OPEN SECRET
CHAPTER Six
Okegbemi Ebenezer
”God, why all these happenings on the day of my wedding? Is I prayed and fasted for the successful of this day, why” John placed his hands on the head as he stares at the dead doctor.
There was no reply from God, he became worried as he moved from one place to another. “I don’t even know what I am to do now, all these happenings is driving me mad. Who should I call, ehn” He lamented as he sat on the floor.
“Are you sitting down while your wife is kidnapped, what kind of husband would do that, you have to start making effort on her release because hmmm” One of the nurses shouted at him and that brought him back to his senses.
He searched his pocket to reach for his phone but he discovered that it was not there. This made him annoyed as he screamed. “Not again!!!”
As he was panting up and down scratching his head and his body as a result of the sweat, Anita who had been watching him for sometimes came out of where she was standing.
“Mr. sorry Pastor John, I think we have to call the police now because nothing must happen to my friend o” She began to weep.
“I am trying but right now my head is not thinking straight and God had refused to answer me” He said to the irritation of Anita who eyes him.
“Am sorry sir, I think we have to act on our own now and not bringing God inside of this because he has given us the brain to think and to the best of my own knowledge the first thing is to report to the police because ehn, I know what am saying o. This country of ours is not secured o and we should not risk anything even the so called government officials are not safe” She lamented.
“Hmm, you are right but the place of God is…” The siren of the police began to blow.
“Thank God, I think they are here” Anita murmured.
The police officers came with ambulance to carry those who were injured in the course of running for safety while the dead body of the doctor was carried to the mortuary.
“Chaii, see as this brilliant doctor lost his life” John soliloquies and wept.
“You have to be strong in this situation but you will come to the station with us now so that you can write a statement and report your missing wife.” The police said to him.
“I will sir” John replied and entered into the vehicle with his inner shirt stained with blood of the doctor, his suit was nowhere to be found.
Anita followed them to the station to write down her own statement as she was weeping all along.
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“Kelvin, so you are alive “Blessing screamed.
“You can’t kill whom God has not killed” He replied laughing.
“So you felt, you were lucky. You and your friend planned to have me dead but now reverse is the case” He laughed louder.
“Ahh, Kelvin, I didn’t mean to that to you, it was reflex action that made me push you , I am sorry , please don’t kill me and my baby” She began to cry.
“Ahh, your baby or our baby. That is what I do tell you, you are mine and mine forever but what you did stabbed the love I had for you so you can escape been killed because I need at least seven pregnant women and your blood is more important because you carry a special child within you” He barked at her.
“Kelvin, ahh, please don’t kill me. I didn’t know you were in a cult group, ahh see how I have ruined my life” She screamed.
“Ruined your life, how is that possible, when I was giving you gifts before that son of a bItch that you call a pastor snatched away from me, I was not ruining your life then right” He shouted at her.
“Ahhh, I am finished” Blessing shouts louder.
“If you scream from today till tomorrow, no one will rescue you because this place that you are is called a dead zone and a place where we majorly specialize in harvesting pregnant women” He explained.
“Kelvin, you have to prepare that woman for sacrifice, we have little time” The chief priest commanded.
“Alright sir” He replied as he moved closer to Blessing and whisper to her ears..”I will know if the God of your husband can save you…ahhh” he moved away from her smiling.
“Ahh, so this is how I will end my life all because of keeping a secret that can’t be kept. Now, I will be shedding the blood of this innocent child for rituals all because of my own selfishness, ahh God please have mercy on me. Deliver me, O lord” She prayed while she soliloquies.
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“You are a friend to her right” One of the police man on duty asked Anita as she was writing down her statement.
“Yes sir, best friends” She burst into tears while John was looking at her with the side of her eyes.
“Sorry madam, don’t weep again, we will look for her but you know that we are going to declare her missing after twenty four hours” The police man said to her.
“Yes”
“So, please I want you to cooperate with us in making things easier”
“Sure I will” she replied
“Okay, according to the statement of the husband, he said that there was a text message she received when you were at the party which caused her to faint but when you saw the message, you deleted it immediately even before the husband check it out” The police man queried.
