I See Things Others don't see (season 2)

for real?

HHHMMMM

Leo What?

Interesting

Though i am new here, i hav neva been invited 4 any stowi....bt i am here nw....ryd on plz

Hmmmm! Petting a life leopard, Nawow! What is a life leopard even doing in dat company?

@williams continue oooo Α̲̅♍ really enjoyin dis stowie, weldone bro

So d ugly creature is a human? Their cups will overflow 1 day n drink dey must.

Dat statement came 2 ma mynd again... So u cn really see...

continues........ ********* I had watched, or is it read, somewhere that animals can smell fear. I also remembered something else about predators not killing to eat unless they were hungry. Right now I was hoping this leopard had been well fed because from the way I was feeling I imagined I would be giving off a pretty strong smell of fear right now. I couldn’t really think of any way out of my predicament; if I tried to run, the leopard would definitely catch me. If I shouted for help it might aggravate the animal. What would you have done in such a situation? So I just continued to stroke the leopard and pray someone would come and save me from this situation. It seemed to enjoy the petting and lay down on its belly, my hand never leaving it’s head. “Wow. That’s impressive. Most Nigerians freak out when they see Sidney.” I heard a heavily accented voice say. I looked up and saw it was one of the foreign partners from the meeting. Mr Bells, a Lebanese man, came closer, with his hands in his suit pockets. He was stockily built and had a stubble of a beard that begged to be trimmed. His smile was slightly ferocious but maybe that was because he had extra large canines. He stopped approaching and watched us and I was beginning to think he would leave me with the beast. “Help me out here…” I whispered. He laughed and gave a shrill whistle. The leopard immediately cocked its ears, stood up and lumbered up to him and he knelt down and kissed it on the head, proceeding to pulling its ears while the leopard made a funny purring sound and opening its jaws filled with huge sharp looking teeth and canines that were much, much larger than Mr Bell’s. I resisted a second urge to bolt out of there. “You must be a very special person, Mr Chukwudi, “ Mr Bells said. “Sidney does not let most people touch him unless I’m there.” In my mind I was like, “ Guy, no be my intention to pet live beast o! ” but I said, “He’s an interesting animal. A leopard, yes?” “Yes indeed!, Mr Bells said, “I got him as a little cub during one of my visits to South Africa. A hunter had killed its mother and didn’t know what to do with the cub so I decided to buy it from him.” His voice took on a sad note. “I named him Sidney, after my son that died that year. It just seemed…right.” I raised my eyebrows but said nothing. The others had come around to meet us. Apparently I had been missed. Some of them, mostly the Nigerians, stayed back probably from fear of the animal. A few however came close. Jenny stunned me by walking right past the beast as if it wasn’t there and grabbed me by the hand. “Come on, let’s get you back to your hotel.” She said. She cast a hateful glance back at the leopard and to my shock, it returned the stare. It narrowed its eyes, bared its teeth and let out a low growl. I had never seen an animal make a hateful face like that before. Nobody else noticed it and I began to wonder if I had imagined it all. I however followed Jenny back to the car. The driver apparently had been waiting a while and he started the car as soon as he saw us approaching. “So I take it you don’t like the leopard much.” I said, stumbling after her as she hurried towards the car. “I think the feeling might be mutual…” “Hateful creature!” she interjected, then turned to me, “You hate it too?” “Me? No, I…I found it to be quite cute actually as soon as I got over my fear.” “You didn’t see the least bit afraid though,” she said smiling, “I think you were very brave.” I grinned and opened the door for her. “I suppose you’ll want to get some rest after your trip,” jenny said as we entered into the car. “Yes I would”, I replied. “Will there be any meetings tomorrow?” “We’ll go into the field to see some other staff, but apart fro that, we’ll be free.” She replied, smiling at me sexily. Her perfume wafted towards me and I inhaled its freshness and recognized it. Ocean breeze. Very nice. Her lovely brown eyes gazed into my very soul and I found myself blurting “Do you have a boyfriend?” She laughed, a gentle but high pitched laugh that heaved her moderately sized bossoms delectably. “Why are you asking?” she said. “I swear I don’t know,” I stammered, “It just came out…” “No I don’t,” she said. “And even if I did, it wouldn’t matter.” And she smiled that her sexy smile again. “Well, I have a girlfriend, a fiancée actually, her nae is Ni – “ “That doesn't matter either,” she whispered, drawing close to me. “All that matters is that you are here and you are spending two weeks. Alone.” I gulped and said nothing. Apparently Jenny wasn’t the subtle type. We got to the hotel and I came down and headed towards the hotel lobby. Jenny poked her head out of the car window. “Do you plan on going anywhere this evening?” she asked. “Not really,” I said, trying to control the words coming out of my mouth. “I think it would be best if I spent the rest of the day indoors.” She smiled yet again and I thought, these smiles are coming too frequently,not that I mind but… “Very well then. See you later.” And she winked and the car drove off. I watched the car disappear into the distance and I turned around and saw the gate-man also gazing after it. Then he saw me watching him and chuckled. “Bros, if you no understand that red light wey dem give you now, that wan mean say you need deliverance oh!” I burst out laughing and strolled into the hotel. I entered my room to find that it had been cleaned out and fresh toiletries placed in the bathroom. A note had been placed by the bedside with a menu for dinner. I looked at the time, it was heading towards 6pm and I decided to do some reading first. I picked up a novel I had seen in one of the drawers, the forest of a thousand daemons , it was an old classic from my school days and I settled down for a good read before dinner. I didn’t know when I dozed off. I woke up to a knock on the door by 9pm. I had passed out on the bed with the book lying on the rugged floor. The air conditioner was on full blast and I would have gone back to sleep if the person hadn’t knocked again. “One moment!” I yelled groggily and got up from the bed. Outside was dark and I went to pull the blinds shut. Another knock on the door and I went to open it. There, standing in the doorway, was Jenny. If you have been following my description of jenny, you might have gotten the hint that she was a sexy, beautiful lady. That was nothing compared to the vision that stood before me right now. She was putting on a tight body hugging red dress that accentuated all those curves I mentioned earlier. A plunging neckline led down to a mesmerizing view of her heaving bossom. The dress itself ended abruptly just above her knees. In that red outfit she had managed to weave sexy and classy into a single entity. I found myself gazing in wonder and took a step back. “Whoa, welcome, em...what…” “Can I come in?” she asked in a quiet voice. I stepped back and allowed her to enter. She strolled in and it is like lust sidled in alongside her. Immediately my room was filled with the red-orange flame I had come to understand to be lust. Only that this time I had to search for the source of the flames only to realize that it was coming from me. From her too, but mostly from me. I went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of cold water. Even as I did so my hands were shaking. There was something not right about this, someone I ought to be thinking about at a time like this, but try as I might, I couldn’t remember who that person was. I turned around and saw her watching me as if I was something that enthralled her. “You were asking me something?” she said in that quiet seductive voice. I drank the water and offered her some without saying anything. She took it from me and our fingers touched. The electricity was very intense. She looked at me with her piercing eyes and I found myself drawing closer to her. Something still didn't feel normal about all of this, but i couldn't quite figure it out. I decided to avert my gaze from hers and closed my eyes for a moment and tried to think. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Well,” she said and went back to the door that I had left open and shut it, locking the door with the key. “I went to drop off some files at an office nearby and decided to come and check on you, to see if they were treating you alright.” “You went for an errand in that dress?” I asked incredulously. “it’s a warm night,” she replied. “I wanted something loose that would make me feel cofortable. That dress looked anything but loose. I thought to myself. She walked back up to me and was so close I could feel her warm sweet breath on my mouth.Her chest pressed against mine and I could feel the racing of her heart. My skin started tingling and i was once again drawn towards her.” “So,” she whispered, “Are they treating you alright?” We kissed. It was inevitable. I am a person of admirable self control, learnt it from my father and also from the experiences or should I say, manifestations that I had had. I had one other girlfriend before I met Nina and I was faithful to her until we broke up. And I hadn’t even thought of cheating on Nina in the eight months of our relationship. So I was at a total loss as to why I was falling for jenny so easily. The kiss was so sweet and intense that for a moment I lost sense of where I was and didn’t care about anything anymore. Then I opened my eyes and was taken completely by surprise. I was kissing a fish. Well, not really. I was still kissing Jenny but two fishes were nibbling busily around my lips. Picture that. I jumped back so fast I fell over the bed. I heard jenny scream in alarm and I hurried to my feet. Jenny was still as beautiful as ever, that red dress was still sparklingly sexy but jenny’s legs were no longer there. In its place was a huge tail, like that of a large fish, complete with scales and ending in huge fins. She stood there, seemingly suspended in mid air, her tail swaying gently from side to side just above the floor. My jaw dropped open and remained like that for a while. She looked at me puzzled. “What?” she asked, looking alarmed. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I must have really worn a shocked look on my face because she became more frightened as I didn’t answer. Tears streamed down her lovely face and her tail swished about aggressively. I closed my eyes and opened them and the manifestation was gone. “I’m sorry jenny,” I said. “I’m really feeling very tired.” She looked at me stunned. And then she relaxed. “You must really love your fiancée then,” “Well, yes I do.” I said . “I’m sorry if I led you on. You are very beautiful…” I trailed off. I didn’t know what else to say. Jenny smiled. “It’s alright, I understand. I’ll let you rest.” And she walked to the door and opened it. She paused for a moment then said “I am attracted to power, Chuks, and you are powerful. I can feel it. I want you, Chuks and I usually get what I want. I still have some more days with you. I’m not giving up. And then she left.

The two animals- the fish and the leopard, are not co-terminus!!!

Bros willz, yhu are truly gifted, *mouth sealed* but yhu are awesome wif this story, riding with yhu abeg.

Abeg jenny come and be attracted to me, I get plenty power.. Leave chuks for Nina ooo

Wow fishes in kissing competion with chuks hope say this jenny no be devil like mr.a

👏👏👏 👏👏👏 👏👏👏 well-done bro

odikwa dat serious

Hmm God save u o

OOOH MY GOD I NOW ALSO SEE THINGS OTHERS DNT

continues The next morning I had taken my bath, dressed casually and gone downstairs to the hotel restaurant to have my breakfast of bread and tea and eggs. It cost a crazy N1500 but I wasn't paying and so I decided to enjoy myself a little. I was still eating when I received an "official" text from the firm, telling me someone would come to pick me up in an hour. I sighed. Jenny was supposed to take me on some sort of field trip but after yesterday's encounter I wasn't sure she was still going to show up. Yes, she had said she wouldn't give up on me, but in retrospect I suspected she had said it out of an embarrassed bravado. I wouldn't be surprised if I got a new escort from Leemen's today. I remembered vaguely a lady who was trying to get my attention yesterday at the meeting, a young woman with short hair...but jenny had taken all of my attention before and after the meeting so much so that I hadn't had the chance to interact with anyone else. I hadn't really encountered a mermaid before but then again I hadn't had this much power before the awakening of chukwudi the stronger. He had thought me(or rather, I had taught myself- the whole concept still got me confused sometimes) how to completely use my 'Sight' and the more I learned, the more I realised that I had been looking into the other realm with my eyes half opened. I might have encountered dozens of them without even knowing it. What I was used to seeing were manifestations of people's problems; The greed demon on my boss' head, Lane the gateman back in Lagos with his ever present single file of beer bottles marching behind him, a loud mouthed pastor with an empty soul. It was only after the awakening of chukwudi the stronger that my 'sight' improved tremendously. I even had to learn how to close it up a little to avoid being overwhelmed by the problems of others. I had kept it dim for a few months now and so it was when I came to Asaba. But after yesterday's matter I was a little jumpy and so had done a bit of eye opening before o came out this morning. So far, apart from glancing at the hotel manager who passed by me in the hallway and realising he was having an affair with one of the maids, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I was thinking about all of this when the restaurant doors opened and who should be there lighting up the doorway but Jenny! She looked as sexy as ever even though she dressed simply in a red short sleeved top with an insignia "biTe me!" on the front and a tight fitting blue jeans . the top stopped at her midriff and her beautiful flat belly was exposed proudly for all to see. Despite warning bells about what happened yesterday going off in my head my jaw dropped. She took one look at me, smiled coyly , and I poo my mouth. Being good around her was going to require a lot of will power. "Good morning my Prince, did you sleep well? I hope not." "You hope not?" I asked . "Why?" "After the issue we had yesterday I want to believe your night was haunted with dreams of me. If not then that means I still have a lot of work to do." And she grinned mischeviously. Nina, Nina, Nina, Nina... What are you doing? She asked. Using my girlfriend's name like a mantra to ward you off, I thought. Bit instead I said, "Nothing." Then I paused for a bit before adding "I have a girlfriend-" "You sound like a broken record," she said and made a swat at the air as if warding off an annoying fly "Can't we just be friends? We are both adults and I would very much like to enjoy your...company." "Yeah," I said. "So long as its nothing...er...naughty." She laughed. "You actually sound a little scared! Don't worry my Prince...I don't bite. And besides I seem to be making some headway." "How so?" I asked, getting up from my finished breakfast and walking up to her. "Well yesterday you had a fiancee. Today she is just your girlfriend." And she winked and walked off, her hips swaying gently from side to side.

I think I see others cant see, since I started reading this story

@johnonuma what do u see?? Iku n ba omo rin omo o funra Well next plz....

Good work

Hmmmmmmmm! Chucks be careful of this Jenny oooooo. I don't even know why you are being lienient with her even when she've indirectly threatened she must get you. I think you should just use your powers on her maybe ti rid her of hers

nyc one

hmmm i fear this jenny oo

Don't let Jenny's charm hypontize u. Show ha y u r Chukwudi d strongest, d man dat c far.

continues...... We followed our usual route to the firm where we stopped briefly to pick up a few documents. Then we headed out towards the field. It was on the outskirts of town, a place not yet developed and covered with a lot of thick bushes and tall grasses. The piece of land to be used had been cleared out and a bulldozer was currently working on leveling the place. Jenny took me along to the workers and introduced me to the foreman, who was also Lebanese. There was an assistant foreman, an indigene of the eastern part of the country who spoke to us in a deeply accented voice. I addressed him in his native tongue and we exchanged pleasantries after which he went on to complain of some of the working conditions and if I could do anything about it. I replied that I would try and he walked off looking satisfied. I turned back to Jenny and the Lebanese man who were looking at me curiously. "He says they would like better working equipment and someone to provide lunch while they work instead of making the workers wander off." The Lebanese man nodded and went to make a call. Jenny looked at me admiringly. "You have barely set foot here and already you are changing things" she said. I shrugged. "I just happen to speak the language, that's all. How about you? Arent you from around here?" She nodded. "Originally, yes, bit I grew up in Warri and among foreigners and never really picked up the language. I'm learning every day sha." She looked at me, "maybe you can teach me?" I smiled and walked towards the edge of the clearing and she followed me. I tried to change the subject. "I'm happy your firm has been able to create some jobs here. There must be around a hundred workers on this site!" I said. She walked beside me replying, "two hundred. And we hope to employ more when we set up proper." She picked out her phone from her pocket suddenly, as if it had been vibrating, "hello. Yes? They are?" And she turned to me. "Some of our board members are around". "Let's go and join them." I said, and we turned around. We came back to the clearing just as two cars pulled up. The doors opened and a man and the woman I had seen with the short hair came out. She was a pretty lady and wore minimal makeup, and was a little on the slim side. Her boss was a mountain of a man, huge, with his shirt buttons almost popping out of their positions as they tried to imprison a pot belly. From the other car came out two young men that looked left they would be in their late thirties. Jenny introduced me to them and we sat down in a makeshift platform We were still talking when I saw something move in the long grass. It moved in the tall grass and surrounding bushes and was extremely quiet. I watched it from the corner of my eye and soon it came into the clearing and into full view. Sidney ... "Well, I suppose Mr Bells is somewhere around?" I asked. They all stopped talking for a moment and Mr John, the huge man said "No he isn't . He is attending a meeting on the other side of town..." "Well, who brought his pet leopard?" I asked and pointed at the leopard that was now standing calmly behind them. All three men jumped violently and jenny and the other lady gave shrill lady-like screams. They all whipped around and then - started Laughing. "Very funny Chuks, you got us! The Lebanese called Engman said. "Got you?" I asked, puzzled. "How?" "Well there's nothing there sir." The short haired girl grinned. "My name is Chioma, by the way." "Yeah, Chuks jokes like that sometimes..." Jenny said smiling disarmingly and the men nodded. But I could see it. It stood like a statue behind them, poised as if tracking down a prey. I looked at this leopard closely. It was almost like the other one I had seen the day before but on further observation it was definitely bigger and more majestic. It's coat shimmered brightly in the sunlight and it raised its head as if surveying its territory. And it had two tails. A manifestation. I was mixing things up too much on this trip. Something wasnt right. And then I realised that they were all looking at me, Jenny especially was giving me a "say-something-fast" look I laughed along to cover up and everyone relaxed. I was further introduced to Mr kelvin and Mr Obi who shook hands with me heartily. We discussed some more and then Jenny said it was time for us to go. I went back to the car with her and we sat in the back seat waiting for the driver. Jenny was oddly quiet. "What is it?" I asked. She remained quiet for a while then spoke: "That's why you are avoiding me and being nervous around me." "What? I don't understand." I said. She turned to face me. "If you could see that leopard just now, then you have the sight. That means you can see me. The real me." I held my breath. She smiled and traced her fingers along my chin. "You know I am a mermaid don't you?"

Konji dn kil u sha...so dat gal be mermaid... I tink the fish nd leopard av problems sha...

Jesus Christ! That shows she's just after your downfall as she's very much aware of her real nature i.e being a MERMAID. Chucks be wary of her, Manifest at once and put her on checks oooo

Though nobody invite me..... What matter most is dat am here ... @ William thumb up for a great story Mr Chuk na mammy water thinz i hope u're able 2 resist her

chai, now she knows abt u too...would things get worse or what

yekpa!!.....xo ur secret isn't a secret afterall

a mermaid...chucks u must b carefull o

Since you became stronger. Stronger things are coming your way.

Jeez ma~mer~mermaid hell no. go to hell i wil jump down of the car.

oboy be very careful

Death is smoking weed with you.....

no comment just observing.dot com

continues I looked into her beautiful piercing eyes and knew there was no need to pretend. “Yes,” I said. “Yes I do.” “And you are not scared?” she whispered. “Not scared, just cautious.” I replied. That seemed to please her a lot. She grinned and put a finger to her lips as the driver entered into the car and turned on the ignition. On our way back she kept on making suggestive motions, opening and closing her jean covered legs and biting her finger seductively. I had to make a stern face when she started running her hands down my thighs. She chuckled and kept to herself until we got to the hotel. I came down from the car and she followed suit “to go over a few plans” she told the driver, who shrugged and drove off. I turned as she walked into the lobby with me. “This won’t happen.” I said. “What won’t happen?” she asked innocently. “You know,” I said, “The flirting over the phone was really nice but like I’ve told you numerous times, I have a girlfriend!” “Fiancee”, she corrected with a show of those beautiful pearls that were her teeth. “And like I’ve told you numerous times, it doesn’t matter, not to me-“ “Well it matters to me!” I said and for the first time I raised my voice against her angrily. She looked genuinely alarmed and took a step back, but then she calmed herself again and I noticed that she was clutching her index finger on her right hand. She had done that before when she had manifested in my room. I watched as she slowly unclasped her hands and I saw a ring. “Can we at least continue this discussion in your room?” she said and looked behind me. I turned around and saw the receptionist watching us surreptitiously. I sighed and led her upstairs. “D19?” she said a little puzzled. “Yeah, why?” I asked. “I didn’t notice the last time she was here,” she said, blushing a little. “You were supposed to be in D16. I’ll tell the manager to change it.” “No, don’t. “I said, opening the door. “There’s nothing wrong with this room and I kind of like the view.” As usual, the room had been arranged and I was grateful. Jenny walked over to the window and looked through it to the car park in front. “Some view,” she said and went to sit on the bed. I stood there for a moment then went to sit on the sofa at the other corner of the room. She chuckled. “You are resilient!” she said and took off her shoes. I watched her warily. “Don’t worry, I’m not going To Molest you,” and she stretched her feet a bit, “those high heels were killing me. When we invented it we didn’t think your girls would accept it so easily.” “What?” I said, stunned. “What did you say?” “Yeah,” she said, wiggling her toes sexily. Even looking at her toes aroused me, I just couldn’t understand it. “And the wigs, fake eyelashes, sexy clothes? That’s us too. Soon we will take over your civilization and rule the earth.” I looked long and hard at her and she remained silent and watched me, her face blank. “Naah, you’re lying.” I said finally. “That’s the first time your smile has left your face.” She burst into laughter then, her smile coming back full force “You should have seen the look on your face!” she said holding her heaving chest and still laughing. “You looked like you were going to burst!” I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. “Well, I’ve never encountered a mermaid before, I don’t know what to expect.” “What would you have done? Shoot flames at me?” She saw the look on my face and shook her head gently.”Yes, I know what you are too; I know what you can do. I felt it over the phone the first day I talked with you. That’s why I wanted to get to know you so desperately, Chuks. The raw power I felt, the spiritual pressure…it was exhilarating!” “Really?” I said, “Is that why you arranged for me to be brought here instead of my boss?” She eyed me mischievously and grinned “Don’t sound like that, I only hinted that you had done a marvelous job and that it would be better for continuation sake if you came to personally supervise what you had started. My superiors ran with the suggestion from there.” She got up from the bed and walked over, cat-like, to me. “I can make you even stronger Chuks, if you’ll just promise to be mine…” “No thanks,” I said. “Not at all interested.” “Are you sure?” she asked and sat slowly on my lap. I couldn’t move. Her skin was terribly soft and warm and my mind swirled uncontrollably into lustful desires for this ravishingly beautiful creature. I closed my eyes and pictured Nina’s face. My lovely wonderful, beautiful Nina. I heard her voice, silky smooth and soft, “Thinking about her won’t help, you know…” she said, and I felt her fingers on my lips, my chin, and then running down my chest. “I dot even want to marry you or anything, it will just be a onetime fling, I just want to feel your power Chuks, that’s all.” She was kissing my neck, nibbling on my ears, and even though I knew what she was I almost didn’t care. Almost. I held her firmly and tried pushing her away. My arms felt like they were made of iron, exceedingly heavy and unwilling to obey the command of their master, my brain. “No, I told you...this isn’t going to happen” “Yes it is” she said kissed my neck again. She was deliberately avoiding my lips and I knew there was important about that but right now I couldn’t think straight, all my body was on fire, sensations I didn’t even think were possible were coursing through me; the more I resisted the more my hands became heavy. Then I opened my eyes and saw Chukwudi the stronger standing in the middle of the room. He was shaking his head and saying something but I couldn’t hear him. I closed my eyes again as she continued to caress me and when I opened them again Chukwudi was closer and gesticulating with his hands and saying something over and over. I tried to read his lips. The ring I traced my heavy leaden arms down to her hand and she smiled at me and intertwined my fingers with hers. She must have thought I was finally giving in. I felt for the ring and finally came upon it on her index finger. Then I mustered all my strength and pulled. The ring came off with a pop as her knuckles crackled. And all the feeling s I had been having faded away like magic. She drew back, her mouth wide open but no sound coming out. For the first time her face was contorted into an ugly mask filled with expressions of pain and horror. She fell to the floor as if I had pushed her and her face became covered in scales. The scales spread from her face to her whole body and finally her tail, which had appeared out of nowhere. Two small fish swam around her body as if she were underwater. “MY RING! GIVE IT TO ME!” she screamed. I looked around me and I could see everything. The two couples that had used this room previously, one couple being the manager and his woman; a dampening red flame coming out of the ring and burning bright in my hand, being engulfed by the flames coming out of my own hand, my own flames. It was like seeing clearly after having blurred vision for a long time. “You were blinding me with this, weren’t you? I asked, “How did you know I had the sight? Did you get that from listening to my voice too?” I was watching her and she seemed to be having trouble breathing, she was gasping for air and her skin had turned a sickly green colour. I didn’t know if it was part of the manifestation or if it was happening live. “I didn’t know what you could do,” she faltered, “I didn’t know about your sight or whatever powers you possessed. The ring, it does my… please just give it back!” “Promise to not use the power against me again.” I said. “Yes, I promise!” “Promise to not try any funny tricks on me?” “I promise!” she whispered harshly. “Promise to be truthful to me at all times?” I know, she wasn’t a genie, but I had the feeling that the moment I gave the ring back I would have lost a big chance for favors…” She looked at me and despite her obvious pain she managed a smile “I promise Chuks. Now please give me my ring.” I gave her the ring and she put it back on. Her scales vanished and her tail split in two. Soon there was a very beautiful lady sitting on my bed once again. “You could have asked for riches, you know.” She said dryly. “Before you say anything else, I have to ask: you don’t turn into a mermaid anytime someone snatches off your ring, do you? “No,” she said quietly, not looking at me. “You caused that.” I sat back and took a deep breath. “It looks like we are going to have a discussion after all.”

Chuks, you are doing great. Just use her to get the inane leopard!!

Hmmmmm

HHAAA

I trust you Chucks

Try to figure wat is goin on o

Hmmmmm

hmmm interesting how ar u going 2 overpower finally she may want 2 use her against u in anoder way

Jenny marmaid has finally surrender. Tnx to chucks d strong

Wow....I love dis story... it's just as-if am watching it live.... I wonder how the movie could be if its a movie

wait oo... I never see @khola46 here ooo

hmmmmmn

mmmmmmmmm following

Ur playing with a mermaid? Hmm

Chuks u dey loose ur mind ooo

Heeeeeeee!!! Na xo??? Chuks pls b carefull ooo

Hmmmm....... Still following.....

Nna menh, dis 1 don pass man pikin. @williams Kaduna Boi, kip it up n flowing. Nice storyline.

omo i dey gbadun chuks........ he too get sense

Haaa... Thanks to Chuk the stronger

U could av ask 4 riches nd mur power, u knw?

hmm interestin ride on bros

Thank God she couldn't control u Chuks

Life Sha

Chuks de strong!

hmmm Imagine not all dat glitters is gold ooo

continues She steadied herself as she tried walking down the street with her customers. The drug they had placed in her drink was beginning to take effect. She didn’t panic then though, she had been drugged before. It was one of the hazards of the trade. Some of the customers got off by sedating the girls before being intimate with them, they said it made them feel powerful, ”in charge”. Her first experience of drug rape had been quite nasty and she had since found a local antidote that she used whenever she felt the effects of being drugged. She had used it on many an occasion and it helped her to keep a clear head although she pretended to still be drugged so her clients could enjoy themselves. It brought in more money for heart the end of the day. This one however was kicking in faster than usual. But they were already at the car and they were behaving like such perfect gentlemen, opening the door for her and all. So she got in. A few moments passed and she was out again. She opened her purse and took out a small bottle of Robb which had been filled with a white powdery substance and she inhaled some of it. The chemical coursed through her system and her vision cleared but only temporarily. She walked faster, trying to see if she could get back to the junction where there were people, where there was nightlife. She never should have followed these strange men to this lonely corner. There was nobody in sight. It was not as if she hadn’t followed customers to precarious positions before but these guys had given started giving off a particularly bad vibe, especially the one that was in the driver’s seat. He just let off an aura that was…there was no other word to describe it…evil. A little voice had told her to steer clear but she had been attracted by the beautiful blue Camry, the handsome smile of the man at the back seat, and the huge bundle of notes they had displayed in front of her. She had followed them in the car to this alleyway, they had shared some more drinks and she had known almost immediately that she had been drugged again but she still didn’t mind, she still would have played along, she had secretly slipped in her antidote in the drink and was pretending to be falling asleep when she heard the driver say “ See, she’s not going to run this time”. The other man had said, “ Good, I’m really really hungry and I intend to suck her dry ” She smiled inwardly to herself. What sort of perverted fetishes were these folks into? The next thing she heard was: "Better not get any blood on my car, I just washed the upholstery." Her heartbeat began to race. Maybe they thought she might be a virgin? Or they wanted to rough her up a bit? She had experiences with customers like that too. Don’t worry. I’ll break her neck and drink all the blood from there. She won’t struggle. And the world stood still as her heart jumped into her mouth. What the hell did they mean by that? She had decided to play smart, she was still in the car and if she raised an alarm they might kill her. She had pretended to open her eyes slowly and smiled stupidly at them. They grinned back, looking as handsome and innocent as ever. “Do you boys mind if I take a pee first? I’m very pressed.” She said. The driver held her arm gently but firmly, “That won’t be necessary baby. What we want to do will not take long.” She thought quickly, “Yeah, but it’s already coming out, guess am gonna wet myself eh?” and she giggled for effect. A look of disgust came over the driver’s face. “What, in my car? Oya go out, go out,quick!” and he opened the door and shoved her out despite protests from his friend at the back. It was when she had gotten to her feet that she realized that despite her antidote, the drug was still making her feel dizzy. She pretended to walk to the bushes at the side of the road as going to relieve herself there, then suddenly began walking towards the junction. It was a bit far but she felt they would let her go if they thought their drug would soon make her pass out. That way they could collect her body without causing a scene. Unfortunately it seemed that that was exactly what would happen as this was her third sniff of the antidote and it had only cleared her head for a few seconds. She tried to open her mouth and call out but her vocal cords were paralysed. She was panicking now. She opened up the bottle of Robb and downed its entire contents and her vision cleared once again. She looked ahead; the junction was an island of light a few yards away, teeming with night life, filled with people. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of what her parents would say if anything happened to her. They thought she was at school studying, getting her degree, but here she was, in the middle of nowhere, her life in jeopardy. She thought of the numerous times he r roommate had warned her against these night excursions. She had laughed and called her roommate a “learner”, a prude, a self righteous born again. She remembered how her mother had knelt down and begged her to face her studies when she got to school, to join a fellowship, to keep with good friends, quiet friends. And she had nodded in agreement to keep her mum happy but deep down had decided that she would not let her youth go to waste. Well, it seemed it would go to waste tonight after all… She heard the car door open, they were coming for her, they were going to drag her back to the car and drain her blood. She sobbed and tried to run but her legs were heavy. All she could do was quicken her pace a little. Then she heard a growl. A blood curdling growl . She turned around and her eyes that had been narrowed from sedation opened wide in fear. A few feet behind her was the strangest and most fearsome beast she had ever seen. It looked like a leopard, like the ones she had seen in pictures, with yellow and black spots and a small mane at the neck. The head however was like that of a human being. It had two tails that swished excitedly from side to side. It was three times the size of the largest dog she had ever seen. It was stalking her, ambling up to her, seemingly in no hurry. She opened her mouth to scream but once again nothing came out. She turned and quickened her pace, willing her legs, her heavy legs, to run, but try as she might she could only manage to increase her pace slightly. She looked forward again and saw the island of light and noise. She was almost there. The tears were blinding her eyes as she struggled with all that was in her to get to that place, that safe haven. But somewhere deep within her she knew she wasn’t going to make it. An old memory came back to her, something she used to do as a child in the darkness of her room, when she was frightened and alone and mommy and daddy had gone to their rooms, something she had forgotten as she grew and became wise to the things of the world; “Jesus help me, a poor sinner. Jesus help me, a poor sinner…” She chanted it in her mind, for her mouth was still numb, she chanted like a little child as she strove towards the light. And there was a snap as the creature stepped on a piece of wood close to her. It had caught up, she could feel its breath on her legs. It was behaving very un-animalistic, an animal would have attacked, tore at her by now. This leopard creature was savouring her, smelling her, playing with her as if it had a reasoning brain and was thinking how delicious she would be… She tripped on something and fell. Never once did her teary eyes leave that island of light. She cried now and was able to let out a whimper as the antidote made one final effort to neutralize the substance she had been given. But it would not be enough, she was still too far. Teeth that seemed to be made of iron gripped her leg and dug easily into her flesh as pain shot up to her brain and she cried out a little louder this time. Still not enough. She began to pass out as she felt the creature dragging her limp body easily back towards the car and she remembered thinking it would have been better if she had been sedated after all… “Hey…HEY! What are you doing? Wetin be dat?!” she looked up and in her dimmed vision saw a man standing in a nearby bush, relieving himself of pent up urine. She smelled the alcohol on him and knew he was drunk. He wouldn’t be of any help to her whatsoever. But then the man suddenly shone his torch in her direction and must have seen what was pulling her away because he gave out an ear-piercing scream. Immediately people from the junction started running in their direction and she felt the creature relinquish its grip. There was some scurrying of feet and a screech of tires as the beautiful blue Camry zoomed off. “Jesoooos!” “Na which kain dog be dat?” “Nna, check whether she still dey breathe o…” A hand came close to her face and she grabbed the hand with all her might, not letting go, and crying feebly into the night air.

wow....nice story... thumbs up Willz

It looked like a leopard, like the ones she had seen in pictures, with yellow and black spots and a small mane at the neck. The head however was like that of a human being. It had two tails that swished excitedly from side to side. I wonder who brought the beast to where chuks saw it

Thank God 4 ya......

I HV ONE OF THE CREATURES

hmmm...lucky girl

tank GOD oooo....i op d girl has learn her lesson n hardway....

This is the main reason Chucks is Delta. To kill that beast

Chisoos... Dunno wad 2 say

I tink u will learn ur lesson if u survive it

Hmmm this leopard i am suspentin it to be and evil leo hw wil a leo live with pple freely

Is only God dat help u.

