₦airaland Forum

Marvwhite I off cap for your analysis bro...chai...your points are valid af..God bless you bro

Bleeze2:
@Souloho19, pls more, to compensate for yesterday

I was expecting this..let's see how today goes sha

Hmm...this uncle must be uncle scar..nice one bro. I'm following

Steve seemed to be whistling to the soundtrack to the young and the restless.
Osi looked round, turning like a drunkard.

Nowhere to hide! There wasn't enough furniture, no corner he could lay low and pray to sneak out...
No time to squeeze through the toilet window again..or was there..?
Nope...the door knob was already turning..


So instead he squeezed the letter into his pocket and leaned on the wall, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Or maybe he should sit on the couch....cross his legs or fold his arms...or better still kneel down and pray...

The door opened(silencing his thoughts) and the European marched in. He was dressed in shorts and an armless sport shirt. From the look of things he had gone jogging.

He didn't see Osi at first, he entered and locked the door, whistling merrily. It wasn't until he turned that he almost jumped out of his skin.
"Jumping Jellyfish!!!!"

Osi smiled and straightened. "Welcome Steve..I've been waiting for you" he stretched out his hand hoping his smile wouldn't waver or his eyes shake. He had no idea what he was doing.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Stevenson thundered. He didn't sound polite anymore he sounded shocked and yes...he sounded angry.
"I know you're surprised to see me-"
"How did you get in here?!!!" His pale white skin was red with anger and Osi almostbegan to get scared.

"Let me explain..." He sounded rather weak. He wondered if he should withdraw his hand which was still hanging.
"I woke up with a clear instruction in my spirit..to share a prayer with you.." may God forgive me(he thought to himself)

Stevenson dropped his trainers on the floor. He had taken it off obviously not wanting to leave a mess on his gleaming tiles.
He looked down at the mess now (the sand from underneath the sole) and his eyes held fire when he looked up "you want to say a word of prayer and you break into my home? That's an offence!" He moved closer...just a threatening step and Osi hated himself for flinching backwards. He was not a fighter, and the European looked like he could easily snap him into two.

By this time Osi had thought it wise to withdraw his hand. "You'll have to forgive me..but the conviction in my heart was what pushed my actions.."
"It doesn't make sense...if you wanted to pray for me and you knew I wasn't home why break into my house. I'd ask you again..what the hell are you doing here and how did you get in?!"
His eyes darted past Osi to his bedroom. "You've been snooping around haven't you?"

Osi followed his eyes.....the notepad had been dropped in a hurry on the center of the drawer.
"No sir...not snooping around..more like laying of hands..yes..I had the urge to touch some things while I prayed..for example laying hands on your notepad while praying for your increased knowledge and academic success..you see the relevance...because a lot of your academic work is done on that notepad."
He knew his excuse sucked and apparently the European thought so too because held Osi by the collar suddenly and pushed him roughly to the wall.
"You're lying to me..you came in through my restroom...now my question is why?" He spoke through clenched teeth and his eyes held fire in them.

Osi struggled to breathe..Steve really had large hands.
"I swear it..I was just doing my pastor duties..I'm sorry I crossed the line..it won't-"
The European increased the pressure and tightened his grip cutting off his wind.
"I don't know what you were looking for but I'd ask you...what did you find?"
"Cllllliiiiiii..." Osi made a choking noise as he struggled to speak. "N-o-o-thi--clllliii"
He felt like he was going to black out, the man's eyes were crimson, red with rage and red with craziness and just a little fear...
No the fear must have been through his own eyes.

Then just as immediately the European released him. "Well pastor...I really appreciate you coming to pray for me"
Osi fell to his knees as he held his throat, struggling to regain his breath.
"Sorry if I was a little rough on you before..it was just a big surprise seeing you here"
Osi looked up. Steve's eyes were clear and he even had a smile on his face.
"Don't be a cry baby...I'd have to fix my window after all"

Osi struggled to his feet. He didn't have the mind to ask the white man why the names of the deceased girls was written in his pad, didn't even have the mind to hint about the letter and watch his reaction....he had just one thought: This man was crazy....he needed to get out of here!

Stevenson slapped him on the back (a friendly gesture but with too much force)
"What are you still doing here?" He raised his eyebrows like he honestly couldn't understand "get out.."

Osi hurried out. He ran through the path, ran past the market square and didn't stop until he got to the house.
He was soaked with sweat and breathing like a mad beast when he burst through the kitchen door.

