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“Yes I have one”, said the store attendant. The attendant fetched a packet of tablets from the rack. Melinda grabbed it from her, tore open of the sachets in the pack and dropped two tablets into her mouth and began to lick them quickly “How much is it?” “Five hundred Naira only” replied the attendant.
Melinda dug into her bag in seach of money, when she raised her head to offer the attendant the Five hundred Naira note in her hand, the attendant pointed to someone standing behind Melinda’s back and said “He has taken care of it”. “Who?” said Melinda as she turned to see who was standing behind her.”Holy Moses! MICHAEL! Ghost! Ghost!”
Melinda literally leapt over the counter and ran into the room behind the store. The attendant following suit believing that the man who stood in her shop was a ghost. Michael called for Melinda to come back, assuring her that he was no ghost. Melinda came out.
“This has to be your ghost, right? Tell me this your ghost?”
“I am here in flesh. If I was dead, then who is standing in front of you?” Asked Michael “Your ghost! The ghost of Michael is standing in front of me! I heard you were dead. You died in Malta.You died in a plane crash in Malta.Ehm..Angelique! Yes Angelique! She told me everything about your burial;she even snapped photos of it” Replied Melinda.
“She told you that I was dead? But here I am in flesh and blood.I am no ghost! Okay do your test,prove yourself that I am no ghost”. Melinda grabbed as much flesh on Michael’s hand as she could and pulled hard. “Aw!” Shouted Michael;bleeding. “You are not dead”, “Now do you believe that I am not dead, Melinda?” “Okay you are not dead. But you being alive leaves a lot of questions. There is a grave somewhere which is supposedly your grave. Who is in it? Where on earth have you been all these years? Do you have a contact where I can reach you? Maybe a ghost contact. I have to dash off to a meeting”.
Michael and Melinda exchanged phone numbers and Melinda left for work.
As Melinda drove to work, she couldn’t stop wondering why Angelique told her that Michael was dead. Melinda picked her phone and dialed Angelique’s number. It rang severally and no one picked it. She arrived at the company and was parking her car when her phone rang. She checked it and saw it was Angelique’s number “Hello Anjo(Angelique’s nick name) guess who I saw…” The words of the voice on the other end of the line made Melinda stop cold. The masculine voice said, “Am sorry, this is not Anjo. If Anjo is the owner of this phone number calling you, then I am sorry to tell you that she is dead. She just lost her life in an Auto accident”. “No she can’t be dead! You are wrong!” Melinda shouted crying. “Hello”, said the male voice “…I am calling to inform you of her death because you are the last phone number to have dialed her phone”.
“How did my friend died?” Asked Melinda amid heart-wrenching sobs “Her car screeched to a stop on Maya avenue and she ran out of it as though something in the car was after her. She was shouting incoherently and looking back at her car while trying to cross the road…a car ran over her”.
Melinda began to tremble terribly.
Melinda recovered much later in the day and went home. She then called some of her friends to inform them about Angelique’s death. By the time Melinda was calling, Angelique’s parents had already been informed and have come to identify Angelique’s body as their daughter’s.
Melinda called Michael to inform him about Angelique’s death. “You won’t believe what happened after I left you. Angelique is dead! She died earlier today…” “Are you sure… Oh my God! What.. Oh God… I don’t know what to say. Are you sure she is dead for real?”
“Believe me Michael, she is dead”.
“How are you feeling now? I know this must be hard for you? Can I come over and be with you?”
“No don’t worry my boyfriend is on his way here”.
“How did it happen? I mean Angelique’s death” asked Michael. “What I was told is shocking, it sounds like something from the movies. I was told she was running away from something in her car when a car rammed into her”.
There was silence on the other side of the phone conversation. “Michael are you there?” There was still silence. “Hello Michael are you there?”
Then came a heart-stopping shriek from Michael’s own end of the conversation. “AAAH! O GOD! AAAAH! NO! AAAAAH”.
The shout jolted Melinda so much she threw her phone on the bed and fled from her room. She was heading for her door when it creaked and began to open. Melinda stood in front of it frozen with fear and her heart pounding away like the rumbling of the sky suring rainy season…
Episode Two Loading....
THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 2
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Austin stepped into the room when Melinda saw it was her boyfriend,she threw herself at him “What is it? What is wrong with you?” “I don’t know.I feel fear.I was on the phone with an old friend when he suddenly went silent and after a few moments,I heard..I think a woman crying in desperation like she was being killed” “Where is your phone?” “It is in my room”,replied Melind.The two of them went into the room and saw the phone on the bed ringing.Austin picked it up and gave it to her.The call was coming from Michael. “Hello Michael! What was that? Who was the woman being killed?” “Are you sure you are okay?I was on line saying ‘hello’,but you said nothing” explained Michael “I am sure I heard a woman crying desperately.You were silent” “Are you still alone?” Asked Michael “No my boyfriend is here now”,replied Melinda and say goodbye to Michael and hung up the phone
Melinda searched her phonebook,looking for a mumber;she found it and placed a call to another friend of hers.The phone rang momentarily and the friend picked it up “Hi Lanre!” “What’s up Melinda?” Lanre’s voice sounded groovy and made Melinda to ask. “I guess you haven’t heard about Angelique’s death?” “Are you high on something Melinda? Angelique is here with me.We are at the Beach Palm Resort”,said Lanre “You are with who?What you have beside you is a ghost! Angelique died this morning on Maya Avenue! Lanre run!Run away from her!” “Are you nuts Melinda?From where I am standing now,I can see Angelique dancing with my friends” “Go to her and put her on the phone.I want to speak with her” “Okay, Melinda,drop the call,once I get to her we will call you”
Melinda sat down on the sofa wondering if she had gone insane, “Why are all the dead people I know coming back to life.Baby,the guy I spoke with earlier on had been dead for six years now.At least I was told he died in a plane crash six years ago in malta.And this morning I ran into him alive and well in a drug store.Right now Lanre is calling to be at Beach Palm Resort with Angelique,who died this morning” “How did He died?” Asked Austin “Friends told me;I got a call from one of them while I was in london and I saw pictures of his burial.It all happened six years ago” “And now the very Angelique who showed you pictures of Michael’s burial is dead and somehow back to life according to Lanre”, said Austin as he pondered the mystery
Melinda kept glancing her phone for Lanre’s call as he had promised earlier. When the wait seemed interminable, Melinda asked Austin to dial Lanre’s number. Austin obliged her request and called Lanre from Melinda’s phone. Lanre’s phone rang but no one picked it “Call him back! Something is wrong!” Melinda almost scared Austin out of his skin by the way she shouted. “Okay love, you don’t have to shout that way,I am dialing his number again.Can you calm your nerves please?” This time the phone didn’t ring, they got through to the answering machine which said the number was not available. At this point Melinda could not bear the suspense any longer;she sort of crashed.
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By the next day Melinda convened a meeting of all her old friends so they could figure out what was going on.Michael cited a few reasons and opted out of the meeting.When they all gathered in Melinda house, Obiorah informed Melinda that Lanre was in the hospital.The story was that he had strangely lost his memory the previous night in search of someone amongst the crowd on the beach.He kept running looking for a woman,when he was asked who he was looking for he could not supply her name.This Lanre kept doing all night until he collapsed and began to foam in the mouth.His friends at the beach rushed him to a hospital where the doctors diagnosed him to have had memory loss.
“I know the woman Lanre was looking for”,said Melinda.All her friends eyes turned and stared at her,she continued “Lanre was looking for Angelique.They were somehow together last night at the Beach Palm” Melinda’s friends thought that she had gone nuts
“Melinda are you okay? Angelique died yesterday morning how could she be with Lanre by night?” Asked Obiorah “I spoke with Lanre when he was at the Beach last night nd he said he was with Angelique. Austin can bear me witness” “Yes,I was here and I heard everything”, said Austin
“That’s not all,friends,Michael Ighalo is in town.Somehow he is no longer dead.I met him yesterday morning”,said Melinda. Melinda’s words hit three people in her living room like bullets;Obiorah,Verah and Simon. Obiorah fell off his seat as though an invisble hand had hit him and began to gasp for breath. Verah and Simon were swallowing saliva nervously. “Verah what are you three afraid of?” Asked Melinda “Michael cannot be alive.My very eyes saw his corpse in Malta and so did Angelique,Lanre,Obiorah and Simon.You see he can’t be alive.You must have seen a ghost”,said Verah “The person I saw was in flesh and blood.Just like you saw his corpse,so have I seen him alive and have spoke with him”.
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(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 2
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Austin stepped into the room when Melinda saw it was her boyfriend,she threw herself at him “What is it? What is wrong with you?” “I don’t know.I feel fear.I was on the phone with an old friend when he suddenly went silent and after a few moments,I heard..I think a woman crying in desperation like she was being killed” “Where is your phone?” “It is in my room”,replied Melind.The two of them went into the room and saw the phone on the bed ringing.Austin picked it up and gave it to her.The call was coming from Michael. “Hello Michael! What was that? Who was the woman being killed?” “Are you sure you are okay?I was on line saying ‘hello’,but you said nothing” explained Michael “I am sure I heard a woman crying desperately.You were silent” “Are you still alone?” Asked Michael “No my boyfriend is here now”,replied Melinda and say goodbye to Michael and hung up the phone
Melinda searched her phonebook,looking for a mumber;she found it and placed a call to another friend of hers.The phone rang momentarily and the friend picked it up “Hi Lanre!” “What’s up Melinda?” Lanre’s voice sounded groovy and made Melinda to ask. “I guess you haven’t heard about Angelique’s death?” “Are you high on something Melinda? Angelique is here with me.We are at the Beach Palm Resort”,said Lanre “You are with who?What you have beside you is a ghost! Angelique died this morning on Maya Avenue! Lanre run!Run away from her!” “Are you nuts Melinda?From where I am standing now,I can see Angelique dancing with my friends” “Go to her and put her on the phone.I want to speak with her” “Okay, Melinda,drop the call,once I get to her we will call you”
Melinda sat down on the sofa wondering if she had gone insane, “Why are all the dead people I know coming back to life.Baby,the guy I spoke with earlier on had been dead for six years now.At least I was told he died in a plane crash six years ago in malta.And this morning I ran into him alive and well in a drug store.Right now Lanre is calling to be at Beach Palm Resort with Angelique,who died this morning” “How did He died?” Asked Austin “Friends told me;I got a call from one of them while I was in london and I saw pictures of his burial.It all happened six years ago” “And now the very Angelique who showed you pictures of Michael’s burial is dead and somehow back to life according to Lanre”, said Austin as he pondered the mystery
Melinda kept glancing her phone for Lanre’s call as he had promised earlier. When the wait seemed interminable, Melinda asked Austin to dial Lanre’s number. Austin obliged her request and called Lanre from Melinda’s phone. Lanre’s phone rang but no one picked it “Call him back! Something is wrong!” Melinda almost scared Austin out of his skin by the way she shouted. “Okay love, you don’t have to shout that way,I am dialing his number again.Can you calm your nerves please?” This time the phone didn’t ring, they got through to the answering machine which said the number was not available. At this point Melinda could not bear the suspense any longer;she sort of crashed.