Ummmm

Na wa ooo... This girl life will never remain the same

observing......wat nxt

chucks let dem knw who u b

the devil is a liar.......shooo see ur life,dem for hear ur story for house say u don die bt u gast thank dat drunkard oooo.....kai walahi wich kain beast creatures dey dis story abeg no make me fear don allah

never knw d story had season 2,tnk god am finaly here,jenny a marmaid, a beast aftar an ashawo hmmmmm nice story

Hmmmmm! For †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ 1st Time, Am Really Lost 4words.. Mennn! Thinz Ar Hapenin O̶̷̩̥̊͡

continues.... “It’s not what you think,” she said. “I’m not here to hurt you or anything like that. It’s just…what you have, it drives me crazy. It’s like I’m a bee being drawn to honey.” I continued to watch her silently as she adjusted a little on my bed. She had since come over her shocking transformation in my room and was now drinking a glass of water I had offered her. Everything was so clear to me now, I could see her aura, her passion, I could almost even hear her thoughts. I was more alert than I had been since my last encounter with Mr A**** and I was not in a very good mood. “You tried to seduce me, you more or less put me under a spell the moment you saw me, you wanted to make me yours by sleeping with me and taking my powers…which part of any of these did not involve hurting me?!” “The seduction part?” she said with a wry smile. I frowned and she had that look of alarm in her face again before calming down. “What’s that about, anyway?”I said angrily. “What?” she asked. “Anytime I get upset with you, you have this frightened look on your face…” “Well,” she said, “you need to see your own aura when you are upset. It lights up in violent flames, as if you want to turn everything around you to ashes.” She was right. i did feel like I could set everything on fire if I wanted to. I was actually angry at myself for being so blind as to be almost used by this pretty damsel. I was so angry in fact, that I had my sight fully open, I could feel spiritual energy coursing through my veins and for a moment I felt I was going to have a fit. I closed my eyes and tried to get a hold of myself and then I opened them and saw jenny looking at me with apprehension. It was a bit difficult remaining angry with Jenny for long; she seemed so delicate. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “So, which part of this business trip is my effort and which part is yours?” I asked. She looked a little surprised. “I have already told you, my influence stopped at making sure I saw the man who had such an alluring and powerful voice. The rest of it was all you.” “I’d hate to think I got here through any way other than my own effort…” I said. “Even if you did, it wouldn’t be your fault because you didn’t solicit for help. Come on, I’m telling you the truth. I promised I would.” “Okay then”, I replied. “What were you planning to do to me the moment you had me under your power?” “Had you under my power?” she laughed. “It seems you do not know your own strength, Chukwudi. There is no way I would have been able to control you, I just wanted to get you in a position where I could…er…manipulate you into doing favors for me.” “Like what?” I asked. “Well, someone like you would have a lot of pull…or influence in the spirit realm, having you by my side would have made me more formidable to…er…competitors.” “There’s more of you?” I asked incredulously. “Why so surprised?” she said smiling, “human beings are all over the place, what makes you think we mer-people won’t be the same?” I sighed. But I was much calmer inwardly now. I knew that she was more frightened of me than I was of her though I still wasn’t sure why. I guess it had to do with what she thought I could do, things I obviously wasn’t aware of. “So how did you get your powers chuks?” she asked. “I see no dark light in you so you can’t be a ritualist or anything like that.” “I’m a Christian.” I said. “I know,” she replied. “I can see the seal that identifies true followers of the Son of GOD on you. And the worn hilt of your two-edged sword indicates that you have been close to your guardian angel for a long time, although I cannot see him anywhere”. “I have a sword?” I exclaimed. Chukwudi had mentioned something about this a long time ago. “How do I use it? Can I use it here?” “How should I know?” she asked. “It’s your sword. Haven’t you drawn it from its hilt before?” I hadn’t experienced anybody describing the manifested me before and it was a bit unnerving. I decided to change the subject. “Tell me about the ring” I said. She looked down at the silver ring that was once again encircling her index finger. It shone brightly and on closer inspection I could see small embers of fire, blue and hazy, emanating from it. “It became necessary after I talked to you for the first time. Your voice alone caused me to manifest in my office. I passed out after talking to you.” She saw the alarmed look on my face and smiled. “Don’t worry, nobody read anything into it. But my curiosity was aroused. I wanted to meet you, see what kind of man you were, but I knew if I came in close contact with you I would probably manifest again, so I got the ring. “What does it do?”I asked. “It sort of scrambles powers, sometimes drains them. It keeps the person it affects deeply embedded in this earth realm and so he doesn’t see things that go on in the spirit realm. Even with it on, it was still difficult to suppress your Sight, but it enabled me to work my seductive charms on you. I don’t understand though, it should have worked in that area at least. You must really love your fiancé. “Yeah, she’s an absolute angel .” I said. She looked at me with those piercing eyes, “I wish I could experience the kind of love you have for her. Most of the men I have come across are more interested in my looks than in my personality. It gets quite irritating after a while. I don’t even need to use any charm on them, I just smile and they fall at my feet. I eventually get what I want from them without having to use any magic whatsoever.” “You get what you want? How do you mean?” She sighed. “I’m not evil Chuks…” “That point is very debatable.” I countered. “Well I’m telling you that I’m not! I can be labeled bad, naughty, a cheat maybe, but I’m not evil. We mermaids are individuals like any other race, we have the good, the bad and the ugly among us as well and I’m telling you, when you see an evil mermaid, you’ll know.” She replied indignantly. “So what did you mean by you get what you want?” I asked. “Haven’t you used your sight to gain a favor or two before? Haven’t you used it to help you choose friends, stay close to those that would benefit you? Do you call that being evil? I have used my beauty to make my transition to success smooth but that hardly classifies me as being evil. Other ordinary girls do the same.” I heard a beeping sound and I looked at my watch. It was already 5pm. How time flies when you are having fun. Or interrogating a mermaid. “You’ll have to go. I want to have some rest and talk to my Nina. Then there are some files I have to work on before tomorrow, right?” I said. “Or you could let me stay the night, knowing who and what I am, knowing I’m as much under your power now as you were almost under mine, and I’ll persuade the boss to move the deadline tomorrow.” She said. “Wow,” I whistled, “You don’t give up easily do you?” “No I do not sir.” She said and smiled again. No matter how many times she smiled I couldn’t get tired of it. It was uncanny. “Is there any other thing you want to ask me?” “Yeah,” I said, “how come you could see the leopard in the field?” “I’m a mermaid, chuks. My vision though the veil is not torn out when I come into this realm. Anyone with half a gift for seeing things others cannot see would have seen the leopard.” “So was it a kind of test? For me, to get me off guard or to prove my powers?” I asked curiously. She stopped smiling then and her face looked scared again. “Actually, I see a lot of things on this job, things I would rather not talk about, maybe because I have nobody to talk about it to…but, that leopard has been there since the day we arrived in Asaba a week ago. Sometimes the leopard appears well fed and quiet, and at other times it seems agitated, hungry and even angry. The first time I saw it I mistook it for Mr Bells pet but then the next day I saw two leopards and one of them had two tails. One of them was Sidney of course and the other was the manifestation. Sidney saw it as well and paid obeisance to it. Nobody knew why Mr bells’ leopard was behaving the way it was but I knew…” “Wait, back up! Sidney can see the manifested leopard?” I said quite surprised. “Why of course,” she replied. “Sidney can see everything, he does belong to the cat family, and their eyes are even sharper than ours. Sidney knows what I am and always becomes wary when I’m near him. I don’t like cats much either whether big or small so I try to avoid him.” “So, then, If you were not the one that conjured up the leopard then who did?” Jenny met my eyes. “I think one of our staff is a man-animal.”

Really? Well until the suspicion is confirmed; ride on bro.....ur head dey dia

This one is Strong. Ride On

seriously why do I feel like there is more to this than it just being a story... The mermaid world n present day fashion. watchd alot of Prayer deliverance of mermaids saying exactly what Jenny says. oyah bobos mak una dey calculate una packages wif dem ladies.. Alwaiz ensure you buy fish and see if your new catch go follow yhu chop am. if she refuses den Na only yhu waka come!! @Williams kaduna boi Toh Ranka dade, a ci gaba da gashi!!

hmmm! Odikwa serious here... Ride on kaduna boy

hope u dnt land in anoda troule

Intrestinq........

I like this story,@williams more ink to ur pen

Kaduna boi. You are the real man . Next please

Getting more interesting as it progress....keep it rolling bro

Waiting 4 More....

Hmmmmmm,interesting. waiting Mr Williams

so who iz de man-animal luking forward

so who iz de man-animal...... observing

I think d leopard manifesting like Sydney is d same dat killed a girl & replaced her body with a goat & d same dat tried killing dis 2nd girl. Chuks u nid to hunt dis man as he's also within. Still u gat to be weary of Jenny. @William u rocks

I think this is where ur dreamz is headin to chuks...

Ride on

I think i am seeing things now o...

Keep it coming mr williams

Mermaid n Leopard in 1 company. Hmmm, o di egwu ooh!

dz story sounds confusin buh al d same #thumbsup 4 u williams

ride on am at ur back

carry on

HAAAA I SEE THEM NOW

Hmmm... Datx d sound of action #melancholic music#

hmmm nxt plz great work@Willz

Roll on mr. Williams

I like what am hearing bt chuks hope you no go allow her sleep with you,may be she wil stil try you again.

contines sorry for the hold der was delay along kaduna Abuja express way Two things happened that night... She met him in his dreams...the seductress. She smiled as she spun her web of seductive suggestions around him, they shone like red silver wires and wrapped around his supine form as they sought to make him prisoner. She smiled to herself. She said she would not seduce him, but this was not him, at least not technically. She had spied the raw form of energy deep within his soul as he uttered words of unbridled bravery and she had marvelled. Perhaps she could steal this one away for a moment, she thought, as she wrapped the last line of red silver thread around him. This young boy within a man, so innocent looking in his deep slumber. She raised a fisted hand triumphantly as her red silver rope began to drag away her prize... Chukwudi the stronger felt the wire wrapped around him. He let it continue because it was ticklish. He had no interest in seeing who was trying to disturb him, not yet. But now, now that it actually had the audacity to drag him away like a fly caught in a spider's web, he reacted. He broke free of his red silver bonds as if they were indeed made of cobwebs and stood up, his curly black hair burning brightly and ready for war. She shrieked and threw a fireball at him and he caught it, laughing. As she watched in amazement, he ignited the ball further with some fire of his own and threw it back. She screamed and jumped out of its way but not after some of the flames burnt her hand. He laughed again and pointed at her. "Keep your fins to yourself woman, or I will have your lower half for dinner!" She backed off slowly and was soon lost in the foggy plains of this dreamworld. Chukwudi the stronger laughed again, lay down on his side, closed his eyes and went back to bed.

contines....... And the second thing that happened was... He stood there in the clearing, watching the live band play highlife music. The light was poor but that was what attracted the customers. Cigarette smoke wafted through the air and his nostrils flared for want of oxygen. He couldn't see the faces of people around clearly and he wondered why that was... He saw the girl walk with the men to the car and knew she was in imminent danger. He tried running after her to stop her but the faster her ran, the slower he became and soon the car zoomed off with the girl as passenger. His heart skipped a beat and a pain shot through his chest as if from a dagger. He saw her stagger out of the car and towards the clearing, crying, praying, and he tried to help but she didn't see him. He shouted for her to run but there was something wrong. She stumbled and fell and then he saw the thing come out of the car, sleek, calm, a confident killer. He shouted for help but his voice was not carried by the cold evening wind. He thought of what to do, even as he watched the creature approaching her and licking its sharp pointy teeth. He saw her eyes begging for the junction, that party which she had just left, that place filled with people... Suddenly he knew what to do. He willed himself back to the party. Everyone else was busy dancing and laughing but there was this man sitting alone at the corner, his table filled with half a dozen empty bottles of beer he had just conquered. He went up to the man and whispered in his ear. "You need to pee." His voice was so low, he doubted the man heard him but he persisted. "You need to pee. Your bladder is full and about to burst. You need to pee. You need to pee. You need.." The man burped and stood up and said to no one in particular "Abeg I wan(hic) go piss(hic)..." The drunk stumbled off and he followed him, whispering suggestions in his mind, willing him to go towards the girl. Finally they arrived at a convenient place and the man began to urinate. He watched as the creature grabbed its victim by the calf of her leg and began to drag her off. He hoped, prayed, willing the drunk to move forward but was unsuccessful. He had almost given up hope when the girl managed a little scream. "Hey...HEY! What are you doing? Wetin be dat?" The drunk yelled, quickly hiding his private member. The drunk fiddled in his pocket and brought out a torch. When its beam of light fell on the beast the drunk let out a scream that was far more effective than the girl's own. He watched as the crowd ran to the spot and the blue Camry zoomed off. She would survive, thank GOD. He was in the blue Camry. The driver was apologizing to the beast and the beast was howling angrily. He tried to pick out what they were saying. "Idi0t!" "Look I said I was sorry! I shouldn't have let her out" "Where do I get my next meal from now?" "I could buy a goat for you tomo..." "I HATE GOAT!" "okay, okay...maybe if we go to the other side of town..." "Not tonight! It's already late. I can hold off till tomorrow. Maybe I can make a snack out of your other arm eh?" No...please..." Be quiet!!! Someone else is here..." And the creature squinted its eyes, sniffed the air and looked at HIM. He struggled to get out of the car but couldn't. The creature gazed in his direction for a moment then snarled and bared its fangs at him. He screamed and tore at whatever was holding him to the seat. And then I woke up.

Man animal imdeed

next episode to be uploaded at 1am...promotional

Ride on boss

The drunk dude really saved ya ass......

Dis story is becoming confused

just keep following ma /sir u would catch up

it's rather simple this two episodes are dreams chucks had first jenny wanted taking chucks the stronger n second tells us how the drunk happened to save the geh

ride on bro

So, waz it chucks d stronger dat saw d girl and spoke to d drunk abt going 2 urinate @Williams

Best story...waiting for the next episode

Good good work @williams #carryon

kaduna boi u b oga......... dey ginger us abeg

continues... I dashed out of my room the next morning and went to knock on Jenny’s door. “Just a minute,” her voice came muffled through the bullet proof door of the hotel room. I waited impatiently, tappinjg my black leather shoe clad feet on the floor. I had been this way since I woke up from my dream, from watching the creature almost take down another victim. All of a sudden I was involved; all of a sudden I had to see the end of this thing. People were dying and I felt a moral responsibility to solving the case. And since I had Jenny with me, someone who had supernatural powers as well, I hoped getting to the bottom of things would be a whole lot easier than if I was handling everything on my own. But first I needed to settle accounts with the reason I came here in the first place. Why was this girl wasting so much time? “Jenny? At least open the door and let me in” I pleaded. I heard her feet tread softly on the posh rug in her room as she made towards the door. A click later and the door was thrown wide. She stood there, decorating the doorway like an ornament. Radiantly smiling, not a strand of hair out of place which was a miracle as it was still a little early on the morning. Even without make-up she looked glorious. She smiled that ubiquitous smile of hers and the world became a better place. The irritation I had begun to feel died down immediately. She was wrapped in a large white fluffy towel, the kind that came with the hotel. It was held firmly in place by her breast line and ended just above her knees. Her hair was covered in a smaller version of the same product. If I was a white man I would have been seen to be blushing furiously. “What? You said I should open the door.” She said lazily. “I had a bad dream.” I said. Immediately her face became serious, almost anxious. “Chuks, I can expl…” “I think the man-animal struck again last night,” I said. “In my dream I was there, at least I think I was the one there. He tried to feed on another girl yesterday but failed and wasn’t too happy about it. Today he will attempt to feed again. I want us to formulate a plan on how to expose him, catch him if possible and make him stop taking innocent lives. But first I would like us to sort out what remains of the contract today if possible then we will have time to face this mystery. What the heck happened to your hands?!” Her hands had been bandaged in some silky cloth and the areas that were visible appeared reddish as if scorched by fire. She looked down at them slowly and then back at me. “These? Oh, I turned on the hot water by mistake.” “With both hands?” I asked. She shrugged my question off. “It’ll heal. I have a special healing balm for it. Another few hours and my flesh will be as good as new. What made you suddenly want to play detective?” “I have always wanted to use my gift to help people as much as possible. It seems there was more to it than you scheming that brought me to Asaba at this time. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing that maybe I could have done something to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. “Not so innocent, if you ask me.” She muttered. I frowned at her, “from what I understand, you have a stake in this as well. Don’t you want to stop the person that killed your ‘sister’? She looked down at her feet for a while then seemed to make up her mind. “Alright. I’m in. Come inside let me have a shower and get dressed.” “No thanks,” I said. “I’ll be waiting in the restaurant downstairs. “Still fleeing?” she smiled. I didn’t answer her and headed towards the restaurant as she gave a small laugh and went back into her room.

Observing

Lollzzz she first tot u cme regarding her drm ni, hmmmmmmmm wat a power u v got chucks.

Hmmm

Chucks! I think Jenny Is getting hold on you. It's a bad omen dat just her smiles alone cld make u forget u also came to challenge her for trying to take ur powers. Y don't you bring her under yr authority since u r far too stronger than her

jenny is so adamat!!! She dnt give up easily

Her sister? This is strong

Wow.....hmmmm...Soo chucks the stronger can help ppul on his own

Kudos 2 d writer #williams #thumbs up keep it rollin boss.

@ tennie were re u,long tyme no see,#gud mornin #hapi sundae great day ahead.

Great story.

cool story.

Hahahaha chuks i wil explain you see this jenny of a kind is dangerous bt thank she find chuks who she dear nt play with him.

ride on @williams

Hummmmm nice one

u dare not o

interesting

pls I would like Dat my fellow coolvallers reading Dis story take it more Dan just a fiction... most of it z real n happens in our world! the spiritual parts r real n doz manifestations r practical. I don't think any story here has been as intriguing as Dis is; glueing me to my phone. its really a call to discipline care n spirituality. abeg continue.. n let d episodes b longer. @pizzaro shift ur big head... e dey block my view!

gbagaun!!! she lets d cat loose

Dis z way 2 cirious.......

Lol @Kenze Ah don shift ooo.....i hope u'll av a better view now.......

odi omimi.

continues... longer episodes 1 a day...... Jenny took another ten minutes before coming downstairs. I had decided to be a gentle man and wait for her so we could have breakfast together. When she came down I saw she had changed into a polka dotted white dress with frilled edges and I wondered where she had gotten the outfit from. She walked in purposefully and sat down beside me. I noticed that the bandages around her hands had gone and I couldn’t see the blisters anymore. “Impressive,” I said pointing at her hands. She looked at them again and smiled. “Thanks” she said, pulling up a chair and sitting down at the table with me. The cook was sitting at her corner of the restaurant and came towards us. I ordered my usual, bread and tea with eggs and sausages. Jenny asked for fried rice with fish and orange juice. I raised my brow when I saw the fish. “You eat fish?” I asked. “Yes, don’t you?” she looked at me quizzically. I said nothing and we commenced breakfast. “I was thinking of how we are going to catch this leopard fellow,” I said in between mouthfuls. “It will be easy enough for me to keep my eyes open, so to speak when we get to the office. I want to believe the reason I haven’t seen a manifestation of him before is because your ring was somehow preventing it. “That’s very possible,” she replied. “I originally wore it to protect myself from the effect of your powers but maybe what it did was to scramble your system a bit, reduce your perception and reducing your abilities at the same time…” “So that plan should work.” I interrupted. “But what if it doesn’t?” she said. “What if he has some powers of his own that prevents him from being exposed, maybe a talisman that suppresses the beast within him? It was not unheard of in the old days for the man- animals to carry talismans like that, cloaking their abilities from native doctors.” “Alright, if it comes to that then we’ll have to do a little more detective work.” I said. “Something else will give him away; his character, what he says, where he’ll go. And then there is the blue Camry…” “The what?” she asked, looking confused. “He has a blue Camry. That’s what he hunts in.” “But, all our official cars are black. I haven’t seen anyone ride in with a blue camry before.” “Well,” I said, “We can ask about Camrys. He might give himself away with that. Or at least manifest something when it is mentioned. Even if he is wearing a talisman I should be able to see something. I mean, even with your ring on I was able to see through to your real self, which means I was overcoming whatever it was your ring was doing anyway…” “More likely because you kissed me, the intensity of the contact.” She said. “That’s what opened your eyes.” “Ahem, I kissed you? The way I remember it, you kissed me…” “Whatever makes you sleep at night, honey.” She grinned. “Anyway, you’re saying you may be able to perceive more things today?” “Definitely,” I said sullenly, still smarting over her last remark. “I’ll just have to keep my eyes open that’s all. “And what do we do once we have apprehended the villain?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. I hadn’t thought of that. Were we going to hand him over to the police or dispense with some jungle justice of our own? I remember what happened with Mr A****, how his own powers turned on him and made him mad. “We’ll cross the bridge when we get there.” I said. She looked at me thoughtfully. “About last night…” she said, “Was there only one dream you had?” “How does it matter?” I asked, looking at my plate. “I’m sorry.” She said quietly. “I had to try-“ “No you didn’t.” I replied. “You would have gotten yourself killed or something.” We were silent for a while. I think we were both embarrassed by the little information we had quietly ignored since we woke up. I almost didn’t want to tell her I remembered her invasion of Chukwudi the Stronger’s sanctuary. I had experienced the whole thing as a dream of course and may not have been able to stop it if Chukwudi had gone further… Jenny broke the silence. “You acted without hesitation…” “That, er, wasn’t me.” “Yes it was.” She countered. “It was you without any of your controlling self righteousness. You without your ego or superego. You could have really killed me.” “So what, you’re scared of me now?” I asked looking at her. She nodded quietly. “Scared and Awed at the same time. I’m more attracted to you now than ever.” The statement caught me by surprise and I laughed out loud and the cook looked up from her desk. I stifled what was left of the laugh and saw that Jenny was giggling. “At least I know not to visit you in your dreams again.” She said, grinning. I smiled back. Then I took her hand. “I’m really…he’s really…I’ mean…we’re sorry for what happened. I would never hurt you like that…” “You wouldn’t, but he definitely would, without apology too. I can almost hear him laughing in my mind.” I faltered, knowing she spoke the truth. “It’s okay Chuks, I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.” She said, and got up from the table. “Besides, you shouldn’t show so much worry for me. I could mistake it to mean you are beginning to care.” ************ The meeting that day went as planned. The laborers in the field had gotten their demands met and I was receiving some accolades at the office for my negotiating skills. I tried to tell them that I didn’t do any negotiating really but Jenny shushed me and besides they weren’t really interested in my modest replies. Mr. Bells clapped me on the shoulder and called me aside. As he was doing so I saw Chioma, the lady with the short hair who came with her huge Lebanese boss to the site the day before. She backed away as soon as Mr. Bells started talking. “Well done Mr. Chukwudi, well done.” He grinned and steered me towards the parking lot outside. “There are a few other things I would like you to look into for me. We have some men at the Airport who say they keep having problems with the authorities. Anytime I go there to find out what the problem is, the Airport staffs say there is no problem. I think they are hiding something from me. “Maybe they are not comfortable with you, being a foreigner and all, Sir.” I said. “Exactly what I was thinking as well!” he exclaimed. “Could you take a look into that matter too? Talk to them; see what they have to say, “Beg your pardon sir, I said quietly, “But I’m not the only Nigerian on your team. Why don’t you tell the others to have a look into the matter? Remember I’m just a contract staff. They might feel…em…” “Envious? I don’t care. Look, I’ll level with you; I run a very lucrative business, Mr. Chukwudi. I believe I pay my staff well, too well if you ask me. Most of them only do their bit and that’s it, they are more interested in the money and how much they can eat from my hand, none of them have any real interest in this job as far as I am concerned. None of them show any initiative, it’s all Yes sir, No sir, Right away sir, whatever you say sir, and it irritates the hell out of me. I know they are all afraid of Sidney but not one of them can man up to tell me to keep him out of the firm grounds.” “I’m not so comfortable with him myself sir,” I said, looking for an entrance to investigate him. “Ah…but you are the only one that showed any courage by approaching the beast. That was very impressive. But do you really want me to remove him? You didn’t seem scared of him that day. I thought, if only you knew. But I smiled and said, “Not really. Tell me again how you got to keep such a magnificent creature”. In my mind I was like, if he loves leopards so much, maybe he is the leopard himself. “Purely accidental,” he replied smiling although a shadow had crossed his meaty face. “Like I said, we had gone to do some business in South Africa and my wife and kid had insisted on coming along. Methinks wifey just wanted to make sure I wasn’t up to any shenanigans when I got there, you know what I mean?” And he elbowed me in the ribs playfully. I smiled awkwardly and waited for him to continue. “Anyway I had gone out for a meeting while my son went on a safari with his mum. They said he spotted a baby leopard in a bush somewhere and jumped out of the car to go and help it. The guide says he tried to stop him but before he could remove his seatbelt my boy was off. That’s my son, always going out of his way to help animals and such. Most other kids would just pull the legs off lizards but not my son. He said he wanted to grow up to be a vet. He was twelve, by the way.” A cloud had instantly formed above his head, a dark cloud. A terrible chain had also appeared around his neck, the familiar chain of those who carried the weight of guilt. “Sir,” I said, noting the discomfort the sad memories were putting him in, “if you don’t want to talk about it…” “No, I do.” He sighed and smiled again, this time ruefully. “The leopard cub had been hiding from a snake. A black mamba. My son stepped on it as he went to pick up the cub. He was dead before they could turn the car around and head back to the hospital.” “I’m so sorry sir,” I said. “Well, that was five years ago. I wasn’t with them of course. I was busy at my meeting. When I came back my wife broke the news to me. I ran out to the place where it had happened intending to find the snake and kill it. I know, I know, I admit that was an irrational thought at the time but I felt I would get some satisfaction out of it. When I finally found it, it was dead. Its head had been crushed in by a hunter who owned up to killing the leopard cub’s mother. He said he didn’t need the cub and I decided to take it out of his hands. He didn’t even ask anything for it. I realized later that he must have been a poacher or something, but I didn’t report him, not immediately. In a way he had exacted vengeance for my son and I was grateful to him for that. And taking care of the cub kind of made me feel close to my son again, you know? It’s what he would have wanted.” “So you named him Sidney.” I said. “Yeah,” Mr. Bells said. “And he’s a real good leopard. He looks ferocious and all but is fully domesticated. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.” “Yeah? So what does he eat? Vegetables?”

following

Lol, wah a question

See question,,vegetables

wat a question!!!!!!!

Hope Mr. Bells isn't d Man-Animal creature?

Mr. Chucks! U still gat 2 b cautious with Jenny. She's nt relenting in her desire of ur powers though shez an amazing kind of mermaid; fish bt eats fish.. Lol!

GUD QUESTION CHUKS

Ladies

Maybe its the hunter.

Lolzz! Cant wiat 2hea bells answer 2yor question.. If U̶̲̥̅̊ ask me I think dat oda lady wit short hair knows about †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ oda leopard..

Hey Mr., don't give urself away with so many questions. Ride on please

Following.......

Mr bells is not the man-animal.... I guess chioma might know the person

waitin for d ans ride on

Wow,it is good to be in coolval22 again,i really missed alot guys,which story will i start with,oh my gosh,am lagging behind. @pizzaro,which story tough pasz abeg

@williams Next epi. Pls

Lol,,,,,,,,,,,,, Good question Jeeez @williams ℓ̊ think since ℓ̊ start reading dis story Α̲̅♍ иσω seeing tyns,,,,,,,,,,,, hmmnn Weldone bro U̶̲̥̅̊ really doin a great job here

continues I didn’t like the sarcastic way that came out, especially after the heart rending tale he had just given me. I held my breath and waited for his reaction. But he laughed heartily, his large canine teeth gleaming in the early morning sun. “Nah, I feed him on cooked meat and dog food. He thrives well on it.” “What about goat meat?” I asked. Mr. Bells looked at me thoughtfully. “I don’t think he likes goat meat very much. Too stringy?” “That’s because you don’t know how to prepare it properly” We heard a voice say behind us. We turned around to see one of the Nigerians on the board. He was smiling and obviously wanted to get into the conversation. “Mr. Bells, this one you have taken Chukwudi aside, hope all is well?” “Don’t worry Mr. Daniel; your job is secure…for now anyway.” Mr. Daniel grinned although I wouldn’t say his grin was amicable. He reminded me of a hyena, grinning wickedly from ear to ear, hiding all his malice behind a fake smile. He was a light complexioned, tall lanky fellow, more skin and bones than anything else. He was wearing an old grey suit which seemed to hang from his shoulders like from an iron clothes hanger. His eyes darted alternately between me and Mr. Bells, pleading and yet defiant. “It was your job to make sure those men in the field got what they were asking for,” Mr. Bells said, his voice sounding a little annoyed. “I asked you a couple of times what their complaint was about and you kept on asking for money to settle them. Yesterday was the first time I didn’t get any complaints after Mr. Chukwudi spoke with them. Did you talk to them at all? Mr. Daniel adjusted his tie nervously. “I did Sir! Don’t mind them, they are never satisfied, maybe by tomorrow they will start complaining again-“ “For your sake, I hope not.” Mr. Bells said, frowning. “Why don’t you take Chukwudi and introduce him to the rest of the crew?” “We did that when he arrived sir, on our first meeting?” Mr. Daniel replied quietly. “Well, do it again, this time informally.” Mr. Bells responded and walked away. It was obvious he didn’t like Daniel one bit. I stood there silently watching him walk back into the building. “Bros na wa oh, make you no fall our hand for this place oh!” Daniel said suddenly spiteful. “Bros no vex.” I replied. “It wasn’t my intention to pour sand in your garri. It was the foreman that approached me.” Daniel looked at me for a while, then decided to change to the ‘nice guy’ approach. Besides, I was already friendly with Mr. Bells; it would be a good idea to be in my good books. “No problem Bros.” He said grinning that his mirthless grin. “Let me introduce you to the others.” He turned away and walked off, his greed demon slightly bigger than my bosses own, sitting haunched and comfortable on his shoulders, hissing angrily at me. On his left foot was a chain linked to a big iron box filled with what I knew would be his secrets protected on four sides with formidable looking padlocks. Blood dripped from his hands in evidence of someone who had taken one or more lives. With each step he took a patch of mud appeared, making it look as if he was wading away. His right leg was chained to broken bottles and a few unbroken ones, signs of a struggling alcoholic. I gave him a few feet before following him behind whereupon I spotted the rotted stubbles of what I supposed were once the wings of a man of faith. No wonder he was so lanky. We walked towards the car park and I saw that the rest of the board was waiting for us. There were four men and the woman called Chioma. The Lebanese crew was not with them. Jenny was laughing with the huge man called John and he slapped her arm playfully, letting his hand slide down to her wrist where it lingered until she politely pulled it away. Chioma stood quietly behind the lot, keeping herself busy with her blackberry phone. Mr Daniel walked up to them and cleared his throat with the air of someone about to announce a very great personality. “Gentleman and ladies, meet Mr Chukwudi, the young entrepreneurial genius that we hired all the way from Lagos to help us out of our financial quagmire. Oga said I should introduce him again o, in case you guys didn’t notice him before…” “Kai, Daniel, take am easy now.” Mr john said, laughing a deep rumbling laugh. “Your words are just dripping with jealousy. We know Chukwudi is not how you are trying to paint him.” The others laughed as Mr Daniel humphed and stepped aside. One by one they came and shook hands with me and Mr Daniel introduced them even as their auras introduced themselves. “This is Mr. John, our mountain man. He hails from Benue state, and is our Sales manager. I don’t know what he is doing so far away from home, enjoying our money and women.” He hit Mr. John hard on the back but he might have well have hit a brick wall with all the effect it had on the giant. He reminded me of Hagrid in the harry potter movies. Large fellow with a bearded face and friendly eyes. Large meaty hands that engulfed mine in a firm handshake, a massive pot belly that rumbled like it had a life of its own and wanted very much to live it independent of its owner. “Very nice to meet you Chukwudi, the leopard catcher!” he said. “I haven’t forgotten the little stunt you pulled in the bush the other day, will definitely get you back!” “Please don’t” I replied in a mock scared voice and he roared with laughter and hit me hard on the shoulder in what was supposed to be a friendly pat. I winced a bit in pain and smiled good-naturedly. Meet Mr John, a previous introvert, made fun of by classmates when in primary school and became a prefect in his secondary school due to his large size. Naturally friendly, he has taken control of his introvertish nature and behaves outrageously when embarrassed. A few unchained bottles of beer follow him around,signs of a heavy social drinker but not an alcoholic. His entire being is perpetually engulfed in the dark red flames of lust, a womanizer trying to catch up with his shy early youthful days when he could not get the ladies to notice him. Ridiculously small wings on his back indicating a Christian with watery beliefs. No secrets here, an open book. This man had nothing to hide, except maybe for his lust for Jenny as evidenced by the flames that increased to a crescendo anytime he looked at Jenny. Not that he was keeping that much of a secret either. All in all a large man with a large heart. “A large man with a large heart…” I mumbled. “What?” Mr john said, cocking his ear to one side. “Speak up man, don’t let my size fool you. I’m as gentle as a dove.” “Na so,” said Mr Daniel and shooed him away. Next was Mr Kelvin. “Mr Kelvin here works with human resources. He’s supposed to be married though we have never seen his wife-“Mr Daniel coughed significantly and Kelvin eyed him. “-and he is from Port Harcourt. Mr Kelvin shook my hand firmly although I could barely feel anything since my hand was still a bit numb from “‘Hagrid’s” vice-like grip. He was slightly taller than me, of average build, clean shaven, with a suit that was devoid of wrinkles. All in all he looked like a very neat and responsible person. “Pleased to meet you Chukwudi.” He said. “My forte, like Daniel has told you, is human resources. So feel free to ask my help anytime you need it. Previous smoker, drinker, habitual lier, something had changed all that and for now he was loyal to only one person. His neglected wife and children stood behind him, or at least a manifestation of them did, looking dejected and hungry, with pleading looks in their eyes, waiting for him to come home. He had a large box of secrets attached to his ankle and where his wings would have been, there were rotted stumps, almost like those of Mr Daniel. His greed demon covered itself with its wings as it nestled on his shoulder and it was of a moderate size but not as large as Mr Daniel’s. He definitely had blood on his hands from some past mischief and his feet were wet, slightly muddy like a man seeking recognition, driven but not so badly as to recognize his own limits. “You look like a man who would love Camrys” I said. He paused and looked me in the eye. Mr Daniel was looking at us. ”Wetin, una know before? Abeg Kelvin comot jo, make I introduce betta person!” Kelvin laughed and backed off and his partner came forward. “Meet Mr. Obi. He handles Business Intel. He has been with this company from the beginning so make you respect am oh! Na oga right hand man be dis!” “Abeg Daniel take it easy!” Mr. Obi said, looking embarrassed. I liked him instantly. He had a very friendly smile that seemed to come all the way from his heart and explode via the face, giving off encouragement and warmth wherever he went. He was the quiet type, talking only when necessary during meetings and making smart contributions. He was of average build and height and seemed to have a special bond with Mr Kelvin although no two cookies were ever more different. He carried a friendly aura with him, he was tinged in yellow and I honestly didn’t know what that meant. His black hair was aflame with yellow fire which burned gently in the cool late morning air. He was chained to a small chest that contained just one secret but that secret was tightly locked, tightly secured. So tightly that it could only mean one thing; a man in denial. The same yellow flame burned down to his feet and seemed to carry him about as he moved. Chuks the stronger stepped back in disgust. ‘ Drugs! He’s using drugs to suppress something!’ His demeanour was that of a kind person locked in personal struggle. That box…what was in that box? His wings were larger than Mr John’s but they had been broken half way. Such beautiful wings too. I closed my eyes… “You are looking tired Chuks..Are you all right?” there was genuine concern in his voice. I opened my eyes and nodded, saying something about the glare of the Sun and Mr. Obi smiled. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Obi.” I said. “Call me Obi o, its only Daniel you are allowed to call Mr. Daniel here. He likes to feel important, you know, since he is the Project Manager.” “And why won’t I feel important, you think my job is an easy one?” Mr. Daniel said indignantly. But Obi just laughed, as did everyone else and Daniel calmed down a bit before continuing. “You already met Jenny,” he said, his voice suddenly flat. “Jenny is our personnel manager and the company PRO. You can imagine why.” Jenny laughed and came over to my side. “This is my big fish o, I caught him.” She said jovially. “And that means nobody else has access!” And she looked pointedly at the girl now coming forward. Mr. Daniels cleared his throat again. “This is Miss Chioma. She’s our chief accountant and kind of doubles as Mr. John’s secretary. But she doesn’t mind. In fact Chioma doesn’t mind helping out in any way she can. You’ll not find a more humble sister in this place. She dey always dey from holy holy but I know she dey arrange herself for one side.” He winked at her and Chioma blushed. Today she put on the same small amout of make-up like she always did, not that she needed it so much to accentuate her natural beauty. She was a pale flower compared to Jenny but she still held her own in poise and prettiness. She wore a grey skirt suit with a yellow shirt on the inside and a red neck ribbon as a tie to match her red shoes. She was slim, moderately bossomed and her short, jet black crop of hair was very neat and funky. She wore glasses which she now shifted nervously as she approached me and shook my hand. “Hello, I’m Chioma.” She said, smiling. “I know.” I replied, smiling back. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you sir,” she said. “I kind of checked your profile on Linkedin and I was impressed with what I saw. Your achievements are an encouragement sir.” “Thanks.” I said. “You don’t seem to be doing so bad yourself.” She grinned, showing a perfect set of white teeth and stepped back. Jenny bent forward and whispered in my ear “Easy, Tiger. Remember you have a girlfriend.” I laughed and joined the group as they started talking about the events of the day. Every once in a while I would glance up and catch Chioma’s eye and she would smile shyly. I don’t know what she was thinking but I was still intrigued by the singular image I had seen when my hand touched hers. A Cross. A Large wooden Cross.

