₦airaland Forum

2003
Chapter 2
Highway to the danger zone.



"God damn it! " I cursed as I observed the petrol tank was almost empty. As far as I knew it, I was in the middle of no where.

" Please Car, just let me make it to any fuel station. " I whispered myself. The last twenty minutes I had been constantly talking to myself. I checked the time piece on my hand, it was already 9:45pm.

"Time has really gone past " I whispered to myself again. I remembered Lawrence drove by a gas station a couple of miles ahead on our way into the city. I had taken a mental note of the sign boards. I closed my eyes and prayed my car could make it there.

" All these mercedes cars consume fuel a lot, since you're a student I advice you opt for a more fuel economical car." I remembered Lawrence had suggested and how I starred at him in horror and disbelieve , like he had said something abominable. I wanted a Benz and I was head strong on getting one. Now I wished I had taken his advice.

"No no no no no! Jack shit !!! Damn!!" I spat every curse word I knew. My car had come to an abrupt stop.

It was late in the night and I had a dead body laying in my trunk with a dead vehicle. How worse could the day go!

I layed my head on the steering. "Chika, its going to be alright" I said to myself.
I grabbed my phone and a few change from the money I had and walked briskly to the booth. I scanned it and found a jerry can and a host sticking out of little compartment. A coy smile played across my face like a boomerang with a breathe of relief escaping my mouth.

I pondered greatly on how I may leave a car in the middle of nowhere in search of fuel. And there was the issue of the dead body gradually decaying in my car that needed getting rid of. Then a bright Idea came to mind . Knowing Lawrence and his frivolous attempts to please me unwaveringly , there was no doubt in the world that he would have filled the generator in the booth with fuel. I hurriedly opened the fuel tank and I was as right as my writing hand .

I had never been so glad in my life to see petrol. I swiftly dragged the generator set out of the booth and closed the booth less its content be exposed to any passer by. I connected the host from the cars's fuel tank to generators' , after a little sucking here and there. Lawrence also thought me that. The man was not that bad of a fellow I thought to myself. I shrugged off the idea. For some reason I didn't just buy what he was selling, " The overtly nice fellow ". It definitely had to be for the pay he got from mother.
Speaking of mother, I remembered I needed to text her.

I slide out my flip phone from my pocket and constructed concise text informing her that I got her message.

I slipped the phone back to my pocket and watched the hose do its thing. The weather was very cool. The kind that begged for the warmth of a woman on cold set of sheets , the kind that begged for hot tea and cookies , the kind that begged for bean cakes and pap, and all I could beg for at the moment was to get out of that place. I stole a glance at my watch, it was past 10: 30pm. I stared at it again to be sure. It seemed the time was totally not in my favour.

The fuel transfusion was finally over and I began packing up as fast as I could and I was back in my vehicle in no time .I noticed a cut on my hand . The louvers in the booth must have cut my hand I thought to my self.

I was back on the road and almost out of the city. All I needed now was more fuel for the rest of the journey. I tuned the radio on to check if any crime linked to me was being reported. Paranoia again ,a tiny thought whispered. I slotted a cassette into the stereo.

The king of kings is coming
With fire in his eyes....

I turned off the stereo. It was a gospel song I was way too familiar with. The last thing I needed was a guilt killer.

I drove into a fuel station and was ushered to a fuel pump by a very skinny looking lady . Her cheek bones where her most noticeable features and in my opinion looked very sharp and dangerous. Of cause I was joking as I chunked before whining down my window. I was the last person on earth supposed to be making jokes.

Our transaction was a short one. I noticed her eyes peering suspiciously at me as as I counted the money before paying. The way she kept staring at me made me uncomfortable. I had to drive out quickly . I later noticed she was starring at the blood from the cut on my hand

"Oh, its a little accident . " I said confidently and convincing enough as I drove out.

I had driven for little while on the high way searching for a turn to dispose the body . I noticed a car kept tailing me. When I accelerated, it did, when I slowed down. It did.

I had only one thing to do about it.

hulk616:
Fantastic story
Following u bro

Lol, my own bro arrived. There is a certain Lady, Ishilove; I wish I could get her here. But then again, if wishes were horses .

dauspiro:
Nice story,pls ride on.

Thanks Sir, I'm on it

Jesusgirl92:
So fresh. Ntn like anytin i've read in the past. So original.... So different. You are good!!!

Thanks a lot, I would try to be better Maam .

Jesusgirl92:
So fresh. Ntn like anytin i've read in the past. So original.... So different. You are good!!!

Thanks a lot, I would try to be better Maam .

And that ends chapter 1 , let me hear your thoughts .

I covered the tank carefully. That could be me, that could be anyone, i thought.I used a napkin in the kitchen to wipe the cover of the tank.

"What are you doing?" Rita asked with a confused grimace.

"Dusting for prints. When the cops come searching, I dont want to have anything to do with this. " You know, paranoia Is a very funny thing, it creeps upon you and takes you by surprise.

"Chika , we dont have time for that. Nobody is dusting for any prints. "

"Ok". I had to be calm, i thought.I felt disgusted at the way I was handling the whole situation and could sense Rita also was . I skilfully jumped out the window. I noticed I had also touched the louvers .I was not going to leave a thing to chance. I carried the three louvers with me and avoided Rita's cold stare if there was any.

I thought of throwing the glass panels over the fence and quickly thought against it, It was better to hide it were no one will find it. No extra evidence, no extra suspect.

I ran across the house and was almost hit by a speeding motorcycle. I ignored the cyclist as he thew his five fingers cursing. "waka !" He screamed like an angry banshee as he sped off .

I reached for my pocket and produced the car keys. I hurriedly offloaded the louvers into the trunk and drove into the compound like Rita instructed. I carefully parked facing the entrance to my apartment but kept much distance from it


"Stay calm" Rita's voice came from the back sit. I glaced at her through the rear mirror .

Telling someone trying to stay calm to stay calm was like attempting to quench fire with fuel,for such a bright being she ought to know that, I pondered as I was deeply incarcerated in my turbulent thoughts. My thought was disrupted as I noticed Precious walk into the compound.

My heart banged heavily against my rib cage as i rubbed my finger tips on the rubber steering . I couldnt but notice she had a big bag on her back. I could sense a sinister aura around her. She walked with so much confidence like she was possessed. She stopped as though she noticed something. I almost bent in the car for fear of being caught, but I was more inquisitive so see what she was up to.

She squatted ,removed the bag she had on her back and brought out a butchers knife. I swallowed hard and continued to monitor every movement she made, if a drop of sweat fell off her head, I was watching. She then removed a black briefcase from her bag.

