The Angel amongst us

It was six oclock in the evening and the party was over, most of the guest where gone, just her mothers neighbor and a few of her friends were still around, dancing, eating, drinking. It was getting a bit cold outside and most people where in the living room and the front corridor. Niola sat alone in muse.

”There you are! ” Chiamaka yelled almost startling her, with a wide grin, she approached Niola towards the back of the house were she sat. ”Damn! Ive looked everywhere for you, so this is were you are hiding? ” She said sitting beside her on the pavement.

”I feel like crap, ” Niola stiffened a yawn and leaned on Chiamakas shoulder.

”Lazy child, ” Chiamaka laughed, ” are you going home tonight? ”

”I don think so, ” she replied.

”Don tell me you are going to work tomorrow, ” Chiamaka shook her head with a smile

”Mm-mm, why not? ” she stiffened yawm.

”Nothing, just asking. ” She pat niolas cheek and stood up. ”Get up! lets fill you up with enough booze, youll feel better. No one cares if you go to work, I don care. As long as you are cashing out. ” Chiamaka added ant they both laughed.

”Go on, Im coming…I just need a little air. ”

”Alright baby girl. ”

Niola took a deep breath and looked at the sunset, it was beautiful for a minute there, she enjoyed the soothing feeling. Suddenly her eyes captured something in the Yard, behind the flowers, She got up and peeked through the bush. Startled she stumbled back almost falling, it was the statue from her studio, but this time every detailing was finished, it looked demonic. How did it get here, she picked up her phone and turned on the flashlight, as she raised the light towards it, the phone went off.

Snaaaaarl! The statue moved and the eyes popped opened.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

The yard became quiet, the silence was thick. She could smell doughnuts, her favorite, there was no sign of anyone. The living room door was wide open and there was shattered glass all over the floor from the broken windows. Why is the windows broken, she wondered.

”Mom! ” she became worried, ”mom!! ”

Doughnuts were in the tray on the dining, it was still fresh out of the oven. Then she went to the kitchen.

”Oh no…Mom! ” She rushed to the floor, her mother was bleeding lifelessly on the floor. ”No, no, no…Mom! Talk to me! ”

Tears rolled down her cheeks, her mother was soaked in a pool of her own blood, she has no idea where she was bleeding from.

”Enny…. ” Her mother struggled slowly opening her eyes, she squeeze Niolas hand in hers, trying so hard to talk.

”Mom..mom…oh my God, mom…who did this?… ” her hand was shaking as she stroke her mothers hair.

”Enny…. l.. l.. look, ” she pointed at the kitchen door that led to the side of the house. Unable to talk, she wheezed as it was getting difficult to breathe

”ok..ok…let me call for help. ” She wiped her nose with the back of her bloody hand, and got up her feet, then rushed out through the side door.

”Oh no! ” She cried out, dead bodies everywhere on the street, even the next compound and the next and the next. ”HEEEEELP! ” she screamed at the top of her lungs. The clouds suddenly became dark like it was about to rain.

A wrinkled old man just appeared out of the shadows and yelled at her , ”no! You can do that! You don belong here. ” He was dressed in a black cloak and his feet was not touching the ground, it was like he was floating over all the bodies.

”We won let you! ” More of them came out of nowhere, hundreds of people with black cloak, and the hem of what they wore was like black smoke vanishing, as they float above the ground.

”Do what! ” she yelled and she Shook in fear as the kept coming closer…. Suddenly a drop of water fell on her cheek from the sky, she wipe it off it her hand and look at it. Blood!

Then more blood started raining, as the blood dropped on the cloaked people they screamed in agony and they turned into black smoke. Woooosh! The sky cleared and the sun shined bright like a brand new day, the dead were gone also. She rushed back to the kitchen and her mother was gone too, there was no trace of blood either, the Sun light filled the kitchen from the opened window.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

Zap!

She was back in the yard, nothing was behind the flowers, music was playing normally, she could hear her friends laughter from inside the house. Quickly she rushed back inside the house, everybody was fine, her mother was dancing to the music playing.

With a sigh of great relief, she walked up to her mother and hugged her so tight. She didn even know what to say, she really wanted to tell her mom everything shed been seeing, but she couldn bring herself to utter a word. With teary eyes, she planted a kiss on her forehead.. ”I love you mom. Thank you ”.

”Awwwn..I love you too sweetie ”

”Yeah.. we love you mommy, ” Chiamaka said, spreading her arms toward them. ”come on, bring it in. ” They laughed and embraced each other.

”Niola, Id like you to meet someone, ” Chiamaka said dragging Niola along with her. ”Remember my cousin, Danielle? ”

”Yeah, the one leaving in the UK? ”

”Yes, she has been around since a week now, ” Chiamaka nodded with a wide grin. ”And shes here, she told me she was coming through this route, so I asked her to come pick me up. So Ive decided to introduce you. ”

”Really, are you sure? ”

”Yes really….she said she finally wants to meet the unique Eniola Ive been raving about. ”

”unique? ”Niola snorted and shook her head. ” thats overrated! ”

Danielle stood outside by her car checking her email on her phone when she saw Chiamaka approaching with Niola. It was dark but the light around the house reflected on them, she gazed at the wine silk dress Niola wore that enhanced her slender figure and delicate curve, her dreads was in bun and she could see the white locks by the side of her head above her temple. Immediately she thought how perfect shed look if she modeled for her brand.

