EFE (Book 1 in The N. A Series)

Prologue

April 28th, 2019

Light poured in through the glass decoration windows on the second floor ceiling, the unmistakable smell of new machines, medicine and plaster coated the morning air of Godlifestyle hospital, Delta state, Abraka.
"If you could walk, where is the first place you would go?" A slim fair woman wearing a stethoscope around her neck asked her patient, a teenage girl in a wheelchair.

"I will go home. I can't remember anything from before my accident" Efe answered the doctor. "Check up" she yelled, placing her last card on the heap of worn out whot cards.

"I have no idea how you keep winning" Dr Ngozi chuckled turning up the volume of the television hanging in the private lobby of the hospital.

"I win because I know everything about whot. I'm the uncrowned Queen of this game" Efe turned her attention to the television.

"... this is the eighth death of a senator in the past two months. I really think we should pay attention to the fact that nobody knows the cause of their deaths. The doctors are all claiming that it was heart failure. Deaconess Jackson don't you think it is a mighty coincidence?" The spokeswoman turned to a woman in reading glasses, wearing a pink gele.

"It is not a coincidence that they all die like that. I honestly believe that there is a reason they died like fowls" Deaconess Jackson swallowed "I can boldly tell you that they all had something in common. They stole from the poor to feed themselves, they all robbed the people that put them in their position. Now the cry and prayers of those people have gone to kill them..."

"Ah Deaconess Jackson!" Another woman wearing too much makeup interrupted. "This is not Nollywood oh.. Prayers cannot kill a person, talk less of eight people Haba" The lady was obviously the realist in the group of people seated at the table on set.

"Yes Deaconess Jackson. I do believe what madam shola just said. I as a doctor, can say that it was a heart failure because I looked at the first three bodies and nothing was out of the ordinary. I don't believe that there is a God in heaven"

"Wait oh! Nobody is asking about your beliefs.. She asked a question for us to answer from our point of view and I did. I do not appreciate the fact that you both are ganging up against me. I want to believe in my God that created the heavens so let me be! I know for a fact the those men and women that died of 'Heart attacks' according to doctor Ugo here, their hands were not clean, I won't agrue their case because they got what they deserved."

"Now this is something, I can agree with you on" Madam shola piped in again.

"As a deaconess, don't you know that you should not talk bad about the people in authority.." Doctor Ugo wanted to start an argument.

"See me see wahala oh! I have not said anything wrong. I just stated what evidences have proven times without number. Abi am I wrong for doing so?" The middle aged CAC Deaconess tapped the spokeswoman.

"I don't think so ma."
"Eh-hen" she replied, turning to face the other two.

"Madam Shola do you not agree that there's a place in the bible that says something about taking against your rulers?" The sly older man smiled at Shola.

"I have heard something about it but in this case, this does not apply because you want to mock her. What is wrong with you?" Shola frowned. They had completely gone off topic, before they started shouting at each other, the spokeswoman turned happily to the camera. I'm afraid our session today will end earlier that scheduled, drop your comments and questions on our website. We will have time for them on our evening radio channel. Tune in and stay safe.
I am your humble host, Nnkemnacho Jennifer Ogiriki" Voices raised in the background before the show stopped.

"Nawa for NTA oh" Efe laughed along with Ngozi. She had been her doctor since she got admitted in 2014. For a doctor, she wasn't the nicest person in the world but she knew how to do her job, keep a conversation interesting and going.

"Oya goan take your bath, it is after eleven"

"Okay ma! I'll be going" Efe packed up her whot then rolled to her room.

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

Senator Matthew O. R. as he was commonly known, strode out into the hot night of April 28th and with him, two girls on each arm. He rubbed his eyes all over them, pushing them into the limo parked in front of a bar. He was a regular there, the girls giggled in their tight exposing dresses.
"Driver! Dey drive.. Dey drive" Matthew pulled off his suffocating Agbada, revealing his bulging pot belly. "Eh fine girls who want to go first?" The tallest girl pulled out a bottle of champagne from the freezer between the seats, she laughed, pouring the senator an already laced glass. He drank it without thinking twice then fell asleep after a minute.

"Thank you ladies" A young male voice called from the drivers seat. "Have a nice night"

"You're welcome" They called cheerfully as they exited the limo.

****
"What is your greatest fear senator?" The male from earlier dumped a bucket of water on Matthew's balding head. The owner of the voice, stood with a black mask covering his face in an all black clothing

"Who! Who are you??" He shouted from the chair he was tied to.

"Stop barking and answer my questions. I'm on a timer, I don't want to resort to torture" At that word, the senator gulped.

"Lion. I fear lions! Now let me go!!" He demanded.

"Thank you for your cooperation" He walked away. Matthew sighed. He was free, or so he thought until he heard a growl from behind him.

"No no no no no!!!!!" Lions pounced on the senator.

When the illusion became undone, Matthew was already dead and the doctors would once again rule this death as one of natural causes.

"Nine down, one to go!" The boy yawned leaving the room without a trace to suggest his existence.

****
"You are a minute late, you're getting sloppy" A tall plump woman in a check two piece suit complained.

"I'm not. You're clock is fast, mother!" The boy dressed in black pulled off his face mask.

"Don't talk back to me, boy. You are wrong and late! Be sure to not repeat this next time. The next time you're this sloppy, you could be dead.. " She walked behind him talking to his hind.

"Sure mother." He replied, entering into his room. Agu Nwandike, his mother, rested her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I say this because I care about you. Marco International needs you so you can't afford to slack behind." Agu repeated the words she usually did.

"Okay mother. I promise to break my record" He turned to look at her. "I will make you proud!" His eyebrows narrowed slightly in determination.

"Good. Now take a shower and eat something" she ordered walking away to plan his next kill.

Once she was out of sight, the boy pulled off his clothes and repeated his routine.

Kill.

Get back.

Shower.

Eat.

Train.

Sleep.

Just to do it all over again.
He sat at his spot in the dinning hall staring through the large glass window. The moon peeked at him from behind the clouds.

He sighed, pushing his plate of fried plantain and eggs away.
He was tired, not just of the food.

Of Life.
'What is missing?' He asked himself.

***

Efe glared at the half moon smiling down on her. It was night once again, the only time of the day she hated because it was time to fall into the blurry visions she called dreams.
She turned away from the window, repeated hitting her fists on her legs forcefully. She couldn't feel it yet she cried.
She was tired.

Tired of her life on repeat.