"There he is.." Bukky said pointing at him.
Pastor Bartholomew turned and saw him..
"Jesus! What happened..take it easy."
Osi stumbled through the kitchen to the parlour feeling dazed. He had just looked madness in the eyes and escaped. He felt dizzy from all the running and felt like he was experiencing a little sun stroke.
He fell to the ground before he could stop himself.

"Pastor...Oh lord! Pastor are you okay?!"
"Take it easy...bring water"
Gregory, Bukky and pastor Bartholomew all rushed to his side.

"I'm alright...I'm alright....I'm alright" That was all he could say as he stared at the spinning ceiling.

"There is our wonderful leader..up to his wiles again" deacon Oforbuike snickered from the dining table enjoying the scene as he demolished a bowl of cereal.

Osi struggled to a sitting posture. "I'm okay..I guess I ran too fast" he collected the glass of water gratefully from Ovie.

"What happened...I came to see you about the Sunday service in church...are you sure you're okay?" Pastor Bartholomew said worriedly.
"Pastor you scared me" Bukky added.

He couldn't reply. He drank the cold water almost emptying the contents with a single gulp. Gregory seemed to know what he needed. Because when a man fell down, what he needed immediately was to get back up.
He held his hand and helped him to his feet.

"Thanks..." Osi said thrusting the half glass of water at Ovie and touching his breast pocket.
"Shiit!" He exclaimed suddenly.
"Ah.Ah..why are you cursing?!"
"My God! Pastor what is wrong for God's sake?!"
His friends were appalled at his choice of word.

He smiled apologetically at the faces looking at him. "Sorry...nothing....everything is fine."
But everything wasn't fine...the letter was gone....it had disappeared! no wonder bastard Steve had brightened and let him go!
"Damn!" He swore angrily
"Jesus!"
"Pastor!!!!!"

Deacon Oforbuike laughed. For the first time he sounded really happy.
"Our leader is having a nervous breakdown...the pressure and responsibility have caved finally!"


°•°•°•
"Dad I'm really suspecting Paul...since he came back the killings have increased and I found out he has been staying really close all this while..meaning he could come and go as he pleased and he lied about it"

Her father looked up from his food and frowned. "Don't be ridiculous..Paul is a noble young man...the killer is Okudili, everybody knows that"
"But dad..." He groped me the other day...he knew Chinaza closer than he let on...and I'm very sure he was eavesdropping on Ezinne yesterday outside his own house.
They all sounded like guesses, like theories..they didn't hold any weight and she had promised Oluchi she wouldn't tell her father about the groping event.
So when her father looked up with an impatient look in his eye she sighed softly "you're right Dé...I'm sorry"

But she wasn't...she was going to expose him. She was going to find out whatever it was he was hiding. She made the promise to Ezinne's memory.

°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile the devil smiled as he read the letter.
Foolish words he had written in the heat of passion...
Oh..what unbelievable luck that it would fall into his hands...

Mightyfortress tenniebae officialflex damibiz boldandbeautiful sleekhoyen cyber5 castleberry Rachaelfst bleeze2 tillaman bakeuhappy meneski tolezy001 costal adeculate tzminaj.....
Thanks for your comments...pls fasten your seatbelts as the update lands

sussybae:
ghost reader mode deactivated...
I can't wait to know the end of this story,the suspense is killing

Thanks for deactivating...Jah bless you...please remain in your physical form o

OGMEEKZY07:
thrillin

Lol...thanks ma guy

khennykhay:
Nairaland best writter is here again, souloho u are one in a million, bt d suspense dey kill person o.

Kai...boss mi..I never reach yet na..thanks anyway..but do you know a healthy doze of suspense is very healthy

YourRadiance:
Please I'm in the final stage of seun osewa flash fiction and need your votes to help me win. LIKE AND SHARE the story as you are entitled to two votes. Follow this link to my story titled BEGINNING'S END and it's a six words story

https://www.nairaland.com/3919666/seun-osewa-battle-moderator-judges/4#59755653


Bleeze2 hamzatseyi sentaljohn Samexdx sKeetz ADECULATE

Good luck bro

Frankenstein:
Souloho19, master of suspense! The last update was topnotch. Literary prowess at its best!

