GHOST (The Shadow in the Dark)

Part Twenty Three

          For the first time in a long time, I could concentrate on my lectures. As I walked back home I got a call from Ken, he wanted to find out if I had change my mind, if I would allow him to take me to the candle night. I still gave him same answer.
    I was excited but could not place why, I was supposed to be sad but I kept having a tingling sensation in my stomach. I had no idea where he was taking me to but I was not afraid, I had not forgotten he was an assassin, just wanted to hear his side of the story.  I checked the time, it was already 7:30 yet no text from Ghost. I sat down on my bed looking at the phone and wondering if I should text him. I remembered Wild, his brother. It felt so wrong and confusing that they were assassins. But I had seen him kill those police officers. Wild’s voice was so full of power that it made one feel waves and waves of calm and tranquility. A message came from the DPO.
‘Ella, any news?’
‘Good evening Sir. No news yet but I’m sure I will soon find out.’
‘Okay, don’t forget who your loyalty lies with.’
‘Okay Sir’ I replied him hoping I did not lie.
My phone blinked again.
‘You can come out love.’
That tingling again, it extended to my chest.
‘Can you stop calling me that?’
‘No love.’
     I was outside in less than two minutes but he was not there by the gate. Suddenly, I felt him. It was like my body was empty and void, then his presence filled it up and made it whole and alive. I turned to try locate him but could not. My phone blinked.
‘I’m right beside you. You can move now.’
I wanted to reply him but saw I was running out of time. I started running to Back Gate, all the while feeling his presence.
I saw some group of people putting on black like me, each having a candle with them. I followed behind them and ignored their arguments on whether Boss would come back after everything must have calmed down. That was all they argued till we got to Hall 2 Car Park.
           It was crowded and the entrance to the hostel had lots of candles already burning. Students who came with more than one candles lighted them and placed one among the candles on the ground then held one. I had just one with me, I never knew they would arrange it like that. I could still feel him when my phone blinked but it was not him.
‘Where are you, come to the ebelobo tree.’
I struggled to push past the crowd and located Ken resting by the tree with lots of girls crowding him, there were also some guys. He started walking to me as soon as he saw me.
“Glad you made it.”
I nodded. He took my hands as we walked to the funeral floor. I allowed him hoping Ghost was seeing me and would get jealous. My phone blinked.
‘You are a very bad actress, you need to meet my sister to learn acting. I am nowhere near jealous when you are mine.’
“Is it that guy again?”
I locked the phone and placed it by my side.
“That’s a yes.”
I could not answer because a music started playing and it was very loud, it suddenly stopped and someone took the mic.
“Ladies and gentlemen, great uniben students, my heart is too broken, my eyes have emptied its water, my voice is gone from being overused but even after all my organs have become weak, my mind still functions, it keeps asking me, will I be the next victim? The cry of the wounded, the tears of the innocent. Who will hear our pleas, who will give us justice? Who will explain to a mother that her son will never come home?  Such innocence, a life is worth nothing to them. I live in fear every day, afraid I must have stepped on someone’s toe, afraid I will soon have a bullet in my skull, afraid the cold earth will keep me forgotten while my killers plan another victim. Who will plead our cause, who will grant him justice?”
He started crying making many to join him. I could not hold back my tears and I allowed Ken pull me to him.
Another person took the mic from the first boy.
“I don’t have words to describe this fallen hero. Does it matter? Will it bring him back to life? My brother my friend who will give you justice? How can I tell you to rest in peace when your killers still roam the street? Don’t you dare rest in peace, let your innocent soul cry for vengeance, don’t ever rest until they stop breathing, then you can rest in peace, Emeka don’t rest in peace…….” He started crying and was replaced by another person.
“Ladies and gentlemen, great students of Uniben, let’s send Emeka home with his favorite song.”
Almost immediately, ‘You raise me up’ started playing.
