The Last Virgin - Episode 3

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**** 10:40PM

He springs up from the mat on which he sat sharpening his cutlass,dropping it in the process.

He stares up into the sky, brows furrowed in deep thoughts, hands on his hip.

His wife emerges from inside the cottage and stands beside him, wearing the same look as him.

"She's still not returned"

he says without looking st her.

She fiddles with her fingers.

"I...this has never happened before. Anna's always on time. I wonder where she is. I just hope nothing..."

"Nothing has happehed to our daughter woman! Don't even finish that sentence!"

Mr Quaye thunders at his wife who doesn't flinch having been used to his stern nature.

"I'm going to search for her.

God help me, if I find her,I'll give her such a punishment she'll never forget"

he adds, disappears into the cottage and comes back out with a shirt flung over his shoulders.

He bends to pick up his cutlass and torchlight.

"Where did she say she was going?"

He asks his wife.

"To that park. Where she and her friends usually play. Near the big building that is being built by that white doctor"

she replies him.

"I'll be back"

with that, he steps onto the compound and out,walking through the drizzle of rain.

His wife sighs and sits back on the mat,praying silently for her only daughter to be returned.

*****

Annamarie stares at him like he had grown two horns for a while and then burst out laughing hysterically.

Hades regarded her with a look of disinterest, waiting for her to finish laughing so he could take her and leave earth.

He didn't belong here.

Anna stops laughing after a while and stares at him, realising his expression was as blank as the night.

"You...you're serious?"

She asks in a small doubtful voice.

She couldn't be dead could she? She must be dreaming.

A strange dream she wished to wake up from.

"Joking has never been a part of me young Lady. I'm a serious man. I speak, only when it's necessary"

his voice was thick as he replies her.

"B..but...how?"

She begins to back away until her back touches the wall, only this time her back didn't successfully touch the wall. Instead her entire body went through the wall.

She gasps.

Did she.. Did she just walk through the wall?

"Time is running out lady. I've been here longer than a minute. Come child. Come, let's go to where you now belong. Come to me child"

Annamarie wanted to resist.

To refuse but somehow, someway, like magic, she felt herself moving forward, walking through the wall again to stand before him.

She wanted to stop, hold back, fight and return to her body.. But.. That man.

Hades.. His hands were outstretched towards her.

And it was like he was using some sort of magic to pull her to him.

She wasn't in control of herself.

All she knew was some kind of force was pulling her until she stops in front of him. "Come child"

he repeats.

And the same magic pull forces her to move her legs and walk through the blinding light.

As soon as she steps through, the portal, it closes and her feet touches a different land. She looks around.

She was in a room.

No, more like a royal looking hall.

But unlike what she used to see on the white man's television, there were no such things as dinning table, a ceiling or standing fan,television, socket, chairs.. Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

It was just a big empty hall.

The only chair in the hall was a big throne that stood proudly at the far end of the hall infront of her.

A lion head shape was embedded into the head of the chair, shining with gold.

The armrest was no exception as it was made with gold as well.

And the seat was made with soft cushion that looked tempting and extremely relaxing to sit on.

On the floor on which stood were nothing but tiny shiny pebbles spread all over the room.

Strangely, none of the pebbles pricked her feet. Instead,they felt soft underneath them.

And right in the middle of the room, where she stood outside the huge gate of the Hall, was a thick red carpet that led to the throne above.

"Welcome to my abode Annamarie"

she almost jerked as Hades voice interrupted her.

She had almost forgotten he had stepped through the portal with her.

His voice was robotic.

Almost as if he'd been trained on what to say specifically, just talk, void of emotions.

Anna opens her mouth to speak when Hades suddenly snaps his fingers.

An unforeseen wind blew.

She blinks.

Only to find Hades seated on his throne.

She gasps.

How did he... One second he was standing behind her and within the blink of an eye, he was seated on the throne. Did he just vanish and reappear?

"You must know by now I'm no ordinary man. Lady"

Hades voice thunders.

Anna quickly shuts her mouth, blinks rapidly and opens her mouth again.

