Karma was a bitch. Everybody knew that. She was a bitch. But her mode of operation was longevity, you know in the back of your mind you're going to pay for your actions but subconsciously you expect the repercussions to come in the nearest future. Some time far away, not immediately.

But as Okudili fled down the path he couldn't help remembering the European fleeing in such manner while Okudili himself threw the biggest stones.
Now the stones were behind him and he was the one being chased. This had to be karma, and just hours apart too.

Okudili had been lazing around as usual feeling sulky at the lack of girls out in the open for his eyes to feast on when he had seen the youths marching his way, at first he thought it was for another protest and riot but then he saw the elders in their midst and noticed they were really marching his way and the intent was clearly written on their faces. He took off immediately. Darting like an arrow towards the woods. The youths had pursued him. This time they were not armed with sticks and branches but with machetes and broken bottles.
Dé John attempted to join the chase but gave up few steps later.
"My friend, gone are the days" he panted to Dé Nwachukwu.

Okudili was a short man with short legs but the lack of distance covered was made up for by the rate at which his legs ate up the ground. He was well ahead of the youths and zigzagged through the forest.
If he was caught now, worst case scenario: he'd be beaten to death. Best case scenario: trial by kangaroo court and death by hanging come nightfall.
He ran through a thorn bush, bruising himself badly but he needed to be out of the line of sight.
He immediately took a different path as he emerged before anyone could see him. He ran. His life depended on it.

.·.·.·.·.·
Gregory always complained that his phone didn't receive good signal in the house. So every time he wanted to make a call, he stepped out. The signal was slightly better outside; at least he could hear the other person.
He was currently speaking to his younger brother who had called him from the university asking for money.
"Hello...junior, wait I can't hear you...I'll call you back"
He strode towards the parlour but then he stopped, he decided to go through the kitchen, the kitchen door opened to the backyard which was at the mouth of the woods and thus quite private. He was still being careful. The shouts from the day before had really scared him and he wasn't ready to take any chances.

He opened the door and stepped outside, his eyes on his phone as he waited for the notification of his credit balance.
He didn't see the man until it was too late. The man came from nowhere, he barged into Gregory, sending him (who was on the slim side) stumbling back into the kitchen.
The short man got up and locked the door. He looked scared, scary and mad.
"Shhh..shh...shhhh!!"
"Jesus!! Who are you?!" Gregory was stunned. He felt this man would kill him.
"My friend keep quiet...you want them to kill me"
Bukky came running out. "What is going on here...Who are you?"
For a split second Okudili calmed down (at first to ogle the lady) but then he realized they were not indigenes. They were strangers.
In a show of devilish intelligence, the short man fell to his knees "I want to come to God. I want to give my life, these battles are too much!"
"What battles?" Bukky asked
"Is that why you ran into me! Are you blind?" Gregory flared up.
"I'm sorry...I can't control myself..I need your prayers..I'm a troubled man" he made a noise like he was in pain.
Gregory was not really convinced. He got to his feet slowly "you smell of alcohol" he said condescendingly.
"Greg!" Bukky said with a warning. He looked at her and she shrugged "we have a duty to pray and bring this man to Jesus were he can find the peace he desperately needs"
Gregory frowned. He wasn't still convinced. He seemed wary to shut the door, but he did.

.·.·.·.·.·
Osi and Ovie met Stevenson on the way to the house.
"Pastor! Pastor!" The European shouted as he hurried to meet up with them.
"Afternoon Stevenson"
"Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"The devil...the devil has been exposed!"

.·.·.·.·.·
"This is good news...wonderful news that means we can go on with the crusade like we planned, we may even experience significant increase...the deacon was wrong! God is indeed faithful!" Ovie was in good spirits as the both of them walked home.
They had encountered many youths on the way, they seemed to be searching for the killer but nobody was hostile to them anymore.
Yet Osi frowned as his brows were drawn together. He was deep in thought.
"Ovie...do you know the person the white man described"
Ovie looked at him with a puzzled expression "why would I want to know someone like him"
"Well...from the description I can vaguely recall seeing him once or twice and I don't know...it doesn't just fit with what I was thinking"

"Well thank God you were thinking wrong...this animal deserves to be caught."

.·.·.·.·.·
The 'animal' was currently seated on the couch, listening to Bukky as she read from her bible. His eyes were on her chest. She was well endowed and her breasts stretched the fabric of the sweater she had on.
Women! They had always been the bane of his existence and he had long accepted that a woman would be the cause of his downfall and maybe demise but he couldn't help himself, he loved women. But he had to be smart. He wasn't ready to die yet, he knew he had to come up with a plan, maybe run to the nearest village, or maybe he could work his way into this house and lay low for the time being.
As he entertained these thoughts, he heard voices from outside and a knock.

