THE TATTOO

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CHAPTER 12

FLASHBACK 


Uju had always been an ambitious girl. Getting admitted to study Law at Enugu State University was one of the proudest moments of her life. Her parents had beamed with pride, her father burstingto his friends of how brillianthis daughter is. They spared no expense to ensure she was comfortable, securing a space for her in the school hostel rather than allowing her to stay off-campus like some of her classmates.


She adjusted well to university life, quickly making friends who shared her dedication to academics. 

The upcoming quiz in Constitutional Law was important, and she and her friends had agreed to go for a night class to prepare.


That evening, they settled into one of the classrooms, their books and jotters spread across the desks as they read in silence. Occasionally, one of them would break the quiet with a question, and they would discuss, helping each other understand difficult concepts.


As the night deepened, the classroom grew quieter as students began leaving in groups. By 2 a.m., Uju's friends nudged her, saying it was time to go.


“Let’s go together,” Amaka, one of her closest friends, whispered. “It’s late already.”


Uju barely looked up from her notes. “You girls go ahead. I want to finish this last topic. I’ll join you later.”


Amaka sighed. “Are you sure?”


“Yes. I’ll be fine.”


Her friends hesitated for a moment but eventually gathered their books and left. Now alone, Uju enjoyed the silence, free from distractions. She read for another hour, then stretched and checked the time on her phone. It was almost 3 a.m.


Satisfied with her study session, she packed up her books and stepped out of the building. A cold breeze swept through the deserted school compound. The streetlights flickered weakly, casting long, eerie shadows. The hostel was not too far, but the path leading to it felt unnervingly silent.


Still, she wasn’t afraid. She had walked this route before.


She hugged her books to her chest and quickened her steps.


On the Other Side of Campus...


A group of five young men staggered through a narrow footpath, their laughter ringing through the night. They reeked of alcohol, their voices slurred from the drinks they had consumed.


"Oboy, you don try! You don enter correct family," one of them shouted, throwing an arm around the shoulders of a younger boy.


The boy, the newest member of their cult, smiled nervously. He had been eager to prove himself, desperate for acceptance into the notorious gang. The initiation had been brutal, but now he was one of them.


“You must do one last thing,” another member said. His voice was sharp, his eyes glinting with something dark.


The boy frowned. “Wetin?”


The leader stopped walking, pointing ahead. A lone figure was approaching—a girl, walking briskly towards the hostel.


“She be your final test,” the leader whispered.


The others chuckled, nudging him. “Show say you be man.”


The new member hesitated, his fingers twitching. “But—”


“No but! You wan belong or not?”


The boy swallowed hard. Then he nodded as he made his way towards the lone girl...


                    CHAPTER THIRTEEN



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THE TATTOO

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Chapter one Nightmare  Kasie ran to her mother’s room as soon as she heard her scream. She knew it was the nightmare, again. She met her sitting upright on her bed clutching the pillow a little bit too tight to her chest, with sweat dripping down and soaking her silk floral nightie. The AC was on, Kasie noticed and the room was a little bit chilly. She sat down close to her mother hugged her tight and continued whispering, “It’s alright mum, I’m here now”. Uju woke up with a jolt, her daughter, Kasie cuddled up at the other side of the bed sleeping. She looked at the table clock close to her side of the bed “11:32am, God!” she exclaimed under her breath cautious enough not to wake her daughter. The events of the night kept replaying in her head. The nightmare, the same nightmare that had tortured her for the past 16 years. This time, she had clearer images of the only memory she had of the man that raped her 16 years ago. She remembered he had what seemed to be a scar and a badly d...
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Chapter Three Wahala Uju felt like a million years had been added to her life the moment the ‘manly figure’ got closer to her car with security  boldly written on his T-shirt. Kasie heaved a heavy sigh of relief and sank into the car seat. “Hello Ma’am, sorry there has been a general power outage in the estate. We are trying to fix this. I am just here to see how the electrician is going about it,” the security man said. Uju still catching her breath from her initial panic replied, “that’s...that's all right, take your time.”  THE NEXT DAY It was a cool Sunday afternoon with Jon Bellion's simple and sweet playing in Uju's room. She was doing a final check on the presentation she had prepared for her company. Her company or rather her passive aggressive boss desperately needed to be awarded a contract from a multi-national and internationally recognized Motor oil producing firm in the country.   “This would be the biggest gig of the company so far, if we can grab...
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CHAPTER TWO The strange man "Kasie," Uju called as she glanced at the wall clock, "let's go, we are running late already". She perused the list she was holding making sure everything they needed to get from the shopping mall was written. Kasie walked frantically to the living room. She looked tensed. “What’s the matter?”, Uju asked standing up immediately.  Kasie stammered, "I...I saw him." “The strange guy?”  “Yes, through the bathroom window. He was hovering in the backyard but I do not think he is still there. I made a sound and he ran off to the other side of the compound," Kasie replied while trying to catch her breath.  They had been seeing this strange man longer than they could remember. Uju had reported the case to the estate security a couple of times but nothing seemed to be done about it. She hugged Kasie, promising to report to the police this time. She just needed a picture of him on their property as evidence. Uju sighed. “Do you st...
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