chioma is in love u

Hmmmmmmmmm

Hmmm....following bumper to bumper

Nice one @Williams Who cld be the Man-Animal creature in the company. I guess it's between Mr. Obi & Mr. Daniel. I wld av gone 4 Mr. Obi outrightly but for d fact dat he knew Mr. Bells leopard wld probably like goat if well prepared brings him into the list

@Michaelking U're welcome back dear.......We've qot so many intrestinq stories here ooo infact i'm still contemplatinq on the one to recommend 4 ya.......bt i think u would like Cassandra cos dah one is very intrestinq,captivatinq and educatinq......if only u would be able 2 manoveur ya way tro the enormous commentz.......Enjoy!!

keep it rolin

I think mr. kelvin is the driver,but between mr.daniel &mr.obi who is the beast.oga kaduna boi, shebi after this season 2,shebi u get season 3, becos i dey g gbado ur story

Haaaaaha Chioma Now

@Mray Α̲̅πϑ @tofag wahs wif †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ Hmmmnnn tyns

Hmmmm! I'v Alwayz Known, Dea Is SomThin About Dat Chioma.. Next Plss..

Awwwww we both say hmmmmmmm? Dun notice oooooooo. Well it means we r observing @Kemkit

@chukwudi d stronger u hav 2 come over ma side and help us...lolls

I suspect Mr Kelvin should b d driver & Mr Daniel should be d main man....

Lolz,,,,,,,,,,,,, GTB@Mray Ramadan kareem d̲̅ε̲̣̣αя

Nice one

Datz me ooooooo @Kemkit Tnkzzz

Still following

Hmmmnnn

Hmmmm

abeg post dis tin i dey check ur page here since morning @williams

continues “A cross?” Jenny said afterwards when we were alone at the back of the building. “Just a cross?” “Yeah,” I responded as I watched Sidney basking in the Sun in a corner, his large tongue hanging out of his mouth exactly like a dog’s, panting away in a bid to keep cool. Every once in a while he would yawn, showing off huge canines. He looked at us disinterestedly and went on to clean his fur. “Chuks!” Jenny shouted and I turned to face her. She had this exasperated expression on her face. “Are you telling me that with all the detail you gave me about the others, the only thing you could see in Chioma’s case was some old cross? “Old wooden cross,” I corrected. “Were you expecting something else?” Jenny seemed caught off guard with the question and she paused before responding, “It’s not like I was expecting her to be the beast, it’s just, the way she is…the way she behaves…I was expecting her to be the one chained to a box of secrets.” “I gather you don’t like her much,” I said raising my eyebrows. I remember how she had on more than one occasion looked at Chioma with something bordering on disdain…or was it jealousy? “Come now, it’s your turn to spill the beans. What do you have against Chioma?” “Nothing!” Jenny exclaimed. “It’s just, well, she gets under my skin.” “Go on,” I said. “She’s a nice quiet girl, truthful, helpful and loyal to the company. She’s one person that does the work like she really wants to.” Jenny sighed and I could see she badly wanted to express herself but was unsure of the words to use. She took a deep breath and went on. “She doesn’t drink, she doesn’t smoke, she never follows us out on weekend parties, always saying things like she wants to go to church, she wants to go for meeting, this is bad, that is not good, and so on. She’s an annoying irritating little tramp!” “You are annoyed with her because she is a spoil sport?” “Yes! No…I don’t know.” Jenny paced about a bit, her hips swinging erotically. I forgot what we were discussing for a moment as my eyes travelled down her hips to her lovely legs. I wondered if any of the other members of the board had tried to hit on Jenny before and if they had been successful. “You are not focusing, Chuks.” Jenny said, with a wink that told me she had caught me staring. “I’m sorry.” I said and shook my head, forcing my thoughts back to the issue at hand. “It’s just amazing that you are this beautiful, you have such sex appeal and I’m sure the men were falling all over themselves for you before I got here, and yet… you are jealous of Chioma.” “You think so?” she asked “I know so,” I said. “I can literally see jealousy oozing out of you.” She manipulated her ring, the one that was supposed to keep her under the radar of my gift. “So much for this thing,” she said quietly. “It’s just, I am hardly a saint. I used what I have to get to where I am today. But Chioma? She seemed to have worked her way to the top. No short-cuts, no seduction, no bribery. At least none that I know of. And that makes me uneasy. There’s something that is not quite right with her and I was hoping you would be able to see it and tell me.” She looked so forlorn that I felt sorry for her. “Really, I’m telling you the truth,” I said. “I even tried to look beyond the cross but the more I looked, the more it came into view, blocking my field of vision. It was almost as if the cross was blocking out every other thing about her. I felt something more was there but I just couldn’t see it.” “That’s okay I guess,” Jenny said. “So who do we think is the man-animal?” “I was really expecting to see a beast or at least some semblance of one, but there was no manifestation to that effect. I guess you are right, he must be doing something to keep his animal side under control when he is around people.” I said. “That being said, we should be able to do some more investigating. Something is bound to come up.” “Daniel gives me the creeps.” Jenny said. “I think we should start with him first. He is an absolute pest and I don’t think anybody here really likes him. I heard the only reason Mr. Bells hired him in the first place was because of a highly placed call from Abuja. He hardly does his job and is always looking for where to siphon money from despite his huge salary. Mr. Bells has warned him on more than one occasion and has recently been thinking of relieving him of his duty, he told me so himself. He looks like someone who wouldn’t care about anything except himself. If someone like him were to be the man-animal he would kill without remorse if only to feed his savage appetite. He is my number one candidate.” “He looks too obvious to be the one if you ask me,” I said. “That’s because you have the Sight.” Jenny replied. “If not how would you have known the man had so many issues?” “I think Kelvin is the man-beast’s accomplice.” I said. “He’s just friendly enough and hard working enough to blend in without arousing suspicion. Also he suddenly leaves his wife and children behind and is loyal to a singular purpose or personality, why? And the blood on his hands? That’s pretty straightforward to me. If we start with him, he should be able to lead us to our leopard.” “Speaking of leopards, how are we sure it isn’t Mr. Bells? I mean, I like him, but carrying a leopard with you wherever you go seems kind of weird.” I shook my head, “No, both the persons in my dream had Nigerian accents. Our foreign friends are out of this one.” “So I guess John and Obi are out of it too?” Jenny said. “John, definitely. He’s harmless, except maybe when he hunting after you…” Jenny laughed. “He is a sweet fellow, but I like my men with less beef around their stomach.” “And Obi…his secret is so small…more of someone with a personal problem than anything else. And he has a friendly aura as well. I guess we can keep him out of it for now. Let’s go for the more unpalatable folk first.” “Yeah, I like Obi too.” Jenny said. I looked at the time, it was 11.30am. The power had just been cut off and in a moment we heard the gentle rumble of the Lister generator as it was switched on. Sidney’s ears picked up and he growled gently. He cast another look at us and looked away. I watched him with interest. “Jenny?” “Yes dear?” she said. “What’s with you and that leopard anyway? The normal leopard, I mean. He doesn’t seem to like you very much-“ “The feeling is mutual” Jenny said in disgust. “Yeah, I get that, but on more than one occasion I have seen it looking at you with a sort of…I don’t know how to explain it. Respect?” Jenny touched her ring absent mindedly. “We respect each other, we keep out of each other’s way. It’s a mermaid-animal thing. Never mind.” “Hmmn.” I said. “Let’s get back to the others.” We walked back to the front of the house. I saw Chioma hurrying into the building, carrying some files with her. She cast me a glance and smiled. I smiled back. She was obviously interested in me though I didn’t think it was for the same reasons as Jenny’s. The others were still talking together in a group and we went back to join them. After an early lunch we had an afternoon session. Mr. Bells wanted me to head out to the Airport to meet the workers there. Mr. Obi decided to follow us while the others declined. It wasn’t compulsory that they should come so Mr. Bells didn’t mind. Our driver was late as usual; apparently his lunch had been a little late. We sent an orderly to find him and soon he was running out of the staff canteen, cleaning his mouth and making a quick call on his cell phone. We all entered into the car, Jenny in the front and Mr. Obi and I at the back and soon we were on the express towards the airport.

Hmmm may the leopard is at the pple at the airport.

why is Dis guy making a league with d devil herself? after wat apund he should keep off her regardless of d fact Dat he has d obviously stronger personality. nice work... more grace!

N wah apuned next??

next pls

continues........ thank God for my friend edwnia's quick recovery.... this episode is dedicated to her Asaba International Airport is currently on the outskirts of the city. I say ‘currently’ because the city is fast growing and expands daily. In the very near future it is possible that the airport itself will be surrounded by business ventures, infrastructure and even accommodations. As it stands now, various foundations for future endeavors have been laid with laborers working hard to build up manmade structures that will take over the currently lush forest surrounding the place. When we got to the airport we met the indigenous foreman who was glad to see me. He approached immediately and greeted me courteously and I answered. He asked after Mr. Daniel and I told him I would be standing in for him today. He nodded understandingly and took me to a clearing in the huge car park where the other workers had gathered. The tarred runway of the airport exuded enough heat to make someone have a heat stroke and I could see the waves of energy emanating from the coal tar. I asked for a drink and a bottle of coke was brought for me, chilled as ice, and I drank it gratefully. Jenny and Mr. Obi had followed close behind me and were given the same treatment after which the foreman introduced us to the representatives of the workers and we were asked to come into another make shift tent to sit down while the driver went off with the foreman to discuss other things. Apparently they were familiar with each other. “Don’t you people have access to the airport lounge?” I asked. “It’s terribly hot out here.” The representatives replied No, that that was one of the reasons they wanted to talk to us. We went on to discuss that and other matters with me proffering reasonable solutions and Jenny and Mr. Obi chipping in once in a while. After two long hours both parties were happy and the representatives praised me for a job well done. “It is not every time we get the Ogas to actually listen to us sir,” one of the reps, a middle aged woman, said. “You are a welcome development. Will you be staying on?” I told them I was on contract and they promised to put in a good word for me at the firm. I didn’t feel like telling them I was already working elsewhere and so nodded my thanks. After the meeting we went into the airport premises and had a look around. There were a lot of things I hadn’t noticed on my arrival, probably because I was in a hurry to get to the hotel and attend my first meeting with Leemen’s Consulting. But now I actually had time to take it all in and it was impressive. Although the area was surrounded by bush, work was going on in and around the Airport premises. Bulldozers were working on creating a clearing where they said they would build another hangar for the bigger planes. Vehicles came in and out and passengers were disembarking in large amounts. We went and stood at the entrance to the lounge to see if we could find a place to relax. Some of the passengers passed by us, most of them staring at Jenny, who graced them with her infectious smile. One of them, an elderly man in silver lace attire, was so engrossed with Jenny he bumped into his wife who had been walking ahead of him. She immediately gave him a good tongue-lashing, eyed Jenny poisonously and continued on her way with the man apologizing behind her. Jenny grinned at me and Mr. Obi laughed. I shook my head, laughing as well and steered them towards a small restaurant I had spotted inside the lounge. We had taken a table and were about settling down when Mr. Obi said he wanted to use the men’s room. We excused him and ordered for some drinks. “Alone at last.” Jenny said, and shifted her chair closer to mine. “So how was your night?” “You know how my night was Jenny.” I said, drinking my malt. “You were there remember?” “Not physically,” she said mischievously. “Oh, come on, you are the first guy I am knowing that hasn’t fallen head over heels in love with me, ring or no ring. What gives?” “Is it wrong to be faithful to one’s partner?” I asked defensively. “Ooooh,” Jenny said, thoroughly enjoying herself, “So she’s your ‘partner’ now is she? Not your girlfriend again?” “Jenny!” I said. “I’m just messing with you dear, sheesh!” she said, smacking the back of my hand with hers. “Do you know you are one of many firsts for me? For instance you are also the first guy that knows I am not completely human and hasn’t freaked out.” “Oh? Someone has freaked out over you being a mermaid?” I asked. She shrugged her shoulders. “A Pastor once saw me for what I was. It was one of those mushroom churches; I had been invited there by a, erm…man friend of mine. I think he was trying to play for keeps as per making me his wife. I indulged him because I wasn’t done with what I wanted from him yet and we went to the church together. He made us seat at the front row and after some praise and worship, this fat, well fed fellow came out and started preaching. I could see he was totally covered in falsehood, envy, greed, lust, the whole nine yards was all there.” “You could see his greed demon?” I asked, interestedly. “His what? No…is that how you see things? I see more of the person’s aura, it’s kind of like colors exuding from the person, flashes of light, bright and dark. I kind of feel the colors…isn’t that how you see?” “Not exactly, no. “I said. “I mean, I see colors sometimes but most of the time it is more graphic than that. Go on with your gist.” She smiled; happy I was taking interest in her little escapade. “We were seating in front and this guy who called himself a pastor was belting the scriptures like he was the one that wrote them and the congregation was being whipped up into a frenzy. You know you humans, easily swayed by emotions.” She gave me a wink and I maintained a blank expression. “Okay, maybe you are not so human yourself,” she murmured and continued “Anyway, I’m going along with the sermon when the man professes that he had just finished a three day fast and had some visions he wanted to hand out. I don’t know what got to me, either the fact that I knew he was lying or that he pointed to me and said I was to come for private prayers that he had found my husband! I didn’t know when I started laughing! I laughed and laughed and my friend held me by the hand firmly, saying ‘he knew it all along’, that he was the husband the pastor was referring to! I controlled myself and waited till after service when we went to meet the pastor privately. He frowned when I came in with my manfriend and said he had asked to see only me. My friend boldly told him that he was the one currently going out with me and that he was sure he was the husband the pastor had seen in his vision. The pastor didn’t even waste his time, he told him I was far from being his wife and that he should leave his office so I and the Pastor could discuss in private. The poor lamb walked out so dejectedly that I felt sorry for him. The Pastor came out from behind his desk and asked my name and I told him if he hadn’t heard my name in his vision. He laughed then and said he was going to pray for me, that I should kneel down and close my eyes. I didn’t want to appear too rude and besides I was worried for my man outside being so alone, didn’t want him to wander off, so I decided to comply, thinking the sooner we had this charade over the better. No sooner had I knelt down that he laid his hands on my head, then my face and went down to my shoulder, praying vehemently all the time. I opened one eye and asked him what he was doing and he told me to close my eyes, so I complied. Again his hands continued to roam until I felt them taking the weight of my breasts. I stood up and told him I had had enough that I would like to leave now if he didn’t mind. He said I was behaving like a child that he didn’t want to say anything in front of the congregation but that he was the one who was meant to be my husband. ” I shook my head and chuckled. Jenny lit up immediately. “Ah, so you are human after all? Wait, wait, I’m getting to the juicy part. So I opened my mouth in shock when he said that, it was like a bomb had gone off in his office. This fat conman actually wanted to take me as a wife. Surely he wasn’t serious and I told him so. He said I shouldn’t look at him like that, that he had lots of money, houses in Ikoyi and so many cars that he didn’t know what to do with them. I told him he was allowing his material possessions to blind him to his calling but he laughed at that and said he wasn’t a fool, he was going to enjoy life and all it had to offer and ask for forgiveness later, his god after all wasn’t a poor god and I wouldn’t be poor either if I agreed to his request. I laughed and told him that he really wouldn’t want me for a wife, and that where I come from his wealth was what we used in paving our streets. He misunderstood me and said he knew the streets of heaven were said to be paved with gold but that wouldn’t I be better off enjoying the gold now on earth? I told him I was not interested and made to leave. He grabbed me and forcefully pulled me to himself. It was while we were struggling that he must have seen me for who I was because he suddenly let go screaming. He pointed at me and said ’Mami water’ and I told him I preferred the term ‘Mermaid’. I asked him if he still wanted to marry me and he ran past me and out of his office like a bullet out of a gun, screaming his head off!” “What did your boyfriend say?” I asked. “Or didn’t the pastor tell him?” Jenny laughed. “I think he was way too scared to do anything of the sort. In fact, the next time we went to the church at my man friend’s insistence, an usher surreptitiously approached us and asked that we go and seat at the back of the church, far away from the pastor who kept casting furtive glances at me throughout the service. We never went there again after that, I think my man thought the pastor told us to go back because of him. I broke up with him soon after.” “So in a way the pastor was right, you were far from being his wife.” I said, smiling cheekily. She grinned and sat back in her chair, her huge chest heaving deliciously. “So tell me about this love of your life, this Nina that you care about so much.” “There’s nothing to tell,” I said, “She and I just clicked. She’s beautiful, hard working, caring, humorous and I feel I can tell her anything. Anytime I see her smile I feel like everything is going to be alright. She isn’t self centered. She thinks about me all the time, I know because I can ‘see’ it and also because she shows it by what she does, the actions she takes. She is my encouragement. She’s not so proud that she cannot say ‘sorry’ when she is wrong, or ‘please’ when she needs something or ‘thank you’ when she has benefited from something. I don’t know how else to explain it, except maybe like she’s like an addiction to me. And I know she feels the same way about me. Jenny had rested her face on her chin and was looking at me quietly. “That’s a whole lot of nothing to tell.” She said. “Where is Mr. Obi?” I said, suddenly feeling uneasy and wanting to change the subject. “Yeah, he has taken an awful long time, hasn’t he? Maybe you should go and check on him. We’ll be leaving soon.” I got up and headed to the male toilet. It was empty save for the cleaner who was quietly mopping the floor. I checked all the stalls and saw they were empty. I went back to Jenny. “He is not in there,” I said. Jenny was about to say something when she stopped short. A look of panic came over her face and she pointed behind me. I followed her finger and… There, out on the runway, standing regally in the blowing wind and the hot sun, was a two tailed leopard!

So is he the leopard.... I don't think so...

chaii!! no.P shaa itz 2 aqainst1

Now yhur job is made easier.......jex catch the leopard and kill it.....shikenah

Is he d leopard?

When I said dat Mr. Obi is one of my main suspects, i'd no he he's connected with the Leopard somehow

Hmmm! Not again, so who is it den, †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ Driver U̶̲̥̅̊ came wit or Mr Obi? It has 2b one of dem

ride on

Dis unblyfable buh dis cn't b mr ojo

Intrestinq.......So Mr.Obi is the man-animal........

MR OBI! A LEOPARD! HAAAA

mr obi... Man-animal

So,dats means Mr Obi is d leopard

continues We hurried out from the air conditioned Airport lounge into the field and the hot sun. we approached cautiously as the Leopard remained as still as a statue, looking on ahead, its whiskers blowing in the hot early afternoon breeze. Around us, activity continued as people and goods moved around, oblivious of things going on beyond the veil of physical vision. “You are seeing this, right?” I asked Jenny, not taking my eyes off the beast for a single moment. “I am not hallucinating right?” Jenny nodded slowly. she looked quite frightened as if she expected the beast to turn and charge us at any moment. It sat on its haunches, its two beautiful tails swishing excitedly behind it. It looked tense, hungry, as if it were out on a hunt. but i reasoned that couldn’t be possible, it was just a manifestation. Our man-animal had still not fed since last night. “There you are!” We heard a voice coming up behind us. “I’ve been looking everywhere for both of you.” We whirled around to see Mr. Obi walking towards us. I turned back and saw that the Leopard had vanished. “Where did you go?” Jenny demanded. Mr Obi raised up something wrapped in a piece of newspaper. “I didn’t see anything i would like in the restaurant and i remembered a woman was selling roasted plantain by the side of the road, so i decided to stroll out and get some for myself. Hope i didn’t take too long?” I looked at him. The yellow fire that had encompassed him earlier had been dying down on our way to the airport but right now it was back in full force. “Are you sure its only bole you want to eat?” i asked. He smiled at me. “Okay, honestly after i came out of the men’s room i went to ask the cook whether they had any chicken and he said it’s only fried goat meat they have and i don’t like the taste of goat meat. I also bought some suya along with the bole but i wanted to devour it myself later. Do you think that was selfish of me?” The look on Jenny’s face was scary. she seemed to want to say something and i quickly cut her off. “Nah, not scary at all. I like keeping some things to myself too, we all do right Jenny?” “Y…Yeah.” Jenny said. Mr. Obi looked at her. “Jenny? Are you alright? You look scared.” He turned back to me. “What happened while i was away?” “Nothing,” i said. “Let’s go back to the car, I’m sure the driver will be waiting for us now. That would be a nice change for once abi?” Obi and I laughed and as soon as he turned his head i pinched Jenny on the arm. she yanked her arm away. “The bastard!” “Calm down Jenny,” I said, “We still don’t know if he is the one.” “How can you say that?” Jenny cried, “He is here, the leopard appeared, of course it’s him!” “Or it may be he is in contact with the creature, maybe he just got off a call with him, maybe he was thinking about the creature, these manifestations are not usually straight forward you know.” “You are letting your likeness for him cloud your judgement…”Jenny said. “And you are letting your hatred for the creature cloud yours!” i said. “It looked like you were about to confront him here and now! What if he had denied having anything to do with the leopard? Then we would have alerted him or his accomplice that we know what they are doing and we still wouldn’t have any solid proof. Calm down Jenny. The man-animal is hungry, and hungry people make mistakes. We’ll tail him back to his house and see if we can catch him in a more compromising position. Make absolutely sure that he is the one, before we take any action.” Jenny remained quiet and i could see she was struggling within herself to follow my logic. The truth was that i was disheartened that Mr. Obi seemed to have something to do with the creature after-all and i fervently wanted to believe he was the accomplice and not the blood thirsty beast itself, not that it would have made it any less of a crime on his part but maybe he was being coerced against his will. Also i didn’t want Jenny doing anything rash like attacking him in full view of everybody around, it would be awkward explaining the reason for the fight. We had to get him at a more opportune time. Jenny sighed and followed me as i went to catch up with Mr Obi. I was right, the driver was waiting for us this time. During the ride back, Jenny hardly said a word and i had to keep up lively conversation with Mr,Obi so as not to arouse any suspicion. i vainly sought to see another manifestation but all that came out were what i had seen before and that yellow flame. It was definitely a suppressant of sorts. “So, Mr. Obi, this one we are in Asaba, where are you staying? Do you have family here as well or are you staying in a hotel?” “Oh, I don’t have any family near here,” Mr. Obi said. “I’m staying in a hotel. It’s quite close to yours actually. The one at the junction just before your own.” “How come you didn’t stay in my hotel na?” i asked him “Ha! That your hotel is expensive oh; and the firm is footing your bill. Me, I’m paying for myself and besides i like the place, it is nice and quiet. One can do what he wants there without much scrutiny from people around.” And he winked. We drove on back to the city and the driver dropped Mr Obi off at his place. It was true, his hotel was a mere fifteen minute walk from my place. the car dropped me off and before i left i said to Jenny. “Meet me at my place tonight by 9pm. We are going to do all- night. Jenny’s face lit up a little. “Now of all times that i am in a bad mood and you finally cave in. Should i bring a change of clothes?” “It’s not what you think,you naughty girl.” i said. “Tonight we are going to spy on Mr Obi. I believe he will go out hunting with his friend and when he does we’ll be there to catch him in the act.” “You mean, like a stakeout?” Jenny said smiling. “That’s right,” I said. “You watch the right movies. We are going on a stake-out.” if only I knew.....

I dont think Mr Obi is the man-Animal

Iv only u knew wat......? Gush, damn d suspense

I still don't suspect him..... As someone said, it could be the driver.....

That Mr Obi killed jenny before the night?

If only u knew kwa! Hope Jenny didn't succeed in luring u 2 bed her & hope she's nt in anyway affiliated 2 d leopard? Or where u attacked during d proposed stake-outing? Pls update as soon as possible 2 clear diz suspense @Williams

if only u knew........

Wow am addicted 2 vhiz stowie....... If only u knew what nah?? Jex Hopinq ya encounter there won't be a danqerous one thouqh itz very risky...... @Romancelord Thumbz up Bro u're doinq qreat....

Dat wat?cos u r freking me out ooo

if only i knw,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,y dis surpense now

only if u knew what is coming up next lol

If only u knew? Na wa o

nyc one am waiting

@tofag see yah mouth is it dah easy to catch a leopard,,,,,,,,,,,iffah hear!!!

If only you knew wat?.......post the next one quickly

Oooops! Suspense OººOººh Hope †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ worst wont happen??????

y dis word if u knw hope something ddnt appen to both of u

i dey fear o

@Williams pls come & continue with this entertainment. Guys are so addicted & loving this story

I hope Mr obi is not the man-animal cuz he seems so calm to me. Chucks and Jenny as tag-team,hunting a hungry leopard make...una no turn to dinner oh. @William what a master piece,am now addicted to this story like********,lol,keep it up bro...

Addicted already...i check for a new episode every hour....

continues Back at my hotel room, I called Nina to ask how she was doing and she told me her Dad had fallen sick and was on admission in a hospital. She allayed my voiced concern, saying the doctors had taken a look at him and he would be up and about in a few days. I told her I had been busy with work but mentioned nothing about the leopard for now as I didn’t want her to worry. I also called my boss in Lagos and intimated him on the progress Leemen’s Consulting had made. His response was still icy but I had a feeling he was happier that I was the one that had been chosen to go instead of someone from another department; at least, being my direct boss, he could still monitor some of my actions. I humbly thanked him once again for allowing me go on this trip even though I knew his greed and common sense wouldn’t have allowed him do otherwise. Afterwards I had a meal and went out to hire a car from a car- hire service I had seen at Summit junction; a black Kia Cerato, fairly new and with a quiet engine. I wanted something that wouldn’t be so conspicuous if we had to do any tailing and which wouldn’t be easily seen in the dark. I told the car service guy that I would keep the car overnight and he didn’t mind at all, happily collecting some extra cash from me. I had told Jenny to meet me by 9pm so we could have an early start. Both of my dreams had occurred late at night and I felt it was safe to assume they would continue their hunting routine. Evening came quickly and I awoke from my slumber by 8pm. I quickly got ready and sent a call through to Jenny who confirmed that she was on her way. I decided to dress for the occasion, a black top with dark shades and black jean trousers. Hey, I had seen it done in the movies, and thought it would be an excellent outfit. Little did I know that my outfit would almost lead to our downfall, but that comes later. I waited in my hotel room, checking the time anxiously and resisting the urge to call Jenny again. By exactly 10minutes to nine, I heard a knock on my door and went to open it. Jenny stood at the door entrance, stunning as usual in a polka dotted yellow dress that stopped just below her knees, hugging her curvy hips as it went down. Her right shoulder bore a black handbag that complemented her black high heeled shoes which shone brightly in the corridor light. Her perfume wafted into the room, sweet and mild and I braced myself even as she let loose her enigmatic smile. “Hi…what the hell?” she exclaimed as she saw my outfit. “Are we going to a funeral?” “It’s not exactly a party either,” I deadpanned and hustled her out of the room. As we went downstairs we passed by the receptionist and the hotel manager discussing at the lobby. The receptionist eyed Jenny from head to toe and turned her face away while the hotel manager sighed and winked at me as soon as he felt Jenny wasn’t looking. “Nice car,” Jenny said as we entered the Cerato. I nodded and turned the ignition and the engine hummed to life. We drove out and headed towards the next street where Mr. Obi was lodging in. We debated about going inside but decided to park just outside the hotel premises so as not to draw too much attention to ourselves from the securitymen. Jenny brought out her phone from her handbag and called Mr Obi to ask after some documents. “I know is late but would you mind if I came over, I need to photocopy them, I cant seem to find mine…Really?….thanks, you are a dear, I’ll be right over.” She cut the call. “He said he is in his hotel room. Let’s wait for a minute.” After a while she called him back, claiming to have found her copies of the said file and thanking him for his help. At least we knew now that he was still in his room. There didn’t seem to be any other exit out of the hotel other than the main entrance of which we had parked strategically outside to get a good view. The streetlights shone in the darkness and the night soon became cold and slightly windy. Jenny stuck her hand in her bag again and brought out a small flask and a cup. Soon she was drinking hot coffee. “What else have you got in there?” I asked. “Everything a lady needs to do some investigative work,” she beamed. “Coffee, chewing gum, kola and a few sweets…” “Yeah?” “And make-up of course.” “What do you need make-up for?” I asked, “It’s not like we are going to try and seduce the beast.” “It depends on which beast we are talking about.” She said. I stared at her, not understanding and she drew closer to me. “Tell me more about the other guy, you know, the guy inside you. “The guy IS me.” I said. “Besides, there is nothing to tell”. “Same thing you said about Nina. Come on, we’ve got a long night ahead of us.” I sighed and looked at the time. It was just about 10pm. There had been a few cars coming and going but none of them was the blue Camry. And besides, we were close enough to see the occupants of the car as they drove by and Mr. Obi had not been any of them. “I call him Chukwudi the Stronger,” I said. “Or rather, I think that’s what he calls himself. My Father gave him that name.” “Your father knows about him?” she asked. “My Parents know everything, at least everything I know. I’ve been this way since I was born, you see. Having the Sight, it has been both a blessing and, well, not so much a blessing at times. When I was a kid I didn’t know what it was about or when it was appropriate to use my gift, so…” “You must have caused a lot of wahala when you were little, right?” she said grinning. “It wasn’t so much of a laughing matter then. My parents didn’t know what to think, but thank goodness they were understanding. Still, I remember being taken to a lot of places by my parents, churches and otherwise. Each time they would tell them that I was stronger than they were and for those who weren’t genuine, I would expose them for what they really were and they would chase my parents away. My mother, not wanting to take any chances, gave me a good Christian upbringing though I tried to tell her it wasn’t necessary as Pachios always kept me in line, always remained as my moral compass…” “Who is Pachios?” Jenny asked wide eyed. “Oh, He is…was… my guardian angel, the one you said I was close to. He left when Chukwudi the stronger woke up. I miss him though. I think it would have been better if he stayed, at least he would have taught me everything I am capable of. As it is, I’m like someone wandering in the dark when it comes to Chukwudi the Stronger. I don’t really know what he can and cannot do.” “Well, why don’t you ask him?” she said taking another sip of her coffee. “He seems to be a…em…jovial sort of fellow.” I chuckled. “That he is, just don’t get on his bad side. But to be honest with you I haven’t really seen him in action. Most of the time it is like he lends me his power but I’m in charge.” “Except when you are sleeping…” she said. “As you found out.” I replied. “Any other abilities apart from the Sight and handling fire?” “There’s the sword…” I began. “The one that has never been pulled, yeah. How do you use it!” I shrugged my shoulders. “I honestly don’t know anything about that. I only saw it once when I was unconscious. And Chukwudi the stronger never mentions it when we have discussions in my dreams.” “Maybe you should ask him then!” Jenny said, still excited. I cringed at the idea. It was true Chukwudi the stronger never gave me information unless I asked for, or needed it; but I was afraid that the more I learnt, the more responsibility I would have to shoulder, and I wasn’t too fond of responsibility. It was all I could do to keep from feeling depressed when I had manifestations of people going down the wrong road in their lives, but going to each and every one of them seemed a feat for which I wasn’t too interested at all. In fact that was part of the reason why I subconsciously dimmed the sight, so I wouldn’t be burdened with so much information. It sounded selfish as I thought of it but that’s just how I felt. Jenny was looking at me. “The first time I was told I would go above water, I was so excited. It’s an amazing thing, what the land dwellers have done through technology, I mean, we have similar things but not the way you guys have it. Everything was so exciting to me. And of course with the charms and powers my parents gave me, I could do a little manipulation of my own. But then I made friends, human friends, and I started realizing I needed to keep my identity a secret. Sometimes I would see a friend headed for trouble and warn her, giving her explicit details and she would ask me how I found out and when I couldn’t give a reasonable explanation, they would distance themselves from me, call me all sort of names and I would feel terrible. So I learnt to keep my secrets to myself. And then a friend invited her boyfriend over and I felt in his aura that he wasn’t a good person. I tried to tell her, warn her, but she refused, thinking I wanted to snatch her ‘rich’ boyfriend. If I had revealed anything else about him, she would have found out that I wasn’t altogether normal so in the end I had to let her go with him. Turned out he was an armed robber and the police were after him; their night out turned into a shoot- out and she was killed. She sighed. “I felt terrible but there was nothing else I could do. So you see, either way I couldn’t win. I decided to keep to myself and have been doing so ever since. I ask advice once a while when I contact home but other than that I learn things by myself. But I still stay; I didn’t go back down below the sea. I want to know and learn everything there is to learn, that way I can become more knowledgeable and wise and more experienced. Don’t you feel the same way?” “I guess so,” I said quietly. We sat still for a while and then suddenly Jenny poured me a cup of coffee. “Drink, the night is still young.” I took the coffee and drank. It was concentrated, the bitter aftertaste still very present although she had added some sugar to it. “Thanks,” I said.

