[Catch up on E.2 here ] I don't know what to do about the lady sitting beside me in the warm luxurious car. From the way she is angling her body away from mine, it's obvious she either thinks I am a lunatic or a serial killer about to dice her into tiny pieces. But that is the least of my worries. The question driving me insane is; how in the world will I be able to repair her car when my current net worth is fifty thousand naira? Okay, minus thirty thousand for my kid sister's upcoming exams from that. Being an orphan, my sister is my world and I would do anything to see her happy, even if it requires starving myself. Considering also that my rent is overdue for payment, I am actually worth less than the balance of twenty thousand naira. To make my case worse, even if I decide to sell my car, the only property I inherited from my late father, nobody in their right senses would offer to buy a car that has been marked off road severally. Put simply, I am done for. Finished. ...

[ Previously on Darkness E. 9] Bola! Her friend and sister murdered?   God this pain is too much for me. Why my Bola?   Mercy's body shook as the heavy torrent of tears flowing down her face mingled with her running nose and soaked the front of her gown. She knew she looked unsexy but she didn't care. Life seemed to have lost it's appeal all of a sudden. Her heart felt as if it had been ripped off from its root. It felt like a part of her had been mercilessly yanked off, leaving her sad and sore. She buried her face in her open palms while waves of sobs racked her tender body. "Mercy please, I take God beg you, stop crying like this. You will hurt yourself." Tunde's face mirrored his concern. He reached down and peeled her hands off of her face as his sad eyes ran over her. She was sitting helplessly at the back seat of his car crying her eyes out. If only tears could bring Bola back to them. She knew she needed to pull herself together and think of how to get...

[Continue from  E. 8 ] Mercy was among the first to get to the venue of the Covid-19 Presidential task force press briefing. She still felt grumpy from her lack of adequate sleep. Her active mind had persistently replayed her discussion with Ben almost all night. Yet she failed to figure out what was going on with her man. Was he still her man ? That was the question on her mind when she eventually fell asleep only for her blasted alarm to buzz her awake after three hours of sleep.  Her body had refused to get out of the bed,  having gotten used to waking up late, thanks to the lockdown. It took several  minutes of mental motivation before she could drag herself up then head for the bathroom for a quick shower, dress up carefully and hurry off to work without a bite of breakfast while Ben was still fast asleep in his room where he had locked himself up before she could get off the call with her boss last night. We will have to talk when I get back.  Mercy yawned...

Don't forget to Read E. 7 .   B en reached around her to grab her cutlery. Arranging her in his lap, Mercy suppressed a giggle, he focused on artfully dissecting the baked chicken drumsticks on her plate. Mercy's gaze followed his skilled fingers. She loved those fingers. Memories of how they had played her sensitive body like a clavier maestro all afternoon threatened to flood her restless mind but she clamped down on them. Now wasn't the time. She was more intent on getting answers to the puzzle plaguing her mind. Even the hunger pangs she had felt earlier had disappeared despite the unarguably mouthwatering meal Ben had painstakingly prepared for the night.  Moving slightly in his lap, she continued; "I think it's weird." Her voice was flat. Ben cleared his throat noisily. Her plate still held his rapt attention;  "Well, I think it's probably because you've refused to keep your mind busy during this lock down. I mean, why wont you forget thing...

Read E. 5 Ben got comfy on the leather sofa in front of the large wall-mounted TV. He picked up his Xbox joystick from the tiled floor and grinned slowly at the thought of getting lost in the game world. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he pushed a throw pillow behind him on the sofa and watched as the game loaded. He was staring at the screen with so much intensity that he didn’t hear a door squeal open. “Ben?” The immersive display and sound of heavy gunfire bouncing off the walls of the living room from the high quality home theatre speakers had Ben's undivided attention and blurred the voice calling out from behind him.  His love for the game had been reignited by the lock down and it was gradually becoming his best companion. The thrill and rush of adrenaline it triggered in him always left him coming back for more. “Ben!” A hand brushed against his shoulder and Ben jumped off the sofa, spun around with the same speed and paused. H...

    Continue From Darkness   E.4 The sound of a baby crying pierced into the darkness. Someone should hush that baby! Can someone please? I am trying to sleep. As if in response to her silent plea, the baby’s voice faded. Mercy sighed with relief and grunted when something soft and warm lingered on her forehead. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. She winced against the bright  light hanging above her head. Her vision blurred and she shut her eyes. The lingering fragrance of mixed spices tickled her nostrils as her brain awakened. She carefully opened her eyes, blinking rapidly, she wondered where she was. A face suddenly appeared above her and Mercy jolted.

