A Dread in the Spine - Episode 8

 

 Chloe sat still, watching the news, stroking Joel's fur. She had the dream again. This time, she saw her children in hell. It was more horrible than the past ones. Most of those days, all she saw were the blazing fire, the big maggots, and the huge rats.  However, this one was definitely horrifying and she wished she could get acid to wash it away from her mind because she also saw Irene. Despite all, she didn't see her father . Mr. Kings couldn't have made it to heaven, he was her father but didn't deserve heaven. He was a horrible man. He shouldn't have fallen in love with Chloe's mother, and she wouldn't have given birth to her out of wedlock.
 Maybe the devil was playing with her mind. He must probably be somewhere else in hell along with her mother- they both deserved going to hell.
 She was supposed to be out there searching for information herself but her father-in-law was around, she couldn't dabble into such, leaving him to himself without proper preparation. He wouldn't be deterrent to her desire to find what Mummy church was hiding, but she had nothing to fear because she had placed Segun on it. 
The house was boring. So, she rose and tended to her flowers with Joel rubbing itself against her body

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/a-dread-in-the-spine

. She had trimmed the edges of the leaves when Mummy Church came around. For some reason, a sort of rot was beginning to grow on the leaves and she had been trying to avoid such. As she fondled the blade of the flowers, she imagined how heaven could be. She had read about it in books by some authors. She would really love for people in Nigeria, especially in Fortunecity, especially one of those missing ladies to testify of it. Only God could really give a true picture of how heaven would look like, and one could only understand better if one was from the same tribe or the same area as the one who had the message.
She was very sure one of them would return from heaven one day to tell them about heaven. However, before that time, she would sit down to watch things unfold, and pray to God of heaven that he would send down a rain of righteous visionaries. She opened her jotter and went through it again. There were so many messages that she wished she could play a part in making these things work. If she could really help in building an army of God, it would really make her excited. However, the Bible stated that they should write the vision. How would she write the vision when the only thing she could see was the rotten evil of hell?
She picked up her phone and dialed Raphael's number. If she spoke with him, Nosa would be pleased and he wouldn't disturb her about not talking, not crying any longer.
'Stupid boy', she said as soon as Raphael called her name over the phone. 'Won't you come to mummy?'
He groaned as if he was busy, but she already knew his reply.
'I'll be there'.
They talked, abused one another in a mild way, and fixed the next day for a meeting. Then, Segun sent a message. 'I really need to shift post. Shayla needs me'.
She gritted, bit her lower lips, and stared into nothing. The only option was for her to go herself. She picked her phone and called him. 'Why are you doing this? You know I need you more than Shayla. She had just left with my husband'.
A regular wife should be angry at her husband for having an external affair, but if it would make him happy, she had no issue with it.
'But I need my life than even the money I'm getting'.
'I can help you get away from the authority's trouble if you want'.
'I don't want. Katrina is still with them. She doesn't know what I do for a living. And Shayla is banking on that'.
'Send me your location through WhatsApp'.
'I'm at'
'Over WhatsApp. Remember the story of the man hanging from a rope'.
'I need to'
'If he didn't wait longer, he wouldn't have gotten help'.
He sighed. 'I'll hang on. But please relieve me in time'.
'Before another bird flies over wherever you're, I'll be there'.
She fondled the rotten flower and knew there was no other option than to do the things that would help matters: she sliced the rotten leaf off its stem. She entered the guest room her father-in-law slept in, and gently tapped him.
'Papa, please wake', she said as she tapped him. 
The tired old man wriggled in his sleep and turned to listen to her. He tiredly opened his eyes and took a few seconds to come to the realization that Chloe was the one in front of him.
'My daughter, hope all is well?'
'I'm sorry for waking you, but I think my Pastor's wife needs my help, and I don't know'
'If someone is in need, you need to head there'.
'Thank you, Papa, but how we will In case you need food, I've prepared food for you'
'I'll wait'.
Chloe gritted. What if Mummy Church decided to do something else?
'Then, you can try the juice I and Joel did'.
