A Dread in the Spine - Episode 9

 

 Joana, depressed after the session of prayer, and encounter with Nosa, trudged home. She felt she needed to preach the gospel before she got to her room. However, she had to change her mind when she remembered a previous ordeal.
Her house was referred to as Fish estate. Although her house wasn't located in an estate, the houses in the compound looked like an estate. The compound was very large . There were four flats, beautifully painted and properly maintained, within it. Also, it had a story-building with thirteen rooms. She inherited the house from her grandmother, who sold fish when she was alive. 
The ordeal rang in her mind as she climbed the stairs. She remembered the day because that was the first time she had a share of heavenly visitation. It was the fourth of January.  That day, Joana headed for the room of the two ladies in her house. They were known to dress awkwardly, and might end up in hell and also take a lot of people along with them. So, she made a duty to preach to them. That day also, the night had covered the house. More so, fear still tugged her heart, and the coldness of the month made her shiver from within. 
When she got to the door, she whispered their names and wanted to knock when she heard the strangest of thing. Someone was moaning in the room

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. She would have probably overlooked the moaning if she hadn't done it before. One of the ungodly ladies was with a man in the room. She hissed and walked towards her room, but decided to break the defiling of her compound by making sure she preached the gospel. 
So, she returned fearfully. She wasn't sure she was doing the right thing. She was yet to see where Jesus did that type of thing in the bible. Logically, she was trespassing but she couldn't let them go to hell. Suddenly, she heard something vibrating. Her mind went immediately to Victoria, her prostitute-friend, who later gave her life to Christ and made her a Christian. Victoria used vibrator a lot. The moaning from within the room was definitely moaning from someone using such. She decided it was time to stop the ungodliness in her house. She knocked harder. The door opened with her first push. And lying on top of each other weren't a man and a woman or a woman with a vibrator, but a woman on a woman, sweating profusely. Joana screamed.
The two of them jumped off the bed. The two ladies, Claudia and Tracey, were rattled. Even Joana was too perplexed. She ran out, pulled the door and shouted again. Even if the world didn't come around to listen to her cry, they would see the result of her anger. She was angry on God's behalf. There was no way she would allow such thing as this to go undiscussed or unresolved. Her home had turned to pseudo-Sodom and Gomorrah.
'Ah! My house that should be referred to as a place of worship had become the habitation of the vilest of things. God forbid', she screamed outside the room. 'Come out you fools'.
From within the house, Claudia was shouting repeatedly, while Tracey called after her as if she was pleading with her. But Claudia was the stubborn one. She had always wanted the innocent Tracey to be the only one in the house. She should have followed what she felt at that moment.
'You people would pack your load and your sodomization out of this sacred house', she yelled and bounced about like a big balloon ball. She was so sure that the Lord purposely sent her to their room because he wanted her to discover the secret that lurked in that their room. Tracey was an unusually dark, tall lady. She had a knack for plaiting her hair, and that made her face shine in a very pretty way. Her face alone was what many in Joana's former line of business referred the face of the perfect beauty. Men died for her type of body because she was full in the right places. Even if she wanted to fornicate she shouldn't have dabbled with the addictive lesbianism.
'Shut your foul mouth, you this rubbish can', Claudia shouted as she rushed out. She came out as if she was prepared to make Joana as slim and short as she with enough beatings. Even if she wouldn't be involved in any physical fight with them, she would express her mind to them, and ensure that they leave her house with immediate alacrity. She would ensure that they run like men whose wives suddenly appear in a hotel to confront them for their adulterous way of life. 
'I won't curse you, I won't pray for you but my mouth wouldn't stop talking. You people are nuisances'.
By this time, her neighbor's daughters, who might have come out of their room because of her noise began to try their best to be around them probably to make a jest of her. They didn't really like her, and she too didn't like them. The only people she loved from their fatherless family was their mother and elder sister, Gladys, who were serious Christians, and were worth emulating.
Yet, she couldn't focus on them as she and Claudia kept ranting at one another. In the next few minutes, Mummy Gladys was out and was trying to pull her away. 
'Madam Joana, blessed are the peacemakers'.
'That's your job. Mine is to purge this house of the filthiness that's creeping into it'.
Luckily, Gladys was in the house. Most people in the house, even her, always craved the type of blessings and behavior. 
'You two. In my house? That is Sodom You are sodomites'.
Gladys' mother tried to tear the two of them apart. Tracey pulled Claudia, but she brushed her aside as if she had taken a drug that expanded her muscles, urging her to fight. 
'What does this woman think she is? A sanctimonious... Is she Jesus? Even Jesus was a good person. I will show you pepper and fire. And to be clear, I am the fire and the pepper. Do you think we don't know your history? We've heard how you were once a prostitute'. 
Joana felt hurt as she saw Gladys sympathizing with the ladies. She had seen hell and knew that people like them would surely end up in the lake of fire, and she didn't want Gladys to be a part of them. She, therefore, wielded the last weapon in her armory. 
Joana jumped and shouted,' thank you. But now I'm saved. See the two of them, Lesbians. And I know who taught who. You this short tiny devil. The Lord forbids you'.