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By the next day Melinda convened a meeting of all her old friends so they could figure out what was going on.Michael cited a few reasons and opted out of the meeting.When they all gathered in Melinda house, Obiorah informed Melinda that Lanre was in the hospital.The story was that he had strangely lost his memory the previous night in search of someone amongst the crowd on the beach.He kept running looking for a woman,when he was asked who he was looking for he could not supply her name.This Lanre kept doing all night until he collapsed and began to foam in the mouth.His friends at the beach rushed him to a hospital where the doctors diagnosed him to have had memory loss.
“I know the woman Lanre was looking for”,said Melinda.All her friends eyes turned and stared at her,she continued “Lanre was looking for Angelique.They were somehow together last night at the Beach Palm” Melinda’s friends thought that she had gone nuts
“Melinda are you okay? Angelique died yesterday morning how could she be with Lanre by night?” Asked Obiorah “I spoke with Lanre when he was at the Beach last night nd he said he was with Angelique. Austin can bear me witness” “Yes,I was here and I heard everything”, said Austin
“That’s not all,friends,Michael Ighalo is in town.Somehow he is no longer dead.I met him yesterday morning”,said Melinda. Melinda’s words hit three people in her living room like bullets;Obiorah,Verah and Simon. Obiorah fell off his seat as though an invisble hand had hit him and began to gasp for breath. Verah and Simon were swallowing saliva nervously. “Verah what are you three afraid of?” Asked Melinda “Michael cannot be alive.My very eyes saw his corpse in Malta and so did Angelique,Lanre,Obiorah and Simon.You see he can’t be alive.You must have seen a ghost”,said Verah “The person I saw was in flesh and blood.Just like you saw his corpse,so have I seen him alive and have spoke with him”.
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 3
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Obiorah stood to his feet and asked to be given some water;which Austin gave to him.Obiorah drank the water so greedily that everyone in the living room could hear him as he gulped down each cup he poured out for himself.It was as if everyone in he living room was waiting for him to finish.He must have read the cue,so he spoke up “Michael is dead, and there is no debating it;however, whosoever brought him back to life,also took Angelique” “I don’t understand what you meant by that.Tell me what happened in Malta?” Queried Melinda. “Something we all never took serious happened on that Island nation six years ago.Perhaps it was what killed Michael.We can’t be sure that it was,but it is the only explanation we have for what is happening right now”, explained Obiorah, “But you haven’t told me what happened in Malta” remarked Melinda “Melinda it was called ‘The Riches of the Grave’.It is no business of yours,just stay out of it.Let those of us who made the choice to wish for ‘The Riches of the Grave’ face the consequences”, said Simon
Obiorah, Verah and Simon stood up to leave “Wait!Let me call him”,said Melinda and rang up Michael’s number,she made sure her phone was on loud speaker. “Hi Melinda how is the get-together going?Are you guys missing me?” Asked Michael. They all stared at each other in disbelieve. “You shouldn’t have missed it”,said Melinda “Can you put the guys on the phone let me speak with them?” “Speak on;the phone is on loud speaker” “Hi guys,it feels like forever! Did you guys miss me?” “Miss you? I don’t get it Michael.We buried you in your home town,Eku-Obhiosa,in Edo state six years ago,how come you are alive?” Asked Obiorah
Verah shouted “Oh my God!” pointing at Obiorah. A bloody fluid,with silvery mix was coming out of Obiorah’s nose.
Obiorah tried to wipe out whatever it was with his hand;but it seemed his effort unlocked a tap in his nostrils and the odd fluid began to flow out much more. In that moment,Obiorah slumped into an arm chair next to him gasping for breath. Austin and Simon picked up Obiorah and moved him into Simon’s car parked outside and drove him off to a hospital.
The next day,Melinda and her friend huddled up in a restaurant,talking in hushed voices as they tried very hard to figure out what was happening to them. While they explored every possible explanation put forward as to why they were dying in strange manners
Verah suddenly flung away her phone in her hand,swinging her head insanely and violently pulling at her hair. Her voice rent the air as she ran into the streets screaming. “AAAH! AAAH!”
Simon went after her and swiftly wrestled her to the ground.
In a moment of time passers-by gathered around Simon and Verah “Austin! Melinda! Someone help me! She is becoming too strong for me!”
On-lookers didn’t need any other invitation. They lent their help and pin Verah on the ground.
Trust Nigerians, they always want to help; “Remove her shoes!” “No! Give her salt!” “No! She will run into the market! Give her red oil!” “Water! Water! Pour water on her!” A fat woman came out with a bucket of water and emptied it on Verah and the young men holding her to the ground. “Make way! Baba Oloye is here! He will cure her!”
At this point Melinda,kicked into action. “No! No! We don’t need native doctors to help her! Can anybody pray for her?” A sudden hush swept through the crowd. A few people in the slient crowd stared at her angrily “Please someone pray for my friend”, said Melinda amid tears “Madam if you no want make your friend die, allow Baba Oloye cure am”, said a man in the crowd. “No! I will pray for your friend madam”, said a man in the crowd. Every one turned to see a lanky, haggard looking young man,clutching a gigantic bible in his right hand, made his way to Verah, Melinda was confused; she couldn’t tell who needed prayer more, whether the young man or Verah. The young man stooped close to Verah’s head and commanded “Thus foul spirit of insanity I adjure you by the name of Jesus, the Holy One come out of this woman and enter her no more!” in that very intance, Verah raised her head and spewed thick,slimy,mucus into his face and the crowd broke into a scornful laughter at the young man.
Melinda stood looking nonplussed and wishing she had allowed Baba Oloye to cure her friend. “Okay Baba I am sorry. Please help my friend”. “Can you see the problem with little children,you don’t know anything and yet you carry yourselves about with choking arrogance;I would have helped your friend since but you wouldn’t let me.Shebi dey pray for am?Wetin kon happen..?” While Baba Oloye spoke,Verah cried “Get off me! You are breaking my hand!Simon what is it?” The crowd turned their attention to the woman on the ground.Simon and the volunteers got off her as she stood to her feet
Stealltily Baba Oloye took a walk and disappeared into the crowd.Melinda went over to the young man and tendered her apology for losing her faith in God. They exchanged numbers and he left.
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 4
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Verah and her friends got in their cars and left the scene. At Melinda’s house,they reconvened. “Lanre has completely lost his mind. Obiorah and Angelique are dead and Verah momentarily lost her mind.Can any of you please tell me what happened in Malta six years ago? What is ‘The Riches of the Grave’ which Obiorah mentioned before he died?” Asked Melinda. “Melinda you were in London then.The rest of us where in Malta holidaying. One day we all except Michael went to the beach to relax. It all began when Angelique ran into an Iranian astrologer and palm reader on the beach.The Iranian astrologer was able to convince Angelique that he had the power to make her become weathier by transferring people’s stars and destinies to her for just fiffy dollars.The only rule was that Angelique must wish for the destiny of the person close to her. Angelique was eager to try it out and paid the man fifty dollars.The Iranian astrologer performed a simple ritual”, explained Verah.
“Her wish was to have Michael’s destiny. After the ritual she called all of us to try it out. We all did then paid the man fifty dollars each and somehow everyone one of us wished to have Michael’s destiny. He was the star among us, the Richest and the most successful. It was after the rituals that we learnt it was called ‘The Riches of the Grave”. “And what does that mean?” Asked Melinda “It means that the person whose destiny you have wished for will die to release his or her destiny to you”,explained Simon “Oh God why didn’t the man undo the rituals after you all learnt the truth?” Asked Melinda “We tried all we could but he said there was now way to undo it” replied Verah “Three hours after the rituals, Michael’s plane to London crashed and Michael was the only person who died”, said simon “We killed him! We deserve what is happening to us now! Since that day, I have watched everyone one of us prosper tremendously. It is as if a force, a being,has since that day been throwing good stuffs at me and everyone of us”,said Verah.
Melinda’s phone rang and startled her. It was Michael “It is Michael”
She put the phone on loud speaker and they all listened. “Melinda, are Verah & Simon there with you?” “Yes they are here”,replied Melinda “Can I speak with them?” “Go on they can hear you”, replied Melinda “Okay friends I know you must be wondering how Is it that I am alive. Now here is the truth, all of you were decieved that day on that beach in Malta. You were not told the whole truth about ‘The Riches of the Grave’ I am aware you know the part where you wish for a certain person’s destiny blah blah.There is also the part where the dead gets to make a wish before he/she dies. I was napping on that plane to London. I felt a strong urge to sleep. In my short trance, a being visited me and told me I was going to die. He asked me to make a wish before my death.I made my wish and my wish was to come back someday and take every one of you back to my grave.I have taken Angelique, Obiorah and Lanre;soon you will hear of his death.Only the two of you,Verah and Simon are left. Right now I have three hours left to return to my grave. I want the two of you to know that I am coming for you” They heard the call being dropped and the line went dead.
The Riches of the Grave was an ancient persian ritual which originated in northern persia that involves with dark magic.Their lord was Ahura.They could shift, delay and transfer destinies as they so wished. It was a follower of this dark magic Verah and the rest all ran into in Malta.
“Oh God!What shall we do? I am a dead man walking”,exclaimed Simon “Michael has to understand that none of us would have gone ahead with the ritual if we had known how evil it was.I don’t want to died now”. Cried Verah “Wait! Could it have been death that came for you Verah at the restaurant today?” “Why did you ask Melinda?” Austin queried. “If it was death from Michael, that means we have already beaten him once today! All we have to do is go back to the young man who prayed for Verah and all of this will be over”,said Melinda with excitement. Simon jacked his head up and asked “Do you have the guy’s number?” “He gave me his number;I save it as STRONG PASTOR”,replied Melinda. Melinda began to search through her phonebook to find the guys number;for no clear reason she could not find the name in her phone book and told them so.
