Eighteen O' Five {ONGOING}🇳🇬

•~~Chapter Nineteen~~•

"Mide, do you think it's real? I really don't want to die."

Those were the exact words she said to me when she came into my room some days before the devil decided to show up. Olamipo suddenly had a pit in her stomach, shaking like a leaf when she walked into my room that night. She talked about how much she was scared for her life even though she had slight disbelief for the number. I reassured her, promised her everything would be alright and she would never get hurt. I promised that. And that was what kept pushing me towards the truck even though my bones ached from the crash. Her words were my strength.

I continued to swerve my feet towards the truck in an unsteady manner like an old drunk. As I shuffled closer, the struggled screams of Olamipo grew audible. It sounded like he was hurting her so much. That only gave me more strength and amplified the rage in me.

Few steps to the truck and my legs seized to move. Hard enough that it felt as though my feet were clamped on the asphalt. As a result, I fell on my knees and hit my palms hard on the ground. That caused the earth to tremble slightly before a ring of deaf and frantic sparkling phantom circled me. Bright and hot, it outshined the stars. It danced in the wind as though it wanted to leap, fly, or land wherever it may. My eyes fell deeply into the arcane blue flames, and all it saw were death and torture. If that wasn't hell, then I'm not sure what it might be.

I took my eyes off the flames and looked towards the truck again, struggling to get myself back on my feet. Olamipo was kneeling outside the truck now, with her hands tied behind her, her head tilted back as though she was pulled from behind by her hair. Pulled by a hand I could not see. The invisible hand pulled harder, straining her neck and raising her jaw higher. She screamed like a possessed little girl. The wild flames roared as she did, causing me more heat in the circle of fire.

The invisible force, by her hair, dragged her malignantly on the asphalt and into the dark woods on the side of the road. She cried out loudly to the heavens as her body was getting mauled by the rugged floor of sticks and stones. Sadly, no heaven to the rescue, only I could, at least. But my feet were clamped and I was trapped in a ring of fire.

After an effortless struggle with a clamp I could not detect with my eyes nor feel with my hands, I managed to set myself loose, somehow. Though, still trapped in the ring of blue flames with the only way out seeming to be a run through the fire or a high jump across it. Both seemed almost impossible, I would burn most likely, definitely, but I was willing to take the risk. If the fire didn't burn me, the guilty conscience of watching Olamipo get hurt while I was there would burn my heart. I had to choose my burn wisely.

I took timid steps backward from where I stood, took in a deep breath like in the ad of mint candy, before running towards the end of the fire.

It played out in slow motion.

My eyes watched as the arcane blue flames danced unhurriedly in the wind, and once again I could see death and torture. Fear engulfed me but I never stopped. I went on, taking my slow leaps towards the boundary. And when I got close enough, one of my feet pressed hardly on the ground as I sprung up to fly across the fire.

Up I was, in the air, almost getting out of the trap, before a huge hand, made of the blue flames unfurled and reached for one of my legs. It held tightly on my left ankle that it burned. I wailed. It then tugged me forcefully into the eerily hot fire. My back, I expected to land severely on the asphalt but instead, it rubbed against a firm, soft, comfortable surface. Weird. Then, quickly, I forced my eyes open. Mysteriously, I found myself in my room, on top of my bed.

A dream?

If it was, then it was the most vivid I ever had in my lifetime. It felt so real and alive. Long, even. I felt the presence of everything aptly-the wind, the fire, the hurt, everything. Admitting to myself that all that, from the kidnap, the car race, the crash, to the fire, only happened in my sleep was difficult.

It had better all been a dream.

I climbed out of bed to check on my dad and sister as doubts still lingered on the horizons of my mind. Dad was in his room, alive, having a good. Snoring, in fact. That was a big relief to my heart. Then, I headed to Olamipo's room. It was in disarray, a complete mess, just like in the dream. Her clothes, scattered around, the makeup things she had on her shelf, too. The window was widely opened as well, giving room for the gush of wind to swirl the curtains around in every manner. Promptly, I looked out of the window for a truck, as it were in the dream but this time, there was nothing. No truck, no sign of her. She was truly gone.

Gone.

Fear gripped me and I screamed.

"Daddy!"

*

Update; next Friday.
See you soon.❤