HAUNTED

Beatrice Greystone suddenly turned deaf to what I said. Even after pushing her aside to walk into the hallway, she followes me and blocked it again. Her persistence to be an asshole would have been admirable if we were acting an indian movie but we weren't. Unlike her that was bustling with energy, I was drained of it. All i wanted at that moment was to sleep. Coming to that mansion has never made me miss my room in Nigeria more. At least, no one at home threatened my life everytime and even if they did, it would be in an effective style. There is a reason why ninety percent of our population was religious.

"What is wrong with you?" I yelled at her.

"Nothing, young lady! You are going to listen to me whether you like it or not." She said with a frown.

"Alright, you can speak." I said to annoy her and i got my wish. She looked at me in disgust.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You really are oblivious to who you are dealing with, girl..I have seen your type more than enough for a lifetime and i know how they always end up. So, I will take pity on you and offer you an irresistible deal. Leave this mansion and never return. Thàt is of course, if you still like your beating heart intact." She said.

"Alright. Is that all?" I asked.

She was taken aback for a moment by my response but comported herself quickly. "Tomorrow morning, by nine, there will be a car waiting for you outside the mansion. Come out with your stuff, sneak out if you have to. When you get into the car, it will take you to an airport. A flight ticket back to whatever whole in Africa you crawled out from will be made available. Leave! It's that simple." She ordered.

"Alright. What about the money? Aren't you supposed to give me something to leave your precious son for? Isn't that how it always go?" I asked dully. I was visibly tired but still had the energy to annoy her.

"You should be thankful for this offer." With that she harrumphed with the tip of her chin high as she left.

"You haven't given me the money yet. What about the money?" I said as I laughed. I walk my way up to the fifth floor using the stairs. I wasn't ready to risk going to that dog cage by using the elevator again. I was lucky Mr Greystone was there when I had accidentally gone there.

Mr Greystone

Just the thought of him made me angry again. The audacity he had! I had the sudden urge to scream out but I was the therapist. If I started showing symptoms for a mental illness, how would I heal Mr. Greystone and be set free with my future salaries?

For that alone, I needed to stay mentally strong. Soon, I was in my room. I had a quick shower and went to bed in a loser singlet and shorts. Thinking about different ways I would make Mr. Greystone pay for trapping me in a contract marriage filled my thoughts. When the thought of that old lady Beatrice's offer popped in my mind, I dismissed it. It was possible it was a trap to lure me out of the mansion where Mr Greystone security was the strongest. That could be an easy way to get rid of me. What if the car never reached an airport and instead led to my grave. As different thoughts clouded my mind, I slept off.

I was deep in sleep when I somehow heard a strange sound. That wasn't enough to fully wake me up so I ignored it but then, I heard it again. This time, it was louder. It grew louder as it repeated. It was growing closer like the sound of a person's steps as they closer o you.

Quickly, I covered myself with my blanket. Every part of my body was covered by the blanket including my head. Before I had slept, I was sure I was alone. I even had the door and the windows of my room locked.

So, how the fuck was I hearing the sound of a person's footsteps!

It has to be my ears playing a trick on me. At that moment, every trace of sleep disappeared from my eyes, my heart raced like it knew it was in trouble. What if that old lady, Beatrice Greystone was just being nice and warning me of the dangers that lurked in the mansion? I said to myself. The possibility of the ghosts of the former wives haunting me crossed my mind and I couldn't dismiss it. There was also a possibility of that jerk, Mr Greystone having a spiritual wife. I came from a country where spiritual battles, ghosts and witches were real and I had heard a lot of stories. Experiencing one was never what I imagined would happen to me in America.

I tried slowly down my breathing and started thinking. What would my mum do if she was in a situation like this?

For starters, my mum would always have her holy anointing oil and other sacred things with her always. I didn't have any of them. Not even a bible and I was supposed to be a good Christian. Tears rolled down my eyes as I realized what could have possibly killed the previous wives. It could be a ghost. No wonder a man like Mr. Greystone had traumas.

You can not live alone on an entire floor with a ghost roaming about and not be traumatized. I immediately started praying and apologizing to God for being a bad daughter and leaving without their blessings. All in my mind of course. I was too afraid to say a word. There was a high probability the ghost would leave if I remained silent. It would think I wasn't here and leave to torture someone deserving like Mr Greystone.

Or so I thought...

Suddenly, my blanket was dragged away by a large hand. I close my eyes tight and screamed. "Ahhhhhh!!!"