“What do we do next?” Asked Simon “Lets go back to that restaurant and look for the pastor.There must be someone there who knows him”,announced Austin.They all ran out and got into Austin’s car and drove off to the restaurant. Surprisingly none of the people knew the young man “Can’t we find another person to pray for them? We are running out of time?” said Austin “Who do you suggest we go to right now?” Asked Melinda “Anybody who can pray”.They all went outside and stood by the sidewalk “I am feeling giddy!”Shouted Verah
“I feel Michael is here! I feel him!” shouted simon. Suddenly Verah shouted.
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 5
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.With that shout, Verah began to stretch as if the life in her was fading away. Passer-by began to rush to the scene. This time Austin was the one who asked for prayers “Please can anyone pray for my friend or at least take us to someone who can?”
“There is a church down the end of this street, let us take them there!” shouted someone in the crowd. They lifted Verah and bore her hastily down to the church. Even simon lent his hands to carry Verah to the church. He had in the heat of that moment forgotton that he too was a target
When they got to the entrance of the church, Simon slumped to the ground writhing in a horrifying fashion. The gate man opened the gate for them. A man dressed in all white attire stooped to pick up Simon. When the man in all white attire raised his hand, Melinda shouted and took off running. Some young men in the crowd ran after her to seize her and bring her in to the church. “What is it Melinda?” Asked Austin. When the head pastor saw two fully grown adults in the throes of death, lying on the floor, he understood they were under an attack, he broke into prayers and the church leaders joined him. Outside the church premises, Austin had figured out who the man in White attire was. The man in white did not go into the church premises. It was Michael. He had come to keep his promise to Simon and Verah. Austin convinced the young men who had grabbed Melinda to let go of her and led her into the church premises. Melinda could not remember the last time she prayed, but she was ready to pray down a storm to save her friends. Austin went down on his knees, ignoring Melinda who had somehow transformed into a prayer warrior and mumbled. “God I have never known you or prayed to you all my life, but if you are really up there save my friends, and if you can’t, take me in their place”.
A hand rested on his shoulder and a voice said “God doesn’t have to take you to save your friends. He has already taken someone for that purpose. Austin’s eyes widened in shock; he was praying under his breath. The voice which spoke to him was the young man who prayed for Verah earlier in the day. “How did you hear my words?” Asked Austin. “Take that for a sign that God is real and he cares”, said the young man as he walked away. Melinda didn’t see the young man come into the church premises, her eyes were tightly shut as she invoked all sorts of sipiritual weapons to distory the demonic power behind Michael’s mission. The young man went over to the man who was probably his senior pastor and whispered a few words into his ears. The senior pastor called the prayer to a stop and the young man was allowed the stage to pray for Simon and Verah “Dear heavenly father, I come to you….”
The young man went into a longwinded prayer. When he was done with praying the look on Simon and Verah didn’t seem like God had heard the prayers said. Everyone present waited to see the miraculous happen. The senior pastor turned his look at the young man, wondering why the two adults on the ground had not woken up. The young man didn’t flinch a bit, he was confident his God would prevail in that occasion. He asked some young men to bear the bodies of Simon and Verah, into the church auditorium.
Just when they bent down to carry them a voice was heard. “That won’t be necessary. They are mine now. I am here for their souls”. The pastors and the crowd turned to see who that might be, and it was Michael. Michael walked boldly over to the bodies of Verah and simon and stooped to leave something on their bodies. But the young prayer warrior resisted him and asked “And who made you a soul collector?”
“Young preacher stay out of this”, replied Michael.
“He is responsible for what happened to my friends! The man standing before you is a dead man!” shouted Melinda. The crowd roared in fear and some amongst them ran out of the church compound. The young man charged at Michael and commanded him to leave in the name of Jesus.
The crowd could tell that some form of spiritual contest was about to take place. However, much to the disappointment of the crowd Michael turned and walked away at the command of the young preacher.
Much later in the night, Simon and Verah woke up amid a hot prayer session in the church house.
Four months after the recovery of Simon and Verah, Melinda got an sms which read “Melinda, you should never have meddled with my business.. From Michael”. When Austin read the message, he wondered to himself. Are you sure this Michael was ever dead? What if he has all along been working with the Iranian witch doctor? What if all this was a ploy to kill his friends for a hidden purpose in a manner the police won’t ever suspect him? Who could suspect a dead man for killing his friends what if he was the one offering sacrifices with his friends for ‘The Riches of the Grave?. “Babe you know what, let us pay someone to dig up Michael’s grave, maybe he is not the one in that grave”, said Austin to a bewildered Melinda.
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 6
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“I want it done professionally. Bring samples and take pictures of whatever you find in that grave”, said Austin “I have dug up many troublesome dead people from their graves. We will dig him up and get you the things you have asked for”, assured Osoba. “Be cautious with this one. On one knows what you might find down there”, “Okay Mr Austin. I have to take my leave now”. Osoba and his friend got in their car and left.
About 11:00 pm, Osoba and his two colleagues made their way into Eku-Obhiosa, in Edo state. Michael’s home town. Some weeks earlier they had scouted the village and took pictures of Michael’s grave, so tonight they knew exactly where to go. Bravely Osoba and his two colleagues made their way to Michael’s grave, with the grave some distance away from residential buildings. It seemed to Osoba that would be their advantage. They didn’t waste time to dig; Osoba spread some potent salt around the grave which was expected to keep the dead quiet and asked his colleagues to start digging. Osoba stood a little away from them looking out for any intruder. Unexplainably Osoba’s colleagues stopped digging;the two of them rested their chin on the handle of their shovels, looking intensely into the grave. Osoba stepped closer and looked into the grave and there was nothing to make them stop digging, so he said to them “Guys we haven’t got the whole night let’s do this and get away from here. Please start digging”. Osoba had hardly finished his statement when one of his colleagues jerked his face up, his eyes flaming and t----t his shovel into Osoba’s face. Osoba ducked the incoming shovel but a small part of it caught a fraction of of his face tearing it open. The other colleague snarled like a dog and came after him. Osoba pulled out his hand gun and emptied two bullets into his head and he went down to the ground with a thud. He turned to shoot the other guy, but he move too fast for Osoba, he smacked his shovel into the back of Osoba’s neck and sent him crashing to the ground.
With inhuman venom he stood over Osoba’s body and began to beat him with the shovel in his hand. The other colleague Osoba shot jolted and sat up from the ground. In a flash, Osoba could see his death coming. In assublime instincitive reaction, Osoba grabbed the shovel which the other colleague had dropped when he shot at him and plunged it into the colleague standing over him. The colleague staggered allowing Osoba time to stand to his feet. Wincing from much pain, Osoba managed to fight the both of them with the shovel he had just picked up from the ground, Osoba emptied two rounds of bullets into each of his colleagues and limped away to their car, and drove fast out of the village.
While the horror scene was playing out in Eku-Obhiosa. Melinda was having a hard time trying to sleep. So she decided to chat with Austin. While they chatted and cracked up each other, Melinda felt she heard a noise in the kitchen. She asked Austin to excuse her for a moment and went to check out what it was. When she stepped into her kitchen, the gas cooker was on. She was sure she turned it off after cooking. Fearing there might be someone else in her apartment, she grabbed her kitchen knife to defend herself and went towards the gas cooker. At this point, her heart was racing very fast and she wished she had her phone on her to call Austin. She thought to turn off the gas and run into the street to call neighbours for help.
As soon as her tender fingers touched the knob of the gas cooker, something unusual happened; a gaint human like shadow grabbed her by her hair and began to drag her across the kitchen floor. When the shadow got to the kitchen wall, it went through it. It was as if it were not there. Instead of coming out at the back of Melinda’s kitchen, the shadow walked through the wall into a forest of tombs lodged deep in a valley filled with darkness. The waters around the forest of tombs shimmered in the dim light of the moon. The evil shadow left Melinda on the floor and vanished into the ill-omened darkness around the valley.
Meanwhile Austin was begnning to worry himself to insanity. He couldn’t figure out the reason Melinda had taken too long to return to ther chatting. He had called her several times but she didn’t pick up. He feared and began to feel that Melinda must be in trouble. He took his car keys and drove off around 1:35 am to Melinda’s house. He had driven for about thrity minutes when he noticed that something had been following him. It floated in the air and had an appearance he was sure he hadn’t seen before. It was odd, surreal, out-of-this-world, alien and freakish. Austin could feel fear creeping over him; his whole body was becoming numb. For a moment he felt his legs had somehow detached themselves from the rest of his body. His eyes began to close on their own accord. For a moment he thought “Could this be death?” He slowed his speed and ground his car to a halt under a street light.
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 7
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.The strange object following Austin also showed down its speed. After fiftteen minutes of waiting with the object not moving, Austin started his car and sped off again. From his rear mirror he watched as the object took off in his direction in much the same speed as himself. Willing not to let the object catch him he stepped on the throttle and let his car fly on the lonely night road. He didn’t see it coming, his eyes were on the strange oBject; by the time he heard a deafening car horn, he took his eyes off the rear mirror and saw a trailer in front of him. The trailer was too close; there was nothing he could do. The only thing he had a fraction of time to do was to shout “Jesus!” His car went under the trailer and crumpled under its monstrous metalic weight.
Melinda stood before the forest of tombs quaking in fear. She couldn’t tell what the place was called, but she was certain it was an abode of evil. She tried to pray, but felt a force seizing her tongue, the ground under her feet began to crack open and the forest of tombs began to vibrate violently as though the dead in them were to rise. The graves exploded, the dead in them began to crawl out, she could see their fatid hands poking out of graves. The ground opened up and Melinda sunk into it screaming “AAAH! AAAH! AAAH” It was actually not the ground that opened under her, it was a grave. Inside the grave she could hear the bones of the dead in it creaking as if to wake from death. Melinda shouted all the more.
Some snake-like entities in the grave stirred and awoke to life and began to coil themselves around her feet and body; the risen dead circled around the grave into which she fell and stared down at her hungrily. For a moment she thought she saw Austin amongst them and he said to her with a groaning voice. “Fight! Melinda fight! Don’t let him get you”. Strangely her phone began to ring inside the grave; she could not fathom how it found its way into the grave. In spite of herself she picked it and began to shout “Help! Please help me!” A male voice, with the feel of death said to her “Melinda you should never have meddled with my business”. Melinda recognized the voice “Please Micheal! Help me please!”
