With a gaping mouth, Imade stood like a statue carved of stone, till the ghostly figure laid a clammy hand hard on her shoulder bone. Watching it brought tightening to her guts. She screamed out in terror. The only thing she hear was her own voice echoing back to her.

“Hehehehehehehee! Heheheheheheeheee! Heheheheheheeheheheeee!” It let out an evil laughter as thunder and lightning claps striped into the dark, silent sky. Lines of dancing trees waved its leaves to the screaming breeze ruling the air. The rumbling thunder flashed the place, like scenes from a horror movie.

The thunderstorm echoed in the sky like a fierce warning. It felt so real that drizzling rain followed. More thunderclaps were heard, then the rainfall increased, pouring heavily.

Feeling cold and wet, Imade ran for her life. Violently threatened, she looked for somewhere safe to hide, but every site looked more frightening. It was as if the giant trees were praised the sky as thunder and rainfall convulsively shook the place.

Imade was still young, she didn’t want to die. To this, she shrieked like a soul in hell. The red blood left on its scary face, poured as she reeled away in a drunken run through the silent forest in the rain. In front of her darkened and sge could not return to where she came from. There was no place for shelter in the thick forest. 

Close behind, Imade held unto a tree. Closed her eyes and breath before taking off again. She suddenly sprained her ankle and fell to the ground. Imade tried to stand, but couldn’t. She limped on her sore feet. A sharp pain ran through her veins as fear soared through her stiff body. The dead figure came with a face like a mummy’s mask. She just wanted to wake from this nightmare that would not end. It was taking forever, Imade gazed at gloomy sky and cried for God's intervention.

Instead, cracks like splitting broken branches from the trees was heard. The evil spirit’s dead joints cracked and the stiff legs creaked with its unwanted task.

In a blink of an eye, she couched to a mysterious baobab tree that stood like a mansion. The whole place tremble as she rested on it. A disasterous breeze took over the atmosphere, stirring it in dark colours of choas
as the figure stepped closer.

Across with a scream that rent the skies; the strange figure proceeded with a sharp dagger on its hand. It stabbed her directly into her chest, ripping out her heart with its long, clawed fingernails. Its writhed lips crackled a horrid grin like a friend’s on Satan’s coals.

Imade dropped dead as she saw her soul walk out of her body. The spirit took a sharp turn at Imade as she shrieked back to life. The last thing she remembered was that it had the face of Dele before she’d woke up.

Scared to death.

And it came; the evil spirit dragging itself across the path, an ugly creature with bent ears trailing on her wounded, broken leg, whimpering.

“Jesuss!” she cried from the dream, making Dele wake beside her.

“What’s it darling? Don’t tell me you had another nightmare.” He asked, concerned.

She nodded her head, confounded, as heavy beads of sweat dripped down her face.

‘I saw my corpse.’ Imade muttered and swallowed hard. Tears gathered in her eyes and fear was transparent in her body. She had a confused look, trying to struggle with what she’s just see.

“It’s just a dream, babe. None of these are real.” He wiped away her sweat, trying to comfort her, but Imade couldn’t fathom why these were happening. She couldn’t help but to cry on his comforting shoulders. Despite the fan rolling in the corner, Imade was dripping wet all over.

“I’m so scared, Dele. I feel I’m in a kind of trap or something. I don’t even understand.”

Imade took off her transparent, pink nightgown and walked to the bathroom to take a shower. A strong headache like thunder rumbled through her head. She almost dropped to the ground, but held her head up. 
“Ouch!” she cried.

Hearing her silent weepings, Dele rushed to the bathroom. He didn’t want to enter at first, but her silence was killing. Meeting her squat to the floor, he quickly grabbed her up.
“Are you alright? What is wrong with you? Are you fine?”

He almost asked the questions within a second.

“No... No, I'm... I’m..” Imade just let her sobbing flow.

It was getting too much for her. She just couldn’t control her tears and emotions. Imade wrapped her arms around Dele’s naked, built body as he her carried her back to the bed in a bridal style.

“I’m just too weak, Dele. I need help.”

“Don’t worry, my love. I’m here with you.” He held her face in his hands and hissed at her forehead softly. He laid down beside her, caressing her head like a newborn puppy.

“I don’t know what to do right now.” He was confused. “But should I inform your mum?”

