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Osi's sleeves were rolled up to his elbow. He was sweating profusely as he balanced on the ladder to fix a light bulb. He was yet to set up the speakers, tune in the amplifier and run sound tests.

Gregory and Ovie were setting up the drum set and piano respectively while Bukky set up the banner and arranged the podium.

Pastor Bartholomew had promised to bring people to help with the set up but presently there was no sign of him.

"Arrange the chairs three here, two there so that there would be space to walk through the middle" he pointed with his hands as he instructed Samuel the driver who was busy arranging the chairs.

As Osi got down from the ladder and began rolling up the excess wire he noticed a white man making his way towards him.

"Good evening pastor, anything I can do to help?" The man asked cheerfully as he offered his hand for a shake.

Osi was surprised the man had figured him to be the pastor and not the deacon. Probably because the deacon was not around.
He shook the hand vigorously, noticing the man had a firm handshake.
"its a pleasure to meet you sir, if you wouldn't mind assisting to set the chairs, I'd be very grateful"
"Its my pleasure, you can call me Steve"
"I'm Osi, that's Greg and Ovie, the lady laying the carpet is Bukky and the young man setting the chairs is Samuel"

The European waved in their direction. "Nice to meet you all"
He then proceeded to greet each of them personally. Offering each person a firm and enthusiastic handshake.

"What a friendly person" Osi thought to himself as he tried to place the man's accent.

°•°•°•
"Dé I'd like to go to the evening service" Amara told her father as she set a bowl of water before him.
Dé Nwachukwu washed his hands studying his daughter. "I don't have any problem with that, as long as you don't go alone"
"I won't papa, Oluchi would go with me"
"How did you find out about the service. Did you go to the market square?" He stopped rolling the ball of fufu and frowned at his daughter.
"No I didn't, I met one of the pastors earlier and he invited me"
Dé Nwachukwu continued eating, satisfied with her answer.
"Speaking of Oluchi, her elder brother came to see me today" He announced after a while. Amara remained quiet.

"He's a fine young man" her father continued "I remember him as a young rascal and very stubborn but now he has really grown up and matured.
Amara still had nothing to say. Instead she sat opposite her father and continued sifting the grounded cassava into a basin.

"He wants to settle down and he wishes to marry you. Of all the suitors who have come for you recently he stands out and its my wish that you two get married"
"Papa I do not love him, when I marry I want to marry for love. I want to have something like you and mama shared"
"You know your mother was chosen for me, we grew to love each other. Love is something that grows and develops" her father said as he attacked a piece of stock fish.
"I promise I'd think about it" Amara assured her father. This was the first time he was speaking to her directly about a suitor. Paul must have really made an impression on her father.

°•°•°•
The man of the hour himself showed up half an hour later. He strolled into the compound whistling cheerfully and waving at Joy who was spreading clothes on the line.
"Where's Oluchi?" Amara asked with a frown.
"She couldn't make it, she has been having stomach pain since we got home so she asked me to escort you to the service while she rested" Paul said with a charming smile.

Amara didn't really believe him, she sensed it was all a ruse, a setup to get her and Paul alone together.
"Okay lemme just get my scarf and we can go"
"All right, what of Dé Nwachukwu, is he around?"
"Yes but he's sleeping" she replied hurrying into the house.

°•°•°•
Osi was pleased and surprised with the turn out for the service. The chairs which numbered up to 200 were almost filled up with just a handful unoccupied.
He stood behind the amplifier board, tuning the knobs as he followed the melody of the worship song led by Bukky.

When he saw Amara his face brightened immediately and he was glad she came. He noticed she was with somebody and felt a foreign feeling come over him. What kind of pastor am I? He asked himself as he almost went off key.

She looked at him and smiled and he looked away hurriedly, his eyes running into the stare of a short thick man who glared at him in a way that got him worried. He noticed the man had a bottle in his hand and he didn't need anyone to tell him it contained alcohol.

The man wasn't involved with the worship, his eyes were wide open and he looked like he had only come to check out the strangers, Osi in particular judging by the way he kept glaring at him.

Osi shut his mind from all thoughts and focused on the worship song, singing along "you are alpha and omega...."

°•°•°•

The devil had seen the exchanged looks between the pastor and Amara. He had noticed the way she had responded to him earlier, blushing and smiling like a school girl while he boiled with rage and animal lust.
He was beginning to suspect the pastor was going to be an obstacle.
That wouldn't be a problem, he knew how to take care of obstacles.

Streetwise drove like a mad man. The van moved in a blur as the needle on the speedometer neared 120km/h.
"What exactly did Braham say on the phone?" Anderson asked.

"He said we're under attack, I'm on my way, go ahead with the plan and kill the girls and prepare to evacuate immediately. The person on the line then asked if they should go with aqua or alpha to which Braham replied Aqua...I don't know what that meant"

"Its a terminology we use...they're going to drown them. There's a body of water near the ware house. Damn! Step on it streetwise!"
"The pedal is literally on the floor" streetwise replied but the van picked up more speed.

"Shit!" Streetwise shouted suddenly
"What is it?" Williams asked. He had torn the sleeve of his shirt and was busy tying it round his wound to stop the bleeding. The pain would have been unbearable if it wasn't so familiar.
"Its the cops" streetwise said as the blue and flashing lights came into view. A single police car with the airmen blasting followed the van, urging the driver to pull over.
"Probably because of the speed" Williams muttered "I hate the bloody cops!"

"I got this" Jemba assured him. She went to the back of the van, detaching her sniper rifle from the sling that hung on her back. She opened both doors of the van and took a knee as the police car drew closer. She closed one eye, stating into the scope intensely as the van bounced along the road. She squeeze,end the trigger, cocking the gun expertly as the spent shell ejected. She aimed the gun again but didn't need to shoot. One bullet was all it took to bring the police car to a halt.

She had shot the slug through the tore on the driver's side, bursting it and making the car skid, somersault before flipping on its side a couple of times. She shut the door.

Streetwise had a radio in the van which he had keyed into the police frequency and Anderson (who rode shotgun) switched it on.
They all heard the dispatcher just as he had suspected as she described the van and their last seen location. "Be warned, suspects are armed and extremely dangerous"

°•°•°•
Kernel avenue was beside a large body of water. It was formerly a port were ships docked for days and loaded containers. However, the rampant rise in drugs and constant battle between the coast guard and drug barons using the waterway as a means of bringing drugs into the country had made the Government seal off the port. It was now a federal and prosecutable offence to make use of the port to bring in or export any goods.
Hence the kernel port had become abandoned and lonely. Save for a few empty containers and a crane the place was empty.
Braham stood at the edge of the water, watching impatiently as one of the agents chained both girls legs to a wrecking ball. The mass of the ball and chain surpassed the combined body weight of both girls. Once they entered the water, they would sink to the very bottom.
"Hurry up!" Braham snapped impatiently at the agent.
"I'm almost done boss"

Both girls were crying now, the elder sister trying to comfort the younger while she sobbed quietly. Braham felt some kind of regret for what he was about to do. What he had to do. He had no choice, they had seen too much,heard too much including his face and his name.
"I'm done!" The agent announced standing up.

Braham knelt down and placed a hand on each girls shoulder "look, this world is a big bad place. Its very wicked and evil. I'm sending you to somewhere better, where the light is bright and you'd see both mommy and daddy okay?"
Both girls nodded in response. "Its people like you that make the world a bad place" little Samantha said in between sobs.
.suddenly a van came charging from the other end. It barreled down the road and charged straight at them.
"Shiit! Shoot that van! Stop that van!" Braham shouted. He pushed the girls into the water and took off. Running towards the container.