Does she want to put my head inside that? A thought came to me, cause I was clueless at what her next line of action at this point will be.

Like she was going to shock me more, she opened the case and brought out a parts of what i believed to be a powerful rifle and started putting the pieces together. To say I was mortified was the least. My eyes widened in horror. The lady really meant business.

"Can I just hit her with the car before she puts that gun together?" I whispered slowly to Rita.

"Not yet, proper timing is of the essence. Her blood lust is just starting to rise, and her head is very clear , we cant afford any mistake right now. So just sit back and stay quiet."

She finally screwed on the silencer of the gun and zipped up her bag pack of horrors. The gun had a strap which she swung on to her left shoulder as though the gun was weightless and the knife on her right hand. She swung the knife skilfully, threw it to her left hand, and back to her right, like she was trying to ascertain its weight, or perhaps it was a thing she usually did before a kill , like she was just about to with me.

I still kept a very close watch as to what she might do next.

She shot the handle off the door mounting the entrance to my apartment and disappeared into the place. The longest forty two minutes of my life had gone by. My eyes were glued to the entrance door and she had not stepped out. For the first time in almost an hour , I was forced to peak at Rita through the rear mirror. She seemed undisturbed as she was eye glued to the front door of my apartment.

"Pay attention, she is about coming out."
She must have noticed i took a sneak peak at her.

"Do I turn the ignition on ?" I asked in a hushed tone.
She was silent for about a minute
"Do I turn on the ignition? " I asked again. she probably did not hear the first time.

"I heard you the first time , Turn it on"

"Would she hear the engine sound?"

The last thing I wanted was for the psychopath rushing out and making bullets rain like it was august.I was also sure my car wasn't bullet proof for that kind of scenario .

"Dont worry, I used the little strength I have right now to mask our presence, just follow my instruction." She said calmly with a sort of sweetness to her voice. Maybe Imagined it. I had seen a lot for the day not to imagine things. I thought as I squeezed the car keys jerking the car to life.

"Here she comes"

I panicked on seeing Precious and accidentally pressed the horn of the vehicle.





"Are you kidding me?" Rita spat with disbelief .
"Oh my God! Shit! I'm so sorry "

"Just be quiet!"

"Could she have heard that?" I felt hot sweat flow down my cheek . I touched my face to be sure it wasn't tears . It wasn't.

"No. Just be more careful." Rita paused for a moment. "Now!!"

I stepped on the accelerator and knocked Precious down just as she ran out of the apartment. It happened too quick . I reversed slowly to check if she was completely dead. There was a horrible silence that followed ,the kind that was louder than noise, a deafening silence .I could hear my heart beat slowly.

I searched the car for Rita , she had disappeared.

"Hey!!" I followed the voice and saw Rita waving in front of the corpse.

"We did it!" She said with a smile "she is dead"

I slowly made my way out of the car. My legs were shaky at the first few steps I took.

"Congrats on your first -Priestess kill. We would need those weapons, and grab as much clothes that can last you a few weeks, We have to move. Trust me, from now, I cant guarantee you its going to get better. Chika, your world is going to be a war zone from now, but youre going to enjoy this life Chika ;and change the horrible slippers."

I stared at the corpse unblinkingly as its eye giggled at me. Even in death Precious looked scary.

" Hurry , we have to get rid of her body, and the mark on your hand."

I checked my both arms and couldnt find a single mark.

"What of her brother?"

"Her brother is the least of your worries. With that mark on your hand,its just a matter of time before every Priest and priestess in the city is going to be searching for you. You're like a bounty now. So hurry and do what I say."

I rushed into my apartment. It was in a state of hoax . I grabbed a few clothes, under wears, toiletries ,an italian leather shoe and a timberland booth, my rolex and a few cash I had stashed in my -emergency money pillow. I had thirty three thousand, four hundred naira and a rolex to my name. I threw all I had packed to the back sits and cleared out anything in my apartment that might lead anyone to my family house address.


"So what next now?"

"Get rid of the body"

Precious was heavier than I imagined. I wrapped her body in a bed sheet and managed to fit her into the booth with the generator and glass panels.

"Chika, I have to leave you for now, Our randevu point is at a motel called Placeville motel and bar , its at the outskirt of town, easy to locate. It is a noisy outdoor drinking spot , Its popular for its weekend life band entertainment and hookers. Lounge into room 11 ,I would meet you there. "

"What? You cant just bail on me now. What do I do with the body? "

"Just make sure you get rid of it outside this town . Those Priests have good sense of smell. I advice you burry it near a riverine area or burn it near one. Just be quick and meet me at our randevou . Placeville motel and Bar, room 11. "

"Wait! What if I get stopped by cops or something? Huh?"

"Chika, relax. As far as you stick to the highway, there are no cops . I can assure you on this. Its important I go now." And she dematerialised before I could ask another question.

I entered the car and turned on the ignition. It was going to be a hell of a ride!

Wow, thanks for the lovely comment folks. I would update tomorrow.

She laughed lightly paused and laughed again. " you are funny" she said trying to cover her mouth with her right palm.
That was new to me. No one had ever called me funny, infact I had difficulties in making toddlers laugh.

" forgive me for laughing, there are actually quite a bunch of people living here" She said as she walked me to the varanda. It felt akward holding a plate of yam and egg outside and she soon noticed my discomfort.
"Wait a second, let me run inside and get a foil so that you can wrap this"

In a few seconds she had disappeard and reappears with a roll of silver foil paper which she carefully wrapped over the food like a nurse sealing a bruse .

"So you see, uptairs there are all girls living there, about seven if I counted well" she paused and smiled "weird right? " she continued before I could answer "But they dont seem so friendly , but you might be lucky to score with one of them" she said with a wink.

I hadn't given that a thought , i was going to respond - Or with you- Then I thought against it, very bad move.

"Then everyone downstairs are guys with the exception of me"

"With the exception of I"
"Huh?"
" the correct grammer is -with the exception of I" i corrected

"Oh, I thought you were a chemical engineering student, didnt know you were an english nerd, well with the exception of I" she dragged the I like it had twelve syllables with a smile that platered across her face in way that enhanced her phultritude and In a way that mesmerised me.

"Sorry, its a thing I'm used to" indeed correcting people whenever the played wrongly with the language was something that had become a very big part of who I was and got me in a few trouble.

"Oh, dont mind me" she said with a wave of the hand.

" there are about eight boys I have seen so far in the compound. You see the white car over there ?" she said pointing at a sparkling white car parked under a lofty looking palm tree.

