FreshestManny:
Seunnla I really missed reading ur updates. Very very busy schedule. Happy new year in arrears. I await more updates. Arigato.

Thank you for dropping by despite your busy schedule.
Happy new year.

Chapter 3
Detective MCarthy and his partner walked briskly across the tiled floor to the office of Louise McNelly. The minute she laid eyes on them, her lips curved into a knowing smile.
"Detectives," she said beaming, her arms shot out in an attempt to shake hands with them. "..so good to see you."
McCarthy smirked, refusing to shake her hands, his partner on the other hand shook her hand whilst returning her smile. McCarthy scowled at him.
"I'm Detective David McCarthy " McCarthy said still holding his stern look and this is my partner "Detective Caleb Long" he paused, partially taken aback by the smile plastered across her face.
"I know who you are Detectives, why the formality? Anyways, what can I do for you?" she asked sweetly as she gestured for them to sit down. The men continued to stand.
He ignored her first question, he was sure she knew that new protocols had been put in place which required the police to always introduce themselves, "For one, you can start by telling us why you decided to publish something just for the sake of publishing." She tapped her glass desk softly as she listened. His eyes briefly took in her long legs. Her left leg was draped over her right leg. He had a soft spot for women with long legs.
She cleared her throat, causing his eyes to return back to her face. "We could have you arrested for publishing lies and misleading the public."
"What my partner is trying to say..." Caleb interrupted quickly "..is that, it is very unbecoming of a reputable news network like Haister Dailies to be reporting on something that can get the general populace worked up over nothing. "
"It isn't nothing." Her voice was smooth, "I received an anonymous information about something disturbing and I believe it is something the entire populace should be made aware of, don't you think?" She looked from one Detective to another.
"..and you didn't think informing the police about it was something you should have done?" David snarked.
"Well, knowing how things are done in your department...you would have tried to quiet the news" she uncrossed her legs and recrossed them "News that could keep people on the alert and maybe, save them. If the smily-face killer is responsible for the disappearances...."
"He's not" Caleb interrupted.
"If.." Louise said with emphasis "...then his MO has changed, because so far no bodies have turned up, have they?" She looked at the men expectantly.
"No." Caleb said.
Louise shrugged, "We have to figure out why...and if he is not responsible for the disappearances, then we have a bigger problem..because it means there's something insidious going on and we are none the wiser."
"First things first" David said in an annoyed tone, raising his index finger to punctuate his words "There's no us in this matter. If anything is going on, the police would do their job and bring the culprit to justice. If you stand in the way, you'll be arrested for obstruction of justice"
"I'm an investigative reporter, things like this concern me."
He ignored her statement, "We would like to see the so called anonymous email."
She nodded, typed briefly on her laptop and spun it to face the men. She watched as their eyes scanned the email, frown lines deepening on their foreheads.
Caleb sighed and said, "We would have to take your laptop with us, for evidence."
David nodded, obviously enjoying the look of displeasure that had sprouted on her face.
"That is where I do all my work..." She said dismayed.
"We would return it to you as soon as possible." Caleb said calmly, "We need our computer forensic analyst to see what they can find ok?"
She nodded.
*******
A few minutes later, the men were driving back to the station.
"So, what was that with you and Louise? You were so laid back." David queried
"What?" Caleb was astonished "I should be asking you, what was all the ball busting stuff you were trying to pull with her. It didn't work by the way."
David scoffed, "She's a nosey one that one. Journalists are the worst."
Caleb guffawed. "Is it because of the time she recorded you sleeping when you were supposed to be on a stake out? Because dude, you should let it go."
David frowned, "I just dozed off for a minute. I still don't fully understand how she tracked me down. Journalists are like vultures, I tell you. They sniff anything newsworthy, they appear out of nowhere."
"They're just doing their jobs."
David's mouth twisted in mockery, "Why are you defending her, you have a crush on her or what?"
"No." Caleb's laughter filled the car, "She reminds me of my sister. If anyone has a crush on her, it's you. I caught you checking her out."
"Jesus Christ!" David chuckled, "I wasn't. What you saw was me taking in the body language of the person I was supposed to interrogate."
"We didn't go there to interrogate her." Caleb said, his disbelief clearly displayed in his tone.
"Whatever, man."