“Wake up Melinda! Wake up!” shouted Austin as he shook Melinda vigorously. Melinda opened her eyes and was very glad Austin had arrived in time to wake her from the worst nightmare of her life. Melinda held Austin firmly, sobbing heartily. Her sobbing lasted for quite quite a while; Austin waited patiently for her to recover and narrate her nightmare and to also have her hear his own hair splitting horror encounter “Tell me baby what happened?” Asked Austin “I can’t go back to that horror. I want to forget it”, said Melinda. “It is okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I also had a nightmare last night. I have been trying to piece it together, but it is too hard to do. I woke up this morning in my car”. “In your car? How?”
“It is hard to explain. I was chatting with you when you asked me to excuse you for a moment to check out a sound you heard in your kitchen…..” “Yes I remember that part. So what happened?” “Well Melinda, I think all that was a dream. You never said those things in reality. Both of us where asleep and having the same dream until you went into your kitchen and we got separated into different dreams”. “Was I dreaming when I heard a sound and went into my kitchen?” “Yes! You were. And I was also dreaming when I drove off around 1:35 am to your house. But on my way here I ran into something, some thing evil and form the underworld. I was running from it when my car crashed into a trailer and I died….” “You died? Oh my God! Then all these are no dreams…” “What are you saying?” “Austin I saw you amongst the dead last night. You told me to fight and not let him get me. I saw you when the dead circled the grave I fell into. Austin I get it now…” “You get what?” “You are dead and have risen from the dead. When I saw you amongst the dead you were wearing your pajamas, the very one you are wearing now!”
Austin looked himself over as if he was becoming aware of himself “Oh my God! Austin you are dead! You are dead! AAAH!”
“Stop it I am not dead! I can’t be! It was all a dream sent by Michael to stop us from digging up his grave!” Austin put his arms around Melinda and tried as much as he could to reassure her that he was not dead. However Melinda wasn’t sure her boyfriend was still alive. “If you are not dead, tell me, how you woke up this morning in your car? Why are you still dressed in the very clothes you died in?” Austin stood up from the bed and looked himself over once again, looking very muddled. He thought very hard about the things Melinda just said, and then said to her in a low tone. “No baby, this is not my resurrection, I am not dead, at least not yet. I must have sleep-walked into my car and dozed off inside it thinking I was driving it without knowing I was only dreaming”.
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 8
..
“I have known you for three years, not once have I seen you sleep walk or heard you say you did. Why then did it just start?” Austin left the bed and installed himself in one corner of Melinda’s room and began to replay the events of the night. He found a bit of detail he had missed,which immediately left the look of shock on his face “What is it?” Asked Melinda “I think I saw the wreckage of car like mine under a trailer on my way here” “Are you serious? So you are truly dead?” “Let’s go check it out”. Austin took his car key and began to run out of Melinda’s room. Melinda followed on his heels still grabbed in her nighties. Austin drove as fast as he could to get to the venue of the accident. He parked his car somewhere nearby and both of them walked to the accident scene. When they saw the car buried under the trailer, Melinda and Austin went dumb. It was exactly Austin’s car. Austin put his hands around Melinda and began to lead her away. Hot tears began to flow out of Melinda’s eyes.
“Are you truly dead?” Asked Melinda amid her tears “Maybe I am now one of the risen dead you saw last night”,replied Austin. Just then a fat man bearing a piece of equipment walked past them. “We haven’t seen anything like this before. There is no dead body in the car under the trailer sir,nor can we find any trace of blood. It is as if a ghost drove the car. The police have interviewed the driver. He claims that when the accident happened, he tried to help the person but saw no one”. Austin and Melinda had to trace their steps back to hear all that the fat man said with a flicker of hope in his eyes. Austin asked Melinda “Could it be I never was in this car when the accident occured?” “This has the finger prints of Michael all over it. I think he is trying to scare us. I think you are alive for real?” “Hold on Melinda remember you saw me dead in that valley you described. I think I am dead” “Stop it! It is clearly Michael at work;he doesn’t want that grave dug” said Melinda stoically.
“Frankly I don’t feel like I am dead” “Let’s go and see STRONG PASTOR”,replied Melinda. The two of them began to walk away briskly from the scene. A policeman took notice of them “Excuse me sir! Can I have a word with you and your..?” “Fiance”,supplied Austin “Do you by any chance recognize the car buried under this trailer?” Asked the policeman “No,I don’t.I have no clue whose it is”,replied Austin “Why do I get the feeling you are lying to me?” Quized the policeman.”That is preposterous sir! Do you now analyze suspect with telepathy? He told you no and that is his answer”,said Melinda angrily at the policeman “It is past mid-day and the two of you are still in your nightclothes, do you live around here?” “No we don’t”,replied Austin “Then where is your car?” Austin painfully searched his mind for an apt answer. Melinda saw his fix and stepped in “Oh darling I forgot to tell you,I sent the driver to buy some stuffs for me. Sorry police man,our car is not here. Can we go now?”
The policeman was not entirely convinced,but he had to let them go.He stood watching Austin and Melinda walk into a shopping mall nearby. Austin and Melinda had to pass their car as though it was not thiers. Melinda took Austin’s phone and dialed Verah. Verah picked the call her words threw Melinda and Austin back to square one “Hello Verah!Where are you?I need you..” “Chill babe,I am on my way to where you are and I have the clothes you asked for me”,Said Verah “What are you talking about?” “You called me about thrity minutes ago to help you pick your clothes from Mr.T and come meet you at chocolat mall”,replied Verah “Jesus! Verah thrity minutes ago I wasn’t at chocolat mall,I and Austin just got here. And believe me;I didn’t call you at any time, in over a year I haven’t patrongized Mr.T for my laudry needs” “Melinda! Are you okay! Is Michael back again?”
“It is okay Verah, I am wating for you”
While they pondered on Verah’s claims, Osoba called Austin “Hello Osoba!How did it go?” “Nasty! It was nasty Austin. Whatever is in that grave fountains from the soul of Lucifer himself.Two of my colleagues turned into monsters and attacked me” “Where are you now Osoba?”
“I am on my way to Calabar;I have to see my spiritual counserlor. After I am done with him,I will go back and dig up that cursed grave” “I want it dug fast;we are having a hell of time here. Keep me posted in whatever you intend to do about the grave” “I will” “Bye Osoba”. Melinda had heard a part of the conversation and knew things didn’t go down well in Eku-obhiosa.
Verah pulled into the car park, picked the clothes she got from Mr.T and walked into the mall. Inside Melinda looked over the clothes “How did Mr.T get these clothes?” “He didn’t tell me. Whoever called me must have told him I was coming to pick your..” “And whoever sent your clothes there must have known you used Mr.T for your laundry needs in the past” Injected Austin “Michael knew”
“So this means Michael is after us again”
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 9
..
I think we should leave here. Verah here is my car key; my car is packed not so far from that scene. You have to act like it was yours when you get there. We are going to see strong pastor, you have to come with us”, said Austin and shoved his car key into Verah’s hand, took her car key from her and left the mall with Melinda.
“Good day! Austin, Melinda and Verah, you are all welcome…” the strong pastor paused. His eyes fixed on Melinda and Austin. The two of them held their breath; afraid that the pastor was going to confirm that Austin was dead. “What are you two still doing in your night clothes at this time of the day?” They couldn’t answer him. They wanted him to say it that Austin was dead. Verah took a step backward and mouth from behind Austin & Melinda to the pastor. “I think Austin is dead”. They had brief her what had happened. The pastor read Verah lips and paused yet again. “You are all fine as far as I am concerned; you can have your seats”. The three of them took a loud sigh of relief.
So they took their time and explained to the pastor their ordeal since last night. The pastor assured them that Austin was not by any stretch dead. However he warned that Evil was lurking around them. The pastor said a few words of prayer for them and sent them. Melinda & Austin & Verah were happy that all that had happened to them were only a dream. Melinda pleaded with Austin to move over to her apartment until she could recover from the trauma she had gone through. Austin was very glad to oblige her. Melinda pleaded with Austin to put on hold the plan to dig Michael’s grave. Grudgingly Austin accepted to do so. The two of them decided to banish talk about Michael from all their conversations. This worked for them. Melinda offered to take Austin the first night she had no nightmare. Her old self was beginning to blossom again.
“Baby I had a dream last night”, she announced to Austin excitedly “And this time it wasn’t about the dead”. “What is it about?” “It was about our wedding; it took place im New York City at the Leonard’s Palazzo”. “Leonard’s Palazzo! To rent it would cost a half a state’s budger in Nigeria!” Melinda continued ignoring him “…after our wedding we had a handsome baby boy who took after my pretty looks. You should have seen him. You know what I am taking you out this evening. Pick your spot”, she announced to Austin “My ideal spot would be ehm.. Yes! Vista restaurant at Le Meridien Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort”, “Baby, pack your bags and get ready, by this evening we will be in Uyo. I will call Gbenga for our flight tickets”.
By 8:00pm, Austin & Melinda were at Uyo airport; Austin had thrown in a few surprises into their kneejerk decision to dine at the up scale restaurant by making resevations for both room at the hotel and a table at the restaurant before leaving Lagos. They were met at the airport by two lovely ladies who collected their bags and took them to a hotel chauffeur driven car. On arrival at the hotel they were welcomed by a senior staff of the hotel and several other members of staff and given a glass of champagne. She and Austin were treated like royalty.
After they had settled on, the both of them dressed up for a diner at the Vista restaurant. Melinda knew the awesome way they were welcome from the airport to the hotel had someting to do with Austin. When they got to the restaurant, a waiter ushered them to their table. Melinda was awed by the detailed and careful treatment shown to her and her man.
Melinda was glancing through the manue when she heard a familiar voice. She raised her head, her eyes darting around the restaurant; Austin quickly took notice. “What is it baby?” “Did you hear that voice?” “Which voice?” Austin couldn’t pick out any unusual voice from among the people in the restaurant, he knew their romantic evening was over. He asked again “What voice are you talking about?”
Just then Melinda spotted the corner of the restaurant where the voice came from. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets, all she could do was to point at what she had seen and said “Look there”. Austin followed the direction of her hand. Austin was frozen with dear. He could not believe his eyes. The three adults stood up to their feet and began to leave the restaurant; Austin got up and tried to chase after them. Mid way across the restaurant he heard a scream. When he turned he saw Melinda on the floor convulsing terribly. He ran back to help her, waiters and customers in the restaurant rushed to her and did their best to revive her.
Austin lead Melinda back to their room: he carefully put her down on the bed and sat next to her. His thoughts were racing very fast, he wanted to know why Melinda’s three dead friends: OBIORAH, ANGELIQUE AND LANRE chose to pay them a visit in an evening as wonderful as the one they were having. He thought “What do they want with Melinda?”
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 10
..
