Abuja was a city of peace. No other city in Nigeria could boast of its ambiance and calm—after all, the city was perfectly planned.
As the moon shone brightly on this lonely night, every part of the city reflected back with lights of its own. Streetlights, security lights, billboards, and neon designs.
Most of Guzape shone in their lights. Only one street remained dark. Each gate in this area was massive, its walls reaching higher than eight meters.
High upon these walls, a shadowy figure walked slowly. It seemed as though it was a person—or a shadow cast by a being above. It made no sound, taking each step with considerable ease.
A moment later, it stopped. Near the massive gate, a circular shape clung to the wall. Its paint seemed to possess a luminous quality as the number shone brightly under the moonlight.
22.
---
The silhouette scanned the vast compound below, ears twitching at the slightest sound. A moment later, another shadow appeared, walking toward the gate, something resting on its arm.
Just as it reached the wall where the first shadow stood, it jumped.
The other was a short man, dressed in a full guard uniform, a gun in his hand. Before he could fully register, he felt a sharp pain between his legs, then a heavy blow to his head. Collapsing.
Dragging the short man to a corner of the wall, the shadow left him there.
---
Another guard rested on the bags of sand under a shed. A moment ago, his hand had been on the gun, but as his colleague left, he relaxed. What could dare attempt to steal from here?
As the thought formed, he felt a heavy blow to his head and felt his consciousness slipping.
---
Two more guards were stationed at the entrance to the back door.
The silhouette moved along the wall, possessing a sinister ability to blend into the shadows completely. A moment later, it came behind the taller one. An arm crossed his throat before he registered its presence. The shadow held until his weight shifted and he lowered to the ground.
His partner brought out his gun and pointed, hesitating as his colleague blocked his way. It cost him.
As the shadow dropped the taller man, it lunged toward the partner—faster than he could pull the trigger—ramming him into the pillar behind. He sat down heavily.
---
Next, it stood before the central door. Footsteps were beginning to echo from behind. Waiting, it listened. One, two, three, four, five.
Backing away slowly, it clung to the side of the pillar and began climbing toward the metal panel fitted to bring ventilation to the staircase.
A tall guard stood there, looking at his phone. The shadow moved in front of him. Before he could register, it was upon him. A heartbeat passed, and he was out cold.
---
Next, it emerged in the hallway on the first floor. For whatever reason, it was sparsely lit—which made the shadow blend even better.
Standing before a door, it knocked.
A second passed. No sound.
Bringing out a sharp, long metal tool, it began working on the door. Another second, then a click.
The shadow opened the door slowly and entered. This room was dark and made blending easier.
The room seemed empty. No—what was that sound? Tracing it, the shadow found another door and pushed through.
Another short man, dressed in full camo. But something was wrong. His trousers were down. Turning its head forward, a girl emerged—she looked small, no more than eighteen years old, her face contorting into panic.
Before the guard could move, a metal rod struck his head. His body slumped to the ground.
The young girl shook violently and opened her mouth to scream. The shadow moved, bringing an arm to cover her mouth.
Then it brought out a notebook and scribbled:
"I won't hurt you."
The girl nodded, still trembling.
It wrote again: "Take me to John."
---
Samuel was having the best time of his life. The threat to it had proved to be nothing. Though he felt sorry for her, there was nothing he could do.
After she had tracked his hideout two days ago, he had feared the worst. But now, only one day remained before he finally left this country. Finally, he could have peace.
More than sixteen guards were stationed outside and would kill on sight. Only a madman would attempt to find him here.
Just then, he heard a small voice. "Mr. John, are you awake?"
It was Mabel, the maid, who took care of the house. Was one of the guards disturbing her again? He was going to make sure to reward her before he left.
Sighing, he stood and opened the door for her.
The young girl walked in. His room was dimly lit too, but he could sense something was wrong with her. Wait... but... There was something else.
Terror hit him as his knees grew weak.
A shadow stood behind her. And it stepped in too.
His knees collapsed onto a cushion as the silhouette moved closer. It felt like darkness itself—like a ghost. But Samuel was no fool. That silhouette was a person. He recognized the material worn—the type that absorbs light and appears as a dark spot.
What is that mask?
Could it be?
There was only one person who had designed that mask. And he... he was supposed to be dead.
No. It couldn't be.
His body went limp.
"Nelly."
Just as the words left his mouth, he felt a heavy blow to his head.
---
Samuel felt like he was on a cruise ride. But just as he was about to come up, he started drowning. He tried to struggle, but his hands were held in place. He tried to scream but couldn't. Another wave of water crashed over him.
He opened his eyes slowly.
The ghost stood before him.
No, not a ghost. Nelly. It made sense. Even though she wasn't among the seven of them, she was also a bright mind. It wasn't surprising she could replicate Ken's design—albeit an incomplete version, but it was enough.
She brought out a notebook and scribbled:
"I'm going to remove the restraint on your mouth. If you scream, I'll kill you."
The huge man grew pale. It didn't make any sense. He'd seen her before—at the office, two days ago. She hadn't seemed like she could hurt a fly. Yet here she was.
She untied his mouth. It was useless if he screamed anyway—guards weren't allowed inside the house, and this part of the room was too far. Screaming would do nothing.
She started scribbling again.
"You can drop the act. I know it's you, Nelly."
A stifled sound escaped through the mask. The shadowy hand moved toward her head. A moment later, the black material was gone, replaced by a beautiful face with long raven hair.
She smiled. "I guess that makes this easy, then." Her smile grew darker. "Or do you still want the hard way?"
"You know, there are guards all over this place. Why did you risk your life—the second time in two days? Do you truly wish to join Ken that badly?"
A loud sound echoed through the room.
Samuel felt fire burning in his right cheek. A warm feeling formed in his mouth. A few drops spilled out—blood.
How could she hit so hard?
"As you can see, you're the one tied to a chair. Give me what I want, or this time, you won't be leaving this room."