, he said downplaying the situation, few minutes later, I went back to Jerry’s room, he was busy clearing out the broken chandelier,

Let me help, I said, I’m sorry, I just saw your door open, I don’t know… I stammered, I’m just sorry, it’s okay, it is I who should be sorry, I shouldn’t have left a loaded gun like that, I bent down, helping him pick up a shard of chandelier he didn’t see,
Teach me? I said looking sternly into his eyes, excuse me, Jerry replied, pretending not to understand me, I chuckled, you guys try so hard to lie, okay, Jerry enough of the lies, the first time I came to this place, Elliot drugged me, and then I came here and met three of you, a lady that is a bitch, and two guys that can’t take their lustful eyes off me, and not too long ago, I got into a fight with the bitch of a lady and she kicked my ass like some well trained fighter, Steve is some pro in defrauding people and can break the codes like he is some walking computer, and then you, you have a gun, and you do all that weight lighting and punching that bag every morning like you are training for the Olympics, and all four of you just happen to be in this beach house separated from the land of the living by tons of water,
I don’t know what shit is going down here, seems like everyone has their deal and somehow I’m a part of it, so it’s about time you all helped me get a handle on mine, you are going to teach me everything about fighting, guns, knives, every goddamn thing, because I’m sure you taught Gloria, so you will teach me too,

Jerry looked at me like he just saw a ghost, his jaw dropped, then he managed to stand up still fixing his gaze on me, Elliot was right, you are delusional, he said trying to make me feel stupid,
Well, you maybe right, I took slow steps towards the door, but who knows one of these days, that gun might just decide to go off again, after all I am delusional, I said giving him a mischievous smile as I walked out the door.

TWO MONTHS EARLIER
I walked outside, somehow the beach had become a soothing balm for any predicament I found myself in, from Gloria’s taunt to a bad nostalgic feeling, but I didn’t know how long that would be because each day in that beach house felt like another day i wasn’t sure I would make it through especially with the fact that I was closer to finding out who was the cause of my predicament, coupled with the fact that rather than Elliot helping me like he promised, he was keeping things away from me,
I didn’t tell you about recent events, because I’m scared of what you might do, Elliot said startling me as he sat beside me looking straight into the deep blue sea as if there laid his courage to open up to me,

Someone introduced me to a guy named Skiter, two weeks ago, he works for Lucas Mathews, so I paid him to feed me information on Lucas, but it was pretty hard getting it, because Lucas has his eyes everywhere, from his most trusted henchman to the man that cleans his toilet, he doesn’t trust anyone so he suspects everyone around him, and suspects those not around him more.
You make this guy sound invincible, like some kind of god that cannot be touched, why don’t you just tell me who the hell this guy is, i sounded confident in myself, but Elliot looked at me as if to say this girl has no idea who she is dealing with and the truth was that I didn’t.
Alice, he is the most dangerous and dreaded criminal in this country, for starters, he is a drug baron, he runs most of the drug cartels across the nation, he is involved in illegal oil deals, bunkering, arms and ammunition smuggling, you name it, he is involved in everything criminal, Alice, I’m talking about a guy who ships in arms into this country, you can guess who are his major clients, I don’t know how true this is, but it is rumoured that recently he went nuclear…

Wait! What do you mean nuclear? I had been staring at Elliot like he was speaking some language I didn’t understand, but when I heard nuclear, I wasn’t sure if I understood the meaning, so I cut him in, but he gave me that look again, I was told… he stammered like he didn’t know how well to put it, I was told he’s the point man for the insurgent groups terrorizing this country presently,
Oh my God! I screamed, yeah that’s why you have to think Alice, because guys like that don’t just accidentally cross your path, think! Have you ever had any link to someone,… I didn’t let him finish, Elliot don’t go there,
Oh! it might not have been you, maybe your Evans, was he into some kind of drug deals that you know of?
I’m not doing this with you, I said as i stood up about to walk away, Elliot dropped the bomb,
Lucas I heard takes credit for all the people he kills, because somehow he makes sure they can’t trace it back to him, but they also say that sometimes he also frames people up for murders they didn’t commit, and it doesn’t end well for those people, Alice, it’s a game to him, they say he enjoys the torture they go through, the pain they feel, the money they spend fighting for justice they will never have, and these victims are not just random people, they are people he has a personal vendetta against, people that may have crossed his path. My mouth dropped open, I felt like jumping into the water in front of me, I couldn’t quite process all Elliot had said, he walked slowly to me and placed his hand on my shoulder and said

Alice please think! Then he walked away leaving me standing in the cold, what did he mean by think? I had never met anyone like that, I had never crossed him or had i? I began even doubting myself. Evans was sure as hell not a bad guy let alone a criminal, he may have jilted me for another woman which by the way, i wasn’t sure why, because I knew everything about him or at least I thought i did,
Wait a second! If Evans was dating Sarah behind my back, and it took me that while to figure it out, what else was he up to that I didn’t know? I thought as I began to let Elliot’s words get to me, I walked back into the house, Elliot was already at the bar pouring himself and Jerry some glasses of scotch, alcohol had become our escape routes from many things, for me, it was one way to keep myself from attacking Gloria each time I had to see her face, or from avoiding Jerry and Steve’s lustful stare, or when jealousy creeps in each time I feel Elliot is ignoring me but getting closer to Gloria or the thought of some mad man framing me up for a crime I didn’t commit and wanting to kill my family, I always had an excuse to drink.

I have to meet this guy, tell me where he is, how I can find him! I said spitting the words out of my mouth as I walked up to Elliot, you need to calm down, you are upset, that’s why you are acting this way, Elliot said dropping his glass,
Upset? I’m not upset, I’m furious, I’m going insane, I’m losing it, can’t you see? Look at me! look at my life! Elliot I’m scared, the more I try to understand what’s going on, the deeper this thing gets, that’s why I need to meet this guy, you said it yourself that he is targeting me for a reason, I need to know why, why he is torturing my parents, I broke into tears as Elliot held me lifting me up to the couch, Jerry got up with his glass and left, that was the first time he did not give me that look that made me uncomfortable, I could actually see seriousness in his eyes, I didn’t know if he actually felt pity for me, but whatever it was, I know he couldn’t just stand my tears.
It’s okay, Elliot held me close, as he kept patting me on the back, we are going to figure this out, we? I thought, I was glad to hear him say we for so many reasons, he kept patting my back, then slowly running his hands in my hair, both our bodies reacted to each other's warmth, we both found our lips as we kissed hungrily like we both missed it, actually we did, but it was short lived as Gloria walked in, noticing the act, she turned right back, I wasn’t about to see Elliot feel guilty about Gloria seeing us kiss, so I stood up and headed for the living room downstairs.
Another excuse to pour myself some scotch, I sat on the couch as I sipped casually,
Sorry, I just came to get some drink from the bar, Jerry said creeping up on me, knock yourself out, I replied making an effort to sound indifferent, you do know Elliot is right, Lucas is not your everyday type of dangerous guy, the guy is bottom line crazy, I could see the seriousness in his eyes, I didn’t even know Jerry could be that serious, in fact the only eye I thought he had were those ones that stared at me lustfully,

What do you know? I asked sounding curious, as he poured himself some bourbon, settling into the couch in front of me, it’s true Elliot isn’t telling you everything because he is scared for you, Lucas is somehow above the law, he is smart and gets away with the things he does because he is protected by the high and mighty of our society, he has the money to buy his way out of any crime he commits, he is rich.
How do I find this guy? I mean he isn’t God, there is always a way, where the hell is he from, where does he stay? Please tell me, I need answers.
He hesitated, Jerry, if you know something, say it, I beg of you, I said curiously
He could be anywhere at any time, but when he comes into town, mostly he stays in the horns.
What? I asked not sure of what I heard,

The horns, he repeated, is that a hotel of some sort? I asked well, the hotel is just one part of the building, the horn itself is another part which is the club, you mean he lives in a club? I asked no, he doesn’t, there is a penthouse…we were both interrupted by Elliot’s appearance, he stopped halfway staring at us, then he walked up to the table where his laptop was, picked it up and walked up to where we were, he sat down beside me, clicked on one of the keys, something like a blueprint came up, he turned the laptop in a way I could see clearly,
This is a blueprint of the horns, in fact some part of the building including the hotel, the club, and the brothel, my contact couldn’t really lay his hands on the other parts, because those parts are off limits, I went through so much to get this. Then he looked me in the eye, this entire place is owned by Lucas Mathews,and trust me when I say that there is a lot that goes on there that meets the eyes, we all stared at each other and no one could actually speak anymore.

