FOLLOWED

EPISODE FOUR

It took about two hours for Katherine to get her children ready for the journey another two hours to secure the property against intruders and also set it up like they were still in the house, she claimed it was just in case someone had followed him from the airport or something. Karl thought it far fetched but watched her do her thing while he looked over at where the children huddled excited about the trip, there were about five of them including the one named Sandra who was trying desperately to hush them up as they talked about him asking each other if they knew who he was. Karl could not help but smile at their curiosity and walked over to where they sat, they all became silent immediately they saw him, the only thing depicting life was the movement of their eyes, it was like they had stopped breathing if that was even possible.

“Hello my name is Karl, what’s yours?” he said extending his hand to the one closest to him. She mumbled something incomprehensible and looked away shyly.

“They don’t take kindly to strangers” the one name Sandra said.

Karl looked up at her, only then did he notice her eye color. It was the deepest gold he had ever seen.

“Your eyes” he said aloud.

She looked away from him before replying

“I already activated my curse, it comes with a new eye color, mine is gold. My mom’s as you have noticed is blue.”

“They are very beautiful, I did not mean to say that aloud and make you self conscious”

“No need to apologize, I am used to people asking me if it is contact lens. I just smile and let them assume it is. It is easier that way.”

“How did you activate this curse you speak of?”

Sandra looked at him and then looked away again

“You do not believe and so nothing I tell you will make sense, you have to believe first” she said solemnly.

“it is not my fault I don’t, this is the first I am hearing of it and I don’t know what to make of it. Your mother is going to prove it to me though or so she said.”

“You are going to get proof if she go to the village, we only hope it is not too late”

“Too late for what?” Karl asked her clearly confused.

“Doesn’t matter” she said and that ended the conversation.

Katherine finished with what she was doing minutes later and they were ready to go.

“I know I said we should pack but we won’t be carrying any luggage, I need to confirm that we are not followed and we won’t be followed if it is not obvious we are going anywhere. This is just going to be a family stroll to get ice cream after being reunited with a long lost relative, is that clear?”

“Why is all of that necessary?” Karl questioned

“I don’t think I was followed, I would have noticed.”

“I am sure you would have Karl but there is nothing wrong in me being more careful right?”

“Sure of course, sorry if I went on the offensive. I am just so tired of it all” Karl said rubbing his eyes

“it is okay for you to be tired, don’t worry. All will be explained in due course but right now we have to work together on this, is that okay?”

They all answered in unison and filed out of the house, Karl forcing a smile like he was on TV and Sandra cooing to the youngest of the litter. To the outside world they looked like they were going on a walk, they walked with measured steps to the place Katherine’s car was parked and got in before she zoomed off.

Parked some meters away was the cab Karl had boarded, he recognized it because it had a very distinctive feature and the same one that had endeared him to it, the sticker of wonder woman plastered in her womanly splendor.

“I know that car” he muttered

“From where exactly?” Katherine asked looking back as they passed it.

“It was the cab that brought me to your house, I am sure of it.”

“And you could not have been mistaken?”

“I am very sure it is”

“Anyone has any idea why it is still parked close to my house?”

Nobody could give am answer for that

………

The cab man, Timothy watched them come out of the house and figured they were going to get something, it only became suspicious when they all failed to return after an hour which became two hours and then three.

He had no choice but to inform the people who had him keep watch about the recent change of events.

“YOU DID WHAT?” The voice screamed.

“I…I lost them but if you give me time, I promise I would figure out where they went, please I just need time.” The man said crying.

“Time is what you do not have Timothy, I asked you to do one simple thing to keep your daughter alive and you failed. You do know it is not my fault that this is going to happen right?”

“Please do not harm her, I will find them, I swear on my life but please do not touch my daughter.”

“Too late Timothy, you will receive her body tomorrow. You don’t need a large coffin though, just a box will be okay because she won’t be coming to you whole. Goodbye” the line clicked.

The man name Timothy fell on his face and wept, praying earnestly but it was like the heavens were not on his side. He walked dejectedly back to his cab, his fate and his daughter’s already sealed.

It was when he has gotten to the door of his car he noticed movements behind him

“Do not move or else you are dead” a voice said threateningly

“Who are you?”

“I should be asking you that question, old man. Who are you and why are you keeping watch over my house?”

“Can you allow me turn around at least?”

“There is no need for that, answer my questions or I will consider you useless to me and believe me I don’t like useless people” the voice threatened again pressing into the man’s back

“I was asked to follow and watch the boy” Timothy replied with haste feeling the pressure at the lower part of his back.

“The boy?”

“Yes, Karl. I was asked to keep an eye on him so I picked him up from the airport and brought him to this place.”

“Who asked you to keep an eye on him?”

“Please I cannot say, they have my only daughter and they mean to kill her. Please permit me to place a phone call telling them I am still tailing you all.”

“I cannot allow you to do that”

“Do you not have a daughter? Would you not do anything for her? Please they are going to kill her and send her body back to me in a box, please I beg you” the man said crying.

The hand holding him against the car door loosened and slowly it turned him around to face him.

Katherine looked the man square in the eyes and said to him

“Make your phone call and you had better be right about this whole thing you just said or you can kiss your daughter goodbye if she really does exist.”

“Believe me she does, thank you very much” the man said, his hands shaking as he speed dialed the number and placed it on loudspeaker

“We do not have any other business together Timothy, how dare you call me?”

“I have them under my radar again”

“How pray tell did that happen?” the voice asked lowering dangerously

“The woman came back for something and I followed her, please do not harm my daughter”

“Her life is in your hands, you do your job right this time and no harm will come to her. Do not fail me again.”

“I won’t, thank you very much for this opportunity.”

“Hmmmm”

……..

Timothy, Katherine, Karl, Sandra and the other children sat in the vehicle contemplating on what to do to save his daughter.

“You only have to give him what he wants, which means you have to tail us. It is fine now that we are all on the same page and it would give us time to plan our next move. There is no way I want him to change you to someone else so remember to always report anything I ask you to report.”

“I would do that, I am so sorry Karl, I never meant for this to happen.”

“it is okay, it’s not your fault at all. I just want to know what I have to do with all these”

“You will know soon enough when we get to the village”

“Great” Karl scoffed and reclined into his seat far away from the rest of them as they discussed their next line of action. He just wanted to wake up from this and realize it was just all a bad dream, his father was alive and even his mother if it was possible. He closed his eyes and began humming one of his favorite songs of Jon Bellion shutting the thought that he was in grave danger out of his mind.

……….

“He is with them”

“I thought as much when he called again to tell me he had resumed tailing them, if there is one thing I know about the woman I used to be married to, it is that she never forgets anything and even if she does, she doesn’t go back to get it.”

“What should I do to them boss?”

“Do nothing, just follow and keep me posted with real information.”

“Okay boss”

“Such stupid man, he just signed his daughter’s death warrant. I warned him, did I not?” the man sighed feeling tired

“They just make you do bad things because they feel they can be smarter or get away with things” he continued mumbling while approaching the tied girl.

She was blindfolded which was probably for the better seeing as he was about to kill her.

“What is your name?” he asked touching her shoulder.

He watched her flinch before answering

“Dorcas”

“Well Dorcas, your father has done a very bad thing and that thing is going to cost you your life.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am going to kill you but please note that this is only happening because your father has chosen to be disobedient, it is no fault of mine.”

“Pleaseeeeee…..pleaseee don’t” the girl cried.

“Too late Dorcas” with that the man shot her right in the head and watched her splattered brain slide down from the wall, he sighed again and cracked the bones in his fingers wearily.