The agents opened fire on the van trying to hit the windscreen and the driver and occupants.

Streetwise stepped on the clutch, he pulled the hand break up, put the gear in neutral and at the same time stepped on the accelerator with much force.
This made the steering wheel spin very fast in anti clockwise rotatory motion. The result of this action was the van drifting on its side.
The bullets hit the side of the van as it continued its drift.

Williams rolled out of the door, wincing in pain when his shoulder touched the floor. As he rolled, he did what he was good at: he shot his gun.
The ghost did the impossible, jumping out of the window, doing cartwheels and somersaults in the air and firing his arrows before his feet touched the ground.

Davina and Jemba jumped our through the back of the van, using both doors for cover and returning fire.

In five seconds all six agents lay dead. Gunshot, head shots, between the eyes, in the forehead, arrows buried in the throats....a medical examiner won't have a hard time figuring out the cause of death.

Anderson jumped out of the still moving truck. He ran towards the water and dived in not even bothering to draw oxygen.

His arms cut through the water with precision and frantic speed as he swam towards the bottom. He could see the outline of his daughters at the bottom and he prayed he was not too late.

He heard distinct splashes behind him as Jemba and Davina both jumped into the water.

°•°••°•
Braham ran as fast as his legs could carry him. His car was parked with the engine running at the other end of the port. He just had to get through the container first. But he was scared. He knew the assassin was coming for him.
He could hear him literally breathing down his neck.

He glanced back and was shocked to see Williams closing the distance with astonishing speed. There was no way he could outrun the assassin and get to his car in time. He had to kill him.
He took out his dagger and ducked behind a container.

°•°•°•
For a second Williams thought he had lost him. He ran through the containers trying not to panic when he didn't see any sign of Braham ahead of him.

At the last Second, he sensed the danger and caught movement from the corner of his eye.
With lightening reflex, he raised his arm blocking the strike(intended for his throat) but taking the dagger in his shoulder. The same shoulder he had been shot.

Braham removed the blade and plunged again, going for the face this time.

Williams caught his hand at the last second. He stared at the blade, inches from his eyes as he and Braham struggled with the blade.
Him trying to push Braham's hand and the dagger away from his face and Braham pushing and trying to force the dagger into Williams.
Both men went strength for strength and the struggled continued for some seconds hut Williams was loosing. His shoulder was badly injured. Blood flowed freely from the bullet and knife wound and he could feel his arm getting lighter and weaker as he lost blood.
He knew in a few more seconds the blade could go through his face.

Suddenly, he shifted his head to the side, causing the dagger to miss his eyes but the the blade scratched his cheek, slicing it as he dodged.

Because Braham had been putting a lot of force behind the blade, trying to run it through his enemy the moment Williams shifted and the blade struck the air, the lack of impact made him fall forward.
Williams had been waiting for this.

He twisted Braham's wrist, causing the blade to fall to the ground as the man yelped out in pain.
On a half turn, Williams delivered a round house kick to Braham's chest causing the man to stumble backwards.

Braham reached to his holstered and brought out his gun. But before he could pull the trigger, another perfectly placed kick to his wrist sent the gun flying again.

Blood was flowing/gushing from his shoulder but Williams didn't feel any pain. He felt only anger...the kind of anger that had grown whenever he got transferred from one foster home to another.
He removed his desert eagle .50 magnum stainless steel from his ankle holster and pointed the nuzzle at Braham.
"Tell me where I'd find Trump and I'll make it quick"

Braham sneered "some secrets are worth dying for"

Williams placed his gun on the floor when he heard this. He could feel his arm getting weaker and numb but he ignored it. He believed in mind over matter. He clenched his fist and moved in a fighting stance.

Braham had been one of the best fighters in the agency when he was younger and until recently he still trained recruits in physical combat. He could tell Williams was badly injured in his right shoulder and he knew he stood a chance.

He charged at Williams throwing powerful blows with his large fist. Whoom! Whom! Whoom!

Williams ducked, moved his head to the side, dodging the blow with excellent head movement and footwork and countered the third punch.
Blocking it with the back of his left hand he threw a right handed jab and caught Braham squarely in the throat causing the man to cough and move back.

"You took my parents from me, they were harmless people" Williams dodged Braham's kick, bending backwards from the waist as the intended head kick struck the air.
Williams dropped to the ground immediately, striking a sweeping ground kick that caught Braham squarely on the ankles and sent the man tumbling on the floor.

It suddenly began to rain as Williams climbed him and began raining blows to his face, venting the storm of frustration that had built for so many years.
"This is for Anderson's wife!" Whack! "This is for the pain you put him through!" Boof! "This is for the two little girls!" Wham! "This is for the young boy you made and orphan!" Gbam! "This is for my parents!" Gboof!

Williams continued punching Braham in the face as the rain fell harder and lightening flashed. He felt Braham's nose break, felt his teeth break and get punched down the throat, even felt the cheekbones crack but he didn't stop. Not even the pain in his shoulder could stop him.

He kept on punching and punching till someone held his hand from behind. It was Davina "Will....Will its okay, its alright"

Her voice brought him back and he blinked a couple of times as his vision cleared. Braham's face was bloodied and unrecognizable.

Williams' fist was stained red and the knuckles peeled, Braham's blood had splashed on his shirt and on his face.

Davina knelt down hugging him from behind "its okay..Williams the girls are safe. We need to leave now, the cops are getting closer"
For the first time he heard the siren as it grew louder. He got up silently and watched as Davina knelt down over Braham's body and touched his throat feeling for a pulse. She got none. "He's dead" she said standing up.

"Let's go" Williams found his voice. "We need to ditch the van, its wanted..we'll take his car" he nodded at Braham as he picked his gun from the floor.

Davina relayed the instructions into the mouthpiece and the van appeared. They all got down and ran through the containers leaving the van behind as the first police car arrived the scene.

Anderson and ghost carried the two girls as they ran. The girls were freezing.

"I need to remove the bullet from your arm and clean the wound before it gets infected" Davina panted beside him.
Let's get to the car first.

The deadly group ran away from the sirens and dead bodies towards the end of the port where the other car was waiting.
An important piece had just been killed from the chess board... They still had a lot of challenges ahead of them but tonight they were the last gang standing

bigbauer:
Updates Pleeeeaaassssseeeee

Yes boss..thanks for commenting

@ forzarush sorry ma'am I mentioned you..welcome and how my paddy(paddies) of life
@sofiaamrozia that's 'creasteve' welcome on board..tnx
@donteanz aka dontwinz I sight u bro..gracias..but me for like triplets ooo
@ rachealfst happy mid week ma'am..I can almost agree with you..but I smell a certain tragedy this time o...or maybe its just me
@countrygirl you're very much welcome..sorry the update took this long to drop
@iamloyalty I remain loyal 100% to this story sorry about the delayed diagnosis update(s)
@menesky ma niggy I'm coming for last gang standing.. Lost my written update but I'm currently on the job should drop tomorrow
@all readers both ghosts and living the tap has been opened for the updates to flow.... honourable365 I'm gonna say it again..."y'all won't be disappointed!!!"

