Chapter 67 FAVORITE SPOT

That day, she left her room very early, she'd had a terrible night. Osano - her best friend - had betrayed her, and she had forced herself to sleep with a small bottle of dry gin, seeing that she was out of weed.

But instead of going to her favorite spot - as she called it - as was her custom every morning.

Which was located in front of a lonely abandoned uncompleted house, surrounded by a well grown corn farm, with a huge culvert by the side, which used to be a road, but now eaten deep by erosion, forming a huge golly for refuse dump, and a hideout for low lives who manage to find a way in and out from time to time.

Sobrina decided to take the three mile walk to her dealer's place, an errand she rarely did. On her way, she called her sister to inquire as to if she would purchase her smart phone, she wouldn't. Then she called one of her friends to find out if he could help her with the Marijuana she wanted, he couldn't. So she resigned to take the walk.

Soon as she returned, she changed into a bumshort and a simple shirt, braless as she liked to be around her vicinity. She took what was left of the liquor and went to her favorite spot. Donald lived in the midst of others, in a small bungalow nearby, and had earlier introduced her to the place in her search for privacy. Apart from the fact that Marijuana was illegal in their country, it was also unusual for a lady to be a user.

Sobrina found Donald restlessly pacing about, waiting for her in front of his house. He was already late for work, but was afraid that something horrible might have happened to her. He was impatiently counting the minutes, and if she didn't come as usual, he would go in search of her. He was relieved to see her.

"Where have you been?", he questioned as he began hurrying around, preparing for work.

"I went to get some weed", Sobrina responded, while walking past him towards the narrow track to the abandoned house. And to her favorite spot.

She sat on a stone on the corridor of the abandoned building, where she usually sits to think, smoke and be alone.

She hid the small bottle of liquor behind a stone, so she wouldn't have to share. Sometimes she is joined by her other friends - miscreants - who also smoke weed. And were mostly Donald's friends, whom she had made acquaintances. Young men loved and respected her, not only because she was a second degree student who was humble enough to mingle with them without having an affair with any, or joining in their mischief. But also because she was a believer, howbeit, a very young one.

Sobrina in this manner had managed to rejuvenate many of them.

She rolled her weed, took a drag and began to loose her hair, when Donald came to join her, his bathing water already plugged in.

Donald had his towel, weed and lighter in hand. He spread out the towel after lighting his joint, and began attempting to set it on fire, using the lighter.

"Are you trying to burn your towel?", Sobrina questioned.

"Soldier ants attacked my neighbor's pot of food, I was trying to help him fight them and some got stuck to my towel. I'm trying to get rid of them", he responded, while they smoked.

Donald quickly rushed off later, to have his bath and subsequently hurried to work. Sobrina was finally left alone.

Donald knew she had found out what Osano had done, and feared she may harm herself. He understood the state of her present mental health, and was trying to give her an emotional support. He also knew the danger she was facing, and what Osano was capable of. He feared for her safety.

Donald's neighbor decided to rearrange the concrete blocks that had been arranged close to his window, believing the soldier ants must have come from there. He worked and worked, and occasionally passed by Sobrina to dispose dirt in the culvert.

"Didn't you find any Bush meat in those blocks?", Sobrina cunningly questioned him on one occasion, beginning to shiver, slightly afraid and trying to make conversation. She found the manner in which he had arranged the blocks very suspicious. He had made them so high that they covered the view of the one story building afar off. And the entrance to the abandoned building became tinier than it was, without an escape route should something sudden happen. A thought she had never entertained until then.

"I did?", he responded.

"Can I have it?",

"Come and take it, I don't want it anyways?", the young man responded. Sobrina joyfully followed him back to the nearby bungalow, and collected the bush meat.

"How did you kill it?", she questioned while examining the creature, and not finding any blood stains on the body.

"With my hands... I strangled it?", the young man responded.

Sobrina said her thanks and returned to where she was seated at her spot. She kept the Grasscutter on the floor in front of her, while continuing to loosen her hair.

Her confidence was slowly beginning to return, when she heard the sound of footsteps, as someone cleared his throat from behind her.

Sobrina turned around and it happened to be one of the men she had met through Donald, they weren't really friends, since he just recently began to join them among others.

He was a really huge guy, about six feet tall and over three hundred pounds in weight; and in the same cult as Osano, unknowingly to Sobrina.

She relaxed, seeing he was a familiar face. The guy came closer to Sobrina, and was surprised to see the Grasscutter on the floor in front of her. He bent down and began to examine the creature, knowing fully well that she couldn't have caught it by herself.

"How did you get this?", he questioned, looking into her eyes.

"Someone gave it to me", Sobrina responded. Wisdom had gotten the best part of her, his eyes were covered in blood and unfriendly.

"Who?",

"Someone", she insisted.

"And it's male", the guy observed. He stood erect and looked around the vicinity, turning from left to right.

"Is there a way into this culvert?",

"Yes, down by the other side", Sobrina responded, while pointing towards the way. The guy left immediately and entered the culvert. He came back few minutes later and sat opposite Sobrina.

"Who is your guy Sobrina?", he questioned.

"He doesn't show his face all the time... sadly",

"Why don't you go and visit him?",

"I don't want to",

"What would you do if someone paid you to murder someone and you couldn't accomplish the mission?",

"I've noticed you're always full of dangerous thoughts", Sobrina responded. She noticed he made a sign to someone behind her as she was speaking, and Osano appeared. Osano stood beside her thrusted two thousand naira towards her, and she ducked.

"What for?", she questioned him.

"Donald asked me to give it to you", Osano responded. He had no idea that Sobrina had not only seen Donald that morning, but had spent some time with him, before he left for work.

Osano had poisoned the money knowing she was smoking, and would ingest the poison without washing her hands, after touching it.

This was his plan 'B', in case they couldn't strangle her and place a suicide note on her body, claiming she had taken her own life because she was stigmatized and dumped by her boyfriend.

Osano had earlier tried to enter her apartment using the key she had given him months ago, and discovered she had changed the locks.

The plan 'A' had failed, because they thought someone was in hiding, watching over Sobrina, and that the dead Grasscutter was a warning.

"I am not aware", Sobrina responded. Osano returned the money back in his pocket, and left, frustrated.

Sobrina sat for some minutes with the other guy. She then retrieved her small bottle of liquor from she had hidden it, trying to leave.

"You're really a strong woman Sobrina", the guy affirmed, as she silently took the Grasscutter and left.

Sobrina realized what had happened, few minutes after she got home and went to see Pastor Davies. She was crying. She cried all the way from her place to his house.

When she arrived, Pastor Davies grabbed her and threw her out the door.

The only thing that held her sanity together after that action, was the fact that she still felt secured in Pastor Melvin's love. She went home, and took a slow shower with one of the soaps he had given her, enjoying the scent.

It was now obvious to her that she was at war, almost like it had happened to Kate. It had been difficult for her to believe that such a flimsy issue - such as a man - could cause so much strife in a church.

"This people have no pride", she thought. She assured herself that Pastor Melvin wasn't part of all that was happening, and would not be swayed. He was an upright man, her very own Pastor Melvin of all times.