I was just noticing the car for the first time.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, it belongs to Jerry in flat two. Lovely ride right?"

Lovely, hmmmn, I scoffed with a smile like a -comma on my face. I could see the admiration she had for the old but sparkling mistubushi. I couldnt wait to see the expression that would be registered on her face once she meets my ride. She would know there is motor and there is automobile i thought as she tapped my shoulder.

"And there is also Tobi in flat 3 who owns a motorcycle, You will just know him when you see him , He is in final year, law i think.He and jerry have been fighting for the parking space under the tree since the day I and my brother moved in, so jerry parks his ride there and would rather ply on public transport than leave the space to Tobi."

From the way she pronounced the name-Tobi like some forced to chew on a maggot . it was easy to guess whose side she had.

"And you have been in the compound for how long?" I asked with much fascination, as she had seem to know everything about everyone.

"Two boring weeks"

"So where is everyone?" I asked looking arround .

"Oh, jerry is having his birthday party at palms hotel, its very close by , everyone is there, they All left since morning. That boy is funny, even on his birthday, he wouldn't move his car from there."

"I see, and from the way you are all dressed up, I am guessing you are headed there?" I noticed she was genuinely glad at my observation.

"I like to make a grand entrancing. I am sure my brother is there." She paused for a moment in her glee and took over the mantle to invite me to come along "you could come with me if you want" staring at me pitifully . "I could introduce you to the rest."

"I mean, only you in the compound" she protested again.

"No, I have this delicious looking meal you cooked to eat and some things to sort out " The truth was I hated social functions, in fact i was amazed at how I could pull off such a long conversation with a girl I just met and I saw this Jerry fellow as a mere adversary . I felt the knife under my buckle poke my tummy. I scoffed at how silly that was, in fact, It was a federal crime. Entering a persons home with a concealed dangerous weapon.

"Very well then, I would be on my way" came her soothing voice.

"Should"

"Huh?"

"-I should be on my way- is the correct way of putting it"

"Ok Sir" she said with a salute like a military officer.

I walk back to my apartment with a grin on my face. I was really liking this girl. Something had to be wrong with Rita. No Rita is always right. I felt very strange, the strong attraction I had for the damsel began spinning and churning my feelings out of proportion . Still a part of me felt there was a theatrical quality to the way Precious had made her self close to me. Maybe I was imagining things.

I carefully Opened my back door and placed the plate of food on a cupboard. I felt my phone vibrate from my pocket. It was a secondary school classmate flashing.

I tiredly dragged my feets to the bathroom, the shower was runing speedily. I couldnt take my mind off Precious. I wanted to close my eyes and recreate the imagination of her face. Her smooth glistering face devoid of make up, those brown clear eyes and that smile, that smile. I thought against it, I couldn't risk travelling to another world as I clearly did not understand how the power worked yet.

I heard a sound in the sitting room and stepped out of the bathroom . The sound grew more clearly and definite. Someone Was in my apartment.

"What the hell!!! Rita! How!! Where ?! When!?"

" You have to kill the twins " She paused "and now."

"I stood still for what seemed like forever and the same did Rita."
Wow, I had to be asleep. I walked slowly towards her and touched her face. It felt cold. We were of equal heights and her skin felt very normal asides its very low temperature .This was no dream. I seized my breath and shut my eyes, opened it and she was still there.

"Is this real?"
"Yes it is, I found my way out, its a really long story. There is no time. You have to kill the twins. They would kill you before dawn and we cant run away, you have been marked." I stared at Rita, there was something different . She looked... Less luminous .

"Wait wait wait, why the hell would I want to kill another human being?"

"You do know they are not normal. Oh, I have a lot to teach you."

"Teach me? I don't even understand what you're saying. I dont know of the male twin , but the girl is harmless. God gracious ! Kill a person? Rita that is sick!"

"Chika , look, I know how your are feeling right now , I would explain things later . "

"Is there no way arround this that doesnt involve killing. And why do they want me dead" I said. The thought of someone wanting me dead sent shivers down my spine . Why would someone want to end me just like that. I owed no one, no one owed me.

"I dont know how much time we have left, let me try explaining things to you. I think you might want to sit to hear this."

I heard a knock on the door and then a very terrible silence followed. I stared at Rita "It the Lawrence, the driver. He is here with your car. We would need it." Rita nodded at me to go for the door"

"Chika, Your mum said I should bring the car today. Its parked across the road, maybe you should move it in" I nodded my head at Lawrence.

" And how are you going to get back ?" I asked.

"Its very easy from the main road you just..." I had to cut him shut.

"Where are the keys?"

"Oh" He tapped his chest pocket and handed it over. " The papers are in the glove compartment . Your mum also said you should text her once you get the message ."

I noticed Rita was standing at my back and it was evident that He couldnt see her.

"Thank a lot Mr. Lawrence"

I watched him leave hurriedly . " Why couldn't he see you?"

"I need a body to host my self for now, the only reason you can see me is because you have the third eye"

For a moment in my unsettled mind I imagined an actual eye on my forehead.

"Its just an expression" Rita scoffed . "You are a ... " she paused "We would go deeply into what you are later. For now , you're a nobel and i'm your guide, more or less your guard ; your guide is very far from here; and I cant guard you until I find a body to host me till I find my own body so you're going to have to do everything I say . I am talking too much; I hope you got all I just said."

I carefully thought my answer through. If I said yes, it would be a very blatant lie If I didnt ...

"Ok" I said in almost a whisper

"So here is the plan . Get the car in and stay inside it, you cant take the lady on, she would slice you into chunks of meat in a bit. Just stay inside the car, she would be back in thirty four, thirty three minutes . She would go into your apartment and try to kill you in your sleep hoping you ate the food. And if you didn't , she would still try to kill.very determined.

"Sorry, Rita, not that i'm trying to be antagonistic here, if she really wants to kill me, why cant she just easily do that by poisoning the food? "

"No poison is enough to kill you, you would only be out temporally , she would need to examine what you are , and when she does,dismember you body , burn it and blow your ashes to the sea. See , she doesn't know what you are yet, she just knows you're not normal, and in our world , once we meet people like our selves, we don't leave it to chance. "

I was still very troubled , its not everyday you hear you are abnormal And a raging muderer is out to device methods to end you. This was not the first day in my apartment I imagined.

"Like I was saying, stay in the car till she comes out . You have been marked so she knows you are arround. I would try concealing the vehicle from her visuals, once she searches your appartment and doesnt find you, she would be hysterical. She would wAlk out through this front door, on my command you smash her dead with the car. That is the easiest way around it. Luckily for us , her brother is out on a mission."