Melinda was moving her hands frantically on the bed, trying very hard to shut out the images of her dead friends she had seen in the restuarant. She felt her right hand touch some glossy object on the bed; none of them had noticed it when they entered the room. She picked it up and looked at it. She screamed the moment she saw what was on it and flung it. Austin went after the object she threw away. While he went for the object, Melinda continued to scream. Austin picked up the object and looked at it; the object was a picture showing the faces of Angelique, Lanre, Obiorah and Melinda in their middle. Austin turned its back and on it was written “Melinda, please help your friends, dig up Michael’s grave”. Austin ran back to Melinda to show her the message. The message on the back of the photograph left a thoughtful mien on her face.
“What do we do? Your friends want the grave dug up Melinda”, “Oh God, help me to be strong against this evil. Dear God my dead friends are depending on me, help me not to fail them..” she paused “Austin, dig up that grave! Even if we die doing it”, said Melinda resolutely. Austin picked up his phone and dialed up Osoba “Hello Osoba, I think we are now ready to dig up Michael grave” “Austin, I will be very glad to do it. I think I found out who is in that grave and who the guy called Michael really is”
“Who is the guy?” “Austin meet me in Benin by tomorrow morning. I will tell you all you need to know about Michael and th grave” “Okay Osoba, I and Melinda will catch a flight to Benin by morning”
“Baby, Osoba claims to have solved the riddle about Micheal and his grave”.
With first flight Melinda & Austin touched down in Benin the next day and went straight to their rendezvous point, Osoba walked into the restaurant with two young men and came over to their table. They exchanged greetings and got down to business “We want to hear all you have discovered about Michael and his grave”, said Austin “Michael actually died in Malta. However what killed him was not ‘The Riches of the Grave’. On the contray. The Riches of the Grave brought him back to life. Michael is alive like anybody else you know, yet he had one time been dead. His death has absolutely nothing to do with Melinda’s dead friends”, Osoba emphasized Melinda cut in “What killed my friend?”
“Michael has never been who any of you thought him to be. Michael is the current Lord of the Circle of stars. The guy you call Michael is the Lord off Circle of stars in sub-saharan Africa. Sorry to burst your bubbles, Michael killed your friends to become the current Lord of stars. The ritual which your friends performed in Malta, was Michael’s plan. The Iranian witch doctor was a member of the Circle of stars. And Michael controls the dead”. “I was dragged into a valley full of dead” interjected Melinda. “What you saw was probably the souls they have killed through the years”, explained Osoba “Hold on Osoba, did Michael kill Melinda’s friends just to rise as the Lord of stars?” “No Austin. Michael was required to that. However Michael could not become the Lord of stars without tasting death. Melinda friends were chosen and diabolically manipuleted to choose Michael’s destiny. By that ritual, all those who took part of it, gave up their souls, stars and their bodies to Michael. When he rose from the dead he became the Lord of their stars. Let me be a bit more precise, Michael is the Lord of Verah’s and Simon’s stars-destiny, if we don’t stop him now, somehow he will get to them”.
“Jesus! Michael did all these? He is the devil himself! I could have been like one of my friends!” Exclaimed Melinda. “How did he come back to life and who is in his grave?” Asked Austin. “The elders of the Circle of stars brought him back to life after his death in Malta. Like I said it was required for him to die and wake through The Riches of the Grave for him to become the Lord of the Circle of stars. And believe me when I say this, Michael attened his own burial. He was around the day a shade was lowered into the earth as Michael. Michael can do things beyond anyone’s imagination because he has the army of the dead at his disposal. Both few he has killed and the ones killed by the members over the years.They knew their bodies was trophies and used them to their biddings. The souls of the dead are there slaves” “What do you mean by a shade?”
“A shade is a dying member of the Circle of stars, who donated his body for certain rituals to be performed on it to hold the souls of the dead whom his new master has killed, and to keep the bond between them as the Lord and slaves. This is what I mean, through a shade;a star Lord can summon the souls of those he had killed. Particularly those ones who took part in the rituals of the Riches of the Grave. By the way the Riches of the Grave means the riches of the star lord who died but has risen to command the riches of his dead ones-those he he killed or will killed through The Riches of the Grave”.
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 11
..
Melinda & Austin listened raptly.”You told me Angelique was seen at Beach Palm after her death, well that wasn’t Angelique, it was Michael” “We saw Angelique, Lanre and Obiorah in Uyo. They pleaded with me to dig up Micheal’s grave. Was that Michael?” Asked Melinda “No,that was a case of the dead souls looking to break free from their lord” “How then do you plan to dig up something as strong as this?” Asked Austin “Those who revealed this mystery to me in Calabar, also told me what to do”. After Osoba had said that he asked Melinda a question which startled her “Melinda, did you put on the cloth Michael sent to you?” Both Austin & Melinda couldn’t figure out how Osoba got to know about the cloth “No, I haven’t” “Thank God you didn’t. Had you worn it,your soul would have been bound to Michael’s soul. He desires to take you as his bride” Melinda was shocked when Osoba said that.
“Is there no other way of stopping Michael?” asked Melinda “My two friends here have dug up shades on a few occasions. I don’t know for you and Austin, but we are ready to confront whatever is in that grave”
“No Osoba, we will be there with you”,said Austin.
Later in the night, they all drove down to Eku-Obhiosa in a Toyata bus. When they arrived at some distance near Michael’s father residence, they stopped their bus and quickly took their tools and headed for the lonely grave. Melinda had made a stop on the way to buy a pocket bible; as soon as they alighted from the bus, she firmly took hold of Austin with one hand and held her bible open to psalm 23 and read aloud ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..” Osoba’s friends, Etim and Ochuma didn’t waste time to set to work. They dragged a big chain across the grave and set a small calabash atop it. The calabash slowly borrowed it way into the grave and disappeared from sight. Melinda & Austin could not believe their eyes. Etim and Ochuma began to dig from one end of the grave. Osoba stood at a distance, wielding a sharp machet; in the background Melinda continued to recite psalm 23:4-6. As the two men dug the grave ebulliently, out of blue, Simon and two young men stormed the grave site, firing gun shots into the air. Melinda & Austin scampered into the bush; while Osoba and his two friends stood their ground sizing up Simon and the two guys by his sides “I would be most glad if you stop digging up this grave and leave here immediately”, said Simon “May I ask what is your business with the grave?” Quizzed Osoba “The inhabitant doesn’t want to be disturbed and has hired me to stop you”, answered Simon.
“Simon! Simon! Lower your gun! What in God’s world are you doing?” Austin called out as they stepped out of the bush “Protecting the grave and its inhabitant”, replied Simon impudently “Austin stay away from him, Michael has taken over his mind!” Shouted Melinda “No, he is in his right mind” countered Osoba “Is that you Melinda?” Asked Simon “Yes Simon. I don’t know what has come over you. We have found out the truth,it wasn’t The Riches of the Grave that killed our friends,it was Michael..” “Michael killed them?” Simon lowered his gun and motioned to his two guys to do same “Simon you are mislead, Michael fooled us all, The Riches of the Grave didn’t kill him; rather he killed our friends to rise as a lord in an occult organization called the Circle of stars..” “Where did you heard that name from? I saw a crest on Michael this morning bearing that name on it”. Melinda pointed to Osoba and said “That guy, he has solved the Michael riddle. So why are you here?” “Verah had a nasty attack yesterday morning, so I drove off to see strong pastor. Instead of going to see the pastor, I ended up at Cream Royal. I went in and sat down, Michael came out & made me an offer guys..” Simon paused.
“What offer?” Asked Austin, Melinda & Osoba simultaneously. “He said he would let Verah and I live if I stopped you guy” “Simon you are being conned, Michael is going to kill you as soon as he knows you have stopped us. You took part in the rituals for The Riches of the Grave right?” Asked Osoba “Yes I did” “That means that Michael will never let you live, he has become by that ritual the lord of your star” “Who is this guy Melinda?” Asked Simon “He is a specialist in dealing with the stubborn dead. Step aside and let him finish” said Melinda “What if he fails?”
“If I was going to fail Michael wouldn’t have sent you down here. The first time I came here to dig up his grave, he sent no one to do his job. He took care of things his way and I failed. Now things are different, he knows I will succeed so he sent you” Austin explained futher “He is right Simon. Remember Michael told us some months ago that he had three hours to return to his grave, that was all a lie too”
“This guy had better succeed, because if he fails, I will put a bullet in his head before Michael gets to me”, said Simon
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 12
..
Etim and Ochuma went back to digging the grave. After about fifteen minutes they stumbled on something in the grave. They had to stop digging and called Osoba to come have a look at it. All of them gathered around the grave and flashed their torch lights into it. Etim jumped back into and tried to move the pile of sand around it while he did that, Osoba shouted “Get out of there Etim!” Etim reacted quickly and tried to jump out of the grave but the object moved up and grabbed Etim by one of his ankles and pulled him back into the grave. Etim fought hard to keep off the ghostly creature. Osoba knew exactly what it was; his two friends whom he killed must have buried themselves in the grave after he left. Simon knew it would only be a matter of seconds before the risen dead in that grave would plunge its teeth into Etim’s body, so he opened fire on it. His two other guys joined him shooting at the risen dead. Their bullets could only slow it, buying Etim a fraction of time to leap out of the grave.
When Etim came out, he was breathing heavily and it wasn’t because of fear. The risen dead had lacerated much of his skin with its nails. The wounds were doing something inhuman to him. He was beginning to snarl like a beast. Osoba removed a powder from a pounch around his waist, and threw some of it on Etim. Etim hit the floor screaming as if Osoba had thrown a bucket of hot water on him. While they all paid attention to Etim, Osoba other dead colleague woke up in the grave. With amazing agility he leapt out of the grave and seized one of the young men who came with Simon. The guy shouted drawing attention his way, he tried to fight off the risen dead, but instead fell into the grave with him. In seconds the two risen dead in the grave tore him to shreds. To subdue them, Osoba cast some of the powder into the grave and the two risen dead grew quiet. They all sat down wondering who will go into the grave and finish off the digging. Without saying a word Osoba jumped into the grave, tied ropes on the three dead bodies and asked Ochuma and the other guys above ground to pull the ropes. They pulled up the three dead bodies up and Osoba began to dig the grave all by himself.
After some minutes of digging Osoba got to the coffin, he asked for the ropes and Simon who had become actively involved threw them to him, Osoba tied the ropes on the corners of the wonky, creaky coffin and asked them to pull it up. Ochuma lowered a retractable ladder they brought along and Osoba climbed out of the grave. By this time Etim had recovered considerably from the asphyxiating sensation which took over his lungs.
