₦airaland Forum

seunnla:
Thank you jaré

Nostradamus:
seunnla you are really good,this is creativity at it's peak.

Honeydawealth:
Seunnla I really enjoyed all ur stories....especially the one about THE MIRROR and the one about a teacher, one dull pupil and the faceless creature it was soooooo hilarious!! Thumbs up to you. God bless ur brain.....

Augustap:
I love this piece. But pls dnt let Nancy die

seunnla:
Augustap Maybelconor Honeydawealth Nostradamus FreshestManny Favouritetega eRock247 MatrixA and every other reader (all of whom, I appreciate), Welcome.

Honeydawealth:
he he!! I really pity Dara..... her un common sense nature, will finally kill her ooooo.....*holding head*
Anyways thanks for the mention.... Luvly story as usual.....

rchilee:
nice....waiting for the concluding part

seunnla:
Augustap Maybelconor Honeydawealth Nostradamus FreshestManny Favouritetega eRock247 MatrixA and every other reader (all of whom, I appreciate), Welcome.

seunnla:
Augustap Maybelconor Honeydawealth Nostradamus FreshestManny Favouritetega eRock247 MatrixA and every other reader (all of whom, I appreciate), Welcome.

seunnla:
Author's note: Long time people,this is my attempt at writing longer stories. I don't have a permanent title yet.This is one of my chat stories with more flesh, If you've read that story on my whatsapp status, Please do not post spoilers otherwise enjoy!!!

********************************************************************************************************

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author
© Ufuoma .K. Oluwaseun

This is a work of fiction and as such any resemblance to actual persons, dead or alive is purely coincidental.




FOREVER SMILING
PROLOGUE
January, 2016.
The lady in the booth facing him took a sip from her glass of whiskey as she punched away at her phone. She brought the phone to her ear and began to talk.
''Did you get my text? I’m screwed.’’ she blurted in a tone that sounded like she was trying to keep her voice from breaking. He watched as she listened to the person on the other side of the call, her lips trembled ever so slightly.
''How was I supposed to know it was a scam? They seemed genuine, had a website and all, now my life savings are gone.’’ she whispered softly into the mouthpiece and then paused to listen; her free hand crept up her face to wipe at a tear that had escaped her eye.
Her brows furrowed before she replied, ''Don’t call me stupid---well that’s what you are implying, I made a mistake.’’ Her lips parted slightly as a look of disbelief settled on her face, ''I can’t believe you right now, I feel like crap right now... I feel like dying...but you just had to kick me when I’m down.’’ She swallowed another gulp of her drink and continued ''No, you listen to me...I called because I needed you to listen but all you’re doing is scolding me...so just forget I called.’’ She ended the call and looked around the deserted bar. She caught his eyes and he swiftly looked away, apart from the both of them, there were only three other people. It was a Monday evening and not many people visited Sorchelles bar on Mondays.
She slammed the cup into the table and staggered out of the bar into the warm night.
He knew that he had to help her.
She fumbled with her purse trying to find the keys to her car when she heard a husky male voice behind her, ''You shouldn’t drink and drive, you know?’’
She turned to face him; she couldn’t see his face clearly in the dark. ''What are you, a policeman?’’ She queried, trying to stifle the annoyance bubbling to the surface.
He raised his hands in surrender and said ‘’Nope, just a concerned citizen’’, he closed the distance between them before continuing ‘’What are you looking for?’’
She belched, ''my keys...’’ she dug into her purse again''I can’t find it...’’
''If you don’t mind, I can drop you off at your place.’’ He pointed towards a Toyota Camry a few feet away. His hands grabbed her shoulders softly and led her towards his car; with the alcohol in her bloodstream, she couldn’t put up much of a resistance. Neither could she see the needle when it plunged into her neck.