Continue From;   DARKNESS E.3  Mercy felt a terrified shriek rise in her throat as it dawned on her that it's dark gaze were directly on her. Is it...? Jesus! It’s moving! A startled voice screamed in her head. Snapping out of her near paralysis, she hurriedly slid off the seat and crouched down under the steering wheel. Panic surged through her veins as she felt the cold fingers of fear grip her thumping heart. "Shit! Shit!"  She chanted like a prayer. From her position, she could feel the engine of her car humming. What was that? Oh my God it was looking at me. ..She placed her hand on her chest as if trying to prevent her heart from jumping out.  I need to get out of here ...Her brain blasted out of the frightening daze that was walling it in. She desperately looked around the plush interior of her car, trying to figure her next best move. Sweat broke out on her forehead. It was as if the AC had malfunctioned. "Mercy! I am talking to yo...

Continue From Darkness E. 2  When did Bola change her old Toyota Camry to a black SUV with tinted windows? Things must be getting better, she thought, turning in her seat to get a good look at the car gunning down the dusty pathway at top speed. Suddenly dust billowed into the air as the SUV screeched to a halt several yards away from her. Why is she stopping? Just then her phone started beeping. Grabbing the phone, her eyes darted to the screen and Mercy muttered before reluctantly answering the incoming call; "Hello baby." "Where are you?" Ben's deep voice grated out in her ear. She could hear the suppressed anger in his voice; "Sorry baby, I didn't want to wake you up. Actually have a brief meeting with Bola. I will soon be..." "Mercy Oni, bring yourself back here RIGHT NOW!" He interjected furiously. Mercy internally shrunk away from the phone plastered against her ear and massaged her temple with her free ...

Read  Darkness E.1 It was almost midnight when her phone beeped. The number was strange. Thinking it would be her boss, she  had reluctantly answered. The voice was barely above a whisper. It had taken her a while to figure out who the caller was. " Bola! Babe are you okay?"  Mercy could sense that something was wrong. Ever since Bola got the job with the Presidency, their usual girls time out had taken the back seat, if not tucked away in an old trunk. Her calls were never returned so Mercy eventually stopped calling. Hearing her voice that night had set off an alarm in her head. But she was happy to hear from her long lost friend. Bola was eager to drive over to her home that night but Mercy knew it would be too risky, so she promised to drop by her place first thing in the morning but that was when Bola freaked out. She said something about unseen eyes monitoring her movements and her home being unsafe. She then read out  some coordinates before han...

Enjoy Mercy's story...                          *********** Mercy eyed the diamond studded watch gracing her wrist as her frown deepened. Bola was late again and sitting inside her car for nearly an hour has never been on her to-do list of fun events.  Despite the comfort of her new C-Class, she was beginning to feel claustrophobic. She had suggested  waiting at an exotic restaurant  but Bola,  for some unknown reason had insisted on the scary location.  Pulling down the sun visor above her head to block out the piercing beam of the early morning sunlight, she caught sight of the tired eyes staring back at her in the mirror. You need more rest, a small voice in her head pointed out . Trying to ignore the obvious dark circles beneath her eyes, she focused on the white mask covering part of her face. It clung to her like an ugly appendage and reminded her of aliens in sci-fi movies....

Nikky my story is quite long please share it okay, thank you. As a young lady, I had this dream of falling inlove with a friend and settling down with him. That was my heart's desire until my parents shared their grand plan with me. I was introduced to my husband's family a month before our wedding. My father's new friend and business partner had approached him to discuss their future prospects. Without any objection, my father consented to the idea of uniting the two families and a date was fixed for the wedding of their only children. When I was informed, I went mad with rage and refused to marry a stranger. However, with my mum crying every day due to my refusal, I finally consented to marry a man I never loved. When my would be husband returned to the country, we met for the first time at our family house. We sat across from each other for long minutes without uttering a word. He looked calm and young. Probably few years older than I but I didn't have ...

Bam Bam hurriedly pulled on her shoes, got down from the car and rushed to the rear to confirm her fears. Her eyes widened as the reality hit her. Yes she was right. The wide dent on her bumper sent shock waves down her spine.  "My car!"  She gasped wishing her eyes were deceiving her. "Woow! I'm very sorry madam." A masculine voice said behind her. Bam Bam turned to meet the gaze of a ruffled middle aged man who looked like he had not slept in days. She noticed his unkempt look as her brain tried to calculate his net worth. "You are sorry? You drove into my car and you are sorry? Are you blind or drunk? What were you thinking?!" "Sorry ma. It wasn't intentional. I don't even know how this happened."  He scratched his wild looking hair and Bam Bam took a step away from him. The man looked crazy and his old car begged for maintenance. She looked around for help but the few cars plying the lonely route o...

