Silas finished eating and sat down once more on the sofa. "What would you have me do?" he asked.
"I want you to make a phone call to someone," answered the ghost.
"Is it to Nova?" asked Silas.
"No, it is to someone owning me a lot of money. I will no longer be around to provide for my family so they need all the money available. This is the least I can do for them," the ghost said.
"Okay, give me the details," said Silas.
Rufus' ghost went ahead to tell him about Collins, the exact amount he was owing him, and the fact that he had the money and was still refusing to pay. Silas asked him how he knew Collins had the money. The ghost replied that he had been monitoring him and listening to his calls and that he even saw his account balance.
Silas dialled Collins' number. When he picked, Silas introduced himself and told him he had a message for him and paused.
"From who?" asked Collins.
"Rufus," said Silas.
"Which Rufus?" he asked further, frowning.
"Your colleague in the office," said Silas.
Collins said, "Rufus is dead."
"He sent me to deliver this message just this afternoon, I am sure you know what that means," replied Silas.
"The both of you can go to hell," Collins shouted and hung up.
If Collins had visited a soothsayer, he would have been advised that paying up immediately was his best option. Every day for the stubborn goat that wanders off into the bush till one day it ends up as pepper soup in someone's pot!
"What now?" asked Silas.
"He won't pay until I teach him a lesson, but I swear, I will make him pay to the last dime. His cup is full," the ghost told Silas, adding that he should send Nova's bank account number to Collins and watch as the drama unfolded. Silas did so and asked him not to do anything in his absence so he could watch.
The ghost grinned and told him he had to be in his office by 10 am if he wanted to be an eye witness. Silas jotted down the address of Rufus' office on a pad.
Silas' phone rang, it was Nova. She called to beg him to help her sell her husband's car. "Are you sure you don't want to use it?" he asked her. She told him she can't drive the car knowing her husband died in it. Silas understood what she meant. He asked her how much she wanted to sell it and she told him. "How are you holding up?" he inquired. Nova replied that she was trying to be strong. He gave her words of encouragement. As soon as he dropped the call, he stepped outside and took pictures of the car and posted them online. He also sent them to the few car dealers he knew.
The following morning, Silas pleaded with Loni to cover for him at work. He snuck out of his office and went to Rufus' office. On inquiry, he was shown Collins' office. Silas positioned himself directly opposite the office and waited, pretending to read a newspaper so his face was partially concealed.
The next thing he heard was a man screaming, "Yeeeeee, don't come near me. Jesus, Jesus!" The door flew open and a man he assumed to be Collins ran out screaming on top of his voice, looking like he just saw the devil. Silas was waiting with his phone video on. He was a bit startled initially but it did not stop him from recording the drama.
There was pandemonium as doors of the other offices opened and people ran out to see what the problem was. Nobody understood what was happening. Collins was running, scratching his back and screaming. He sprinted towards the staircase. Silas and some colleagues ran after him shouting, "What is it?" Adrian and Riggs exchanged glances, shook their heads but stayed put.
Collins dashed down the stairs. He was going too fast. He missed a step and fell. He rolled down the remaining flight of stairs. Silas captured it all on camera.
He hurried away before anyone would ask him who he was or what he was doing. Colleagues rushed to his aid. Collins could not put weight on his left foot. He was taken to the hospital where his wounds were attended to. He had sprained his ankle, bruised his shin, his lips were swollen. Deep, red, and painful whip marks were on his back.
The following day, Adrian and Riggs went to visit Collins. They bought him some fruit and a get-well-soon card. They also gave him his phone which he had left behind in the office. Adrian and Riggs tried to extract the details of what made him behave like a lunatic at the office but he pretended he was feeling sleepy and they left.
This was a great opportunity for Collins to pay back the money he owed Rufus, but he still hardened his heart. Silas watched the video several times in his office, it was hilarious. He wanted to show it to his friend Loni but didn't want him to feel he left the office for frivolity. He was not ready to explain what happened in the clip because it will mean mentioning the ghost. He also didn't want his friend to think he was hallucinating. After work, he hurried straight home and asked the ghost what transpired inside Collins' office.
THE GHOST'S POV
First off, I ensured Collins was alone in his office. I didn't want to risk being seen by Briggs; Briggs is the only guy in my office who can see me. So, I slipped in through the roof and ceiling, descended between Collins and the door. His office was so quiet except for the persistent monotonous hum of the air conditioner. He didn't even know I was there. I patiently waited until he looked up and saw me. The look on his face was priceless! He jumped out of his chair and landed close to the window. There was only one exit and he would have to get past me to the door. I said- "Hello. It's been a while!" He pointed a shaky finger at me saying I am dead and that I should stay away from him.
