The Missionary's Journey - Episode 1

 

In the little village of Umuahala under the glare of a full moon, rain poured unrelentingly and lightning brightened up the sky accompanied by thunderous rumbling. The doors were locked and different families slept peacefully on their beds. The night was quiet and free of roaming civilians. If one looked outside their window at this time, they would have spotted a man limping towards the border of the village. The man appeared to be in his forties, wearing a shirt and a badly torn trouser . He was sweating profusely while he limped slowly along the road, mumbling strange words to himself. The man appeared disarrayed and the fabric of his shirt was clawed away in different areas.  He occasionally looked back, staring into the darkness behind him. His face flushed in different emotions.

"Leave me alone," the man screamed. 

"Please..." he whispered again and his voice faded into the darkness. 

He dragged himself to the village’s border. He had it in mind to get away from the village. His breath was beginning to quicken bit by bit and he heaved. The limping man suddenly fell, face stained with mud and dirt. He began to sob, eyes staring ahead into the night filled with fear and regret. Clenching his teeth, he sluggishly raised himself up from the floor struggling along with a destination in mind.

He wiped tears and sand from his eyes when he approached the border heavily soaked with rain

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/the-missionary-s-journey

. He smiled to himself and saw the signboard that read ‘Goodbye. Leaving Umuahala’. He grinned and brims of hope lurked in his mind. He had thought a better thing was ahead until he heard a loud shriek, followed by a series of laughter. The voices were coming through his back.

"Where do you think you are going, you old fool?" a croaky voice said.

He turned back, and there was no one at his back. "Please, leave me alone," he screamed into the darkness.

He stopped and beads of sweat laced on his forehead. "One does not bite the tail of a snake and expect to leave unscarred," another voice said.

"False prophet serving a false god, you shall know despair," another voice boomed.

The man cried out, sobbing heavily, his vision became blurry and he stumbled. He began to crawl towards the exit of the village. He clawed his way forward, taking up dirt in his fingernails. When he was just less than ten feet from the exit, a hand grabbed his hair and dragged him back.

"NO!" he screamed. A hand gripped him and he began to struggle, trying to free from the grip but it was too strong.

Another hand clawed at his face, a leg kicked his groin and the man cried out. He began to experience onslaught from all directions. He curled into a ball and began to cry. His voice cracked from his constant pleas. His face was stomped by multiple feet, his fingers were bent backwards till they cracked, he felt his skin swell and pop, he felt teeth sink into his skin, he felt what seemed like whips lashing his back. Through this ordeal, the man closed his eyes, burying his head in between his arms and sobbed. All of a sudden, the beating stopped and he heard nothing. The night was once again quiet, disturbed only by the sound of rain hitting the ground and the occasional rumbling of thunder.

Still sobbing, he raised his head carefully and risked a glance around. He saw a naked woman and he squinted, staring down at her.

Read " Outcast " by the same author ( Obinna Tony )

. He couldn’t see her face. It looked completely black. It was as if the darkness of the night enveloped her.
He also thought she was the darkness and bile rose up in his throat.

The woman slowly walked towards him. He didn't hear her foot-stomping to the ground while she walked closer.

The man looked at her feet and realized in horror that she was floating towards him.

She grinned abnormally and her face began to fluster while she advanced towards him. He was frozen in place unable to move, stuck in place by the horror before him. The woman stretched her hand towards his face, claws extended from her fingertips and she began to mumble incomprehensible words. Her hand began to glow and she began to utter spells and abominable words. He fidgeted and the hand covered his face. There were a series of laughter all over. He screamed and her hand covered his face. The last words he heard were ‘Goodbye priest’.