Twenty-five | Wrong Choice

Lust is a flame that consumes the being who fans it— Yours Truly

~•~

Nnamdi winced as his eyes fluttered open, the bright light from the room he was in was glaring making him momentarily blind. He tried raise his hands to his head to stop the headache that threatened to spilt his head apart and groaned when it wouldn't budge as it was apparently strapped to a chair.

"Oh you're awake handsome," an overly excited voice called out, to Nnamdi the voice sounded like it came from the other side of the world.

"Where am I?"

"Your room silly, where else?" she answered stepping out from a room, Nnamdi later recognized as his walk in closet after his headache subsided—a little.

Rita walked towards him, her bright smile reminding him of Harley Quinn from the movie he had watched with Kelechi when he was still brooding. It wasn't the fact she was wearing his big hockey t-shirt that bothered him but the fact that she had him tied down to his own chair in his own house did.

"Why?" Nnamdi asked, his voice low and demanding.

"Oh this?" Rita said touching the t-shirt she was wearing still smiling. "I picked up from your closet it's so smooth and soft—"

"I'm not talking about the shirt God damnit!" he yelled making her flinch a little. "I'm referring to the fact you have me strapped—"

"Oh that," she laughed nervously rubbing her neck slowly. "I told you before didn't I? You have what I want? Ring any bell?"

"And do you think Kemi feels the same way?" Nnamdi spat suddenly feeling the urge to throw up. Yesterday if anyone had told him that he would be in this situation with a psychotic woman, he would have laughed in their face and called them a fudge ball.

But look where you are now.

Rita suddenly flared up and slapped him in the face. "And how do you know she doesn't feel the same way you..."

"You're crazy!" Nnamdi yelled as his cheeks throbbed.

"Crazy in love, yes..." she paused and slapped him again. "Crazy enough to kill you, strike again." Rita stopped and leaned away from him. "Whew! That was exhausting." She rubbed her sweaty hands on the t-shirt.

Nnamdi gritted his teeth but kept mute as he watched Rita scramble up his bed—spotlessly clean sheets and all—to turn on the AC. He glared at the tough leather rope thingy holding his hands as if his glare would melt them.

Only when the blast of cold air hit his bare chest did he realize that he was shirtless.

"Psychotic swine," he muttered inaudibly.

He took a deep breath and said, "Rita what ever this is, it's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny," she retorted. "Speaking of funny, happy birthday!!!"

"I swear to God, I'll break ever bone in your body when I get out of—"

"If you get out," she corrected in a monotone. "Here," Rita flashed his phone in front of him. "What's the password?"

"What for?"

"I want to send Kemi a message about a slight change of plans," Rita replied smirking when she saw his reaction. "You totally forgot didn't you? You poor fool."

Nnamdi ignored her glancing at the clock by his bedside, he frowned.

8:03pm!

He wondered what Kemi thought about him. "Did she... Did she call?"

Why are you asking her questions? She's insane! His subconscious screamed fanatically.

"Yeah but I was kind of busy, tying you up I mean." Rita flashed him a cold smile making him shiver involuntarily.

"Password please?" She dangled the phone like a carrot in front of him.

Tightening his lips to a grim line, he answered, "No."

Rita frowned deeply and before Nnamdi knew what was happening, she brought out a knife from her shorts and swiped dangerously at his arm leaving a deep long gash.

"What did you do that for?" He yelled fanatically looking at the slash that ran through his arm to his elbow.

"To remind you who's tied up and who's not," Rita answered calmly swirling the knife in her hands like if she slashed arms for a living. "Now I'm going to ask you one last time, password?"

Nnamdi moved his arms a little—which was almost impossible as his hands were constricted—to ease the tremendous pain in his upper arm. He winced at the blood pumping out of the gash like a faucet.

"It's Harriett," he hissed in pain.

"Ooh who's that you toad," she playfully spanked his cheeks giving him a cheeky grin making Nnamdi wonder what luck he had meeting with two deranged women in one day. Although one was more loco than the other.

"Double t right?" Nnamdi nodded. "That explains it," she said typing furiously.

Harriett was his grandmother's name but he wasn't about to explain anything to this mad woman in front of him.

"Rita," Nnamdi started. "Just untie me and we can settle this amicably," he added glancing at the blood that trickled down his arm unto his trousers.

Rita scoffed. "Since when did you do amicably Okwundu," she mocked. "Remember that time I mistakenly spilled tea on your shirt? You blew up fuse for such a slight mistake."

