Iheoma episode 41 – end

IHEOMA💐

EP 41🌿

As soon as the people saw me, s¢ræms of joy resonated around the Igwe’s compound as each person struggled to touch me. Their faces, that had been clouded by hopelessness seemed clearer as though they now believed there was a fighting chance. A familiar looking woman pushed her way through the crowd and came to stand right in my face. I struggled to remember her for a while, before it dawned on me who she was. It was the woman that had whispered into my ear that she believed I hadn’t killed Nne. When the entire village seemed against me, and believed I was the murderer of Nne, she had trusted me.
She fell on my shoulder, and began to weep her eyes out.
“He killed my children. My entire family gone Iheoma. Why didn’t you come around earlier?.”

The crowd fell into a hush, as each person seemed to remember someone he/she had lost to the demon. Each of them knew at least one person among the corpses that lay unburied on the village path. I could feel the tears coming to my eyes, as I imagined what each of them had been through that day. All the people I could’ve saved, registered on my mind.

I gently pushed the woman away, taking care not to show any tears, as it would further add to their reasons to be scared.

The head hunter came from behind and whispered into my ears,
“Address them, they need to hear your voice.”
I cleared my voice, and a hush descended on the compound. Each of them were eager to hear what I had to say. I began to panic, and suddenly had no words to say. Anna’s hands enclosed around mine then. Before I could say a word, she began to speak.

“She can’t save you. Iheoma can’t save you. You can save yourself.”
s¢ræms of “How?” echoed around the compound.

Boldly, she said the words,
“We all have to pray…”

IHEOMA💐

EP 42🌿

The murmurings of the villagers rose. Each of them seemed to be struggling to be heard. One of the oldest men in the village came forward then, cleared his voice and signalled for silence. He turned to Anna,
“Did we hear you right when you said we should pray?,” he asked with surprise registered in his voice. Anna seemed not to be deterred by the people’s attitude to what she had said.
“You all seem to believe that Iheoma will save you from this demon, and bring liberation to this town, am I right?”
The people could be seen nodding their head’s in acceptance.
” And by whose power will she do that?”
The villagers were obviously not prepared for that question. Anna took the opportunity, and delved into preaching about how Jesus Christ had died for the sins of man, making it possible for God and man to be friends again. Anna’s voice boomed around the compound as though she had a megaphone.
“Iheoma can’t save you. Only Jesus can. You simply have to accept the son of God into your life, and all this problems won’t be able to stand face rock face with you anymore.”
A man s¢ræmed at the top of his voice then,

“Since this God has a son, what about his wife? Do we accept her too?”
Echoes of approval followed, and soon the crowd was divided in two. Some of them who felt Anna’s explanation of God and his sacrifice for us were all trash soon left with the man that had spoken up. A large number left, leaving behind a few.
At that time, the sun was almost down. I touched Anna and signalled to her that Onwuike would soon come to claim those who remained. Quickly and with conviction she prayed the sinner’s prayer for the crowd, leading them to Christ.
Just as the prayer ended, and the crowd had accepted Christ, a gunshot rang out.
Over Two dozen Armed men jumped out with Guns trained at the Village Hunter’s, who quickly dropped their Gun.
Emeka sauntered out of a nearby bush with his face worse than it was before.

“Time to claim your soul…”

IHEOMA💐

EP 43🌿

Seeing Emeka, with his face that was now fully riddled with rotten flesh almost made me bend over and vomit. The worms that his face was riddled with seemed to creep around slowly as though in a dance battle.
“You thought running would do you good? You thought all the trickery, hiding and help from all this people will save you?,” he spat.
He walked towards Anna, and have her an ear deafening slap that brought her to her knees. I.winced as though I was the one that had been slapped.
“That’s for hitting my head with a pestle.”

He turned to my Uncle, and stood as though shocked.
“This man looks so much like you Iheoma. Who is he?,” he asked as he walked around the man who stood still knowing that a gun was pointed at his back.
I threw my face away, refusing to satisfy him with the information he wanted. I knew I had to just keep him distracted for a few minutes, and then it would be sundown.
“Who is he? Your father?,” he asked again, now s¢ræming it into my face.
I spat into his face, annoyed from the rotten smell of his face.
“Get your stinking face out of my nose!,” I muttered angrily.
He stepped back, as though shocked by the way I had spoken. He raised his hand as though to slap me, but rather landed a heavy punch to my uncle’s stomach. The old man doubled up from the blow.
Emeka immediately dragged a gun out of the hands of one of his men and buried a bullet into my uncle’s stomach. Anna s¢ræmed from anger behind me.