When they opened the coffin the shade inside had decayed considerably and a small box was found around the shade’s chest area. Osoba removed the box and cracket it open; it contained bits of undecayed human parts. “What you see here are the body parts of the risen dead who save Michael. Once we destory them Michael won’t be able to wield his powers again”. Osoba cast the powder into the coffin; he asked the other guys to bring the bodies of the other dead ones. They did, and heaped them around the coffin; Osoba covered them with the potent powder and dropped some oil which Ochuma gave to him on them and set it on fire.
As the bodies burned, a man stood afar off and watched them. He was too far for any one of them to have seen him. Osoba set the small box on the ground, scooped a handful of the powder and then did the most unexpected thing- he prayed. As he began pray, Etim and Ochuma joined him and knelt down on the ground. The others were surprised and had to kneel and bow their heads in prayer. “I appealed to you oh Most High, unleash your power and destory this evil with which hades has afflicted the living. Let the brightness of your glory and light overwhelm the powers of tartalus from where this evil has fountained up………….”
While Osoba prayed, the man who had been hiding began to run towards them, moving very fast and wielding a glistening sword. No one saw him coming nor heard his footsteps.
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To Be Continue………
THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 13
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Osoba lowered his raised arm and cast the power on the objects inside the small box and poured on it some oil which Ochuma gave him earlier. He reached out to ignite the match in his hand and they heard a thud, “Puhm!” the head of the second guy Simon came with hit the ground. The fast moving man swung his sword at Melinda aiming for her neck. Melinda ducked lamely; the match stick was already burning, Osoba dropped it on the small box. The man with the sword busted into flames and went with the wind. No one got a good look at him, he was took fast, but whoever he was they were thankful he was destoryed by the fire. Melinda was lying face down and was bleeding from the neck. The others were celebrating that the evil in Michael’s grave had been destoryed and didn’t notice Melinda. Etim looked her way wondering why she was not celebrating; he moved closer and saw blood oozing from her neck. He feared the man’s sword must have slit her throat and shouted “She is dead! The woman is dead!”
Michael was lying on a stone altar in a persian looking temple, badly charred all over. A number of the elders of the Circle of Stars stood around him “You are dying my Lord. You have to chose a man to take your place and complete your reign. It has to be done now. We fear you will not see the sun rise tomorrow morning”, said the head of the elders of the Circle of Stars. “Summon him and let him complete my reign. He is the one I couldn’t stop; he is outside of the Circle of Stars, but I am the Lord of his star”. “Who is that my Lord” Asked the head of the elders of the Circle of Stars. “He is Simon, Simon Temile. I release his star”. Michael didn’t say another word after that; he lay on the altar breathing weakly.
“I killed her! It is my fault! I should have put her in a hotel room. I killed Melinda”. “It is not your fault you did what you thought was best at that point. Stop blaming yourself! Stop it!” Shouted Osaba as he tried to calm Austin down.
Simon was acting strangely; some very strong force was pulling his attention to some place. He ran out of the hospital reception, got into Osoba’s bus and drove off not knowing where he was headed. Something was pulling him to a destination.
While Austin mourned bitterly, a nurse ran into the reception and announced to them “The doctors have just got a pulse on the lady; they are trying very hard now to stabilize her. She lost a lot of blood”.
Austin hit the floor on his knees and prayed. “Thank you God for bringing Melinda back, please don’t let her slip away again. Save her please!” He cried bitterly as he said those words. When they arrived at the hospital that night, the doctors had given them the impression that Melinda’s condition was almost beyond anything they could do. After the doctors had got a pulse, Austin and the others waited and hoped that Melinda’s condition would improve. They were all focused on Melinda’s recovery and didn’t notice Simon had left the hospital driving to an unknown destination under the spell of the elders of the Circle of Stars.
THE REAL BATTLE HAS JUST BEGAN
Melinda, Austin, Verah, Osoba, Ochuma, Etim with some others will have to battle with the elders of the Circle of Stars and the return of Michael in the body of an old friend of theirs…….
The question is……
The question is……
Who amongs them will be The Last Survivors?
Find out in the next chapter
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To Be Continue……….
THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 14
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“Mr Austin, Melinda is ready to see you now”, said a nurse “Thank God! I can’t wait to see her” The nurse led Austin to the hospital room where Melinda was being nursed. When Melinda saw Austin a lovely smile enveloped her face. “I thought I had lost you. Thank God you are back”,he sat on her hospital bed and took her left hand in his two hands and kissed the back of it “Don’t worry baby I am not going anywhere yet” Melinda smiled and asked “Tell me,did we kill that son of Lucifer,Michael?” “I believe we did. According to Osoba we did. I think from what Simon is going through now,Michael is dead” “What’s happening to Simon?” “Simon could become the next Lord of Stars. He had lost his mind and is under the care of the elders of Circle of Stars as we speak” “You can’t be serious! Austin you are wrong. How did he lose his mind?” “Osoba has been my source to all these. He claims that Michael chose Simon as his replacement before his death. I don’t understand how that is possible, Simon has never been a member of the Circle of Stars, so I am wondering how he could be made their new Lord” “We have to save our friend Austin,we have to save Simon” “Yes but you have to get well first” “I am well right now” “No you are not!”
“How is Verah? When we were at the grave Simon said she wasn’t fine” “She is fine now. But I am afraid for her” “Why are you afraid of her? Austin you are not telling me everything” “You need to be protected! I can’t tell you everything now. Get well first!” Melinda began to cough gently at first, and then began to jerk. The bandage on her neck got soaked with blood. Her eyes began to flicker. Something was clearly trying to choke her. Austin panicked and began to shout “Melinda! What is it! Doctor!” A doctor and some nurses ran into the room. At first sight they could tell that Melinda was in the throes of death. “What did you do to her Mr Austin?” asked the doctor in charge of Melinda’s case. “Nothing. We were talking and suddenly she began to cough”
“We are losing her! Get me the defibrillator!” Shouted Melinda’s doctor. A nurse handed him the defibrillator. The doctor applied the defibrillator on Melinda’s chest wall and she jolted. The doctor paused and studied her heart beat on the monitor. The doctor applied the defibrillator a second time and got a cold response from Melinda. She lay lifeless on the bed with her hand hanging loosely from the bed. The doctor turned and faced Austin “She is gone. Are you sure you did nothing to her?” “I did nothing to her Doctor! And you are wrong she isn’t dead!” Austin ran to Melinda’s bed and began to pound his hands on her cold, lifeless body,shouting “Melinda wake up! This is not how we planned it to end! You can’t leave me this way!” The doctor and the nurses allowed him to grief a bit over her body and pulled him away from her. A nurse pulled a white cloth over her body and the doctor put his hand around Austin and began to lead him out of the room. When they got to the door Melinda sat up from the bed and yelled with a shrill voice “H-e-l-p! Austin help me? He is killng me!” She slumped back on the bed and went cold. Austin, the doctor and the nurses ran back to her bed to attend to her. They had got a hang of it; whatever was happening to Melinda was spirtual. One of the nurses in the room shouted “Oh my God! This is the work of an evil spirit. I can see it. I can see a shadow standing by Melinda’s bed!” The nurse began to run out of the room. The doctor and the other nurses follow suit. Austin stood his ground and commanded “You foul spirit I command you in the name of Jesus leave this place now!” As he shouted he felt sharp claws ripping his flesh from behind his back. Austin went down to the ground yelling in pain. The nurse who clamed she had seen the evil shadow returned with PASTOR IDIKA. Pastor Idika,was an evangelist “In the name of Jesus I command you foul spirit of death be gone!” commanded Idika. A violent wind blew through the window,shattering the glass as it went through, in that moment Melinda sat up on the bed panting heavily. Austin dragged himself and went over to Melinda and hugged her
“I don’t know who you two are, but I can tell you are in grave danger. You have a great battle coming your way. But on the other hand make sure you don’t leave her alone in this place by night”,said pastor Idika “Thank pastor;but we don’t know your name”,remarked Melinda “I am Pastor Idika Ojigwe. I work with the Jesus army” “My name is Austin & she is Melinda my fiancee” After pastor Idika left, Austin & Melinda began to brainstorm on how to survive their stay at the hosiptal
While they thought, someone visited Verah where she was hiding. She was in the hutch which served as kitchen to the little appartment, when she heard noise in the room. She could have sworn she securely locked her door when she returned from buying snacks. She peeped into the room to see what it was & there he was, sitting down & smiling like in old times.
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THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 15
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Verah was so scared she instinctively banged the kitchen door close, shut herself in and began to shout, “Holy Ghost Fire!” “Holy Ghost Fire!” Holy Ghost Fire!” She must have shouted ‘Holy Ghost Fire!’ For about fifteen minutes before she opened the kitchen door to see if he was still there. With no sigh of him in the room, Verah dashed in to pick her handbag and flee from her apartment. While she hurriedly stuffed her hand bag with few of her belongings, smoke began to emit from the kitchen which she had left. She couldn’t figure out the source of the smoke; she made to flee from the room when she got to the door, curiosity got the better of her and she thought to check it out. Quietly she tiptoed to the kitchen and opened the door. Standing in the kitchen was her dead grandmother, preparing the Quaker Oat she had abandoned in fear.
Amazingly there was not a trace of smoke in the kitchen, Verah yelled, “Jesus!” Before she could take a step to flee from her sight, her dead grandmother spinned around like a whirlpool, transformed into a thick dark smoke and moved into Verah’s body. Verah landed on the floor with the sort of force that should have cracked her skull, but amazingly nothing happened to her.
After some twenty minutes of lying on the floor, her eyes opened wide, looking very dark and hallow like there was no substance in them. She stood to her feet, went over to her mirror and checked her eyes before the mirror. She took a dark sunglass from a table and put it on, went into the kitchen and removed a knife from a drawer, stuffed it into her hand bag and left to pay Austin and Melinda a visit at the hospital.
She didn’t use her car; she rather flagged down a taxi and told the driver where to take her. Immediately she sat in the cab, the taxi driver felt goosebumps all over him, his head felt like it had swollen and increased in size. The driver tried to drive off but for a moment felt he couldn’t see the steering. He bent down and did what an average Nigeria would do, he prayed. As soon as he began to mumble prayers to God, Verah swiftly closed her ears with her two hands and shouted at the driver “Drive!”
As though her shout propelled him, the driver started his car and sped off. After driving for some minutes under the spell of her command, the taxi driver suddenly applied the brake and asked Verah to get off his car. Verah asked him why she should get off his car; the driver replied that he had to go pick his son from school. Verah surprised him. “The last thing you did before you picked me was to drop off your son, Samson, with your wife”.