Hmmm

Hmmmm, chukwudi d stronger!!! Who is d man-beast?

Following

Hope jenny won't fall into trap or u, coz am afraid u may get hurt by this man-animal

Hmmm! 2moro Thinx b dat.. I gueSs he waz sayin all dis in †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ presence of †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ Driver and den he later now found out †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ guy has a hand in it, dats why he said if only he knew

hmmm

I still don't trust this Jenny ... Hope nothing is inside the drink.. Next Pls...

so addicted to dis story..... wat more can I say....nice work Willz

@Williams Thumbs up! Chukwudi, I just felt you r too lenient with dis Jenny & dat might lead to yr Waterloo. Guess u didn't hear her confess she constantly consults home for assistance & wot made u think she not done dat just to win you over to herself? What makes you think d coffee wasn't given to her from her & is potent in harming? Did you even care to know what she meant by saying it depends on which beast we are hunting? Maybe her own beast hunt is you. Be careful o

I don't trust that Jenny

I hope Mr Obi nd his man-animal did not use jenny as dia meal

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Hmmnn, hope †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ drink is pure ℓ̊ can sense danger @williams abeg help me Α̲̅♍ dying of suspense

I'm loving Dis... nice work @williams

Hope say that cofee is pure oo.

continues We watched the hotel for another hour during which time no other vehicle came into view. I looked at the time and saw it was a little past eleven o’clock. The town had become quiet except for some night life music playing a little way off. The building lights shone brightly giving off a very pleasant view to the surroundings. Jenny settled into the car seat, reclining it a little and reading from a Cosmopolitan magazine. There was some noise as a car approached the hotel gate. I looked in the direction of the noise and saw a Black Toyota Corolla speed up to the gate. It wasn’t a blue Camry but I tried to catch a glimpse of the driver all the same and I drew in a sharp breath as I recognized who it was. “Mr. Kelvin!” Jenny said, as the car drove in. Apparently she had seen his face too. “What is he doing here at this time of the night?” We waited for a while and soon the car was driving out again, this time with two occupants. We caught a glimpse of Kelvin driving and Mr. Obi in the passenger seat. Mr Obi appeared to be in some sort of pain. Jenny sat up and adjusted her seat and I started the car and quickly followed them. The streets were clear and they were driving at a considerable speed and it was all I could do to keep up with them without attracting attention. Luckily Kelvin drove to a still busy part of town where other cars still plied the road and we were able to catch up considerably with him. He entered into a private compound in one of the streets and we parked outside. “Okay, now things are getting interesting!” Jenny said. “Why would Kelvin come to pick Obi up so late in the night?” I wondered out loud. “Because it’s feeding time!” Jenny said, obviously excited and anxious at the same time. “Kelvin will probably drive out soon in a blue Camry and we’ll know for sure it is them!” I said nothing and we waited and waited. Soon, even that part of town went to sleep and the lights in the house we were staking out was turned off. And still no action. I looked at the time, it was 1am. Jenny had fallen asleep despite the coffee and was breathing heavily, her head facing up, her red lipstick glinting dully in the pale streetlight. ‘Nothing is going to happen here’. I felt Chukwudi the stronger move in my subconscious. I closed my eyes for a moment and he was there, pacing around and looking disturbed. “You think we got the wrong person?” I asked. Chukwudi looked at me a while then resumed his pacing. “We didn’t see any manifestation when we first met him. We didn’t see any manifestation when we went out with him the day before. And if you ask me, his aura shows he is a weakling of a man. Friendly, but a weakling none the less. He wouldn’t be the embodiment of the creature we see in our dreams. The creature itself would not tolerate it.” “But what if he was using drugs to somehow suppress the beast?” I asked. “Or what if he wore a talisman that he removed when he went to the men’s room? He would have done it absentmindedly.” “it is possible. But it’s already getting late. Usually they would have gone out by now, to a party, maybe a club to pick up their victim. If they delay any longer, there won’t be anybody on the street, not even prostitutes.” “I guess you are right.” I said. “Indeed I am.” Chukwudi the stronger said assertively. “I think you should go home. That fish-lady still with you? “Erm, yes. You know she is.” I said. He smiled. “She’s a nice one, but don’t get carried away. She might act all cute and respectful, but at the end of the day, it is your power, me, she wants. Now wake up. I sat up suddenly. I had nodded off. I looked at my time again and it was almost 1.30am. Jenny was still sleeping and I nudged her awake. “Come on,” I said. “Nothing’s happening here tonight. If they are the culprits, they probably already ordered in before we came.” Jenny yawned and stretched. I looked at the house again, nothing had changed. So I started the car and we headed back home. I had not gone more than a few blocks when I came across a Vigilante blockade, crudely formed from huge logs of wood and large nails. The logs of wood had been placed across the road, effectively blocking it. I slowed down and then a beam of light shone into the car. “Who be dat?!” a gruff voice called out from the bushes. I wound down my window, “Sorry oh, we are going home, can you please come and move the road block.” “For who na?” Another voice sounded and before we knew it the car had been surrounded by five men armed with machetes and rifles. They walked out of the bushes where they had been hiding and stood in front of the car. They were all smoking and some of them had unfinished bottles of alcohol in their hands. Two beams of flashlight played on our faces and one of the flashlight danced around Jenny’s bosoms for a little longer than necessary. “Emeka, wetin you dey do? Will you stop that nonsense!” One of the larger men, apparently their leader, said. Emeka, who controlled the mischevious flashlight, switched it off immediately. The Leader walked up to the car but still maintained a good distance. “Ol boy, wetin you dey find for our area this time of the night?” he queried. I suddenly felt tense, not for myself but because Jenny was in the car. She hadn’t said a word since we came upon these people and I thought I saw her lower lip quiver a little when I glanced at her. I reached down and squeezed her hand reassuringly, then addressed the leader. “Sir, good evening.” “Go on,” the man said. “Em, we are coming from a party, we left a little late and we are going back to our place. My name is Chuks and my friend here is Jenny. We work at Leeman’s consulting. Would you like to see our Id cards?” He said nothing, but I reached into my pocket and brought out my wallet, retrieving my Id card and giving it to him. He stretched forward and took it, studying it considerably. “This na your ID card but no be the Leeman wey you talk dey here na, this Id card dey say Lagos, Bros.” At that the other men murmured and the one called Emeka raised his rifle menacingly. “Oh, sorry, I forgot,” I said, “I’m a contract staff here, my firm sent me over to Leeman’s…” “Bros forget that thing. This one wey you wear black and black so, I sure say you be cultist. You dey on mission abi?!” his voice had become very harsh and guttural. My throat went dry as I looked down at my outfit. It was true, I looked kind of strange like that and I still had my dark shades hanging on my forehead. I suddenly remembered an old school teacher of mine who had said in her squeaky voice “Dress the way you wish to be addressed” and for one silly moment I wished I had worn a suit. “See, I told you that outfit wasn’t good” Jenny said, suddenly coming to life. I made a face at her and turned my attention back to the men who were watching us closely. “Oga, no be so, see my ID na. Make I call my Oga make e confirm who I be for una?” “This guy jus dey talk English,” one of the men carrying a machete said. “I sure say im be armed robber. Come down jo!” I felt chukwudu the stronger stir and then his maniacal laughter as he rose to the surface. I took a deep breath and decided to continue pleading, maybe if I offered them some money… I brought out a thousand naira note from my wallet and the one that had spoken smiled but their leader’s eyes flashed angrily. “You wan bribe us! See this guy o! You no go come down make we search you?! Oya, matthew, go puncture the front tire!” “Hey, don’t try it o!” I said angrily as matthew approached, a plank studded with nails in his hand. Suddenly Jenny came out of the car. It happened so fast I didn’t know when she did it. She opened the door and was out and standing in one movement. And then everything went in slow motion. She walked in front of the car slowly swinging her hips and looking all of the vigilantes in the eye. I had dimmed my headlights when we got to the blockade and she paused for a moment in front of the car, caught in the pale head lamps, a ravishing beauty, her hair and dress blowing gently in the cool night wind. she took some more tentative steps and finally walked right up to the leader, her face a few inches from his own and set in a mock frown as if she wanted to cry. All this while the men were standing still as if someone had pressed an omnipotent pause button. The only thing that moved was their necks as they followed her every movement as she slowly approached their boss. “Hi.” She said. ”Yes ma” the leader replied in a voice completely bereft of malice. “Please don’t mind my boyfriend, he had a little too much to drink and has been talking anyhow since. I begged him to take me home earlier but he refused and now look, we have entered trouble with you people.” “Ah, no trouble here ma” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Really?” Jenny said and the promise of a smile played along her lovely face. She drew a finger gently across his singlet covered chest. “Will you allow us pass? I understand if you don’t, after all you are only doing your job. A big strong man like you protecting this area, the people here are lucky.” “EMEKA REMOVE THE BLOCKADE, YOU DEY CRAZE?!” he yelled and Emeka and the others ran to the log and started pushing it out of the way. The leader turned back to Jenny. “Sorry for the reconvenience…I mean inconvenience ma. They call me Big Paddy around here, anything you want ma, I can get it for you. Let me give you my number in case anybody stop you for road again.” My mouth dropped open in wonderment as I watched everything unfold. The other men were all smiles as Jenny walked back to the car and Emeka ran to open the door for her. “Have a safe trip ma,” he said grinning, and then added. “I’m a graduate.” “I’m sure you are,” Jenny said smiling as she entered the car. He locked the door gently and they waved us on our way. “What the hell…?” I said as we sped down to the hotel. Jenny grinned. “You are not the only one with powers. Tell that bad boy in you to calm down; I could feel him agitating your aura.” I opened my mouth and closed it shut again. Then I started laughing. Jenny looked at me and soon joined in. In a short while we were back in our hotel again.

.... Coming soon .could this be love season 4 Could this be love......???? A question dah begs for an answer from the stables of the kaduna boy n my sister the kaduna girl we bringing a shaking tale braking tale of a family.....nt a true life story n rated 21+ we just came back from Atlanta where we saw this happen.....family bond...could this be love season 4...this guy makes Tommy, josh n Jerry look like boys find out more on tosinsliverdam.com....primers on....july 15....==gon be a long ride......thanks

I think something has happened to Mr Obi for Kelvin to come or what could cause the night ride(???).... we'll know in d next epic. I'm sure after jenny&chuks leave there they'll (the vigilantes) be blaming one another..... Lolzz.... rated +21 :) I'll be expecting it.....

Its kelvin not josh,we're waiting for the season 4,thanks a lot @williams

hmmm,we will be waiting ooooo

Oboy the power of a woman.......it obvious ladies can achieve a lot without stress unlike men........ Biq paddy no fit do qra qra aqain Mr.Kelvin and Mr.Obi definitely have somethinq up their sleeves....... Waitinq 4 dy season 4 of of Could viz be love series......To me the past 3 seasons av answered the kweshion already......

Nyc story ride on guy

Иσω dis is getting hard

Interesting.... I wonder if I was chuks what I would have done with jenny by now.... Probably she would have become 2months pregnant

hmm... she rily has powers

next o bcause i no go live here onless u post d next @williams

power of a woman. I fear oh for chineke umunwanyi.... @kd boi we dey wait 4 season 4 for d unanswered question. Blow dia mind

No matter what jenny is trying to pruf you are still stronger than her in powers. nice work @williams kd boi and we are looking 4ward to read the upcomin season 4 of could this be love?

Lol... Imagining this episode has got my ribs cracking!

continues INTERMISSION He had decided to go hunting on his own, his friend having called earlier in the day that he would be occupied with office work. Good riddance as far as he was concerned. His friend seemed to like these night excursions a little too much. Even though it was true that he was the one that did the killing, he didn’t really relish it. As far as he was concerned he didn’t have a choice, he had to feed the beast in him otherwise he would go berserk and totally lose control. He had seen it happen to his grandfather. His grandfather had suffered the curse but had managed it admirably. Grandfather fed on a lot of cooked meat and all was well until one day in his youth when he was involved in a fight and accidentally tasted human blood. After that episode the beast had become voracious and cooked meat no longer satisfied it. Grandfather had tried to suppress the urge by feeding on raw goat meat and drinking its blood. At first it had worked but then the beast’s appetite grew insatiable, it needed more blood and even when it was fed two or three goats it still languished for more. Soon grandfather started missing from his bed at night and the next morning the heart rending cries of people in grief would indicate another victim, torn to shreds and drained of blood. Grandfather tried to prevent these incidents by asking his son to tie him up with strong rope and drop him in a pit. It worked but the effects began to tell on him. He became progressively more aggressive during the day and at a ripe old age of 70 had attacked, fought with and killed a young man in broad daylight. Those who witnessed the fight said the old man had fought like one possessed, like he had the strength of ten men. The village elders pronounced him a wizard and declared that he be put to death. Even then, it took the combined effort of three native doctors to finally subdue him before he was killed with a spear through the heart. Father had watched all of this with terror. The same native doctors had examined him and declared him normal. But no one had remembered to ask if Father had a son at home… He was 7 when his grandfather had been killed, and he was 12 when the beast in him stirred. He had been in the forest plucking mangoes and after all his hard work, the village bully had pinned him to the floor, sat on his chest and poured sand on his head as payment for not giving him a sizeable share of his bounty. He had blacked out for a short time and when he had awoken the bully was dead. Blood oozed out from his jugular where a claw mark had opened the blood vessel to the elements. He had run home, screaming for his father and when he told his father what happened his father had made him swear never to tell another soul. His father knew what had happened, and he intended his son would not share in grandfather’s fate. They had sought knowledge. They had sought a cure or at least control for the young beast had tasted blood and time was short. There was a legend of an herb that could restrain the creature, subdue its vicious tendencies and prevent total transformation. Father and son had travelled far towards the west to find the medicine man who knew about the plant and as luck would have it, they had found him. The herb was administered and the beast was put to sleep once more. And then, one day while working in the farm together, his father got bitten by a snake. Tradition had taught him to suck out the bad blood in a bid to remove the venom and he put his lips to his father’s wound without hesitation. He didn’t even swallow the blood, only tasted it, and immediately a familiar and terrifying stirring occurred within him. The beast was once again awake. This time their journey was not so fruitful, as the native doctor that once helped them had died. On the way back he had suddenly transformed one night and killed his father. Terror and shame prevented him from going back to his home, and he sought solace in the big modern cities. He took the odd jobs to survive; a bus conductor today, a laborer tomorrow, and by so doing he eked out a living. The hunger of the beast had grown within him and every fortnight the beast would take control. He would take the necessary precautions, locking himself indoors and chaining himself heavily to the concrete beam of the house he had chosen for this particular purpose. He would buy or steal a live goat on occasion and keep it in the room with him to appease the beast when the transformation occurred. However he could never fully transform, whether this was a side effect from the herbs he had taken or because of some vital information his grandfather had not been able to pass across he didn’t know. Months had passed, years, and the transformations became more frequent. He started to become reckless, forgetting to restrain himself, and would sometimes wake up in his room with a half eaten corpse by his side. It initially sickened him but he soon got used to it. He was a survivor. He reasoned that he was doing what every other normal creature including humans did, hunt for food, kill and eat. The more he fed the beast the more his consciousness and control over the beast improved, and the more he could select his choice of victims. They were usually those that kept late nights, homeless people, prostitutes, drunks that stumbled home from way-keeps, armed robbers hiding to escape from the law. He stopped carrying them to his home and fed on them on the spot, burying the unfinished parts in shallow graves. His prey came out at night and he thanked providence for it. One night, while out hunting, he came across a drunk sleeping in his car on a deserted street. The car was a blue Camry and the driver was so drunk, he hadn’t even woken up when he was dragged out of the car. It was when he tried biting into his arm that the man stirred. He went for his neck, intent on silencing him before he could shout out when the man spoke: “My friend, behave now…why are you trying to kill me?” He stopped short. No one had used the term “friend’ on him before. Even though logic told him it was the alcohol talking he was still enthralled by the prospect of having someone to share his problems with. With his guttural, beastly voice, for he was in his transformed state, he whispered: “Are you talking to me?” The drunk had turned to face him, a glazed look in his eyes. “Me-en, are you ugly.” He said. “Is it money you want? Here, check my back pocket, take it and leave me alone.” “I don’t want money.” The beast had retorted. “I want your blood”. At that the drunk had struggled to a sitting position and the glazed look left his eyes. He took in what was before him, a badly deformed looking creature, with knobby joints and patches of fur. Two tails swished excitedly behind it and the face oddly resembled half a leopard and half a man’s. “What are you?” The drunk said trembling. “I don’t know.” It said. “What do you want?” he said, almost crying. “I told you already. Your blood. I need it.” “Find someone else’s blood! Mine is important to me!” The beast was silent for a while and then it threw back its hideous head and burst into laughter. The drunk had no way of knowing it was a laugh for it sounded more like a mixture of a roar and someone with a bad cough. He panicked and tried to run. In one swipe of its claw the beast had him on his back again and he raised his hands defensively. “Please,” he burbled, “Please spare me; I will help you find the blood you need!” “Fair enough,” the beast growled, “But first I must mark you; a reminder to let you know that you are mine.” And he bit down on the drunk’s arm, easily fracturing his humerus and drinking from the blood offered by the blood vessels therein. And so an unlikely friendship was formed. He followed the drunken man back to his house and they lived together from that day onwards. His friend was strange, the beast had instinctively known. Maybe that was what had brought them together, because despite the numerous chances the man had of escaping or exposing the beast, he never did. Rather he helped the beast in its hunts and relished the hunting, the killing and the spilling of blood. And when the beast transformed back to its human form in his presence for the first time all the man had said was “Interesting” and that was it. Initially, he worried that this drunk he had made friends with was not altogether sane, but since he had accepted him for who he was, he had decided to ignore his excesses. Together they had forged on in life, slowly climbing the social ladder, the drunk had cut down on his alcohol, and he had gone into the construction business. They were always on the go, moving to a new town and leaving when the killings started causing too much noise. Finally they had both gotten a job in the same firm and were sent to asaba to work on a project. It was new ground, and the beast was happy. Lately however, his friend had begun to enjoy the killing too much, if such a thing was possible. Sedating the victim was no longer interesting to him; he now wanted to see the beast in action. The drug they had found to prevent the victims from screaming worked perfectly but its duration of action was short. Any slip-ups and the victim would scream for help. The last meal he had lost was too close a call, the ravishing hunger that followed almost driving him mad, and for the first time in a long time the beast was thinking of going solo again. And so tonight when his friend called to say he would be busy, he had welcomed the development although he had feigned annoyance. He felt he would do better on his own. No mistakes, just good old fashioned stalking and pouncing. As he walked down the cold and desolate streets he came across an interesting scene. Five vigilantes were harassing two people in a car. He was grateful for the distraction and hurried past them. As he walked a few yards more, he felt the first signs of transformation, like a dull ache in his bones. The pain in his chest slowly began and that insatiable hunger deep within came to the surface. He quickened his pace and ran a little further, clutching his abdomen, trying to ignore the crackling and popping as the beast came forth. He glanced around desperately, seeking whom he would devour… And then his keen nose caught her scent…

Going more intresting

Hmmmmm........ Whose sent.....? Jenny.....? Nic 1 kaduna boi

Hmmmm....i guess i will stop clubbing after this story...... Interesting

This is cool..... Then who's that???..... @Toocool why na, you deh fear???

Whose scent???????? Α̲̅♍ curious @Toocool,,,,,,,, no need to stop continue lol

chucks can't allow Jenny to die... not now...

That should be Jenny's scent cos she waz dey only female there....... Bt Chucks and Jenny passed the Viqilante spot in the last epic xo no cause 4 alarm.....

Its dèfinitely jenny's scent

next

Hope its nt jenny

continues the beginning of the end She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, which as far as the creature was concerned, wasn’t fast at all. Luckily for it, she was so terrified she couldn’t use her voice. She had tried screaming the first time she saw it lunge out at her from behind a building and if not for the old ditch, overgrown with weeds which the creature had overlooked in its eagerness to satiate its hunger, she would have been dead by now. Her mouth had opened but no scream escaped her lips. The only thing that came out of her mouth was a pathetic whimper. She had immediately started running down the street toward her home as the beast thrashed about in the undergrowth. Even now as she ran down the abandoned streets on this cold dark night she had to struggle to stay conscious as she was hyperventilating from her terror. Why had she lingered at her boyfriend’s house for so long? Why had she decided to return home at 2am in the morning? She couldn’t even remember what she and her boyfriend had been quarreling about at that time that had warranted her leaving the house at such an ungodly hour. He had yelled after her, telling her to come back and stay, that she could leave in the morning, but she had stubbornly refused. Her house was actually two streets away so she didn’t feel it would be too dangerous to venture out and she had considered that this part of town wasn’t covered by the vigilantes and at the time it was an added bonus to her since she would not be stopped by them on her way home. Now as she felt the snarl of the beast as it feed itself from the entanglement of weeds in the old ditch she prayed to all the gods that she would come across the vigilantes. I stood there by the road, watching the girl running towards me, watching the deformed creature with two tails freeing itself from the shrubbery and turning in her direction. I could feel the hunger of the beast and the terror that had filled the girl’s heart. I called out to her but once again I was mostly an observer, watching events as they played out, my physical influence nothing more than the effect of fog blown on the wind of a cold dark night such as this one. In the girl’s terror she could not hear my still small voice and I definitely wasn’t going to be able to reason with the beast, not in its current state. I looked around to see if there was anybody who could help but alas, this time, they were alone. As I watched, the beast began to lumber and then sprint towards the girl. Its speed was alarming despite the fact that the girl was way ahead already. As it sped past me I caught a glimpse of its body, a leopard body with patchy fur and barely visible spots. Its forelimbs partially resembled a human’s although its hind limbs were fully transformed. Its face consisted of the characteristic snout and teeth of a leopard but the forehead and eyes were still that of a man’s. Its teeth, unfortunately for the girl were fully formed and so were its claws. It zoomed past me, a miniature locomotive of destruction, two tails flying wildly behind it, intent on catching its prey. She was making some noise now, not actually screaming, but enough wailing to attract attention. She had put on navy blue jeans trousers over a black “my money grows like grass” top and the jeans seemed to be impeding her movement. Her slippers had been lost to the race long ago and the adrenaline- fueled will to survive slowly but surely took over and she ran faster than anyone in her generation had ever run before. In her blind terror she passed her street and headed into the wrong one, passing an old Iroko tree and into a cul-de-sac, a dead end street. A long time ago some idi0t had built his fence to traverse the road and now it stood solid and firm, a sure signature of death for the girl. She flung herself bodily against the gate and screamed loudly but nothing happened, no lights came on, nobody stirred. “Somebody help me! Please! Biko!!!” she lamented but the only thing that answered her was a faint echo as her voice bounced off the cold hard wall. The effort, and its humiliating result, sapped her of all strength and she collapsed in a heap on the floor, crying the forlorn cry of those destined for desolation. She dared to turn her head and the beast was there, blocking her path, advancing menacingly. Condensed air escaped its lungs in torrid breaths and she looked down its gaping throat as it snarled at her. “Nnem o, nnem o, nnem o…” she chanted rapidly, her voice barely a whisper as the beast, confident of its kill, advanced. It licked its jaws once, twice, as it noticed she was on the fleshy side. This would do, this would do nicely… I stood there in front of it, yelling and screaming and trying to divert the creature but it passed my form like I was made of smoke and closed in on the girl. She was still chanting her useless mantra as the beast pounced and she closed her eyes, expecting the worst. There was a loud bang and the beast was thrown side-ways to the floor and away from the girl. The smell of gunpowder filled the air and I turned to see who had fired the shot. From the dilapidated security post at the beginning of the street an old man advanced. He was dressed in dirty brown agbada and his cap rested firmly on his head. His slippers made a flip flopping sound as he marched with them across the untarred road to meet his adversary. I stepped aside as he walked past me fearlessly, a determined look on his face. He stepped towards the body of the beast, muttering something under his breath and making movements with his hand for the girl to get up and go behind him. The girl had opened her eyes and saw the old man approaching. However she was still too much in shook to stand up. All she could do was point at the body of the beast and weep softly. The old man looked the beast over at what he considered a safe distance, and decided to load his Dane gun and fire another shot at it, just to make sure. His fears were warranted. The beast suddenly stirred and got to its feet. The impact of the bullet on its skull had knocked it out momentarily but had not been strong enough to damage even the bone. It reared its head angrily and faced the old man who was still in the process of loading his gun. It let out a gutteral roar and dived at the old man who jumped out of the way, missing being torn to shreds by a hair’s breath. Seeing that he wouldn’t be able to load his gun on time, he hastily fumbled within his agbada pocket with his left hand even as the beast circled to attack again. He brought out an egg and threw it just as the creature pounced. It hit the beast squarely in the face and it fell to the floor paralyzed. Its eyes moved about wildly as the old man laughed. “Creature, I recognize you. I am indeed honored to have seen your kind in my passage through this earth. It would be an even greater honor to send you out of it.” So saying he loaded his gun and stuck it to the ground, muttering some incantations. I watched fascinated as fire came out from the ground and set the gun alight. The girl watched as well, transfixed to her position, although she wouldn’t have seen anything more than an old man digging the dirt with an old gun. The beast must have seen the fire as well for it roared and struggled to free itself from whatever held it bound. And it succeeded. As the man pointed the gun at it, the beast flexed its once paralyzed muscles and something like liquid mercury fell off its fur. It backed off just in time as the man fired a bullet which flew out of the gun leaving a trail of magic fire in its wake. It dug a hole in the sand where the creature’s head had been. The old man stepped back, uncertainty making an entrance on his face, and he fumbled in his agbada once again but this time the creature was having none of it. It spun around and whipped the man with its tails and he was thrown off his feet and hit the trunk of the dried- up Iroko tree with a loud thud. For a moment I held my breath, for I thought the old man had died. The beast must have thought so as well for it went back to its initial victim who had remembered the use of her feet and was now trying to run past the two of them. It caught her left leg and pulled and the jean material ripped loudly and rapidly became stained with blood. She screamed and fell to the ground and the beast was upon her and had her neck in his jaws, when a shout rang out in the still air. “Here, beast! Your fight is with me!!!” The beast looked up and saw the old man. He had struggled to his feet and had one hand on the Iroko tree and the other hand held his gun which was pointed straight at the creature. “Great Iroko, lend me your strength!” he shouted, and fired. Once again the beast was thrown off its quarry but this time it was hurt. Blood spewed from its shoulder and the beast howled as it struggled to its feet even as the girl got up and ran for her dear life. It watched her escape, screaming down the road, and it turned full of fury towards the old man. Its skin glowed an incandescent red and as I watched it seemed to increase in size. It rushed towards the old man and just as it jumped the old man threw another egg to the ground and disappeared. The beast hit the trunk of the tree full force and a large piece of it broke off with a huge snap. The beast whipped around and the old man was there behind it aiming for another shot. The beast jumped out of the way as the bullet fired lodged into the tree. It ran for the old man again but he quickly struck both his palms on the ground. Immediately large clay pillars rose up from the ground and surrounded him. The beast slammed against the pillars and was thrown back. It fell on the ground and rose to its feet, looking even more ferocious. The man pulled his agbada and I could see he was adorned with various charms and amulets. He pulled one from his neck now, even as the beast circled his apparently indestructible fortress. I knew the only reason I could see it was because of my gift, anyone else would have seen an old man standing in a clearing with nothing around him and a beast circling him with malevolent intent. He poured the contents of a small gourd into the palm of his hand and blew it towards the beast. It transformed from a black powdery substance into a swarm of bees and they flew directly at the creature, attacking it.It roared and snapped its jaws about as the bees stung deep into its skin, then the incandescent red became brighter as it opened its mouth wide and blew at the insects which caught fire and fell to the earth disappearing as they touched the ground. It stood before the man, panting, growling horribly and seemed to actually be waiting for whatever the man had to offer next. The old man looked at the beast for a moment and for a while it seemed they were engaged in a form of invisible battle of the mind. They kept staring at each other until the old man averted his eyes with as gasp. I could feel his pain. If he was a few years younger, he might have bested the creature but slowly it began to dawn on him that he was fighting a losing battle. He pulled another gourd from his neck but the beast did not wait to see what he would do with it. It rushed the clay barrier again and this time it gave an ear-piercing crack. The beast drew back and launched at the wall again and one of the pillars broke. The man watched this with a mixture of horror and fascination. At the third attempt three clay pillars fell at once and the man dropped the gourd he was about to use and opted for an egg instead. As the beast launched at him he threw it to the ground and disapp- But the beast got him by his scrawny legs and threw him away from the vortex he was about to enter. It flung him to the floor, raised him up and flung him down again. Blood oozed out of his nose and mouth as his skull cracked on the hard floor. The beast made for his neck but he stretched out a hand and the beast was immObilized, but only momentarily. Every muscle on the beast strained as it slowly broke free from its invisible hold. The man stretched his hand further summoning whatever invisible powers aided him but it was no good, defeat was imminent. He looked the beast in the eye as its head came closer and closer to his. “A fair battle and a good death. But my blood will be your undoing!” He shouted hoarsely. And the beast broke free and tore his neck out. I watched helplessly as the beast fed on the man. As it drank his blood, its insides glowed brightly and I knew instinctively that it was acquiring the powers of its vanquished foe. As I looked on, the beast began to choke and scream. It clawed at the dust around it and scattered the earth everywhere. And then its bones began to move. At first I thought it was returning to its human form but then I saw that instead it was transforming into a real leopard. The knobbly knees smoothed out, the patchy fur became more resplendent with a bright yellow color and very dark visible spots. Its human face receded and its snout elongated as it began to resemble a proper leopard. Soon it stood before me, a beautiful creature, standing tall and proud, its chest heaving from the exertion of transformation, a small mane, like that of a lion, running down its elongated and straight neck. It would have been a magnificent sight if not for the blood that still dripped from its jaws. Then it cocked its head attentively as we both heard the shouts of people coming down the street. The runaway girl had found help. They came with machetes, clubs and guns, carrying bright torchlights and making a terrible noise. The beast snarled at them and seemed to consider attacking but thought better of it. It sneaked away into the darkness and as i faded away from this nightmare loud screams rent the air as the beams of light from the torches lit up the remains of the old man who had saved the girl’s life.