Osi raised both hands "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you"
Amara blinked, placing a hand on her chest. Her heart was beating like a talking drum. "You...you from the park"

Osi nodded in reply. He hadn't meant to scare her. He had been walking around aimlessly for the past 15 minutes trying to find his way but it seemed he kept getting more and more lost. He had doubled back(he hoped) and was beginning to get worried when he heard a voice....her voice. He couldn't discern what she was saying but he had followed the voice till he saw her standing in front of a grave. There was something painful and breathtaking about the way she stood there and he had stared for some seconds before deciding to approach her. Not until she turned around that he realized she was the very same girl he had seen earlier in the park. But the look of fear in her face rendered him speechless. She looked so afraid. Subconsciously he raised both hands in a 'I come in peace gesture'
"What are you doing here?" She demanded. Her pulse was returning to normal now. No, that wasn't quite apt, it was still racing, albeit for a totally different reason now.
"I was taking a walk and I got lost, I tried to find my way but I ended up...." He gestured with both hands awkwardly.

Amara nodded slowly but sue remained where she was. "Who are you?"
"My name is Osi, I'm a pastor"
"You're here for a crusade" she prompted
He nodded, suprised "Yes, how did you know that?"
"It was announced earlier today"
"Okay" he took a step closer looking at the grave "are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Where are you heading to?"
"Pastor Bartholomew's house" Osi replied. He desperately wanted to say something, he could only guess whose grave that was and who she had been talking to but she seemed to be on her guard and instinct told him not to push it.

She was talking to him now and her voice had gotten lighter and friendlier "wow, from pastor's house! How'd you end up here" she smiled "you're really off...but don't worry, I'd take you".
"Thank you...I don't know your name yet"
She smiled shyly "Amara"

°•°•°•°•°

The devil couldn't believe his eyes. He had been about to jump out from the bush when this tall baboon had appeared from nowhere. He watched in disbelief, listening to their exchange. So this was the pastor?
The devil gritted his teeth in anger as he watched them leave, rage clouding his vision as he saw Amara take the man's hand.
He needed to break something. He clenched his fist in rage as he imagined breaking the pastor's face. The devil had a vivid imagination.


°•°•°•°•
Pastor Bartholomew also mistook the deacon for pastor Osi "I'm sorry I'm late sir, we had a meeting and I had to stay behind to talk to the leaders" he explained as he shook hands with all of them.
The deacon didn't look impressed "No problem, but time is of the essence and valuable time has been lost. You know it takes less than a minute to win a soul"
"Exactly pastor, believe me it. Couldn't be avoided, I'm glad you all came in now, when the reverend called me I was quick to accept. We need you all now more than ever"
"Why, what's going on?" Gregory asked
"Actually he's not the pastor, the pastor isn't in yet" Ovie corrected with a frown
"Oh...." Pastor Bartholomew looked surprised. "I'd rather wait till he comes then"

Deacon Oforbuike once again didn't look pleased. He was about to say something when they heard voices from outside and the backdoor opened.
"Thank you..hope I'd see you again"
"Yes, try not to get lost again o, oya come Joy let's go"

Pastor Osi entered the parlour looking flushed.
"sorry I took long" he looked at Bukky "I missed my way"
"Welcome back pastor" the deacon greeted sarcastically "hope we can set up the crusade or should we all go sight seeing?"

It was becoming natural for Osi to ignore the deacon. He shook hands with pastor Bartholomew and took a seat. His eyes drifted to the dining table where a plate of food (no doubt his) was covered.
"Welcome pastor" Bartholomew continued "like I was saying, when the reverend called me, I quickly jumped on the opportunity to have you all here" he rubbed his hands, looking at each of them "the thing is, this past month has been a very dark one for us, someone has been raping and killing our daughters, in four weeks three girls were raped, beaten almost unrecognizable and killed, so everyone in our community is living in a state of fear and despair"

The team was shocked. Even the deacon couldn't help it as his mouth hung open in disbelief.
For once Ovie didn't have a reply or a comeback. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably trying to digest what he had just heard.

Osi was shocked. He remembered meeting Amara earlier and the look of terror on her face when he had startled her. He felt his heart bounce on his rib cage like a wrestler on the ropes as he imagined the possible danger she could have been in earlier.

Pastor Bartholomew continued speaking "we have no idea who is behind this dreadful acts and we had a meeting this morning to talk to the villagers who are understandably agitated"

The deacon was the first to speak up "so that was your reason for sending for us then? We are pastors not detectives we don't solve crime, we preach the word of God"
"That is why now more than ever my people need you, they need this crusade, they need the word of God, they need to discover the peace which only God can provide"

Osi could see there was a retort coming from the deacon so he spoke up hurriedly "I totally agree with you, we need to seek God's face for direction. I don't believe its a coincidence or that we are here by chance, God wants us here and we have to make ourselves available for his use"
Pastor Bartholomew gave a sigh of relief.
"When was the last girl killed?" Gregory asked
"Her body was found two days ago"
"Who found her?" This question was from Bukky
The pastor shook his head sadly "two very young girls saw her body floating in the stream...the younger girl is still traumatised as we speak"
"Has any autopsy been carried out?test for semen...any DNA samples?" Ovie asked

The pastor laughed. A strange sound considering the mood everyone had been thrown in. Even the driver sat at the dining table, a solemn look on his face.
"We don't have any medical examiner. The state police has been informed and according to them they are carrying out their investigations" (he made quotation sign with his fingers when he said investigations)

The Deacon shook his head and for a second he looked sad "this is dreadful, just dreadful but now can we go over this evening's schedule, we are behind already" he said dismissively.

°•°•°•
"You like him don't you" Joy teased her elder sister as they walked home.
Amara shook her head "No I don't, I just helped him out because he was lost" but her eyes betrayed her.

She had been surprised at the easy connection. She and Osi had talked freely after the initial awkwardness like they were old friend and she had been surprised to find out she could be herself around him. They met Joy walking home with her friends and she had quickly bade them good bye and followed her sister curious about the tall stranger who was no doubt the reason for the abundance of smiles that had once been so rare.

Joy was 17 years old and also very beautiful. However she was saucy and known to be rude most times. She and her sister didn't really get along but they loved each other.
"Is he one of the pastor's that pa Kenneth talked about?"
"Yes" Amara replied absentmindedly replaying the exchange over and over in her head.
"He's cute" Joy commented. That drew a frown from her sister "he's too old for you"
Joy laughed "I only said he's fine biko, don't cut off my head"
They continued walking in silence. Each girl lost in her thought.

°•°•°•°•
Stevenson walked round the market square, a pad and pen in his hands. He wore khaki shorts and his shirt from the meeting earlier but had unbuttoned his shirt. He wore a white v-neck underneath and the breeze blew his shirt open as he walked.

"Our very own oyibo" Dé John waved at him when he saw him. Stevenson forced a smile and walked over.
"Dé John good afternoon "
"Afternoon my son, why...you look frustrated"
Stevenson sighed "I've been asking questions, trying to get information about the new yam festival coming in two days but I'm not really getting much background. I need to know as much as possible.
"Ohoooo...i knew it must be your book, anyway you met the right person" Dé John chuckled cheerfully. One thing he enjoyed most was talking about his culture and tradition especially to a foreigner.
"Lemme collect this fresh palm wine- undiluted and we would go to my compound while I tell you everything you need to know"
Stevenson smiled "I'd appreciate that sir"

P.s bear with me, I've written alot about 3 extra chapters on paper but the problem is transferring the update to nl.