"Sorry again for interrupting, I am going to ignore the part where your telling me to kill someone who hasn't harmed me in a any way, Just out of curiosity. You clearly stated earlier that I cant die of poisoning , except through a very gruesome mental picture you just gave me, doesn't that logic apply to her? I mean, how does the car kill her? "

"She is a priestess, she is about normal , but the old lady and her brother hAve spent a lot of time meddling with supernatural things I cant say the limit to what they can do, but I know two things for certain. they are very skilled killers, ones you dont want to mess arround with for now as you clearly have no skill , and I know that they die just like normal people do. " Rita stated , pancing arround the sitting room like cat about to have a bowl of milk. I noticed she carried no expression on her face, even when she scoffed.

"And I dont want to believe the girl is all you painting her to be. Common, I just shared about an hour with her. If there was something off about her, I would have known."

"Common , are you a kid, 'the girl? ' " Rita laughed lightly "she is like 84 years old "

I tried not to wrap my head around the new information that had come to light.

"Cant we negotiate with them?"

" Reasoning with these kind of people in our world is very lonely business.
If you still doubt me, check the tank of water in her kitchen, you would find the body a 19 year old boy. The one you saw her drag in today. "

"Are you serious"

"And there are more bodies piled up in that apartment. Thats how her and her brother drift from one city to another leaving body bags behind...."

I did not allow Rita complete her lecture .I ran out of my apartment to the twins. I did not bother if any one saw me or feared being caught. I tore the net off the kitchen window easily and removed the louvers . Whoever built the building either ran out of building materials or was too stingy to put bulgearies in the kitchen windows, A flaw I noticed when I initially checked the apartments before it was paid for. The silly care taker had said our caution fee would take care of that and in his words "No problem, its a very simply something, I would have the maintenance guys come in an it 20 minutes it would be properly taken care of whereas , life around here is relatively calm; it hardly sees violent crime" . I carefully remembered this for my fear of being burgled by one of those hood criminals.

Here I was, doing the very thing. I had to be sure. I knew Rita was saying the truth, but for some reason I wanted to know, I wanted it to be a lie,still I wanted to see the bodies; The very same inquisitiveness that led me to the very apartment I was breaking into in the first place.

In no time I was in the very neat and well arranged kitchen. The utensils shined neatly as the suns rays met with them. I looked down and observed my bathroom slippers had soiled the rubber carpet that clad the kitchen floor on which I stood. I scanned for their water tank. Every student had to have one? I questioned my rushing thoughts. Just as I found the Rusty metal tank, I felt a hand grab my shoulder.

"Are you sure?"

"Are you sure?"

We said the same thing but meant sepeaate things.

"I need to just have a look."
I turned over the cover of the tank. A boys body sat the bottom . The body had no signs of decay of smell . I smelt the liquid in the tank , it was chloroform. I noticed his eye socket was empty. I stared at the lifeless body for a while.

"How many minutes do we have Rita? "

"Twelve"

I will try my best Sir. I would update tonight.

Comment naa

[b][/b][b][/b]Hello guys. Been working on this for a while, I thought this would be a great platform to share with my literature people.

I am new to story writing, and I plan on improving, so guys please bear with the errors. Uh-hmm, that said, the usual, do not plagiarise... No part of this work should be reproduced in any form without my knowledge and approval ... Here it goes

Chapter 1
2003
Two Birds with one stone

I drove roughly through the lonely bush path off the road after cutting through several streets from the high way. My hand was visibly shaking as I tried to maintain steady steering. My hands were coved in blood and it had just started to dry up.

I stared at the timepiece on the dashboard, it was just 1 am. I had driven for about an hour.

Oh shit! I forgot the shovel.

I shook my head in anger mixed with fear. The sweat on my forehead had started flowing down my nose.

Maybe I shouldn't start my tale here. Where do I make you understand better?


Growing up I hardly saw my father, in fact at many points in life I thought he was dead, perhaps wished he was. The man was as useless as a stethoscope to a truck pusher. The only thing I got from him was his good looks and height. Thankfully I took no resemblance to him in character.
He would often leave saying he was pursuing one business plan, sometime he would call it his "breakthrough" contract, never to see his brake light. Whenever he ran out of money, he would be back again.

So I and mum grew accustomed to his ways and his lies, like a remora-fish to a sharks diet. My mother, on the other hand, was too wealthy to care less about what my dad did with his life. She had the biggest supermarket in Lagos and twenty-three outlets all over the city and five houses to her name. She never told me the reason she decided not to have other kids and I never asked.

The only time I saw Mum smile with dad was at my secondary school graduation and that was simply to make photographs perfect, her very fine quality; one or two prize-giving days; which I would often steal the event, and of cause my matriculation. Funny enough he made it to those events.

So being brought up by a very strong and independent woman with no siblings made an introvert of me but not a shy one. I spoke often at home and in public when spoken to. Kept very few friends.

Well, my reason was very complicated, an enigma too many if observed from a third eye and what my life very different from the normal.

I knew what could happen to people in the future or what would less I interfered. I knew people's fates held by just glancing at them and going to sleep. I can not remember when I started having those dreams, maybe at age four or perhaps six.

This knowledge made me have little attachments as not to be caught up in people's lives.

Every time I close my eyes to sleep I find my self at the same place, with the same stunning woman, clad in the same white transparent gown. , with her well-defined figure and smooth straight legs. Like the peach, her skin was smooth and fair like it had never been exposed to harsh weather conditions. She was stunning, The kind of stunning that didn't affect me but was acknowledged. I was never good with guessing ages especially with a female, but my guess was between 21 to 28 years of age.

At some time I thought she was an angel, perhaps the logical thing the being was, but she told me she wasn't. Rita, that was her name. Well, I cared less about how she came to be in my dreams and every time I tried asking her she would evade my questions. Like an oracle, every night Rita would accurately predict what would happen the following day and sometimes if I was lucky weeks ahead and if I was much luckier show me visually, but I hated that. It drained my energy a lot. This was the cause of my good fortune in life. With those dreams, every day was like a holiday.

Things changed slightly after My matriculation. Did I say slightly, everything changed. I got into one of the best universities in the country , though my mother was totally against it. All her friends had their children schooling abroad, but experience had thought her not to force me into things. I got in for chemical engineering, a course I had always dreamt of studying. So moving into my apartment, and getting my Benz was the best thing happening to me at that moment. In 2002 the Benz was still quite fashionable.

My apartment was just to my taste, a mini flat in a hostel not far from campus. Mother personally traveled down to furnish it for me.

