GHOST (The Shadow in the Dark)

Part Fourteen

I cried for a long time but I had to stagger back to my hostel because I knew crowd would soon come out to find out what had caused the shootings and I did not want to be found there. It was still raining and I was shaking badly when I entered my hostel. I did not take off my wet clothes, I sat down on the tiles and continued my mourning. I should have known the kind of person I was dealing with. I should have remembered how he had rendered six armed policemen useless in less than ten seconds, I should have known he was not human, there was no way he could be human. A human wouldn't have been able to take out those men unhurt, a human would not be able to control my emotions, the feelings I had was not human. I had read a lot of books but none had a description of what I felt except the supernatural books about vampires and werewolf. He was a ghost. If only I had sat down to think of who he really was, I would have prevented the death of so many men. And now he was pissed off. The deal was off and he was going to be killing every single person trying to protect me. I had to think of a solution, a way out. I picked my phone and sent him a message.
'Please I'm sorry, I could not take the deaths anymore that is why I did what I did please kill me instead. I was the one who set you up, I was the one who wanted you dead' but the message was not sent.
I dialed his line but I was told the number did not exist. He meant everything he said. I dialed the D.P.O's number but he did not pick so I sent him a message.
'Please sir withdraw your men. You can't protect me and you should know that already, I can't stand anymore deaths.'
The message went through but he did not reply, I just hoped he would listen to my plea. I just did not understand how the Nigerian police had suddenly changed and become serious that the life of just one person was worth more than a hundred police officers. I only knew it was so for U.S.A, I never thought Nigeria had joined them. My phone started ringing and I rushed at it thinking Ghost had changed his mind but it was Ken. I wanted to ignore his call but I really needed someone human at that moment.
"I have been waiting for your call."
I did not answer, I did not trust my voice.
"Ella."
"I'm sorry, just had a rough night."
I started crying, I just could not hold my tears.
"Ella are you okay?"
"I'm not."
"Can I come over?"
I removed the phone from my ears to check the time, it was already past 12:AM.
"It's late and you don't know my place."
"It doesn't matter, don't bother about me, please."
I thought about it and decided I would be better off if someone was around to distract me.
"Okay, I will send you the direction."
I cut the call and took off my wet clothes. I had to quickly arrange my scattered room and fold my clothes, then changed the bedspread which was still wet.
I received a call about twenty minutes later and I just knew he was by the gate. I went to open the gate for him.
He had come with his car, but he would have to leave it outside because I did not have the key to the big gate.
"It's dark but I don't need light to know you look a mess."
He was standing by the gate not yet inside. He pulled me to him as soon as I locked the gate. I allowed him hold me and resumed by tears. The ice feeling was not there although I did not feel warm like Ghost's touch. The fact that I was thinking about him was making me cry more.
"It's cold, let's go to your room."
I took him to my room and it was when I had locked my door my senses came back that a guy was in my room. There was no power supply but my torch was bright enough.
"Ella why are you always tensed when we are in a closed place. I am not going to pounce on you, it hurts that you don't trust me enough."
"Sorry" I said pulling a chair for him to sit down but he sat down on my bed.
"Come sit down and tell me why you were crying and why you look a mess."
I did not respond but I remained where I was standing feeling scared and tensed. Grandma had said no man was allowed to sit on my bed apart from my husband.
"Can you trust me for once? I promise not to touch you."
But I still stood there. He looked at me and smiled.
"Shit, you are a virgin?"
What was wrong with guys and virginity? Why was it a big deal?
I did not respond but I quickly joined him on the bed. But the way he was smiling was a clear indication he was not going to let the topic go.
"Wow, you are really a virgin."
"What is wrong with that? I am not married" I shouted.
He raised his hands in surrender.
"Sorry I did not mean to piss you off just that virgins are scarce."
"Were you not afraid driving in the middle of the night?"
I had to change the topic.
"Nope, my car is bulletproof and I have taken care of them."
"I don't understand."
"My parents wanted me to have a bodyguard but I told them I have another way. I give the bad guys a lot of stimulus, including rivals, so I'm even protected."
That explained why Mabel was their follow up coordinator in their cult and there must be other girls sent from other cults to capture his heart.
"I see."
I had almost forgotten I had been banned from talking to him and there was no way I would tell him what happened.
"Did something happen recently? I saw crowd down your street."
"There had been some shootings."
I looked away because I did not want him to see my face.
"Hmm, thank God you are safe."
I kept quiet.
"Ella what is wrong? What is eating you up?"
Then the tears started flowing again. I allowed him pull me to his shoulders as I cried my eyes out.
"You know you have not said anything" he said after I stopped crying.
"I am just going through a lot."
"Is it money? Have you called your dad?"
I started crying again because I missed my dad so much, from the very day he returned, he was there for me. He left me with Grandma but he always visited and took me out. He adored me so much. He had wanted to make me come over to join him help with my siblings. His wife also loved me and she was happy I was coming over. I never knew they would die such horrible death.
"Ella your tears are tearing my heart. What did I say wrong?"
At least I could tell him about my dad.
"I don't have anyone. My whole family were murdered."
The shock on his face showed he was not expecting anything close to that. He pulled me to him and I allowed him.
"I'm sorry" he said rubbing my back but I felt nothing, I was still cold.
I pulled away after some minutes. I told him how they were murdered and how I was the only one alive after Grandma had died from the shock of their deaths. I told him I had no money issue and I told him other things apart from what was the crux of my messed up life. We talked till 3:AM and he was a gentleman throughout unlike Ghost who used to force himself on me, but my mind was screaming 'liar.'
He refused to leave, he slept on a bedspread on the ground. I could not sleep because I was worried about what lied ahead. He left around 6:AM. We had Dr. Bright's class by 7:AM and I was not sure he would come but I still had to hurry up to meet up. As I hurried up to school, I saw crowd were still gathered at the site of the shootings.