R.I.P....He died with honour in the battle field.... Now it would be hard to catch the beast coz its now like a real leopard.... can it still transform?? Never in the girls life, she will never go out late even to buy something self.....

NICE STORY

r.i.p old man.. U save d poor girl but cost ur life.

OººOººh ,,,,,,,,,,, Ђŏw a̶̲̥̅̊я̲̅ε̲̣̣̣̥ d̶̲̥̅̊ε̲̣̣̣̥γ gonna catch †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ beast иσω since it иσω resembles a rel leopard

atleast u fought nd died with honour,u are an honourable man RIP

Oh God....... M enjoyin dis story oooo

Chale....we dey wait for the next episode oooh....the story dey bee k3k3

omo diz story...... am lyk e bi lo makusi....... mario........lolzzzzzzzzzz...... @k.boy samer us smtin abeg

Hmmmm

What a great sacrifice, he saved d girl's @ d expense of his. Ur blood shall surely hunt him down. RIP old man

Mehn!, d Old man saved d gal's life.. Now it seems the man has transformed to a real fierce leopard... My advice for u nw is dat, u shud go for a tutorial fight wit chuks the stronger so dat u will be able to use dat ur sword to face d beast... Abeg kaduna boi post d next episode can't wait

Hah! Horror Evwiwia!!

RIP old man,u av fought a good battle,chuck the stronger will finish the beast,@williams where r u?pls next episode

The beast is now fully a beast.

thing is if the comments don't come I can't continue posting for same sets of comments.........dats y I paused n if the trend continue I'd stop it “It was terrible. I saw the whole thing happen. ” Jenny and I were at the hotel restaurant this morning. By now the cook had taken note of me and simply asked if I would be taking my usual of bread and tea with omelet. I said yes and Jenny asked for the same. I was still a little shaken from the bad dream I had had the night before. Jenny had listened to every detail with rapt attention and was now in deep thought even as she picked daintily at her fried eggs. “But, how could he…I mean…Did he sneak by us? Were we wrong in our assumptions?” she said, frowning. “I don’t know.” I said. “I’m still not sure if my dreams happen in real time or if I am just experiencing something that has already happened or is going to happen. And how come I only get a heads-up when the beast has already transformed? It’s all quite frustrating!” We were silent for a while. “Empathic Magnetism.” she said, still looking thoughtful. “I’m sorry, what?” “You are attracted to that which is closest to you in power.” She said, “That’s why you don’t see him manifest as a man because that’s just what he is; a man. As a beast though, that is an entirely different entity. So you see the beastly manifestation and because of the huge spiritual energy it gives off, you are attracted to it, whether in your dreams or awake. It’s just unfortunate for you that the man-animal is nocturnal. I blinked at her. “Never mind, you won’t understand.” she said. “What we should be discussing is how to confront Obi.” “You are still convinced he is the one?” I asked. “Why, sure!” she said. “He must have found out that we were following him, waited patiently, and then as soon as we left he went hunting.” I shook my head. “Without Kelvin? Why? Why did he have to do his hunting away from his hotel if he was going to hunt anyway? And why did Kelvin come to carry him and them leave him on his own to go hunting? In my dream the beast was hunting alone. There was no sign of the man in the blue Camry, not even when the beast finished it’s er…meal.” It’s possible the Camry would have been parked elsewhere…” she said. “If it was, I would have seen it in my dream.” I said, finishing off my breakfast. Jenny pondered for a while, hurried her meal and then we went outside the hotel to wait for our driver who was running late as usual although this time he had a legitimate reason. Mr. Bells had sent him on an errand the day before and he was just now getting into asaba. We decided to discuss our strategy in the park before he arrived. “I think we should confront Obi, try and make him confess before he hurts someone else.” Jenny said. She apparently had her mind made up about him. I nodded in agreement, not because I believed he was the man- animal, but because I felt there was nothing more to do at this point. Already the lack of a good night’s sleep was beginning to tell on me. It seemed as if I had been having nightmares all the time since I had come to this place. Also I was still convinced that Obi’s aura was friendly and he was someone that could be reasoned with. And if he denied being the beast and I felt there was nothing more to go on, then we could move our investigation on to Kelvin. As we spoke, the official car drove into the parking lot and we entered and headed off towards the office. When we got to the firm all was quiet and for a moment I though the place had been abandoned. The car drove into the compound and I saw that the other official cars were in the garage. However the security guards and the petty staff were gone. “What happened?” I asked the driver, who shrugged. He seemed as surprised as we were. As we entered the building, it seemed like the place had been abandoned as well, but then a door opened and some of the junior staff and all of the board members came out. I paused, surprised to see Sidney inside the building and Mr. Bells, pulling him along, as if looking for one of the rooms to keep him. The junior staff and a handful of security went back to their posts, muttering under their breath. Jenny stopped one of them. “Hi, what’s going on? She asked. The lady she had stopped, who happened to be a cleaner, hissed and walked away. “What’s going on?!” Jenny almost yelled. “They are worried about their safety.” We turned around and saw Chioma walking towards us. She had on a grey skirt suit with a white inner shirt and high heels. She looked quite stunning. She smiled at us sweetly although I could detect a hint of disapproval when she saw me with Jenny. Jenny on the other hand returned the smile albeit formally. “We had a warning about an hour ago that the locals want to come and scatter the place. Something to do with Sidney attacking a man last night.” She said. Jenny and I looked at each other stunned. Then we both turned to Chioma and spoke at the same time. “It wasn’t Sidney!” It was Chioma’s turn to look surprised. “I didn’t think so either.” She said. “I mean, I’ve not always been happy that Mr. Bells brings such a dangerous looking animal to the premises but from what I can see, Sidney wouldn’t hurt a fly.” And you’d be right in thinking that.” I said. Chioma turned to me and smiled. “Who brought the news?” Jenny asked. “The foreman at the Lands project, apparently he was trying to repay the kindness Mr. Chukwudi showed him and his crew by giving us a heads-up.” Chioma grimaced as she recalled the conversation. “It seems like they saw the half consumed body of an old security man and another lady who claimed that a leopard had attacked her around 12am in the night. Don’t ask me what she was doing outside at such an hour.” “Terrible things do happen at ungodly hours.” Jenny said, shaking her head and trying to look surprised. Of course we already knew about the incident, definitely in greater detail. “As far as I’m concerned there is no such thing as an ungodly hour.” Chioma responded suddenly. “GOD made all the hours. It just so happened she was unfortunate that night.” Jenny stared at her. I watched them for a moment then intervened, though exactly what I was intervening in I honestly didn’t know. “So what are the youths saying?” I asked. “They want to just come and destroy the building? Isn’t that criminal?” Chioma turned to me. “An anonymous letter was sent to Mr. Bells through a young boy about thirty minutes ago, while we were still deliberating on what to do. The letter asked for the unconditional surrender of the leopard to them or we would face the consequences. Soon after, half of the staff left. The other half have bravely decided to stay although Mr. Bells had to put in a few well worded threats. “What about the police?” I asked. “They have been called. They said they are on their way but as far as they can tell, nothing is happening so they don’t seem to be in too much of a hurry.” “Aren’t you worried about being in the crossfire?” Jenny asked. ”Surely Mr. Bells does not intend to keep people in harm’s way against their will? Are all the board members here?” “Yeah, everybody is here except my boss, Mr. John. He said he couldn’t make it, that he had a tiring evening. Mr. Daniel is in there, secretly gloating over Mr. Bells misfortune of course but never mind him. Kevin is his usual bouncy self. Obi on the other hand appears to be a little ill. And no dear, I’m not worried. No harm will come near me.” And so saying she smiled and walked to her office. “I do not like that girl. I don’t know why but I don’t like her.” Jenny said under her breath. “Take it easy Jenny,” I said smiling. “Let’s have a look at what’s wrong with Obi.” We went into the board room. MR. Bells hadn’t come back from his stroll with Sydney and the other board members were sitting at the table except for Mr. Daniel who was standing near the wine cabinet, pouring himself a glass. He seemed to be in a celebratory mood. “Ah, Jenny! Chukwudi! Come in, come in.” he said, and poured two more glasses, handed one to me and one to Jenny, “I tried to reach both of you this morning but your phones were switched off. Coincidence? I think not!” Jenny took the glass and went to sit down, ignoring his statement completely. I decided to take a glass as well. “Are we celebrating something?” I asked. “Yeah,” Mr Daniel said, grinning. “We are celebrating the downfall of this pompous fellow, Mr. Bells! He thinks he is so smart! If he is lucky, he might be able to go home with his dignity intact!” “You look a little tipsy there, Daniel,” Kelvin said. “Stop drinking and sit down. In case you have forgotten, if this company goes down, you go down with it.” “You think so?” Mr. Daniel sneered. “Dey there. I don arrange severance package for myself tey tey. The man’s own was becoming too much jo!” Obi sat quietly at the other end of the large table. He said nothing but occasionally moved his right arm, as if it hurt him. His aura was perfused with the yellow stuff and Kevin kept casting anxious glances at him. “What’s wrong Obi?” I asked. He looked at me, startled, as if he didn’t know when I had entered the room. Then he looked at Kevin as if for support, then back at me smiling. “Nothing o, just woke up on the wrong side of bed I suppose.” Kevin heaved a sigh of relief. I watched Kevin for a while then returned my gaze back to Obi. Flustered, and probably wanting to remove my concentration from himself, he asked, “Did, you hear the news? Some old guy got torn to shreds last night by a wild animal.” “Yeah, what do you know about that?” I asked. Obi looked at me, his eyes widening. “Er…nothing. Just what I heard about this morning.” “You think it was Sidney?” Jenny asked from her seat. Mr. Obi turned towards her. “Well, it is possible. That leopard is dangerous. Who knows if it didn’t escape from where Mr. Bells kept it the night before?” “You would want us to think Sidney was the killer wouldn’t you?” Jenny said, her eyes flashing. Mr. Obi looked at her bewildered and Kevin leaned forward. “What’s going on here?” he asked. “Ask your friend.” Jenny said. “Jenny…” I warned, but she refused to meet my gaze. “What on earth are you guys blabbering about?” Mr. Daniel said, looking from one person to the other. This isn’t how I wanted to do it. I thought it would have been better if we had called him aside and spoken to him but obviously Jenny wasn’t the subtle type. I think I mentioned that somewhere before. “Where were you last night, Obi?” Jenny pressed. “Hey, Hey!” Kevin said, getting up. “What sort of question is that? Are you insinuating that he had something to do with the old man’s death? For goodness sake, we don’t even know if the gist is true or not, talk less of a nameless old man!” “And you are pretty defensive of him aren’t you?” Jenny countered. “When did you guys become such strong buddies?” “Leave her alone, Kevin,” Obi said, trying to smile. “She is obviously joking.” “No I’m not.” Jenny said, “I know what you two have been up to. You better own up or I’ll go to the police!” “And tell them what?!” Kevin shouted. Mr. Daniel suddenly grabbed the bottle of wine and rushed out of the room, saying “Wait oh, make I commot. I no wan be witness. The wan wey I carry dey heavy me sef.” And he was gone. Kevin was staring at Jenny as if he wanted to strangle her. I saw the malice bleed out of him, an oozing, toxic substance that erupted from the pores of his skin. The blood that I had seen on his hands previously now flowed out, fresh, as if he had just committed a murder. It was then I realized what Jenny was trying to do. Obi on the other hand just remained silent, his hair burning a bright yellow. However his little box of secrets had been unlocked. I could steal a glance inside if I could just concentrate a little harder… “What are you two up to?” Kelvin said sharply and the manifestation was gone. I had to turn my attention towards him, he sounded like he was about to pounce on someone. Jenny was going to say something when we heard the sound of running footsteps and a scream. We all rushed outside, argument forgotten and headed through the corridor to the reception area. From the corner of my eye I saw Obi cringe in pain as he accidentally bumped his right shoulder against the wall. He nursed the shoulder for a while before continuing the run. And I remembered the bullet that had penetrated the beast. As we got to the reception area an alarming sight stopped us in our tracks. What was left of the staff had gathered at the front and were talking excitedly. Beyond them, at the front gate, an angry looking crowd had gathered. They were made up of mostly youths and some of them brandished weapons. They must have been up to a hundred in number. I looked closely and saw the foreman and some of the workers of the field were with them, although they seemed to be more of hostages. The foreman seemed to have been manhandled already and had his arm and head in bandages. They were shouting and chanting for Mr. Bells to come out with his leopard. At the very front of the crowd was a young girl and she looked very determined. It seemed as if the crowd was centered round her. I looked more closely and recognized her from my dream. “Well,” I said to Jenny. “It seems my dreams occur in real time after all.”

hmmm mr. Obi Is the leop chai u just miss hin @ that night ,since he pass u guyx at vigillant check point.bt My ? Is that hw come u dont noticee him????

Yeah.... ask the girl some questions nd U'll settle it.... I still dont think Mr Obi is d one coz u saw Mr obi nd Kelvin before d incident nd Mr Obi is hurt already....

Hmm d true wil soon b review.next plz

i just cnt stop lyking diz story..william u 2 get mouth

Ok. I thought I read dat in Chukwudi's dream, obviously the leopard dat attackd n killed d oldman was half human-leopard until it completely turned a full time leopard after it drank the oldman's cursed blood... so I doubt if Mr.Obi is actually d leopard. I suspect Mr.John cuz he could not come to work!!

Hapi sundai viewers especially d writer @ willams kaduna boi..... Pls dnt stp updating oooo....... M rilli mch intrested n dis story ooo

Dis is strange... I'm glued... waiting... watching... wonderful n suspense filled...Story

Chai!... E don happen no doubts dat mr obi iz d beast nd kelvin d driver, Kaduna boi where u dey cum ginger us joor

please keep it rolling

1000days is for d theif but one day will surely b d owner own,waiting petiently for d true.I can now c things other don't c.

Y me @olawag -....diz iz alerious ,......mr obi wan turn to leopard bro val abeg we still luv u run noo wait ooo... @khola46 and @other me done comot...wer @khola46 dey nah

Kadunaboi abeg com ginger us wit da remining of da story

No doubt Mr Obi nd Kelvin knew sth abt d beast afterall since d beast got injured in ur dream and in real life Mr Obi was injured also.Continue anyway nyc story

mr. Obi know say his little secret z about to leak and n painful state coz of d bullet.

continues The mob remained outside the gate, not that it would have been difficult for them to force their way through our paltry four-man security guards, but probably because they were still hesitant to committing themselves to attack a firm owned by a foreigner. The security guards, on sighting the oncoming mob, had chained the gate shut and were now receiving barrages of insults and threats from the crowd. They tried to be as professional as possible, refusing to answer back, and making sure no one breached the thin wire fence that surrounded the compound. The rest of the staff were inside the building with us, some of them upstairs, but most of us remaining on the ground floor. I stood in the reception area, looking out the window. Mr. Kelvin and Mr. Obi peeked through the opening of the front door until a guard shouted at them to shut it, which they promptly did. “But, Kai, of all the days to come to work in my private car!” Mr. Daniel swore under his breath. His greed demon fluttered about anxiously on his head, making him grimace and rub his temple in an effort to soothe the headache that was beginning to develop. I hid a smile, but knew his fears were warranted. If things got bad, this mob would definitely go for the cars in the park and destroy them, among other things. “How can you be thinking of your car at a time like this?” Obi retorted angrily.”That crowd is out for blood! Look at what they have done to our co-workers! We should be lucky to get out of this without any bodily harm…” “Did you not hear me say ‘personal car?!’ Mr. Daniel replied, eyeing Obi viciously. “Do you think I bought tokunbo? And who are you calling co-workers, those hired laborers on the field? They can’t rough-handle me like that, they cannot try it! Worse come to worse I’ll tell them where to find Mr. Bells and his precious pet. They are the cause of all of this anyway. How can a normal person keep such a wild animal as a pet?” “Do you know where they are?” I asked, and he turned his glare from Obi towards me. “In the storeroom upstairs. I know he said he was going to his office but one of the staff I sent to him just reported that he is not there and I have seen him frequent that store on many occasions when he wants to have some alone time. It’s the one place nobody will look if things get out of hand. The door is inconspicuously hidden behind a file cabinet. He would have locked himself in there with the leopard.” He went back to looking outside at his precious car. “I hope they catch and kill that thing jo.” Jenny was standing at the window beside me. She tapped me gently on the shoulder. “I’ll need to go out and talk to them. I’m the P.R.O, after all.” “Hell no.” I said. “The situation is too dangerous. Wait for the police to arrive.” “They would have gone out of control before then, Chuks.” She said. “Besides, it might calm them down a bit if they felt we were showing some concern, listening to their story. Also I do have some ‘negotiating skills’. “This is not four or five drunken men in the middle of the night Jenny.” I said under hushed tones. “This is a mob! There must be up to a hundred out there!” “Well I’ve never tried it on a crowd before- but there is a first time for everything, yes?” I still shook my head vehemently. I didn’t like the idea one bit. Jenny smiled at me and took my chin in her right hand. “You see? You do care. Don’t worry, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” And so saying, she walked briskly to the entrance and was out the door. “Where is she going?” Kelvin gasped, suddenly aware that Jenny was approaching the crowd. Mr. Daniel hissed but said nothing. Obi was sitting on the sofa and took another sip from his wine. He was muttering something to himself but I couldn’t figure out what it was. The crowd became quiet as Jenny approached them. She walked down the tarred pavement leading to the main gate like she was in a fashion show and the crowd were her audience. By the time she had reached the gate itself, most of the men in the crowd were smiling and there were no raised weapons in sight. However, the few women in the crowd were not impressed. Jenny started to talk to them, we couldn’t hear what she was saying but apparently she was asking what the problem was. After a while I saw the young girl step forward and begin to recount her ordeal. As she spoke, gasps of shock and horror escaped from the crowd, even though they had probably already heard the story. She gestured with her hands how the old man had shot the beast and then she pointed don to her left leg. She still wore the outfit she was wearing during the attack and everybody, including the security guards exclaimed in sympathy as they saw where the creature had bitten her and ripped off a piece of her jeans. The mob started to chant again and one of the security men got hold of a gramophone and handed it to Jenny so she could make herself heard above the uproar. She said she sympathized with her and it was horrible the way the old man had died but the way they were going about seeking justice was not proper. Would they kindly pick a few out of their number who would represent them, the girl being inclusive and then come inside to discuss with the MD while the rest of the crowd dispersed? She promised that the matter would be looked into urgently. There was murmuring in the crowd as they discussed among themselves. Most of the men were in agreement that the P.R.O had given a sensible option, but others were of the opinion that the MD wouldn’t give up the beast especially when the police came to support him. “The Leopard must die!” some shouted. One middle aged woman spoke up, “We cannot allow it to live and continue to endanger our children!” she said. “Today it is one old man, tomorrow a child will go missing, and all for what? For one oyinbo pet? It would have eaten this girl if she hadn’t been saved by baba!” “Sidney didn’t do this madam,” Jenny said politely. “He is well trained and wouldn’t hurt-“ “Who be Sidney?” the woman responded. The crowd started to grow angry again. “They don give the animal name sef!” “Na human being?” “Maybe na ritual nah in dem dey do sef o!” And suddenly the crowd went violent. Jenny tried to calm them down but the women pelted her with stones. “Go back to your Oga, Ashaw0 !” they shouted and some of the men started hitting the fragile gate with heavy logs of wood and in a flash the gate gave way. I said, “shit!” and was out the door followed by Kelvin and Obi. Mr. Daniel promptly locked the door behind us. The security men tried to protect Jenny by forming a circle around her but some of the women were able to get a hold of her hair and clothes. I and the other two men jumped into the melee and covered Jenny while the crowd pushed forward; screaming at us and one of the men started hitting us with his fist, and trying to tear off Jenny’s jewelry. Suddenly a larger man came forward and punched the man that had used his hands on Jenny and he fell to the floor, unconscious. Another guy raised his machete threateningly at the women and they fell back in their bid to avoid being cut. I looked at the machete wielder and recognized Emeka, one of the vigilantes from the night before who gave me a quick wink before turning a vicious face toward the crowd again. “UNA DEY CRAZE?!” NA THEM KILL BABA? COME’ON STEP BACK!” the larger man shouted. His voice thundered even louder than the gramophone Jenny had been using and the crowd retreated. He turned blood shot eyes towards us and saw me. “Come carry your babe go inside, but tell your oga say anybody wey try come talk anyhow again we go deal with am!” “Thanks Big Paddy.” I said under my breath. He grunted and turned back to the crowd. “Oya shift back, shift back, make them bring the lion outside!” “Actually, na leopard dem talk-“Emeka began but Big Paddy gave him a resounding slap on the back of his head and he shut up. We helped Jenny back into the reception and sat her down on the sofa. Apart from a few scratches and a torn neckline she was fine. Her body trembled a little and Obi poured a glass of wine for her to calm her nerves. She drank and smiled up at us. “Well, that was silly of me.” She said. “You did your best.” Obi said, sitting beside her. Kelvin frowned but said nothing. “Leave her, she thinks it is everybody she can charm with that her beauty,” Mr. Daniel said. He was leaning against the window, still looking out at his car and the crowd that were now sitting and standing around it. He looked as if he wanted to cry. I stood up straight. “Come Daniel, she was almost manhandled out there. If you don’t have anything useful to say I suggest you shut up.” Mr. Daniel looked at me with scorn. “So says the hired help!” he took another sip from his glass. “Do you know why you are here sef? Is there anything you are doing that we wouldn’t have done by ourselves? Oga just wanted to spite me, if not this contract was already mine! I made a bid for it; I talked to the company first!” “And they refused your offer when they found out what a greedy bastard you were!” Obi said, suddenly coming to life for the first time today. “You almost cost us the contract and it was only Chukwudi’s negotiations that got things back in our plate. You should be ashamed of yourself!” Mr. Daniel laughed and took a long drink, emptying his glass. “Yeah, I should be ashamed. The hired help comes in, sits at meetings, makes suggestions that are immediately carried while nobody thinks to ask me my opinion! The moment he steps on the firm grounds Jenny goes after him like a hawk. Opportunist! Kelvin is there, abandoning his family to pursue money, I don’t know why he can’t send some back to them, after all he makes enough here. And you Obi, don’t let me enter your matter here! You think I don’t know? All of you are hypocrites! You are just as bad as you paint me just that you try to hide it!” There was silence in the room for a while and the only noise that could be heard was that of the crowd outside. Jenny was looking at Mr. Daniel intently. “Wait, since when did who I go out with become your problem?” she said. “Was I dating any of you guys before?” “I know, I know, I’m not good enough for you, abi?” He giggled and went on, “Or you think this small boy here will remain permanently? He can’t give you what you need babe. I’ve been toasting you since, you no gree…” “You’re drunk Mr. Daniel,” Kelvin said. “Sit down and shut up.” “It’s you that should shut up, Kelvin. I’ve been watching you. I know what you and Obi have been up to when you think nobody is look-“ Kelvin took two strides and was upon Mr. Daniel. In a flash he had knocked him out. Jenny gasped and looked at me. I was stunned! “Was that really necessary, Kelvin?” Obi said. “Yes it was,” Mr. Kelvin said, rubbing his knuckles. “He is talking rubbish. And besides, how can somebody be drunk with all that is happening around us? Oga should really fire him.” then he caught the look on my face and nodded. “I’ll apologize to him when he wakes up.” “He’ll apologize to us first,” Jenny said. “But now that we are ‘alone’, what have you two been up to?” Kelvin looked at us and then at Obi who shrugged. “What do you know?” Kelvin asked Jenny in a matter- of- fact tone. “Everything.” Jenny said, partially lying. Kelvin looked at me and I nodded in agreement. “And how can you know everything?”Kelvin said smiling. “We followed you guys last night.” I said. “You came to pick up Obi and you guys drove back to your place.” Kelvin looked shocked for a while then regained his composure. Obi suddenly gave a gentle laugh. “Its okay, Kelvin. We might as well tell the truth. I don’t know how you guys found out it was us but…” “I had to help him,” Kelvin said. “He seemed so lost and out of control. It’s not really his fault.” “How can you say it like that?” Jenny asked incredulously. “How can you make an issue like this sound so trivial?” “She’s right, Kelvin,” Obi said and stood up. The yellow flame on his head had died down and I could now see the pain its ember lights had been hiding. “I’m to blame. I’m guilty. It’s all my fault. If I had more self control none of this would have happened. I’m disgusted in myself.” Kelvin rushed over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Snap out of it, man! You’ve been like this since yesterday, what happened to you?” “What we are doing is wrong, Kelvin. I no longer have the heart for it. We need to stop, I need to stop.” Obi said, his voice shaky as if he were about to cry. The pain was intense, so intense it engulfed his entire body. I felt a little of it and physically took a step back. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there for you,” Kelvin said, his voice shaky as well. “You are more than a brother to me and we’ll see this through together! I love you, man!” And then he kissed him full on the lips.

keep the comments coming we myt yet get anoda episode 2day

So they are gay dey are not d leopard dey are just gay Mtcheew

na homo dem be

Terrible

Hmmmmm! Nawow! So no b only leopard tinz una dey in2 but homosexual tinz as well...

pls update..

I have two major suspects 4 dis act........ Mr.John and Mr.Obi...... No matter how lonq u hide the truth....The truth will always prevail at the end.....

Pls update oooo...... I knew it waz Obi ryt 4rm tym slf

no der ar nt gay,what of d blood dat chuk see at there hand,i think u should help them chuks.dont try to use ur magic on both sex

o ya nw ooo so is nt only blood kelvin dy provide for u both of u ar gay welldone dat gud of u,nice1 plz kip roll thumb up bros@Willz

Hmmmm

JENCUTE AND I WAITING FOR THE NEXT EPST ARENT WE JENCUTE?

Kaduna Boi. Hear my comment and keep the update rolling. I feel like controlling you like Chukwudi

Plzzz don't stop updating. Diz stowie is 2 gud t miss..............we ll kip d comment flowing

Yup CHERE..

Hmmmm.. So there secret might be dat ther are gay and not the beast

Thing is goin to b alryt

I dnt really tin dey kw wat jenny is saying,stupid beast

Next episode please

eiya! sorry 4 d poor old man

Wat next?

This is a 14 years criminal offence. Imagine leaving your wife just to be with a man?? How loathsome!!

Next sharp sharp plz...

Pls update na

Hmmmnnn,,,,,,,,,,,dis is serious OººOººh So, who is †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ beast den..........Mr john*jux guessing*