"Slight mistake? You emptied the whole cup on my white shirt, you wench!"

Rita smiled brightly. "That was the they I found out that you were the one my Kemi liked. I also sabotaged your car," she said cheerily.

Nnamdi glared at her gnashing his teeth. He vividly remembered standing under the rain as two of his tires had suddenly burst at the middle of the highway. He had been going to Nsukka for an urgent meeting and had arrived two hours late almost costing the company it's client.

"I did many other subtle things too. Oh and don't forget the letters I sent Kemi."

Ignoring her confession which was already obvious at this point, he asked, "Was this necessary?" Nnamdi gritted his teeth referring to his slashed arm.

"Oh relax, I have many of those," she snapped raising her shirt up giving him a good view of the numerous scars on her stomach. Some were unnervingly fresh.

"And there's plenty more where that came from so shut the hell up!" Rita yelled before she smiled brightly. "Now was I? Oh yes message."

"Seems like you're good at sending those," Nnamdi chuckled dryly.

"I'll cut off your tongue if I have to," she spat smiling when she saw fear flash in his eyes. "Cupcake? Seriously?" she mocked referring to the contact number for Kemi. "Even I can come up with better names."

Nnamdi watched apprehensively as she typed into his phone, her acrylic nails tapping meticulously on the screen.

"There," she smirked looking at the Huawei P20 lite in her hands.

"Sent and..., Rita paused smirking at him. "Delivered."

💎💎💎💎

Kemi held her breath as she knocked slightly on Nnamdi's door. She couldn't help but wonder what the surprise was.

Surprise;

That had been had mother's thought.

'Oh Kemi don't fret, what if it's a surprise.'

The only that had surprised Kemi was his tardiness and then his senseless message.

Hello Cupcake,
I'm sorry but change of plans, meet at my house.
—Didi  8:10pm

The short message had irked her, no explanations, no excuses, no nothing. Now standing at his doorstep, she couldn't help but feel uneasy at the eerieness of the whole thing. Knowing Nnamdi, he wasn't one for surprises but what were the odds? People change right?

After knocking for the umpteenth time, Kemi tried the doorknob, low and behold it was unlocked. Half of her expected someone to jump out of behind a couch and yell surprise and the other half, well, was very confused.

Taking tentative steps towards his bedroom, Kemi called out his name. "Nnamdi! I'm here already!" She stopped in her tracks as she heard a soft groan coming from his room.

Kemi shivered slightly although there was no reason to do so as the chocolate coloured cashmere sweater that she wore over her black silk gown did a good job of keeping her warm.

"Nnamdi?"

"Kemi," came the soft reply.

"Nnamdi!" Kemi yelled in a frenzy as she saw him tied to a chair with his head thrown back as he groaned endlessly.

"What?! Kemi leave now, please," Nnamdi pleaded as he looked into her eyes that were wet with tears.

God, is he involved with some bad people? The Mafia? A cult? Armed robbers?

"Nnamdi who did this to you?" Kemi asked wrapping her hands around his neck weeping furiously into his bare chest. She stiffened when she caught a whiff of a familiar smell. "Is this blood?" she asked rhetorically as she touched his injured arm and burst into fresh tears as he winced. "Oh my poor baby. Don't worry I'll get you... God this is so tight," she said as she struggled with the leather strap. "Who did this Di? Tell me!"

"Kemi please just... just leave...get help... call someone," Nnamdi whispered as he was getting weak. "I don't where she went to but... She sent the... m..message—"

"She? A she did this? I'm not leaving without you Di."

Rita cleared her throat impatiently.

Kemi almost jumped out of her skin before she turned towards the intruder. "Rita?" she asked, her eyes so wide that they threatened to pop out of their sockets.

"Um... Hello," Rita said cheerily.

"What are you doing here? Why are you here? Don't you see he's— Did you do this?" Kemi queried still latched onto Nnamdi's neck.

"You see about that, it's kinda of a long story but I'll just skip to the details." Rita came closer and continued, I love you Kemi, very much. He's getting in the way of our love don't you see—"

Nnamdi's rough laughter interrupted her. "I'm sorry. It's just that this shit just turned from horror into cheesy romance in a millisecond."

"Shut up," Rita gritted her teeth impatiently.

"Kemi don't listen to her, she's insane. More like psychotic actually." He stopped suddenly and groaned in pain. Kemi noticed the leather was biting into his skin leaving a reddish bruise on his wrists. He was clearly delusional.

"Rita stop this, whatever this is, and let's talk please."

"I tried talking it's no use," Nnamdi chipped in.