I cried and sang along with our candles raised high. As we sang the last part, students started screaming his name. Some ran to the where a big banner of his picture was hanging and started hugging it. It was so emotional and heart wrenching to watch. I was so sad even when I knew justice had been served, I could not fathom the pains of others who had no idea Boss and the guy who shot him were dead. Many could not stand, they went on their knees, they all surrounded the candles on the ground and started chanting his name.
“Those are his course mates” Ken said.
His voice showed he must have cried too. The crowd was massive. The park was filled up to Hall 1. My phone blinked.
‘Come to me Ella.’
“I need to go.”
I started finding my way out of the crowd before Ken could question me. My phone blinked as soon as I got to the entrance gate of Hall 1.
‘Come to the tree opposite you.’
I walked to the tree but no one. I felt heat at my back and turned. I threw myself against him. He wrapped me in him that I could only breathe him.
“I’m sorry for your loss. I’m sorry I could not save him” he said kissing my hair.
I did not say anything, I just felt him.
“We need to go.”
“But where?”
“Don’t ruin my surprise Ella.”
He held my hand and we started walking towards the direction of the Library.
“Are we trekking? No bike?”
He did not answer but made me to stop walking. A car was by our side. It was black and flashy, I had no idea of the product.
“Hop in” Ghost said opening the driver’s seat.
I entered because I trusted him, it wouldn’t have changed anything even if I did not trust him. He followed immediately.
“At your service” the man on the wheel spoke.
His voice was also masculine, I could not see his face or full size but he was not lanky nor huge just in-between.
“Okay dude” Ghost said.
I turned to look at him but grabbed him instead. We must have been flying because there was no way a car could run that fast. I held on to him and closed my eyes, then started confessing my sins in case we crashed and I died. But Ghost was laughing at my expense. I started breathing when the car was brought to a halt.
“Open your eyes Ella, we did not die, it was a smooth ride.”
I raised my head and looked at him.
“Please make sure you inform me when it’s going to be a rough ride, let me plan my funeral.
“Okay” he answered my sarcasm and opened the door.
I followed after him and stood frozen by the door when I saw we were at an open field and there was a helicopter in the middle.
“Let’s go.”
He held my hand but I pushed it back.
“Go where?”
“A surprise. Have you never flown in a helicopter before?”
“Yes, I use it to travel for my lectures every day.”
“Okay, so you won’t be afraid of this one.”
And with that, he raised me and placed me on his shoulder and started running towards the helicopter. I was too stunned to protest and I only found my voice after he had dropped me on the seat.
“I was being sarcastic” I shouted.
“Okay” he answered but started belting me up.
“Okay? Okay and you are belting me up?”
He did not reply immediately but wore me a helmet.
“There is always a first for everything.”
He was through with me. He started belting himself up and I just did not know how to react but I knew immediately that voice spoke.
“Ready to have the ride of your life?”
“No no. He can fly a helicopter too? Please no, I want to come down. I change my mind about dying please.”
It all fell on deaf ears because he held me to my seat. My fate was sealed when the door closed and the helicopter went up.
I had never flown in a helicopter before, I had no idea how it felt like but I was sure it was not what I was experiencing. I could not tell if it was flying sideways or upside down. I just knew I was tumbling and tumbling and tumbling and I would soon die. I held on to Ghost and closed my eyes.
“Open your eyes, wear this goggle and see the beauty of the night” Ghost shouted to my ears.
“I’m okay with the ones I have seen.”
He responded by laughing. The ride must have lasted for centuries but at last it ended. I had cheated death twice in one night.
     I held on to him and refused to come down even when the noise of the helicopter had stopped.
“It’s okay, it was another smooth ride.”
“What the heck is wrong with your family? Does the word normal exist in your dictionary?” I shouted raising my head up but it was not Ghost who answered.
“Ghost you did not tell her we are not normal?”
“She is yet to believe me.”
“Unbelievable” I shouted.
“Exactly what I just said. She does not believe me” Ghost said.