Continues Three things happened simultaneously after that. I looked away in disgust. Yes I‘ll admit it, I’m severely homophObic. Jenny stood up, pointed at the two of them, her mouth opened but not a sound came out. And Obi looked completely taken by surprise. He shoved Kelvin bodily across the room and started spitting all over the floor. “Wh-what the hell, Man!” Obi shouted, rubbing his lips vigorously, “What was that about?!” Kelvin was visibly shaken. He looked like the ground should open and swallow him up. He walked to Obi who retreated like it was a rabid dog approaching him and Kelvin stopped in his tracks. “I’m sorry, Obi. I got carried away, I shouldn’t have done that.” “NO you shouldn’t have!” Obi yelled. Jenny was still pointing at both of them and finally found her voice. “You guys are gay?” Both said “Yes” and “No” at the same time and then looked at each other “There’s no need to be shy, Obi. I left my family, my wife, because of you.” Kelvin said. “I’ve been patient all these months…” “I’m not a homosexual!” Obi shouted. “But, last night…” Kelvin stuttered. “We had our bath together, slept on the same bed. When you cried out in pain, I held you and you welcomed my embrace…” “I was in pain and delirious!” Obi shouted again and I had to walk up to him and squeeze his shoulder, telling him to calm down before other people were drawn to the scene. “I hardly knew half of what went on last night! And having a shower with you does not translate to meaning I’m gay. I still shower with my brothers till date and we are not gay!” “Obi, calm down.” I said as one of the other staff outside the reception area looked in our direction. “Is that why you helped him kill all those girls?” Jenny cut in. “Because you were…in love with him?” Both men looked at her incredulously. “What girls? What are you talking about?”Obi exclaimed. “The man-animal. The leopard. You are him aren’t you?” Obi looked at me pleadingly, “what the hell is she talking about?” Kelvin suddenly stood up straight. “They don’t know!” “Know what?” I asked. Kelvin looked at Obi. “Don’t tell them. They don’t know.” Obi glared at him, “Anything is better than them thinking I’m gay!” and before Kelvin could say another word he continued. “I’m a drug addict. It got really bad a few months ago and Kelvin found out on one of our business trips together. He was willing to take me in, help me get more drugs. Kelvin has been helping me steal from Mr. Bells’ Company to sustain my habit. I was grateful to have a friend I could confide in and he seemed like the rock on which could depend on, at least until I could find the courage to stop. He never judged me and he never used the stuff himself, he’s very principled that way. But I never knew he had ulterior motives for taking care of me like that!” “What started you on the drugs?” I asked. “The doctors call it ‘Sciatica’ He said, “I developed it after receiving an injection in the wrong place a year ago. I started by taking pain killers but soon the pain was not allowing me concentrate. I couldn’t have a decent conversation, I couldn’t sleep. Then an old friend of mine noticed and introduced me to morphine. It worked like magic. I felt great! No pain, better concentration, it was too good to be true. I soon started feeling the urge to take more and more of it, I had to beg my friend to give me more but he said the source he was getting it from was no longer available. I started to experience the symptoms of withdrawal,heavy sweating, a runny nose, itching, weakness, heaviness all over my body, plus the pain became worse than ever. I had to find shady characters that were willing to get the drug for me. “ “Well, why didn’t you go to hospital?” I queried. “It’s not a drug a doctor would willingly prescribe for me and besides I didn’t want to report myself and get into trouble. I didn’t really believe I could ever be a drug addict. I grew up from a very strict background; something like this…it’s a shame…a big shame for me. I lived in denial for a long time. I finally found a dealer but he kept asking for more and more money and I had no one to explain to until Kelvin found me shaking on their floor one day. He said he had seen someone with similar symptoms and knew it was the effect of a drug addiction. He took me in and helped me with money to purchase more drugs. He suggested I should stop at first but later kept silent when I kept going back to it. But for the past two weeks now I’ve been determined to stop. The pain is what prevents me from stopping. It keeps getting worse!” “It will get better,” Kelvin interjected. He was still looking embarrassed but had decided to enter the conversation anyway. “When Jenny asked for that file from Obi last night, we thought you guys had found out we had been altering figures to steal money, so I went to pick Obi up so we could do some brainstorming on how to cover our tracks. I met him in a bad way but luckily I had just obtained some more morphine. So I took him to my place and made him all better. By early this morning we tried to falsify the documents and sneak the new copy into Mr. Bells file cabinet as his own copy. He would never have known”. “But I’m not a thief, man.” Obi said ruefully. “I wasn’t raised that way. And I sure as heck am not gay!” Kelvin walked to the counter and poured himself a glass of wine. Obi sat down on the chair and Jenny was looking at me in bewilderment. I walked up to her and we went out of the reception and into the corridor. “So we were wrong,” I said. “No. I was wrong.” Jenny admitted with a wry smile. “I guess I was a bit too hasty.” “But if it isn’t them doing the killing, who is?” I said. We heard a crash outside and rushed to the windows. One of the thugs had thrown a stone at one of the cars and broken the windscreen. The others shouted joyfully and soon more stones were sent flying and there was sound of more breaking glass as all the windows of that car were shattered. The damaged car was the one parked in front of Mr. Daniel’s car and for a fleeting moment, I was glad he was lying unconscious. He wouldn’t have wanted to see the vandalism at all, especially if he thought his car would be next. “Where are the police?!” Jenny exclaimed, walking away from the window angrily. “It’s a miracle they haven’t tried to enter the building. I can’t see big paddy or his boys anywhere, they might have gone home. I was about saying something when the boardroom door opened and Chioma walked out, shutting the door behind her. She was clutching her handbag and looking at her watch. She would have passed right by us if I hadn’t reached out and grabbed her hand. “Where are you going/” I asked her. “Fellowship meeting” she replied simply and calmly. “In that crowd?” Jenny retorted and smirked, “You guys should really lay off the alcohol.” “I don’t drink alcohol.” Chioma replied. “Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot. It’s a sin…” “No its not. Alcohol has some health benefits.” Chioma said. “Even Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding once. I just chose not to drink so as to avoid its deleterious side effects like drunkenness, liver problems, flabby tummies, and so on.” Jenny looked at her. “I hate you” she said suddenly. “Whoa,” I said trying to get between them but Chioma stopped me. She seemed like a timid person but in reality her character was strong and she feared nobody. “No you don’t hate me.” She said. “You envy me. You think I got everything on a silver platter while you got to work with your good looks to get where you are. That’s not true, by the way. I for one know you are more intelligent and an asset to this company than you let on. You think I’m a goody two-shoes that spoils all the fun. Maybe I do, but there is a reason for that; and maybe we can discuss about it some other day, but right now I have to get to fellowship.” Jenny looked frazzled. “I don’t think you got everything on a silver platter…” “You don’t? Thanks then.” Chioma said. “I’ve been in the boardroom working on some of the pending file and trying to get us up to speed with the demands of the airport crew and with Lexinton corporation, whose members will be flying in next week. That’s what we should have deliberated on today but what has happened has happened, we will deliberate on it tomorrow but I have already done most of the groundwork-“ “You were working in the office the whole time?” I asked incredulously, “During this whole crisis?” “Better to spend the time on something productive, yes?” Chioma said, and then she took a deep breath and took a step towards me. “I’d like to see you privately Mr. Chuks, maybe tomorrow? Or whenever you are free?” “Sure,” I said. “But you are not going anywhere now. You should have seen what they did to Jenny! I’m telling you it’s a very bad idea.” “Thanks for your concern, Mr. Chukwudi,” she said smiling her pretty smile. “But nothing will happen to me. I have faith.” “It’s called stupidity, you idi0t!” Jenny said. “They’ll rip you to pieces.” Chioma smiled again and made for the door but I grabbed her arm. “I’m not letting you go,” I said And then I let go. My arm felt like it was burning. I tried not to show my pain but she noticed it and immediately came to my aid. “Are you all right?” she asked anxiously. “What happened?” “Nothing” I said. “Stay indoors. The police will soon be here.” “Trust me please,” she said. “I’ll be fine.” And so saying she opened the door and walked out into the crowd and shut the door behind her. I could hear shouts from Kelvin and Obi. But she was out already. “You let her go?” Jenny came to meet me. “Why?” I said nothing but I looked at Chioma outside and Jenny followed my gaze. The crowd was still shouting and yelling; they had made our laborers sit on the hot pavement in a single file and were making fun of them and the security men who had locked themselves in their security post. Some jumped around on the flower beds, others gesticulated with dangerous looking weapons on how they would slaughter the leopard. Some of them had even resorted to smoking and dancing in front of the building. They were going nowhere until they got what they came for. In all of this confusion, Chioma walked among them. She walked past the dancers, moved around those wielding cutlasses and over those lying on the pavement. Once, she bumped into a man holding a large stick and almost fell. The man grabbed her, steadied her on her feet and went back to his conversation. She went through their midst and they didn’t even notice her. Soon she was at the main gate, said something to the security men who were no doubt now looking at her in amazement, and left the compound. We all watched this from the window with our mouths open. “How…?” Obi said “They probably don’t see her as a threat,” Kelvin murmured. “That being said, that was incredibly foolish of her. What if…” Jenny was looking at me. “What happened?” she whispered. “Later.” I said, still clutching my arm, although it no longer burned. “She’s a brave one, that girl.” We turned around to see Mr. Bells had joined us. “I would have stopped her though if I had been around a moment earlier. What she did was incredibly dangerous.” “Sir, are you all right?” Jenny asked. He waved his hand dismissively, “Yes, yes. The police will be here any minute now. Sorry about all this Chukwudi. These people aren’t usually violent, it must have been a really horrible incident to get them all worked up like this.” Kelvin and Obi came out of the reception to join us at the door. I noticed that Obi was keeping a respectable distance from Kelvin who was trying hard not to notice. Things were going to be very awkward between those for a long time. “Are you all right sir?” They chorused. Mr. Bells rolled his eyes. “I’m fine; I’m fine, thanks for asking. Honestly I should be apologizing to you guys. It’s my Sidney that caused all of this. Not that he was responsible for the attack of course.” “Where is Sidney?” I asked. “Safely locked up in the store room,” He said, beaming at all of us. “I was just making sure those…Jenny? What happened to you?!” He had just noticed Jenny’s frazzled hair and torn clothes. She smiled and said it was nothing but Mr. Bells was furious. “Someone will pay for this, how dare they?” he fumed. “As soon as the police come I’ll make sure that… ah…they are here already!” The sound of sirens rapidly filled the air and two jeeps zoomed into the compound. Before the jeeps stopped the doors opened and soldiers jumped out. There was immediate pandemonium. People ran here and there, some jumping over the fence while others ran through the front gate. In a few short moments the grounds had been cleared and a few people arrested. The laborers that had been held hostage by the crowd were released and the staff nurse immediately went to inspect them for any serious injuries. The staff that was upstairs came down and was addressed by Mr. Bells after which most of them were sent home for the day. Mr. Daniel, who was still unconscious, was helped carried into his office and put to rest on his sofa. The nurse on duty looked Jenny over but it wasn’t really necessary, she thanked her and came to my side. “This has definitely been a very eventful day.” She said. “Yes it has,” I said. “What happened with Chioma?” she asked. “I got burned,” I replied thoughtfully. “Do you think she has powers?” Jenny said wide eyed. “What did you see?” I paused for a while. “I didn’t see anything. Not even the cross this time. If she has powers, she definitely does not know about it.” “So how did she manage to get past that crowd then?” Jenny said. “Coincidence?” I shrugged my shoulders, watching as Mr. Bells passed by us and went to inspect the laborers that had been released. Jenny and I decided to follow him and so did Kelvin and Obi. As we passed Mr. Daniel’s office, I saw it open a crack and Mr. Daniel peeped out. He saw Mr. Bells Pass and ducked back into theoffice. As we passed he looked out again and caught my eye. He looked at me for a moment and grinned. The he shut the door again. Mr. Bells addressed the laborers, apologizing for their mistreatment and promising to foot the bill for their treatment at the hospital for those who needed it. He also promised to give them something for their ordeal. They cheered and the foremen followed him back into the office to work out the modalities “The MD is working very hard to please them,” Jenny said. “It’s obvious that they bear a little grudge against him. Probably one of them reported that he kept a leopard in the premises.” I said nothing. Instead I held my head and rubbed my temple in confusion. “I don’t get it. I just don’t get it!” Jenny looked at me. “What?” I pointed to where Mr. Bells had just entered the building. The two tailed leopard stood there proudly in all its glory, even larger than when we had first seen it.

I just don't get it

AAAAAH WHO IS THIS MAN LEOPARD

D man-animal is one of the company's staff, who could it be? Is Chioma pure? Pla next episode

Wu culd dis man animal b....... D suspense z rilli killin me...... Kip it rollin willams....

I c Messrs Obi n Kelvin as d leopards form d way Kelvin is defending Obi.

The only clue is the blue camry

Everybody here is a suspect to me.......Leh me see how Williams will qet vhiz throuqh......

Chioma&mr.bells i don't trust u guys.

I just dnt get it, i dnt get it... *speechless* Does it mean mr obi nd mr kelvin are pure abt d beast issue... Bt definately mr bell has sumtin 2 do wit dat beast... Kaduna boi dnt keep me waiting ooo

dis is confusin me too.. ...... ........ I just dont get it..... ... Keep it rolin

D man animal who is he den?

NAWOW! am as confused as you Chucks. Almost everybody in dat company seems to have something strange abt dem. Even Chioma is not to be left out in d suspect list

confusing... who den z Dis man animal? Dis story ehn... Chai

hmmm getting more interesting

William plz stop kiping us under suspence.......inspect mr bell u once say wan sidney c da beast he pay respect to it-.......mr daniel .obi and kelvin must b da one .....bt i tink it iz mr daniel

Don't try chioma powers oo dey are supreme

Oooops! Dis is really confusing right иσω Seems it mr. Daniel or Mr. John *jux guessing Abeg oga@williams Α̲̅♍ dying of guessin come Α̲̅πϑ safe me

Am just having some feelings about mr Daniel

rili getting seriously interesting..can't wait 4 d revelation..thumb up william

chioma might be the accomplice of Mr daniel......cox i suspect dem

Dhiz stowie iz getn interestn as dhe day goez by am lvn it

I don't understand anymore oo. Hummmmm. Next pls

“Don’t beat yourself up about it dear,” Jenny said. “I have to, Jenny!” I said angrily, “People are dying!” It was 6pm and we were being driven back to my hotel. I was mentally banging my head against a brick wall, trying to figure out what I was missing, where I had gone wrong. Jenny trying to calm me down was the least thing I needed. I had tried not to be involved in this whole man-animal thing but now I was intricately woven into the whole drama and I needed it all to end. I needed to go and visit Nina, or at least have her come and spend some time with me, but I couldn’t do that knowing that there was a mysterious danger lurking about. Why had the magnificent leopard appeared once again in the firm premises, just after Mr. Bells walked into the building? It seemed to appear and disappear at will. I was also worrying about Mr. John, Chioma’s immediate boss. Was his ‘calling in sick’ truly coincidental with the happenings of the day or was there a deeper, more sinister meaning to it? Could I really trust Kelvin and Obi? All the facts seemed to point to their telling the truth but one could never be a hundred per cent sure. We had decided not to mention anything about the missing money to Mr. Bells on the promise that Kelvin and Obi find a way to pay it all back. They were very grateful for the offer and Obi even shook Kelvin’s hand as a sign of friendship, despite being almost mistaken by him to be a love interest. I had gotten Chioma’s number from one of the staff and called her, she had arrived safely, and wanted to know if I would be very busy tomorrow. I said no and she thanked me once again and hung up. Jenny, as usual had opted to escort me back to my hotel. We discussed freely in the vehicle, trying to backtrack our steps, find out where we went wrong. Jenny was of the opinion that if I stopped thinking about it, the answer would come naturally and spontaneously. I, however, had no such intentions. I was not too excited about the prospect of going through another nightmare and wanted the matter ended as soon as possible. “Is there any way it could be Mr. Bells?” Jenny said, “We kind of waved him aside before. Just because he is a foreigner does not mean he cannot be the beast, you know. And we have not really checked his background, maybe he was born and raised here in Nigeria before tracing back his roots, he is pretty savvy in the issues of our country.” “I really don’t know what to think right now, “I said, shaking my head. “ I couldn’t see inside Obi’s secret box to confirm if he was telling the truth but his tone did not show he was lying either. And as for Kelvin being the beast…” “Leave him out of it,” Jenny said, “None of our mermaid history books reflect a homosexual man-animal, and they were known for their huge sexual appetites and prowess.” “This is what makes me wish sometimes that I couldn’t see into the spirit realm.” I said. “At least I would have been ignorant of this whole two tailed leopard matter!” She stretched out a soothing hand that covered mine comfortingly. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out sooner or later.” “I hope so,” I said, “Apart from people getting killed, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since I got here. It’s pretty tiring.” We drove into the hotel premises and I came down. Jenny seemed to be thinking about something for a while; she opened the car door and then made up her mind and shut it again without getting down. “I’ll be going home tonight, “she said, “Better we all get some good rest after today’s events. “Good idea,” I said although a part of me was tugging at my ego, telling me to ask her to stay. “I need to get an early start at sleeping; I don’t know how this night is going to be like.” She smiled and waved me goodbye and the car zoomed out of the hotel gates. I watched her go, and a part of me really regretted not asking her to stay. “Ol’ boy, how far, you don land that babe?” the gateman asked. “No.” I said. “I have a girlfrie-…fiancée” The gateman looked at me as if I had just farted through my mouth. “I almost screamed “What the hell is wrong with you people, doesn’t faithfulness to one’s partner count for anything again?!” but I refrained. I turned around and walked back to my hotel room, feeling very tired. The manager was there to welcome me as usual and I quickly made a small order for dinner before struggling up the stairs to my room. He tried to say something but obviously thought better of it and kept quiet. As soon as I got into the room I took off all my clothes and had a slow bath with the shower. The cold water slid off my glistening skin and had a soothing effect on me. I stood there in the moderately sized bathroom, looking at the white porcelain floor as the water washed away the dirt of that day, turning from a dirty brown to clear water as it swept its way down the drain. I missed Nina so much. I wished again that I could call her and invite her over but now would not be the best time. I sighed as I wistfully remembered thinking I was going to have a relaxing time in Asaba. I also missed Pachios, my guardian angel. Lord knew what he was up to these days. Had he been given another ward to look after? Was there even now, another child who had been born with the Sight? Usually I would talk to him when I was stumped like this but since the emergence of Chukwudi the stronger, he had completely disappeared. It was kind of disheartening, thinking Pachios viewed me as nothing more than an assignment. If he cared a little iota more, he would have at least had said goodbye. I realized I was still under the shower, and quickly turned off the tap. I went out, changed into comfortable night clothes and turned on the air conditioning. In a few minutes, the food I had ordered; fried rice with freshly prepared chicken had been brought up by a waiter and I was wolfing it down like an animal. I guess all the excitement had given me an appetite. After eating I called Nina. The phone rang and I waited patiently for her to pick it up. The ring tone was one of those annoying ring tones one didn’t really ask for but somehow was already there. I made a mental note to tell her to change it to something better when she picked up. “Hey baby,” she said, her cool voice having a far better effect than the water in the shower had done a few minutes ago. “Hi sweetheart,” I said and I heard her sigh. “I’ve missed your voice,” she said. “Was just going to say the same about you” I responded. “How’s your dad?” “Feeling much better thank goodness. The doctor said we can discharge tomorrow.” “That’s wonderful news dear,” I said “Babe? Honey what’s wrong?” Nina asked, concern coating her silky voice. I considered telling her about my adventures here but decided not to, no need getting her worried. “Nothing dear, just really tired.” “At 7.30 in the evening?” she asked. “It was a very stressful day,” I replied and yawned. “In fact I was just about getting some sleep and decided to call you first before hitting the sack.” “You are not doing strange stuff again, are you?” she said, the concern in her voice growing. “Babe don’t worry about it, I’m fine.” I said. She was silent for a while and then decided not to push the matter further. We talked about some other things, trivial issues, and finally said our goodnights as she hung up. I yawned again, adjusted the temperature on the air-conditioning, and went to sleep. No, it wasn’t peaceful. At about 3am in the morning I was awakened by the sound of a dull thumping noise against my room door. For a moment I thought it was a rogue rat, trying to gain entry into the room, and I vaguely remembered that I hadn’t seen any rats around the hotel premises since I came. I would have gone back to sleep if I had not perceived the smell of something burning. I jumped to my feet, fully awake and ran to the door even as I heard “Fire! Fire!!!” from down the corridor. I opened my door and looked out. The entire corridor was dark; all the lights had been put out. The only source of light came from the room opposite mine, D16, a dull yellow light accompanied by thick grey smoke. I heard the pounding of heavy feet on the rugged corridor as the manager ran towards me. “Wh-what happened?” he shouted, looking confused. I glanced back at the room he had come out of and saw the receptionist he had been talking to the other day sneaking away in nothing but her wrapper. “Aren’t you the one that shouted “Fire” just now?” I asked him. He shook his head vigorously and then suddenly stared at the door to D16 as if he was seeing the billowing smoke for the first time“Fire? There’s a fire?! Fire! Everybody out!!!” Some doors opened and the few guests in the hotel ran out, some of them screaming at the top of their lungs. I asked the manager if he had a fire extinguisher and he disappeared into the corridor which was now getting filled with smoke. Soon he was back with two extinguishers and he handed one to me. “On three,” I said and he nodded. “One, two…” At ‘three’ I kicked the door open and the first thing that greeted us was a huge wall of fire as tongues of flames struggled to escape from the room. We attacked it with the extinguishers, spraying white stuff everywhere. As we proceeded into the room, everywhere was covered in black smoke and vision was near zero. The electricity had also gone off, thank goodness, and we quickly rushed to open the windows. As soon as we did this, billows of smoke escaped out and soon we could have a fairly good view of the room. The bed and surrounding furniture were still burning and we went at them with the fire extinguishers again. Soon all the flames had been put off and what was left of the room was a smoldering, pungent smelling mess. The bed had been burnt to ashes. “Sh1t!” the manager exclaimed. “Which kain wahala be this?” “Sorry, man.” I said. He looked at me and shook his head. In his excitement he was mixing pidgin with normal English. “No, thank you sir. Thanks for keeping a cool head. I for dey outside with the others, looking at my hotel burning down if it wasn’t for you. “What happened?” I said, looking around and trying to see if I could trace the source of the fire.” “I don’t know sir,” he said. “But thank God say I no transfer you come this room again o. We for dey talk another tori by now.” “Excuse me?” I said. “You wanted to transfer me here? Why?” “Ah, na order from your office na.” the manager replied. “Somebody call to ask for your room, said we should make sure you are staying in the room they booked for you. I for don change you but as I saw the way you entered, you looked very tired so I said I will leave you to sleep then change you to the other room tomorrow. Anyway, ‘all things work together for good’. Abi?”

Heeeeeeee!! Tnk God 4 ur life chuks...... Seems sum1 is not hapy wit yu oooooo....beta watch ur back wella

na wa ooo nxt plz

Ooooops! Иσω someone want U̶̲̥̅̊ dead?????? Hmmmnnnn Dis suspense it 3 much OººOººh haaaaa

them wan burn u sha....datx f**kd....it is well

The leopard might be the boss

N who cld b planing ur death chucks? Y is it dat fire engulfed in a room dey ordered u 2 b changed in2 and on d same night Jenny decided 2 go home? Hmmmm! Suspecting every damn soul in dat company.. Pls play solo

Suspence thrilled story ama enjoying it

Jenny went home! same day, Dre was fire. U called chioma(maybe she felt her burn u). Mr johhn did not come. Mr. Bells n d beast(kinna get sumtin linking den...maybe d beast lyk sidney). HummmM #arm_crossed

Somethinq is qoinq on......someone is after ya Chucks!!! Thank God the manaqer did not transfer ya o..... No need to suspect anybody now at the end we would know jare....Next plee

aah... now its abt life n death. God dey shaa Williams oo... more updates lls

Hmmmmm....... 4rm 1 wahala 2 anoda, nawa oooo

lyk asa wud say..there is fire on d mountain top..beta watch ur bck man

Wanting to kill Chucks. Am still suspecting Obi or John

dey don knw say u see there secret dat is why dem wan kil u......... ..o boi watch ur back..... Who b d man animal self i won knw am......... Post d next oga @williams

Continues Its 3am in the morning. Somehow that thought keeps ringing in my mind like its some bad omen. I ‘m sitting alone in my room, still sweating from the heat of the fire I had just put off in the opposite room. The fire that was obviously meant for me. I’m drinking a cool glass of water even though my fridge has just been stocked with drinks, compliments of the ever grateful manager. I’m trying to think. Who would have done this? And why? Its not so obvious at the time that it could have been the man-animal. Things are a whole lot clearer when you are outside the game than when you are in it. I’m trying to think. Thinking is kind of difficult because everywhere is hot and they still haven’t restored light after the fire outbreak. The manager is afraid of using the generator lest he sets off another spark; they are suspecting it was electrical. They are thinking it was an accident. Its no accident. I know. Sweat runs down my face and I wipe it with a hanky. Its so hot. I decide to take a cold shower. That’ll help. The shower makes a kind of sizzling noise as it runs down my back. Its cold as ice and I am grateful for its chilly embrace. My head is clearing. I watch the water drain down the sink, a few hours earlier it had been stained brown from dirt and sweat. Now soot from the burning room turns the water black. Who did we talk to? Who knew about the man animal? Who would be so brazen among the board members to want to set my room on fire? I step out of the bathroom and I start getting dressed. I hear the hum of the Lister generator and I am glad. The room will be cool soon. I’m not thinking of getting back to sleep. Not really. It seems sleeping in this assignment always ends up badly. No I’m not going to sleep.I’m going to take another cold drink and think. Its a bit difficult but I have to think. The good news is the beast did not hunt tonight. I would have dreamt it. No, the beast rested from hunting tonight. This itself births another question. Why? Why no hunting tonight? Since I’ve been here the beast has hunted every night; not always successfully but hunted it has. Tonight, if not for the fire, I would have slept till morning. I would have been spared bad dreams. The generator kicks in and the lights in my room comes on. There is a little shout outside as something sparks in the burnt room and they quickly isolate the circuitry of the room and switch it off. Then there is laughter and excitement. They think has been an exciting night. They do not suspect sabotage. They do not suspect an attempted murder… And then it hits me. If an attempt was made on my life… Oh my God. Jenny! I pick up my phone and dial Jenny’s line. It rings endlessly and finally cuts off. I try it again, same result. I try four more times but it is hopeless. There is no response from the other side. I hurriedly put on some outing clothes and hurry out of my room. I reach the lobby and see the manager, now fully awake, talking animatedly with the electrician, security man and receptionist who is now fully clothed. They hail me as I approach. I ask them for a ride into town, this is an emergency. “But oga, its 4.00am sir. You can’t move out at a time like this o.” The manager says. “Here no be Lagos o.” I argue with him, telling him its urgent. They see the look in my eyes and shake their heads helplessly. They don’t want to go out, it will be daylight soon. How about 6am? It will be better then. I stamp my foot on the floor angrily. They don’t understand my urgency and are shocked. The security man gets up and offers to carry me on his okada if “Oga Manager” frees him. I look at the manger pleadingly. “Okay o,” he says finally. “But be careful o, usman. This na my special guest o!” I can’t thank him enough. He waves me away, telling me he is the one that is grateful, telling Usman to take care of me. It is when we are outside and about entering the bike that Usman asks the obvious question. “Oga, where we dey go sef?” I don’t know. I never asked Jenny for her address. I paced up and down my room, wringing my hands, willing for dawn to come. The Manager did not have Jenny’s number and I didn’t have any of the other board member’s numbers. I looked out of my window in frustration, searching for the sun in the night sky. “Calm down,” I heard Chukwudi the stronger’s voice deep within me. “For all you know she puts her phone on silent when she wants to go to sleep.” “What kind of crazy-azz habit is that?” I retorted angrily. “She might as well switch the phone off. What if there is an emergency or something? She should have seen the missed calls and called me back!” “She probably will, as soon as she wakes up. Now calm down!” I continued my pacing around the room and took another look outside my window. The air conditioning was on full blast but I still felt like I was sweating. I walked to the edge of my bed, sat down and took off my shoes and socks. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, allowing the world around me to fade away. Soon there was nothing to hear, not the humming of the air- conditioning, not the sound of water dripping incessantly from a leaky faucet in the bathroom, just my heartbeat and the comfort of darkness behind my eyelids. But i wasn’t going to sleep. I had entered Chukwudi the Stronger’s abode and continued to pace deep within myself and after a while he came into the scene. “You haven’t fallen for her have you?” He said, watching me thoughtfully. “Worrying about someone doesn’t mean you’ve fallen for them.” I said. “And I should worry; she’s a human being after all-” “No she isn’t, Chukwudi!” Chukwudi the stronger said, “That’s the point! She’s a mermaid and a very good seductress! She has already told you what she desires. If you were as normal as the other folk, would she give you a second glance? Don’t get your emotions mixed up.” I sighed and sat down. Chukwudi the Stronger sat beside me. “Stay calm.” He said. “She’s going to be alright. if anything had happened to her I think I would have felt it. You need to focus your energy on finding out who set the fire in the first place. Now open your eyes, the sun is coming up. ” I woke up and found that I had been asleep for more than an hour. Already the first rays of the sun were peeking over the horizon and I stood at the window, watching as slowly the new day was born. I waited until 8am but still no call from Jenny. So I called her back and still she did not answer her phone. I decided to give it thirty more minutes. They came and went and still my phone did not ring. I didn’t have breakfast. I ran down the stairs and into the street, looking for a taxi that would take me to the firm. When I got there, I tried not to look like I was in a hurry and walked in casually. Obi and Kelvin were in the boardroom with Mr. Daniel, discussing when I came in. “Oh, hello chuks.” said Obi and Kelvin smiled sheepishly. “How was your night?” “Not so good,” I said. “The room adjacent mine caught fire.” “What?!” both chorused in shock. I narrated the entire incident to them and they expressed their sympathy at my ordeal. Mr. Daniel said nothing. “Daniel? Didn’t you hear what happened to Chuks? Say something!” Obi said. Mr. Daniel looked at me and sighed. “Sorry.” “Thanks,” I said. “Has any one seen Jenny?” “Not since yesterday,” Kelvin said. “Usually she would have come in by now. Hope no problem?” “I need her address. There’s something I have to discuss with her urgently.” I said. Mr. Daniel snorted annoyingly. “And you can’t simply call her to tell her?” I glared at him “She isn’t picking her calls.” “Oh,” Mr. Daniel turned interested eyes towards me. “What happened, why doesn’t she want to talk to you?” I had the sudden urge to punch Mr. Daniel in the face. He was wearing a foolish grin that I so badly wanted to knock off. I gritted my teeth, trying to stay calm. “I didn’t say she does not want to talk to me, she isn’t picking her calls at all. Has anyone tried to call her?” “Why should we?” retorted Mr. Daniel. “It’s not as if any of us are ‘enjoying’ her company like you are…” I took a step forward and Kelvin quickly intervened. “She stays in the main town. I don’t know the exact address but I can drive you there if you want.” “Drive him where?” Mr. Daniel said, “Do you think today is public holiday? You guys aren’t going anywhere on company time!” “You are right, Mr. Daniel,” Obi said, “We are actually wasting company time. Do you want me to cancel your 12 o’clock appointment with the contractor building your secret house that Mr. Bells knows nothing about? 12 o’ clock is company time too, you know.” Mr. Daniel’s pupils dilated in surprise and shock. He hesitated for a moment then hissed “Get out of here!” and swiveled his seat round and away from us. “Let’s go” Kelvin said and soon we were outside and in his official car, speeding down to Jenny’s place. “What was Jenny saying about a leopard yesterday?” Kelvin asked suddenly.

Hmmm! †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ story so far has been Quite an Intrestin Read I Must say, and am likin evry Beat of it.. But Gosh, Who Can dis Beast B? It cant b Chioma, Bcox I know its a male.. But Chioma's hand is kinda dirty thou, she has a secret power of her own

So Earger 2know wat happend next Willy.. Plss b nicez enoff and giv †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ next update.. Thank Yu

Williams use ur church mind post another episode na... abeg

Mr Daniel is becoming my prime suspect

i think kevin know something abt d leopard, maybe kelvin is d 1 dat set dat fire

hops Jenny Is fine shaaaaa.....

worn out 2 jenny.. U felt something 4 her.

Mr Daniel: Hmmmm.... Mr Obi: Hmmmm.... Mr Kelvin: Hmmmm.... Chuks be careful with what u tell kelvin, i knw mr kelvin asked u dat question just to knw if he's on d safer side.... Kaduna boi.... Abeg cum show nah

Hmmmmm,in as much as it seems u know Jenny,u cannot trust her....what about the company's driver...the intro abt the beast didnt show he went to school,his work was nt specified,he might be the one,Kelvin or Daniel his accomplice...ride on Williams

dis 1 dey r kissin full hope dey no b homo @ d same tym

Hmmmmm getttin complicated as tym goes ........wats wrong with Jenny hope she is wel tho

Hmmmmm getttin complicated as tym goes ........wats wrong with Jenny hope she is wel tho .........oya Williams come yarn us d tori abeg

Confused!!???

him! I sense sm1 iz up to some mischief

hmmm. the man the claw & the tail

@Chuks, dt fire out br8k is planted by Man_animal or beta stil leopard sake of sey he wanna render u & Jenny life_lex, dat's jst it. Its seem he knws ur plans alrdy; & as 4 Jenny, I qex she's beinq held captive som_where around d town by same man_animal. Well, 2 save ha & odaz, U nid 2 tread consciously so as 2 come up wt any qood theory 2 solve dis mystery.

continues “Jenny? When?” I said, trying to feign ignorance. Kelvin smiled. “So many things were going on yesterday,” Kelvin said, keeping his eyes on the road, “So many things, I…or rather We…that is Obi and I, made a wrong assumption yesterday, thinking you guys had found us out, how we were stealing from the company. I made the wrong assumption about Obi and myself and now I still feel him withdrawing from my touch like I’m some sort of leper even though he is trying very hard to be civil. A lot of wrong assumptions were made yesterday. I want to believe you and Jenny made the wrong assumption about something too.” “She must have been talking about Sidney, Mr. Bell’s leopard,” I said quietly. “And when I said I loved Obi, I must have meant it in a ‘brotherly’ way.” Kelvin replied and laughed a little. “I’m not silly, Mr. Chuks. Maybe it’s because I’m gay, but I’ve noticed you regard Jenny as more of a sister than anything else. Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely a spark between you two but I think it’s coming more from her than from you. And that is saying something. I’ve never seen her work so hard to get a man to notice her the way she does with you. And I can tell you two have something going on that is beyond a relationship that you aren’t telling any of us.” I said nothing. Kelvin sighed and tried again. “This morning, the police called at our place. They wanted Mr. Bells to come to the station and answer a few questions. Apparently they had ascertained that the old man was not only killed by a wild animal, but that he might not have been the first either. Another girl had recently reported being drugged and almost eaten by a leopard the night before. Now, we all know Mr. Bells wouldn’t do that sort of thing; not with Sidney. That would make Sidney a man-eater and all the more difficult to control among people within the premises in the daytime. So it’s got to be another leopard. And Jenny was accusing Obi yesterday of being the leopard, or something like that. Come on, Man. Tell me what’s going on!” “You are going to think we are crazy…” I said. “I’m gay. I married my wife so I could blend in with societal norms. I’m not in the least bit attracted to Jenny although I think she is beautiful enough to be a mammi-water.” Kelvin grinned. “I’m used to crazy stuff.” And so I told him everything. Well, not everything, I didn’t tell him about Jenny’s abilities or mine. I did however tell him that we were on the lookout for a man who could transform into a leopard, who had an accomplice and who worked closely with the company. I watched him as I spoke, looking out for any manifestation that would send out an alarm signal, but none came. He listened to my story and suddenly turned into a side street and parked the car. “That is some serious sh1t” He said, and I nodded and said, “So you think we are crazy.” “Yeah, I do.” Kelvin said and smiled. “But that’s just my opinion. Stranger things have happened in this old world of ours. It’s more likely we have a wild animal on the loose, that’s all. It still requires the same level of caution though.” “Yeah, I guess. “ I said flatly. “That’s her house.” He said, pointing to a building. “She was able to make a deal with the landlord to rent the place for as long as we are working in asaba. Don’t ask me how she did it. I’ll wait here while you go check on her.” I came down and walked towards the building. It was a fairly new edifice, modern design with four apartments merged into one building. The compound was floored with interlocking tiles and some flowers planted modestly around to give the place an aesthetic appeal. There were no cars in the driveway, and save for a child playing out in front of the house, no one else was in sight. I walked up to the child and asked if anyone was at home. The little boy looked at me fearfully and said no, then got up and ran into the last apartment. There was some noise and soon a large, stockily built man tying an orange wrapper came out., “Yes, Oga. Can I help you?” he asked. I asked if he knew the whereabouts of the lady in the first house. He shook his head. “She no come house yesterday o, up to the time when I lock gate I no see am. Na me be the caretaker of this place.” “Alright sir, thank you sir.” I said, and went back to the car. “She’s not here.” I said, entering the car. I must have looked very worried because Kelvin patted me on my shoulder and said, “Don’t worry man, we’ll find her. She couldn’t have gone far, right?” I nodded quietly and we headed back to the firm. What had happened to Jenny? Surely if she had planned on going anywhere she would have told me first? What if whoever had set D16 on fire had come for her? My mind was in turmoil as I thought of the possibilities of her whereabouts. When we got back, Kelvin took his time to park his car properly then just as I was about to come out he grabbed me by the shoulder. “If anyone is the man-animal, it’ll be Mr. Daniel.” Kelvin said, his voice dead serious. “He’s ruthless enough, and yesterday when you guys had left he continued to rant about you, how you came to usurp his position, saying things like he’ll deal with you. He’s a recklessly careless type, if there is anything like that. I believe he’ll not hesitate to do whatever it takes to secure his own selfish intentions. “ “Thanks, I’ll keep my eyes open.” I said and he nodded and let go. We went into the firm and I was about to enter my office when Chioma popped her head out of hers. “Mr. Chukwudi, can we see for a moment?” she said. I hesitated momentarily. Now really wasn’t a good time. But in the end I consented and entered her office. Chioma as usual was swearing her skirt suit outfit; although this time it was pure white with a dark green shirt inside. Her red chiffon didn’t match at all with anything she was wearing and that oddly made her look smart and pretty. She motioned for me to sit and I did. I felt like I was about to be interviewed for something. “Thanks so much for your time,” she said, walking briskly to her fridge. “Can I get you something chilled? I have soft drinks and water in here.” “A big bottle of stout will do.” I said, and she paused. I watched her, amused despite myself. “I was only kidding, Chioma.” I said and she visibly relaxed. “Seriously, you set yourself up for teasing sometimes.” “Do I?” she said, bringing out a coke and a bottle of cold water. “I don’t do it intentionally. I’ve always been a clutz and kind of a spoiler around people. I don’t do it intentionally, it just happens. Maybe because I feel shy or inadequate.” “Do I make you feel shy or inadequate?” I asked. She looked up from the water she had been opening for me and her lower lips trembled a bit as she tried to laugh. “No-o! You are a nice guy. You would hardly make anyone feel inadequate. You are a nice guy.” “Yeah, and you’ve been repeating your sentences ever since I sat down.” If she was any fairer I’m sure I would have seen her blush to the roots of her hair. “I do that when I’m nervous. I’m sorry.” “For what?” I said, “It’s a free world. And I’m kind of enjoying this side of you. Usually when I see you outside you sound very sure of yourself.” “I do?” she said smiling. I smiled back. I saw she was gradually relaxing. I honestly didn’t want her to feel awkward around me. Also I needed her to relax so I could see beyond the wooden cross that was now currently burning brightly above her head. She handed me the glass of water and I thanked her. She took a glass herself and drank it in one gulp. I watched her, feeling more endeared to her as each second passed. Sure, she was awkward and clumsy but in a cute kind of way. She took a deep breath and looked me in the face. “Be careful around Jenny.” She said suddenly. I said nothing. I watched her as she said it and it was obvious she was expecting a kind of response from me. When I didn’t say anything she faltered a bit. “Did you hear what I said? She whispered. “Be careful around Jenny.” “Why?” I asked. She drew closer to me across the desk and I had the strong urge to draw closer too so I did. It seemed silly though as we were all alone in the office with no one to hear us except the walls. “I think…she is a mermaid!” Chioma said. I paused, watching her carefully. She was still looking at me, probably gauging my reactions to see how she would proceed. “Why do you think that?” I asked. “Because I see her like that at times. I see her complete with her tail and everything. I don’t think she has harmed anybody but –“ “You saw her tail?” I asked in surprise. Chioma sat back in her chair. “I’m not crazy.” She said, pouting her lips. “I wouldn’t have said anything it’s just that you have a nice spirit, I could feel it ever since you got in here and I don’t want her influencing you the wrong way-“ “How can you see her tail?!” I demanded. She was quiet for a while. Her eyes slowly opened wider as a realization dawned on her. Then she said, “You said that like you actually believed me. Like you already knew…” Suddenly the door burst open. “Hi!” Jenny said poking her head through and smiling like she had just won a million dollars, “Heard you’ve been looking for me. What’s up?”