TWO MONTHS LATER
I had been locked up in that white room for two days, I hadn’t had food or drink, I was so weak, I could barely move my feet, no one had come in here since Lucas left, I wish he comes back, I would tell him anything he wants to know, at least for a sip of water. I know I told Elliot not to come looking for me, if I don’t come back that night, so as not to compromise anything, even if he wanted to, he should do it with caution, but right at that point I wasn’t sure if I meant what I said, because part of me wished Elliot came, but the other part was still resilient, I wanted to get to the root of all these, I laid there letting my thoughts race while my stomach kept rumbling, my throat was dry, and like a miracle, the door creaked open,
I couldn’t move so I laid there and watched as he walked in accompanied by another man, they were both dressed in suit, they both looked smart,
Nice suit!
You know, you disappoint me, I managed to voice out, looking up to the man I recognized, I heard so much about you, things like how you could spend five thousand dollars on just breakfast, yet you want to starve me to death, I chuckled, anyway, I also heard you have no compassionate bone in your body.
He chuckled, you are right about the compassionate part, that’s why i came to ask how you would prefer to die,
Starvation?

A bullet to the head?

A knife to the chest?
Or even rape, he walked close to me running his fingers down my cheek, I’m wondering what would happen to this face if by some chance, some amount of acid were to splash on it, I felt my heart thud instantly,
Now, what are you doing here? He dragged me from the bunk throwing me to the floor,
I swear to you, I came here on my own, all I told you was the truth, I had a contact who told me about the lounge here, that I could come lay low for some time, while I made some money for myself, I said coughing out the words from my mouth, I swear to you, I’m not lying,
Then give me a fucking name?

Who is your freaking contact? He screamed, all this while the other man just stood there doing nothing like he was waiting for some kind of order,
Please, he said not to tell, that he might get in trouble, I said shaking, he stretched his hands out, and the other man brought out a hunting knife from his jacket and handed it to him, he walked towards me,
Please, please, please, I found myself begging as tears began dropping down my cheeks, please don’t hurt me, I will tell you everything,
Then start talking, he screamed, I don’t have a real name, but I know him as Skiter, a friend introduced me to him, so he didn’t want us to meet in person, we traded emails, that’s how he gave me all the information about you, he said he works for you, that you help people out in this sort of ways, he refused giving me his phone number, I swear, I’m not lying to you, I watched as he and the other man both exchanged glances, then he passed the knife back to him as they both turned and walked out locking the door behind them,
I sat there leaning against the wall, catching my breath.
What if he finds out? What if he knows you are lying? What if he just connects all these? Remember you will be lying to one of the best criminal minds in this country, Alice you still have time to change your mind about all of these…Elliot’s words
I found myself considering what Elliot said, if this goes wrong, I might die alongside people I care about.

TWO MONTHS EARLIER
Ever since Elliot and me had that little kissing moment, he avoided any moment where it was just me and him, I guess he did it for Gloria, because Gloria totally avoided us, she didn’t come out of her room, so after he showed me the blueprint, Jerry left, Elliot seeing it was just us, immediately retired to his room, I couldn’t really think straight anymore, in fact I hadn’t ever since those pictures of my parents, I woke up most nights to make sense of it, and the more information I got about this guy, the more obsessed I became with him, i went upstairs and headed to Elliot’s room, there were many rooms in that beach house I hadn’t entered before, in fact I made sure I restricted myself to some, I knocked, few seconds later, Elliot opened up, he was on briefs,

Can I come in? I asked, sure! He said rushing to put something on, I turned away trying to stifle the smile spreading across my lips, I came to tell you that I want to leave tomorrow, i’m tired of hiding out, I want to meet this Lucas guy, at least it will be a step to understanding why he is messing with my life, why he is doing all these, my voice was edgy as I spoke,
Hold on! Hold on Alice! How are you going to do that? You know nothing about this guy… that’s the problem Elliot, you keep telling me about what this guy is, and how invincible he is, yet nothing on how I can get my parents back, this guy is a step away from hurting them, or perhaps that’s what he is doing already, he took them for a reason, he took them so that I might come to him and that’s exactly what I will do, and please don’t try to stop me,

Okay fine, even if you knew where he was, you would just show up and ask him where your parents are, and he would give them to you, you think this Skiter guy was my first contact? No, he wasn’t, I met others who refused to do the job, because there were scared of him finding out and killing them, to meet this guy Alice, you must have a plan, I mean a good one, and just in case that one fails, you have another, and another and another, because this guy is always three steps ahead of everyone, he is a fucking criminal for God sakes and a smart one at that.
Alice, please give me one more week to coerce Skiter for some more information, then we work on that, since you want to play undercover agent, but if you want my opinion, I would say it’s risky, don’t do it, Elliot said looking at me straight in the eye,
You said one week Elliot, if you don’t, I will figure out a way to get out of here, and you won’t be able to stop me, I said, walking towards the door as he stood there staring at me, I walked down the corridor and turning into the living room, I saw Steve sitting on the couch, lost in his laptop, Steve was more of an indoor person, I hadn’t really seen much of him, as I walked into the living room, he minimized whatever he was doing and gave me a cold stare,

Why? I’m not the porn police, I said in an annoying tone, for some reason I was in a mood to be a bit sassy, he simply chuckled, I’m not a porn kind of guy, I prefer the real deal, it’s more satisfying, he said moaning a bit, anyway,
why is she talking to me today? He asked in an attempt to start a conversation
Oh! don’t flatter yourself, I’m not, I just wanted to be sure I’m not seeing a ghost, I turned and went down the stairs before he could say something else. The next day Elliot and Steve left for town,
crap! I was stuck in the house with Gloria and Jerry, but at least Jerry started acting a bit normal, that didn’t mean I trusted him, though I still kept to myself, I got more books from Elliot’s shelf, I only went up to the kitchen when I was hungry, in fact I avoided that part of the house like a plague, but Gloria always had a way of getting to me, because she sure did when she came down from the stairs and sat right in front of me just staring,
what?

I dropped the book I was reading, I asked sensing trouble brewing, I came to talk to you, she said with an air of authority,
then talk, I replied, I wasn’t ready to go easy on her too,
I don’t know what you think you are doing here, or with Elliot, but let me give you a friendly advice, get your sorry ass out of here, because I won’t let you come here and ruin everything.
What do you mean? I asked

Don’t pretend girl, I don’t know what lies you spun to get yourself attached to Elliot, but I can see beyond your lies, you are just a time bomb waiting to explode, and if I let you, you will take everyone I care about down with you, and that’s not going to happen, so get the hell out of here or it is going to get really messy,
I broke into a loud mocking laughter, how long have been this delusional?
You are crushing on Elliot?
Awww!

Does he even know you are? Does he look at you that way? You must be so afraid to tell him how you feel because you know he will turn you down, Gloria was already fuming as I kept taunting her with words,
You know when I asked Elliot who you are, he told me you are a disturbed woman, I guess that last sentence broke Gloria as she jumped on me, I tried to fight back, but she was too strong as she wrestled me to the floor, she fought like someone who had been trained in some kind of martial art, I screamed as she twisted my hands backwards, when she was almost breaking every bone in my body, Jerry ran down the stairs pushing Gloria away unto the couch,
Break it up, what’s wrong with you two?

I could barely move my body, Jerry helped me up, he brought out the ice bag from the refrigerator and gave it to me to place on the swelling part of my cheek, I can’t believe she attacked me, she is crazy,
I can’t believe you two, seriously! fighting over what? He shook his head and went after Gloria who had left still fuming. I really wanted to talk to Elliot, but what was I going to tell him? That I was beaten by a fellow girl because of him, where did she even learn to fight like that, I thought, i decided not to tell Elliot anything until he is back.

