DEATH JUNCTION

14

My stomach pinched continuously, the hunger evident in every low growl. I coughed as I fought to clear the blue that shadowed the librarian's gaunt face. I gripped the table until my knuckles ached.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat anything? You look awful."

I shook my head, unable to trust the man that sat before me.

Why was he doing all this?

Did he want to poison me?

"Suit yourself." He paused.

"So, the window is open and you're free to ask whatever you want." He said finally and my mind was buried by the load of questions that swept through its thin corridor. I shook my head to clear the haze, even though it cleared, the headache still remained persistent.

Who are you?

What do you want from me?

Do you want to kill me?

What do you even gain from killing people?

My throat clogged as the smell of blood filled my nose. I exhaled to still my frazzled heart.  A silence stretched out between us, one wide with too many gaps and too little information. My stomach swamped with fear. I opened my mouth yet the words lodged themselves in my throat.

"I.....Who are you?"

"That's a multifaceted question, one with many answers lying underneath it. But I can give you one of it, my name is Andrew. Andrew Eze."

A blank expression remained plastered to his face. I exhaled and took time to study him. The real question continued to kick at the base of my throat, wanting to be let loose as it butned my insides.

"I..."

Why did you kill all those people?

Ice built within my system at the thought.  The fear that he would do the same to me once it left my mouth sparked in my mind, burning the thread that tethered me to the question. My throat clogged.

"I know you have something to ask. You can spit it out."

I remained silent. The trepidation escalated, soaring through greater heights as the image of dead bodies plunging down to the abyss of death played in my mind. My heart thudded faster as I began to shake.

"So you have nothing else to say?" He scrutinized me and after a few seconds, he sighed before standing up.

"We'll continue this whenever you're ready."

He turned to walk away but he paused.

"And, you should get some rest. If you can't trust me at least take this money and get yourself something to eat." He threw a 2000 naira note onto the wooden table and my eyebrows shut up.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I finally asked, fighting the doubt and other emotions that stirred in my belly. A forced laugh escaped his throat as his shoulders stiffened.

"You decide to throw in the tough one, eh?" Once his gaze met mine, I was taken aback by the sadness that rang from it.

"I want to show you something." He said and my heart thudded faster as I froze. The gloves that I had seen in his bag flashed in my mind, making my stomach fill with nausea.

"You know, if I was so keen on hurting you, wouldn't I have done it already?"

I kept silent as the alarms in my head continued to blare.

He may just be trying to end you the way he wants.

He could have killed you in your sleep though.