Gladys gave a Tracey a cold glare that made her Joana's heart dance within her. Now, she would have a reason to make the ladies come to the realization of seeing it. Gladys returned to their room, probably disgusted.
Joana, still infuriated, allowed Gladys' mother drag her away. She had to stop fighting when she was very sure she had gotten to Gladys. With the way Gladys now felt about them, one of them would begin to have a changed mind and would probably change for the better.
As she inserted her keys into the new lock, she was very sure the fight was having its effect in their life. She entered the kitchen to get her food.
For hours, after she finished washing the empty plate, she watched the numerous videos of those that had gone to hell. Yet, she was restless. Her eyes were heavy from a desire to sleep, but she took a bottle of sleeping pills and popped one. She had prayed along with the various videos of the testimonies of those ladies that went to heaven, but she wasn't satisfied. She would do whatever it took to make heaven. She had given all her money to the church and had stopped wearing hair attachment, rubber attachment, wool attachment; none of her clothes showed any part of her body. The only visible part of her clothes were her head and hands, then her feet.
As she kept watching the videos, someone gave an interpretation that ignited the information Nosa wanted from her. She jumped with ecstasy and aimed for a paper and a pen. 
'Hallelujah! I got the name', she shouted. 'Oh, I got the name'.
She wrote it down and slumped back into her seat. If she called Nosa that moment, it might be a wrong time as the midnight had just passed. She would wait until the next day.
'I got it', she shouted again as she concentrated on the video.
 As soon as the midnight passed the thirtieth minutes, someone began to fiddle with the door. She was startled. That was surprising. She tiptoed nearer to the door and strained her ear to be sure she was hearing well. The person was definitely trying to break in. She should raise alarm, but her body could do only one thing that was programmed in it: what she had prepared for a day like that.
 Gradually, she increased the volume of the loud television until she was sure one of the tenants would lament about how she had started her display of craziness, but she wasn't concerned. There was no way she would allow backbiting that was prevalent with harlots, and regular unchristian-like women affect her or stop her from saving her life. 
 She rushed into the kitchen and unlocked it.  Luckily, she always greased her door. So, it would definitely not make any unnecessary noise. The back of her kitchen led to a bush, which she knew like the back of her hand. Her grandmother had planted a lot of crops there and always dragged her along. She hid there and was very sure nothing would bring her out till the intruder left. 
Although she didn't expect her fear to be true, she couldn't risk her life. The intruder might truly not be after her for her dreams. The intruder might only be a thief but might end up killing her. She couldn't allow herself to play to that risk. Heaven helped those who helped themselves. When she was sure she was safe in the bush, she dialed Nosa's number. 
                         ***
Nosa laid beside his three-month-pregnant mistress, widely awake as he wondered why women could be so irritating, irrational, and irresponsible. 
'Nosa. Baby...Did you hear what I said?' Shayla said and cuddled him.
'I heard, and seriously I think that's off the mark. You're losing your mind off the target set for you'.
'Wow. That's pure. Isn't it? Am I just another puppet? Or, yes, I'm your mistress, whom you can stress on the bed, but can forget at any moment'.
'Seriously, what're you saying?'
'I'm saying it was high time you made me your wife like you promised the other time'.
'But this isn't our present mission. You're to remain, my mistress, as you called it. We promised it won't go far. The plan was that it wouldn't go this far?'
'Wow! Pure truth from a foul mouth. Can you hear the rubbish that is being spilled from your mouth right now?'
'Seriously. We didn't make plans on it getting this ridiculously far. Have you seen Breaking Bad?'
'How's that my concern?' 
'If you've seen it. You would understand that you are behaving like one of the characters, you
'I don't want to understand anything'.
'I remember the day we discussed this. We had two bowls of pepper soup, how many bottles of beers? I'm trying to help you seriously remember that particular day'
 'Nosa, you know me. I'll make you sink, you'll rot in the deep and no one will take a look at you, not for any reason'.
She was right. He needed to be gentle with her. Despite being on probation, she still had a lot of influence. Or she could decide to make Chloe aware of the whole situation.
'Whatever it will be, just calm your nerve. I'll find the right solution for you. We will...'
 His phone rang and rattled on the table he placed it. It was Joana. 
'Joana, I told you to stay calm. Some police officers are coming there', he growled into the phone.
 'That's not why I'm calling. They are here already'.
'Then, why?'
'The name I told you I wrote on a piece of paper',
'Yes'.
'Someone took it'.
 Nosa sat up. 'How?'
'I don't know'.
'Did they take any other thing?
'No. They took only the name'.
'That's strange. Why will the person be after the name and nothing else'.
'Am I God? Only God could have known. But he won't even tell me at the moment. He is still angry with me for not telling the world about the visions.

Read " Purified Tomorrow: The Mad Awakening " by the same author ( Akíntayo Akinjide )

. I'll'
'Joana. Joana, do you remember it at this time?'
'No. I wish. I wish. Oh God! Why am I forgetful?'
 Nosa felt like slapping her, telling her to keep quiet and think of the possible names. He inhaled and looked about in the room that was blue because of the blue bulb in Shayla's room.
'Calm down. Sleep and wake tomorrow, you'll remember'.
He wished he could go to her place, but he couldn't. He was on a boat with Shayla. There was no way she could allow him to go, not that night, not until the day was bright. She was the only one that could prevent him from working. And now, she was doing that.