Op Jenny doesn't hear ur conversation

hmmmn

Mr Daniel ma eyes re on u oooooo

I knw someone must hav kidnap her

@kenze hm fit be muslim...make hm use hm gf mind port am..lol

Just dismiss jenny 4 nw @chuks

i am more curious abt dis story nw.......

Mr. Bells has a strange staff.....

Interestin story so who could be d man animal?

No bi small matter oo

See as jenny don come spoil things. Mr Daniel hmmmmm

let jenny join the conversation, the 3 of u can figure it awt... I think she (chioma) z stronger than chuks... And maybe kelvin and obi are the culprit.....jenny went home... As in HOME (water, sea, mako, ocean, anytyn u call it bt her home sha)

I think mr daniel just has his own behavior ni I suspect kelvin

dis interesting every1 is just pretending expect chuk

Still suspecting Obi or John

Jenny went home for more powers

D question is wer hav u been @ jenny nd y ar u not picking up ur calls?

Definitely, Jenny visited d underworld 4 reinvigoration. This Mr. Bells company has a whole lot of wired Staff. Even Chioma is not a lad to play with to have seen Jenny in her real nature. Mr Chucks, I advise u go solo & consult Chukwudi d stronger always

i think Jenny knws Abt the fire out break or when she when for more powers

and chioma get her own sight too. xo chucks Need to wrk with her to fight that man animalisch............

I think chioma is also a mermaid nd mr Daniel I dey suspect u from the beginning

This company is full of WILDLIFES. Mhnnn, Jenny went home? Could probably be the Sea-Nation, maybe to get some things clearer. Chioma.....guess she's also strong, maybe as strong as you, CHUKS. You now have a new friend. Weldone, the story gets interesting more and more, with each Episode

Jenny had visited her real home, she can't pick call 4 her original home its prohibited... Chioma also ghat her own power oo, i knew it since she dosen't lyk jenny nd neither did jenny lyk her.... Keep it rolling....

Hmm I dnt tink jenny will take easy on her dis time

Oooops!,,,,,,,,,,,, even chioma is seeing tyns nawa OººOººh Who †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ hell is dis leopard??????????

continues In one swift movement I was out of my seat and had Jenny in my arms. I hugged her fiercely and whispered in her ear “Don’t you ever do that to me again!” I could feel her smile as she whispered back. “Yes baby.” A cough behind us brought us back to our surroundings and we ended our embrace. I turned around to see Chioma smiling awkwardly at us, although she was glaring at me through her square-rimmed glasses. “Men,” she said. “In one ear, out the other.” “What?” Jenny said, perplexed. “Nothing,” I replied hastily, “Chioma was giving me a talk on some issues in the firm,” I fixed my gaze on Chioma, “A discussion I would really love to have some other time, if you don’t mind? I have some very urgent issues of my own to settle with Jenny.” “No problem.” Chioma said. “Whenever you are free you can come right in. I’ll be in my office all day.” I nodded and whisked Jenny out of the office and to hers. I hadn’t really been given an office as I usually didn’t spend much time in the firm, my job was mainly to attend meetings and give my advice. As we walked through the corridor we passed by Kelvin’s office whose door happened to be ajar. He glanced up from his files and saw us. “Okay, you’ve seen him.” he said matter of factly. Jenny nodded, smiling and we passed by to the end of the corridor where her office was. As soon as we entered I shut the door behind us and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to me and locking her lips with mine. She offered no resistance and instead arched into me, making my body reverberate with the sheer electricity that emanated between us as our eyes closed impulsively to better savour the moment. Her lips were soft and sensuous, and her perfume the cool scent of Sunset Ocean. I wanted to conquer this being, make her mine and rule over her tidal waves forever. For a moment it seemed neither of us would let the other breath as our lips continued to find each other’s warmth and embrace. But finally she pulled away with a gasp. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t know what came over me…” “Sorry nothing.” She said, holding my hands. “I told you before. With me you don’t have to explain anything. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for that kiss?” “We kissed the first night I came…” I said “That doesn’t count. You freaked out, remember?” she retorted accusingly and smiled. “A lot must have happened between last night and this morning for you to hug me in front of Chioma. I thought she was going to burst into flames!” We both laughed. I was so filled with relief to see that she was alright, and that she apparently hadn’t had any nasty experiences the night before. I asked the obvious question. “Where were you? I called your line, you didn’t pick, I went to your place and your care taker said you didn’t spend the night in your apartment…” “You went to my place?” Jenny said, “Why, what was the urgency?” “I think someone tried to get rid of me last night” I said, looking her straight in the eyes. Jenny laughed, and then kept quiet as she saw that I wasn’t joking. “What? How? What happened?” I recounted my last night’s experience to her plus what the hotel manager had told me about someone calling from the company. “Were you able to get the phone number of the person from the manger?” she asked. I shook my head. I honestly hadn’t thought of it at the time. Jenny whisked out her phone and immediately put a call through. After a while she the manager picked up and she had a quick discussion with him, confirming what i had just told her. It appeared he was apologizing profusely. “It’s alright, it’s alright. Thanks. No, it’s okay. I’ll get back to you.” she hung up. “He said the caller hid his ID but gave all the appropriate information concerning you so he didn’t have any need to be suspicious.” “Well, I know what happened last night wasn’t mere coincidence.” i said. “And besides, there is still the matter of the man who raised the alarm. He is still unaccounted for.” “This is serious. But do you think it is related to the man- animal?” she asked. “Why else would someone want to burn my room down with me presumably still in it?” I said, and Jenny sat down by the desk. “I’ve only been here a short while and as far as I know I don’t have any quarrel with anyone here.” And then I paused. “Daniel.” I said. Jenny’s eyes widened. “He wouldn’t,” “It’s possible. He has been quite spiteful towards me, saying things like I want to take his job. And from the looks of things he seems like the kind of person who would do anything to get what he wants.” “Have you seen him this morning?” she asked. I nodded. “I told him about the incident at the hotel and he was non- chalant about it.” Silence descended upon us as we pondered this information. I, on my part was beginning to feel the whole thing was way too much for us to be handling alone. I wasn’t one for going to the police with supernatural stories but now that things were beginning to look too dangerous and with the scare I had gotten concerning Jenny, meeting the police wasn’t looking so far- fetched anymore. Speaking of Jenny, she still hadn’t told me where she went. “You haven’t answered my question, Jenny.” I said, breaking the silence. “Hmn? What question?” “Where were you last night?” “I had to go home.” She said. “Urgent business.” “And by urgent you mean…?” She looked at me. I knew she was considering whether to tell me the truth or not. “I’ll find out the truth anyway” I said to her, sighing in a very tired fashion and interrupting her thoughts. “It’s not that I actively want to. It will just happen. It usually happens like that around me.” She thought about it for a moment longer then raised her hand and I saw the ring on her finger. “So?” I said. “Look again” she said and I looked. It wasn’t the same ring she used to protect herself around me. This one looked ordinary in every sense of the word, just like the other one did, but whereas the other one had been plain, this one had a small insignia on it. “It will reveal the leopard or his helper if we should come across them.” She said. “How?” I asked. She hesitated again. I felt she was trying to make a calculation of sorts. Like she wanted something to happen but not quite now. “I’m not sure I should let you in on how it works yet.” She said. “Now you just piqued my curiosity.” I said, coming closer. “Come on, how does it work?” In response she took the ring to her lips, muttered some words and touched me with it. And for a moment I was me, but not me. I saw the world through my eyes like I always did but from a different angle. Jenny’s office was the same, a large square cubicle, with a lead brown door, a wooden mahogany-finished desk and a swivel chair to go with it. A potted green plant, plastic of course but very realistic, was displayed in a very large oriental vase at the left hand corner. At the right hand corner were cabinets filled with files. At the centre, blocking the desk partially from my view was Jenny. And she was looking at me with interest. And then I heard Chukwudi the stronger: “She can see me.” “And hear you too.” Jenny said and bowed graciously, her hand still on my chest. “Greetings to you, sir.” My hand moved faster than it had ever moved before. It grabbed Jenny by her wrist and squeezed none too gently. Jenny winced in pain but kept her hand where it was. “I see why Chukwudi likes you.” Chukwudi the stronger said. “You hardly back down, you appear fearless. Or could it be stubbornness perhaps? Or maybe a death wish?” “Just curious, i guess.” Jenny said. “The very same thing that killed the cat,” Chuks the stronger said. “I am no cat…” “No, you’re a fish. Cats eat fish. Like the cat you are hunting now.” “I am not afraid.” Jenny said “Well you should be,” Chukwudi the stronger said and i felt him glow with belligerent fire. “You should fear the cat and you should fear me.You know what I can do to you.” “Hey, wait a minute!” I said but I sounded distant even to myself. It was as if I was an observer like in my dreams. “Don’t hurt her!” “You’re not a killer,” Jenny was saying to Chukwudi the stronger, “You just like to make mouth. Come now sir, can’t we be friends? I haven’t hurt you in any way have I?” I felt his emotions rise even more but then whatever he wanted to do, he changed his mind. Then he pushed Jenny away and as soon as her hand left my chest things zapped back to normal. I shook my head to clear the dizziness. “What the hell was that?” I said, still trying to catch my breath. “A revealer ring.” She said, rubbing her wrist as she spoke. “Whoever the man-animal is, if we touch him with this ring, he’s true nature will come out.” “Not true, hidden.” Chukwudi the stronger said. He rumbled within me and I knew he was angry. His privacy had been invaded and he didn’t like it one bit. “You should have warned me,” I said, beginning to get angry as well. “You should have told me what it does.” Jenny smiled. “I thought it would be better if I showed you,” she said. “Plus, I’m not going to lie, I wanted to see Chukwudi the Stronger’s reaction. He’s a bit hot tempered, isn’t he? Kind of like the hulk in the movies.” “I’m nothing like the hulk and this isn’t a movie!” I was definitely angry now. “Please don’t do that again.” Jenny shrugged and muttered something to the ring. “It’s okay, I’ve turned it off.” She said and went and sat down at her desk. She looked and saw I was still angry and gestured for me to come to her. I did, and she held my hand. “I’m sorry babe. Sometimes I’m too inquisitive for my own good. I promise not to use you to test anything again without your consent. Now give me a smile!” I sat down at the desk and made a face and she laughed. She got up from the table and leaned into me, her lips a few inches from mine. My head swam as I tried to blank out the pleasant feeling our two bodies made as they touched. “So…about that kiss we just had…” I shifted uncomfortably. “I really thought something bad had happened to you…” “So you were worried?” “Yes I was.” I said. She looked into my eyes and, through them, into my soul. “Your heart still belongs to her.” She said, her smile never leaving her lips. “I haven’t won you yet.” “I’m sorry.” I said simply. She sighed and let me go. “I have been given a deadline.” She said, “We are to find if the beast is among us before the day runs out.” I raised my eyebrows. “Deadline? By who?” “It doesn’t matter.” She said. “What matters is that we make sure the beast is not one of the board members by this time tomorrow morning or else, they will send in someone to…help. And that usually doesn’t end well.” “Who will send in someone to help?” I asked again, perplexed. Jenny looked away. “My Queen.” She said. Whoa. “You mean, the Queen of…” “It doesn’t concern you, so don’t worry about it.” Jenny said again, still looking out the window. “When I told them the countenance of the beast the last time we saw it, they said it had fully transformed, that it was now more dangerous than ever. Somehow, by feeding on the old man, the beast has gained its full powers and will be more difficult to control. We need to put an end to the man-animal’s misery now before he causes more harm.” She paused. “This ring should help bring this mystery to a conclusion fast. It was given to me by my superiors for this purpose.” How do I know when you are lying? I can’t explain it very well. Discordant notes, irregular waves of energy, a heightened tone of voice. It has nothing to do with the Sight, more to do with the Sound, the feel of the person at the time. A disconnect, no matter how subtle. It will always be there. And now Jenny was as discordant as a church bell rung by a monkey infested with genital lice. The scary thing was, I didn’t know why she was lying, or what part of it, if any, was truth. “I see,” I said. “I was thinking we should report the matter, regardless of how bizarre it is, to the police. At least give them a heads-up.” “That wouldn’t be necessary Chuks,” Jenny said, still not meeting my eyes. “We have to take care of this by ourselves.” “We? How? If we meet the man-animal, isn’t there likely to be a fight? Isn’t it likely we’ll be in a ‘kill-or- be- killed’ dilemma? I don’t think I’m ready to kill anyone, regardless of what he’s done.” “You won’t have to.” Jenny said and finally looked at me. “This ring will also paralyze him, making him easy to capture. Then all we’ll have to do is make him tell us who his accomplice is, and hand them over to the police after getting confessions from them. See, it will be easy!” “Easy? What was easy about what you just said?” I asked, amazed. Jenny was beginning to sound a little off to me. Get confessions out of them, were we going to torture them? Jenny grinned. “Don’t worry, I have everything under control. We’ll discuss more after work today, ok? I’ll put my plan into action by the end of the day. When the beast manifests we’ll know for sure who he is and then we’ll be able to plan how to get him and his accomplice. “I dunno…” I said. Jenny raised her hands up in exasperation and came to me. She gave me another kiss and all doubt and worry left my head. She smiled and turned me around and playfully pushed me out the door. “We’ve got office work! By 2pm today we’ll see again and I’ll let you in on what I intend to do ok?” I said “Okay,” and she smiled and watched me leave. As I went out through the door I caught her reflection in a small mirror she had hung on the wall near the door. She was looking at my retreating back and staring at the ring on her finger and back at me again. She looked… frightened. “She’s lying.” Chukwudi the stronger whispered. “I know,” I said sadly.

Diz really getting hot...........buh y is she lying?

Jenny is hunting for something else not the leopard....she went home for more powers

Haaaa jenny u dnt give up easily, which kind of lady fish she is? I think lady fish thirst 4 power nd she is also selfish

Hummm nao U sud b careful....she is lying but bout wat gangan huMmmmM.......

She has an hidden agenda, just be careful chucks

NO SHEISNT LYING

Nw u knew sh was lyin b4, u hv let ur emotions cloud ur sense of judgement

She want 2 use d ring 2 get u @chuks,u beta dnt relent on ur power

Now you see what we've been telling u Chucks. ur leniency with Jenny wld cause u ur life & power. U nid Chukwudi d stronger & even Chioma to scale out of diz lying & power seeking bitch. Chucks I fear for you ooooo

i no fit read stories 4 d meantime ma toy don paya

Finally Finally Am Here, Chuks Don't Relent On Jenny, Don't Forget Chukwudi The Stronger Told You, She Want To Steal Your Sprit, Jenny Is Trickish Don't Fall For It

mehn!.... Chuks u av 2 be more extra careful wit dis jenny, i knew she went home for more powers nd to test ur powers... Hmmm... Jenny u aiint to be trusted....

U av 2 b careful Chuks....... Find out wah chioma has 2 say 1st

be careful of dat mermaid she has ulterior motives

Next pls, d suspense is killing

Dis jenny ehn very dangerous

Hmmm, things re gettin really complicated, Jenny isn't opening up 2 u fully, where as she's d only 1 u cn trust xcept ofcuz Chioma she myt come in handy here.

pls post d next episode nw

She may b lying an may nt b lying

I don't think you are safe with this creature called jenny... U better watch ur steps or else u fall into pit

continues I decided to go and see Chioma immediately. Its not as if I had any outstanding work waiting for me. I wanted to find out how much she actually knew…did she have the gift of looking beyond the veil as well? Why hadn’t she said anything since? Is that why it seemed Jenny had stylishly kept her away from me all this while? I walked across the corridor for the second time that day. As I passed by Kelvin’s office he looked up inquisitively. I ignored him and approached Chioma’s office. I entered without knocking and… Saw her kneeling on the floor in front of her desk, her hands clasped in prayer. She reminded me of those old christian portraits that were in vogue a long time ago, a young lady on her knees praying to God. Apparently she hadn’t noticed I was around and remained on her knees. I decided to leave and come back later. “Hey? Where are you going? Please come in Mr. Chuks” I heard her soft voice just as I was about shutting the door. I came back inside as she stood up from the floor. “I was saying my 12 o’clock prayers, I hope o didn’t keep you waiting too long.” She said apologetically although I still detected a hint of a glare from her framed eyes. “Nah,” I said, shutting the door behind me. “I just came in a while ago. So you kneel while praying? That’s good Not many Christians do that nowadays.” “You must think I’m a fanatic.” She said smiling shyly. “It shows you respect whom you are talking to. I don’t judge those who stand to pray, as they say, they do as their spirit moves them, but its nice once in a while to see someone who would still inconvenience herself for her Creator.” Chioma looked at me in a funny manner. I said. “Whatever you want to say, say it. You may never have the chance again.” She swallowed, hard. Then, “You…you behave…different.” “Go on,” I said after she hesitated again. “You look like someone who wouldn’t judge people, no matter how weird they are. You don’t behave like anything would surprise you.” You’d be surprised , I thought to myself but kept quiet to avoid interrupting her. “I…see things sometimes.” “Like Jenny being a mermaid?” I said, forgetting my earlier resolve not to interrupt her. She frowned immediately. “I’m not jealous! I’ll be the first person to admit that Jenny is a beautiful lady…too beautiful for her own good if you ask me…and like I said the other day, I see beyond her beauty. She is intelligent and talented. But I’m telling you-” and she walked towards me her hands gesticulating her every word “keep-away-from-her!” “Why?” I asked, folding my arms. She paused, her hands in mid- gesticulation. Her eyes opened wider. “There it is again!” She said. “Not disbelief but curiosity! Didn’t you hear me say she is a mermaid?” “Is that why I should keep away from her?” “Isn’t that reason enough?” She exclaimed. “Like you said, I’m not big on judging people.” I replied. “If that was all you wanted to say, thanks and noted. I’ll leave you to your work…” I said and went to the door. “She’s lying.” Chioma said. “About what? Come on, Chioma. This discussion has been way too awkward. Just let me know what you are thinking. I won’t think you are crazy okay?” “I was the one that called you the first time, me not her!” She blurted out. “I saw your linked in profile and suggested you’d be good for the job even though our people thought you were too much of a junior and your bosses would be better to suit the position. I told them I had a good feeling about you and I did. Jenny decided to check you out personally to see the kind of person you were. As soon as she heard your voice I saw her for what she really was! She talked to you for a while and fainted and later when we revived her she said sue had not eaten that morning but I knew it was a lie! I saw her having tea that morning! And when she collapsed I saw her as a mermaid with fish swimming around her and with a scaly tail! I didn’t say anything because it didn’t seem to be any of my business and besides, who would believe me,right? However from that day onward she wouldn’t let me near you. She took over all the calls, all the negotiations and even insisted on welcoming you personally. Its just not fair! And now, and now…” Tears were actually streaming down her eyes! Forget not being easily surprised, I was stunned! I hate seeing grown ladies cry, it does something to me. Before I knew what I was doing I had her in my arms and was speaking softly even as the tears came more forcefully. ‘She wants to do something to you…I had a dream last night and she was taking something out of you…I tried to call out to you but you didn’t hear me…I’m sorry. This is so embarrassing…” “It’s okay Chioma. Take it easy.” I said comfortingly although I was still paying attention to her every word. As far as I was concerned she was just someone with the gift of visions. These were people who every once in a while saw through the veil. Their sight was not absolute but at times it gave them the ability to see extraordinary things. And being a prayerful person that Chioma apparently was, she was honing her gift quite well. “Tell me more about this dream, Chioma.” I said. We were still locked in embrace and although her air-conditioning was on and she was wearing a suit, I could feel her warmth permeating through. It wasn’t sexy like Jenny’s had been. It was more … sensual. The feeling I was getting was of a deeper kind and I had the sudden flash that she would be more of a threat to my love for Nina than Jenny ever was. I gently pushed her away and she smiled and wipes her tears. “I’m sorry.” She said again. “Honestly I don’t know what came over me…” “Its alright Chioma.” I said. Now, tell me about the dream.” “Well, its like I said. Jenny was trying to take something from you to use by herself. She was saying things I couldn’t understand but she kept using the words “The Stronger”. She wanted ‘The Stronger” and I yelled for you to listen but you didn’t. In the end it didn’t matter because what she wanted to use to get the thing from you was too small.” I sat down on her desk and she followed suit. “So that’s it.” I said. “That’s what?” She asked, putting her hand on my shoulder. “How come you aren’t more surprised by all this?” I grinned at her stupidly. “I see things too.” I said. “You do? Like dreams and when you are praying?” “Erm…it might be a little more complicated than that.” I said, not wanting to explain to much to her. She was very excited and jumped to her feet. “You are serious!” She said. “Ha! So now you’ll keep away from Jenny?” “No I won’t. Our relationship is kind of complicated. But in the way you think!” I said hastily, seeing the accusing look on her face. “I already have a fiancée.” Her face fell. “Oh.” She said. “That’s…er…nice.” For the first time in our encounter it was my turn to feel awkward. “Her name is Nina and I love her very much…” I began. “Then if you do, you’ll keep away from Jenny.” Chioma said, recovering quickly. “Nothing is happening between us, really.” I said defensively. “We have an understanding.” “Can a man gather fire in his bosom and not be burned?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips. “What? Are you quoting bible verses at me now?” I suddenly became angry. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude but it’s really none of your business what Jenny and I get up to. Why are you so concerned anyway?” She looked hurt for a moment. She opened her mouth to say something then shut it. “Not again!” I said, exasperated now. “Okay, okay.” She said. “I was asked to take care of you in a dream.” “By who?” I asked. She hesitated a little, then “An angel. A female angel with huge wings.” Nina. She saw the expression on my face. “Well, at least you believe everything I tell you without question. So why don’t you stay away from her. Why is that so difficult for you?” Nina’s alter ego had contacted this lady in a dream. Who the hell was she? I looked into her and saw what I had seen before; The Wooden Cross. Nothing more. “Did uh, did the angel say anything else?” I asked quietly. “Just to take care of you. She said she was leaving you in my capable hands. I guess I must have misinterpreted what she meant.” She said and smiled shyly. “When did you have this dream?” I asked. “The day you arrived at the airport. I wanted to come and welcome you too but Jenny insisted on going alone.” I was looking at her. Suddenly I had an idea. “Give me your hand.” I said. She raised her eyebrows at the suggestion but obeyed. I took her hands and placed them on my eyes. “What are you doing?” she asked, giggling a little. I said nothing but kept her hands there. Then I removed them. I saw Chioma, her past, and present. I saw her struggle as a little girl in a poor background with poor parents. Her only succor had been the Bible in which she had whole heartedly believed in. She took the stories in them literally at an early age and never let go of what she learned, never let the bitterness and logic of this world erode her faith. She was like a child in my eyes, one who would believe anything the Creator said without batting an eye. I saw her go through the university where she entered the dark times of her life, when she experimented with things that distracted her, got into emotional relationships that were bad for her, was exposed to all the shiny things money could buy that so easily blind the eyes of men to that which has a higher, more eternal value, but still she held strong, still she remained a child in faith. Finally she had prevailed and landed a job in a small firm. She worked with diligence and had risen to the position she was in now. She would have been in a higher position but had refused to play ball, had refused to sully herself or her faith. And now…the Cross. I couldn’t see her future. “Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, looking a little worried. “I…nothing. Thanks very much for your advice, I’ll take it to heart.” I said and she smiled. “Finally. I knew I could talk some sense into you if I persisted.” She said. “I’ll like to talk to you more but maybe not today.” I said. “There’s too much going on around me already. Can we see later?” She smiled shyly and nodded. I walked to the door and paused. “Thanks for opening my eyes, Chioma.” I said. “You are very welcome Mr. Chuks.” She replied, clasping her hands together and grinning. I left her office and went to see Jenny. As I passed through the corridor again I saw Kelvin’s door was still ajar. He was pacing about in his office, holding some papers. He looked up at me and nodded. I walked up to him. “You experimented twice in secondary school, that doesn’t make you gay, Kelvin, just curious. And your wife would very much like to hear from you. Call her and stop burying yourself in your work.” His eyes widened in shock but I quickly shut the door in his face and kept walking. I didn’t bother mentioning that I knew he had made his wife abort three pregnancies thus the blood on his hands I saw earlier. And his box of secrets were now all opened for me to see. I didn’t need any magic ring…my eyes were fully opened…he definitely wasn’t the beast.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....................jenny wants chucks d stronger!! Tnkz chioma 4 opening his eyes

Wah? Xo messed up

Kelvin is a full human....i guess Obi too is full human.........let's check Daniel out @Williams "woy3 bossu barko p3" means "you are the only boss" in twi language...your story sweet pass la gata

So jenny closed ur eyes nd chioma opened it hmmm interesting

Really becoming interesting, jenny wants ur power (chucks d stronger). Be careful around Jenny she has ulterior motives. Tnks Chioma for opening his eyes

nexxxxt plssssss

I sed it u hv allowed ur emotions to bcloud ur sense of judgement bt tnkx to Chioma afterall 'd eye opener' nw u can device anoda plan to tackle Jennyand her selfish self

Thumbs up 2 @Williams... Dis story is dah real deal... Da thrills, da suspense, da secrets, da spirituality, da actions, da eye opening advice,.... Mehn am beginning to see what other commenters aint seeing. Hmmmmn..... Am seeing Things

I see treachery and betrayal from miss mermaid... I see Chuks almost robbed off his strength by d mermaid... I see Chioma as a light 2 aid, guide and rescue Chuks at convenient times... I see d beast in d 'driver' of d company vehicle whose name we do not know... I see myself saying tins i dnt even understand... Lols

Jenny knew all about the man animal,she needs chuks the stronger that's why she is looking for the possible means to get u. Beware!!!!!!!!! Keep ur eyes clear.

O̶̷̩̥̊͡ Boy! I Just Cant Wait 2know wat chuks is gona du next.. Bcox I Know Chucks †ђε̲̣̣̣̥ Stronger is already Angry as it Seemz and Jenny and who eva dat Beast is Gona turn out 2b

Thank God. Jenny wants nothing else apart from your Powers and to make you her slave. Since you came that has been her mission. Now your eyes are opened. Do your work with Chukwudi the stronger, without Jenny

I'd place my bet on d DRIVER wit d followin reasons: - Frm d beast's background story, he neva received a formal education cause he ran away frm d village n became a hustler and a cannibal in d town frm whence he met his 'friend' who works in d firm. So when employed, he wudnt b made a clerical officer in d firm bt a labourer i.e. a driver, a cleaner or a messenger. - D driver was all round present when d beast manifested, firstly at d construction site, secondly at d airport, and also at d office, etc - Chuks has spiritually inspected every other person in d firm but him. Abeg make i comment my reserve

@micheal Bl@se u r talking sense....n @chuks betta start using ur real mynd n not let dat fish of a woman Use U..

Chuks U Hav to be more extra careful wit dis jenny of a gal .... . . KADUNA BOI . Comments yapa joor jeka ginger ah

I SEE WHO MAN ANIMAL IS

Owk...... Nxt plzzzzzzzzzz

I just don't know y am aving some feelings about chioma dat she is lying maybe I to is seeing what other people can not see lol and about jenny dat devilish u better be careful @chucks so dat she won't take over ur power

I kw jenny is a liar,d ring she got is 2 wrk on u @chuks,so wise up as chioma open ur eyes

Definitely Chioma is correct,no matter how good u claim to use ur power to do once it is nt divine,it is stil fake..Jenny want to use Chucks...the Driver nd Daniel re the suspects

hmmm i knw jenny wil go as far as she can to get what she want bcux she says she never gave up. so chuks it remain to you to take care of her......nxt pls @williams kd boi

hmmmm. Beautiful

waoh .////./....i dont knw why bt am always hurnin to read ur next episode.........update next won mr @williams.........../ ..... /.... ........atlast the man animal has been expose

those people like this rilli exist

the driver huh???......nice guess buh very wrong........ hit me up 08162691498..... continues Mr. Daniel saw me marching down the corridor and snickered, “Where to now, Oga fire?” he asked. I attempted ignoring him and walked past him towards Jenny’s office, there were something I definitely wanted to get off my chest. “Fire is a dangerous thing o!” Mr. Daniel called after me. “It might be a sign that you should go home. Who knows what might happen to you next?” I stopped in my tracks and turned. He had a mean look on his face but I immediately saw the cowardice behind it. I walked slowly back to him and spoke as I approached. “Daniel, Just because I’m a temporary staff here and I seem to be stealing your shine, if you actually ever had one, does not give you the right to bully me. You brought this on yourself. Your attitude is what has made others around you despise you so much.” “What do you know about my attitude?” he said angrily. “What do you know about my struggles? You know nothing about me!” “I know you came from a very poor family and you swore you would become rich by all means. I know you struggled through school, stealing, cheating, lying and bullying your way through, just like you are doing now. I know you have stolen so many times from so many people you don’t even see it as a bad thing anymore. All the documents you used in getting this job are fake and belong to Mr. Mark Ndumuka, your college friend whom you duped and drove to taking his own life.” “You went digging up my past? Well, you have failed! You have no proof! No one does!” he snarled viciously. “No one knows because the only person that did know, you took care of her didn’t you? Your own girlfriend, the love of your life, the woman who would have turned your life around! And now you look for who to blame? You have all you ever wanted and yet you wonder why you are not happy. It is all your own doing! You made yourself like this! Stop looking for who to blame your impending doom on and believe me, that doom is coming!” He curled backward in fright, looking at me with wide eyes, but I didn’t care anymore. I was so angry at myself; at what I had allowed Jenny do to me that I didn’t care if everybody knew what I could do. I stood there with my fists clenched as he retreated into his office without saying a word. I knew he hadn’t been the one that started the fire in my hotel; he just wanted to see if he could use the opportunity to scare me away. I turned back and headed to Jenny’s office. As I opened it, I saw her facing away from me, mumbling something to herself and rubbing the ring on her finger with one hand. The other hand carried a small mirror. “You lied.” I said. She stopped what she was doing but didn’t turn around. “The ring wasn’t only meant for the leopard was it?” I said, closing the door behind me and walking up to her. “You wanted to use it to control me…to control my powers somehow.” “I’m sorry Chuks,” she said, and I noted a sob in her voice. “You’ve been slowly draining my powers all along.” I said. “Like a true seductress, you surreptitiously wove your way into my life, getting me to almost fall in love with you; meanwhile all the time all you wanted was Chukwudi the stronger!” “It’s not like I hid it from you,” she said. “I told you time without number, I was attracted to power.” “What was the ring really supposed to do?” I asked, and I was beginning to wonder why she wasn’t turning around. “It’s like I said, it’s a revealer ring. It show’s a person’s hidden side.” She sighed. “It also has a chamber which can entrap that hidden side, remove that power. I was asked to bring the power, what you call Chukwudi the stronger, he was supposed to be sucked right into the ring the moment I touched you with it. You wouldn’t have noticed immediately and I would have taken him to meet my superiors. They are always intrigued in meeting those that know of the realm beyond the veil.” She paused for a while then continued talking “When I touched him with it, it just brought him to the surface, but it didn’t suck him out. I don’t understand…what is he? What will I tell my superiors? We need him to battle the man-beast. “Well, why didn’t you just ask for my help, Jenny?” I said. “You would have asked me.” “I didn’t want to do things this way but I had my orders. I even broke my promise of not lying to you. And I keep my word. If I don’t, bad things happen.” She sobbed again then turned round. Jenny’s face had aged! Wrinkles had appeared on her forehead and there were bags of skin under her eyes. I gasped and took a step back. “I…I didn’t do that, did I?” I said, horrified. “No, I did,” Jenny said and smiled sadly. “A consequence of breaking my word with you.” Who would believe the woman that stood before me was once an object of every man’s desire? Her face seemed to have melted in the few minutes I had left her, her breasts sagged and her skin had turned an unhealthy dark color. She looked terrible, compared to what she was before. “How long before this wears off?” I asked. “I have to make amends first,” she said, “I have to return to the sea, but they will not be happy as I did not fulfill my mission. I might be punished to remain like this for a while, if not forever. I shook my head. “That cannot happen. It was your promise to me that you broke and no one else. Jenny, you really have to trust me. No matter what is going on, you have to let me know so I can help you alright?” She came towards me and for the first time I could see that she had been crying. Trails of tears previously wept coursed down her face and her eyes were red. “I’m really sorry, chuks,” she said, her voice trembling now. “I don’t know how you can trust me again after this, but I’ll do my best to make it up to you. I know I am no longer attractive but please don’t despise me!” “I don’t.” I said, and held her wrinkled hand. I knew what she was thinking. “I just drew back then because I was taken by surprise. I’m not that shallow to run away from you now that you are no longer beautiful. There’s more to our friendship than that.” She had been looking at the floor in shame but now she turned towards me with hope in her eyes. “We’re still friends?” “Of course,” I said. She sniffed. “My beauty, its…it was a gift; it’s all I have that’s really mine. I knew something bad would happen if I broke my word with you but they insisted I follow their plan. Now it didn’t work and I look like something out of a horror movie. How will I explain this to the other workers? They’ll think I’m a witch or something. I’ll have to quit my job…” And she sank, sobbing, to the ground. I knelt beside her. “I told you to trust me, didn’t I?” I said. “It was me you broke the promise to, not anyone else, me.” And I cupped her aged and teary face in my hands. “I release you from your word to me.” As soon as I said it, A dark red fire came out of my hands and set her face alight. At first I wanted to withdraw, thinking I had somehow set her ablaze but she didn’t scream and I felt the gentle push of Chukwudi the stronger, keeping my hands on her face. As I watched, the wrinkles vanished and her eyes grew bright again. I saw her skin regain its healthy tone and as for the rest of her body, all went back to how it had been. She was silent through the transformation, her mouth open in awe. Soon the fire died out and I removed my hands from her face. Jenny was Jenny again, her beauty unparalleled, her eyes bright with wonder and her still open mouth revealing a set of pearly white teeth. She gasped and grabbed the mirror she had been holding previously. “It’s…impossible.” She whispered. “How did you do that?” She didn’t wait for me to answer before embracing me tightly. She wept and wept and I eventually had to pull her off. “In fact, today has been a day of hugging for me.” I said, more to myself than to her hearing. “I will be truthful with you always!” She exclaimed. She pulled of the ring on her finger and made to throw it away when I stopped her. “What are you doing?” I asked “Getting rid of this thing!” she said. “Will it still reveal the leopard?” I asked. “Yes, but chuks, what if I mistakenly touch you with it again? Even if it doesn’t suck out chuks the stronger, it’ll definitely weaken your abilities.” I had a mental picture of Chioma’s hands on my eyes. “I doubt it.” I said. Jenny looked at me inquisitively and I shrugged. “It couldn’t beat me down when I was in a weakened state. Now that I have…recharged somewhat, I don’t think your ring will have so much of an effect on me. That being said we might still need it to figure out who the man-beast is. So keep it, at least until we close for the day.” “How did you get to your full powers back?” Jenny asked. “I can see your fire glowing brighter than it did the day I met you at the airport. What happened?” I smiled as I thought of an innocent, humble girl with a Cross above her head; and helped her to her feet. “Trade secret.”