The sun set then in a beautiful ray of red light. I stood up, and standing face to face with Emeka, I whispered,
“Your time is up.”

One of Emeka’s men was instantly lifted off the ground while s¢ræms of panic echoed from the crowd. He kicked his legs in the air as his eye’s bulged while his head was twisted to the back by invisible hands.
He dropped dead to the ground, as the men who had come with Emeka now had fear stamped on their faces. A sinisterly evil voice s¢ræmed,

“Time for you all to die…”

IHEOMA 💐

EP 44🌿

Fear filled his eyes, as one by one right before his eyes his men were lifted off the ground and strangled to death. None of the villagers who had surrendered their life had been killed. They all stood in one corner, watching as the horrible death of the men unfolded.
It was soon Emeka’s turn as he was lifted off the ground. His panicked s¢ræms as his leg dangled in the air melted me. A certain part of me wanted him to die for all the people he had killed, but I couldn’t.
I reached out, and grabbed his feet before the demon could begin to strangle him. As I caught his feet, he fell to the ground and ran to hide behind me.
“What was that?,” he kept asking as he held onto me tightly.
“Show yourself,” I commanded the demon. A monstrous head popped out, adorned with multiple horns and crowns.
“You’ll leave him alone. You won’t kill him!,” I commanded again.
The demon nodded and agreed.
“As you command.”

He vanished, leaving me with Emeka, Anna and the villagers who were now applauding, glad that they had survived the demon. The dying s¢ræms of the other villagers who had left the palace could still be heard.
Emeka approached me, looking sorrowful.
“You saved my life, Why?”

“Because you deserve a second chance,” I said and began to walk away.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Emeka as he pointed his gun at me. I turned and found him smiling evilly.
“You still have to die anyway…”
As he pulled the trigger, I felt myself get pushed out of the way. I landed hærd on the floor, but rose immediately to find Anna lying in a pool of blood with a bullet in her chest. Before Emeka could reload to shoot again, the head hunter picked up his gun, and shot his hand.
Another hunter shot his leg. One by one, the hunters picked one part of his body and left a bullet in it.
Finally the Head hunter pointed a gun at his head, and planted one last bullet in him.
My Uncle lay there dead, Emeka lay there dead, My Anna in my arms dead.

IHEOMA💐

EP 45(FINAL EPISODE)🌿

TWO DAYS LATER…

There was a sullen air of sadness that seemed to cloud the church as I sat in the front row with my mom. The villagers Anna had helped to survive the demon’s were seated right behind me. The Former Head hunter who was now the Igwe sat in the front row too in the next row of seats.
It was the saddest moment of my life. Sitting there with my mom, and staring at the three coffins that housed my Uncle, Anna’s dad; the pastor, and Anna herself. A triple burial for three important persons in my life. What hurt the most was that in one way or the other, I had led to the death of all of them.
The pastor had died while sheltering me in his home. My Uncle had been shot by Emeka because he had brought me to the village in his car. The worse of all, Anna.
As the pastor asked us to march around the coffin for the last time, I dragged my feet behind my mom fearing the time when I would have to face Anna’s corpse. I saw the pastor, still as a leaf with his eyes closed in death. I saw my Uncle, face ashen colored, the color of soot.
I got to Anna’s casket, and I couldn’t help but breakdown in tears. She still looked alive, there was no indication that she was dead except for the way she lay still. The colour of her face hadn’t changed, it was as though she was still alive.
As I fell on the casket crying, being comforted by those who had come for the burial, a thought came to me. With all my heart, I quietly began to whisper,

“I’ve achieved my purpose on earth. I have nothing I want to live for. Take me and give Anna back to my mom.”

Time seemed to stop as my guardian angel stood above me.
“Are you sure of what you ask for?”
I nodded with tears.
“Iheoma, are you sure?”
I nodded again now, weeping terribly.
“Your wish is done…”

I felt my heartbeat start to slow as death began to creep in. Beside me, I saw Anna yawn deeply as she made to sit up. Noise and pandemonium filled the church. I slumped then, feeling my spirit leaving my body. As I died, surrounded by some of the villagers and my mom I kept thinking,
“At least my work on earth is done.”

THE END
#justicenike