I was done moving in by 12 pm on a very cool Friday was going to start school properly on Monday. I bade my mother's driver goodbye, in a less dramatic way than i would have imagined .

Lawrence, a stoutly macho man that was the head driver of my mum's supermarkets. He wanted to bring me to school to give me all the advice he could about university life. I never knew why he was always trying to be friendly with me. Mum told me he was one of those unfortunate graduates that couldn't land a job, in his case three years after graduation, till he started working for mum. All through our ride to school, he kept talking and I tried, terribly hard not to listen. I asked no question and gave no reliable sign of interest. often i would turn to his direction and give him my expressionless look that , usually would have made people very uncomfortable. Still, he kept speaking with the kind of passion Hitler would have craved for.
I reclined the chair and leaned back, eyes closed, so still and so lacking in emotion that I might have slept if not for the discomforting intensity my backed suffered from the crooked potholes on the road.

We spent about an hour on the main road and a quarter cutting from one street to another. Finally, the journey was over and we drove into the hostel. It was very early and quiet.

I observed a pretty petit young lady peep from her blinds and quickly disappeared into her room once our eyes met. Everything that walked, crawled or flew seemed to have gone on extinction leaving a quieter compound than I would have imagined In a few hours I and Lawrence had moved the rest of my load and he had driven off with the promise of bringing my car the next day and a generator he offered to give me.

I looked around, A 32 inches Tv, air conditioning system, imported leather furnishing, my apartment was the only tiled one in the building. the estate agent had said. mother specifically took it even with the extra cost. I smiled, indeed I was going to have a comfortable stay in school. I sat on my couch and closed my eyes and immediately I was at the beach.

" Hey Chika" it was Rita's voice and I followed the sound and found her way ahead. Everywhere was quietly strange like a dream. She sat on the sandy ground. The weather seemed like evening time, something that was not normal. It was alway day time in this world.

" What's up with the weather. Never been so dark here" I said walking towards her.

"How are you loving the new place, come and sit with me" which I gladly did.

"You never noticed time here is opposite to yours. Its day time in your world now if I'm correct" and I nodded my head.

"You have gotten stronger, I felt it here," she said and turned to my direction smiling showing her very beautiful dentition.

" How do you mean?" I asked

" You no longer need to fall asleep to come here, you just need to close your eye, in fact you are not asleep now " she tapped my cheek and I Opened my eyes. Someone was knocking on my door.

Who could it be? Did Lawrence forget something? I thought. I jump up quickly and made it to the door. I peeped through the door hole. I recognized the girl I saw earlier in the day and a guy smiling sheepishly. Could they be one of those Christian folks going around preaching the "good news"
I thought of ignoring them but the people I saw didn't seem to be leaving soon, and it was no use, they probably lived in the compound.

"Hello," I said with a straight face.

"Hello," they said in unison. "You must be the new neighbor. We also recently just moved in. I am Promise and here is my twin sister Precious " the guy said stretching his hand.

"I am Chika, nice to meet you folks," I said. Precious seemed shy and avoided my gaze. I knew I was never going to forget those names. Then came the awkward silence. I had never been a fan of small talk, so I kept mute for a while.

"So, you guys are undergraduates," I said in what seemed like a question

"Yeah, I and my sis just got in for medicine and surgery." He said.

"Oh that's nice" and I paused as they stared at me "oh chemical engineering, that's what I got in for, please come in I said with a fake smile."

"thank you. " promise said as he and sister made a convoy into my apartment.

I was quite irritated by him entering my very clean apartment with his very dirty shoes on soiling the floor and closed my eyes. I immediately saw Rita at the beach looking worried.

"Why did you let them in! She screamed! You just invited those twins. You have made a horrible mistake ..! I opened my eyes before she finished. everything was so fast I almost fell and Promise held me.
"Hey, are you ok bro?"
"Yes, I am. " I said. At this point, I was quite scared. I looked around and saw Precious going through my things.
"Very nice apartment you have here, I guess your parents are boxed up" Promise said, as I watched his sister detour around my book shelve. I could not concentrate properly. What did Rita mean? Whatever she meant I needed to see her again, but not with those two around.

"Hey," I said. They seemed not to have heard as they kept going through my things.
"Hey! I think you guys need to leave, I need you guys to excuse me for a while, I need to properly settle in."

"Oh, no problem. My sis would come and assist with the tap, all the pipes are connected to our bathroom. We live in flat 4. I am guessing you would need a shower. I want to go into campus and see what's up there. " Promise said as he shook hands me
"Chika right?" He said.

"Yeah. Nice meeting you folks" I said again for the second time and also shook hands with the sister as they made their way out.

I was back to my couch, counted to three and closed my eyes.

"I am so happy you are ok," Rita said touching my face.
"You scared me, what did you mean to tell me about those two"

" Don't worry, now that I think about it, they can't harm you." She said looking thoughtfully into the sea.
" Just stay as much as you can stay away from them. I would have not advised you to come here." A confused look registered on my face.
. "Don't worry they would soon leave. They never stay anywhere for long. I didn't just expect them to approach you"

I knew whenever Rita was like this it was best to keep quiet. I just sat down beside her.
" I know that you must be confused right now, just promise me you would not have anything to do with them. "
"Ok then," I said as I opened my eyes.

That was a relief. The hostel had twelve rooms, four on the ground floor and six up with two additional mini flat on the ground floor with one separated from the main building which was my residence. The twins shared the other mini flat from the room number given. The building was painted green and the interiors cream but I had repainted my apartment interior all white as everyone was in the liberty to. The compound was quite large, at least large enough to take 10 cars conveniently.
The building seemed new, even the flower in their beds seemed to have just started sprouting. I had not seen any other residents, My guess was they had gone for classes or I was just among the very few occupants to first move in.

I walked to the bathroom to run a cool shower and probably stroll down to campus to have a feel of the university life. The taps were not working. I then remembered what Promise had said earlier. I thought of going to their apartment to ask his sister for assistance, but the thought of Rita's stern warning danced into my thought and waved the idea.

Then I decided to call the caretaker. His number rang for a moment, then his line got switched off. I hissed. I was left with only one choice to head towards the twin's apartment. What was the worst that could happen?

I tried exiting my apartment through the kitchen door at the back. A bad habit I had grown too used in every house I lived in.

As I tried Opening the door, I heard rustling sounds outside, so I opened the door slowly, with the suspicion of catching a rodent.

What I saw shocked me. I saw blood trickles that went down from the tap at the back to the next room.

I hastily grabbed a knife from my kitchen and tiptoed tracing the bloodstains on the floor.