The drop zone was a secluded area known only to agents of S.A.T.A.N. It was used as a spot for exchanging information with other agencies. It was located deep in a fun park in L.A where children rode bikes and flew kites, couples went for picnics and dogs chased boomerangs. It was common to see two men in trench coats sit on a public bench, exchange few words and gho their separate ways having exchanged whatever information. At 12 midnight, the place was something else and anything could happen.
Anderson explained the set up of the drop zone to his new gang as they all listened carefully.
Anderson was scared and angry, he blinked tears from his eyes as he remembered the picture of his two daughters. He was in a very bad shape, emotionally broken. He had learnt his wife was in ICU fighting for her life after receiving a dreadful blow to the head.
Williams held the file. He watched Anderson, noticing the fear and the pain in the eyes.
“Anderson, you need to fight the fear, your daughters depend on you now, you can’t afford to lose focus by worrying for their safety. You need to find your anger and use it, you’ve worked for the agency all your life, you were loyal and hardworking yet you were lied to and when you found out, they snatched your daughters and put your wife in the hospital, you can’t afford to be afraid, what you need is to be angry! find that anger and channel it, let it drive you”
Williams almost ran out of breath, he was a killer not a therapist but he had known he needed to do something. The defeated look in Anderson’s eyes had been too much to bear.
The ghost got up from where he sat. He removed his swords and rolled it expertly in his hands, making swooshing sounds as the blade sliced the air. “Come 12 noon, we are going to send S.A.T.A.N to hell”

Don Boffinjay had thought of a plan. He saw a gold mine, he was going to be the last Don standing. He was going to use Williams to eliminate the rest. He just needed to add some retouches to Don Hadampson’s plan and he was good to gho.
He directed one of his assistants to send a message to Williams’ right hand man. The one they called Streetwise.

+++++
Braham looked at the two girls as they wolfed down the pizza hungrily. Immediately the pictures had been taken, Braham instructed the duct tape and the rope be removed from the girls. He just couldn’t bear to watch t6hem in pain. Presently, he stared at them through a glass which showed them their reflection but offered him with a clear view of the girls. He wondered what Isaac Trump was going to do to the girls. Braham wished the girls would be handed to their father safely at the drop zone. But he knew Isaac…..
His phone rang. His thoughts must have conjured the call itself because it was Isaac calling.
“How’re the girls?”
“They’re fine”
“and tonight? for the drop zone”
“Everyone is prepared”
“Good. I don’t want any survivors….kill them all. My political ambitions hang in the balance if they remain alive”
“No problem boss, it would be well taken care of” Braham almost didn’t ask. He feared the reply, but he had to “And the girls? What would happen to them?”
“Are you seriously asking me that? You kill them of course”

+++++++
Streetwise signaled Anderson to keep on talking. He needed just 10 more seconds to lock on to the signal and trace the call.
“I understand you perfectly” Anderson was saying with his eyes on streetwise “But….I want to speak to my daughters first”
“You would speak to them face to face if you do exactly as you’ve been told. Remember you get to the dropzone and select the transfer bench. Place the file on the bench beside you, and sit patiently. 12 midnight not a second more. I don’t need to tell you to come alone” The line went dead
“Did you trace it?” Jemba asked excitedly
“Yes, but its useless. The signal kept rerouting and bouncing to different sites” He studied his screen with a frown.
“Apparently the call came from a country in West Africa…Nigeria”
“That’s impossible” Anderson said
“Now its in Egypt, Australia…..” he switched of the monitor angrily. “Tracing it is a waste of time”
“So you mean it can’t be traced?” Williams was surprised. He hadn’t come across anything impossible for streetwise, so long as it had to do with a computer.
“I can trace it but he’d have to be on the call for a longer time. I’d follow the bounce site and catch on to the IP of the router, zero in on the location by-“
“It doesn’t fucking matter! What do we do? How do we do whatr we will do? That’s what matters. I need my girls back” Anderson’s voice shook and Williams placed a hand on his shoulder “Take us to the drop zone”
“Now?” Anderson looked at him
“Yes now, we need to get familiar”



The Showdown
Two dozen men armed to the teeth with automatic rifles, helmets and Kevlar vests had taken position in the shadows. They knew what to do, they were experts in it. It was simple: Kill.
Unkown to them they were all sitting ducks to Davina and Jemba. The two deadly women were at opposite ends of the drop zone, some 150 yards away and they all observed the men through the scope of their sniper from the trees they were perched on.
“I can see about two dozen men, but no sign of Braham and no sign of the girls” Davina said into her mouth piece.
The agents took strategic positions, behind trees, on the benches in the dark, behind flower beds. The moon wasn’t out tonight and it was easy to blend in the darkness. One of the agents saw a hobo, a homeless man lying on the floor fast asleep. He looked at his partner. “No one would miss him”
“No, no gunshot yet…until we have the file” So they paid no attention to the dirty tattered man.
Jemba and Davina had relayed the position of the men to him and he walked warily to the bench and sat down. He placed the file beside him like he had been instructed and tried to calm his beating heart. His twin berretta guns were in his shoulder holster, worn over his bulletproof vest and under his coat but they offered no comfort.
“I can see someone matching Braham’s description” Jemba said
“Any sign of the girls?”
“No….not yet”
Anderson sighed and watched the figure emerge from the darkness and walk towards him. Braham sat beside him keeping the file inbetween them. Two agents had accompanied him and they stood few feet away with their weapons trained on Anderson.
“Anderson, its so good to see you”
“Where are my girls?”
“Relax, you would see your daughters…where is the file?”
“That’s it on the bench, just as you instructed. I’ve done my part..now where are my girls?”
Braham took the file slowly like he had all the time in the world. He began leafing through the contents and Anderson wondered if he could see a thing.
“You know I always considered you as a friend, one of the best top agents, and I recommended you for a very important mission”
Anderson scoffed “The so called mission was never for National security. You used me to kill Anderson because of the leverage he had against you and Trump”
“Yes, but it was quite unfortunate that the so called leverage would fall into your hands” Braham got up, replacing the contents in the file.
“I’d miss you Anderson, itv was fun working with you”
He turned to leave and Anderson jumped up frantically “Where are my daughters?!”
“I’m sorry about your daughters” braham said. As he passed the two agents, he instructed them with a discreet nod.
As the two agents trained their guns on him preparing to end his life, two gunshots rang out in the still night, dropping both men to the ground. Thanks to the sniping skills of Davina and Jemba.
The rest of the agents immediately opened fire on Anderson but he had anticipated it and dived behind the bench. Lucky for him it was a stone bench
“Braham is getting away! Should I get him down?” Davina asked in his ear piece
“No! that’s the only link to my daughters!” Anderson shouted “Williams where the hell are you?”

