GHOST (The Shadow in the Dark)

Part Nineteen

         I woke up feeling his hands running inside my hair. I opened my eyes and saw him staring at me. The tension was very high and I felt like pulling up to take those inviting lips.
“A penny for your thought.”
His voice was so husky and I tried to inhale air before I suffocated.
“I’m waiting.”
   There was no way I would tell him I wanted to feel his lips on mine. I quickly sat up. He started laughing making me feel he knew what I was thinking about.
“Your blushing says it all. Me too Ella.”
I did not have anything to counter him with and instead of lying I shifted away from him.
“It’s past 5:AM, we need to start moving.”
He was already removing the mat, the blanket and other stuffs.
He did not drive off immediately after dropping me by the gate of my hostel.
“Ella.”
I was already opening the gate. I turned to answer him.
He had a box in his hands which he was giving me.
“Your new phone, just put your SIM back, the DPO must be worried.”
There was mockery in his voice and I did not have the time to start another debate with him. I nodded and opened the gate.
“Ella” he called again making me to turn.
“I love you.”
I felt heat all over but more in my heart. I did not like the feelings his words were building in me so I entered my hostel.
    As I entered my room, I couldn’t stop wondering if I dreamt about a beautiful place with gyms, flowers, orchards, tunnel, beautiful houses with children and family who radiated love or if it was just an illusion of what I yearned for, a family I would never have. I inserted my SIM into my new phone, switched it on and followed the regular instructions that came with a new phone. A message came in and it was from the DPO. He had sent it the day before.
‘Ella, I want to believe you have everything under control as you said. I’ve lost a lot of men and I will be withdrawing them. Make sure you get the file and make sure he doesn’t get it.’
I quickly replied him.
‘Sir my phone was damaged, I got your message.’
I could not lie to him. I felt a big weight was lifted off my shoulder. My phone blinked before I could drop it.
‘Deal is not off, don’t even think about it.’
‘I am glad you have no one to blackmail me with.’
‘Think well.’
He was right, he could still blackmail me with my fellowship brethren and Ken.
‘I am not breaking the deal, don’t do anything.’
‘Good, don’t forget I love you.’
‘Stop saying that, you are spoiling the meaning of that word, you don’t blackmail who you love.’
‘I have never blackmailed you, you are the one who struck a deal with me to spare my targets’ life.’
‘Which you never did.’
‘I did, they would have all been dead by now. The ones who offended me are the dead ones.’
I remembered he had explained that those who offended him were threat to me but they were not. There was no need to engage in an argument with him. He could use the word all he wanted, because it would never affect me, but my mind was screaming ‘liar.’
Saturday went smoothly and I did not have any trouble when I went to school to read. I kept ignoring Ken’s call. Off course whispers of what happened at the uncompleted building was going on. There were rumors the capon of a cult I did not want to mention was killed by a rival cult and all the other members present were seriously injured. Some said they could not defend themselves because they were ambushed and betrayed by one of their members, people were whispering about which cult group did the ambush and some were genuinely scared it was only the beginning because there would be retaliations and those living in Ekosodin should be careful. So many gossips and whispers made me not to concentrate on what I was reading and the worst part was the nine classes I had moved to read were the same with the cultist talks. I had to pack my books and go home.
  Night came and I waited for Ghost to show up but no text, even when it was already past 12:AM. I was not looking at the time, I glimpsed it on my system. I had to send a message to him when the time hit 1:AM.
I had to take three minutes to construct a message that would not make him think I wanted him to see me.
‘I hope you won’t call me out again.’
‘Miss you too.’
‘I never said I’m missing you.’
‘I’m busy Ella, not tonight. Use the time to think of where your dad could have kept that file, then dream of me. I love you.’
And my heart had to still leap, my mind would soon find another body.
  As I laid on my bed, Ibrahim on my arms, I tried to think of where my dad believed he could hide something only me could find and I only knew I slept off when the alarm woke me up by 6:00AM which was Sunday morning.
A text came when I was about leaving my room for church.
‘Did you dream of me?’
‘I hardly have nightmares.’
‘Love you too. Any news about the file?’
‘Nothing yet and I don’t love you.’
‘Have a nice day thinking of me.’
There was no need to reply him. Service was okay and they had now changed the topic to being faithful to the end no matter what it would cost. I still begged God for forgiveness and I also added that God should make my body act like my mind when it came to Ghost.
  Night came and he still did not show up, I wanted to deny the fact that I was not missing him but I could not. I felt cold throughout the night, not because the weather was cold but because my body was missing his warmth, even Ibrahim could not help. God did not answer my prayer.
     I woke up late the next morning and I had to run all the way to class and as I struggled to get a seat at the back, I knew my last message to him was not completely true. Somehow my body did not want him to go. I could still hear him telling me he loved me.
“I’m not going to let you avoid me today.”
It was Ken and he was now the sixth and last person on my seat. I did not even remember to get a seat where I was the last person. I did not answer him, instead my eyes caught Mabel. She was looking at me from the front but there was something in her eyes, fear. She was afraid of me.  Then I remembered Friday incident, they must have told her and she would not even be able to tell anyone that her cult friends tried to rape me and were spared to live by Ghost except their leader who was the only person Ghost had killed. I had no remorse for his death. Ghost’s sister if she really existed was right, rape was like murder. She turned her head back to the front as soon as our eyes met.
“Ella, please tell me what I did.”
