The Devil Wears Okrika

Chapter 31

It must be a dream. It had to be a nightmare. Amara panted as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She was quite fast and had been one of the fastest girls in the village in her younger days but now she was almost paralyzed by fear but she maintained her pace, one leg in front of the other, then another and another....
The problem was Batholomew had known what he was doing. He had gotten her really deep into the woods and when she had taken off, she ran the other way which was deeper still into the woods.
Unless she would double back past him and head towards the market square where there was bound to be some sort of human life, she was stuck in this big forest with the devil.
It occurred to her there was another route that led to the stream from this other end. But the problem was no one really used that path again and the thick bush made it almost impossible to get through as it was hardly used and she doubted she could locate it in the dark.
The trees offered some kind of blanket and partially blocked the little light emitted by the quarter moon.
"I'm going to harm you...I'm going to make you wish you were never born..you shouldn't have done that!!"
Batholomew sounded so close she almost looked back in fright.
However she knew a worse fate than what befell the wife of Lot awaited her if she looked back and was caught so she increased her speed, although she was on her highest gear.
She had only a split second to make a decision when she approached a clearing. Two paths, she had to follow one.
One would definitely lead to the stream which could mean safety although she remembered the path was sloped and full of rocks.
The second path...would lead to nowhere in particular...just deeper into the woods meaning she would be caging herself further.
There was no time to think. Batholomew was behind her and he sounded too close. She chose the right path and she prayed it was really the 'right' path.
She continued running through the woods in the dark with Batholomew getting closer with each second and shouting obscene words after her.
It took less than a minute for her to realize that she had taken the wrong path.
But one thing...her mother's grave site was somewhere along this way.
She needed her mother's protection...even if she was late and if Bartholomew caught up to her....

.·.·.·.·.·
Dé Nwachukwu and the two girls ran after Osi. It suddenly occurred to Dé Nwachukwu that they shouldn't be here. It was wrong on so many levels. They were after a killer, someone who raped and killed young girls like them...they shouldn't be here. And if anything happened to his Amara...they must never see her in any bad state.
He shook his head determinedly. No...nothing was going to happen.
He stopped both girls.
"Joy, Oluchi...go back to the village before we get deeper into the woods"
"But papa-"
"But sir-"
"Go now! Go and wake up the whole village...tell them pastor Batholomew has gone mad!" He cut short their protest and the urgency in his voice got to him.
They turned on their heels and took off running in the other direction.
"Papa be careful"
"Go...go!"
He was an old man and he could not keep up with Osi, he could hardly see the man. The pastor's long legs ate up the ground and the speed which each leg landed was something else.
Dé Nwachukwu could only see momentary glimpses of his form. The pastor seemed to know where he was heading and Dé Nwachukwu followed.
The worry was eating him alive.
He couldn't help himself anymore, he began to shout: "Amara! Amara!"

.·.·.·.·.·
Contrary to what Dé Nwachukwu thought, Osi didn't really have any idea the direction he was going. He freed his mind and tried to listen to any direction from his spirit but either he was too distracted or his spirit was crippled with fear because he got nothing! Still he ran.
When Dé Nwachukwu shouted her name from behind, he joined him shouting at the top of his voice: "Amara! Amara!"

.·.·.·.·.·
The devil couldn't believe it! At first he thought it was a trick of the wind. He didn't just hear someone shout Amara's name. But few seconds later he heard it again.
He could swear that was pastor Osi's voice. He should have killed the obstacle when they were under the same roof!
The voice was enough to inject fresh action in his legs and he tripled his speed and when he was few steps away, he took a giant leap.
He caught her and knocked her down.
She let out a blood curling scream...