"Would you shut the fuck up!" Rita bellowed producing a gun from literally nowhere and pointing it straight at Nnamdi.

"Rita put the gun down!" Kemi yelled fanatically. "Please," she said in a whisper.

"Don't worry Kemi, I can take it."

"No you can't you nitwit."

"She's right you can't take it," Rita laughed.

"One lone bullet into your skull and you'll be as dead as a donkey within minutes. Or is the term a doornail? Not sure but you know what I mean."

"Rita what's this about," Kemi snapped. "You have always been so good I didn't think you were capable of this," she added gesturing to the room. "Please release him he needs to get to the—"

"To the what?! Hospital?!" She scoffed bitterly. "It has always been about your precious Nnamdi isn't it? I mean the guy doesn't obviously doesn't care about you. I love you and I always have. Do you know how much it hurts seeing you throw away those gifts I gave you? And my attempts at friendship proved futile..."

"Gifts? You were the one that gave me that jewelry set with... with a gift card inside?"

"Well duh," Rita said in a monotone.

"I thought it was Emmanuel since he sent the other—"

"Oh please, I can count how many times that big oaf gave you useless gifts. Frankly I was very happy that you never liked his mindless gifts but only for my happiness to be crushed when I saw you ogling Nnamdi. I mean of all men in the world you chose the grouch who walks around like if he has all the world problems on his shoulders."

"Okay stop right there! I won't stand there and let you insult him. What do you think this is? Some comedy show? I'll just run off with you and we'll get married and have a honeymoon in Hawaii—"

"I was thinking Bora Bora but that works too," Rita said smiling brightly. Kemi felt the sudden urge to gorge her eyes out.

"You're sick. You have some sick fantasy and sick infatuation with me and I won't allow it."

"I'm sick, I know! But I also know that I love you very much." Kemi scoffed and Rita continued, ignoring her. "I've always had a rough life Kemi and you know what my uncle would always say? That I had a fragile heart, that I was easily heartbroken. He would say that I need a heart of steel not some measly paper heart. I tried to hide all my hurt and affections with a smiling face. Nobody would know that I was depressed." She paused looking at Kemi's face for any emotion but the latter just had an impassive expression.

Rita exhaled slowly. "Then I saw you Kemi and you reminded me of what I once was before my parents died. Before— before my abuse. I loved you from the first instance, you intrigue me. I was a coward for a long time, only sending gifts I could not tell you how I felt. I sent that message that night so we could talk but you were oh so interested in meeting with him and he broke your heart didn't he? All men are the same Kemi, they love feeding on the hurt of others. They are simply masochists, it's their nature."

"That's a lie. Not all men are the same, I don't know what must have happened to you but it's not worth it—it's not worth this."

Kemi looked at the glint in Rita's eyes and wondered what she was up to. She didn't have to wait long before she found out because Rita asked, "So you have to choose cupcake. It's either me or him?"

"Seriously? What are we five?" Nnamdi said without opening his eyes. The whole thing still looked like a joke to him. While Rita looked at him in disgust, Kemi looked at him worriedly, the blood on his arms was drying up. The wound was going to heal with time but it was going to leave a nasty scar. She then looked at Rita and instantly felt sorry for her, it was obvious that her abuse had wounded her and had left a deep scar—one that might never fade.

"You know you're really great at poems," Kemi said referring to the letters.

Rita shrugged. "I took a course," she replied. "Don't try to distract me sweetheart because I don't play mind games. I said it once and I won't say it again, me or him the choice is yours. Choose wisely because pretty boy's life might depend on—"

"You know quite well that I would choose him over you a thousand times." Kemi immediately regretted her irrational speech as Rita's demeanor changed instantly.

"You know you never really answered my question Kemi," Rita stated calmly, her calmness made Kemi uneasy. "The one in the letter. You want to know how it feels to watch the one you love die, don't you?"

With that, she aimed the gun at Nnamdi and fired at his shoulders. The force of the bullet pushed the chair backwards making it to have a clean contact with the wall, it didn't topple over being held down by Nnamdi's almost lifeless body.

Kemi stood shell shocked as she watched the scene unfold before her very eyes. Then a moment later she heard a toe curling scream. Looking at Nnamdi body leaning back on the chair at an odd angle with blood dripping from the hole in his left shoulder, Kemi realized that the scream was from her.

And for some reason she couldn't stop screaming.

So...
Nnamdi was shot! *Sighs*

Thanks for all your votes!

Hugs and chocolates,
Sky_teddy✌