" Anyone there?! " It was a precious voice. I quickly docked at the side of the main building. I peeped and saw her clad in just panties and a lacy bra dragging a big black polythene bag covered in blood from head to toes, whistling the nursery rhyme- marry had a little lamb. I stared for a while unblinkingly. I quickly docked and tried to stay still. I tried to hold the knife steady and be as quiet as possible.

I bent down and peeped again. This time she had dragged the bag into their apartment from their kitchen door. What the hell was that? Why was she half nude outside? I check my Rolex, it was 1:32 pm. What was in the bag? I was very curious to find out and I was not going to risk jumping off to the other world to see Rita. The second time I had tried it at day time, it drained me.

I hide the knife under my shirt halfway down my trouser and walked calmly to the main door of the twins' apartment. Whatever abominable thing she was doing I was sure knocking on her door would disrupt. I wanted to know what was in the bag.

Before I knocked the third time, the door was open. I almost lost my breath. Standing in front of me was the most gorgeous girl I had seen in a long while. Precious was clad in a red tank top and a short cream cotton skirt, exposing her beautiful legs. She must have had a very beautiful perfume on cause she smelt good. I knew she was beautiful, but for some reason, her pulchritude had just started to take effect, like a switch that just came on.

I was in total awe. How did she change so quick? Does she have another identical sibling? Was I hallucinating? "Hi, can I help you," she said softly with a shy smile. She was just beautiful in every sense. I knew this when I first saw her, but now standing in front of her ...

I composed my self all the same " Water is not running into my apartment..." I did not complete my statement before she interrupted me."Come in." She said calmly.

After what I had seen a couple of seconds ago?
. "Sure," I said smiling.

I was going to find out what was going on, and if she was what I saw a couple of seconds ago and refused to go in, then she would have suspected I saw her or I was suspicious. In the event of being attacked physically, taking on a harmless-looking girl was going to be like wrestling a baby. I had fought 3 guys at once before and hospitalized them at one time in my life by sheer luck I came out of that with a deep cut on my right chest, but you should have seen the other guys. Not one I would tack in my album of fond memories. And of cause , Rita had warned.

I had disobeyed Rita a couple of times in the past, and it never turned out so good. A part of my mind chastised me for danger I might be walking into. I lacked control of walking away from a dangerous situation.

I followed Precious into their very neat apartment. It almost seemed like the place was recently scrubbed clean. I thew a fake smile as our eyes met as she strolled into a room. I quickly started surveying the environment. I turned the curtains, under the single 3sitter couch. There was nothing strange, just a portrait of her, her brother and a very huge man. I could guess he was between 6ft 7 and 7ft tall, even from his sited position.

"I am pumping the water already, let me warm up the little food we have at home. You look famished." Precious said from the other room which I guessed was the kitchen.

Naturally, I wasn't one to see a beautiful thing nor a dangerous situation and let it go by, was that why I was in her apartment? There is something quite attractive about a girl filled with mysteries that even a supernatural being wouldn't speak of...
The serene atmosphere ebbed my suspision.
I noticed the wall still smelt of fresh paint. It was obvious they recently moved in.

Still, the thought of her dragging a bloody bag was crippling my concentration... " Hey, so what city do your folks stay?"
" Oh, Lagos, you?"
"Abuja. My self and my brother live with our uncle."
"And your parents?"
"Dead," she said flatly.
I felt terrible to have asked. "That is tragic, accept my condolences," I said shifting uncomfortably on the only single couch in the room. It's not every day you meet someone whose parents have been interred.

In such brief moment out little chat had become so intense that I had to shift again where I sat uncomfortable.

Precious waved away the condolence gesture almost as quickly as it came. "Relax, that was a really long time ago, I can't even remember what they looked like," She said with a very bright smile.

Perhaps I had to be wary of intuition as I was of superficial judgment. The girl was probably disposing of garbage that contained paints, forgot someone was in the compound and came out half nude to wash the containers of paint for reuse. I deduced in a flash judging from the red paint containers I had seen in the veranda and the smell of the coats gradually wearing off.

"You have not taken a bite from the meal I made you"

I stared at the hot plate of boiled yam and fried eggs. For me, I found it difficult to conclude on what food I loved the most but yam and egg would be great contenders.

"Can I take it to my place and bring back your wares. I need to take a shower before eating."

"Oh, sure, You can even keep the plate, I have like a thousand of those, and I am not exaggerating. " I smiled at her response.

"And why a thousand plates if I may ask? " with quite a fascination in my tone which sounded boyish like a five-year-old playing a console for the first time.

"Oh, my brother loves to host guests a lot, and you know with guests one can never run out of these babes" indeed she was a good host, even the most malevolent cynic would have had to agree.

I stood to take my leave, "Oh and less I forget, are we the only ones living in the compound for now? I mean, I haven't even seen a roster walk into this compound in search of grains."

Hello guys. Been working on this for a while, I thought this would be a great platform to share with my literature people.

I am known to my friends as Gabriel and to some, Riel. I know my monker seems off. I am new to story writing, and I plan on improving , so guys please bear with the errors. Uhhmm, that said, the usual , do not plagiarise... No part of this work should be reproduced in any form without my knowledge and approval ... Here it goes




Chapter 1
2003

Two Birds with one stone

I drove roughly through the lonely bush path off the road after cutting through a number of streets from the high way. My hand were visibly shaking as I tried to maintain a steady steering . My hands were coved in blood and it had just started to dry up.

I stared at the time piece on the dash board, it was just 1am. I had driven for about an hour.

Oh shit! I forgot the shovel.

I shook my head in anger mixed with fear. The sweat on my forehead had started flowing down my nose.

Maybe I shouldn't start my tale here. Where do I make you understand better?


Growing up I hardly saw my father, in fact at many points in life I thought he was dead, perhaps wished he was. The man was as useless as a stethoscope to a truck pusher. The only thing I got from him was his good looks and height. Thankfully I took no resemblance to him in character.
He would often leave saying he was pursing one business plan , sometime he would call it his "break through" contract, never to see his break light. Whenever he ran out of money , he would be back again.

So I and mum grew accustomed to his ways and his lies, like a remora-fish to a sharks diet. My mother on the other hand, was too wealthy to care less about what my dad did with his life .She had the biggest supermarket in Lagos and twenty three outlets all over the city and five houses to her name. She never told me the reason she decided not to have other kids and I never asked.

The only time I saw Mum smile with dad was at my secondary school graduation and that was simply to make photographs perfect , her very fine quality; one or two prize giving days;which I would often steal the event ,and of cause my matriculation. Funny enough he made it to those events.