“Hmm. I did didn’t not know” She began to stammer.
“Please speak up madam”
“Yes, she fainted after reading the message but…” She burst into tears and held the legs of John whowas shocked.
“Am sorry for what I am about to say, am sorry ,,,my friend caused all these, I am sorry” She began to cry.
“Please speak so as to allow us find your friend” Another police told her while Kelvin continued to stare in surprise.
“You see when we were in school, there was this guy… she was dating before she met you and he really loved her but because of Blessings love for you, she jilts him and went for you which made the guy to ensure he takes revenge and that is what he is doing right now. He was the one that sends the message I believe” She told John and the policemen half truth.
“What!!! You don’t mean it and Blessing did not mention him to me” He shouted.
“Am sorry” Anita replied.
“Please don’t be sorry, that is wickedness” John fired back.
“Sir, this is not the time to unleash anger or become angry. The most important thing now is that you cooperate with us so as to free your wife” The police said to him.
“Can you give us the details about the man you are talking about so that we can track him”
“Sure” Anita replied and submitted Kelvin’s number.
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Blessing was sobbing alone in the dark room she was kept when the door opened and she heard two men dragging a woman into the room.
“Please free me, I did not do anything wrong” She screamed very loud.
“You did something wrong madam and the wrong thing you did was getting pregnant, we need the blood of fresh pregnant women” One of the boys screamed back at her.
“Ah, please have mercy on me, there is no one to take care of my little children at home” She begged but they ordered her to shut up or they silence her with their guns.
Blessing tries very hard to look at the woman but the room was dark unless the door was fully opened. It was like that until she started hearing some people discussing outside the room.
“We have gotten like six now, it remains one and you know that the politician had requested for seven before midnight so try and get another. We must remove the babies and pound them for the charm we are to give him” The voice said and immediately fear took over Blessing and others that heard the conversation.
“Death by p******g” She exclaimed.
Not long they brought the last woman and the chief priest swung into action.
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“This is getting out of hand, for seventeen hours now, there is no sight of my wife, not even a call from the abductors to know the amount we are to bring” John murmured very loud that Anita could hear him.
“Sorry sir, I pray God comfort you in this situation, we will see her” She replied
John was pacing round the room when expecting a call but none was coming in. Anita seized the opportunity to initiate a chat with him.
“Sir, I think you should relax a bit and change your dress that has been stained with blood and have a bath because you can’t stay like this for long. It will start smelling and it is dangerous to your health” Anita persuaded him.
“Just let me be” He replied.
“God why all these” He added.
“Okay, what about food sir, at least you need strength to think and do other things, I am sure your wife would be found, lets have a stong faith” Anita added.
“Thank you but I don’t feel like eating now until I see my wife” He said while Anita smiled a bit.
She went into the bathroom and changed her dress while John was going to and fro in the house…
************
“Bring them out now” The chief priest roar
A big pot bellied man was standing with a calabash to take the blood of the pregnant women. The women were brought out while they take away the veil covering their eyes.
They shouted when they saw the popular figure that was holding the calabash.
“Ahh…”
“Yes, you have seen him which means none of you can escape this” The chief priest announce but before the k1lling, they will check to know if the child was useful for the sacrifice.
“You, come over” He pointed to the first woman who was shivering.
They tied her two hands at the back and placed her head on the altar where they cut it off at once. Blood was gushing out while the man with calabash collected the blood and swallowed part of it. Blessing was shocked that she vomited. So this how she would also lose her life.
The second woman was called and same thing was replicated , the third the fourth , fifth and the sixth till it got to the turn of blessing.
“You, get up and enter into the altar, you blood is the most precious” The chief priest said.
She struggled with them but she was tied and her head was stretched on the altar. Blessing could not say much but was just asking for God’s mercy…
The axe man raised up the cutlass to cut her head when a loud scream was heard…
“Help!!! Me!!!”
To be continued. OPEN SECRET
