KIDNAPPERS
                          ~~~°°°~~~

The police man approached them with cautious steps, afraid they would attack anytime soon, from his view, they were slightly insane or totally insane. He held on tight to his baton as he walked towards them.

"What are we going to do?" Ikechukwu asked, people were already stopping by to watch the drama they saw coming.

"Nothing," Mary said. "We are not mad, at least I know I am not mad." She gave him a suspicious look.

"I am not mad." Ikechukwu defended himself. "You were the one acting crazy just now," he muttered.

"Good afternoon Officer," Mary greeted.

"What's going on here?" The officer asked as he stopped before them, his eyes on Mary, he glanced at Ikechukwu, then Mary. "Is this man disturbing you?"

Ikechukwu gasped. "Me? Disturbing her? I-"

"Shut up!" The officer ordered. "I know your kind, going after young women, disturbing their peace."

Mary shooked her head and sniffed, her stance had taken a pitiable one. "No sir, he is my brother, we were kidnapped by some crazy men." A tear rolled down her right cheeks, she hugged herself as she relaid the 'event' to the officer.

"Kidnappers!" The officer shouted alarmed. "Where?" He shouted. The passerbys where stopping to see what was going on, most of them were already bringing out their phone to catch the whole drama, Ikechukwu sighed, typical twenty-first century behavior.

His comrade, who had been watching the whole action at her post approached when she noticed her fellow officer was alarmed, she walked slowly at first, then jogged over to him.  "What's the matter?" She asked, tucking her shirt properly into her jeans.

"They are victims of a kidnap, alert the station immediately." Once the word kidnap left the mouth of the officer, the murmurs rose from the watching crowd, the looks on their face changed to one of pity. Ikechukwu couldn't deny that he was glad, better to be on the internet as one who had escaped a kidnap than a mad man.

"Do you remember anything? Their hideout? Anything that could lead us to them?" The officer asked. His comrade was already making calls to the station, the crowd watched on, excited.

"Eh..." Ikechukwu didn't know what to say.

"I remember sir, they...the men, they were three." The officer nodded his head with each word. "All of them were black like charcoal," Mary described. "One had K-leg, one had bow leg, the other one had...he had no legs-"

"Eh?" Ikechukwu and the officer said at the same time.

"He was their boss," she explained. "He stayed in a wheel chair."

The officer nodded. "OK, what else?"

"They were all armed with AK-47." Ikechukwu decided to contribute his, only realising what he had done the moment the words left his mouth.

The officer brought out the walkie talkie from it's holster. "Our men are armed." He announced.

"Officers are on the way!" The police woman shouted. "Officers are on the way!" she repeated.

It was almost like that moment in every action films. In just few minutes, the venue was parked with soldiers and officers. While Mary was laughing silently because she was enjoying the whole drama she had just caused, Ikechukwu looked like he was about to piss his pants.

"Do you realise what you've just done?" He whispered to her furiously.

She nodded her head, a proud smile on her face. "Yeah. Oh, they are so stupid."

Mary had told the officers that the kidnappers were in an uncompleted building down the streets and that's where they were heading. A kind woman had called them into her compound, and had offered them a change of clothes, and water to drink.

The duo were now looking in good shape, though they hadn't taken a bath yet, so they still stank.

"Fuck, they are going to find out we are lying and we are going to go to jail," Ikechukwu mourned when the woman had left them, they still sat in the compound, because an officer had told them to wait there.

"No they won't," Mary rolled her eyes. "If they don't see the kidnappers, they will think they already escaped, and by the time they even get back, we would have escaped."

"How are we going to escape with this crowd? You said you lost your powers... and now I just remembered you aren't a normal human being."

Mary bit her lips in deep thought, this would have been an easy task for her, she didn't understand what was going on, she couldn't connect to anybody in the spiritual world, all she felt was emptiness inside. She wasn't sure yet, but she suspected it had something to do with the Red desert. "We will wait for the return of the officers, everyone would be so interesting to see if they caught the 'kidnappers' they would not spare us a glance, and then, we will sneak out."