The anger in me kept piling up, but Jerry was right, he came down afterwards telling me that I was better off focusing on my predicament than getting in flimsy things like this, he asked me to channel all my anger to coming up with a plan since I insist on meeting with Lucas, so I did exactly that. Jerry kept an eye on Gloria and me, while I spent the week figuring things out, first I brought out the tab Elliot got me, I called him, and asked him to forward all the mails from Skiter to me, he did, I went through every one of them, avoiding the ones with the picture attachments, because I was prepared to be heartbroken, I found myself obsessing about every content of those mails, I looked at the blueprint over and over, I was never good with maps and all that stuff, Elliot kept calling from time to time, most times he asked if I was okay, which got me thinking if Gloria or Jerry said anything, until at some point he told me I was edgy, that’s why he kept asking if was okay.
He was right, my obsession had began to make me edgy, where I couldn’t quite make sense of what to do, I became more angry at everything, it went on, until Elliot came back, he was surprised when the first thing I asked him was if he got some answers, he realized at that point that I wasn’t myself anymore,
Are you ready to do this? He asked looking straight in my eyes, I have never been more ready, I replied clenching my jaw,
Get ready, your training starts tomorrow, he said sounding different from the Elliot I know, once again that serious face returned…

7kahfe:
Captivating story line mixed with intrigues, suspense and romance, try n read out ur blunders for corrections. Corrected mistakes brings Perfection.
Kudos!

Thank you, I don't really go through, but I will now,thanks again.

I'm sorry guys for not updating,but I will try soon...have been caught up as usual.

Guys please don't get confuse,Here is a run down of episode five, towards the end of episode 4, Elliot told Alice about Lucas Mathews, the guy from the funeral, they both think Lucas is responsible for the murder, now Episode 5, jumps the timeline to two months later when Alice meets Lucas, but the story line keeps flashing back to what happened two months before Alice meets Lucas.

TWO MONTHS LATER

Okay, I have just told you my name, so I guess the normal thing to do is tell me yours, Lucas said maintaining his mischievous smile,
Who the hell are you and why did those men bring me here?
Well, I own this club and those men work for me, he said, I could feel the pride in his voice,
And I’m suppose to care why? I asked, have a drink, ask for anything you want, it’s on the house, he said,
No, not until I know why I’m here, and wait if you think I’m one of those women you spin around the way you see fit, you are mistaken, i’m not intimidated by you neither am I afraid of you, I said, struggling to hide my contempt and anger,
I’m trying to be nice here, he said pouring himself another glass of expensive champagne, you see that’s the point, I’m not here for nice, I just want to know why I’m here in this hell hole, he drained the champagne in his glass and leaned back on the couch,
I like you, he said losing the mischievous smile, I broke into a sarcastic laugh,
You what?

You see, from the moment you walked in that door, there was something about you, he said standing up, he brought out the phone from his pocket as he walked around me and then stopped before, you know, the confidence in your body, the spark in your eyes, I was intrigued, trust me, I rarely get intrigued by women as you can see obviously, but something was different about you, I pointed his phone in my direction, I turned to see what he was doing, I realized there were three flat screen monitors hanging on the wall above my head, he clicked his phone and one of the monitors brought on a clip of me walking in the gates of the club, he fast forwarded it to when I stepped into the club, then zoomed and paused it as he continued, but something caught my eyes, you scanned your environment as if you were looking for something or someone, he played it again, and I could actually see what he meant, I was curious, so I kept an eye on you,
Your flirting with the bar man, which would have been normal, except in your case you had a motive, which I wasn’t quiet sure of until I saw you flirting with the DJ too, he ran the the video clip through every instance he mentioned, then paused it, then clicked his phone again and I could hear my voice fill the room, my conversation with DJ, every word was familiar, as if I was saying it all over, he paused it, then chuckled,
But I was totally awed by this, he fast forwarded to the bathroom scene where that freak made a move on me, and I knocked him out, he paused, so I began asking myself a series of questions, which led me to running a full background check on you, he said squatting before me, I could feel the rumblings in my stomach as his dark eyes cut right deep into me and his jaws tighten, the game was about to be over before it begun,

I looked at the other two monitors and I realized they were both running live feeds, I recognized the first club I was in,
Are you sure you really want to do this? Alice, you are risking your life, this guy is thorough from what I heard…Elliot’s words, two months ago,
Impressive! I said mocking him, so you are so jobless, you sit down and spy on people. Then you get a kick out of it, well, so what now? I asked masking the fear in my voice,
He stood up, walked a bit from me still fixing his gaze on me,
Alice Daniel, a graduate of Communication Arts from the Southern University, lives at Number 23 double lane road, has a baby sister errrmm… what’s her name again Rita? Is it? ,I could feel my blood jolting in my body, I shifted a bit on the couch I was sitting, suddenly the soft leather couch felt uncomfortable, at first I was scared, but little tiny drops of anger started sipping in, how the hell does he know my sister’s name? I was once again drawn from my thoughts by his voice,

How about your parents, he asked grinning? I could feel the anger rush through my body, he knows where my parents are,
Elliot is right, I felt the strong urge to pounce on him and ask him to tell me where my parents were, but Elliot’s words came to mind
Don’t let anger take over you and make you act irrational, because once he discovers who you are, there is no telling what he will do…
What we didn’t anticipate was this monster discovering who I was right from the moment I walked in here, I have to improvise, I thought to myself, wow! I said clapping, is that all you got, I asked with a smirk on my face,
Oh no! I got more, he said enjoying every bit of his twisted game, he returned to the couch in front of me and continued,
What beats me is why she would murder her own boyfriend in cold blood, and what she is doing here when she should be rotting in jail, oh! I know, she is running from the law, I could feel the mockery in his voice,my legs were shaking while I tried in vain to steady my hands from shaking
And that brings me to the main question, what are you doing here when you should be running or hiding or be far away from here, he asked and for the first time that night, I saw the seriousness on his face,
Okay fine, I said evoking my pity face, you are right about me, truth is I need your help, the words fell off my mouth in a manner that shocked even me,
What? He asked, you are right, I’m on the run, but I didn’t kill anybody, I don’t know why I’m being wanted, I got nowhere to go anymore, I can’t town, I don’t have anybody anywhere, that’s why I’m here, you are the only person that could help me, I said letting the tears fall slowly from my eyes,
How do you mean I’m the only person that can help you? I paused for a while, then I looked into his eyes, then said
Lucas Mathews, you are not the only person who can run background checks, his eyes popped open, then he took out his phone and dialed a number, few minutes later, a guy, similar in body size to the ones that escorted me here showed up, he nodded to him, and in a swift, he took me by the arm and dragged me away as I struggled, where are you taking me to? What’s going on, I said turning to Lucas who had just poured some white substance on the glass table in front of him and began cutting through it, as the heavily built man kept dragging me across the hall leading me to the elevator, in the moment, we were in a small white room with a just a bunk bed covered with white sheets, the room itself was white, the heavily built man pushed me in, then he shut the door behind him, while i screamed banging on the door, but he was gone.