Thanks bro..I'm counting on your watchfuleyes... Remain vblessed

nawtielizzie:
This last update gave me goosebumps���

The next update would reduce it don't worry....a Lil bit at least..gracias une' coomente'
Jah bless

rosalieene:
yawa don gas for Osi

souloho19, this your story got me so glued. I can't believe that instead of me to continue reading for my M. Sc exams slated for tomorrow, am here reading "The devil wears okrika"

This is one of the best stories I have read so far.

souloho19 you are just so gifted with writing.

God bless ur hands :

don't worry..I'm sure you killed the exams..pls do come back to revise the devil wears okrika...thanks for your comment Jah bless you

Osman1996:
Thumb up bro

Steve home! yawa don gas

still i follow!

Thanks bro

heemah:
Hmmmmmmmnnn. Wahala don wear cover shoe....

Lol...with shirt and tie join

Boss man...the running vampire I'm present bro

I'm here bro..nice one

smokeydrinky:
https://www.nairaland.com/3946214/devil-wears-okrika/
By souloho19

Young maidens are being raped and gruesomely murdered in the little town of amaife. The devil behind always leaves a souvenir: a torn piece of okirika. The gods of the land seems powerless to stop the raging menace , the masses are provoked, families are scared.....the killer is a member of the community, but who? Beautiful Amara is the next target . Will the God whom the missionaries preach about come to her help? Will the young Pastor unravel the mystery? Find out in this religious thriller.

It's an edge grabbing, funtastic Read.

Wow..God bless you bro..that summary is really apt

Chapter 8

"Mr Stevenson...I'd like to read any thing you've written so far..." No that didn't sound right.
"I'm fascinated with your research..can I read what you've done so far?"
That sounded better...
"Stevenson can you sign an autograph for me?"
No...he needed to study the writing letter for letter...there was no way an autograph could guarantee that.
These were Osi's thoughts the next morning as he skipped down the path to Stevenson's house. Anyway it went, the European was known for his politeness..Osi didn't think he would refuse him.

He traced the house trying to calculate the distance to the spot in the woods Chinaza had been killed and the distance to Ezinne's house. He was not yet 100% familiar with all the roads but he thought it was pretty close.
Hmmm...the case in his head against the European kept building.

°•°•°°•
The house was really beautiful. The gleaming paint and the design was quite pleasant to the eyes. He found it hard to believe the village had arranged the house for him. He bookmarked it in his mind to ask Dé Nwachukwu if the house had been built from scratch specifically for Stevenson.

Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap.
He knocked the door, softly at first but after some seconds with no reply he increased the intensity.
Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap
Still no answer.
No one was home.

He looked around,(although the cottage was in a secluded spot with no visible neighbours) and tried the door..it was locked.

Hello...hello..Stevenson!"
No reply, it was obvious no one was home.
He walked round the house trying to peer into the windows. Stevenson was a very private person. Everywhere was boarded up!
At the rear of the house, he noticed a smaller window, this had to be the toilet..or kitchen...no it was definitely the toilet as it was quite higher than the others.

It seemed having a window net wasn't a requirement in Amaife despite the evil mosquitoes that flew about.

Osi struggled with the window for some minutes and the fastened nails were no match for his determination. He wrestled the wooden window open and it dangled on one side. Probably held in place by the fastened catch from inside.

What are you doing? Why not wait for Steve to come back? The voice of reason asked him.
No he couldn't wait...he just needed a minute..there was bound to be documents lying about..after all the man was a writer.

Maybe he also wanted to snoop around a bit. There was something off about the European that he needed to figure out.

It would have been a big disaster if he got stuck midway as he wriggled, huffed and puffed through the small window.

But finally he went through and almost smashed his head on the tiles.
"Wow..they even tiled the place for him" he mumbled to himself as he got to his feet.
The house was sparsely furnished but it was neat. Strangely there was no reading table, just some chairs that gave the impression of being put together in a hurry and a small center table.

The table was littered with papers. Aha! Osi strode hurriedly and fell to his knees as he scanned the papers.
None of them were handwritten. They seemed to have been torn off books and research materials. Some words were circled but they had no meaning to Osi.
He knew where to find answers: the bedroom.
The room had a king size bed, a drawer, a closet and a mirror.

The room was squeaking clean, the bed was made without a crease and everything was in place. The shoes were arranged in a line and he could bet the clothes were hung neatly in the closet.

The pad Stevenson had been writing on was on the drawer. He noticed the edge of the notepad was in line with the edge of the table. Hmmm...it seems this man has some sort of obsessive compulsive....he would have to be careful to leave everything exactly as he had found it.