Ikechukwu didn't want to admit it, but she was right, that was the only way they could escape.

An elderly woman approached them from where they sat, she offered them a kind smile as she stopped before him.

"Good afternoon," Ikechukwu greeted with a kind smile. Mary didn't acknowledge the woman and paid more attention in twirling her toes in the sand.

"Ah," The woman said and gave a big sigh. "The Lord is so good." Mary gave the woman a suspicious look, she sensed a prayer session. "Do you know the kidnappers you talked about are responsible for over hundred deaths in this neighborhood."

"Ah, Mama Chisom, where and when did these deaths happen," A woman had been who had been sitting close and had heard the words uttered. "Before I was born or before you were born?"

Mama Chisom hissed and eyed her. "I won't blame you, and that your useless husband, what's his occupation again? Where did he get the money that he used to buy that new car that you're always disturbing everybody with."

The woman clapped her hand in a local style and did a little movement with her legs. "I knew it!" she announced. "I talk am! I knew you were jealous, I've been telling everybody, is it because your husband doesn't have work? Tell him to stop sleeping with small girls and God might have mercy on his wretched soul."

Ikechukwu shared a look with Mary, the fight had gathered attention and people who were getting bored with waiting for the officers, moved on to the new drama.

"Stella tell your own husband to stop kidnapping children and doing money rituals and God will finally give you one of your own. I have five children, you don't have one to boast of, what am I saying? You don't even have a miscarriage to boast of!" Aaahs and Oohs came from the mouth of onlookers.

Stella untied her wrapper and tied it back again. "Ah, Mama Chisom what did you say to me!" she shouted. The neighbours who sensed a fight coming came forward to stop the two women.

"Leave them!" Someone shouted in the crowd.

Ikechukwu turned to look at Mary but didn't find her by his side, he searched the crowd and then found out she was almost out of the compound, she had used the opportunity to sneak out, quickly he moved, walking fast to meet her. He caught up to her quickly. "You left me again."

"We aren't together, stop following me."

"It's your fault I am here, so you can consider me your responsibility."

She didn't reply him, they went to the backyard, since officers were standing outside, the compound had no gate,  so it was an open view. "OK, we are just going to do the normal climbing fence," she said and reached up, but the fence was high that Mary's hand couldn't reach the top. "Fuck," she cursed jumping again, but her finger tips could barely kiss the top of the wall.

"See, you need me." Ikechukwu walked over to her, grabbing her small waist.

She swirled around and delivered a hard slap to his cheeks. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ow!" He cried, rubbing his cheeks. "I was just trying to lift you up so you could get across."

She pouted angrily. "You could have said that before you laid your hands on me. I know I don't look it at the moment, but I'm a fucking princess where I come from."

"Oh, I'm so sorry 'Princess'."

"Don't sass me virgin."

"Did you just call me a virgin?"

"Aren't you one? Just help me over the fence." she hissed. Ikechukwu rolled his eyes, walking back to her, he placed his hands on her waist, and even though she knew he was coming, still flinched at the contact. He lifted her easily like she weighed nothing, she then got across and jumped down. Ikechukwu followed easily, he surprise to find her waiting for him at the other side, he thought she would have ran away the moment she stepped her feet on the ground.

"You waited." he smirked.

"Shut up," she said. "Come with me," she told him as she started walking away.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"To get some answers."

                          ~~~°°°~~~

I don't think there is any chapter of this book I don't enjoy writing. Next chapter, Mary will try to find out what happened to her powers, and Ikechukwu will get the second shock of his life.

Someone told me Mary was too cold hearted and I should try to make her feel some emotions. I'm sorry, but emotions don't just appear, it takes time for these things to happen. I don't want to perform magic on my charcters. They will all experience growth as the story goes.

Leave your thoughts, vote and share 😊

Stay safe.