Suddenly the homeless man woke up from his sleep. he retrieved an Mp5 rifle from the nearby bush and opened fire on the agents. cutting them down in twos with the powerful weapon. Jemba and Davina took down more agents one after the other, sniping them with perfect headshots. Williams employed every skill he knew, rolling from behind a tree to another as he sought cover from the return fire, and doing cartwheels before shooting back. He was getting overwhelmed. At least a dozen plus men were still alive shooting at him and Anderson.
“Ghost where the hell are you?” Williams was the one to shout this time.
Like a real ghost, he dropped down from a tree, his sword in his hand as he began slicing away before his feet even touched the ground. He stuck the nearest agent, slicing his jugular with a clean swipe of his sword. He grabbed another agent, performing a kunte’ martial art defence move as he disarmed him, dislocated his shoulder and pinned him, using the agent as a shield from the incoming bullets while he returned fire with his arrow. Handling it perfectly with a hand.
The agents were disorganized, they had been focused on Anderson, all of them training their weapons on him and advancing slowly. Then the homeless man had attacked from behind shooting them down with a lethal weapon. As they focused on the front (Anderson) and the rear (Williams) the Ghost had dropped in their middle and began slicing away. Not to talk of the two snipers taking them down with ease one after the other.

+++++
“Braham got away” Jemba announced over the ear phone
“He’s the only link to my daughters! what do I do now?”
“He got away but not for long” Streetwise spoke up through the earphone. “He made a call to someone instructing them to kill the girls”
Anderson gasped. Davina said “My God”
“I managed to trace the call, its at a warehouse at Kernal drive”
“I know that place…the agency uses it time to time….its not too far, we need to hurry” Anderson shouted breaking into a run
“Will, you’re injured” Davina said worriedly watching blood trickle through his hands as he held his shoulder. He had been shot. “Its just a scratch…a grazr. let’s hurry” but he knew a bullet was lodged in his shoulder.
The deadly gang hurried out of the park to the car steetwise was in, waiting for them with the ignition on.
“Braham is mine” Williams said

CHAPTER 3
The team had been set up in a 3 bedroom bungalow. The house belonged to pastor Bartholomew and he had offered it to the team for the duration of the crusade. Osi wondered where the pastor himself would be staying. He made up his mind to ask him.
“What kind of meeting is this? For how many hours? This is quarter to three!” the deacon asked loudly from the bedroom. He had taken one room, Bukky being a female had a room to herself, that left Osi, the driver, Gregory and Ovie with the last room. Ovie being direct and straight forward had wanted to join the deacon saying the rooms ought to be shared two to one. Osi had restrained him saying the three seater in the parlour had looked tempting.
“With all due respect, pastor this your humility would make people like the deacon think you’re a fool they could ride on” Ovie said
“The Lord exalts the humble and humbles the proud and arrogant” Osi replied. He patted Ovie on the shoulder when he apologized and went to the kitchen to check on Bukky.

Bukky was preparing jellof rice in the kitchen. She was pleased with the utensils she had met. The driver had helped her carry the foodstuffs from the bus through the back door. He was currently outside cleaning the bus.
Osi walked into the kitchen “Something smells nice”
“Brunch is almost ready” she replied with a smile
“Brunch this is too late for brunch already”
“That’s true…its almost 3 o’clock. God I’m starving……where are you going?” she asked Osi as he headed towards the back door.
“I’d like to stroll round a bit, farmiliarize myself with the village.. I’d be back soon”
“Please don’t get lost oh”
He chuckled opening the door “I promise I won’t”
++
The mention of her late mother had brought to many painful memories. Amara walked the lonely path with her mind faraway. Her mother had died two years ago after battling diabetes for more than a decade. Her mother had been beautiful. kind and she had een her daughters best friend and their confidant. Amara remembered the talks they used to have while her mother plaited her hair in her favourite style (cornrows) or while they prepared dinner. Suddenly she missed her mother so much her heart ached, she yearned to speak to her. Without knowing it, she headed towards the path away from home, where her mother was buried.

++

The devil watched her as she approached the grave site. After the meeting, he had watched her walk alone and on impulse had followed her at a distance. He couldn’t believe his luck when she had chosen the path that was lonely and surrounded withy grass and trees. He could feel himself growing immediately hard as she squatted down to run her hands along the marble surface of the grave yard.
The devil imagined the different ways he would have Amara and he couldn’t wait anymore. He imagined laying her lifeless body on the grave when he was through with her. He couldn’t wait anymore….no….he had to have her now!

++
Speaking to her mother always brought her comfort and made her feel better. She talked about anything she could think of from what she had prepared for breakfast to her younger sister, to Oluchi and Paul and the stranger(s) she had seen that morning.
“He was very tall, I was surprised to see them but Pa Kenneth explained that they’re pastors here for a crusade”
She suddenly felt a presence behind her and heard the breaking of dry leaves. She whirled around and gasped “You!”………..

dedicated to countrygirl happy birthday in arrears...hope you had fun



In the crowd the villagers all listened to their leaders. All was silent and the only voice to be heard was De Nwachukwu’s powerful voice.
Okudili sat at the back where he could keep an eye on Amara. He had been on the lookout and had even come to the square early with the hope of seeing them. But they had arrived late, just minutes before the opening prayer. Okudili paid zero attention to tye words coming from De’ Nwachukwu. He was more interested in the daughter. He frowned as he saw the young man in the leather jacket lean in to whisper something in her ear.
De’ Nwachukwu: “I need to appeal to everyone of us, we can not allow one demon to come and ruin our happiness and our peace as a community”
“This is the time to stand together, be on the lookout, 0ur youths and young men especially, we boast of some of the best wrestlers in the neighbouring billages. We need to task ourselves with protecting our women, we need to fluch out this person and we need to be united to do so, the worst thing is he is one of us, he might even be sitting here listening to me….”
He let that hang in the air as he took his seat.
Pa Kenneth who was still agile for a man in his eighties stood up to address the villagers. “As we speak, visitors from another state arrived in our community few hours ago. They would be hosted by our very own Bartholomew and I understand you will come in contact with most of them over the course of the week. I want to implore you to receive them peacefully, people of Amaife have always been known for their hospitality, let us not let that change”
“Our daughters are landing in the mortuary without passing through the hospital and you want us to be hospitable?” Someone shouted from the crowd and immediately there was a chorus as the villagers broke into murmuring and side talks.
Pa Kenneth tried to calm the crowd “My brothers and sisters, we need to play our part, if you can expose this monster through diabolical means please, please and please do that but let us not refuse our brothers who serve pastor Bartholomew’s God the chance to do so” His attempt at silencing the crowd backfired as their voice increased. The recent killings had gotten under the skin of everyone. They had all looked to their leaders for a solution and had come to this meeting with renewed hope thinking: ‘our leaders would tell us what to do’. They were not pleased with what they were hearing so far: Unity? to be Watchful? No way! the voices increased as they grew more unsettled.
De’ john stood up in a desperate attempt to calm the villagers. Raising both hands he called for decorum, but alas the uniform voice of protest grew louder.

A figure emerged from the crowd. He walked briskly to the front and conferred with the leaders. Pa Kenneth nodded and gestured to the crowd with his hand as if to say “they’re all yours”
A funny thing happened, The moment the man opened his mouth to speak, the crowd fell quiet. It was Stevenson.
“People of Amaife, you all accepted me in your midst and I’m grateful for that. I’ve learnt so much from you all, I’ve been able to get priceless material for my book, but not only that you’ve taught me values that were alien to me in my country”
He began to pace “It’s so unfortunate what has been happening the past couple of weeks, but I assure you all whoever he is, he would be caught, your leaders are doing their possible best and its up to us to do ours, our firls and women please never you walk alone. If you’re going to the farm, go with your brother, if you’re going to the stream don’t go alone, take someone with you. With time whoever is doing all this would slip up out of frustration and we’d catch him” he paused, stopped pacing and looked at the crowd till his eyes met hers “As you people would say, 99 days for the thief, but one day for the owner”
“So we should allow 99% of our daughters to be killed first abi?” the voice from the crowd fired again
“Don’t mind the idiat!” Okudili added, his voice dripping with ,much contempt.
The crowd started shouting again.