TWO MONTHS EARLIER

I woke up from the chaise lounge Elliot had earlier fixed up for me to lie on, after noticing my eyes blink from time to time, I guess it was the run on the beach coupled with the cold sea breeze and smooth cruise,
I opened my eyes to massive land in front of me, of course it was a sandy beach, there were a handful of people, mostly on bikini, the yacht was anchored, because it wasn’t moving,
Where are we? I thought to myself as I scanned the my environment looking for a little sense of familiarity and Elliot, I stood walking out to the edge of the yacht, I could see the bar clearly, Elliot immediately walked out of the bar immediately he saw me,
Sorry, we docked, I just didn’t want to wake you,

Is this Gaule beach? I asked fascinated by the surrounding, yes, he answered smiling, do you want to come out, Jerry and Steve are in the bar, on second thoughts, don’t! stay in the yacht, we will soon be with you, we both laughed at the fact that we both understood why I shouldn’t be out there, few minutes later, Elliot, Steve and Jerry climbed into the yacht,
Hello Princess, Jerry said walking straight to me and stretching his hands out for a handshake, I reluctantly took it, he squeezed it, I immediately withdrew my hands, Steve on the other hand kept winking at me,
Here , Elliot handed me a coconut that has just been cut open, the coconut water was so chill, that I gulped it down in an instance, thank you, I said to Elliot after a heavy sigh of relief, my eyes caught Steve’s eyes still fixated on me,
Elliot, I think I might see that cabin now, he chuckled, knowing I was trying to avoid the two guys who just joined, he led into one of the cabins, it was fascinating, a well laid bed, a chair and table,

Sorry, after dad’s death, nobody has really had time to fix up the cabin,.. I interjected, this is beautiful., someone could actually live here you know, we both smiled, if you need anything, you come out, Steve and Jerry won’t eat you, he said teasing me, the thought of those two creeps me out, I quickly remembered Gloria, those two with Gloria, I could picture my funeral already, but I had to be strong I told myself as we sailed back to the island.
We got to the the beach house, I got irritated by the mere sight of Gloria rushing out to hug Steve and Jerry,and walked up to Elliot, I knew she was about to do something to spite me, so I quickly walked past them heading to the living room down stairs,
You don’t have to avoid them you know? You are going to be seeing them around, Elliot said from the stairs,
And by them, you mean your girlfriend, it’s a big house, avoiding someone shouldn’t be difficult, I said with sarcasm in my voice, how many times do you want me to say it, Gloria and me are just friends,
It’s either you are lying or you just don’t notice when a girl is into you, I said trying hard not to let my jealousy show, he chuckled, and then pulled up a straight face again,
What is it? I quickly asked recognizing that face, so Steve and Jerry have been getting information on Lucas Mathews,
Great! so Steve and Jerry are on this now? Who’s next? Your girlfriend?, I asked with irritation in my voice, what is wrong with you?
Nothing, I thought you said we should be discreet, I don’t trust them, and by them, I mean all of them, I said making it obvious that I was talking about Gloria, I’m just saying that things were a lot easier when it was just me and you.
Is this about Gloria? No, definitely not, I replied trying to sound convincing,
If I were you, I would focus on the bigger picture, and I want you to know that this is now bigger than me and you, it’s about time you took all the help you can get, he stood up and left.

I noticed the on Elliot’s laptop kept blinking, I’m surprised he left it here, If I were to name one thing Elliot spends more time with, it would be his laptop, I walked up to where it was place, I tapped the space bar and the screen came on, there was an unread mail, I guess that was why the light kept blinking, if there was anything I was always accused of, it was snooping around, but I didn’t have to, it’s a private mail for God sake, I reminded myself as my hand kept hovering over the mouse, well, if it’s private, I won’t digest the content, I said to myself making an excuse for tampering with someone’s privacy, I clicked it open,
New mail from Skiter,
What a funny name, I thought to myself, I scrolled down to the content, there were picture attachments, I clicked open the first,it was a picture of a hotel of some kind, I clicked open the second, it was still the same place, but a car park, with so many cars, but the snapshots were mostly of the licence plates, I recognized one of those licence plates, the car was a Toyota Avalon, I clicked the next picture, my heart jumped, and I almost fell off the chair,

A picture of my dad chained like a dog, this wasn’t among the ones Elliot showed to me the other day, I clicked the next one, a picture of my mum lying face down on the floor,
I minimized it at once, I couldn’t bear the pain, then I opened it up again, I realized they were a who lot of mails from the same Skiter, I checked the dates, they were came in the past two weeks, I checked the last time,before the one I opened, it came in yesterday, I ran through the content of each of the mail,

Snapshots of a guy I was told is Lucas Mathews in different locations, information on his where about, the different cars his drives to these different places, Elliot told me he had information on this guy, but he never mentioned aall these, he didn’t even mention he got more pictures of my parents being tortured, I couldn’t even bring myself to open the other picture attachments I saw, and then I clicked open a particular mail, the date stated it was sent two weeks ago,
A detailed information on Lucas Mathews, I read the first paragraph I couldn’t bring myself to continue, I minimized it and ran up the stairs, I could hear the sound of laughter from Elliot and the rest from the living room upstairs,
How dare you! how dare you Elliot? All of them paused and seemed to be confused,
When were you going to tell me? you mean you have been getting information about my parents and you kept it to yourself ?
Why answer me? how could you, I thought you said you wanted to help, are you helping by keeping things from me, I screamed angrily moving towards Elliot, who didn’t know what to say,
Hey! Missy back off! Gloria said standing up,
Oh! bitch, you do not get in the way right now! But she inched closer, I turned around pushing her to the couch, she quickly got up, ready to jump on me, but Elliot, Steve and Jerry rushed in, Steve restrained her, taking her to her room, while Jerry and Elliot tried to calm me down,
Is this what you want?
Was this your plan when you brought me in here?
Your plan sucks! And I want to leave, I said walking out.

I sat up immediately on the bunk bed, immediately I heard the metal door creak open, I felt weak and hungry, I had not taken anything few hours before I stepped into that club, he walked in, he was way handsome that he was yesterday, i could smell his shaving powder and cologne mixed up, he was well shaven, he wore a black leather jacket , the jacket was unbuttoned baring his singlet, a black jean and boots, he looked gangster in a nice way, but somewhere in there was a beast, a monster,
Good morning to you! he said chuckling, he leaned on the wall in a way that revealed the pistol on his waist, yesterday if I had let you stay one minute more in front of me, I would have blown your head off without thinking, and that would have been bad for me, because I wouldn’t have got the chance to ask who you work for,
So here we are, at least this time, I might get you to say something before I blow your brains out, do you know how many of your types I deal with every day, so I’m giving you five minutes to start talking, or it’s going to end up bad for you, he said tightening his jaw,
I managed a weak laugh, I can’t the person I’m even seeking protection from is scared of me, okay, can I at least have something to eat first, I’m terribly hungry, you know that’s another way to kill you, allow you starve to death,
You wouldn’t do that, I said trying to ascertain if he had any humanity left in him, he chuckled, you have no idea, as he walked towards the door, sorry, I have more rounds to make, so I have to leave, see you later,
Wait! Wait! Wait! Please! At least give me water to drink, but he already shut the door.
Bastard! I cursed, as I crawled back into the bunk bed.

drtwist:
Still following but how did lucas come into play now, have been follow from begining but this got me confusing

don't get confused,episode 5 juggles between time

Like flash backs. Read over, I'm sure you will get it.

Felinize:
crixina pls give me my meal am starving already, hope u re OK.

this got me cracking!
Anyway I'm ok, but just busssssy,

But don't worry,update coming in today.

