Chereads / Amadi / Chapter 4 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Chapter 4

Two weeks after the meeting at the beach, Ikenna returns to work to continue his mission.

His colleagues avoid him, thinking he is cursed, but despite this he still tries to be friendly and carry out his duties.

Not everyone is put off by Ikenna's recent string of seemingly unfortunate events however as, Christabelle Chukwurah, who works at accounting has shown some interest in him.

One day during their lunch break, she notices him sitting alone and makes herself feel at home by his side joking, "I hope I'm safe here?".

Taken aback by the unexpected greeting, Ikenna forces a smile and responds, "Why wouldn't you be?".

She laughs and they enjoy their meal together, making idle small talk as they while away time.

As they finish their meal Christabelle asks for his number. He gives it to her and she saves it with a smile and a wink.

Ikenna can only laugh as he goes back to his office to continue drafting his reports.

Once work is over he heads to his car but before he can drive off, he receives a text from Christabelle saying "Let's go out sometime ;)"

He texts back "What do you have in mind?".

She responds, "We can relax at pleasure park, then go see a movie. Is 12 okay?".

He texts "That's fine", drops his phone and heads home.

The next day they meet at Pleasure Park for their date. After seeing the movie they walk about the town, talking and laughing.

As the sun sets Christabelle says "It's getting late, and I have choir practice tomorrow".

Ikenna laughs, "Haha so you sing?".

She leans on his shoulder and responds, "Yes I do and I'm really good too… " then kisses him on the cheek saying, "Now take me home".

They walk hand in hand to his car, and he drives 39 minutes to her house.

After he drops her off he heads home, satisfied with the outing. As he drives along an empty road he gets a text, he looks down at his phone and sees it's from Christabelle but as he picks it up to read a woman jumps in front of his car.

He slams his foot on the brakes and escapes hitting her by several inches then rushes out shouting, "ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!?".

The woman smiles and responds, "I built you better than that, a simple car accident isn't enough to kill you".

Ikenna hisses and changes his tone upon realising it's Ada saying, "Oh it's you, what do you want?".

Ada walks to his car window saying, "There's a group of villagers, not far from here, who keep bursting pipes and messing up the place, we should pay them a visit tomorrow don't you think?".

Ikenna asks, "Aren't they victims as much as you are?".

Laughing, she picks up his phone, unlocks it and says, "Nobody is a victim darling, they are all guilty and they will all pay for what they did!".

Ikenna sighs and angrily takes his phone from Ada who tells him, "I've set the reminder and location, see you soon and don't bring your car".

Ada waves him off and disappears into the forest as he speeds off into the night.

That Sunday morning Ikenna takes a cab and treks deep into the bush to where he was supposed to meet Ada.

As he gets closer he sees an ever increasing number of snakes and thinks to himself, "Yup, I'm in the right place".

He sees Ada sitting under a tree and she greets him saying, "Wow you're on time, doing well so far".

Ikenna growls, "Just tell me what we have to do, the mosquitoes are killing me".

Ada gets up holds his arm and says "I want you to think about an object, really focus on it and try to build that".

Ikenna asks "Umm are you sure that…", Ada's annoyed stare stops him dead in his tracks and he resigns "Okay I'll try".

He closes his eyes to think and his arm slowly turns completely black and morphs into a whip like tentacle.

He opens his eyes and recoils in shock but Ada grips him tightly and explains, "Do not be afraid, this is yours to control as you wish".

Ikenna breaks away from her and moves the tentacle around, he uses it to pick up some rocks and break some tree branches.

Ada tells him "If you want you can turn into a knife, an extra hand or a shield, but beware…".

She breaks a piece off him as he hardens it saying "... It takes it's toll on your body".

Ikenna turns his hand back to normal and says "I'll keep that in mind".

They walk two kilometres through marshland, following the path of a small creek before they get to a smuggler camp filled with makeshift oil distilleries.

Ada tells him to circle around and wait for her signal before attacking.

She sneaks into the camp and waits for Ikenna to do as she instructed. Once they are both in place she comes out shouting, "Hey you, what are you still doing here, did I not tell you to leave!? ".

One of them replies, "This mad woman, you have come again, abeg get out before I waste you here".

Ada stamps her foot shouting, "Enough is enough, those of you who still want to leave can go if you love your lives".

Another man walks up to Ada, lights up a cigarette, and blows smoke in her face saying "What are you going to do?"

She inhales deeply and whispers in his ear, "I hope that was worth it" before sinkings her fangs deep in his neck and ripping off a piece of his throat which sprays a fountain of warm blood over her face.

Upon seeing this, the other four smugglers panic and run causing Ada to shout, "Don't let them get away now!".

Ikenna jumps out of his hiding place and tackles one smuggler to the ground who eventually overpowers and tries to hit strike him with a nearby cutlass but before the smuggler can make contact, Ikenna impales the man's chest using the hardened protrusions from his body.

He recoils in disgust at what he just did and as the man slowly falls to the ground, bleeding to death.

Ada shouts, "Concentrate!" as her feet quickly morph into a tail which she uses to grab a fleeing smuggler by the foot and send him crashing him into the side of a rickety distillery.

Realising Ikenna won't move, Ada chases after the remaining two smugglers to finish them off before returning to his side shouting, "I thought we had an understanding!".

Unable to speak, Ikenna stands in silence forcing Ada to sigh, "It's either them or you, remember that" as she walks up to the gasping and injured smuggler.

Dragging him out from the wreckage of the large oil drum, Ada asks the man, "How far bros, what happened to your initial gra gra?".

The man groans, "I no do again abeg... Yeeeh....I will give my life to Christ" and Ada replies, "I would have sent you to him myself but I want to send a message your Ogas first".

She grabs his index finger and slowly rips it off but as he screams for help, Ada tells him off saying, "Be grateful I'm just taking a finger, if you mess up again I will take more, now get out!".

As the man runs off into the creek, Ada turns to Ikenna saying, "Don't pity them, they knew the risk" before dropping the finger in his palm.

"What do you want me to do with this?", Ikenna squirms as tosses the appendage back.

Ada grabs the finger from the air and gently places it beside Ikenna's left hand saying, "Use it to practice your shape-shifting, once you master this a whole world of possibilities are waiting for you".

Letting out a brief sigh, Ikenna morphs his finger to resemble the smuggler's which lasts for just three seconds before fading back to usual.

"Give it time, until then let's clean up" Ada says as snakes emerge from the water to swallow the bodies.

The End?