04/12/2025
pt2
The mortuary girl and I were sweating profusely like we were going to d!e any moment.
Our hearts pounded like war drums.
Immediately after the w00d struck the guard’s h£ad, he toppled, weak and groaning. The cutlass slipped from his hand as if it had betrayed him.
Ibitari stepped closer, her body trembling.
“Is he… d£ad?” she whispered, fear still in her eyes.
“Can’t you see he’s still breathing?” I muttered, scanning the shadows around the bushes. Something about trees made me feel like unseen eyes were watching.
“Let’s go now!” I said, gripping her hand tightly. We ran through the winding path. At one point, Ibitari almost tripped over her skirt, and instinctively, I caught her
The bushy path stretched endlessly, and it wasn’t until I slowed to catch my breath that I realised how far we had come. Behind us, I knew the guard would eventually crawl back to the palace, but for now, we were safe.
Finally, we reached the mortuary. Ibitari was ahead of me, her bare feet was silent on the dusty ground.
Then we saw it.
A police van sat parked outside. Flashing lights cut through the gloom, reflecting in the mortuary’s windows. My heart leapt into my throat.
“Who… who called the police?” I asked, my voice cracking. My mind immediately
“What if they found out he was hiding the chief’s wife?” I thought, panic rising in waves.
Ibitari’s eyes went wide as she saw her father. He was handcuffed, flustered, and bewildered.
Not long after, her mother stepped out through the small mortuary gate, her expression filled with relief
“Who called the police?” Ibitari stammered again, trying to piece everything together.
“I… I really don’t know,” her voice was trembling.
And then… I saw him. My father stepped out of the mortuary, his expression was calm and unreadable.
My heart skipped a beat.
“Papa… you…” I began, suspicion and awe warring in my chest.
He raised a hand gently, stopping me.
“Everything worked out, didn’t it, son?” he said quiet