The taxi driver was shocked and shouted. “You are the offspring of the devil please get off my car!” Verah simply replied. “I command you to die!” As soon as she declared that, the taxi driver began to smash his head on the steering. While the driver was smashing his head on the steering, Verah stepped out of his cab, stopped another taxi and it drove her away. The driver continued to bang his head on the steering until he bled to death. A spirit had jumped on him when Verah spoke those words.
When Verah got to the hospital and alighted from the taxi, she amiably paid the driver and asked him to keep the balance. She walked into the hospital reception and asked to see Melinda, after the receptionist was satisfied with the information she provided about herself, she asked her to sit down and wait for a nurse to take her to the ward where Melinda was. While Verah waited in the reception, she began to hear a faint voice in her head calling out, “Verah fight it! You can fight it! Verah fight it! You are no murderer!” Verah focused her attention on the voice and could tell it was Simon’s Voice. She whispered back to the voice. “I can’t help it Simon”. “You can fight it Verah! Fight it! You have been through worse……..” The voice in her head faded to nothing. Verah grabbed her head with both hands as if to keep it from imploding from the inside. Just then a nurse came out and the receptionist said. “Madam you can follow her, she will take you to your friend”.
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To Be Continue……
THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 16
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Verah stood to her feet and staggered terribly, the nurse had to put her hand around Verah to keep her from falling. “Madam are you okay?” asked the nurse. Verah tried to speak but could not, she just nodded to the nurse. The two of them walked to Melinda’s hospital room not saying a word to each other. When they got into the room, the nurse pushed the door open and let Verah in and walked away. Verah picked her step as she walked into the room. Melinda was alone lying on the bed. When Melinda heard the creak she turned to see who it was, she was expecting to see Austin, it had been a while since he went to buy some things in the street.
“Hi Verah! You came to see me. That’s very nice of you. I have been wondering how you are doing”. Verah didn’t say a word to Melinda. It was very unlike her. Melinda quickly suspected something was wrong with her friend, so she sat up on her bed and asked. “Verah what is wrong with you?” By this time Verah was very close to her. Finally Verah spoke and when she did. It was as if several men were inside of her trying to speak at the same time. “Melinda run! You are dead! You dug up Micheal’s grave! Burn in hell!” Verah tited her head upward and groaned like a beast, “Hoaah!!!!” The light blubs in the room and the glass windows shattered at Verah shout. Melinda sprang from her bed and made for the door, but sadly she was too weak. Verah turned with a kind of swiftness only achievable by a supernatural being and grabbed Melinda from behind and flung her back on the bed. By this time Verah’s sunglass had fallen off and what Melinda saw in place of her eyes was a pair of dark spots swelling like the waves of the sea, Melinda knew whoever was in front of her was no longer her friend Verah; she had to fight or die. Meanwhile the hospital staff who heard Verah’s monstrous groan, came running to Melinda’s room to know what it was. Through the glass portion of the door they could see the fight going in the room but could not come in. A powerful force had held the door shut, all they could do was shout and bang on the door. When Verah turned and the hospital staff saw her eyes. They fled from the door, screaming insanely as they ran.
Back in the room Verah was holding the kitchen knife in her hand and was thrusting it at Melinda with speed too fast for her to defend. The knife was slashing Melinda’s body as she did her best to defend herself. At some point Melinda was able to get under the bed and crept out behind Verah. Close to Melinda was a drip infusion stand, she held it firmly with both hands, liffted it and with all her might, crashed it into Verah’s skull. Much to Melinda’s shock, Verah didn’t move, the drip infusion stand just bounced off her as if she hit it against a wall. Verah came at Melinda again, leaving her no chioce but to use the drip infusion stand a second time. Melinda lifted the stand and plunged it into Verah’s chest and screamed “Be gone in the name of Jesus!” The force sent Verah against the wall; she came off the wall leaving it stained with blood when she hit the floor. She lay still.
Melinda slowly sat down on the floor bleeding all over from knife wounds. The door which had been shut opened of its own accord letting in Pastor Idika and Austin who had been watching the horror from outside through the glass portion on the door.
Austin went to Melinda and hugged her, but Melinda screamed painfully, Pastor Idika ran out of the room to call doctors, he knew Melinda need immediate treatment. When the doctors came into the room. They could not belive their eyes, the floor and the wall were stained with blood. They quickly put Melinda on a stretcher and wheeled her to the theater; she had been badly cut by Verah’s knife.
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Verah stood to her feet and staggered terribly, the nurse had to put her hand around Verah to keep her from falling. “Madam are you okay?” asked the nurse. Verah tried to speak but could not, she just nodded to the nurse. The two of them walked to Melinda’s hospital room not saying a word to each other. When they got into the room, the nurse pushed the door open and let Verah in and walked away. Verah picked her step as she walked into the room. Melinda was alone lying on the bed. When Melinda heard the creak she turned to see who it was, she was expecting to see Austin, it had been a while since he went to buy some things in the street.
“Hi Verah! You came to see me. That’s very nice of you. I have been wondering how you are doing”. Verah didn’t say a word to Melinda. It was very unlike her. Melinda quickly suspected something was wrong with her friend, so she sat up on her bed and asked. “Verah what is wrong with you?” By this time Verah was very close to her. Finally Verah spoke and when she did. It was as if several men were inside of her trying to speak at the same time. “Melinda run! You are dead! You dug up Micheal’s grave! Burn in hell!” Verah tited her head upward and groaned like a beast, “Hoaah!!!!” The light blubs in the room and the glass windows shattered at Verah shout. Melinda sprang from her bed and made for the door, but sadly she was too weak. Verah turned with a kind of swiftness only achievable by a supernatural being and grabbed Melinda from behind and flung her back on the bed. By this time Verah’s sunglass had fallen off and what Melinda saw in place of her eyes was a pair of dark spots swelling like the waves of the sea, Melinda knew whoever was in front of her was no longer her friend Verah; she had to fight or die. Meanwhile the hospital staff who heard Verah’s monstrous groan, came running to Melinda’s room to know what it was. Through the glass portion of the door they could see the fight going in the room but could not come in. A powerful force had held the door shut, all they could do was shout and bang on the door. When Verah turned and the hospital staff saw her eyes. They fled from the door, screaming insanely as they ran.
Back in the room Verah was holding the kitchen knife in her hand and was thrusting it at Melinda with speed too fast for her to defend. The knife was slashing Melinda’s body as she did her best to defend herself. At some point Melinda was able to get under the bed and crept out behind Verah. Close to Melinda was a drip infusion stand, she held it firmly with both hands, liffted it and with all her might, crashed it into Verah’s skull. Much to Melinda’s shock, Verah didn’t move, the drip infusion stand just bounced off her as if she hit it against a wall. Verah came at Melinda again, leaving her no chioce but to use the drip infusion stand a second time. Melinda lifted the stand and plunged it into Verah’s chest and screamed “Be gone in the name of Jesus!” The force sent Verah against the wall; she came off the wall leaving it stained with blood when she hit the floor. She lay still.
Melinda slowly sat down on the floor bleeding all over from knife wounds. The door which had been shut opened of its own accord letting in Pastor Idika and Austin who had been watching the horror from outside through the glass portion on the door.
Austin went to Melinda and hugged her, but Melinda screamed painfully, Pastor Idika ran out of the room to call doctors, he knew Melinda need immediate treatment. When the doctors came into the room. They could not belive their eyes, the floor and the wall were stained with blood. They quickly put Melinda on a stretcher and wheeled her to the theater; she had been badly cut by Verah’s knife.
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To Be Continue……
THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 17
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While all attention was paid to Melinda, Verah was slowly bleeding to death. It took pastor Idika to call to her condition. He was the only one bold enough to get close to Verah’s body. When he did, he saw a gash at the back of her head spurting blood. He shouted “The demon possessed lady, she is losing blood!” At first the doctors and nurse were too afraid to get close, Austin had to go and open her eye lids carefully, when he saw her eyes had turned back to normal, he put a piece of cloth on her wound to stop the bleeding and told the doctors and nurses in the room, “Her name is Verah, she is a friend of us. You won’t be able to understand what happened to her. Just help her please!” Even though Verah had lost the power which took hold of her, doctors and nurses were still afraid of her. When she was wheeled off the room for treatment, Austin had to follow the doctors and nurses to the theater; he feared they might out of fear leave her to die.
No one saw it, when Verah lay on the floor; something had creapt out of her body and went through the wall. It was like a giant black scorpion in smoke form.
By late evening, Verah had recovered fully from the blow she took to her head and the consequent unconsciousness. Melinda who was still in several bandages, and Austin could not wait to hear her narrate how she came to be possessed with the sort of power they saw earlier in the day. “I was in my little apartment at Bay Ground trying to fix myself some junk food, when I heard a noise in my room. I peeked into the room only to see Simon seating in my chair and smiling at me warmly………” “You saw Simon? How did he get in?” Asked Austin. “I don’t know. I still can’t explain it. I did the only thing that came to my mind; I shouted the Holy Ghost fire for sometime, I don’t know for how long. When I felt he must have left, I opened the kitchen door to check if he was still there. Thankfully he had gone, or so I thought. So I ran into the room to get my things and run away from the apartment. Actually I had taken some of the things I needed and was on my way out when I decided to check the smoke coming out from my kitchen. When I opened my kitchen door, guess who I saw?” Austin and Melinda sat staring at Verah speechlessly. Melinda managed to ask, “Who was in your kitchen?” “My dead grandmother! I saw her in my kitchen preparing the Quaker Oat I had abandoned in fear. The last thing I remember clearly was my grandmother turning into thick dark smoke and moving into my body. Every other thing that happened afterwards are like bits of hazy dreams to me. I remember having a minor misunderstanding with a taxi driver and telling him to die. I saw him pounding his head on his steering. I don’t know if he died. I also remember hearing Simon’s voice when I was at the reception waiting to be shown your hospital room. After I got possesed I had only one desire, to kill the both of you”. “You said you heard Simon’s voice, what did he tell you?” Asked Melinda. “He told me to fight the urge to kill the two of you”. “From now on we all are going to stick together until we find a way to fight this renewed attack against us”, said Austin. Melinda and Verah nodded in agreement. “Melinda I am sorry I did all this to you; look at your body. I can’t believe I wanted to kill you. I am sorry please forgive me”, said Verah amid sobs. “Babe I understand, you don’t need to cry about it: obviously we are at war”, responded Melinda.