Thanks a million times Chioma for aiding our dearest Chucks. Now Jenny wld have little or no power over you as yr sight is now fully opened. keep it rolling @Williams

dont let dis sweeten story stop here pls continou @william

Hmmmmmm! Chucks in action, all ur powers now fully activated & working wonders. Go catch d leopard joor

Chucks now has a clearer vision, still be weary of Jenny

Dis jenny is really sumtin else

Wooow gettin more interestin. Hummm who could d man beast be? Mr bells?

okk....atlong last u have regain ur powers....."chukwudi the stronger"

Wud av luv 2 watch diz,gud job@williams

Wow... Such a nice story ride on Williams

I now qet it.....Chioma helped ya reqain ya power...... U would av allowed Jenny dispose the rinq jorh after all u're more powerful and more competent to qet the leopard now......To me i dnt still Trust Jenny o

Super

Super indeed ....chukwudi da stronger .....chioma iz sent to u by nina dat iz great

Chukwudi the strongest

Waiting for the next episode

observing

so jenny have an evil intension towards u.hmmmm am speechless for nw,

Chuks no problem u ave total control on jenny now better still have to be careful

Best frnd, worst enemy...bcareful chuk

So Jenny's power is nothing. Mermaid power, powerless power.

chioma u deed a great work for helping chuk

@Chuks, u qat 2 b more xtral carefu dis tym wt Mr Daniel, Jenny & plus 2qether wt dis leopard tin o, nd neva u t8k Chiomas' words 4 qranted. U knw, Jenny miqht stil com up wt somtin 2 drain u aqain, who knws?

Next pls

The problem is. Since you came to Asaba, you dont have full trust in your powers. You can solve the problem without Jenny's help and ring

Bt i stil dought this jenny of a kind oo she can't give up so you need to watchful.....bcux she say i may mistakely touch you with the ring and i gues she can do it intentionally.

Wow,chuks d stonger is a very gud spirit cos if it's a bad spirit it might nt forgive jenny

UPDATE PLS

Who is d leopard?????

Chuks the seer, keep on bt be ware of jenny

update na

continues The rest of the day passed quickly. I was called out of Jenny’s office after a few minutes by Mr. Obi who wanted me to go through some documents with him regarding the project at the airport and the company we had closed a contract deal with. Kelvin came to see Obi for something but started behaving a little weird when he saw me. I put his mind at ease by lying that Daniel had told me about his issues and I had guessed the secondary school misadventure bit. Soon he was relaxed and we were all laughing and joking. He told Obi and I that he had called his wife soon after I confronted him, and he intended to visit them the moment we were through with our activities in Asaba. A few hours later and it was three o’clock. Mr. Bells had called to say that Engman, the foreman at the worksite and his assistant foreman, along with some representatives of the indigenes, were coming for a meeting this evening to discuss the unfortunate incident of the mob action the day before. Mr. Bells was very keen on showing them that Sidney was no man-eater but he didn’t divulge to us how he was going to prove it to them. “You guys will have to come to the meeting too.” He said jovially. “It will start by 4pm.” We agreed and soon we heard from the receptionist that Engman and our visitors had arrived. Mr. Bells ushered Obi, Kelvin and I into the large oval boardroom where we held most of our meetings. Jenny and Chioma were already seated, Jenny giving me a quick wink and pointing to the seat she had reserved. Chioma was on the phone, having what appeared to be a heated conversation but she still caught my eye and frowned when she saw that I was about heading to Jenny’s side. I was momentarily caught in a dilemma but Mr. John saved me by suddenly appearing through the door with his massive frame, grinning from ear to ear. He clapped me on the shoulder, nearly tipping me over. “Stop shouting on the phone, Chioma. I’m here!” he boomed. While I asked about his health, Obi and Kelvin went to the table. Despite her protests, Obi sat on Jenny’s right, the seat she had reserved for me, while Kelvin, looking a little embarrassed, sat on her left. I guess Obi was still a little homophObic. Soon Mr. John half led-half carried me to the table and we sat down beside each other. Mr. Bells welcomed us and took his seat at the head of the table. “You all are very aware of the event that took place here yesterday concerning the unfortunate demise of a security guard under mysterious circumstances,” he said. “After some investigation by the locals, it was determined that a beast, a wild animal had in fact attacked and killed the security guard.” He paused for a moment, staring at each of us in turn. “So far, all this has nothing to do with us whatsoever. Unfortunately, things turned sour when someone from this company leaked to the locals that we had a leopard in the compound. That same person instigated the people into believing that our leopard, our dear Sidney, was a wild beast and a ravenous man-eater. The result of the ensuing panic was what you saw that played out yesterday. Our office was besieged and property destroyed. Even our PRO wasn’t left out of the violence as she was physically assaulted. Who knows what would have happened if some good Samaritans along with our very own Chukwudi, Kelvin and Obi had not intervened? But for these men’s chivalry, Jenny would have been seriously hurt!” “After the soldiers came and dispersed the crowd I called a meeting with the leaders of the people and was able to learn from them who leaked the story about me having a leopard. I wasn’t surprised at the answer I got. That such a person would be so selfish as to put aside the well being of this company to suit his own selfish agenda was the height of wickedness! I cannot continue to tolerate such an individual around my person. And so, today, I’m letting him go.” The door opened and Mr. Daniel walked in. he looked tired and shaken. He walked towards my side of the table, caught a glimpse of me, and did an about- turn. He went to the other side and realized no seat had been kept for him. “Ah, Mr. Daniel.” Mr. Bells said. “We were just talking about you.” “Where’s my seat?” Mr. Daniel said, standing behind Chioma and looking confused. “Seats here are reserved only for members of this firm, people who take the well being of this company to heart.” Mr. Bells said gravely. “But I do have a letter for you.” He picked up a brown envelope that was on the table and handed it to Mr. Daniel who opened it with shaky hands. There was silence in the room as his eyes darted across the typed letter within, following the words from line to line. His eyes flashed with anger and he looked up at Mr. Bells. “You are firing me?!” He said Mr. Bells shrugged and said nothing. Daniel looked around at everyone on the table, his greed demon shrieked wildly on his shoulder and a small smile played on his lips slowly getting wider and more maniacal. “You think I care about being fired? You think I’m worried about my future?” he threw his head back and laughed mirthlessly. Chioma looked alarmed but Mr. John gestured that she would be alright. “I don’t care about this job!” Mr. Daniel said. “I have enough to feed me and my family and all our generations for a lifetime. Forget this thing jo!” And he threw the letter on the floor. “About that,” Mr. Bells suddenly spoke. “I have been able to trace most of the money you have swindled from me all these years. I know of your foreign accounts and the bogus contracts you granted to yourself. I sent petitions to have your accounts frozen pending a full investigation and that has been done. I’m suing you for fraud and conduct unbecoming of a member of the board. Oh yes, you’ll be paying me back every single dime you stole either in cash or in kind, I’ll see to that.” Mr. Daniel’s eyes shone with belligerency and he opened his mouth to say something but Mr. Bells interrupted him. “I believe you were on your way out.” “You’ll be sorry. I swear, you’ll all be sorry for this…this… disgrace! You’ll pay for it dearly, I promise you!” “That sounds like a threat, Mr. Daniel.” Mr. John said grimly. “Don’t let us add ‘threat to life’ as part of your offenses.” Mr. Daniel stood there for a moment. Then he turned on his heels and left the door, banging it shut behind him. “Sorry about that unpleasantness.” Mr. Bells said, smiling grimly. “On to other things.” “I have invited a few people over today to see Sidney, to prove to them that he isn’t the vicious beast Mr. Daniel claimed he was. When they see how calm he is, they’ll no longer feel threatened by him” “And how do you plan on doing this, sir?” Obi asked. Mr., Bells smiled. “I intend to introduce them to Sidney in this very room during our meeting today.” There was a moment’s pause as we all looked at him incredulously. “Are you sure that is a good idea sir? Mr. Kelvin said finally, “Sidney is pretty scary to look at. I don’t know if any of the locals will even want to be in the same compound with him, talk less of the same room, regardless of if he purrs like a kitten or not.” “I agree with Kelvin.” Obi said. “It looks a bit too risky to me. What if Sidney starts to act up?” Chioma and Jenny nodded in agreement. Mr. Bells looked hurt. “Come, come now, has Sidney ever acted violently towards any of you?” he said, Jenny raised her hand but Mr. Bells waved it down. “Not you Jenny. Sidney is Jealous of you, you know that. That’s why he’s always growling when you get near.” Jenny looked at me and rolled her eyes. Mr. Bells grinned and looked around. “I assure you, Sidney is as meek as a house-cat. He’s so quiet that he’s even been in this room the whole time and none of you noticed. We all looked at Mr. Bells startled and started looking around the room. My eyes fell on the lavatory door at the far end of the room. “Oh dear.” I said. Mr. Bells followed my eyes and laughed. “Very observant, Chuks!” he said, and walked over to the door and opened it. Out strutted Sidney, looking extra cute with a red ribbon attached to his tail. Mr. Bells must have spent all of last night grooming him for his fur coat shone brightly. He walked past us and towards Mr. Bells who took its big head in his hands and rubbed his fur vigorously. Sidney purred. “You see, cute as a kitten! Our guests will love him!” Sidney lay on the floor and rolled unto his back, allowing Mr. Bells to stroke the fur on his soft underbelly. He really looked very docile. “Can I pet him?” Chioma asked bravely. “That’s the spirit, Chioma!” Mr. Bells said. “Go right ahead!” One by one we all got up from our seats and went to pet Sidney. There was a lot of tension at first but soon we were all relaxed and playing with the leopard like it was a huge dog. Jenny however kept a healthy distance. “I just…I’m not so good with animals.” She said, smiling uncomfortably. Mr. Bells chuckled good naturedly. “Well, I daresay this plan might actually work!” Mr. John said. “In fact, this is what you would have done with us the first time we met Sidney, Mr. Bells. I can’t believe I’ve never petted Sidney since we started out in Akwa-Ibom!” “My apologies, folks.” Mr. Bells said, “I guess I was a little selfish with him wasn’t I? I honestly didn’t feel he would like being touched by strangers but since Chukwudi petted him that day at the garden I’ve been having a rethink.” He nodded at me and smiled. I patted the animal’s huge head and it opened its mouth in a wide grin before turning over. My hand nearly got crushed underneath his head, it was so heavy. I imagined all those movies where people fought with leopards and realized it was all film tricks jo. If this creature were to pounce on a man, its sheer weight would bowl the man over. We laughed as Chioma squealed when Sidney gripped her hand in its jaws but let her go without leaving a mark. After a little while longer Mr. Bells led Sidney back to his enclosure in the lavatory. “They’ll be here any minute.” He said. “I told the receptionist to show them right up.” As if on cue, there was a beep from the phone on the table. “Yes?” Mr. Bells said. “Excuse me sir, our visitors have arrived.” The receptionist’s voice came over the speaker. “Good. Send them in.” he said. A few minutes later, the door opened and in walked the field foreman Mr. Engman and his assistant, two other field workers and three leaders from the crowd of the day before. There were smiles all around and Mr. John whispered to me that Mr. Bells had ‘settled’ them very generously the day before. The receptionist came in with extra seats and soon they were all seated. Chioma got up and introduced the visitors again to Mr. Bells although they had already met the day before and everyone shook hands. I glanced across the table at Jenny as all of this was going on. She met my eyes and nodded. She was shaking like a leaf. I looked at Chioma who smiled pleasantly at me and went back to the introductions. “Jenny, are you alright?” Mr. Bells said suddenly. “Y…Yes sir. The Air-conditioning is a little cold.” She replied, trying to smile although her eyes looked terrified. “Well we can put it off or increase the temperature a bit. Would that be okay?” Jenny thanked him and Mr. Bells used the remote to increase the temperature. I looked at Jenny and mouthed “Calm down” to her, and she nodded. I sat back and caught Chioma looking at both of us, puzzled. I smiled reassuringly and she shrugged and turned her attention back to the meeting where Mr. Bells had been talking for a while. “…and so, I want to once again apologize for the unfortunate incident yesterday and I assure you that like I said before, I indeed have a pet leopard but that’s just what he is-a pet. He has never attacked a living soul in his life and is almost like a son to me. My employees can attest to the fact that he is indeed a gentle beast.” One of the representatives stood up. “We are the ones to apologize sir. We didn’t know what happened yesterday, if not, our youths are not violent like that. We have already dealt with the culprits among them who instigated the riot and we are promising you here and now, such a thing will not happen again. There was a round of applause. Obi leaned over to Jenny’s side. I could see her sweating bullets from here. He seemed to be asking her what was the matter but she affirmed that she was alright. I caught her eye and nodded my encouragement. “To show you that there is nothing to fear from my pet, I’ve decided to let you folks have a look at him yourselves!” Mr. Bells said. “Er…Mr Bells Sir, about the location of this meeting,” Jenny said quietly. “I was thinking if they could meet with Sidney outside?” “Why would you say that?” Mr. Bells said, smiling at Jenny although his eyes blazed with anger. “Well, the place is a little crowded…” she began “And dark,” I said, “I don’t think they’ll be able to see Sidney in all his beauty in this dark room.” Mr. Bells looked at the fluorescent bulbs that lit up the entire room like it was daylight. His expression was one of surprise and anger. “The lighting is fine and Sidney won’t mind the crowd” Mr. Bells said, through gritted teeth. “Who is Sidney?” another of the representatives asked. “Is there a problem?” “NO, No.” Mr. Bells said. “No problem at all. Like I was saying, I want to introduce you gentlemen to my leopard. He’s been in the room this whole time, and with your kind permission, I’d like to bring him out for you to see.” The representatives looked at each other. Fear gave way to curiosity and excitement and they agreed. Mr. Bells rubbed his hands together, very pleased and went to the lavatory door. He opened it and out came Sidney majestically, in his entire splendor. The representatives gasped in awe and delight. “Gentlemen, this is Sidney, my Pet Leopard.” Sidney let out a low purr as if it understood it was being introduced to strangers. Mr Engman, who had seen Sidney before, was the first to approach it, the other representatives stood up from their seat pointing and grinning. Sidney didn’t seem to mind the company at all. He stayed with Mr. Bells and allowed Engman to pet him and licked his hand as he pulled away. This elicited an expression of pleasure form the others as they casually began to advance… All of a sudden Sidney stood at alert. The hairs on his back stood on end and his ears cocked upward and forwards. He uttered a low growl that wasn’t as friendly as his previous ones. Mr. Engman stopped in his tracks; his hand still suspended at the point Sidney licked it. “Sidney?” Mr. Bells said, smiling nervously. “Sidney, what’s wrong boy?” Sidney paid no attention to his master’s voice. Instead he lowered his haunches and tensed his muscles and uttered a terrifying, ear-splitting snarl. He looked like he was about to pounce. Everybody at the table jumped from their seat, me included. From the corner of my eye I saw Jenny mutter something to her ring and then she faced the leopard. For a split second beast and mermaid exchanged glances. Jenny shook her head in disapproval but Sidney’s mind was made up. With another snarl and a display of sharp teeth, he pounced. Mr. Engman screamed and jumped out of the way along with the other representatives but it wasn’t them Sidney was after. He charged straight for the only man in their group who hadn’t made a move since the discussions began. He had stood up when Sidney entered the room but had not made any attempt to approach the animal. Now the animal came flying full force at him. It all happened so very fast. Sidney leaping through the air, his fangs bared, his claws extended. Mr. Bells shouting Sidney’s name at the top of his voice. The other guests cowering in fear on the floor… And a sudden strangled gasp from Sidney as the man caught him deftly, his right hand firmly encircling the leopard’s neck. We all watched in amazement as Sidney struggled like the wild cat it was, clawing at the air, trying to escape the iron grasp of the man who stood firm and kept it at arm’s length, his body not even shaking from the effort of holding the leopard at bay. He grasped Sidney more firmly and the leopard stopped snarling and its breath came in labored gasps. And the man brought his face closer to Sidney, opened his mouth and gave a heart- stopping roar. I recognized him from the moment he came into the room. Jenny had seen him too. And even now, his manifested Leopard towered over Sidney, its lion-like mane spread out, its two tails swishing angrily as it declared its dominance over the smaller beast. He was the Assistant foreman , the man I had talked to on my first day at the field. We had found our Man-Animal.

Hmmmm! Jezzzz! Williams Next Plsss I Beg U̶̲̥̅̊ Wit God.. Need to know wat happend

Hummmm wow!!!!!!!!!!! Sidney felt unsave with him in d Room...n here I was tinking twas d driver....hummm good work @williams

Unbelievable

And what happened next@Williams

if u ask me who I go ask

Hmmnn,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, so its dis stupid man!

@Williams....ask chucks and report to us

now that he has been found,what next?

later today we find out....me too eger to no waddup

we have found him together......../.. ..... But i think if nt of chuks al of u dere ar nt safe......./ bcause d man animal is hungry bfore i think u remember......... .... ///// ...... Atlast, great work at mr @williams... .next pls

Thanks God dey found the man animal the task ahead now is how to deal with him

OMG!... The ASSISTANT FOREMAN is the BEAST....... Didnt see dat coming.... D SUSPENSE is virtually suspended. Now, the sixty-four-thousand-dollar-question is 'How will Chuks and Jenny chill it out with the beast without revealing their respective extraordinary and scary secrets to the world???

dat man is wicked oooo, he even get d liver to pros-check if sidney is d man -animal nd he knw he is d 1

Wow! The Man-Animal in the building already manifesting and charging at Sydney. Hope he doesn't attack the others present in the meeting. Mr Chucks, dis isn't d time to be marvelled but u shld rather forsake all consideration of hiding ur true identity & together with Chucks d stronger fight this man leopard to defeat

holy shit...what a culprit, no one thought it was him...dnt kill sidney biko...

Ogbeni so nah dis assistant foreman be dat beast chai!!!... Walahi i no even guess it may be him all d same shaa... Chuks i need ur intervention on dis mata make u share light on it for the world to see... Kaduna boi abeg dnt keep me waiting plz... neeeeeexxxxxxxxxxxt...

Wow.... I neva fit talk. D leopard man is the assistant fore man. His helper is d foreman. Finally found

wow so d man animal is d foreman wot nxt@williams nxt plz

Hmn finally the man animal is reveal by sidney

i cant believe it...henhen...nxt plz

Yepa.....the man-animal has finally been found...... Mehn i cut cap wid some hair qive vhiz storie..... @Writer..... 4 makinq us quess the man-animal would be related to some-one around the company.....Diariz God ooo

Woow

continues “I can hear them,” he said, looking at each and every one of us in turn. “I can hear your heartbeats. The blood in your veins calls to me.” The assistant foreman stood at the end of the table, his seat upturned, the leopard hanging unmoving in his grasp as it suffocated to death. The room was in utter silence. Mr. Engman and the two locals were cowering in fear on the floor behind Mr. Bells who had stopped shouting and was still standing, his mouth open but silent, tears running down his eyes, as he watched his beloved pet swing about like a rag doll, its feet well above the ground with the tail trailing on the floor aimlessly. The Assistant foreman was a large fellow, easily six feet, standing taLl in the stillness of the boardroom. Mr. Obi and Mr. Kelvin had jumped up and were now backed up in a corner along with Jenny and Chioma while I stood at the other side of the table with Mr. John. Many eyes in the room kept darting between him and the only exit, the door through which their freedom lay, the door that was now barricaded by the Man-animal’s large frame. He cocked his head to one side, almost with cat-like reflexes, and his face wore a puzzled expression. “One of you is not afraid.” He said quietly, “One of you’s heart beats with the regular resonance of a man unmoved.” He sniffed the air, “Fear, fear, its repugnant stench is everywhere, except…” and then he turned and faced me. I stood up straight and faced him, my hand resting ever so lightly on the swivel-chair I had been seating on, weighing it covertly to see how effective it would be as a weapon. He looked into my eyes and growled. The sound, coming from his mouth, a human mouth, was uncanny. “I admire your courage, seer, but in a battle of brute force, you would lose.” He said with an almost gentle smile. “I am not a seer.” I said. “You dare look me in the eye?” he took a deep breath and the manifestation of the leopard with two tails took position as if about to pounce. “You dare challenge me the same way this little cub I now hold lifeless in my hands did? Do you want to suffer the same fate?” “Do not presume to know me, beast” I said, though for a moment it was not I, but the stronger. I found myself grinning. “I am far from the cub you hold in your hand.” The man-animal gazed at me in anger. “You, sir, please…” Jenny cut in, taking a step forward. “You are not yourself. The only reason the leopard attacked you was because he saw you were not…right. ” “And yet he charged, despite your warning to sit still!” the man- animal turned to Jenny, his eyes blazing. “Am I not king? Am I not splendor? How dare he challenge me for these pitiful ones he calls his masters!” “Let me help you!” Jenny pleaded. “I know the desires that are running rampant within your mind right now. I know the fury, you feel, like you are on the verge of losing all control. It ought not to be this way. Let me help make it better.” For a very brief moment, the man-animal’s features softened and he looked as if he was about to cry. “Help me…help me, please.” He whispered. “What’s going on?” Mr. Bells said, suddenly finding his voice. He appeared like one that was in a dream state. He took a step forward and Obi tried to draw him back but he pulled away violently. “What have you done with Sidney? You let him down this instant!” “Mr. Bells, please sit down,” I said, not taking my eyes off the man-animal for one second. “No! Leave my son alone!” Mr. Bells said wildly and lunged himself at the man-animal. The man-animal suddenly moved. He flung the limp body of Sidney at his master and there was a dull “thump” as both collided violently. Sidney’s body bounced off Mr. Bells and fell beside one of the representatives, who promptly freaked out. Screaming, he made a bolt for the door, accompanied by the other representative and Obi. As they reached the man-animal he snarled and punched the first man hard in the face, sending a spray of blood into the other man’s eyes who now stumbled blindly into the grasp of the man- animal. The man-animal wrung the latter’s neck until a sickening snap was heard through the whole room. Obi exhibited amazing agility as he slipped beneath this entire melee and was able to open the door and run out. The man-animal bit into the broken neck of the man he had just strangled and tore out a large amount of flesh mixed with blood. The other men in the room started screaming and Chioma collapsed to the floor in a faint. As soon as he took his eyes off me I whipped the chair I had been gripping in an arc above my head and sent it crashing into the man-animal. The force was large enough to make considerable impact and he dropped his prey on the body of the man he had knocked out previously. He snarled and was about coming for me when we all heard shouts from the corridor. Obi was bringing help. He licked his lower lip and I saw a large cut from where the chair had connected. I was expecting to have caused more damage with the impact the chair made. This guy’s hide was tough. He grinned at me, viciously. “We’ll see again.” He said, and dashed out of the room. I looked around. Mr. Bells had crawled up to where Sidney’s body lay and was holding the leopard’s head in his hands and crying like a baby. Kelvin was trying to revive Chioma. Jenny ran towards me. “I have to get in close proximity with him. If I can touch him with the ring, I can strip his powers from him.” she said, massaging the ring “That sounds like a really dumb idea.” I replied but nevertheless I ran out of the room, Jenny close on my heels. As we ran down the corridor, we saw the trail of havoc the man- animal left behind. Most of the staff that had intercepted him had been flung aside but thankfully no one was seriously hurt. They all pointed in the direction he ran even before we asked. It was the security men at the gate that suffered it the most. Thinking him to be some sort of thief they had accosted him with their batons. Currently three of the security guards lay bleeding and unconscious and the fourth had locked himself in the security house and was praying violently in his native tongue. By the time we got to the gate the man-animal had long gone. I stopped and tried to catch my breath as Jenny ran up behind me. “He escaped?” she said her eyes wide. I glared at her. “Look at all the damage he’s caused. From the looks of it we were the ones that ‘escaped.’” Jenny looked around and sighed. “We should get back to the others, see what we can do to help.” She paused. “They’ll want some explanations. They saw us talking with the man-animal. What do we tell them?” “We’ll think of something.” I said. We hurried back to the boardroom where Obi had already called for paramedics to help those that had been injured. Both representatives were dead and Sidney was still being held tightly by Mr. Bells. “My son…My son,” he whispered. “He’s been murmuring that over and over again.” Obi said to me, looking very worried. “I think he’s gone crazy.” Chioma had been revived and was already on her feet, seeing to the damage, going outside to help those that had been hurt in the corridor. Mr. John was on the phone to the police. ‘Yes…Yes.” He was saying. “A mad-man, yes! Well hurry up before something else happens!” he cut the call and for a moment it seemed like he wanted to smash the phone against the wall. “That was no mad-man,” Engman said, his Caucasian skin a bright red, his nose still flaring. “That guy was possessed.” “Hey, don’t let your imagination run amok.” Mr. John said authoritatively. “I’ve had some up close and personal experiences with mad people before. That fellow was manic. They are usually strong like that. “Mad or possessed, I think we are saying the same thing.” Obi muttered from across the room. “Did you see how he strangled Sidney?” “When I moved into my apartment in Lagos a few years ago, there was a mad man that used to terrorize everybody on the street.” Mr. John said. “It took twelve strong men, me included, to subdue him and tie him up. They are very strong, I tell you…” “Hey, Chuks,” Kelvin said, turning towards me. “How far? Were you guys able to stop him?” I shook my head, no. “It was a brave thing you did, standing up to him like that, but also dangerous. What if he had attacked you?” Kelvin said. “Dangerous? I was about doing the same thing!” Mr. John said heaving his great chest. “He had already killed two people and would have probably done more if Obi had not escaped out the door and gone for help” “And since when did you become a psychiatrist, Jenny?” He said, walking up to her and giving her a hug. “That was magnificent, trying to talk him down like that! I’ll definitely ask Mr. Bells about giving you a raise…eh, the moment he feels better.” “Thanks sir,” Jenny said, gasping for air as he released her from his bear hug. She looked at the corpses of the two dead men on the floor and shuddered. “Oh, I’m sorry, where are my manners?” Mr. John said, “Everybody out of the office. The police were being a bit difficult but they said they’ll be here as soon as possible. Let us leave this horrible scene.” We all left the Board room; Obi and Chioma were finally able to pry the weeping Mr. Bells from the leopard. We relocated to his personal office where a nurse came and gave him a sedative. He accepted without complaint and soon he was sleeping peacefully on the sofa there. We left him in the company of the nurse and went to the reception. Most of the staff had already gone home as it was heading towards 5pm. The few that had remained to witness the unfortunate incident were huddled together in a group outside, discussing excitedly. I looked and saw Chioma talking with them, apparently trying to calm them down. Eventually she left them and came to meet us at the reception. “They are frightened,” she said. ‘A riot yesterday, a mad-man today, it’s a little too much for them. They think Mr. Bells did juju to get his company to become so rich and now the juju is backfiring.” She shook her head bitterly. “Tell them to go home, take the rest of the week off.” Mr. John said. “At least that will give us time to get this thing sorted out.” “The contract staffs are asking for their money. They say they don’t want to work here again.” Chioma chewed her lower lip nervously. “Tell them to go home! If by Monday they still want to resign then fine, we’ll pay them off.” “Yes Sir,” Chioma said and went back to the crowd who were waiting for her. “Annoying set of…” Mr. John spat. “Take it easy, John.” Jenny said, holding his hand comfortingly. He smiled at her and calmed down. “You guys can go home, it’s almost getting dark. No point all of staying here. When the police come I’ll talk with them.” Kelvin and Obi nodded. “I’ll stay sir,” Chioma said coming back and overhearing his last sentence. The crowd had already dispersed. “Nonsense, Chioma.” He said, wrapping his hand around her small shoulders. “You have had a rough day as well. You go home and I’ll stay behind with the medics and the security detail. I’ll brief you all on the state of things tomorrow morning. “We can all go with Chuks’ driver,” Jenny suggested, pointing at the car which was about heading out of the gate. She waved to the security to stop the car and they did. Soon we were on the way to my hotel. It was a bit of a tight fit, with myself, Obi and Kelvin in the back and Jenny and Chioma in the front, but nobody complained. I think we all wanted to be together after what had happened. A kind of bonding had occurred due to the terrible event we had all just witnessed. “So, is that the man animal you were talking about, chuks?” Kelvin asked. Jenny looked around abruptly and he laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, Chuks and I were discussing this morning. I told Obi about it, so it’s only Chioma that is not in the know.” “Not in the know about what?” Chioma said. “Hey man, I told you that thing in confidence!” I said. “Yeah, yeah. Look Obi was asking me as well what Jenny meant yesterday so I had to tell him. And besides the whole thing is easily explained away now. Either it was the mad-man that attacked the old fellow that night – you could see how strong he was- and if he thinks he s a leopard he would probably bite the man the same way he did in our office today….” “And fed on him?” Jenny asked incredulously. “Did we see the corpse? Abeg leave that matter, people tend to exaggerate a lot jo. I’m sure the man just bit the old fellow in some places and everybody started to shout. If he fed on him completely what body did they see to say that the man had been killed by a wild animal?” he said, smiling smugly. “Or the two events are totally unrelated.” Obi said, shifting uncomfortably. “A wild animal on the loose at night, and a mad man running rampant during the day.” “This firm needs prayers.” Chioma said. We were all silent for a moment, then burst into laughter. “What?” Chioma said, smiling a little. “It’s true na.” We rounded a corner and headed towards the street that housed my hotel. Our driver was about turning another bend when the car in front of ours swerved suddenly into the next lane without trafficating. Our driver swerved quickly to avoid him and Jenny was all but thrown bodily into him. She grabbed his shoulder to steady herself…and then she stiffened. He jerked away from her like he had been electrocuted. He glanced at his arm, then at her hand. “A Revealer Ring?” he said, his voice sounding very familiar. “Hey, man, keep your eyes on the road!” Kelvin said in alarm. The last thing I remember was white dust from somewhere being blown into our faces. And then all went black.