So being brought up by a very strong and Independent woman with no siblings made an introvert of me but not a shy one. I spoke often at home and in public when spoken to. Kept very few friends.

Well, my reason was very complicated, an engima too many if observed from a third eye and what my life very different from the normal.

I knew what could happen to people in the future or what would less I interfered . I knew peoples fates held by just glancing at them and going to sleep. I can not remember when I started having those dreams, maybe at age four or perhaps six.

This knowledge made me have little attachments as not to be caught up in peoples lives.

Every time I close my eyes to sleep I see my self at same place , with the same stunning woman , clad in the same white transparent gown. , with her well defined figure and smooth straight legs. Like the peach, her skin was smooth and fair like it had never been exposed to hash weather condition. She was stunning, The kind of stunning that didn't have effect on me but was acknowledged.I was never good with guessing ages especially with female, but my guess was between 21 to 28 years of age.

At some time I thought she was an angel, perhaps the logical thing the being was, but she told me she wasn't. Rita, that was her name.Well, I cared less about how she came to be in my dreams and every time I tried asking her she would evade my questions . Like an oracle, every night Rita would accurately predict what would happen the following day and sometimes if I was lucky weeks ahead and if i was much more lucky show me visually, but I hated that. It drained my energy a lot. This was the cause of my good fortune in life. With those dreams, everyday was like a holiday.

Things changed sightly after My matriculation. Did I say slightly, everything changed . I got into one of the best federal universities ,though my mother was totally against it . All her friends had their kids schooling abroad,but experience had thought her not to force me into things .I got in for chemical engineering, a course I had always dreamt of studying.So moving into my own apartment, and getting my own benz was the best thing happening to me at that moment. In 2002 the Benz was still quite fashionable.

My apartment was just to my taste, a mini flat in a hostel not far from campus. Mother personally travelled down to furnish it for me.

I was done moving in by 12pm on a very cool friday was going to start school properly on Monday. I bade my mothers driver goodbye .Lawrence, a stoutly mancho man that was the head driver of my mums supermarkets. He personally wanted to bring me to school to give me all the advice he could about university life.I never knew why he was always trying to be friendly with me. Mum told me he was one of those unfortunate graduates that couldnt land a job, in his case three years after graduation, till he started working for mum. All through our ride to school he kept talking and i kept trying not to listen. I asked no question and gave no reliable sign of interest. often times i would turn to his direction and give him my expressionless look that made people very uncomfortable. Still he kept speaking with the kind of passion hitler would have craved for.
I reclined the chair and leaned back , eyes closed, so still and so lacking in emotion that I might have slept if not for the discomforting intensity my backed suffered from the crooked pot holes on the road.

We spent about an hour on the main road and a quarter cutting from one street to another .Finally the journey was over and we drove into the hostel. It was very early and quiet.

I observed a pretty petit young lady peep from her blinds and quickly disappeared into her room once our eyes met. Everything that walked , crawled or flew seemed to have gone on extinction leaving a quieter compound than i would have imagined In a few hours I and Lawrence had moved the rest of my load and he had driven off with the promise of bringing my car the next day and a generator he offered to give me.

I looked arround, A 32 inches Tv, air conditioning system, imported leather furnishing, my apartment was the only tiled one in the building . the estate agent had said. mother specifically took it even with the extra cost. I smiled, indeed I was going to have a comfortable stay in school. I sat on my couch and closed my eyes and immediately I was at the beach.

" Hey Chika" it was Rita's voice and I followed the sound and found her way ahead . Everywhere was quietly strange like a dream. She sat on the sandy ground. The weather seemed like evening time, something that was not normal. It was alway day time in this world.

" Whats up with the weather. Never been so dark here" I said walking towards her.

"How are you loving the new place, come and sit with me" which I gladly did.

"You never noticed time here is opposite to yours. Its day time in your world now if I'm correct" and i nodded my head.

"You have gotten stronger, I felt it here" she said and turned to my direction smiling showing her very beautiful dentition .

" How do you mean?" I asked

" You no longer need to fall asleep to come her, you just need to close your eye, infact you are not asleep now " she tapped my cheek and i Opened my eyes. Someone was knocking on my door.

Who could it be? Did Lawrence forget something? I thought. I jump up quickly and made it to the door . I peeped through the door hole. I recognised the girl i saw earlier in the day and a guy smiling sheepishly . Could they be one of those Christian folks going around preaching the "good news"
I thought of ignoring them but the people i saw didnt seem to be leaving soon, and it was no use, they probably lived in the compound.

"Hello" i said with a straight face.

"Hello" they said in unision. "You must be the new neighbour. We also recently just moved in. I am Promise and here is my twin sister Precious " the guy said stretching his hand.

"I am chika, nice to meet you folks" i said. Precious seemed shy and avoided my gaze.I knew i was never going to forget those names. Then came the awkward silence. I had never been a fan of small talk, so I kept mute for a while.

"So, you guys are undergraduates " i said in what seemed like a question

"Yeah, I and my sis just got in for medicine and surgery." He said.

"Oh thats nice" and I paused as they stared at me "oh chemical engineering, thats what i got in for, please come in I said with a fake smile."

"thank you. " promise said as he and sister made a convoy into my apartment.

I was quite irritated by him entering my very clean apartment with his very dirty shoes on soiling the floor and closed my eyes. I immediately saw Rita at the beach looking worried .

"Why did you let them in ! She screamed! You just invited those twins. You have made a horrible mistake ..! I opened my eyes before she finished . everything was so fast I almost fell and Promise held me.
"Hey are you ok bro?"
"Yes I am. " I said . At this point I was quite scared. I looked around and saw Precious going through my things.
"Very nice apartment you have here, I guess your parents are really boxed up" Promise said , as I watched his sister detour around my book shelve .I could not concentrate properly . What did Rita mean? Whatever she meant I needed to see her again, but not with those two arround.

"Hey" I said. They seemed not to have heard as they kept going through my things.
"Hey! I think you guys need to leave, I need you guys to excuse me for a while, I need to properly settle in."

"Oh, no problem. My sis would come and assist with the tap , all the pipes are connected to our bathroom .We live at flat 4. I am guessing you would need a shower. I want to go into campus and see whats up there. " Promise said as he shook hands me
"Chika right?" He said .

"Yeah. Nice meeting you folks" I said again for the second time and also shook hands with the sister as they made their way out.

I was back to my couch, counted to three and closed my eyes.

