Ex Officio (#3 EX TRILOGY)

Chapter 15

TT nodded at Akoma and asked, "Everything all right?" Akoma nodded slowly and gulped, her gaze still on TT's eyes. Didn't they look familiar?

He remained at his post and seemed to be shifting his grip on something behind his back. Akoma exchanged looks with Dufie and both settled their gaze on him too. For the next two minutes, the three of them did not utter a word, but the tension in the room was enough evidence that everyone was doing a lot of math inside their heads trying to figure out what was about to go down.

"Why do two people in this place have access to this room without my knowledge?" Akoma asked quickly. It was very difficult to hide the fear in her voice as it trembled slightly.

TT must have noticed, because the grin faded slowly off his face and he cocked his head. "Because we lived here before you came in, remember?" he replied. "What are you two talking about?"

Dufie frowned and asked. "Were you eavesdropping on - "

"I wasn't talking to you," TT interrupted harshly and turned to glare at Dufie, and then slowly, his eyes shifted towards Akoma in a ghastly manner.

Akoma opened her mouth to speak but hesitated and shrugged. She spotted a vein throbbing on his temple and wondered what was going on inside his head. Just when TT clenched his jaw and attempted to draw his hand out from his back, Akoma lunged at him just in time to seize his wrist and bend his arm over his head. It was after the gun went off that she panicked and realized she could have been shot halfway through the attack. TT grunted and kicked Akoma in the ribs with his knee so hard that she bent over and dropped to all fours, coughing and clutching her side. TT pointed the gun to her head and prepared to fire.

"TT, stop!" Dufie shouted and pointed her handgun at him. "Don't make that mistake."

They stared at each other for some few seconds, but the situation was saved when the door was unlocked and Poku barged in fiercely, clamping TT's head in a chokehold and pulling him off Akoma. TT tried to put up a fight, but Poku appeared to be whispering pleadingly to him while restraining him on the spot.

"I said stay down, soldier!" Poku snapped at him and tightened his grip on TT. Slowly, TT stopped fighting and limply dropped the gun, and Akoma noticed his eyes rolling back in their sockets briefly before he finally shut his eyes and blinked repeatedly. Poku let go off him and hit him in the back of his neck with his elbow. TT groaned and bent over, rubbing the back of his neck and panting for breath.

"Are you OK?" Poku rushed to Akoma first and attempted to touch her, but Akoma stepped away and glanced at Dufie who did not find Poku's gesture pleasing. He turned to look at Dufie and asked dryly, "Did he touch you?" Dufie shook her head and looked away. Poku walked to TT and snapped his fingers repeatedly. "On your feet. What is wrong with you?"

TT straightened up and looked straight at Akoma, and that was when she saw the real TT for who he was. It was very clear to her that the look in his eyes few minutes earlier and the look he now had meant that he was surely not himself when he got into the room. This realization pointed to only one theory Akoma was very familiar with, however it seemed to be hasty to conclude that way because she was amongst a group sworn to defeat Ex Vivo, whose founder was a co-founder of Ex Gratia and practiced their witchcraft. Something was not right, and this made her wonder if staying for a couple of days was even safe for her.

"But you - you told - um - ", TT stammered and shook his head, and then he smacked it hard and shut his eyes again. "What happened?"

"That's enough. Go to my office. Now!" Poku shouted at him. TT glared at him for a moment, and shot a terrified glance at Akoma before leaving the room. Poku bent over to pick up the gun and tucked it into his belt under his jacket. He turned to look at the ladies and said, "I am sorry for what happened. There has to be an explanation to this. Dufie, can I have a moment with Akoma, please? It's just for a couple of minutes." He waited for a moment and turned slowly to Dufie when he realized she had not vacated the room yet. "Alone? I will be very well-behaved. I promise."