Episode 5
I stepped out of the taxi, walking into “the horn”, what normal human being calls a night club that, okay on second thought, he wasn’t a normal human being, this place looks creepy I thought to myself as I approached the door, fanciful coloured lights adorned the exterior of the building, a small portion of green manicured field stood at the centre of the compound, it had a lot of beautiful flowers in it and water fountain that was carved in the shape of a naked woman, the neon light on the sign post could be seen from a thousand miles away, which had on it the name of the night club and its logo which was actually a bull’s horn
Okay this place is officially creepy, I thought to myself, at huge bouncer, seeing him actually reminded me why they are called bouncers,
Pass? He asked in a husky voice, I turned my wrist, I never really noticed the stamp on my wrist was a bull’s horn until now, it looked different on my wrist, more like a tattoo,
Here with someone? He asked again, was that question really necessary, I thought to myself as I hesitated before I shook my head in a way that suggested no, he gave me a weird smile and shifted out of the way, I wore a tube that popped out my breasts, and left a better part of my stomach bare, with a bum short that wasn’t much different from wearing a pant, with boots that covered up to my knee, my make up was like I had paint poured on my face, the lipstick almost pouring off my lips, my wig was a thick Afro that looked more like those of the eighties, I felt like i was going to drop dead soon in those outfit,
Remember the more deceptive you are the more convincing it is, those were Elliot’s words to me two months ago,
I walked to the bar, the bar man had a handsome face and firm biceps, so i put my game face on,
Hey you! i said smiling and biting my lower lip in a seductive way, he smiled back and said,
If you are about seducing me into giving you free drinks, you got to try harder, I see more of that here every day, wait, did i say every day? No, i meant every second, he said rolling a glass of the drink on the table to the guy next to me.
Actually i was going to buy you a drink, i said winking at you, in a way that made him laugh,
You are a wily one, he said tossing me a glass of Jack Daniels, i drained it and placed the glass in a manner that requested more, he poured in some more, i was hoping to strike a conversation, but he was too busy pouring drinks, besides he stylishly dismissed me by asking us to hook up afterwards which meant “i’m working, take a cue”,

Pushing for answers might arouse suspicion, take your time, those were Elliot’s words

The dance floor is hitting up, i said then turned to leave, oh! thanks for the drink, i owe you, i winked at him, then disappeared into the crowded dance floor,
The dance floor is just one part of the many parts of that building, my best guess is that there are cameras everywhere, and it will be all controlled from one place, the holy of Holies, you can’t just knock at the front door and ask for him, you have to draw his attention to you, but be subtle about it, Alice, are you sure you want to do this, you are heading down a dangerous path…Elliot’s words two months ago,
I walked up the disc jockey, gave him a smile, but he didn’t even look at me, he seemed preoccupied with whatever he was doing, okay this is one is tough, i thought to myself, so i decided to be forward, I want to sign up for karaoke, he didn’t answer for like a second, then he took his headphones off, and screamed into the crowd,
Wait in line, how do you mean wait in line? I queried, he gave me a mocking chuckle, you think you are the only one in here who thinks they have an incredible voice and wants to show how Beyonce or Tiwa Savage they can be, he said in a mocking way that almost sparked up the anger in me,
Be sassy, talk sassy when the need arises, men like sassy, but also be a lady when you have to, you ever heard of the phrase men and variety?... Gloria’s words two months ago,

Let me guess, you stay up at night and fantasize about this women, you even use their pictures to do yourself, but don’t worry, we all have a fantasy or two, i said winking, but you know fantasies are tricky, they rarely come true, but if you let me go up there, I might just give you something to fantasize about tonight, i said seductively, he smiled, I knew i got him,
Pervert! I thought to myself, what song would you like to perform? Burn it down by Linkin park,
wow! you do know that’s rock right?
Yes I do, you do know you need back up right? He queried again, I could feel the mockery in his voice,
Yes, I can see one back stage, or are they not performing tonight? i winked at him again
Why not settle for “the sky is blue, tears in eyes” kind of song, you know, you women, i thought that was your thing, naaah, i’m a rock kind of woman,
Alright, he said licking his lips, then you are on, so what name do I call when it’s time? He asked, I sensed he just wanted to know my name, it wasn’t really about the invitation,
Well, just invite bubble to the stage, I said, I didn’t wait to hear the next word from his mouth, I wriggled my way back into the crowd, this was really crazy, but I signed up for it and I wasn’t about to pull out now, karaoke? I thought to myself, I haven’t even heard myself sing before, but I knew that from the first moment I heard burn it down by Linkin park, I never stopped liking that song, i didn’t know if my voice would be good enough, but one thing I was sure of was that I could sing every word of that song,
Well, at least I have the backup guys, and there is nothing about my voice that two more glasses of Jack Daniels can’t fix, but can I trust that scrawny looking DJ, he better doesn’t disappoint me, I thought to myself as i headed towards the bar, wriggling my way through drunk folks making weird dancing moves, I felt an urgent urge to pee, it must be the drink, I immediately scanned for the bathroom and ran towards it, just when I was about jumping into one of the vacant bathrooms, I felt a strong hands grip me tight,
I know you… he said staggering, his breath reeked of alcohol and cigarettes, I tried to pulled my hands away, but he tightened his grip, while using the other hand to grab my breast,

C’mon b..itch, you know you like this, he said, I was instantly infuriated, I gave him a hard kick on the groin, he screamed releasing my hands, I punched him hard on nose, he fell to the floor, I punched again, I watched as blood flowed, then I felt two heavy hands grabbing my two hands,
Why are you hitting like a doll? if you want to just caress me, then we shouldn’t be out here in the cold, this is no punch little girl, do you want to cry? because you hit like you want to cry, no wonder Gloria kicked your ass the other time…Jerry’s words two months ago.
Oh! great! security, you guys only showed up after the freak assaulted me, let me go! I screamed, Miss, you are drunk, you need to get home, they dragged me to the door, I struggled to break free, but their hands were too strong, leave me alone! I screamed, just when they were close to the door, one of them pulled a walkie talkie from his waist and spoke into it,
Okay, I understand. They turned me around and led me across the a corridor beside the dance floor which opened up into another corridor, the door closed behind us, the lighting here was better as opposed to that of the club. Down the end of the corridor were two huge guys waiting, the security men handed me over to them,
Where the hell are you guys taking me to? I’m not going anywhere with you guys, I said looking at the two huge guys with biceps who were dressed in black polo shirts, one had a tattoo of a bull’s head drawn on his shoulder, you guys don’t scare me with all these crap, wherever you think you taking me to, make sure i’m out of here in five minutes, I could barely hear the heavy speakers from the club, this part seemed like another building entirely, the two huge men took me down the elevator, we were ushered into another hall, I couldn’t believe my eyes,
It was just like the club we left, but this hall was less rowdy, the interior was a lot more exquisite, there were more expensive and exquisite tables, in the other club up there were chairs which were replaced by couches down here, there was a swimming pool in the middle, the lighting was indeed wonderful, but I was appalled by the sight of naked men and women walking up and down the hall, I mean naked literally, I noticed a set of women who wore red bikini carrying drinks in trays to whoever wanted, while others were just stark naked, those in the pool were either kissing or moaning, it was like hell down here, the two huge men led me past two men kissing, a woman in her fifties drooling over a young boy in his twenties or so, three girls making out, they giggle at me as I walked past them. I couldn’t hold my emotions anymore when I asked,
Hey man! Where is this place? And why am I here? I referred to one of the two men leading me, but he ignored me, right at the end of the hall was like a glass, the glass doors slid open as we approached it, we were inside, I realized by the look of it that we were in a suite, the inside was breath taking, from the chilling air conditioning to the wine bar, I had never beheld such interior, the bartenders were dressed in white jacket, the hostesses were on white bikinis, I think they were carefully selected, most of them were light skinned, like they weren’t from this country,
At the far end of the hall was a light skin guy in black T shirt, surrounded by five naked women, each of them seemed to have one job or the other but all was aimed at pleasing him, he had a glass of champagne in his hand, I noticed a number of large flat screens hanging around the entire suite which were all showing pornographic contents, I wasn’t sure where I was, but hell would be a perfect description, the two men led me to this guy, he nodded to them as the left, he looked at me straight in the eye, I looked right back at him, we both didn’t take our eyes off each other for about twenty seconds, he was handsome, flat jaw, bright piercing eyes and a well shaved face, the naked women around him kept going about their businesses, they didn’t even flinch at my presence, one was literally handling him, he waved his hands and they all stood up to leave at the same time,

Amira ! He called in a commanding manner, one of the women turned back,
Bend! He commanded, she did, he stuck his finger in her womanliness and licked it slowly in a disgusting way that turned my stomach instantly, I turned my face away, he waved his hands again and she left,
He poured a glass of champagne, drink! He offered, I ignored him and said okay, by the look of things around here, I suppose you are the evil king who sent for me, because all I know is I came to a club, a normal one I mean, to have fun like a normal human being and next thing I know I’m transported to hell, and right now I feel like I’m standing before the devil.
He laughed and said, it’s ironic, don’t you think? I mean the only way one goes to hell is when you have actually done something really bad, so now I hope you can appreciate the irony. Oh my manners! Allow me to properly introduce myself, I’m Lucas Mathews and welcome to the horns, he stretched out his hands to me, I reluctantly took it, then he held unto it for a few minutes looking straight into my eyes, I pulled my hands away, as he gave me a mischievous smile, I smiled back , I didn’t even have to swing my terrible voice to get his attention, finally I’m face to face with the man who is holding my parents and framing me for murder, so where do we begin? I thought to myself.