*********
Angela emptied the contents of the blender into her cup and returned back to her working desk. She took sips of her smoothies as she replied emais. Her agent had sent a text informing her that her photoshoot had been moved to the next day and that she had been booked to walk the runway of an upcoming designer. She was elated that she could spend the day with Bobby but tired of his constant disappearances as a result of his new job. Bobby was working for a new research institute in town. The company was currently in the developmental phases of a new drug and as a result she hardly got to see him. Her mind drifted to Dara, she hadn't texted her back since last night. She sent another text to her inquiring about her night and returned back to replying emails.
"Babe?" She heard Bobby call for her as he let himself into the apartment.
"How was work?" She asked, her gaze moving from the computer screen to the doorway.
"Hectic, I didn't get a moment's rest. Science is a jealous lover."
"True, I've seen you like what? Five times this month? I miss you." She pouted.
He approached her, held her face in his palms and kissed her lips "I've missed you too."
She gently shrugged him off, "When is this work of yours rounding up?"
"Six months or..."
"You're kidding" she frowned, "We're more like pen pals than an engaged couple."
"I told you the nature of my work when we started seeing each other. Sometimes I'm free, other times duty calls."
"No. When we started seeing each other, you were a lecturer. You had a stable job but then you quit because some company asked you to."
"Not some company.." He said, a little anger colouring his tone "This company could prolong the life span of mankind...and since we're talking about work schedules, what about the times when you had to travel for fashion shows and all those things" He was exasperated, "I didn't complain. I'm actually doing something important...we could really prolong life by cell regeneration..." He threw his hands up, "...not that you would understand."
As if realizing that he had gone too far, his tone softened. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." She slammed her laptop shut. "I have to go on a run anyway...keep this body in shape for my not so important job."
She was out of the door before he could stop her.

****************
Later that night...
She opened her eyes to the smell of tomato sauce and rice. Her stomach growled shamelessly, looking around she realized, she was still strapped to a chair but this time, she was in a spacious kitchen. The kitchen was similar to the other rooms. Bland.
'How long was it until Angela knew something was wrong?' Dara pondered.
"Good, you're up" her captor said excitedly, he was still wearing a mask and talking in a funny voice. "We have a lot to achieve tonight, Dara."
"Please let me go." Dara pleaded. "I won't tell the police anything."
He grinned as he set down the pot that was beginning to boil. "Won't you eat first?" Dara shook her head.
"Your stomach seems to disagree. Don't think I didn't hear that loud growl." He walked over to where she was seated, she had started to cry.
Stooping next to her, he wiped her tears with his thumbs and licked them. "Don't cry, Dara. Salvation is yours."
He walked over to the large aluminium fridge and took out a bloody heart. Turning on the tap, he let the water wash away the blood before setting it on a wooden chopping board.
"Is that a human heart?" Dara asked, she was beginning to feel sick.
He nodded. "She was one of the chosen ones. She would lead you to the right path in the afterlife."
Dara began to sob again, "What are you going to do with the heart?"
He smiled, "Cook it for you."
"I'm not eating that." She tilted her head forward and emptied the contents of her stomach on the clean white tiles.
His eyes narrowed in anger for a few seconds before he said, "That's the evil talking Dara, you're lucky, for most people...I had to make do with blessed animals. You get the real deal, Mother Cecil."
Dara strained to wipe her mouth, "I don't want Mother Cecil. Please let me go."
He shook his head as he approached her with a wet napkin. "That's the evil talking, Dara...that's the evil talking."

**********
Meanwhile
The moment Ima woke up, she knew something was wrong. There was a sharp pain in her neck and her mind was foggy like she had been drugged. Also, the front door was slightly open. She stood up and smoothed down her uniform. Nurse Ima was one of the geriatric nurses employed to watch over Mrs Cecilia Jackson. She took unsteady steps to the old woman's room.
"Mrs Cecil?" She peeked into her room. It was empty.
She inspected the toilet and the rest of the house for any signs of the woman to no avail.
With trembling hands she dug out her phone from her pocket and called the emergency line.
"I need to report a missing person."

Tosinex:
Keep it up bae, you good.

Thank you dear.

ADECULATE:
Seunnla where is u na, we re eagerly waiting 4 update na. Hapi new year dear

Happy new year ADECULATE
Why did I go and join writing challenge to motivate me to write when I have you sef?
I already have 1 chapter ready. I want to have like 3 first before I start posting.
Thank you for the motivation.

eROCK247:
Nice storyline

Thank you.