“Austin, Verah saw Simon at her apartment; does that mean he has assumed Michael’s position?”
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To Be Continue………
THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 18
“I don’t know that yet, I need to speak with Osoba”. “I don’t think that Simon had accepted that position yet. Like I said, I heard him in my head telling me to fight the urge to kill the both of you. If he has become the Lord of stars, why would he tell me that? I know Simon, they will have to kill him first to get him to become one of them”. “Then there is hope. Austin we need to act fast we need to find a way to stop the mindless attacks against us and save Simon”, said Melinda “Yes, I am trying to get in touch with Osoba, the network service here is rather too poor”. Austin clutching his phone went outside hoping to get a better network coverage to place a call to Osoba.
They didn’t see it, but above their heads was that gigantic dark scorpion in smoke form crouching on the ceiling.
As Austin went outside, it followed him with amazing speed, just like natuaral scorpions do. While Austin walked through the passage way he kept trying to call Osoba. Eventually he got through to his phone, It was ringing and so Austin paused, waiting for Osoba to pick up, while he stood waiting for Osoba to pick the call, the gigantic dark scorpion moved exactly above his position on the ceiling; at that very moment, nurses were wheeling in a patient into the hospital, and were shouting for people to make a way for them. The scorpion let itself loose from the ceiling decending towards Austin’s head, the nurse got close and shoved Austin out of the way, the dark smoke scorpion landed on the patient instead. The patient was a woman in her mid-sixties. The nurses didn’t see the scorpion land on her and move into her body.
Austin on his part was busy talking with Osoba over the phone, trying very hard to get him to come down to the hospital. Osoba assured him that he and some of his guys would be at the hospital that evening. Austin was glad to hear that. He wanted them to have a collective front against the attack from the elders of Circle of stars.
About 7:00pm, Osoba and three young men arrived at the hospital. Austin took his time and filled Osoba in on all that had happened at the hospital while he was away. Osoba suggested that they leave the hospital feeling it was no longer safe for Melinda or any one of them.
Austin thought they all should give their opinions about moving out of the hospital and the new place they would go. His reason was that Melinda and Verah were not in good conditions to leave the hospital yet. They all clustered around Melinda’s bed to discuss the issue, even Verah had to be moved into the room. While they were discussing, the ceiling fan in the room began to spin around with unnatural speed; they all paused to watch it for a while. No one had touched the ceiling fan regulator. One of Osoba’s colleagues went to the regulator to reduce its speed. For no explainable reason, the ceiling fan unhooked from the ceiling, decending with the same speed it was rotating. Osoba’s colleague, OLISEH, had no chance to duck; the ceiling beheaded him,, splashing his blood all around the room. The ceiling fan continued to decend, cutting into the human flesh closet to it and spraying their meat and blood all around the room. Another colleague of Osoba’s, OCHUMA, raised his hand in defense and the demonized ceiling fan sliced it off like it had no bone. Austin who had made it to the floor had to raise a metallic seat toward the direction of the ceiling fan to quench its monstrously rotating blades. When the blades hit the metallic seat, two of the blades pulled off and whizzed past their heads and burried themselves into the wall, the only remaining blade twisted upwards. Austin couldn’t hold the seat for long, the blows from the three blades of the ceiling fan sent it out of his hands. Though they were shouting not one soul in the hospital came to their aid. As the whirring sound of the rotating motor of the fan died down, Osoba and Austin sprang to their feet to attend to the others…..
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To Be Continue……….
THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 19
Osoba tore a piece of cloth off his shirt and bandaged the hand of Ochuma and led him out of the room to find doctors. Austin checked on Melinda and Verah and thankfully the two of them were fine. The other colleague of Osoba wasn’t moving as he lay on the floor; Austin touched him and called his name, “ETIM! Etim!! Etim!!!. Eventually Etim moved, but with much pain. One of the blades had carved his left thigh open. Austin bandaged it and asked him to lie still on the floor.
Osoba ran into the room alarmed, he told Austin and the others, “A woman has gone mad in the hospital, she is slicing nurses, doctors and fellow patients with surgical blade. We have to leave now, from what I saw of her, she is definitely much more than mad, something has possesed her. This is no longer a good place to get medical treatment”. While they hurried to leave the room, the woman with the surgical blade, stood in the doorway, forcing all of them back into the room. Her eyes were like those of Verah when she was possessed. They were hollow and filled with whirling dark smoke. She smiled at them all and asked, “How was the gift I sent to you all? Oh I see one of you is dead; he didn’t like my gift. Aw! That is bad”. She stepped into the room and waved her hand at the door and it closed. She continued, “You see you shouldn’t have dug up Michael’s grave and you shouldn’t have killed a serving lord of stars. What you did was an abomination, it has never happened before in the Three Hundred Thousands years since the Circle of Stars has been in existence. Now you can understand why we have to make an example of you all, so that no one else would ever try it again”.
Verah raised her voice and shouted, “I believe in the son of God Jesus Christ! In his name, I demand that you foul spirit desist in your manipulation of this woman in whose body you are and come out now!” The woman with the surgical blade began to turn her head unnaturally from left to right with amazing swiffness. The woman started to vibrate all over, dropped the surgical blade in her hand and began to slowly go down on her knees. She hit the floor on both knees and hands, breathing heavily; for no concervable reason she sprang to her feet, grabbed an iron bed next to her and raised it to crush Austin and the others. Verah whose faith had grown bolder stepped forward and demanded, “Be still you agent of darkness! In Jesus Name hold your peace!” The iron bed which the woman had raised summersaulted in her hand and knocked her flat on the floor, leaving her face soaked in blood. Melinda saw it come out of the woman, she shouted, “Jesus! Look at that! What is that thing?” Osoba was the only one who saw a part of it before it disappeared into the passage way, went after it.
However as soon as the giant smoke-like scorpion went into the passage, it climbed the wall and hung itself on the ceiling waiting to jump on another person. The others followed behind Osoba shouting all sorts of verses of the bible and the name of Jesus. They didn’t know what Melinda saw or what Simon went after, but they were certain it was evil.
Osoba ran as far as the reception looking for it. When the others caught up with him they asked, “What are you chasing?” “It was black like a scorpion; the only difference is that it moved like a smoke or cloud”. “I saw it come out of the woman that attacked us”, added Melinda, “I think I have understood it now. This evil creature must be what took hold of Verah when she attacked Melinda. It must have been hanging around the hospital looking for some other person to possess so it can attack us. The elders of Circle of Stars must have sent it here to kill us all”. Austin had hardly finished his statement when they saw the woman who had attacked them bearing down heavily at them, her face covered in blood and dragging a drip infusion stand behind her. The scorpion had retaken possession of her. They all ran to Osoba’s bus, where Ochuma was being attended to by a doctor and some nurses. The medical staff in the hospital had fled outside when the woman went berserk with a surgical blade. From the manner Melinda and Verah were shouting the doctors and nurses outside knew the woman was back…..
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To Be Continue……
THE LAST SURVIVORS
(Riches of the grave)
EPISODE 20
Everyone took the easiest means and escaped from the hospital. Austin, Osoba and the others went away in Osoba’s bus. When the demon possessed woman came outside, she saw people fleeing. With its target gone, the scorpion came out of the woman and dispersed into the air like smoke. The woman whom it had possessed slumpled to the ground bleeding; she must have died there with no medical staff around to attend to her.
At the temple of Circle of Stars, Simon is lying on a stone altar, next to him, on another altar is the burnt body of Michael. The elders of Circle of Stars are conjuring powers from Michael’s dead body into Simon’s body. At a certain stage during the ritual Michael’s dead body parted its mouth and an orange bubble-like material came out and rose in the air. One of the elders performing the ritual forced Simon’s mouth open and the orange bubble like material entered Simon’s body through his mouth. As soon as it entered Simon’s body, Simon began to vibrate like a man sitting in an eletric chair. His eyes opened wide and light rays began to shoot out of them like the rays of the sun. While Simon was thrashing about on the altar and his eyes shooting light rays, all the elders of Circle of Stars bowed down on their knees and said. “You are welcome back O Lord Michael!” Simon sat up from the altar and asked with Michael’s voice, “Why did you this? My time is gone, Simon should take my place!” The most senior of the elders of Circle of Stars, elder Okunowo, replied him “Simon refused to take your place, not even at the point of death. He left us with no choice than to transfer your spirit into his body my lord!” “Stand to your feet all of you! We have work to do. Simon is a strong man; he comes from a lineage of men who serve the Holy One. I know Simon, he will fight to retake his body; he has a strong, stubborn, violent spirit. His spirit will seek to undo my will”. “No my lord, he will do no such thing we have bottled his spirit. There it is”, responded Okunowo. Above the temple was a corked bottle of aromatic hot drink hanging by a thread. In it was a glowing cloud, its glow was brighter than day light.
Michael, in Simon’s body, smiled. Shook his head and said, “This body is not mine, I know the owner better than any of you; he will come for his body”. “Not while he is imprisoned in that bottle”, said Okunowo defiantly, Michael cast a demeaning look at him and asked, “Have you encountered the Holy One before? Simon believes in him”. Michael in Simon’s body jumped off the altar and bellowed, “I want to be updated on all that has been happening since my abscence”.
When Michael got to the steps of the temple on his way out, he paused and said, “Most importantly I want the heads of all the people who dug up my grave on that altar within the space of thrity six hours. Oh! There is an exception, bring me Melinda alive!” Michael decended the staircase, got into a car and a young man drove him off. The elders of Circle of Stars went back into the temple and poured honey on Michael’s body and massaged the honey into his body. They applied more honey on the body and after that they poured wax over it. They used layers of white cloth to wrap up the body. Then they put the body in a cone-like coffin and carried it into a dark room which they locked afterwards. The embalment was in line with the practice of an ancient persians from where their occult group Circle of Stars orginated. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Assyrians and Arabs used honey and wax for embalming their promment dead. The ancient persians and other ancient cultures kept the belief that the souls of the dead continue to live, and required food for their future maintenance after death, thinking otherwise the dead would starve.
According to this ancient concept, the body may be destoryed and denatured over time after death but the soul would live on, and if sustained properly would have the ability to return to earth.
Death was considered not so much the departure of the body, but the soul being freed from its earthly fetters. The soul after death was thought to be able to take flight to a future destination. Honey, symbolized death among many ancients cultures, an illusion perhaps to the sweetness that death would provide to the soul. Once Michael’s mission was completed his spirit would return to his body and the elders would give him a proper burial….
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To Be Continue…….
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