Welcome to the month of love. As usual we will have fun on NIB  so don't go nowhere... May this month bring you Joy, peace, financial breakthrough, more contracts and lots of love. #loveintheair

(imagenoire.centerblog.net) "You laugh, I laugh. You cry, I cry. I will never leave your side...

(Pic credit: kaiashiversblog) Welcome back Madam Grace! It's nice to have you around again." "Hello Mike! Oh I missed you all too." He rushed forward to help her PA drag her luggages out of the car. "I hope you enjoyed your trip ma?" "Definitely and I got a gift for you." She turned and beckoned on her PA who rushed forward with a small transparent shopping bag which she presented to the awe struck Mike. "Ah madam God will bless you oh!" Mike cradled the bag with unreserved excitement. His glance slightly drifted towards his colleagues who were by the door then back to the beautiful and glamorous middle aged woman heading into the hotel. "Bless you too my son." Her smile widened as he ushered her through the automatic doors into the cool lobby followed closely by her PA and the porter who wheeled the luggages closely behind them. Mike smiled and walked over to join the guards standing by the scanner. They ...

Its no secret that I detest hospitals and general hospitals are usually a nightmare. So it happened that I had to go to a general hospital, don't ask me why but with my recent experience I have come to realize that the general hospital is not such a terrible place. Well, especially when nobody is dying. At this point I must commend the young doctors who work at general hospitals particularly the pretty young ladies I met. You are all amazing. The crowd of patients waiting to see the doctors left us speechless and in shock initially. Anyways, we grudgingly got numbers and joined the queue which was being manned by a very professional young hospital guard. Nobody could cut corners or do the usual IM (man know man) with him around. He was the only guard on duty at that section and was also doubling as a GOPD nurse because some of the nurses were obviously not on seat (God bless that young man). If not for him we would have spent all day at the hospital.  I didn't kno...

(Getty image) Have you had a good laugh today?  Okay, that bar is probably too high for you so let me lower it. Have you smiled today? Oh you've been too busy with work or worries so where's the time for a silly smile or laughter?  Do you know that; " Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease? " Chai I had to copy that from Google just to explain what you are missing out on. It's no secret, I love laughing. Infact, I am my own comedian. I find a reason to laugh everyday and the effect is I can go a year without a trip to the doctors. I can still recall the day I told my doctor to refund my money after he told me "Nne Nothing is wrong with you" or is it the story of how my acting career ended simply because I ended up laughing instead of crying on set and everyone joined in... don't blame me, the dead man's face was too hilari...

(pic credit: Pinterest) Previously If the clueless young man we had met earlier at the reception was by her side, it only meant she wasn't a client like the rest of us, I analyzed as I watched her engrossed in a discussion with the man She should be the director's secretary or personal assistant. Since he had fled, they probably brought her in to confuse us. As a home boy, I didn't need anyone to reveal what her daily job schedule would look like. My anger resurfaced. These people are funny, so they think throwing their coquettish  secretary at us would make us back down?  Whoever gave them that notion should be psychologically evaluated . So you think she is sexy?  That voice in my head queried again.  Even a blind man would testify to that,  I justified while trying to resist the urge to stare at her. " Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen ." Her voice suited her frame, I thought absent mindedly; " Let me start by apologizing ...

(Credit: Video Blocks) Want to catch up? Click on   Surprise  H e ushered us into a magnificent conference room with various high back, black swivel chairs surrounding a long, tempered glass rectangular table.  A single white executive leather swivel chair  at the head of the table caught my attention. All the lights came on automatically the moment we stepped in. This must be where Andrew Mark, the CEO of Mark & Sable (M&S) made landmark decisions with his revered board I thought as my excitement mounted.  M&S was the only indigenous software company making waves globally and Andrew was the brain behind one of the most sort after video games topping the local and international markets. The man was my icon and I had tried severally but failed to get a chance to share my ideas with him on ways to upgrade their softwares which was why I was p ushing for this campaign. If gathering online reviews and getting frustrated users to actual...

(Pic credit: Shutterstock) I saw her the moment we matched into the company's reception. Her rich laughter struck a chord as she exchanged call cards with a young man whose jacket could hardly conceal his properly toned muscles.  What caught my attention was her graceful figure and the elegant crisscross-back bodycon knee length purple dress which clung to her slim but shapely figure and hid nothing from an active imagination like mine. Since her back was turned towards the entrance door and me, my eyes slid further down to the glittering slim anklet adorning her ankle and the glamorous transparent heeled sandals encasing her feet. She looked alluring but odd in that formal setting. My head buzzed; Mehn, you are engaged to a beautiful woman!! Abuja girls are never what they seem...Danger zone, keep off!! I dragged my eyes off her and tried to locate the receptionist. The boring marble counter across the lobby suddenly became appealing as I led my team towards the yo...