"I am so happy you are ok" Rita said touching my face.
"You scared me, what did you mean to tell me about those two"

" Dont worry, now that I think about it, they cant harm you." She said looking thoughtfully into the sea.
" just stay as much as you can stay away from them. I would have not advised you to come here." A confused look registered on my face.
. "Don't worry they would soon leave. They never stay anywhere for long. I didn't just expect them to approach you"

I knew whenever Rita was like this it was best to keep quiet. I just sat down beside her.
" I know that you must be confused right now, just promise me you would not have anything to do with them. "
"Ok then" I said as I opened my eyes.

That was a relief. The hostel had twelve rooms , four on the ground floor and six up with two additional mini flat on the ground floor with one separated from the main building which was my residence. The twins shared the other mini flat from the room number given. The building was painted green and the interiors cream but I had repainted my apartment interior all white as everyone was in the liberty to.The compound was quite large, at least large enough to take 10 cars conveniently.
The building seemed really new , even the flower in their beds seemed to have just started sprouting. I had not seen any other residents , My guess was they had gone for classes or I was just among the very few occupants to first move in.

I walked to the bathroom to run a cool shower and probably stroll down to campus to have a feel of the university life. The taps were not working. I then remembered what Promise had said earlier. I thought of going to their apartment to ask his sister for assistance, but the thought of Rita's stern warning danced into my thought and waved the idea.

Then I decided to call the care taker. His number rang for a moment, then his line got switched off . I hissed. I was left with only one choice to head towards the twins apartment. What was the worst that could possibly happen?

I tried exiting my apartment through the kitchen door at the back. A bad habit I had grown too used in every house I lived in.

As i tried Opening the door, I heard rustling sounds outside, so I opened the door slowly, with the suspicion of catching a rodent.

What I saw shocked me.I saw blood trickles that went down from the tap at the back to the next room.

I hastily grabbed a knife from my kitchen and tip toed tracing the blood stains on the floor.

" Anyone there?! " It was precious voice. I quickly docked at the side of the main building. I peeped and saw her clad in just panties and a lacy bra dragging a big black polythene bag covered in blood from head to toes , whistling the nursery rhyme- marry had a little lamb. I stared for a while unblinkingly. I quickly docked and tried to stay still. I tried to hold the knife steady and be as quiet as possible.

I bent down and peeped again. This time she had dragged the bag into their apartment from their kitchen door. What the hell was that? Why was she half nude outside. I check my rolex, it was 1:32pm . What was in the bag? I was very curious to find out and I was not going to risk jumping off to the other world to see Rita . The second time I had tried it at day time, it drained me.

I hide the knife under my shirt half way down my trouser and walked calmly to the main door of the twins apartment. Whatever abominable thing she was doing i was sure knocking on her door would disrupt. I wanted to know what was in the bag.

Before I knocked the third time , the door was open. I almost lost my breathe. Standing in front of me was the most gorgeous girl I had seen in a long while. Precious was clad in a red tank top and short cream cotton skirt , exposing her beautiful legs. She must have had a very beautiful perfume on cause she smelt really good. I knew she was beautiful, but for some reason , her phultritude had just started to take effect, like a switch that just came on.

I was in total awe . How did she change so quick. Does she have another identical sibling? Was I hallucinating ? "Hi, can I help you" she said softly with a shy smile. She was just beautiful in every sense. I knew this when I first saw her, but now standing in front of her ...

I composed my self all the same " Water is not running into my apartment..." I did not complete my statement before she interrupted me."Come in." She said calmly.

After what I had seen a couple of seconds ago?
. "Sure" I said smiling.

I was going to find out what was going on , and if she was what I saw a couple of seconds ago and refused to go in, then she would have suspected I saw her or I was suspicious. In the event of being attacked physically, taking on a harmless looking girl was going to be like slicing butter with laser. I had fought 3 guys at once before and hospitalised them at one time in my life over a minor contretemps between myself and a belligerent hoodlum in my first neighbourhood. By sheer luck I came out of that with a deep cut on my right chest. Not one I would tack in my album of fond memories.

I had disobeyed Rita a couple of times in the past , and it never turned out so good. A part of my mind chastised me for danger I might be walking into. I lacked control of walking away from a dangerous situation.

I followed Precious into their very neat apartment. It almost seemed like the place was recently scrubbed clean. I thew a fake smile as our eyes met as she strolled into a room. I quickly started surveying the environment. I turned the curtains, under the single 3sitter couch . There was nothing strange, just a portrait of her , her brother and a very huge man. I could guess he was between 6ft 7 and 7ft tall, even from his sited position.

"I am pumping the water already, let me warm up the little food we have at home. You look famished." Precious said from the other room which I guessed was the kitchen.

Naturally I wasnt one to see a beautiful thing and let it go by, was that why I was in her appartment? There is something quite attractive about a girl filled with mysteries that even a supernatural being wouldnt speak of....
The serene atmosphere ebbed my suspision .
I noticed the wall still smelt of fresh paint. It was obvious they recently moved in.

Still the thought of her dragging a bloody bag was crippling my concentration .... " Hey, so what city do your folks stay?"
" Oh, Lagos, you?"
"Abuja. My self and my brother live with our uncle."
"And your parents?"
"Dead" she said flatly.
I felt terrible to have asked. "That is tragic, accept my condolences" i said shifting uncomfortably on the only single couch in the room. Its not everyday you meet someone whose parents have been interred.

In such breif moment out little chat had become so intense that I had to shift again where I layed my bum uncomfortable.

Precious waved away the condolence gesture almost as quick as it came. "Relax, that was a really long time ago, I cant even remember what they looked like" She said with a very bright smile.

Perhaps I had to be wary of intution as I was of superficial judgment. The girl was probably disposing off garbage that contained paints , forgot someone was in the compound and came out half nude to wash the containers of paint for reuse . I deduced in a flash judging from the red paint containers i had seen in the varanda and the smell of the coats gradually wearing off.

"You have not taken a bite from the meal I made you"

I stared at the hot plate of boiled yam and fried eggs. For me i found it difficult to conclude on what food I loved the most but yam and egg would definitely be great contenders.

"Can I take it to my place and bring back your wares. I really need to take a shower before eating."

"Oh, sure, You can even keep the plate, i have like a thousand of those, and I am not exergerating. " I smiled at her response .

"And why a thousand plates if I may ask? " with quite a fascination in my tone which sounded boyish like a five year old playing a console for the first time.

"Oh, I my brother love to host guests a lot, and you know with guests one can never run out of these babes" indeed she was a good host , even the most malevolent cynic would have had to agree.

I stood to take my leave, "Oh and less I forget, are we the only ones living in the compound for now? I mean, i havent even seen a roster walk into this compound in search of grains."

Nice

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