1 Prologue

The night had never been an issue to her, it had always been her place of solitude but this night was a bit strange. The usual dark velvet sky with stars that winked like sequins on a gown was totally void and like a pit of dark wormhole. The darkness reflected on her surroundings that the light from her phone did no justice.

She quickened her steps knowing she was extremely late and hoping her friend had kept her promise by staying awake to sneak her in.

She also noticed that apart from the plain dark sky, the night creatures were absent. She couldn't hear the owls hooting neither could she hear the cricket chirping.

The wind whispered through the trees branches and rustled the leaves startling her, her heart pounded trying to pump warm blood to help get rid of the goosebumps. It felt like a warning. Blame it on her superstitious parents.

She reeked of alcohol and stale sweat. She knew she'd have to have a quiet bath once she gets back, she giggled at the thought of trying to stop the water from making a sound once it comes in contact with the floor. Her giggle was cut short by a sound of crushed twig.

She stopped in her tracks and directed her phone to where she heard the sound. Beams of light from her phone burst into the moonless night as she waved the phone around her. When she didn't see a thing and decided to continue her journey the light abruptly went off, she tried putting it on but it didn't come on.

"Great! Battery's dead" she groaned and angrily muttered something about her bad luck as she placed the phone in the safety of her pockets.

She heard another sound of crushed twig and this time it sounded close. She squinted her eyes in the dark and saw nothing but she had this feeling of being followed. She knew whatever it was, wasn't friendly and it wanted something, so she hastened her steps and tightened her jacket as the night chill seeped in. This night walk was starting to be a mistake, she would have accepted his suggestion to accompany her. The wind picked up, the soft whispering of the wind all gone and replaced by a pure cacophony, and then it began to rain.

This time around she began to run only to stumble and fall, not far from where she began. She felt pain shoot through her ankle and then looked up only for her vision to be blinded by the pounding of heavy rain, she turned towards the direction she felt the mysterious presence but it was same.....she couldn't make out a thing.

She knew it was there, she knew the cold eyes were staring at her and she knew she wasn't imagining it. She knew she was in danger and she needed to move but the pain on her ankle wasn't letting her. Her clothes were already mixed with mud and sticking to her body, her braids were soaked and dripping

As she struggled to pull herself up, her eyes restlessly searched her surroundings and then it stopped at something in the dark. She squeezed shut her eyes and focused on long deep breaths.

"It's not real. There's nothing there" she repeated to herself as she trembled.  Sweat had already formed around her neck and her forehead that it was difficult to distinguish with the rain.  "nothing is there, just open your eyes"

Behind her eyelids, her eyes raced around her surroundings. It's not real, it's nothing. She opened her eyes and it was gone. She slowly let her breath out and then a nervous laughter followed which turned into a cachinnated one.

Her laughter and celebration came to an abrupt end and she froze as chills spread through her spines. There was a warm breath in her ear.

"Boo!!!" The malicious voice snared startling her out of her frozen state but before she could react she felt a cold metal slice through her throat it wasn't deep enough to kill her instantly but it was deep enough to send blood dribbling on to the wet ground.

Her heart pounded as the person whispered into her ears " shhh, it's going to be slow and painful" the malicious voice assured her.

She whimpered aloud but it came out as a gurgle. That voice, she knew that voice. Hands traveling to her face as they smoothed her hair behind her ear.

"P- please" she croaked out. She didn't know what she was begging for but all she knew was that she wasn't ready to die.

She watched as her feet and hands were tied all hope was slowly leaving her. "P-please" she whispered as tears trickled down her cheeks but it fell on deaf ears. Her killer was bent on giving her a slow death.

"I will give you time to think about all your sins and ask God for forgiveness so you may enter his kingdom" the voice was cold.

She was dragged away from the pathway into the bush then she watched as her killer walked away, every step telling her she would bleed to death.