He got his hands on the pad and opened it.
He scurinized the writing as he unfolded the letter from his pocket.

L L
R R
S S

He could swear the letters had the same slant and curve yet some letters gave him doubt...take 'm' for instance in the letter: the words 'forgive me' and 'groom' in the notepad...there was a slight difference in the looping...
Now that he studied the words it seemed the letter 'g' had a different pattern in the way the branch was curved...
"Argghh!!! What am I even saying..??" He rubbed his eyes. This thing was giving him a headache.

There had to be an expert..someone who could analyze both writings perfectly.
He'll just have to tear a page from the notepad.

"No...better not tear from here..." He flipped the pages looking for any incoherent scribble he could tear off and the European won't notice.
He turned to the last page, scanning the contents with his eyes.
At the bottom of the page...

Ozioma
Chinenye
Chisom
Chinaza
Ezinne

These were the names of the girls that had been raped and killed so far....what was Stevenson doing with their names?
'Ezinne' had been written with a black ink unlike the rest (blue ink)meaning it had been added recently...probably this morning...
Was this some kind of score card?
"This man has a lot of explaining to do" Osi thought to himself.. "Who knows what other secrets are hidden inside the pages..." Maybe he should take the whole pad away....

As he considered this, a noise came from the front of the house. It sounded like the stamping of boots.
He heard the whistle and the jingle of keys.
Steve was back...

"God be with you till we meet again..
Till we mee-eet
Till we mee-eet
God be with you till we meet again
Till we meeet...."
The voices rang out in the night. Beautiful voices, voices filled with grief. The young girls of Amaife were at the front of the group. Marching slowly and singing, their candles seemed to burn the brightest. Some of them had framed photographs of their friends..the deceased girls of Amaife. It was troubling...the photographs were many.
Amara held Ezinne's framed photograph but she didn't hold it out like the rest, instead she held it to her chest. She didn't hold any candle as her two hands gripped the photograph. Her eyes had a distant look and her lips moved softly as she sang.

One of the girls held up a picture..heart wrenching it was. The pretty girl had to be Ozioma, she had a bright smile, radiant face that seemed to shine even in the night, with just the reflection of the candles (as the moon had remained under covers)
She had her arms round a smiling elderly woman. That had to be mama Ozioma. Mother and daughter. So beautifully alike.
Both of them had been killed by the same monster. Abused by the same monster.

The picture seemed to hunt Osi as he stared at the side of the road watching the procession.
Each person had a burning candle in his/her hand, a sorrowful but comforting song on the lips and a tearful eye.

Emotions rocked Osi as he watched the villagers, sadness, anger, regret(regretting the birth of the killer)....
Apparently he wasn't the only one going through these feelings.
"Whoever did this is a bastard" Ovie muttered beside him.
"Bastard is a kind word in this case.." Osi replied.
Bukky sighed "I can't even caution you pastor...this is too heartbreaking"
They joined the crowd, following at a distance after the last person had past.

"Pastor you need to stop blaming yourself" Ovie said.
"I'm not blaming myself" Osi replied but he was. If only he had been more conscious when Oluchi had first told him Ezinne had given her the letter. If only he had been faster. If only...
"Pastor.." Gregory caught up to them walking fast and breathing hard. "Pastor..the deacon is at the house..he came back...he and Samuel arrived about ten minutes ago"
Osi nodded. He could guess the reverend had given the deacon more than a slap on the wrist and sent him back. To tell the truth he wished the deacon hadn't come back. The man was a sower of discord.
"He seems to be in a very bad mood" Gregory commented as he settled beside Osi, matching the walking rhythm.
"It would take a very special kind of grace for me to deal with his rubbish this time around" Osi replied.
"I agree..grace indeed"

°•°•°•
After walking round the village twice they converged at the market square. The candles had all burnt halfway by now and a slight breeze threatened to blow out all of them.
They formed some kind of circle, circling pastor Batholomew and Pa kenneth.

"My people, it is times like this that we need to hold on to our fate more than ever..." Pa Kenneth started his speech with a low voice. He could barely be heard and for the first time, he looked and sounded really old. The past couple of weeks seemed to have added a decade to his real age.
The candles were almost at its end when he finished his speech and by that time the sounds of hands striking the legs and arms against the bloodthirsty mosquitoes had almost drowned his voice totally.