********************************************************************************
Charles watched in silence the rising and falling of his wife’s chest as she slept. A transparent cord snaked from the drip stand to her veins delivering a powerful cocktail of analgesics. His eyes wearily flickered to her bald head and then to her face. Her eyebrows were nonexistent and so were her once lush eyelashes. Even asleep, she looked to be in pain. His fingers curled into a fist, he was struggling to hold it together both for her sake and their daughter but he knew it wouldn’t be long until he had a mental breakdown. He watched helplessly as the chemotherapy gradually stripped away the vitality of the woman whose vivaciousness he had found mesmerizing, leaving in her place someone with no will to live. He frowned at the irony of the situation; in order to heal her, her physician had to make her sick. He held back the urge to kick something just as her eyelids fluttered open.
''Hey’’ she said weakly, ''How are you holding up?’’
He nodded, too overwhelmed by emotion to say anything.
She sighed, ''How is our girl?’’
He nodded again. ''She’s fine.’’
She smiled at him. ''Liar...talk to me, please. How is she?’’
He ran his palms across his face. ''She’s taking it hard, you know?’’ he paused ''She’s flunking school, not attending classes...and...I...I don’t have it in me to scold her.’’
''Water...’’ She gestured towards the bedside table at a jug of water. He swiftly poured her a cup, brought the cup close to her lips and tilted it so she could drink.
''She will be fine.’’ She said, once she had finished drinking; her voice a bit clearer. ‘’You can talk to her you know, you two have always been close...’’
''I don’t know, Nancy. I feel she needs more than that...but enough about us, how are you feeling?’’ He asked; concern etched on his face. ''The doctors are optimistic about the trial drugs.’’
''The nausea has reduced, that has to count for something right?’’ her voice sounded tentative. After an awkward silence, she asked ‘’How are you?’’
''I’m ok.’’
''Can you please stop giving me the rehearsed answer you give others and converse with me?’’
''I just don’t want to...’’
''Burden me?’’ she sighed, ‘’It’s lonely here, the nurses are my only companions for the most part...and that’s when they come to check up on me or administer drugs.’’ She reached for his hands and held them ''Talk to me about work, stuff...anything.’’
''The sergeant wanted me to take time off...I refused, I can’t just sit at home and do nothing.’’
She nodded in agreement. ''Any leads on the smily face killer, Detective Charles?’’
He frowned, ''I wish they would stop calling him that, the name is so annoying. Journalists are a pain in the butt...they always glorify these psychopaths.’’
She smiled at him, ''I know you all will get the sick bastard and put him away...make our city safe again.’’
''I hope so Nancy, I hope so...I have to say that this case is...’’
A shrill cry from his pocket interrupted him, he pulled out his phone and said ''what’s up, Detective?’’ his lips pursed as he listened, ‘’I’ll be there...’’ he looked to Nancy for affirmation and she mouthed her approval.
''I’ll be there right away.’’

Sandra23:
Is this the end of this story ?

seunnla:
CHAPTER 1
21 January, 2023
Angela sat in her car, alternating between watching the rain as it slid down her windshield and watching the ongoing funeral service. She moved her gaze from the windshield to the distraught young man clinging to an umbrella with one hand and an equally distraught middle aged woman with the other just as the casket was lowered into the ground.
‘Why does it always rain during funerals?’ She pondered as her mind drifted back in time to when she was the one wearing the distraught look as her mother’s body was being interred. She had wept like the sky was doing now; shamelessly and tirelessly, and had clung to her father as the young man was doing to the woman but it had done nothing to bring her mother back or ease the pain she felt at the time.

Ding!!!
It was a text from her father. She frowned at the message.
‘Angel, Want to meet up for dinner tonight? You can bring Bobby too’

It was the anniversary of her mother’s death and the last thing she wanted to do was dine with her father or her fiancé. Today, she wanted to be alone. Her father had never quite recovered from the death of her mother, he was always at the verge of anger and when he wasn’t angry, he was sad. She knew his sadness to be worse than his anger and today was one of the days he was most likely to be sad. So, it was without a second thought that she replied:
’Bobby is taking me out; we are going out with friends, maybe some other time?’
She was lying, Bobby was working late but her father wouldn’t know that. His reply was brief:
‘Ok Angel, later’
She sat in her car till the sun started to set before driving home.

