The Devil Wears Okrika

Chapter 39

The first borehole in Amaife had been dug and mounted in the market square after the elders had instructed and organised the villagers to contribute money for the duration of four months.
The villagers had been ecstatic. They didn't have to depend on the stream all the time anymore. This was a better and fascinating source of water.
Every morning the queue would be long as every body would go with his/her bucket to fetch water from the tank. It was a good feeling watching the water rush out and fill up the buckets.
The problem was electricity. There was hardly light in Amife and most times the borehole would function just once a week, sometimes even once in two weeks. Gradually the villagers began to lose interest in the borehole. The stream was still better. It was natural and there was never a queue plus it was big enough for everybody.
However some still longed for the development, it wasn't strange to see a small group of people hanging around the tank with their buckets waiting for the water. They never gave up and would spend hours, turning the knob and hoping and praying the water would rush out.
However Joy would finally be the reason everyone would lose interest in the borehole.
She was eleven years old then and was one of the people fascinated by the borehole. She always stopped by and checked it first whenever she needed to fetch water and more often than not she was lucky and filled her bucket before the water finished.
On that fateful day, she had taken a bucket much bigger than her normal size after searching fruitlessly for her own bucket. The bucket Amara usually carried was the one she had to settle for finally.
She stopped by on her way to the stream as usual and tried the tap. She was in luck and she filled the bucket to the brim but there was nobody to help her lift and balance the bucket on her head. She struggled, huffed and puffed and had almost managed to lift the bucket totally when she lost her grip. The bucket fell off and broke the pipe.
The water gushed out with much force. Joy was terrified and she burst into tears. The water kept on rushing and gushing till the tank was emptied and she kept on crying.

Now, six years later and the image suddenly flashed in her memory, but this time she wasn't going to cry, she couldn't cry. The blood kept on gushing the same way the water had gushed out of the dislodged pipe and indeed Batholomew's pipe had been dislodged. In fact he was pipeless. His eyes were filled with horror and he screamed in pain.
The blood continued gushing and splattering all over Joy's body and Bartholomew screamed and screamed.
"I'm going to kill you BITCH!"

.·.·.·.·.·
Oluchi panted as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She had just one thing on her mind: Get help!

The minute Joy had climbed in through the window, she had spent about 30 seconds panicking and shuffling her feet frantically before she turned and ran with no clear destination in her mind but she knew she had to get help.
At first she thought it was an illusion. She had to be dreaming-day dreaming. She could see the very people she hoped to find running towards her.
"Please... Come quick! Joy...Bartholomew..!" She panted.
But the young men ran past her with equal speed. Not even bothering to slow down.
"Oluchi! Where are you coming from? Where's my sister?" someone shouted
It was Amara. She was also running but couldn't keep up with Benedict and the rest. She had only stopped when she saw her friend.
"I was coming to get help..." Oluchi replied purposely avoiding the second question.
But Amara was persistent "where is Joy? You were together earlier"
Oluchi hesitated.
"Oluchi where's my sister?" Amara was beginning to panic.
"She...she's in the house...with-with Barth..."
"With Bartholomew...? You left her alone with that monster?!!"

.·.·.·.·.·
The monster in question was howling and shouting, screaming in pain. He looked down in horror at the empty space his blessed member was supposed to be and screamed more.
The bed sheet was quickly changing from white to a crimson colour and he suddenly had the burning crazy rage to spill Joy's blood.
Joy had scurried to the other end of the bed hurriedly. She was extremely disturbed by the sight and all the blood plus Bartholomew's wailing had disconcerted her. But still she knew her survival depended on her next action. She needed to act sharp. She had to escape.
She held the knife tightly in her hands and pointed the weapon at the pipeless monster.
"Don't come close...I'll stab-I'll kill you!"
Bartholomew stopped for a brief second but the pain and rage must have blinded his ability to think clearly.
He charged at Joy as she scrambled off the edge of the bed.

.·.·.·.·.·
Stevenson wondered who was shouting and screaming in Pa Kenneth's house. The voice sounded like whoever was behind it was very much in pain and it was very disturbing.
He held his notepad in his hand and his fountain pen.
Throughout his stay in Amaife, both Dé John and Dé Nwachukwu had spoken to him and given him priceless information and material for his book. Especially the former. Pa Kenneth however never seemed to have time for him. He was either too busy or not feeling too well.
Well that was going to change. Stevenson had woken up feeling strangely energized and refreshed. Talking to Amara about his murder charge had really done a lot to lift the burden off his shoulder. He felt lighter and he felt prepared to return home.
He was going to clear his name. But first he needed to make sure his book was complete. And he needed a lot of information from the number one leader himself.
He spent few minutes knocking the door without reply and he was ready to leave- had even turned, when he heard the first crazed shout.
Someone was in pain.
His first thought was to panic! Pa Kenneth was having a heart attack, the man was very old. But when the screaming continued, he discovered it belonged to a much younger person.
But who?
Did the person need help? He sounded like he did.
The door was locked and he curiously strolled round the house, peering into each window.

.·.·.·.·.·
Reverend Okorie led the way, but the minute they were out of the hospital he turned and regarded Dé John.
"Sir...I think you should be in front I have no idea what direction we're going"
"You don't need to cage me...you idiots! I'm not a criminal." Pa Kenneth snapped.
"Okay...you're right elder, don't be offended please lead the way" Dé John told his friend in the same calm and respectful voice he had used earlier.
"You...you especially. I'll make sure you regret this rubbish! This is same as mutiny!"
"With all due respect sir, your delay tactics isn't going to work, we are still going to get to your house no matter what. the best way to clear your name is to ensure we get there on time and then-" Gregory didn't get to finish his statement before the old man leaped on him with much force, surprising the slim young man and knocking him to the ground.
"Pa Kenneth! Elder! What has come over you?!" Dé John was shocked.
Pa Kenneth struggled with Greg who was unaccustomed to violence, but youth would always come out on top more often than not.
Before he was totally overpowered and when Reverend Okorie struggled to lift him off Greg, Pa Kenneth clamped his teeth round the young man's left ear (Gregory had rather large, satellite dish shaped ears) and he bit hard, drawing blood immediately.