"I counted twenty five, it's not hearsay. They looked like militia, this one pass cultist fight" I heard a man from my back.
They had walked past me before I could turn and they were still taking oblivious to their environment. How was it possible for Ghost to kill twenty five persons without getting hurt? Twenty five human lives gone just like that, because I was stupid enough to think I could trap him, I could trap a ghost.
Dr. Bright did not come for his lecture, I attended all my lectures half listening throughout, the other half was spent thinking about what Ghost would do. I had made sure I sat down where Ken would not see space to sit and I had avoided him immediately after a lecture. I went for midweek service and went home without another shooting or his presence.
The next day was a bit quiet, I did not feel his presence as I hurried to Dr. Bright's last class for the week which he did not show up for. I remembered it was now a week since my encounter with Dr. Bright. I still avoided Ken and I still tried Ghost line with no success.
As I gathered my books not sure if I would be going for fellowship, Ken walked up to me. He had left Mabel and she was glaring at me.
"Are you dodging me?"
"I had been busy Ken."
"If you say so."
"Can I take you out tonight?" he asked as soon as we were out of the class.
"I have fellowship today."
"Can I join you?"
"Off course" but then I remembered Ghost.
"But not today Ken."
I ran off before he could make me talk more. I entered the Faculty bus and had to wait for some minutes before fellowship started. I was off once they said the grace.
Ghost was on the loose and I could not let him kill my fellowship members. I felt his presence just before I got to Engineering but I could not locate him as usual. I stopped my movement and brought out my phone. I tried to resend the message but it did not go through. I dialed the line but it still said the number did not exist. I turned round hoping to see someone like him but instead, I saw someone going down, then two others. I could not hear the sounds of gunshots but four people were down.
I started running and as I ran, I just could not believe the D.P.O. I was mad at him, how could he just be sacrificing his men like that? Did he not see my text or did he not know all his men he had sent to kill Ghost were dead?
As I got to the gate of my hostel, I felt him again. I turned round but I could not see something out of the ordinary.
"Please, I'm sorry, please, anything, I will give you what you asked for" I shouted.
If losing my virginity would save the men who D.P.O no longer valued, I would do that and beg God for forgiveness later.
I stood there waiting for my phone to blink but nothing.
"Please now, I'm begging and offering what you want, it's all yours, just stop, please" I cried out squatting by the gate.
"Are you okay? Who are you talking to?"
I raised my head. He was one of the tenants, the one with the room adjacent my room who always fought with his girlfriend he was co-habiting with. He was most likely an engineering student because of the blue coat and plank I always saw him with.
I stood up and entered the hostel without answering him. I continued my cries as soon as I entered my room. I had been expecting to feel feverish from the rain that poured on me but my body was okay, it was just my mind that was torn.
For the first time, I felt his presence throughout the night and in the morning. As I hurried for my lecture, I also witnessed another death close to Back Gate. People ran helter shelter but I ran into the school crying.
The lecturer said the president was now involved with the recent killings and had called on the IG to investigate and put a stop to it. But I was sure the IG knew what was going on and there would be many more deaths because they would never be able to find Ghost. He had been surprised I could feel his presence which meant people did not know danger was around not to talk of locating the danger.
As I was coming out of my education class, I felt tensed but did not know why until I was blocked and forcefully pushed to the wall. My head hit the wall and I felt the stinging impact and before I could recover, a slap landed across my face. It was very painful.
"You think say I dey joke with you? You run. I still dey talk to your guy you run commot, you want make I give you the fuck up I plan for am?" Leader shouted.
There were four more guys surrounding him. Students walked by pretending they did not see a girl being harassed. I could still feel the sting of the slap when I spoke.
"I was saving your lives. I ran because you are not looking for a rival cultist, you are like a rat looking for a cat to fight with, he would just use you for feasting."
But they started laughing like fools.
"Let me decide that."
"It's too late."
"Meaning?"
"We have broken up and I can't contact him again."
"Search her."
It was more than harassment and I felt repulsive as one of them dipped his hand in my pocket and brought out my phone. I had never felt so repulsive that I felt like throwing up.
"Search for Ghost."
The guy with my phone nodded and I knew he was dialing the line but like before, a voice said the number did not exist.
"I told you we have broken up and I can't contact him anymore."
The leader took the phone from his boy and smashed it on the wall, scattering it. It was very close to my ear and the sound was deafening.
"You cannot fool me girl, I don see person like una tire and them nor reach me delete. Tell your guy say if he nor meet me for that uncompleted house near winners for Ekosodin this night, say na your dead body he go see within two days."
I turned my face the other way to avoid the spit coming out of his mouth.
They left walking with an air of authority and power, thinking they ruled the crime world around school and Ekosodin. Somehow their leader had saved their lives by smashing the phone because Ghost did not hear him. I wondered how many chances God would still be giving them before they finally met their doom.
The phone was damaged beyond repair. I gathered the broken pieces and decided to skip my other lectures and go home. I wanted to continue avoiding Ken, until I had rested and thought of what to do with my predicament.
As I entered Edo Street, I felt his presence same time I felt a bullet graze my hair, that was the second time in few days. Almost immediately, numerous gunshots were fired. I ran towards my street as others took cover. I saw one drop dead in front of me and another, then another making me shift back but I turned when I heard a gunshot too close to me. Someone was dead, another police officer I knew. I became frozen but found my legs when I saw another die not too far from me. I ran to my hostel amidst the shootings.
I could not cry as I entered my room, I had cried so much that there were no tears left. I was done crying, I was pissed off with Ghost and the D.P.O. I could not take the deaths anymore and I needed to end it. I could not kill myself but I knew who could kill me and I was going to make it happen.