Chapter Three: Life After Death (1)
Stella's heart dropped. "Who could have done this to me?" she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
"Don't worry, my dear," the sorcerer said softly. "There is a way to stop this, but you must be willing to pay the price."
Her friend spoke up, fear evident in her voice. "What does she need to do?"
The sorcerer's face darkened as he listed the requirements. "Seven fat cows, three white rams, and a hen. Only then will the gods be appeased."
Stella gasped. "That's impossible! I can't afford all of that. Isn't there another way?"
The sorcerer shook his head solemnly. "No, this is the only way. If you don't meet the gods' demands in three days, your fate is sealed."
Stella left the sorcerer's house, her mind in turmoil. She thought about the money she had saved over the years—five million naira, painstakingly set aside for her future. Could she really spend it all to save her life? She didn't tell Jack about the visit, deciding to keep the sorcerer's warning a secret.
The next day, in desperation, Stella returned to the sorcerer with everything he had asked for. The sorcerer was surprised but pleased, yet something dark flickered in his eyes.
"Come back tomorrow," he told her. "By then, the ritual will be complete."
That night, Stella had a vivid dream. She was riding in a bus, and when they reached her stop, she asked the driver to let her off. As she got out, she noticed a bag under a bridge. Curious, she opened it to find stacks of naira inside. Elated, she carried the bag home, already planning how she would spend the money. But as she grabbed the bag, she suddenly disappeared, reappearing in a dark room.
In front of her stood a man dressed in red and black, holding a hammer. "Put the bag on the table," he commanded.
"No," Stella said defiantly.
The man swung the hammer, hitting her hard on the head. She screamed, dropped the bag, and woke up in a cold sweat.
"My head!" she screamed, clutching her skull in pain. "Jack, my head!"
Jack jolted awake, disoriented. "What's wrong?"
"Someone hit me in the head in my dream, and I can still feel it!"
Before Jack could react, Stella collapsed, unconscious. Panic-stricken, Jack rushed her to the hospital.
At the hospital, nurses helped him carry her into the emergency room. The doctor quickly checked her vitals but shook his head gravely.
"I'm sorry," the doctor said, his voice heavy. "She's gone."
"What?" Jack's voice cracked. He dropped to the floor beside Stella's lifeless body, his hands clutching his head. Grief consumed him as he remembered their happier days—like when she surprised him with a gift and their walks through the neighborhood.
Now, all of that was gone.
*****
Stella found herself surrounded by a sea of people. At the center sat a man on a radiant throne, his face shining like the sun. The brilliance was so intense that no one could look directly at him; instead, everyone bowed in reverence.
Suddenly, an angel was summoned to open a book. The angel stepped forward and opened it before the crowd. From among the people, another angel dragged a young man to the front. His face was filled with dread as he watched the vision unfold on the book's pages.
In the vision, the man appeared wearing extravagant clothes and gleaming shoes. He held a phone worth $5,000, and a gold chain valued at $7,000 hung around his neck. The scene showed him entering a luxurious car worth a million dollars, speeding down the road with pride.
He arrived at a mansion, took out a remote, and pressed a button. The gate opened smoothly, allowing him to drive inside. After parking, he entered a secret room filled with money—stolen during his time as a governor. He grabbed a bundle of cash, returned to his car, and sped away.
The vision then shifted to a nightclub. Surrounded by women, he danced and carelessly threw money around, indulging in his ill-gotten wealth.
The vision disappeared, and the man's clothes turned black. An angel dressed in black and white appeared and began dragging him away.
The man resisted, struggling to break free, but the angel wielded a whip, flogging him relentlessly. Despite his efforts, he couldn't escape the angel's superior strength.
The angel continued flogging him until they reached the edge of a bottomless pit filled with raging fire. Without hesitation, the angel pushed him in.
The man fell, screaming, into the fiery depths of hell, where others writhed in agony, tormented by the flames. Consumed by the intense heat, he cried out, desperate for death to end his suffering.
But the angel at the edge of the pit said, "You will never die. You are sentenced to eternal punishment. We wish you the best of luck."
The angel with the book turned to a new page, and a trembling woman was dragged from the crowd. She stood before the book, watching her own vision unfold.
Stella's heart raced in the crowd. She silently prayed, "Oh God, save me from this world of the dead. If they drag me out, I don't know what punishment awaits me. Please, Lord, save my soul."
The girl in the vision watched in horror as the book showed her stealing meat from a pot. Tears filled her eyes, and she began to weep.
The angel declared that she would receive a thousand lashes before being sent back to earth, as her mission there was not yet complete.
Without mercy, the angel flogged her, ignoring her cries for help. No one came to her aid.
The angel turned to yet another page, and a man was pulled from the crowd. He stood before the open book, staring at his vision.
In it, he saw himself reading a Bible, followed by a scene of him praying to God. Then, he was shown begging a rich man for a loan, which the man granted.
He used the money to stock his shop and saved a portion of his earnings each day. At the end of every month, he transferred part of his profits back to repay the debt.
Though he was diligent in making payments, he died before repaying the full amount. The vision ended, and the angel closed the book. The man's clothes turned white, but he noticed a small stain on them.
An angel approached and said, "No one can enter the kingdom with a stain on their garment. Follow me."
The man obeyed, following the angel into another realm. There, he saw countless people working—some carrying bricks, others mixing sand with water, and some transporting materials to the upper levels of a structure under construction. Noticing one man resting, he asked the angel, "Is he resting because of how hard he's worked?"
"Yes," the angel replied, "but even resting for a minute means working an extra day to make up for it. Resting for a full day adds a year to their time. Only prayer can shorten their stay. Everyone has a specific time they'll be taken from here to heaven."
The man frowned. "Who are they building these houses for?"