Two months earlier
I got out of the shower, and joined Elliot and Gloria on the dinning table, I made myself a cup of tea too, the silence was awkward, they were discussing and laughing before I walked in, so I just needed to clear the air,
Hmmm, I cleared my throat in a manner they both looked up at me, Gloria, I just want to say that I’m truly sorry for what I did to you, I never meant to hurt you, I;m so sorry, I said sounding remorseful but not really looking into her eyes, Elliot looked from me to her, she smiled and said
It’s okay, smiling at Elliot who smiled back at her, Elliot! I’m sorry too… but he cut in, I’m not mad at you anymore, no point apologizing, I helped Gloria pack up the dishes as we headed into the kitchen, when she was sure Elliot was out of earshot,
Make no mistake about this sweetie, that apology meant absolutely nothing to me, I don’t like you, I have never liked you, you wanted this game? We are going to play it to the end, she said angrily, she was about to leave when I chuckled in a mocking manner,
Ooooooh!!! Gloria, I’m so scared, somebody help me! what were you thinking, that the apology was real? You made my life a living hell, you scared me in my sleep, threatened me, I only played you by your own game, and you are angry?
Sweetie, two can play this game, I said mimicking her voice, then I pushed past her into the living room, Elliot wasn’t there, I went down the stairs into the other living room, he was there on the couch, with a book in his hands,
We need to talk about… you need to tell me everything you know, who is Lucas Mathews? How does he… why would he want to frame me up, I have never met him or heard of anybody like that in my life, I have to do something, he has my parents for Godsake,
Sitting here on this island doing nothing doesn’t help me in anywhere, please Elliot, I beg you, help me, I want to leave this place, I want to be free again, I want to understand all of these,
Alice, I understand how you feel, but you take things easy, so that you don’t get hurt, he said and I could sensed he was hiding something, what are you not telling me? there is more to these right?

Yes., there is and I don’t know what to tell you, but I would suggest if it gets out of hands, you leave town,
What!!! To where Elliot? I have nobody anywhere, Alice, it’s bad, really bad, for once I was really really terrified, I had always had faith in Elliot, he made me so sure of his protection, he had always thought of answers before I had any questions, but suddenly everything just seemed to spiral, I wasn’t even safe there anymore because I didn’t know what that psycho Gloria was upto, I could feel the urge to cry, but I held it because I wasn’t going to feel powerless before Gloria who I’m sure was eavesdropping on our conversation, so I went out to the beach, it was breezy out there, suddenly I found myself running across, I ran from away from the beach house, that was the first time, I got close to the house Elliot told me belonged to Senator Williams, the view was nice too from there, I felt relieved, I sat there, the house looked inhabitable, of course it was Elliot told me they only came around during holidays, I was starting to feel cold, so I decided to walk back, from a distance, something caught my eyes, a yacht, I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, I knew nothing about water navigation, so I just stopped, when it got closer, I realized it was Elliot,
Where are you coming from? I asked,
I came outside, I didn’t find you anywhere, I was worried,so you mean that way leads to the house, yes why? He queried
I chuckled, the sea is so confusing, land is easier, he laughed, he had not given me that laugh in a while, I was relieved,
So which way leads to town? I asked, hop in, you are about to find out,we are going to town?
Yes, to pick up Jerry and Steve,, I felt jittery, you have never been in a yacht before?
No, I haven’t, don’t worry, you won’t die, he teased and we both laughed, we both sailed in silence for a while, I was so eager to break the silence that I didn’t want to talk about me or him or Gloria, I just wanted a normal conversation.
So is this a boat or ship or yacht? I asked trying to sound naive, he chuckled, well it is a yacht, some people call it a sail boat, this particular yacht is known as a cruiser yacht, it is so called because of its ability to undertake short journeys of two to three days in coastal areas, and can also take long trips depending on the skills of the sailors, though cruiser yachts varies, this one we are in can go in shallow waters and it has lots of cabins,

So not all yachts have cabins? I asked, fascinated by his explanation, no, some do not, I’m sure this must cost a whole lot? I asked, trying to take the conversation deeper, well, I don’t know how much it cost, my father bought it some weeks before he died, he was a fun lover, he… I interjected, seeing he was trying to cover up the fact that he told me he lost his dad,
You lost your dad? you never told me, Elliot, I’m so sorry about that, no it’s okay, I moved on, you could go check out the cabins, he said ending the conversation, no, I shook my head, I rather stay here with you, we both laughed,
It’s nice to see you scared of something, he said, oh! I’m scared of a lot of things, with that response we both understood that I was no more talking about the yacht, he heaved a sigh of relief,
Look Alice! I really want to be honest with you, but I don’t know how to, because I’m not sure, you might be able to handle this, Elliot, please if there is anything you have to tell me, go ahead, at this point, I can take anything please I beg of you, he looked away for a while, then he turned to me,
I got my guys in town to check out Lucas Mathews, his name wasn’t the only thing they found out, Alice he is a very dangerous person, who ever he wants, he gets, even though we were at sea and the wind was high, I could feel the sweat in my palms, I had never seen that look in Elliot’s eyes…

I opened my eyes to Elliot and Gloria by my side, I immediately tried to stand up,
Hold on! Hold on! You passed out, Elliot said as he helped me up, Gloria sat there with a straight face, I couldn’t really tell if she was gloating, in fact, I wasn’t even interested, because I quickly remembered why I passed out, Elliot, what…
Relax Let me get you water, I promise you will be fine, he seemed to care, last time I remember he was angry at me, he walked out,
Isn’t this déjà vu?

She said grinning, then her grin immediately turned into a smirk, you know I woke up telling Elliot I don’t remember what really happened, I told I was drinking then I just passed, that maybe I had too much to drink, I even convinced him that I needed medical check up, but you know what sweetie I remember everything, I remember taking just half a glass of bourbon, I remember feeling drowsy, I remember you standing over me to gloat, I even have a faint memory of being on the beach, and then when I woke up, I figured it all out,
YOU DRUGGED ME! she said clenching her teeth, and here you are waking up from a nice little time out, so you see we all are vulnerable, my first thought when I saw you was to strangle you, then I realized that what you did brought Elliot and me closer, he spent all night taking care of me, she said smiling like a five year old, then she continued, he hasn’t done that in a long time, so I don’t want to ruin it,
I’m a patient woman, I will wait till the opportunity presents itself you BI..TCH,
I was so scared of what Gloria just said, she sounded evil, but I wasn’t going to let her intimidate me, Gloria you don’t want to mess with me right now, because right now I’m not in the right place, so you better watch it, I said inching close to her, but she didn’t react, it only took me a second to know that Elliot was standing on the stairs watching us,
Well If you are offering threats, I see you are okay,he walked down slowly dropping the water in front of me, Gloria please excuse us, he said , she smirks at me as she leaves,
You just passed out and you woke up with threats?
Elliot forgive me for responding to your girlfriend’s threat, and not being worried about her threats to me, I said as the anger kicks in again,
Gloria has a big mouth, that’s pretty much all there is to her, I know her, but you, with the discoveries I made in the last couple of days, I can’t really say same for you,
Elliot! What discoveries are you talking about?
He stood up, get into the shower, have some food and let’s talk about this because honestly, I am confused myself, I don’t know what to think anymore, he said walking away, I could see the distrust in his eyes.
This was what I feared most, Elliot realizing one day that he can no longer help me anymore, where do I go from here, I thought to myself as I turned on the shower.


...Episode 4 ends...