+++
“Did you see the way Steve looked at me?” Oluchi asked Amara after the meeting as they walked home.
“Yes Oluchi, I saw it” Amara replied. Although for a minute she had thought the European had looked at her.
Paul who had stayed behind to greet and catch up with his old friends caught up with them.
“Amara, I’d like to come over and say hello to your father” he said as he tried to hold her hand.

Amara didn’t need a soothsayer to know what Was coming next. She had to talk with Oluchi, she couldn’t afford to lose their friendship and at the same time she couldn’t be dragged into any relationship. All of a sudden she needed to be alone. She needed to think.
“You know what? I need to check on my sister Joy and need to prepare food for my father. I know he would be very tired”
“That reminds me, I heard about your mother passing away, I’m so sorry” Paul gave himself a mental kick for not remembering earlier.
“Its alright, Oluchi we’ll see later”
“You shouln’t go alone”
“I’d bbe fine, I’m sure I’d see Joy on the way”
“What’s wrong with her?” Paul asked his sister as they watched her walk away.
“She’s upset”
“About what?”
Oluchi had no reply to that she just shrugged.

OlufemiWhit:
Nice story....more ink to your pen

tnx alot bro welcome on board

Maryclaire1:
Don't I just love this dude I love the way u started this story...I wonder who the devil is..thanks for the invite...dview001 I site u ooo u no send me my song again ...Donteanz bigger u I pray HBD...souloho19 ride on sir I dey your side gidigba

at last you're here..been missing ur posts..welcome Mary

Castleberry:
Following

welcome dear, tnx for following

Countrygirl:
Your description is top notch, it's as if osi and the other characters lives in my neighborhood.


Thanks for the update and today is my birthday oo.

Happy birthday in arrears to donteanz #August born

happy birthday country:: many happy returns and wishing you every good thing in life. Remain blessed dear.
P.s: ur update is ready just waiting for electricity to transfer from paper to nl.

@donteanz u're a twin?

Frankenstein:
Very nice story, Souloho19. I especially like what you are doing with the Deacon character. I'd like to think that I already know who the 'devil' is but I am hoping for a pleasant surprise.

However, I would rather have such an engaging story not narrated in the omniscient POV. It limits depth, ambiguity and emotional conflicts.

Thanks bro Jah bless.
I understand what you mean and I would have preferred 1st person narration but I'm trying to work on and improve my description writing that's why.
I'd try my best tho

Dedicated to Donteanz. Happy birthday bro, wish u long life and prosperity.


The foundation of life church Amaife had recorded an increase in members over the past few months with a significant increase within the last few weeks. As a matter of fact, plans were being made to move to a bigger location (especially if it was one in the other end of the village and away from the stream)

Pastor Bartholomew had started the church few years ago in a small shop. The pastor who had been relatively young at the time converted his shop and started a six man church service every Sunday. At least six was the maximum amount of people who could sit in the small shop and still breathe easily.

With time, there were more chairs outside the door and window every Sundays. Before long, the wall of the next door shop had come down and the church had been extended. With shrewd planning and careful arrangement the extended church could contain 15 people.

The chairs increased once more, and the third wall came down. The church expanded to a 30 man church.

Before long the church had bought off the remaining shops in the complex, renovations had taken place and the church had grown and was still growing.

When the bus parked in front of the foundation of life ministries, Osi was beginning to feel the first signs of hunger. He got down chasing thoughts of food and the young lady out of his mind.

Deacon Oforbuike remained in the bus studying the church. He didn't come down when Osi and the rest did.

"So he's going to remain in the bus now" Gregory said under his breath.
Osi ignored him as he observed the church. He was quite impressed but at the moment he was searching for any sign of life. The place looked deserted.
"That might be a good idea, I'd rather go in and check for the pastor alone..you all wait in the bus"
"I prefer the open breeze..inside the bus is too stuffy if you know what I mean" Ovie said slyly.

Osi knew what he meant perfectly, he also knew he had to caution his team.
"Look..during the course of this crusade it is very important we keep our mind and thoughts right..and our attitude too" he looked towards the bus where the deacon sat with arms folded "don't let anybody push you, because when that happens, you could be easily pushed to sin"

With that he strode towards the church.
He hadn't taken more than two steps when the door opened and the deacon got down. He hurried to cover the ground Osi's long legs had eaten.

He followed Osi silently and Osi smiled because the Deacon had such a petty psychology that he needed to be in the front always(as the leader) however his short legs were no match for Osi's and save for breaking out in a run, his fastest walk could only draw him level with the young pastor.

A young man rushed out before they got to the entrance.
"Good afternoon. You must be pastor Osi" he said to the Deacon. He was certainly dressed like one.
"no..I'm the pastor" Osi spoke up when the deacon remained quiet.
"Oh....sorry about that, pastor Bartholomew told me you would be coming in today. I'm to set you up in his house-"
"Where is he? Is he not around?" The Deacon interrupted.
"Actually....he had to go to the village square for a meeting but he'd be back"

°•°•°•
The three wise men as they were called kicked of the meeting at exactly 10 minutes past 1.
Pa Kenneth who was the oldest man in the village invited pastor Bartholomew to start with the opening prayer

After the prayer Dé Nwachukwu addressed the crowd. "My people, people of Amaife over the past four weeks there have been unrest among us..among our daughters. We all know that three of our families have been thrown into grief concerning the loss of our daughters"
He paused, looking at the crowd. Dé Nwachukwu was an orator and he knew how to use his words to good effect.
"We are gathered here because we can not afford to lose any more of our daughters"

captainpower:
I hope d waiting will worth it;;; more ink to ur pen

Thanks bro, the pen rili needs more ink

donteanz:
Chop knuckle my brother. I dey celebrate today shaa

Donteanz happy birthday brother, many more years lived successfully, with joy and prosperity.
Cake fall on you

Fellow litlanders pls join me wish ma bro HBD

meneski:
Your head don dey touch abi??

What happened bro, seeing so many deleted posts

Kimkardashain:
weldne

Tnx dear, happy sunday

Deacon Oforbuike chose the seat next to the driver. He saw himself as the leader of the group and as far as he was concerned he was in charge of the crusade.

Osi didn't mind the deacon sitting in the front one bit, he actually had a lot of things to discuss and go over with his colleagues.

He was dressed casually in a blue jean and a black sweatshirt. Gregory had on a blue striped shirt tucked into black pants and Ovie had on his xxl polo shirt and his elastic brown trouser.
Bukky had worn the magazine's polo shirt.( a cream top with the church name: new life ministry' in the front and the words: "on fire for Christ" customized on the back)
The deacon had dressed formally in a 3 piece suit.

Osi didn't think it was a wise choice especially with the sun already out by 9 am. The bus was cool however with the air condition on full blast.
The bus belonged to the church and the church's official driver was behind the wheel.

"I'm still going to remind you all that we should pray and commit the journey and the crusade into God's hands abi?" The deacon asked from the front.
Osi stopped going through the fliers Bukky had printed "you're right...please lead us in prayer deacon"

The deacon mumbled something that was definitely unflattering under his breath. "Everybody close your eyes"
"Driver not you o" Ovie spoke up drawing a chuckle from Bukky.