.·.·.·.·.·
Oluchi shook her head in disgust as her best friend reported her elder brother to her. What a shame. When Amara described how Paul had grabbed her rear with Joy offering both sound and visual effects, Oluchi shook her head. "He says he's sorry...he doesn't know what came over him"
"Hmmm...Do you know what my father would do if he hears this?"
"Chai....I can imagine...biko forgive him please...for me" Oluchi badly wanted to change the topic. "By the way...did you hear that they've announced the killer?"
"Ehn...who is it?"
"Who else but Okudili...who else"
"I knew it. That man is a pervert...just the way he'd look at you sometimes, you'd feel abused" she shuddered.
"They don't know where he is. But they say the youths chased him out of the village"
"Hmmm....at least our daughters can have peace of mind"

.·.·.·.·.·
Osi couldn't believe it. He was looking at the very same man Steve had described earlier. The man who had glared at him two nights ago at the opening service.
The man was sitted on the chair, head bent as he held Bukky's hand while she prayed.
"Who is this?" Ovie asked Greg as they watched them in silence from the kitchen doorway.
"I don't know!" Greg replied.
"He's the killer" Osi said at the same time.
Both Ovie and Gregory jumped which was no small feat for Ovie.
"What!"
"Shhh....I don't think he's the killer" Osi said
"My God he has been with Bukky all along." Gregory went pale and shuddered
"Okay...it's okay...here's what we'd do..I'd have a word with him then you can call the villagers"

"What! No...I'm going there right now!" Greg panicked.
Osi held him back. "You've been with this man alone for an hour...I just need five minutes, there's something I need to find out"
"Pastor...before I reach the market square or see a villager it would have been five minutes already, I can't believe you want to risk our lives like this" The stubbornness brought about by fear is the most potent, and Greg wasn't hearing any excuse. He sneaked out the kitchen and was soon on his way, walking as fast as he could.

.·.·.·.·.·
Okudili could sense something was wrong. He was not the kind of person to sleep with both eyes closed not to talk of to close both eyes when he seldom prayed. And so from the corner of his eye, he could notice the movement and feel the tension from the men as they hovered around the kitchen.
When he heard the door slam, he opened his eyes. Cutting the prayer short.
"Thank you for the prayer...I have to go, I'd come back for the Virgil."
"Oh...let me get you some tracks first" Bukky stood up and headed for the room.
"Oh...I didn't know you were back, welcome... Where is Greg?" She asked Osi when she saw him.
"He's coming" Osi said as he passed her, moving towards the short man who was watching him with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Okudili right? Nice to meet you" Osi sat opposite the man, funny he was not afraid, maybe because he didn't believe this man was responsible for the crimes. A wise voice asked him what if he was wrong. What then? He swallowed, unable to come up with a suitable reply.
"Did you know Ozioma personally?" he asked the man, trying not to blink when he leveled his hate filled gaze on him.
"No...I did not" Okudili stood up. He seemed restless, he had a strong dislike for this tall man.
"Okay...please just try and answer my questions objectively...do you have a pink shirt or maybe shorts or trouser that has part of the material missing?"
"You're trying to keep me here until they come for me abi...your plan can't work...Okudili is not stupid."
"Believe me I want to help you" Osi said also standing up.
"If you want to be helpful why don't you donate your body as an electricity pole? I'm sure the villagers would be happy" he pushed Osi aside and hurried to the door.
Osi gripped the man on his shirt tail stopping him. "I'm sorry, I can't just let you leave"
He knew he had made a big mistake when he saw the fist coming.

.·.·.·.·.·
"Where's my belt! I'm going to kill you today!"
He began to cry..."daddy please....daddy please...I would not do it again"
"Ugo where's my belt!" His father shouted for his elder brother. "You...you this boy...are you sure you're my son, how can you have such a wicked heart" his dad slapped him, the famous backhand and he stumbled back crying in fear.
"What do you even know green card means? You took scissors and started cutting up everything in my drawers...your sisters' birth certificate...even my work ID card..."
"It's because....its because...." he sniffed as he tried to explain himself "Sarah said only me did not have green card and that you people will leave me and travel"
"Ohooo...so that is why you cut everything....you terror, I'd kill you today!" His father didn't need the belt anymore, he descended on him.
"Don't kill my son for me ooo..." His mother came to his rescue like she always did "Osi! Osi! Osi.....!"

.·.·.·.·.·
"Osi...Osi...Osi..." Bukky knelt over him shaking him gently till his eyes fluttered open.
"Mom...?"
"No...It's me, it's Bukky"
He struggled to sit up, his head was pounding and the unpleasant memory from his 12th year still lingered in his mind.
He looked round the parlour, seeing some strange and familiar people.
Dé Nwachukwu, Stevenson, Dé John, Gregory talking to pastor Bartholomew, Ovie and countless young men crowded the small parlour. He noticed the young man he had seen in Amara's house earlier, He stood beside the white man and looked at him strangely or maybe it was the poor lightning.

"What happened?" He asked holding his head in his hands. The headache was killing him.
"The killer attacked you son, how are you feeling?" Dé Nwachukwu replied helping him to his feet.
"Osi I think you should stay behind and rest" Bukky said in a low voice
Osi looked round at the faces, he didn't know why but he felt a little bit ashamed. He would have shaken his head vigorously if he didn't feel it will fall off. That short man had a hell of a right hook.
"It's okay Bukky, I'm fine....the vigil must hold tonight"

.·.·.·.·.·
Coming back to the house was very easy for him. It was past 12 midnight and everybody was at the Virgil service which meant the house would be empty. He headed towards the house careful to remain in the shadows. He had a bottle of wine in his hand. He didn't care if they all drank the poison tomorrow, as long as the pastor died. He had no trouble forcing the door open. He was good at this. He moved about the darkness, his palm over the torchlight as he shielded the powerful beam. He opened the cupboard and saw the bottle of wine. He smiled and exchanged it.