ADECULATE:
Dara, u ve enter gbege ooo. Weldone seunnla, kudos to u

Thank you, ADECULATE

A/N:
If you've noticed, I have tried to make my characters racially/ethnically ambiguous because despite the fact that I like many of my characters to be Nigerian and speak some pidgin, I don't know how feasible it is for my villain to be a Nigerian. Yes, all sorts of crazy sh.t happens everyday and violent people abide among us in this country but is his type of crazy a norm here? I don't think so, I hope not. Anyways, enjoy the draft.
**********
Chapter 2
He made his way to the bar, pushing through the drunk and highly excited ocean of people gyrating on the dance floor. The disco lights flickered on and off, as if dancing to the beat of the song blaring from the loud speakers; its erratic illumination of the people on the dance floor made the sweaty bodies seem as if they were glowing.
"Come dance with me, sweetie" a tipsy girl leered, grabbing his hand and pushing up against him. He smiled at her, deliberating on whether to dance with her or move over to the bar. He liked his girls drunk, flirty and tall. She was all that except tall.
"Aren't you one naughty vixen?" he asked in an amused tone as he felt her palms cup his bottom.
She giggled, resulting in his nostrils being assaulted by a malodorous mixture of alcohol and cigars. Smoking was a no-no for him. He gently inched her away from him and continued towards the bar.
"Hey boo, why you playing hard to get?" He heard her yell above the noise at his retreating figure.
Balling his fingers into a fist, he muttered under his breath "I wouldn't be playing hard to get if your breath didn't smell like lung cancer."
Too bad, she would remain Unsaved.
"Scotch, on the rocks" he signalled the bartender and slipped him his credit card. The skinny bartender with a ridiculous moustache nodded and busied himself with the order. He scanned the bar, looking for his date.
Having done his research on her, he discovered that Dara Barra was as shameless as they came, he knew her early life had been rough perhaps that was why she lived her life with careless abandon. As a teenager, she was molested by her father; her mother had shot him dead when she found out about the abuse resulting in her imprisonment. Dara's mother died in prison, she had been killed by a fellow inmate.
He felt a flutter in his stomach as his eyes rested on her, she was leaving the dance floor and walking towards the bar. He turned to the bartender and added a glass of vodka to his order.
'Don't worry Dara, you're about to be saved.'
********************
Her feet were hurting and her head throbbing, she had been gyrating on the dance floor for an hour. At first, she had sulked when her date had failed to show up but the lure of the music had been too much for her to resist. She wasn't one to feel sorry for herself for longer than necessary, Dara had marched towards the dance floor and managed to steal a few dances with men she fancied; much to the annoyance of their significant others.
She sauntered towards the bar in a daze. "Enjoying yourself?" A familiar voice asked. She turned to see Bobby smiling mischievously at her. "Bonny Bobby" she yelled pulling him into an embrace "You look good, what are you doing here? Angela said you were working late."
Bobby tore her away from himself to assess her "You don't look bad yourself. I haven't seen you in ages."
Dara's grin widened, she was almost as fond of Bobby as she was of her best friend "You haven't seen me in ages because you have been working late all the time...so why are..."
"A drink?" He hastily handed her a glass of vodka.
"Sure" she grabbed it and took a sip.
"Someone's checking you out" Bobby whispered, tilting his head in the direction of the secret admirer before gulping down the remaining of his scotch.
"They better" she giggled between sips "I'm not wearing these heels just to destroy the nerves in my leg."
"Excuse me" the secret admirer had approached and was waving his hand in front of her face. "I'm sorry to interrupt you but you look strikingly familiar...Are you per chance Betty Sherman?"
Dara smirked as she downed another mouthful of her vodka. Her eyes assessed him quickly before she remarked "You look like you should have game, I mean...a handsome guy like you shouldn't be pulling out pick up lines from my grandfather's repertoire."
The man was puzzled "What?"
"You don't know me at all." She said emphatically, her fingers combing through her hair before returning to the table. " If you want to buy me a drink and know me better, then say so or come up with a better pick-up line." She finished impatiently; her eyes were already searching for her next dance partner.
A look of amusement crept up his face. "Yeah" he said in a defeated tone that returned her attention to him, "I suck at..you know..this" his hands travelled to and fro the distance between them twice before settling at his side. "Anyways, I'm George."
"Nice name." She smiled "I'm Dara and he is leaving" her fingers patted Bobby's shoulder twice before she shot him a 'get lost' look. Bobby complied, partially disgruntled that he had been banished and couldn't eavesdrop on their conversation anymore. He stood up and blended with the crowd.
"Well, sit down George and let's get to know each other." She patted the stool that Bobby had vacated.
"Why don't we get out of here?" He asked as he sat beside her, "We could get to know each other better without all of this." He gestured to the noisy bar by tilting his head slightly.
"Hmm" she murmured, taking another slurp of her vodka "Well, people are getting lost these days. How do I know you aren't some psycho."
He smirked and reached for his ID "Could this help?"
She took the ID from it and observed it. "You're a doctor?"
He nodded."We are one of the most trustworthy groups of..."
"Yeah, I don't think so" she interrupted "That profession of yours harbours some of the craziest fuckers ever. I read of some dude that went in for some minor surgery and got his hand amputated. If that's not crazy, I don't know what is."
A peal of laughter escaped George's mouth, "That's a funny story but it's not true..you shouldn't trust everything you read online."
She shrugged.
"If anything goes south at least your friend over there" he pointed to Bobby, "Who is making a piss poor attempt of pretending not to be watching us has seen my face."
Dara thought over it for a moment before nodding " Fine. Let's get out of here." She stood up "But first, let me hit the ladies room."
************
Bobby watched Dara's retreating figure apprehensively. He needed to act fast.
****************
22 January 2023.
Morning