The deacon shook his head. These were the so called leaders of the youth church? Where was the church heading to for God's sake?

°•°•°••°
The park was a walkable distance from the house and so Amara and Oluchi set out late in the morning to welcome Paul who was coming from Lagos.

Oluchi had pounded yam while Amara had made the bitter leaf soup. Oluchi's mother had smiled feeling very happy. She already thought of Amara as her daughter in law and she couldn't wait to see her son. She saw him last almost three years ago.

"Are you sure his bus would have arrived?" Amara asked as they approached the park "we can't afford to miss the meeting"
Early that morning the town crier had gone round announcing that there was to be a general meeting at the market square and every family was meant to be represented. Her father had also echoed it when Oluchi arrived and they had prepared to leave.
"Don't forget to be at the market square before 1 o'clock, the meeting is very important"
"Yes papa"
"Yes Dé"
"And don't forget to move in twos or in a group...never walk alone!"

They arrived at the bus park few minutes before 12. As usual the park was rowdy, a lot of people were arriving at Amaife in preparation for the age grade ceremony which was to hold in a fortnight and so bags and different kinds of loads could be seen in every direction. Some carried by young men in carts as they transferred the bags either to or from buses for a little amount of cash.

"I can't see the bus yet" Amarachi said shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand as she scanned the park.
"This park is too big, lemme try and call him but network is not really strong sef"
Oluchi said checking her phone.

Amara moved in between buses leaving her friend behind to look for network. She couldn't really remember what her friend's brother looked like but she knew she would recognise him if she did spot him.

A luxurious bus caught her attention. The bus was different from the other transport vehicles. It was clean, looked brand new and didn't have any sticker or inscription bearing the name of any transport organization.

She moved towards the bus more out of curiosity and as she got closer, the front door opened. An angry looking man dressed smartly In a suit stepped out and stretched. He wore a big frown and seemed displeased about something.
"He's probably frying inside his coat under this hot sun" Amara thought to herself as she watched the back door open and a lady come out to stretch also.

As she wondered who these strangers were, the tallest man she had ever seen alighted from the bus next. He shook his long legs, kicking the air and was rewarded with a cracking sound.
Amara stared at him, at first marveled at his height but then she looked at his face and something happened. She couldn't look away. She stood transfixed looking at the tall slim handsome stranger.

°•°••°
Osi had suggested they stop at the bus park first before heading to the church to see pastor Batholomew. Bukky was pressed and so was Ovie. His own legs had been killing him after staying in a sitting position for so long and he could tell the deacon needed to stretch too because he offered no resistance when Osi had suggested it.

As he stretched his legs and felt blood begin to circulate, he looked up and saw Amara looking at him.

For a second Osi's heart skipped a beat and his breath seized. The wind was knocked out of him as he looked at Amara. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and he just couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Pastor are you okay?" Ovie put a hand on his shoulder when he came out of the bus. The rest had gone to locate the toilet to relieve themselves leaving just Osi, Ovie and the driver with the bus.
Ovie placed emphasis on the 'pastor' dragging Osi's eyes briefly to him. He smiled mischievously.

When Osi looked back, the girl was gone.

°•°•°•°•°
Amara found Oluchi talking to Paul excitedly outside a shop were he had gone to buy water.
"There she is!" Oluchi said as she approached them.
"My God, its been so long, you've really grown into a beautiful angel just like I predicted" Paul said with a deep voice.

Amara held out her hand a bit absent minded. Paul took her hand then drew her and enveloped her in a bear hug.
He was dressed in a black leather jacket, blue jeans and brown boots. His hair was cut stylishly and his beard was shaped, running along his jaw. He looked good.

Finally he released her and smiled.
"We have a lot of catching up to do. I know you'll like the gift I got for you"
"Ehen...so you didn't get me anything abi? Its only your wife" Oluchi chipped in
Paul was pleased Amara didn't playfully but firmly object(as she was known to do) when Oluchi called her his wife. God bless his sister.
"Sister you know your big brother now...I got something for everybody.

Amara hardly heard a word that was being said. Her mind kept on drifting to the bus and to the tall man who had gotten down from it.
Strangely she found herself wishing that they (he) were(was) not passing by but had come to stay.
"I've missed you so much dear" Paul was saying as he took her hand.

°•°•°•°•

The devil got ready for the meeting… he stood in front of the mirror for some seconds whistling as he buttoned his shirt. A part of him was thrilled that he was the cause of the emergency meeting but another part was getting frustrated. He was a serial rapist and a serial killer but lately he was getting hungrier for more. Less than 48 hours he had Chisom in his secret location, underneath him as he pounded her roughly and disvirgined her in the process before the sight of blood drove him to an excited frenzy and he lost control and pummeled her to death with blows and a small turning stick. He loved drawing blood. The smell and the sight gave him a lust for violence.
The devil was crazy
The devil was a sociopath
The devil was a crazy sociopath
And he wanted Amara.
He shut his eyes as he pictured her face again, stroking himself to an erection. Amara... Sweet Amara...

dview001:
I'm so loving this piece ...mazi souloho good morning

Thru out the duration of this story you are Hereby called Dé view
Happy Sunday bro

donteanz:
I guess i'm not totally wrong if i should call you the devil's advocate, Uncle souloho19. E no easy for person to dey write about devil if he no sabi the nigga wella.
I dey feel this your work big time. Okrika FALL on you

Lol tanks bro..abeg make Prada fall on me o, no be okrika

Anderson was worried. He kept pacing to and fro, his frantic steps leaving disorganized prints in the sand.
"Its alright calm down, they'll be safe" Davina tried to calm him down.
"Why is the phone not going through?" Anderson held up his phone. He had been trying to call his wife but there was no signal bar on his phone.
"Everything on this island is encrypted. This is a hideout, no calls can be made or received here, streetwise made sure of that"
Anderson threw up his hands in frustration. He hadn't felt as helpless as this before. "So where the hell are they?"
"Relax they'll be here" Davina spoke up. She was sitting on a rock watching the ghost as he tested the spring of his bow and inspected his arrows.

The ghost was meant to disappear, something he was good at. Only Williams knew how to reach him. However he had asked to see a picture of Anderson's family and after staring at the picture for some seconds he said: "we'll keep your family safe, don't worry" he decided to remain.

After Anderson had told Williams that his family might be in danger, Williams and streetwise had taken the speed boat to a close island (saint Kitts) they had a boat plane on the docks of saint Kitts.

Williams assured Anderson they would go and look after his family but Anderson was worried. He wished he had picked his wife's call 48 hours ago. Now so much had happened.
"Look that's the plane. We'll get there in no time, Williams is a good pilot. One of the best" Davina assured him pointing to the approaching plane in the distance.

°•°•°•°•°•
Anderson's wife Meredith was a lover of nature. She had a soft spot for horticulture and had a beautiful flower garden and vegetable garden she tended to. The garden decorated the entrance of their town house. Colourful flowers like Dahlia, lillies, rose, sunflower and many more gave the house a serene and beautiful look.

That afternoon the garden wasn't peaceful. Meredith had planted her favourite (white rose) flower around the driveway and outside the garage. But the white rose was stained red, red with blood. Meredith lay in the bed of roses.

She wasn't dead, not yet but she had a terrible head injury where she had been clubbed on the head with a heavy metal.