I told him to quickly transfer the money he owed me to my wife so I will stay away. He replied that he doesn't have the money, promising to pay as soon as he has it. Smiling, I told him the exact amount he had in his account and waited for his reaction. Collins was so shocked he looked like the cat got his tongue this time. I thought the revelation would spur him into transferring the money immediately but to say his heart was hardened is a gross understatement. I ran out of patience and thought it a good idea to motivate him a bit with some strokes of the whip. That might be the only language he would understand.
I twirled the whip I had been holding behind me the whole time. At the sight, he shrunk even further away from me. The first blow landed and extracted a shout. I delivered more in rapid succession as he darted here and there shouting. The slightest opportunity he got, he made for the door and bolted for his dear life. I would have gone after him but for Briggs.
*********
Silas laughed so hard that his neighbor came and knocked, asking him if everything was alright. The neighbor had noticed that he talked to himself and laughed a lot lately. Silas reassured him that everything was alright. The neighbor left shaking his head, hoping Silas was not exhibiting early signs of madness!
"So, what is the plan?" Silas asked the ghost after the concerned neighbor's departure.
"Leak that clip online, caption it- "A wicked soul runs when none pursues him," the ghost said. Silas posted the clip online and turned in for the night. By morning, it had gone viral, and some people in Rufus' office had already seen the clip. They watched it and giggled, wondering who recorded it. Only Adrian and Briggs suspected it was not unconnected to Rufus and they did not find it funny.
"Things are getting weirder in this office by the day," Riggs said to Adrian who nodded in agreement. Both of them agreed it was advisable to be in office only when there were others. They avoided being the first to arrive or last to leave. They planned to keep out of the ghost's way.
Dickson observed those two were behaving funny. He felt something was amiss recalling that Adrian had a cut the previous week and this week Collins behaved like a possessed loon and was nursing even more severe injuries. He thought hard but was unable to figure out what was going on.
"I pray someone does not break their spinal cord next," he muttered under his breath making the sign of the cross.
Collins stumbled across the clip online, watched it, and scowled. He was very furious. At about 2 am on the second night, Collins was asleep, saliva trickled from his mouth unto the pillow. His deep snores sounded like the gusts of a faulty engine. He dreamt he was being chased by a dog with huge fangs. Just as the dog was about to sink its fangs into him, he woke up with fright, whimpering and soaked in his sweat.
Without warning, the lights on his side of the ward blinked twice and went off. A chill travelled down his spine and left him crippled with fear. He jerked to a sitting position with his back pressed against the headboard of the bed gripping the blanket very tightly over his body like it was some sort of armour. He could not run this time because of his ankle. Suddenly he saw the ghost levitating above him, his legs bent in at the knees, looking like the statue of Buddha. It signalled him to remain silent.
Collins nodded. The sound of his teeth chattering together uncontrollably was the only sound he made.
The ghost said to him, "I am here in the dead of night to finish what I started in the office. Since you are bent on making my children suffer by refusing to pay what you owe me. I will take you with me so your children will be fatherless like my children. Then you will have a first-hand experience of how it feels to be absent in your children's life." The ghost slowly raised his hand.
Collins' tears mingled with the mucus flowing freely from his nostrils as he begged, "I will pay, I will pay right away." He cried.
"Of course, you will pay back plus six months interest, and if I am unimpressed by the interest, I will kill you," the ghost said slowly but emphatically.
Collins reached out for his phone with a trembling hand. The phone fell, halfway to the floor. It floated back into his hand. Collins transferred all the money in his account to Nova. When he was done, the ghost said, "If you ever refuse to pay your debts, I will return to take you, consider this your last warning."
Collins whispered, "Thank you."
The ghost was still infuriated. "This is for giving me a difficult time and being ungrateful," with a lightning speed, he leaned forward and gave Collins a brain-resetting slap. Collins didn't see the slap coming. What he then saw were stars dancing right in front of his eyes. Like a whiff of smoke, the ghost faded away as the light was restored to that part of the ward and poor Collins passed out.
After about two hours, he woke up and cried throughout the rest of the morning. The doctors found him still crying during the ward rounds. He could not provide answers to any of the questions asked so they had to sedate him. He could not talk for three days. When he could finally talk, he would not tell anyone the truth about what happened to him.
Nova's sleep was truncated at about 2.15 am by her SMS ringtone. Thinking it was from her network service provider, she ignored it, changed position, and drifted back to sleep almost immediately. She had a very long day and needed all the rest she could get. In a dream and for the first time after his death, she saw Rufus. They looked at one another.
"I wish I could do more," he said.
"I don't understand. How do you mean?" she asked.
"You will understand soon, don't worry," he reassured her.
After dropping the kids off at school, she went to work. At the office, she checked her messages and saw the credit alert from Collins. She was dumbfounded. She didn't know any Collins who would send her such an amount. Then she remembered the dream she had and tears welled up in her eyes spilling unto her face. She wiped them with the back of her hand. She searched her bag for a piece of tissue paper and softly blew her nose into it. "I am sure this is my husband's way of taking care of us," she thought. She fought the tears and returned her attention to the work in front of her.