The Sergeant was in a bad mood, for one his relationship with his only living relation was getting worse. Last night, the tracking app he had secretly installed on his daughter's phone had shown her to be at home the whole night despite her text saying otherwise. Then, on his way to work this morning, he had found out that Haister dailies; the city's most read newspaper and TV station had slandered his police department.
So when he walked in on his detectives playing games and eating pastries instead of working, he lost it.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, McCarthy?" he thundered as he approached the desk of his senior detective.
"Nothing sir" The young man had answered, instinctively sitting upright.
“Exactly" Sergeant Charles hissed, his tone a decibel higher "You all sit on your asses doing nothing whilst this profession is dragged through the mud." His eyes scanned the other detectives whose countenances had suddenly turned somber. He threw the newspaper on McCarthy's desk. "Do the needful, people are getting lost and newspapers are saying that the smily bastard is back. Get to the bottom of this." With that, he turned and walked to his office.
It was not until his office door clicked shut that the detectives could exhale.
****************
Meanwhile last night...
She fought the drowsiness and fogginess repeatedly until she succeeded. The first thing she was aware of once she regained consciousness was the throbbing pain in her neck. She must have partied too hard, she thought to herself as she made to soothe the pain with her fingers. It was then she realized that something was binding her.
Her eyes flew open and panic coursed through her as the events of last night trickled back to her. Her eyes took in her surroundings quickly, she was strapped to a chair in front of a dinning table in an oddly plain room.
"Dara, you're awake. I thought the drug had knocked you out for good. Are you hungry?" A familiar voice asked.
It was then she looked up to see a man in a ski mask smiling at her. His smile was something bordering on insane, the smile didn't reach his eyes and yet his eyes twinkled with emotion. She felt a shudder creep up her spine.
"Who are you?" She asked weakly. The voice was familiar but she couldn't place it. It was almost as if the person was purposefully disguising his voice.
"It's me. I told you I would cross oceans to find you" he mocked.
James?
Dara slipped into unconsciousness just as her phone beeped with a message from Angela.

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

Thank you.

ADECULATE:
woooow, dats gud, we re eagerly waiting

Thank you

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

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

FreshestManny:


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

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

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.

Sandra23 this is the next part.

Sandra23:

Is this the end of this story ?

no, there is more.
Next chapter comes out on Sunday.

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

Thank you. Next chapter drops this week.

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.....

Thank you

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

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.

lebete3000:


Depression has actually turned me into a music addict.

I've blown 13k on headphones before just to have some quality beats uplift my soul.

I hear you. Music is therapeutic jaré

Frenchfriez:

>listen to music and dance

The ability of good music to lift the spirit cannot be overemphasized.

lovely17:
Best way to beat depression according to me is exercise.
Exercise helps to elevate the mood and helps us sleep better, a depressed person seeing positive changes to his body will generally feel better about himself and motivate him to do more.

Reduced dopamine levels result in depression and exercising regularly boosts dopamine secretion

Thank you. It helps a lot. Whenever I'm feeling down, I exercise...the dopamine, serotonin etc helps a lot.

I really hoped that this post would be people giving suggestions, so thanks again.

OluwabuqqyYOLO:
Men too suffer from depression. And, for them, it's even more difficult 'cos no one listens to them. Hell, a man can't even let his tears fall in an African society. Yet, women always make it appear as though they are ones at the worst end.

You're missing the entire point of this post by making it feel like a men vs women thing.
If you wanted to raise awareness about depression that African men face, you could have simply made a thread about the issue instead.

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

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.....

I'm glad you enjoyed reading it because I enjoyed writing it.
God bless you too.

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

Thank you Nostradamus, when it comes to writing, I aim to please

Augustap:

Hurray, my babe is about to give me a steaming plate of a nice part of her imaginations

Thank you jaré

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

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.’’