Pastor Bartholomew took the stage.
"You see this is the time we need to hold on to our faith the most..the devil doesn't want us to have our crusade...I called my friends from PortHarcourt because I felt God wanted to use them to bless us...to use them to speak to us..to use them to direct us in the midst of our present crises...but you see the devil doesn't want us to focus..but my brethren...now more than ever we need to set our eyes on the most high....not on the bitterness..not on the pain...not on the heartbreak..no...we set our eyes on him..let us pray"

°•°•°•
"I'm sorry about Ezinne...I know how close you people were" Paul located Oluchi and Amara. He glanced at the framed picture still in Amara's arms.
"Paul..(sniff) where you the one outside the gate today?" Oluchi asked. She hadn't been able to stop crying.
"Outside the gate..when?"
"Earlier today" Amara spoke up for the first time. She had a strange look in her eyes. An accusing look. she could vividly remember how he had grabbed her the other day and suddenly she was extremely suspicious of Paul.
"No...I've not even come home since I left in the morning" he replied with a somewhat shaky voice.
"Where did you go?" Amara countered before he could talk.
"Errm..I went to tidy up something.."
Just what exactly? But her younger sister tugged her from behind.
"Amara let's go...Dé Nwachukwu is waiting for us"

°•°•°•°
Osi didn't eat(no appetite) and now he couldn't sleep. He was back in the parlour thanks to the deacon's arrival and as he lay stretched on the couch he cracked his brain...there was something he was missing..he was sure of it. Something important.
The letter was the key...he could feel it.
He made up his mind to pay Stevenson a visit the next day.

Where do I even start....your comments have been priceless and motivating...thanks a gazillion...i hrt u all......errrm..about your questions and guesses...don't worry it would soon be unraveled .in fact it has been unraveled partially you just need to look at every word with a magnifying glass....
Welcome to the latest additions precial funny fun and co...you're highly welcome FAM..
Tillaman what is Dé John's odd please..because that remains my own bet

Tolezy001:
Why must ezinne die when trying to expose the devil btw i am suspecting souloho to be the devil

lol her mum was all she cld think of first that was why...please o I'm not the one

jobaltol:
Hmm...when you started..i felt it wasone of those amateur writers...the plot is great..kudos

costal:
Nice story sir.

imranMotunrayo:
Kudos to u,this is the best story I've read this year,weldone sir

ADECULATE:
Bestest story ever, action packed nd a great thriller. Awon eleyi nko iwe ehnnn. Lol. Pls mention me wen u start anoda blockbuster.

Thank you all for your comments..another is currently ongoing: https://www.nairaland.com/3946214/devil-wears-okrika

Guess I should wait till 12 but incase I sleep off..happy birthday Mr ghostwriter I pray for more grace and more wisdom plus favour and success in all your endeavours. Have fun bro.

P.s: just reading this story from two years ago..pls kwantinu it

The knock was sharp and swift. The knuckles rapped the door three times causing a kind of tense vibration in the still silence that followed. Ezinne paused as she listened, trying to tell her beating heart that the knock hadn't sounded from her door.
As if to prove her wrong it sounded again. Maybe it was Oluchi, or one of the girls..they might have forgotten something and come back. But still she remained on her bed, steady and unmoving. The knock sounded again impatiently this time and she gave herself a mental kick. Whoever was at the door was knocking like he/she had every right to be there. It would have to be one of her friends..maybe even her mother.

"I'm coming...who's there?" She Asked as she stood behind the door, her hand on the bolt.
"Ezinne...its me, I left your mother a little bit at the market and she said I should deliver something"
She recognized the voice immediately. Everybody knew that voice, or almost everybody at least.
She opened the door as her pulse returned to normal and smiled.
"So nice to see you.."
"The pleasure is all mine..how are you?"
"I'm fine.." She glanced at his hands and noticed he didn't hold anything in them.
"What..what did Dada give to you?"
His eyes grew serious as the warmth escaped from them "you have something that belongs to me"