"I want to see my parents"

Hades raises an eyebrow at her.

"Trust me girl,you don't wanna see them right now"

"Why? They're my parents and I want to see...them.. Now"

her voice cracks at the end doubting If she really wanted to see her parents crying over her body.. Had her body been found yet? Had her murderers been caught? That thought alone was enough to fuel her courage.

"You sure girl?"

"Very sure"

she replies, her voice firm.

"Very well. Just because you're new here, I'll let you see them"

Hades shrugs and then snaps his fingers.

Anna watched as a screen suddenly appeared on the wall on her right side, like a projector.

She could see her compound on the screen.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Her father usually sharpened his cutlass at that time of the night.

Where was he? Where was everyone? Were they searching for her? She steps closer, watching intently until she heard it.. Soft cries and wails.

She could hear the cries but couldn't see who was crying.

Suddenly,people began to appear on the screen as they pushed past their bamboo gate and onto the compound. Women were crying.

A few of her female friends were crying.

Her father was walking behind them,his eyes fixated on the ground,a few older men patting his stiff back in a consoling manner.

From their cottage, Anna saw her mother rushing out towards her father.

"My husband! Where's our daughter? Did you find her? Where is..."

She trails off,looking far off,behind him.

She staggers.

A few women rush to hold her.

Anna follows her mothers gaze and that's when she saw it.

Her dead body was being carried on bamboo slacks, with plantain leaves covering her nakedness, save for her face.

Anna fumes.

Those carrying her were none other than were so-called four best friends aka her murderers.

They were crying too.. Her mother's cry of agony fills her ears. Bastards! Sons of b*tches! How dare they pretend?!.

How dare they kill her and then be the ones to carry her corpse acting like her death was affecting them.

Damn bastards! Murderers! Bloody r*pists! F*cking retards!

"I'll kill them! I'll kill them! They did this to me! Traitors! I swear I'll kill them!"

Annamarie screams lunging for the screen only for it to vanish,leaving only the wall. She turns to Hades.

"You watched them do this to me!"

"I'm not in charge of life or destiny young Lady"

he replies cooly

"I didn't ask for this!"

"No one asks for death either Anna"

Anna clenches her fists,pacing to and fro,fuming.

"Go back out there. You'll meet the other souls"

he adds,gesturing to the door. But she wasn't listening.. Rage was filling her every core..

"I want revenge. Revenge. I want to kill each of them with my very own hands. Watch them scream,beg for their lives. I won't rest until I get my revenge. I want revenge!"

She mutters angrily to herself and then stops pacing altogether.

She turns to stare at Lord Hades

"Take me back to earth"

He regarded her cooly.

"I'm afraid that's impossible. It was one thing to let you see your parents and it's another to take you back to earth"

"You can do it. I know you can. Please take me back to earth"

she pleads

"Look,I've got more souls to go collect"

Hades dismisses, stepping down from his throne..

"Please! You and I know those murderers deserve to be punished. Take me back! I won't ever have peace until I have my revenge"

"Trust me Anna, you don't want me to fulfill that wish of yours. You can't pay the price"

Hope lit in Annamarie's eyes at his words.. There was hope.

At least he way hinting that there was a way.

Albeit slightly.

And right now,she'd do anything to go back to earth, kill those traitors with her bare hands and watch satisfactorily as their life was sucked out of them.

"I'd pay the price. Name it. I'll do anything. Anything at all. Just... Just take me back and I'll do anything you ask"

He crosses his arms over his chest,eyeing her.

"You sure you can face the consequences of this demand of yours? You're asking for an almost impossible thing girl"

"I can face the consequences. I'll pay the price. I give you my word"

she nods determinedly.

Lord Hades smirks.

This Anna of a girl was definitely biting more than she could chew.

What she was asking for was totally and undeniably suicidal.

He shakes his head.

She'll never be able to follow the rules without breaking one.

And breaking just one rule to him,was equal to treason.

He stares at her.

She was watching him with hope and determination.

She was only inviting trouble by asking him to break the rules of the underworld and take her back to earth.. And trouble, she'll surely get..