Twelve Days to Valentine ✨✨

 

Four days more...😔

"A three hundred level student of the department of technological innovation was found dead yesterday. Okon Lazarus was declared missing last year December by his parents who said that he did not return home for the Christmas holiday. His whereabouts were a mystery until Wednesday morning when a student found his corpse at the plot of land beside Fidelity bank. The student who wishes to remain anonymous had just come out of the bank when she discovered the half buried corpse of the student."

I switched off my television. School news, I thought. They always published news after it had become a past event. The student who wished to remain anonymous wasn't even anonymous anymore.

"Chenka," I sighed as I stared out my window into the dark night.

Earlier today, I had gone to visit her. She was feeling much better. She even talked to me about the incident.

"I was about leaving when I saw a pregnant lady. She was calling her son who had gone to that place to urinate. He couldn't come to her. I came to help him. I stepped on the stones and carried him to her. Then I stepped on something. It felt so... I fell. I saw what it was. I looked at his face!" At that point, she broke down weeping.

Murder! And the murderer had tried to cover his footprints by burying the corpse under a pile of debris.

Oh, God. How could people be so wicked? How could the world be so cruel?😪

"I know him! Rich kid, I've seen him before," Chenka had cried hysterically. "Just last week. He asked me for some money. He said he needed it to buy food. He said... He would pay me back. I helped him. I didn't know... I recognized him. He had a scar on his face. Do you think someone did that to him?"

Afterwards, she had sobbed deeply. My jacket was still wet from her tears.

"She's just traumatized. She'll be alright," Oma had told me as I left the hostel.

Poor Chenka. She shouldn't have to go through this. She had done nothing wrong. I felt for her, deeply. I also feared for her, more than I felt for her. I kept having this ominous feeling. She's in danger. Mikaila could do anything. What was she planning? When would she strike? On Valentine's day? Tomorrow? Tonight?

"Hello?"

"Oma. Please is Chenka there with you?"

"Yeah."

"What is she doing?"

"She's asleep."

"Okay. Please, don't let her out of your sight."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

Oma hung up and left me feeling worse than before. "At least she's safe," I said trying to calm myself down.

"Your Chenka is next."

Mikaila's voice echoed in my head.

😔😔😔

Sadly, I fell on my knees and prayed the only intention in my heart, "Dear Father, please protect Chenka."

I couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening to her, especially because of me. I could bear Mikaila's hatred but not Chenka's pain. She was innocent. She didn't even know who Mikaila was. Why should she pay for a deed that wasn't hers?

"Dear Father, I trust you. Protect her. Protect the girl I love." He was my heavenly Father, so I could tell Him how I felt about her, even if I couldn't tell her, yet.

The prayer greatly relieved me. I felt peaceful for the first time since Monday. I slept well too.

God will protect her, I mumbled as I dozed off. I must confess, deep within me, I still felt uneasy.

To be continued.