It happened when they got home. As she drove into the driveway waiting for the automatic garage door to fully open. An ice cream truck had come from nowhere parking behind her car and boxing them in between the garage and the van.
Instinctively she locked the door with the central lock but the window was smashed with the butt of a rifle.

Her daughters were dragged roughly from the car and when Meredith attacked one of the men, screaming and trying to free Samantha from his deadly grip she was hit on the head with a massive spanner. She was thrown into the rose bush as she immediately became unconscious. The thorns pierced her body drawing blood but she didn't feel it as she collapsed in the bed of roses, her life was not a bed of roses.

°•°•°•°•
Don Boffinjay had chosen to be the bait. The guinea pig to be used to get the target: Williams. He had volunteered to do it after hearing Don Hadampson outline his plan, the rest of the Dons had been quiet. None of them had spoken. For the first time the Dons focused on the feast before them, suddenly hungry and not looking up as the roasted pork seemed to draw their attention.
Finally Don Boffinjay had said: "you cowards, I'd do it...Hadampson your plan better work!"

°•°•°•°•
Thousands of feet in the air,
Streetwise was also a good pilot. Countless times in the past he had flown Williams and Davina to different countries and different continents to carry out hits and get their contracts.

Williams left him in the cockpit and went to the back of the plane to speak to his team.
Anderson was holding his phone to his ear frantically. His wife's phone had been ringing for the past ten minutes but no answer.
"You shouldn't do that on the air, wait till we land" Williams commented.

Anderson wasn't listening. He was about to dial the number again when a message entered his phone.

Hoping he would see something like "I can't pick up now, I'm busy would call you later
He opened the message eagerly.

He wasn't prepared for what he saw.

Pictures of his two daughters tied up with duct tape over their mouth. Their eyes were wet from the tears they had shed. Under the picture was the instruction: Bring the file by 12 midnight to the drop zone in L.A or else....
.Anderson's fave went white with fear as his heart stopped beating for some seconds. Jemba sat up worriedly, she had been studying him "what's wrong?" She asked

Okudili was a beast of a man. That is if a beast could be 5 foot 7 inches then Okudili was one.
His lack of length was made up for with excess width. He had a barrel of a chest, strong thick arms and his low center of gravity ensured he was one of the most successful wrestlers in Amaife.
He was also well loathed and well respected although the respect was more as a result of fear and not a deep feeling of regard.

Okudili was simply referred to as the "village drunkard" he was known to spend all day chasing skirts from dusk to dawn.
He could always be found in the market square. When asked why he spent all day sitting under the giant oak tree in the market, he had famously replied: "if someone wants good eggs, one has to go to the poultry"

Same thing could be said about the market square. The thing was, in Amaife almost everything sold in the market was farmed and grown, every family had a piece of land where cassava, maize, groundnut, vegetables and even rice was harvested and the daughters sold the processed goods in the market square. The market day was held every four days but Okudili had a permanent spot under a giant tree in the center of the market. He could be found there every minute of the day where he frequently ogled the daughters of Amaife.

"Elizabeth, how are you!"
He shouted at a young girl who carried a tray of vegetables on her head. She ignored him but quickened her steps when she passed the tree.

Okudili drank from his bottle(which contained unspeakable mixtures)
He watched the swaying of the young girls hips and licked his lips "the young has grown...see little Elizabeth o"

He watched her lustfully for some seconds but then he frowned. His eyes had come across Stevenson Gadot.
Okudili hated the man with all his being.

Stevenson was loved by everybody. Every girl and yes every woman in Amaife secretly or openly had a crush on him.

Okudili snickered "All because of his useless white skin"

Stevenson was white. He was an European, some kind of history college professor who had taken a special interest in African culture. He was single and so had quit his job easily and travelled to another continent, in search of adventure and knowledge.

He had landed in Amaife a year ago and had visited all neighbouring villages but had chosen Amaife to settle down and write a book.

Stevenson was from Ukraine, he was 5'11 in his early forties and quite a handsome man.
But he was loved by all the villagers because of his humility, respectful and caring attitude.

As Okudili watched on, Stevenson helped an elderly woman load firewood inside a truck.
"Thank you nna'" the woman said happily
"No problem, you shouldn't be doing any heavy lifting"

"Useless white man" Okudili scoffed from his tree.

"Hey O.k, what are you drinking today? Let's share a drink" Stevenson stopped by the tree as he usually did every time. He always referred to Okudili as O.k, and Okudili didn't appreciate it one bit.

"This drink is for real men! Your type should drink ribena and leave this for men" Okudili replied him rudely. The only thing that had kept him from beating the man to a pulp was because he knew he would be in trouble with the community.

"Ah..I'd bring by a bottle of scotch later, you'd enjoy it" Stevenson said, apparently oblivious to the hatred being spewed his way.

•°•°•°•°
Amarachi and her friend: Oluchi walked round the market. They were browsing through for ingredients to make bitter leaf soup which was Paul's (Oluchi's brother) favourite.
"So he's coming tomorrow not today?" Amarachi asked her friend as they approached a woman selling stockfish.
"Yes, he had something to take care of last minute but he would be here by morning"
"Okay o"
"I know you can't wait to see him. Mama otu tu oma...ego lé"(good morning...how much)

Amarachi just smiled as she watched the exchange between her friend and the woman.
Her friend was bent on playing matchmaker and fixing her up with her brother. Well she loved Amarachi like a sister and even got along with her better than her own sister but she was going to disappoint her on this issue.
She wasn't ready for any relationship.

"Let's go...this her price is too high for me" Oluchi said taking her hand and turning away from the stall.
"The best time to buy things is during the market day, things are much cheaper then" Amara observed

"Oh my God...look at Steven" Oluchi gasped suddenly.
Amarachi turned and saw the European under the tree talking to the village nuisance.
"What could they possibly be talking about?"
"God..he's so fine, I...." Oluchi sighed dreamily.
Amarachi shook her head. "You need to get over this your crush Haba!"
"Its not just a crush..I think...I think I love him"
Amara had no reply to that.

She could see both men were looking their way. Okudili was looking at her the way he always did that made her feel uneasy.

"Amara! I'd like to see your father" Stevenson called out as they got closer "Oluchi how are you today"
Amara could feel the excited vibration emanating from her friend.

"Dé Nwachukwu is out, he and Dé John left early today" she replied politely.
"No problem, I'd check back later" he waved cheerfully at them before turning.

The two girls continued with their shopping "I don't like how Okudili always looks at me" Amara commented
"Is it today it started?" Oluchi asked her playfully.
She then proceeded to fill her ears with how she and Steven could double date with Amara and Paul and how it would be a match made in heaven.
Amara was silent, she hadn't met anyone who woke any kind of feelings in her but the funny thing was she felt that was about to change.
She made up her mind to be open minded and free when meeting her friend's brother Paul the next day.

dview001:
me sitting opposite maryclaire (my e-crush) with other youths in the village square chewing kolanut and sipping palm wine listening to Dé souloho stories one thing is sure after souloho finishes with the story ehn the devil go dey look for okrika to wear but he no go see .,.Dé soul wehdone sir

Lol Dé view welcome brother

vakjay08:
Souloho can i tel u sth abt u? U faithful 2 ur readers. U no dey starve us at al. Kudos

Thanks boss

Countrygirl:
Souloho19 you started a new story without inviting your loyal fan. It's not fair oo

country do u really believe that?
Check ur mentions, I mentioned every single moniker from the previous thread. And I didn't even need to check to remember yours