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CHAPTER 1
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
The water of the pool was the same as it had always been, cold, clean, content.
It sparkled as the warm lights of dawn rested upon it, the transparent blue bed, pushed and pulled by the soft breeze egged on many to its temptation.
And Alice was one of them, but her attraction to the water was'nt just because of its cold feel, its welcoming appearance wasn't all that drew her in.
Something else was behind it all, it flooded her mind so much, that she had begun to lose sight of everything else.
The crazy jibe of her cell phone, a police siren that wailed not too far from her, and even the loud calls of a young man whose feet thundered the ground few feet away from her.
Desmond thought his love would be enough to make her forget, but he was dead wrong, she could never forget, not even if she wanted to.
His calls were fierce, trying to hold her back from taking the biggest leap of her life, so big it had the power to put an end to everything, but what he saw as suicide, she saw as a way out.
She couldn't possibly live without them, again she heard whispers, inaudible at first but they slowly became clearer, it was'nt just the song of the evening breeze, this was something else, the words had begun to make sense, it wasn't just a meaningless whisper, this was her name, and the voices came from the pool.
Alice recognized the voices all too well, they were Joshua's and her mother's, they looked happy under the blue surface of the pool, and she wanted to share in their happiness.
She wanted to be with them, so much that it drove her insane, ever since that accident, all she had wanted was to end her meaningless life, yes, a life without the ones she loved the most, could only be termed as just that, meaningless.
It was evident, and it was only a matter of time before she did something about it, something stupid.
The soft breeze blew against her hair, it felt like a hush, she took a second turn at Desmond, who was already very close to her, he still had that thing where he hyperventilated whenever he was stressed, and if there was anything stronger than hyperventilation, that was what he was going through right now.
It would break him if anything had to happen to her, that much she knew, but she was already broken, the nightmares were unbearable, the guilt was a vampire that drained her of her life force, and the agony was ten times greater than that of any conception.
She was already dead anyway, if only it hadn't rained, she wouldn't have had to wipe the windscreen with a napkin, she would have seen the bump, the napkin wouldn't have fallen, she wouldn't have had to bend down and maybe she would have seen the trailer, just maybe, it wouldn't have run them over the bridge, and her son and mother would've still been alive, she deserved this, she would have to die as well.
" Alice !! please don't do this, we can work things out, please, " Desmond pleaded.
" There's nothing to work out Desmond, I killed them, I'm a murderer, I deserve to die, " she replied without looking at him.
" Alice please don't do this " he pleaded teary eyed, " I can't live without you, I ..... I love you , " he voiced out,
" I love you too " she turned to tell him with a smile on her face that made the tears in her eyes ever visible, " good bye Desmond " she continued, still with the smile on her face, and without a second to waste, plunged into the crystal vision of the cold... silent water.
There was no struggle, no fear, Alice let herself go, and the water welcomed her, it pulled her in, slowly but surely leading her closer to the tight jaws of death.
" Annnnnnnnnnd cut " said Mr Lucus, a movie director, as two young men helped Alice out the pool, Alice was actually a Hollywood actress, and this was the beginning of her life as star, or so she thought.
"Good job Alice, keep that up, and you might just be the next big thing in the movie industry"
Mr Lucus suggested, all the while staring into a recording of the shoot they had just made.
" You really think so Mr Lucus ?"
Alice asked with enthusiasm, and expectation, she blushed at the comments from the director, eager for a reassurance, and somewhat repeat of his compliments, it seemed too good to be true.
This was the infamous Lucus Ijedaba, one of the most renowned film directors in the country, and here he was showering her with praises for a shoot, her surprise was justifiable, considering the testimonies that most would give regarding his short temper.
With him it was either perfect or nothing, and if she had to go by that, this would be either sarcasm or a miracle in broad daylight, both options that completely relied on the answer he would give to her.
" No ! " he replied, still taking a look at a recording while pointing out errors to the camera man. The answer was as fast as it was confusing, and Alice would later regret her contribution in igniting the flame to what would result in the drama that was her movie director.
" Excuse me ? "she questioned, the shock evident in her voice, but Mr Lucus was slow to respond,
" I don't understand, you just said that I..."
" I know what I said" he interrupted, without showing any concern for the person he was about to chastise.
So ?" she asked
"So you did the usual, you just stood there while I wasted my time" he replied straightly, with carelessness, and full confidence that she deserved what was coming her way.