I turned to look at Ken, I was free to go out with him, Mabel and her gang would no more disturb me. From her eyes I could tell, I was hundred percent sure.
“I’m sorry, I was going through a lot of things.”
“I thought we are friends.”
“Even me too, but I was being pressured.”
“Ops, I’m sorry, you still should have told. I’m sorry I made you feel that.”
He did not get me and would never get me.
“I should apologize too.”
“So are we back?”
“Wait, let me check something.”
I quickly sent a message to Ghost.
‘I want to go watch a movie with Ken.’
There was no response.
“Friends” I replied and I was answered with a dimple smile.
“So we will be reading together after 8:00 class?”
I was not allowed to answer because Dr. Bright walked into the class with a plastered ear. The whole class went silent and I felt like hiding under the desk when his eyes caught mine and when some turned to follow his eyes. It felt like one million eyes were looking at me. I felt a hand on my hand. It was surprisingly not cold neither was it warm like Ghost. I shook my head to shake the feeling of his hands on my body out of my memory.
Without even saying good morning to the class or explaining his absence, he started teaching and I definitely did not concentrate. As soon as the class ended and Dr. Bright was out of the class, Ken helped me pack my books and held my hands. Together we walked out of the class and I just knew the noise that started immediately we were at the door was about us. If only my body was normal I should fall in love with him for that action. He had diverted the attention of gossipers from my cult boyfriend to Ken’s girl. We went together to our next class and we had already secured a comfortable seat at the middle when the others started trooping in. The next lecturer was on time to prevent another chat with Ken.
“Good morning, news from the office of the Vice Chancellor.”
He made sure everyone was paying rapt attention to him before he continued.
“The Vice Chancellor has been informed that the recent shootings in the school was due to some criminals using UNIBEN as refuge, kidnappers to be specific, but we were not informed which side had the casualties but the good news is though I don’t believe the story, I am not dumb…”
The class erupted in laughter and he only continued when everyone had calmed down.
“So, the good news is that it is over. The police have promised us that the culprits have been apprehended and students can go on with their activities in school without fear of being hit by a stray bullet.”
And they all started clapping. What a big lie. At least he did not believe it. The culprit was being satiated by a girl sitting amongst them.
“Okay now to the business of the day.”
For once I could concentrate, there was no fear that I had broken a rule and somebody was about to be killed by Ghost.
     Just like the first lecture, Ken held my hands as we walked to read at the Orchard after getting fast food from Omega mobile restaurant by the car park close to my favorite seat.
    I told Ken to explain what Dr. Bright taught and he was glad to. We went for our second to last lecture together and decided to use one more hour to read at one of the empty classroom at H series before our last lecture. Just when we had sat down to read, some group of boys on red burst into the class. At first I thought they were looking for me but I was wrong. Their target was a guy reading in front of us. He was quite familiar, he had been the one to show me where I could pay my Faculty dues, in fact he followed me there. He told me his name was Emeka and he was a three hundred level historian. He must have known he was their target because he stood up to run. He was blocked and punched to the ground in front of the class. He immediately went on his knees.
“What else do you want from me? I wrote a letter and I’ve apologized.”
He was rubbing his palm together. One of them smacked him on his head making him fall to the ground.
“Na letter we dey talk about, shebi I tell you say make you leave that girl for me?”
“But I told you she is not my girlfriend, I came to school to study and graduate with a good grade. I know I shouldn’t have stood up to you when you were molesting her but she is not my girl…”
He was smacked again.
“Molest? To ask a girl say make she be my love na molest?”
“But she said she did not want and you were threatening her, I just don’t like seeing someone being oppressed, that’s why I reacted, I never knew you be boss na. I don beg, buy drink, write letter. What do you want again?”
Another boy smacked him again and the sound resonated in my ears.
“Don’t watch Ella” Ken said pulling my face away from the scene but I removed his hands.
“The girl say na you she want, how that one nor mean say she be your girlfriend?”
“How is that my fault? How that one come take concern me na, see I dey beg, I be the only son of my mother, please, free me let me have peace. I have done everything you asked. Haba.”
He was hit three times and I shrunk from the sound.
“Who you dey tell haba, you dey craze?” the one he called boss shouted.
His cult subjects started pulling him back. They tried reminding him they were in school.
“E be like say you never hear wetin we do Ako and him gang on Friday, no worry, the fuck up when you want dey come.”
He walked out, his subjects following behind him.
What a big liar, he was now claiming the one responsible for what happened on Friday.
   I did not know when I left my seat and moved to join him at the front. I could see some angry swollen marks on both sides of his head.
“I’m so sorry. What can I do?”
He looked at me and smiled.
“I remember you, the girl who wanted the way to faculty secretariat, Ella right?”
He was struggling to hide his pain but I could see through him.
“Don’t worry, it’s like that, they like humiliating people who trampled on them but after some time they find another replacement.”
“But you are not a rival, you did nothing wrong.”
“They don’t see it like that, don’t worry. You are not supposed to be here. They may come back and you will be in trouble, and it will be bad because you are pretty.”
“I wish they will come back, I wish they see me kneeling close to you when they come back.”
“Ella you don’t understand, you need to leave, I mean it when I said you will be in trouble.”
But I understood him, I understood what he was saying. I really wanted that trouble, for once I wanted to be caught in this mess, then these waste in human form would understand what power meant, they would understand how their victims felt and they would know that they were at the bottom of the crime chain.