'Joel? Who is? Oh! Are you leaving us alone together?'
Chloe laughed and understood what he meant by that. Her father-in-law wasn't fond of her cat, and Joel too always had a reason to be disgusted by his presence. Chloe had always tried to make the two of them closer, but it was always a futile effort. Unfortunately, their enmity always had a heightened sense whenever Nosa was around since Joel would muzzle up to Nosa, who might choose that time to be away from his father or argue with him.
Upon driving outside, she knew what the rotten flower symbolized. The nosy woman was meandering around her gate. The funniest part of it all was that she always wondered why her husband wouldn't take care of her. She would cut her off.
Excitedly, the woman hopped towards her and flagged her down. Chloe hissed and stopped the car.
'Mummy kings, I saw your husband with a woman. She was hugging him'.
Chloe snapped at her. 'Woman, what do you want?  The money?'
The woman, unashamed, nodded repeatedly. Chloe hissed, grabbed her bag, and unzipped it and fetched her wallet. The woman edged forward. Angry and hoping to never see her again, Chloe removed wads of one thousand notes and pointed it at her. 
'Thief', a man shouted from afar. Chloe looked up and saw a fierce man rushing to meet her. The nosy woman looked at the man with fear and backed from Chloe. The man marched to meet Chloe.
'Please, what is she doing?'
'I'm just greeting her', the woman said and pulled her crying daughter nearer.
'I was just' Chloe said as she stretched the money out.
'Please ma, don't ever give her money'.
'I wasn't begging for money. She just wanted to give me'.
'Don't give her, ma. I traveled'
'Paulina's father, let's resolve this at home'.
'Don't give this woman any money ever in your life. I traveled and sent her money. But when I returned I got information that she had been going around, looking poor and begging for money. You're in for a hard time, Paulina's mother'.
Chloe drove off into the darkness of the day. Segun sent the address to an old church in a land she had recently acquired. The journey to the address of the old deserted church Segun felt like hours. She hoped he would stay there till she arrived. At that moment, she felt bad for expending her energy on poke-nosing and behaving like a weed in the affairs of her Pastor's wife, but if it would do good to her and the world, Chloe wouldn't back down. Her desire for Fortunecity was to see it come to term with God's way.
Immediately she got to the place they were, Segun pointed them out to her and complained as he drove away. She didn't know why he was still freelancing with Shayla when she could keep paying him for just monitoring her company. However, she had learnt that human desires were greater than their hunger for money. 
After he drove off, she sat there and watched Mummy Church having a heated discussion with a lanky woman, who looked as if she had been bereft of food for months. From the way they kept glancing from one place to another from the dim light in the place, she could guess the woman was afraid. The problem was that she wasn't even sure if the woman really saw heaven or hell. 
Mr. Kings, her father, had a belief that one must aim for whatever one wanted, and not seat behind wheels to expect it drop in her laps. 
She drove towards them and came out of her car as her mind scanned for the best reason for her sudden appearance. Chloe always ensured that any land she bought was lightened up with a lot of street lights. Immediately, she got into the ray of the street lights, Mummy Church was the first to see her. She became pale and swallowed hard. She kicked the lanky woman, who caught the cue and saw Chloe. 
'Mrs. Obaigbenwen I don't understand, what are you doing here?'
Chloe looked surprised as her mind raced with the best reply to Mummy Church. 'Mummy, I should ask you the same'.
'We' Mummy Church said and stuttered.
 At that moment, Chloe felt like a cat, which had just cornered a rat. She stood straight and hoped her stance would send the fear of God into Mummy Church. If that woman was truly a visionary, she should really get off the hiding spree, and pass the message to the world. The world needed to know what God had in plan for the world. Although many of the messages were almost the same, they still needed to tell people how and what God wanted the rapture to happen. And also what they needed to prepare for in heaven. 
'We're scouting for land', the lanky woman said and glanced shyly at Mummy Church, who nodded as if it was a lesser sin and can be easily forgiven.
'Yes', Mummy Church said and nodded repeatedly. 'We are scouting for land'.
'Well, the land is sold out or would soon be'.
'How do you know that?' Mummy Church 
