"How are you feeling now?"
I sigh and drop the interesting romantic novel I've been keeping myself busy with. Sluggishly I sit up to face the two men sitting on the chair beside my bed. Ever since the incident, I've only had few visitors. I can still recall the painful sound of my mom's voice as she storms the hospital while I as being operated on, though I was unconscious, I could still hear her voice and it keeps replaying in my head until the third day.
"I'm inspector Badmus," the middle aged man in suit introduce himself while his colleague pulls out a jotter and pen from his pocket. After the introduction I know I'm about to be questioned.
"What happened that day?" Inspector Badmus asks but I remain mute. Images of the killer and his victim flashes in my head, slowly, the trauma kicks in. "Look," the inspector continues, "We need you to give us something, anything."
I shut my eyes for a while before explaining. As hard as it appears, I hope my information helps.
"So? Can you describe his looks."
I exhale sharply, "Sir, I just told you that he's masked."
Inspector Badmus nods, "Yes, I want you to describe his mask."
"He wore a white skull mask which partially covers his face. I could see his mouth but it seem awfully black, it's like he drinks mud of charcoal."
The man beside Inspector Badmus nods as he takes note of everything I say. After a while, Inspector Badmus shows me a picture on his tablet screen. My eyes widens and the pain on my rib kicks in. I shut my eyes and look away from the screen.
"Bunmi, is this who attacked you?" he asks.
"Yes." I nod. "That's him"
"Ok then," Inspector Badmus sighs and shakes his head, "Bunmi, you are so lucky."
"Why do you say so? I almost died."
"But you didn't." Inspector Badmus lay back to the chair, "That killer is on our wanted list for multiple murder. So far he's slayed over seventy people in the past two months. All his victims died miserably."
"He remove their eyes too?" I ask.
Inspector Badmus nods, "Yes. And you are lucky he didn't pluck yours too" he says, "You are his only surviving victim."
I shut my eyes and bury my face on my palms. "Oh my God."
Inspector Badmus gets up and tap my shoulder, "Brace up Bunmi, and next time, call the police before taking matters to your hands. Have a good day."
The door shuts and I lay back on bed. Loads of thoughts roam my head as I think of my mom, she'll surely kill herself if anything happens to me. I was so stupid, what was I thinking?
The stab wound is still yet to heal, but I'm glad that none of my vital organs were affected. I feel sad knowing that I'll spend weeks in this lonely hospital room, moreover, I'm mad at my boss who haven't called or check up on me. All these wouldn't have happened If I had decline his stupid task.
The burning pain kicks in and I wheeze painfully in response. Carefully, I peel off three pills and throw it into my mouth before flushing it down my throat with enough water, I hope the pain reliever works quickly this time.
(Two months later)
I get up from the couch to see who's knocking at the door, It's surely going to be my mom, she must have forgotten something at home and she won't let me bring it to her. Staying at home all day is what I do now. I eat, watch Netflix, surf social media and sleep.
"Hello," Inspector Badmus greets me immediately I open the door.
"Good morning sir," I greet with a smile.
Ever since I was discharged, Inspector Badmus has been paying me a visit every morning before heading to work. He lives five blocks away from our house and he appears to be a good police officer.
"I hope you are feeling good."
I nod and smile, "Yes sir."
"Remember, if you feel suspicious or you see anything disturbing, don't hesitate to call." He warns.
"Ok sir,"
Inspector Badmus taps my shoulder and turn to leave. I bid him goodbye before shutting the door. On my way to the kitchen, I grab my phone and click on the Facebook icon. My heart drops as soon as I sight the first post on my news feed.
'EYE MISSING KILL COUNT REACHES 100'
The newspaper headline hits me straight in the chest. It's been two months but I still feel uneasy anytime I think or hear of it. In as much as I try to pretend it never happened, a part of me still reminds me every time. My wound already heal up to a painless stage, but the scar still remains. My mom was angry at fist, but she had to accept that it's who I am. I'm a soldier and she should get used to it.
While in deep thought, my phone rings for the third time. At first I choose to ignore the video caller, but the persistence forces me to pick my phone up. It's Lola my childhood friend.
"Werey, you never wake up?"
I smile and rub my eyes, "I already did."
Lola wave her neat dyed hair causing me to giggle, "How do I look?" she asks.
"You look pretty as usual, lemme guess, you are going on a date?"
Lola winks, "Yes of course, remember that Igbo guy I told you about?"
"Ikechukwu?"
Lola roll her eyeballs and I laugh again, she really hates Ike after how he ditched her. I intentionally mentioned his name to annoy her.
Lola hiss and turn the camera towards a nice packaged dress on the table in front of her. My eyes lit up on seeing the purple beautiful Louis Vuitton dress. This girl is really lucky, unlike me, she's an extrovert and most guys find her attractive.
"Babe, when are you going to come out?" Lola asks one of the most disturbing questions.
"Not anytime soon," I reply.
Her eyebrows arch "Come on, snap out of it. What do you mean by that?"
"Remember I'm still…"
"Still what!" Lola snaps at me, "Come on, move on, don't be a chicken, you be soldier girl nah. Will you keep yourself locked all day because of some failed attempt murder?"
"It wasn't failed attempt, I was lucky."
"Lola frowns, "is that what they teach you in military school? Did they train you to be a weakling?? Did they train you to stay down after being defeated. Come on get up and face life. If the killer wants you dead, you'll be dead already."
I exhale deeply before returning my face to the phone screen, Lola is right, if the killer want me dead, I'll be dead.
"Ok, how about you take me out to somewhere tomorrow?" I suggest.
Lola jumps happily, her days of convincing me finally paid off.
"Don't worry, I'll make tomorrow a very memorable day for you, we'll go to places. Get ready, nine AM."
Lola hangs up and I toss my phone aside. For a moment I stand in front of the mirror in my room.
The scar on my rib is still fresh but painless. My hand caresses for a while as I feel the roughness. Sadly, it's going to be a forever scar.
On the bright side, I'm going out tomorrow with my best friend, Lola is right, if the killer wants me dead, I'll be dead by now.
I strip naked and move into the bathroom. As soon as I turn on the shower tap, I hear my room door creak open, it shuts and low footsteps follows. My heart slams against my chest knowing that I left my phone on the bed.
Oh my God the killer is in my room.