" Mr Lucus that's not fair,you haven't even told me where I went wrong and... "
" Alice !, " he called, getting out of his seat, and cutting her short yet again, like her opinion didn't matter, " do you remember the conversation we had the day you came for the auditioning ?" his question hit her as rhetorical, annoying, belittling.
She did remember, all too well for that matter, but had no intention of reliving it, her silence shot the message across to him.
" No ? " he questioned, deliberately oblivious of her disgust for his manner of speaking, " Miss Alice, you know I only accepted you as a temporary, more like fill in the space alternative, and that, because I received a recommendation from Chief Abiodun, not to mention your exasperating pleas that I give you a chance after the other two studios cut you off, I put my name on the line, bringing you on this team, and I don't see anyone else doing that, so do us both a favour, and comply, at least for this short while, until the actual character comes back" he said, as he retreated into his chair.
" You can go, we're done for today " he said and continued from where he stopped. Exhaling was the best she could do, two things were true, Lucus was an asshole, and she really needed this job.
Alice left the studio, feeling less than good about herself, Lucus had given her an ear full, her doubts about his character were justified, and she still had her mortgage to take care of, things weren't going well, this wasn't how she anticipated the new year, the resolution was supposed to be in her favour, but one night at the club, too much alcohol and bad friends was all it took to tarnish the career she had worked so hard to build for herself. This was all his fault, and she had to suffer the consequence.
Would Alice get another chance to repair her broken image ? what would happen if she can't? is this really the end of her career as an actress ? and who was she referring to as the cause of her troubles? Find out in the upcoming chapter.
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MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 3
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MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 4
The stairs looked like they would never end, she couldn't use the elevator, the place was crawling with hoodlums, they made sure to block every exit. Cornered, trapped, it was run or get caught, and Alice wasn't prepared for the latter. She was exhausted, scared, fearful, that her attackers would find her, she couldn't think, she couldn't hide, there was a threat on every side, she imagined what they would do to her, her heart raced, her mind flooded with morbid images, they were monsters, in, and out, she had to get out, there was the door, the one exit that hadn't yet been blocked, she could see them, parading the halls, searching for her, like hounds, following a scent, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sprinted for the door, it was only a few feet away, but they had seen her, they followed, they yelled, they tore through the crowd, this was it, the second that would determine what happened next,
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MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 6
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MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 7
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. The quiet was history as the bullets blasted freely into Alice's apartment, shards of glass, flying in the air, the dishes, the cabinets, the walls, all came crashing down as the metals shot right through them, this was completely different from how the movies made it seem, it was relentless, brutal, thirsty, one wrong move could mean sudden death, she was right to be scared, they were ready to kill anyone and everyone. The gunshots stopped, but the room was in chaos, Alice was still too shaken to get up, until the sound of Mike's voice brought her back to the reality they were in. " Alice ? Alice ? are you okay ? "his voice oozed with more concern for her life than his.
MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 9
. Itwould only take a pull of the trigger, two pulls to finish them off, Mike's assault had bought them time, but it looked like their time had run out as fast as it came, he had succeeded in wounding his attacker, the force he used when he hit the plank against his head had left a pretty deep cut, still shaken from the impact, he saw him reach for the back of his head with his left hand, as if checking to see just how hurt he was, but instead of going into a mad rage, as would've been expected, the sight of his own blood seemed to cause some sort of excitement . Mike could neither control the fear nor the guilt of the tragedy he had brought to Alice's doorstep, if not for him she would still be safe , but his wishful thoughts didn't change anything, the reality stood in front of them, and it wa
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MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 58
Alice couldn't help but feel disturbed at the fact that they were at someone else's house yet again, their presence in the house of their host obviously threatened the man life, as they were still being chased by Fasting and the CSS. Sunday had tried to make her understand in the shortest and fastest way he possibly could, he didn't want her to feel like she was the reason why this man's life would be threatened. He had said a few things, how the man had been his mmentor and a true friend when he had joined the CSS, Cornelius had always been someone Sunday looked up to, he had every reason to follow Cornelius's instruction, after all Cornelius was the reason why he had joined the CSS in the first place.
MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 57
Cornelius was a well to do man, despite having retired from his previous position as an agent of the CSS years ago, he was still very fit and lived quite a fairly comfortable life with his wife and twin daughters. Cheryl and Constance, beautiful bright young girls, they weren't exactly the spitting image of their father, but what they lacked in appearance, they made up to him in complexion and wit. Cornelius loved his family, and he cared about them more than he did himself, there wasn't a successful CSS agent alive who was without enemies, and enemies always preyed on the weaknesses of their adversaries. But Cornelius was smart enough to send them to a secure place, before his enemies could get to them. He had hesitated initially to part with them, but after the attempt to kidnap
MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 56
If memories served her right, Alice knew this wasn't the first time she was meeting this particular police officer, he had seen the fight between Sunday and the other agents, and tried to intervene. Which would have cost him his life had he not been a good fighter on his own. He managed to fight off some of the agents, taking his fair share of significant blows of course, but luckily he hadn't been shot, however he wasn't so lucky to dodge the gun that hammered against the back of his head suddenly, and made him lose conciousness. Alice knew she had to have seen him somewhere, the only question now was where exactly.
MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 55
Thud ! thud! thud! thud ! Sunday could hear them coming, hard footsteps pounding against the floor as the men approached the room where he hid with Alice. Sunday wasn't sure exactly how many they were, but by the sound of their footsteps, he could say roughly ten to fifteen. Well armed, well trained. He had been hiding out with Alice in the house ever since he almost died of the wounds he got when Fasting shot him. It has been three days already, and ever since then they had stayed low. Sunday knew he wouldn't be able to hide for too long, sooner or later the agency would track him down, Thomas and Shola were traitors who worked with Fasting, with their help Fasting would get to him in no time.
MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 54
The last thing Sunday remembered before he passed out was Alice trying to keep him conscious, he thought he would've died that night, he hoped he had died, at least then he would be free from the guilt of having disappointed his sister everytime. Yes, Fasting was still alive, and once again Sunday had failed. With the help of agent Thomas and Shola, Fasting had escaped, Reuben as well as Susan had been shot, and no one knew if they were still alive. Sunday had been able to take the bullet intended for Alice, and it had almost killed him. However he was far from dead.
MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 53
Alice had felt like someone dropped the weight of the world on her shoulders the moment she saw the video of her mother, father and brother being gagged and beaten by Fasting's thugs. Fasting had threatened to kill them before, but they had been able to escape before he could do anything, at least with that Alice's heart could rest easy, even though she had no idea where they had escaped to, she was content and hopeful, praying they would all be fine. Anywhere is a better option than being held hostage with little or no chances of survival. Last she heard about them, they had been lucky enough to run into one of her uncles who was a military personnel, at least with him and his squad protecting her family, they were safe for now. &
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" What are you even saying ? " Alice asked, staring at Sunday as if he had said something outrageous, he seemed fully aware of just how ridiculous he had sounded just now, because he didn't say a word in his defense. " You are still hurt, " Alice said, rising to her feet she glared at Sunday, " the agency is still after you, Fasting is after you, we don't even know where Reuben and Susan could be, we don't even know if they're still alive, you can't just run off knowing about all of this . " Alice said again, trying her best to reason with Sunday. Sunday fell speechless hearing Alice's words, he knew her words proved true all too well. Judging from their present situation, as well as the threat that lied in wait, going outside was suicide. They
MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 51
Alice rested her head on the bed where Sunday slept, she had fallen asleep a while ago, but it was already morning, she hadn't been able to get much sleep, truly, she had barely gotten any sleep at all. Taking the bullet out of Sunday's chest was an ordeal, the biggest and most dangerous thing Alice had ever done in her entire life. There was so much blood, so much pain, so many things that could go wrong, Alice was no doctor, the only thing she knew about bullets wounds if she knew at all, was that they bled a lot, they put you in a world of excruciating pain, and yes, they are impossible to look at. But somehow she had overcome that fear of blood and managed to pull out the bullet from Sunday, he would live . Sunday clearly was no stranger to bullet wounds, he had the scars to show for them, forget scars, he
MARREDÂ Â Â CHAPTER 50
Blood trailed behind them as they dragged along the dark, silent road. Sunday had been badly hurt, and the longer his wounds stayed untreated the more chances were of him bleeding to death. If it had been during the day or even in the brighter hours of the evening, they might've seen someone willing to help them. But it wasn't early, it was late, dark and as quiet as a grave yard. Alice tried her best to help Sunday get help, and hopefully get away from the goons that were after them, she looked behind her several times, nothing was in sight, the darkness like a blanket had covered it all. Even if anyone had been there, she wouldn't have been able to see them.