“No.” She replied to him. “I don’t want her to think otherwise. I just want you here by my side. You can treat me, right?” She asked, wiping down the teardrops on her face.

“Y.. yes. Sure.” He muttered and went to grab his black bag. Dele unzipped it quickly and brings out a syringe and an injection needle.

“What? Why have this all this while?”

“Yes.” Dele answered her in laughter. “I’m a doctor, after all. I always had antimalarial medication in my bag... Just in case.” He ended it with a serious look, glancing at her with a faded smile.

“Wow.. that’s great. So I’m having malaria?” She asked.

“Yes dearie. And fever too, but don’t worry. This injection would subdue all your pains and worries.”

“Wow.. that’s nice.” Imade muttered like a dying chicken as she tries to hold herself.

Dele tore the pack of injection and removed the cap. He swiftly drew air into the syringe and inserted it into the vial. They brought out a tiny bottle of of only God knows what chemical and withdraw the meditation through the needle to the syringe, making it remove air bubbles till it finally sucked all the chemical in.

“Are you scared?”

“No... Of course not. I take injections.”

“Don’t worry, I’m giving you an intramuscular injection. It’s almost painless if it stretched firmly the skin before inserting the needle, so would you stretch your arm, please?” He persuaded.

Imade did as she was told while he searched her skin for blood. Dele gently inserted the needle at the right angle of the skin, making it 90° straight in. The transparent, colourless fluid went into her skin as she frowned a little at its pain.
She softly moaned to the spasm, as Dele took it out and wipe the area with alcohol wipes.

“Hmm...” She sighed softly.

“Sorry dear. I’m sure this would relieve you.” Dele impelled with a buoyant smile across his lips.

Clearing up the mess and dumping the used injection and wipes in the trash bin, Dele rolled to be on top of her, letting out a groan of delight. His hands moved out of Imade’s hair to keep himself up. Just then, he gently opened Imade’s small mouth to let his tongue in.

Imade’s weak eyes opened in surprise at the feel of his tongue in her mouth, but she eventually succumbed to Dele’s ministrations. She wasn’t expecting him to be romantic with her, especially after just injecting her. Whatever... He lifted his head up long enough for him to whisper.

“Imade, why don’t you kiss m–” but the rest of his sentence was cut off by Imade pressing her lips to his.

With just that single touch, she felt like her skin was on fire, as heat coursed through her veins, but Imade kept it up. She always wanted to be with a man like Bamidele. Strong, loving and he won’t ever leave her side,

‘I’m so in love with this guy.’ she realized and smiled. 
Placing her hands on Dele’s strong shoulders, she sat up, and they stopped for a moment, the kissing having made them breathless but grinning.

Dele stared into her eyes as their soft lips parted. “I’d love you to rest for now, my love. So the medication would work.”

“Okay...” she agreed as he gently placed her back on the bed.

“Sleep now, darling. When you wake, you’ll feel better.” He placed a kiss on her forehead and on her lips again as she slowly closed her eyes. Although she feared sleeping, Imade just had to try her best to sleep. With positive hopes that the nightmare won’t repeat itself.

Meanwhile, Dele laid by her side admiring her beauty.

‘This lady is an epitome of beauty indeed.’ He rolled his eyes at her gorgeous slim body and her soft, golden skin, but continued his thinking.
‘Imade is all I want in a woman, but I’m not even sure of what I feel for her. Whether love or lust. I just know that I’m deeply in love with this woman. I don’t know what to do right now. She leaves me speechless every single day, but that won’t stop me from performing my task. It’s the fourth day since I got here and I’m so glad everything works perfectly as planned. I can’t wait to save myself and my brothers from the hands of death. Too bad she didn’t even notice I’m not a doctor. Well, all thanks to my acting skills. She won’t be the first beautiful person to die afterall, so why am I worried?’ He grinned mentally and clinched his head like a lost fella.

However, the nightmare repeated itself. Imade still dreamt of that spirit. Chasing after was after her soul, and every version of the nightmare was like a continuation of a TV series. Scene by scene.

Throughout that day, every turn that Imade took brought the face of that evil spirit to mind. She tried to read the Bible, but it closed it with the invisible stares still hunting her soul. This was the fate of Imade Jacobs. A strange, unearthly fate. Feeling death around her, Imade shivered at almost every sound unexpected.

***

9.04.2021.