Elliot! Elliot! Wait up! you can’t just things like that to me and walk away, this conversation isn’t over, so stop pushing away issues away like you always do, I screamed at Elliot who was looking all tensed up, pouring himself a glass of scotch probably to calm his nerves, talk to me Elliot, I continued, but he drained the whole glass, before I made the next statement, he turned swiftly taking my lips and kissing me hard that the words in my mouth ceased, his lips were so warm and tender that it sent that familiar shiver down my spine, I didn’t waste time, I responded with such fiercely that it seemed our our inner passions were fighting to be heard, he reached out to unhook my bra, he kept struggling to pull it off while passionately deep in my lips, I guess my polo was an obstruction, but it wasn’t for too long as I hurriedly pulled it over my head in the speed of light, dragging him to the couch, I wrapped my arms around him, taking off his polo, our bodies got intertwine, igniting passionate sparks, in an instant he pulled off my jean, it was like the sight of the naked me doubled every emotion he felt, he fondled my breasts, that made me murmur a thousand moans, begging him to make love to me, I kept lifting up my thighs to feel his hardness, the more I felt it, the more I lifted up my body urging him to come into me, it seemed like it worked, because in one instance, he slide into me, we both let out soft strong moans as his hardness met my wetness, wriggling,banging as our bodies wrestle to grasp the utmost satisfaction from each other,then in five minutes, our voices echoed with loud moans as we climax in a passionate embrace breathing strongly as the fierce sea breeze caressed our naked bodies.
Elliot look at me!, I said gathering my clothes to cover my naked body, though we were both passionate some minutes ago, Elliot’s countenance had suddenly dropped, sex is suppose to lighten up one’s mood not turn it off, or so I thought,
Elliot! I called him again, as he tried to put on his jean, you are not saying anything, I pressed on,
What do I have to say? He asked still avoiding my gaze, as if he was ridden with guilt, at least say something about … we are talking and then… he cut in, Alice, must we do this now, okay fine, we were talking and then I had one moment of weakness and recklessness, we weren’t even protected, what kind of man does that, he said feeling bad as if he just committed a crime, I felt an instant anger,
Okay I’m sorry you jumped out of the blue telling me what great feelings you have for me, then I confronted you, then you kissed me,and I kissed you back,and we made love, no Elliot actually we had sex, I’m sorry okay, and
Relax! It was just sex, people do it all the time, it doesn’t bite or kill, and it doesn’t automatically mean we are dating, so now that it’s over we can officially return to fugitive-guardian or saving angel kind of relationship, I said sounding really angry as I took the staircase heading up to the other living room, I almost bumped into Gloria who was standing right at the door looking really angry and made no effort to move, seeing I wanted to pass,
Great! as if the little argument with Elliot wasn’t enough to infuriate me, I thought to myself, Excuse me! I said to Gloria, keeping a straight face to mask the fear of what she was about to say or do,
Are you done? She asked with an irritating smirk on her face, I looked down, realizing the thought that she may have seen Elliot and me in the other living room, just when I was about saying something, I heard Elliot,
Gloria, knock it off!, she quickly shifted aside, I move past wondering what Steve and Jerry would do, but I didn’t find them anymore in the living room, where could they have gone to? Anyway this house is too big to be asking such question, maybe they are in a room somewhere around, I thought to myself as Gloria moved past me heading down stairs, while Elliot took out his phone dialing as a number walking past me, which I sensed was still a ruse to avoid talking to me, taking the door that led outside unto the beach, I didn’t know what to do, so I just sat down on one of the couches watching the musical videos showing on the large flat screen hanging on the wall.
Twenty minutes, there was no sign of Elliot, Gloria, Steve or Jerry anywhere, I didn’t notice how long I sat there, I must have dozed off watching those videos, I stood up walking out to the beach, but I didn’t find Elliot, It was obvious I had started having strong feelings for him despite my predicament, and it was as if he does not feel same, so I needed to get away from him as soon as I could, so I wouldn’t die when he finally rejected me, the only way I could do that was to let him help me get my freedom, help me follow up the lead we had, which by the way kept impressing on me that it had something to do with the two strange men we saw at the funeral, I quickly blinked out the idea of telling him to let me go, because the last time he wasn’t there to protect me, I almost got myself killed, besides I had nowhere to go, so I was only left with the option of letting him help me get to the two men,
But he wasn’t there, I turned to go back inside, but Gloria was there,
Looking for Elliot? She asked grinning, he left, though he asked me to take care of you, she said with a smirk on her face,
leave?
To where? I asked, being serious thinking Gloria was trying to mess with me, I don’t know sweetie, I turned to look at where the yacht was, but it was gone,the thought of being with this psycho and two perverts made my body itch, so I managed to ask, where is Steve and Jerry?
She smirked again, it’s just me and you, a part of me was glad that at least I was ridden of the perverts, left with a psycho to deal with, but the other part of me was ragingly angry at Elliot for leaving without telling me, and in the hands of a psycho who until that moment I didn’t understand her relationship with Elliot and why she hated me from the moment she saw me, I walked past her heading into the bedroom to look for the Samsung galaxy Elliot bought me, I found it in the closet, Elliot had already bought and inserted a new Sim in it,
What a control freak! I thought to myself, he didn’t even get my opinion on what network I would love to use, he went ahead and bought his choice, just like leaving me here without informing me, I threw the tab on the bed,
Damn! I don’t even have his number by heart, now I have to go ask that psycho for his number, who probably may not give out or would make me sweat for it, I felt frustrated, I made up my mind not to go ask, but to patiently wait for Elliot to return, but Elliot did not return, it was getting dark, all my fears came rushing back especially with the thunderous waves splattering.
Good evening! Gloria showed up, carrying a tray containing plates, I sat up on the bed where I was reading a book I found on the table which I’m sure Elliot left for me, I brought you food, she said sounding nice which really worried,
Thank you! I said, then got back to my book, why would she bring me food, I thought to myself, as she dropped the food and left, maybe she wants to poison me, the scared part of me sneaked up, i made up my mind not to eat, because I didn’t trust her, after a while, I opened the plates to at least see what was inside, the plates were empty,
Oh my! What have I done to the girl that would make her go out of her way to frustrate me? I thought to myself as I kept the plates back, I was actually hungry, I had not taken anything since breakfast, so I decided to wander into the kitchen to prepare something to eat, but it was locked, only for Gloria to show up jingling the keys at me,
Looking for this?, she was about to turn away when I asked,
What is really your problem? Ever since I met you earlier, you have been like this, what have I done?
You have no idea, she replied grinning as she walked away, I couldn’t really sleep, part of me was scared of the psycho, but after two glasses of whiskey, I felt nothing else till nine twenty P.M the next morning.
I woke up, got into the shower, I felt a little weak probably because of the alcohol of last night, I made tea which I found on the dinning table, for some reason Gloria didn’t show up to taunt me that morning, besides I avoided her too, I went back to reading, when I got bored, I watch TV, I kept hoping Elliot will show up, but he didn’t, I had to muster a little courage to go ask Gloria for his number, which she taunted me and refused, I wallowed in my frustration, Gloria kept putting on a show, and I kept avoiding her.
Elliot finally showed up a week later. I almost lost it with Gloria two days earlier, while I was sleeping , I kind of felt a presence around me, when I opened my eyes, there she was, sitting right beside my bed,
Hello princess, I had a hard time deciding how to kill you, at first I thought I should use a knife, but how do I cover up all the blood, so I opted for this rope, which I could simply explain that I woke up to see you dead, and in a country like this, where nobody cares, they will easily buy it. Or I could just simply hand you over to the police for killing your own boyfriend, how pathetic! She said actually meaning every word, from that moment I knew I had to do something about Gloria before she kills me, so I bade my time,
The next morning, I didn’t really have any plan on how to deal with Gloria, until I saw out of boredom or maybe missing Elliot, I went to the closet just to sniff his shirt, to at least feel him close to me, because ever since we had sex, I had never stopped thinking about every bit of it, I soon realized that was why he left, he didn’t want to face his feelings for me, I found the jacket Elliot wore the night we got here, I felt something in the pocket as I touched it, I brought it out, I read the label on the bottle, it was perhaps the sleeping pills he used on me, the night he bought me here, I retrieved it and put it in my pocket, then the evil idea popped into my head.
I was hoping to wait for lunch time, but the opportunity presented itself when I watched her retrieve from the wine bar, a bottle of scotch, she was also foolish enough to leave it on the table while she went to God knows where, I sneaked in and dropped quite a handful, and sneaked out, she happily came drinking, I waited for it to kick in, when it finally did, she was almost passing out on the dinning table, I appeared by the door,
Wow! Yours is easy, Elliot told me about the issue with your parents, so they will just say you spiraled a bit, drank too much and drowned, I said sounding evil, I couldn’t even believe my words, she tried to say something, but I held her up, dragging her by the hand out on the beach, she staggered, while I left her to fall into the water,
Poor lady! There was no one to save her, I said chuckling in an evil way, she stretched out her hands to me as if to ask for my help, I shifted away, watching the water splash on her each time the waves draw in, slowly she closed her eyes and passed out. I was ridden with guilt and fear that I might have gone overboard on the sleeping pill, so I dragged her off the bank of the water, but she was too heavy to carry in, so I left her on the sand, I went in and brought out a duvet and covered her while I waited on her till she wakes up, but a thought came,
Her phone! I retrieved it from the dinning table and dialed Elliot’s number,
Gloria, what’s the problem? I told you I’m busy, Elliot said almost immediately he picked,
Okay, now that I have your attention, Gloria is five minutes from dead, I would suggest you do what you know how to do best, being a saving angel, and get your sorry self over here, I sounded angry and shaky,
Alice! What’s going on, he sounded panicked,
You tell me, I ended the call, he called back countless times which I did not pick, until he sent a text, five words,
I’m on my way…
Oh my God! Please wake up, wake up please, I didn’t mean to hurt you, i shook Gloria, in an attempt to pull her out of her sleep or whatever she was, she didn’t seem like she was sleeping, but in a coma, she was beginning to look pale, I guess it was the cold, I tried to lift her, but she was too heavy, the only two buildings with the one we were were miles apart, and Elliot said it was owned by the Senator Williams and Senator Jacob, they were both based in the Country’s capital and only come in here during holidays which explained why I had been in that place for more than five days without setting my eyes on so much as a human being except this one about to die in my hands, so it was pointless hoping for any sort of human help,

