Saved by my nightmare (A Nigerian Story)

CHAPTER 36

Abuja, Nigeria
2019

"Good morning" the nurse who always glared down at Maliya whenever she passed by greeted cheerfully.

Maliya was taken aback, and rightfully so too. It was rather creepy seeing a cheerful grin on a face that had only glared at her.

It wasn't like Mary, the nurse expressly showed her rather misplaced annoyance at Maliya.

However, Maliya had noticed on several occasions how Mary had thrown her dirty looks when she thought Maliya's attention was elsewhere.

Despite the dislike for the rude, foolish nurse, Maliya had still respected the fact that she wasn't hypocritical in her actions.

She hadn't ever pretended to be nice to Maliya, always mumbling a half-hearted greeting whenever she passed by Maliya in the hospital.

Except today.

Still lost in thought over the unusual greeting, Maliya took a right walking languidly towards the orthopaedic ward.

Frozen in spot at the sight she was immediately faced with, Maliya failed to recognise the nagging feeling of being glared at.

"What is this?" Maliya breathed, her eyes raking over the baskets of flowers on her desks.

Virtually every one in the wards had their eyes on her, confusion laced in their eyes.

Maliya stared blankly at her flower-filled table, taking a mental note of who their sender could be.

After what seemed like years later, Maliya had mentally scanned through everyone she knew, but came up with nothing.

A white speck caught her eyes as she walked towards the pink wooden basket.

Her fingers shakily drew a white note, whose seal had already been ripped open.

Trembling, her fingers unfolded the paper, heart pausing for a split second in anticipation.

Her heart soon beat erratically, in fear and anxiousness, anticipation crawling up her spine, craving for something, but not knowing what exactly it was.

Her hands peeled open the note, the gazes of everyone around fixated on said note.

Three black-inked words were calligraphed against the paper, three words that only served to heighten her already peaked nervousness.

Look behind you.

As if frozen to the spot, Maliya gripped the note firmly in her hands, her responses on hold as her limbs struggled to initiate movement.

The shocked, stunned expressions her colleagues suddenly had, coupled with the heavy footsteps that resounded against the linoleum floors had her heart plummeting and stomach coiling in anxiety.

Those footsteps....they sounded like those of the boots her father used to wear when he came back sweaty from his annual naval root marches.

Slowly, Maliya's bodily functions began their restoration process, the unquestionable anticipation for whatever it was her cryptic heart longed for, controlling her movements.

In the microseconds it took her to turn, a name she hadn't uttered in over a year settled heavily on her tongue, waiting to be spoken.

Zayn's calm, smiling face met her as she turned, forcing her parted lips to shut as an unexplainable anguish filled her.

In the second her face contracted into a slight frown, Zayn's smile faltered but then returned as she schooled her expression into one of happiness.