”Danni…Id like you to meet the celebrant of the day, my able friend..Niola Michaels…its Eniola, but this fish head prefers Niola….. ”

”Thank you… ” Niola chuckled and held Chiamakas lips together. ”your address is way more than the letter. ” She said and they laughed. ”Danielle, its nice to meet you, Chiamaka has told me a lot about you…her one and only favorite cousin. Its hard to miss. ”

Of course Chiamaka never was always telling her about her favorite cousin thats pretty famous on Instagram. The makeup and filters in her pictures sure her look flawless, there was just a little difference seeing her in person without the makeovers. She was nothing compared to Chiamaka, Chiamaka had this huge brown eyes, round face, darker skin and was way shorter and fatter, Danielle was almost as slim as she was, with almond shaped eyes, diamond face, light toned skin. And the British accent. Quite a beauty.

”So Im told. ” Danielle chuckled, ”its nice to meet you too….Ive heard a lot about you too. ”

”I hope its good stuff, cause I don trust this fish, ” she smiled and poked Chiamaka.

”its good stuff, trust me. ” She grinned, then leaned forward to hug her, ”happy birthday. ”

Immediately they hugged, Niola suddenly saw a ghastly accident along the lekki- epe express, involving a truck and a car, she concentrated on it closely, it wasn just any car, it was the car right there with them, Danielles car. The vehicle was bashed up and both Danielle and Chiamaka were lifeless….

zaaaaap!

”Ill send your gift through this chinch right here, ” Danielle said after they hugged ”if not because she told me to pick her up on my way, I won even know yall were having a blast here. ”

” I told you about the party. ” Chiamaka said quickly.

” yeah you did—– except I couldn make it down here earlier, ”

Niola swallowed hard as she was quiet from what she had just seen, she just saw her friend and her cousin die in a car crash, wearing this exact same clothes. If this is exactly what she was thinking, then she had to do something.

”We should get going, ” Danielle told Chiamaka bringing out the car key from her purse.

”Alright babes…see you tomorrow.. ”chiamaka hugged her and she saw that accident again. ”…Ill come by your studio, Danielle you should come by her studio sometimes, youd be stunned by her work. Niola is the up coming Leonardo da Vinci of our time. ”

”sure Id love to see you work..up coming da Vinci. ” Danielle laughed about to unlock the car.

”Wait! ” Niola said nervously, then paused for a few seconds thinking of what to do. ” you guys should wait, Ill be back. ”

”oh, ok! ” Chiamaka said. ” hurry! Or you
e missing me already. ”

Niola rushed inside the house confused, ”what Im I going to do? ” she walked through the living room to the hallway and began pacing back and forth. ”Why is all this happening, ” she said feeling frustrated, biting her nails she tried thinking of something useful, but the accident kept replaying over again. Shit! She slapped her head

”Honey! ” her mother came over to where she paced with a questioning look. ” whats going on. ”

” Mom…. ” She was about to explain, but it was hard. She swallowed the lump in her throat, but she couldn take it any longer, the heat began to increased in her eyes, then she Burst in tears.

”Enny, oh my God, ” Her mother got confused and held her tight as she crying on her shoulder, she has never seen her daughter like this, she had noticed something off from last night and the flush on her face in the morning was very weird. ”Now you have to tell me whats going on, I knew you had something on your mind immediately you came home last night. ”

”Mom, I really want to tell you…its hard, its complicated, I feel like Im going crazy. ” Niola sobbed.

”Alright…you are going to tell me everything, no matter how complicated it sounds ” Her mother said firmly. ”Lets go to the room. ”

”Alright…. But i asked Chiamaka and her cousin to wait, they are in a haste to leave but I can let them leave yet mom, I need you to delay them, I promise Ill tell you everything. ”Niola explained.

”Ok…Ill take care of that, go to the room ”

Niola sat on the bed waiting for her Mom, she felt a relief in her chest that she was going to tell her mom about everything shed been going through, but at the same time, it scared the shit out of her, all this things happening feels impossible, she find it really difficult to even believe herself, she wondered how her mom will believe.

Few minutes later her mother was back, she sat on the bed and held her hand, ”now…Im listening. ”

”ok…. ”she wipe her nose with the back of her hand and took a deep breath.

”Everything from the top and don hold back. ” she said

Niola began everything from the top just like her Mother had said to tell her everything.

She explained for almost an hour, telling her every detail, her mother uttered not a single word as she kept talking, all she noticed was the tears filling her mothers eyes.

”Thats all of it mom, ” Niola said with relief and there was total silence, but the expression on her mothers face didn look surprised, but terrified.

Now Niola was scared that her mother was quite, it felt strange now. Her mother picked up her hands in hers and looked deep in her eyes with a this scary concerning look, she hoped she didn just think she made all that up.

” I know you don think Im bat-shit crazy, right Mom?… please say something, ” Niola said softly as she watched her mother lost in her thought. ”Please mom, just tell me anything…anything at all, don make me feel like Im crazy, because I know Im not. ”

”Mm…Eniola ” her mother sighed and cupped her daughters cheek, it was quiet again for a minute. Then she said, ”its back. ”