I felt the tears form in my eyes, Oh God! I’m not a murderer, I said as I got the déjà vu from my own words, I held up her wrists, all I could feel was tiny pulse, like it was about to cease any minute, I kept pressing her chest, but her body got colder, I managed to drag her away from the beach inside, I pulled down all the curtains in the living room preventing the sea breeze from penetrating more, I knew I had to set fire, but I had never seen a chimney before except in movies, let alone know how to set it,
Please don’t do this to me, I found myself crying loudly as Gloria seemed lifeless on the couch, I kept taking her pulse from time to time, I was tempted to call Elliot, but I couldn’t even find the phone to begin with, I couldn’t remember where I kept it, I kept pacing aimlessly,
God! What’s keeping Elliot?
Or doesn’t he care enough to show up, or does it take a yacht eternity to sail, what’s if he is not coming, I rushed back out to check for the phone, it was just six P.M yet everywhere seemed like it was already midnight, I guess it was just one of the downsides of living in a beach house, the roaring waters did not even help my eyes, I didn’t know if I was ever going to get used to the sound of roaring waters, I didn’t make it to the door when I bumped into Elliot,
Oh! Elliot thank God you are here, Gloria is not waking up, I didn’t mean… but he rushed past me into the living room, what happened to her?
His voice sounding somewhat raised, I said what did you do? He asked again as he took Gloria’s pulse, i… I found some sleeping pills in your jacket, I stammered, you fu..cking drugged her? He screamed, I tried to explain,
Get out! He screamed, Elliot! I called softly noticing he is angry, I said get out now! He screamed louder, I turned and walked out as tears ran down my cheeks, I couldn’t sit sleep or think of anything other than what might happen to Gloria, what Elliot might do if anything happens to her, I kept pacing, resisting the urge to go back upstairs to see what was going on, Elliot might just pounce on me, I had never seen him that way, an hour later I mustered up some courage and I went upstairs, Gloria was being dripped and she seemed a lot better, her breathing had picked up again, Elliot sat on a chair beside her watching her every breath, if there was one thing I had established about Elliot was that he was caring, or could it be he and Gloria were intimate?
That thought alone brought on a spark of jealousy in me, I walked up to Elliot, I didn’t know what to say, so I looked for the easiest words, is she okay? I asked with a soft voice,
She will be fine, he responded coolly, I knew he was still mad, Elliot look! He cut me in, not now Alice, he stood up walking to the bar, he popped opened a bottle of whiskey, and without a glass, he gulped down a mouthful, he was right, maybe I should just leave him alone for now, I thought to myself, I left, getting into the shower, I took a warm bath, then poured myself a glass of bourbon,
I laid on the couch, turned on the television, I drifted off into sleep, at about half past two A.M, I jerked from sleep, I heard the sound of chattering and music coming from the living room upstairs, I tiptoed up, Gloria was awake, she and Elliot sat on the dinning table talking and laughing , Elliot was pouring milk into the bowl of cornflakes in front of her, I didn’t care if she was awake, but somehow I just instantly felt she should have died in her sleep, after all she had it coming, she suddenly was playing the victim card while I became the villain, I instantly did not seek to apologize anymore to Elliot or her, how could he just assume I would want to kill her if she didn’t try to kill me,
I must leave tomorrow morning before I actually kill her, especially now that I knew Elliot hated me, I thought to myself as I quietly went back down the stairs into the bed, I woke up in the morning to see Elliot beside my bed, he kept a straight face,
You are still mad at me? I asked avoiding his gaze which was fixated on me,
I was last night, but not anymore, now I’m just curious, he said
Curious about what? I asked
Curious about who you really are, I didn’t get it, but now I’m beginning to, Elliot what are you getting at, I asked fearing his words,
You know, you have been the one asking all the questions, now I think I should ask questions too, your boyfriend died, you were accused of murder, you didn’t think to ask for help from anybody, except me who you had not seen in three years, your parents were kidnapped, you left at some point, then ran back to me with a tale of people attacking you, and I bought it all,
Tell me, who are you and what are you up to? Because I’m trying to make sense of how you escaped from your attackers and just yesterday you almost killed another human being, I snapped at him,
Coming from someone who drugged me with the same pills, wait Elliot, why are you saying this, did you care to ask what happened, how your girlfriend almost killed me too, or if she had succeeded, would we be having this conversation now, or you two would be planning on how to feed me to the fishes,
You know what! I want to leave, I stood up from the bed, I want to leave right now, I can’t believe you will even say all these,
You see that’s the point, I’m curious, he said standing up too, even if you didn’t kill Evans, someone else did, I want to know why he would frame you up for doing it,
He? I asked, who the hell is he?

Elliot paused, looking at me as if he is trying to see right through me, it’s either there is something you know Alice, maybe you or your late boyfriend, I don’t know, but whatever it is, I don’t want to be caught in the middle,
Stop Elliot! Just Stop!, what the hell are you talking about, I asked staring at his all confused, I’m talking about Lucas Mathews A.K.A steel,
Who is… I wanted to ask, just as if Elliot knew my next question, he reached out for the brown envelope on the floor, which I didn’t notice and passed it to me, what seemed like anger in his eyes turned to pity as he walked away, I opened the envelope, inside were photographs in an A4 size paper, I couldn’t move, my mouth got dried instantly, Lucas Mathews was the guy we saw at the funeral in the Toyota Avalon stalking another man, but that wasn’t the shocker,the shocker was when I flipped to the next photograph,
A picture of my mum looking frail, chained and gagged, and then a picture of my dad crying, I couldn’t stand it anymore, my legs could no longer hold my weight, last thing I remember is Elliot sliding down the stairs, screaming, but all I could hear was the echo of my name.

Guys, I can't really express how grateful I am for all your birthday wishes, but I just got to say thank you all.

You guys rock!!!