“Take me down right now.”
“Yes ma’am.”
He took me down and I discovered we were in another field, there was a car close by.
“Where are we?” I asked as we walked to the car. He had a bag on his back.
“Don’t ruin my surprise.”
I had already entered the car when I discovered his crazy brother was on the wheel again. I tried to open the door but it was shut and Ghost was not with me.
“Thanks for the ride, but I’m taking over from here.”
It was Ghost. I breathed a sigh of relief. He was the one going to drive.
“I should follow a brother to the end of his journey.”
“I know what you and others are planning. Tell Wolf mission failed, you are not going to sabotage my plan.”
“You know he still has all the time for a pay back, you are now the new focus, Wolf has passed the baton.”
“This is private Fast, nor spoil show for me na.”
“Shebi wen you dey taunt Wolf, you forget your own go come.”
I wished I understood what they were talking about.
“It was just a prank” Ghost said.
“Pickpocketing his wedding ring and making him look stupid on his wedding day was just a prank? Then Pup’s flowers? You delayed the wedding for an hour dude.”
“But that’s like two years ago now.”
“And you think the Wolf will forget? I hope my food did not join what is in your bag because I will bury you I swear.”
“You know you are compromising my mission right now?”
“The mission you have already compromised. Idiot. Shebi you go come home, we dey plan your fuck up for you… shit.”
“There is no shit here, I heard you loud and clear, five thousand box or you are missing the pot breaking ceremony and you won’t go near GG and AI.”
I had no idea what Ghost meant.
“Guy cool down, I am leaving.”
“Better” Ghost responded.
“But our show still dey on sha? You go still pickpocket GG and AI for a ride?”

“For sure, just nor try mess me up today.”
“Whatever.”
He opened the door, I tried to have a glimpsed of his face but could not because he had switched off the car’s light and I was not wearing any night vision goggle.
   As Ghost entered the driver’s seat, I felt nostalgic of something, the right word was family. I could feel the oneness radiating from them. Somehow these criminals were one family and they even had wives. The world was not fair.
“Where are we?”
“Don’t ruin..”
“My surprise” I helped him finish his statement.
“Who is Wolf and Pup?”
“My big brother and his daughter.”
We were already on the road.
“Wild, Ghost, Fast, Wolf and Pup. I understand Wild because he just have a wild way of doing things, I understand you because you are just like a Ghost, Fast is very obvious but Wolf and Pup? That is weird.”
He stopped the car and turned to look at me. I became afraid, I had forgotten who he was.
“Because he has the attributes of a Wolf and his daughter has similar attributes. Stop fearing the wrong thing.”
He ignited the car and continued to where I had no idea.
“Are you not afraid I will tell?”
“You already did. You already told him my name is Ghost, if he can track down my code name, then he will know the others. It’s better, he needs to know who he is up against and he needs to know he has no hope.”
“So I can ask who is GG and AI.”
“Nope.”
“What is the difference?”
“You will know them at the right time.”
I had lots of questions to ask, like was he really protecting me? They sounded too different from criminals I had watched in movies.
He stopped the car for the second time. He came out of the driver’s seat and opened my door for me.
I could not narrow down my environment. He opened the booth of the car and carried out his big bag plus the smaller bag. It looked like all those huge military bags American soldiers use to carry in movies when going on a mission. I turned to study my environment but my face was covered.
“I can’t let you ruin my surprise.”
He held my hands and I allowed him lead me to wherever he was going to. We must have walked for more than ten minutes before we stopped. At some points, he had to lift me. I could hear a familiar sound but could not place it. He pulled off the cloth and wore a spectacle on me.
“Open your eyes love.”
That word again. My stomach did not forget to respond to it. I gradually opened my eyes and I just could not believe the beauty before me.
“Welcome to Erin-Ijesha Waterfalls also known as Olumirin waterfalls, Osun State” Ghost said wrapping me from behind.