°•°•°•°•°•
Osi and Amara stopped at the gate while Joy entered.
"I can see you're suspecting somebody...but you don't want to tell me" Amara said
"Its not like I'm suspecting anyone..its...its more like a feeling..I have ways to confirm and be sure, then I can freely tell yoj"
"Just be careful..I have a feeling whoever it is would be very dangerous."
"Me too..."
"Just today in Oluchi's house somebody was outside listening to us and he ran away immediately Oluchi called out which is very strange"
"Hmmmm.." Osi frowned "when was this?"
"Earlier today"
"Did you get a look at him?"
"Nope...he took off immediately"
"What were you people talking about"
"Lemme see..." She tapped her foot as she thought back "I think Ezinne was telling us about the letter"
"Wait a minute..you said it was Ezinne who handed it to you earlier?"
"Yes..." She saw his eyes change and she got worried "what is it?"
"Where is Ezinne's house?"
"Its not too far from the market square" she replied
He began to run.
She joined him. Her heart was beating madly.
"What's going on?" She panted as she tried to catch up. His legs ate the ground quickly and three of her steps equalled just one of his.
"Your friend is in danger"

°•°•°•°
From far Amara could see the door was locked.
Oh thank God! Her friend had obviously locked the door when they left.
But then she saw the door open as Osi knocked on it. It hadn't been locked after all, it had just been slid shut.

As she reached the door finally, Osi came back outside. His eyes were strange and he blocked the door with his body as he used his hands behind his back to close the door.
"I don't think you should go in there" he said sadly.
"Why..what do you mean...?" But she could see it clearly in his eyes. She felt like her world was tilting upside down.
"What happened! Where is Ezinne?!" She screamed.
Pastor Osi surprised her by gripping her with surprising strength and clamping his hand over her mouth.

°•°•°•
"Shhhhhh" Osi snapped harshly as he covered her mouth with his hands.
He strained his ears as he listened. He heard the noise again, a peculiar sound, like the soft slamming of a window.
"Is there any road leading from the back of this house?" He asked her.
She nodded, he removed his hand after she bit him...hard but quick.
"There's a shortcut to the market square from the back..."

"Please don't go inside..stay outside" with that Osi ran through the house, closing the door and running through the parlour, he jumped the dead body on the floor( the third dead body he was seeing in three days...he must be going mad) and ran to the first room. This one didn't even have a window. He noticed it had been turned upside down and hurried to the second
room. He saw the window and knew the sound he heard must have come from here.
He hurried to the window, pushing the wooden board open and leaping out. As he landed, he heard the door to the parlour opening. Amara must have entered.
Women!! They never listened!

Well he couldn't turn back now..the devil was running away and he just needed a glimpse of whoever he was. He took off running down the path.

°•°•°

The devil had never been as scared of exposure as he was right now. He ran with speed as he ducked between bushes trying to stay out of sight.
He didn't know which was more annoying, the fact that he didn't get to rape Ezinne or that the letter wasn't in his possession.
The girl had confessed when she saw the knife that the letter was with Amara.
Amara...well that would be taken care of soon enough...maybe sooner than expected because he couldn't rest until the letter was in his hands.
Those two letters...P.O jeopardized his identity more than anything.
He smiled when he saw the beginning of the market square. But his smile disappeared when he thought about Ezinne...he hadn't done with her like he wanted to...he had been forced to use his knife..just imagine! Using a knife wasn't his style...it wasn't his modus operandi.
They said what goes up comes down. But the height in his trouser would need to be pacified....oh yes, Amara's time was definitely up!


°•°•°•°•
"Oh my God...!" Amara put her hand over her mouth as she burst into unbelievable tears. It was like a dream nightmare to see her friend bleeding on the floor.
She fell to her knees as the tears rained freely.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...oh my God!"

"Amara...Amara...."
Her eyes flew open as she heard the words...which sounded more like a whisper.
"Ezinee..Ezinne..." Ezinne had been stabbed rather horribly in the stomach but miraculously she wasn't dead...not yet.
"Amara..please help my mother to.....help...help my mother....to...lock...up...her...sh....s...shop"
Blood spilled from her mouth as she struggled to talk.
" Ezinne...I'm so sorry...forgive me please..."
"Its..all...its alright..." More blood from the mouth.
"Ezinne who did this to you...who did this?"
"Its...its...its......" Her eyes went blank and lifeless.
She was dead.

°•°•°•°•
Osi stumbled into the market square running like a mad man...he felt eyes on him from every direction but he felt a certain kind of eye on him. He turned round as he looked at the faces. Everyone was busy with their respective business.
"Heey...did you see anyone run out of this bush?" He asked a young boy shining shoes.
"Yes"
Ahaaa! Finally!
"Who was it...who did you see?"
The boy pointed at him and burst out laughing "you"