*****

A few minutes later, she was sitting in her living room in her pyjama, sipping wine and watching old romance movies. She was halfway through ‘The Notebook’ when she heard a key turn in the lock.
''Hello?’’ she called out ''Bobby is that you?’’
No response.
She got up and tiptoed to the front door, wielding the half empty wine bottle as a weapon. She was on edge because of the recent reports of disappearances in her city.
''Hello?’’ she called out again in a shaky voice, her heart was thumping wildly ''I have a gun’’ she lied just as the door flew open. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw who was at the door.
''I’m revoking your key privileges, Dara.’’ she said in an admonishing tone to her best friend who was giggling uncontrollably.
When she had composed herself, Dara said ''you should have seen your face, it was too funny.’’ She plucked the bottle of wine from Angela’s grasp and took a swig, ''You need to chill babe, why are you so worked up though?’’
''Are you f.cking with me right now?’’ Angela was astonished, ''Have you not been listening to the news about the disappearances and how it may be linked to the smily-face killer?’’, she said the last words in hushed tones.
Dara plopped herself on a cushion, ''Um...two things; One, I don’t swing that way’’ her eyebrows danced up and down ''Two, If I were a guy, you wouldn’t be asking, you’d be feeling it....’’
Her words were cut short by a throw pillow, ''you nasty girl’’ Angela laughed as she repeatedly swung the pillow at Dara’s face, ‘’Why is your mind this perverted huh?’’
Dara shrugged and then frowned as her eyes settled on the television ''Why are you watching sad romance movies like some love sick single woman, I wouldn’t be caught watching this old sappy movie and I’m single as a pringle.’’ She took another swig and handed the bottle over to Angela ''Speaking of single, I met some guy.’’
This declaration piqued Angela’s interest. ''When?’’ she squealed.
Dara sat up, ''Some months ago...’’
A throw pillow connected with Dara’s head, ''You hoarder, you have been keeping information from me...spill NOW.’’
She shrugged, ''Well, we met online...on this app called Love Blender.’’
Angela frowned, ''Online? , Seriously?’’
Dara looked away, ''This is exactly why I didn’t tell you in the first place...you can be so judgemental. The world has evolved Angela, people meet people online now."
''I’m not judgemental’’ Angela replied defensively ''Lots of weird crap goes on those online dating apps.’’
''Great stuff also goes on there.’’ Dara countered ''I wanted to tell you that we were meeting in person today, but if you’re going to criticize....’’
''I’m not going to criticize’’ Angela interrupted quickly, ‘’At least let me see his picture, so if you get missing I can give the police a detailed description.’’
Her tone held a bit of criticism that wasn’t lost on Dara, but she chose to ignore it. ‘’Well, I haven’t seen his face yet.’’
''Why the hell not? So no video calls? What about his profile picture?’’
''He’s self conscious.’’
''Don’t you hear how fishy that sounds?’’ Angela scolded.
''He’s genuine, I know it...We bonded, He gets me’’ Dara defended.
Angela shook her head, ‘’Alright, let me see the app.’’
Dara dug into her jean pocket and handed the phone over to her. She watched as Angela tapped on the icon of a small blender with a heart emoji dancing inside. A message notification came in just as she was about to scroll through. It was a new message from a user named ‘James235’ and it read:
‘Hey hot stuff, are we still on for tonight?’
Angela frowned as she scrolled through past messages.

21/1/2023
DarraBarra: So where do we meet?
James235: Wherever you like, I would cross oceans to find you.
DaraBarra: What about Sorchelles bar, know it?
James235: Yep, it is known for all sort of decadent sh.t
DaraBarra: and that’s why I like it
James235: Haha, and why I like you *wink*
James235: Can’t wait to meet you, Do you drink? I would love to buy you your first drink when we meet.
DaraBarra: Like a fish.
James235: oooh, I like my girls a lil bit tipsy.
James235: People are more honest once they’ve been loosened up by alcohol
DaraBarra: Prepare to love me then

''Wow...Dara.’’ Angela looked up to find a pair of expectant eyes on her. If she was expecting support, she had another thing coming.
''I’m not supportive of this at all.’’ Angela said as she handed over the phone ''You have no idea how he looks.’’
''That’s part of the fun...I’ve seen other parts though and..’’
''Shut up’’ Angela laughed; she had always found Dara’s lewdness funny. She prayed it wouldn’t be the death of her.
''I was going to say torso, the abs on that dude is definitely not something that a psycho would have...who has the gutter mind now?’’ Dara got up and strolled towards her friend's room ‘’I need to borrow some clothes.’’
''What happened to yours?’’ asked Angela as she trotted after her.
''Not tight enough...’’ she answered as she typed a quick response to James.
********

He hummed underneath his breath as he worked; Dipping the scrubbing brush into a bucket of soapy water, he started to work on another portion of the stainless steel table until the water tuned a crimson colour. He frowned as he thought about how the police were making it harder to find new prey with their regular patrolling and press release. The whirling sound of the Love blender app notified him of a new message. He reached for his phone and tapped at the icon. A smile tugged at his lips when he saw the message ‘Can’t wait to see you’.
He locked his fingers together in appreciation; he didn’t have to hunt. The prey was seeking him out.

seunnla:
Maybelconor eROCK247 FreshestManny MatrixA Augustap patjane Frankenstein duch12
Anybody not a plagiarist, welcome.

FreshestManny:
Thanks a lot for the mention. Been so busy lately. I'm still following.

seunnla:
Oh, it's ok. Thank you for reading anyway.

ADECULATE:
Seunnla pls we re waiting ooo, where updates na bt in btw weldone ma'am u re doing a great job here

seunnla:
I'm so sorry for the delay.
The updates would come sooner than later.

ADECULATE:
woooow, dats gud, we re eagerly waiting

Jasmine4:
Pls updates oooo nd u are scaring the crap outta me but anyways....following