'This land would soon be mine', Chloe said as she pretended to stare at the land that was being overgrown with grasses. She had just paid some people to cut the grass some weeks ago, but she was surprised at the way the grass had grown so big especially in the harmattan period. Although the whole area was dark, she still saw the shape of their height. 
The woman fidgeted and glanced at Mummy Church, who looked rattled also.
'But I thought you just bought three of recent'.
'Yes, I told you why already'.
Mummy Church nodded.
'So, the land wasn't in your father's name?' Mummy Church asked.
Why will she ask such question? 'I told you already. I bought it in my name, not his name'.
'By the way, why did you people come here in the night? There are vigilantes here'.
'This is the only time she can get the chance to come'.
'This is serious', the lady said and shook with fear.
'Let me talk to her', Mummy Church said and used her good hand to drag the frightened lanky woman away. The lady kept glancing at a building at the edge of the land. The house belonged to the guard she paid to watch over the place. She did that for her other lands, but this particular one had been reported to be a haven for a lot of evil. So, she paid him to make sure nothing of such happened there.
Chloe pretended to walk towards the house. She didn't need to see the man because he wasn't expecting her. But if it was to keep up with her desire. She heard the woman argue with Mummy Church in low tones for a while. Despite desiring to listen to their conversation, she knew she just had to keep walking.
'Leave me', the lady shouted. 'I will meet her. I will tell her. This is the perfect place'.
She turned as it was expected of her, seeing she was near them. Mummy Church tried to pull the woman by the hand, but she evaded her and hurried towards Chloe.
'Sister Obi... Agnes I'm Agnes'.
Chloe walked towards her with caution as it was expected of her. She had to keep pretending to be unaware of her plight. 'Yes? Sister Agnes, I hope nothing is making your peace rot away'.
'There is. I'm dying or might die soon'.
'I said it', Chloe said and glanced at Mummy Church, who held up her half arm in despair. 'I said I was perceiving something evil'.
'It's not evil. We're not doing anything illegal'.
'Like trying to steal something from my land?'
'Steal? Of course not. It wasn't anything illegal'.
'Then, what were you two doing?'
'Sister Agnes, we can still solve this. You are not ready', Mummy Church said and glared at Chloe as if she was suspecting her of something ominous.
'Mummy Church, let us solve this together. A problem is like a sour soup; one doesn't get sympathy from others until they've also tasted it. Let's taste this problem together. Expose this bottle of urine'.
'I'm ready, Mummy', Agnes said and turned to Chloe. 'I need a place to hide'.
'Hide? Are the police looking for you?'
'Police would have been better. I saw visions', she said, whispering.
Chloe looked at her in a queer way, pretending to disbelieve her. She chuckled and turned to Mummy Church. 'Are you people trying to joke with me on a cold December night?'
'Joke? In this daring period. Please o. I saw a vision of heaven and hell'.
'Seriously?' Chloe said as she tried to imitate Nosa's way of showing he was surprised. 'Heaven or hell?'
'What does it matter? All that matters is that I don't want to die?'
'Nobody will kill'
'The kidnapper', Mummy Church chipped in.
'The kidnapper', Chloe said in fake realization.
'Yes, the kidnapper', Agnes affirmed.
'Wow. The Kidnapper. How do you intend to hide?'
Agnes glanced at Mummy Church, and at the bush. 'I really need a place to relay the message to the world'
'See this woman, what message? You need to tell the police', Chloe said surprised.
'Just kill me now. I told Mummy Church but she said no. Who do I listen to?'
'She can't', Mummy Church said and glanced at the bushes that were being blown by the cold air.
'Why? They would help her'.
'No.

Read " Grabbing The Hot Gate " by the same author ( Akíntayo Akinjide )

. They won't. I told one of them, and the next thing I know was that she was calling me that someone was trying to break into her house'.
'I told her it was coincidental'.
'Coincidental my foot'.
'That's strange. What will happen now?'
'I want to relay the message from this place. They won't be able to track us down here. It would really help me, and I can hide here'.
Chloe glanced from Agnes' pleading eyes to the frightened gait of Mummy Church.
'You will be here, but I will monitor your progress'.
Agnes jumped happily, while Mummy Church could only give a weak smile. She was definitely having an ulterior motive. Chloe too had her own ulterior motive. Immediately she got back to the public, she would tell the police. Agnes couldn't hide forever. She needed the strong hands of the authority, and with her money, she would ensure she got it. All she needed to know at that time was whether it was heaven or hell the woman saw.