Project Fishers Of Men

Chapter Twenty

This chapter is dedicated to maramartha ur_favouritexx UjuritaElliana  I love you guys so much ❤️

Please read the author note below.

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The overwhelming sense of dread had just fully settled in as blood pounded in her ears. Her heart palpitated. Her hands shook.

"We need to find Temi." Ogechi gushed out, trying to hold onto Mezie's wrist but it slipped away.

Her vision slowly blurring out, dozen needles and pins danced around her feet. She had to find Temi. She had to save the only friend she had.

"T-Temi, Temi." She didn't know if she was making sense at all.

She moved, but instead her shaky legs gave up on her with Mezie almost a few seconds late in catching her. She took a slow, long deep breath then tried to stand and move away from him.

"N-no," her speech breaking. "I'm.. I'm fine, Temi." Instead of letting her go, Mezie tightened his arms around her.

"Ogechi you have to calm down, Temi is fine and..."

"Don't tell me to calm down! I'm calm." She lashed out pushing herself away with her unsteady hands as her breath increased erratically. "And you don't know if she's safe, we don't even know where she is, what if he has already gotten to her? What am I going to do without her? What if she's dead?"

Mezie pulled her back to him in a tight hug. "It's going to be okay, everything would be fine. Temi is not going to die, we're going to find her before he does." He assured her.

She clutched his biceps, her fingers wrapped around it so tightly that her nails dug into his skin. Breathing was excruciating. Really painful. As if she was drowning in her own breath.

Then she cried.

"Over there." OJ pulled Kunle to her, pointing at someone afar.

Kunle squinted his eyes to make the image clearer. As the figure drew closer, he was able to identify who it was. "Obidike." He whispered. "Why is he not..." Kunle turned towards OJ but was cut off by how close they were. He could feel her hot breath directly on his face, their bodies were pressed together with OJ's hand firmly wrapped around his wrist. How on Earth did they get so close.

OJ cleared her throat and moved away clearly affected by their unnerving proximity. She looked everywhere else other than Kunle. She cleared her throat again as the heat on her face rose up.

"You were saying?" She asked trying to divert her attention elsewhere.

"Oh!" Kunle scratched the back of his neck, trying to remember what he was about to say. His eyes moved around her never ones stopping on her face, his usual self was slipping in again and he didn't want that. He loved how confident he was around her and he wanted it to stay the same.

Spotting Obidike close to Chidimma and Moses brought back what he wanted to say before the awkward situation happened.

"I was going to ask why Obidike wasn't dressed as one of the performers." He gestured towards where Obidike stood.

"Why don't we find out." She said and was about to take his hand again and pull him towards their  Obidike but then reconsidered, she was done with too much awkward situation. "Let's go."

Few feet away, Obidike noticed them and nodded towards where they were. Moses and Chidimma followed it and waited for them to get face to face.

"We were just talking about you." Moses said with one of his hands placed on Chidimma's waist while Chidimma hands were wrapped around her arm trying to keep the cold at bay.

"Really?" OJ narrowed her eyes at Obidike. "Humour us."

"Nothing really serious, he was asking about your whereabout." Moses answered.

"He asked about everyone." Chidimma quickly added.

"Really?" She questioned again with an icy stare. "Why?"

Obidike was taken aback by the sudden, hostility OJ was emitting.  "What is going on?" He cocked his head in total confusion.

Kunle quickly jutted in knowing OJ might say something harsh or rash. "Why aren't you dressed to perform?"

Obidike still confused but replied. "I'm unclean. I didn't get to go for the cleansing ritual before the festival." He pulled his brows together in a scowl. "Did I do something wrong, am I being interrogated?"

Kunle tried to speak but OJ quickly cut him off. "Anything that suits you." Throwing him an accusatory glance.

Obidike gasped feeling a bit offended then turned towards OJ trying to justify himself from the accusatory look she had on him. "I was busy taking care of your friends bodies and trying to make sure it doesn't get out to the villagers."

"I don't understand." Chidimma glanced at Kunle and OJ. "What's going on?"

"They suspect Obidike is behind everything." Moses spoke up.

Chidimma chortled with disbelief. "You can't be serious." Shaking her head as she stared between Kunle and OJ. OJ still had her accusatory look, Kunle's look were matching that of OJ. She turned to her boyfriend who was starting to look convinced. With wide eyes she asked. "Don't tell me you're convinced? Obidike has been nothing but helpful since we came to village. Why would he want to kill us? There's no single reason."

"Hidden motive. There can be a hidden hidden motive." Moses reasoned.

"I have no hidden motive." Obidike looked offended.

The day had gotten darker. The logs crackled in the fire placed in the middle of the market square, illuminating the figures of two large masquerades tussling as their respective members beat the gongs, play the flutes, drums and sing praises to them. Though they festival still went on, it had been forgotten by them.

The big bonfire surpassed the full moon shinning and brightening up the environment.

"Maybe his just a psychopath." OJ suggested.

"He's not!"

"I truly feel offended."

Chidimma and Obidike spoke in unison. The former Chidimma and the latter Obidike.

Obidike threw a soft glance at Chidimma. "Thank you." Moses tightened his hold on Chidimma a bit.

OJ stared at every inch of his body visible to her. She still didn't trust him. Murderers don't just go around admitting to their crimes. There had to be something. Anything. She needed anything to connect him to the murders. If Nanret were here she wouldn't be having such a hard time, she would have pointed something out, help her jog her memory.

It's not Obidike. She shook Itoro's words from her mind. Her eyes stopping on his wrist, there it was, proof. Proof that everything she accused him of was right.

She was right and he was wrong.

I can't believe I finally wrote it😭 though it's a short chapter.
Writer's block is a bastard I swear. During the past few months I would pick up my phone or even a book and pen to write, hoping something would come out but I just get blank every single time.

I really apologize for keeping you guys on hold. It wasn't my intention. Hopefully I'm back and this book is coming to an end.

Once again I really appreciate maramartha ur_favouritexx and every single members of clouddust for helping with this writer's block.