Novels by Victor Obi

COME IN Jake's pulse hammered against his ribs.Another knock came from the front door."Police," the voice called again. "Would somebody answer the door, please?"Jake looked toward Ethan, his face drained of colour."What do we do?" he whispered.Ethan swallowed hard before taking a deep breath."I'll handle it."Jake frowned. "What?""I'll answer the door.""No.""Jake.""No."Ethan stepped closer and lowered his voice."If they're here for you and they see you standing at the door dressed like..." He gestured toward Jake's half-worn clothes. "...that, they're going to start asking questions."Jake cursed under his breath."They probably just want to ask about last night," Ethan continued. "Go upstairs."Jake hesitated."Please," Ethan said quietly.After another second, Jake nodded."If anything feels wrong...""I'll shout."Jake squeezed Ethan's shoulder once before hurrying upstairs as quietly as he could.The floorboards creaked above.Ethan waited until he heard his bedroom d

CHAPTER 76 THE KNOCK AT THE DOOR Ethan pulled his blanket over his shoulder, wrapping tightly beneath it as he drifted through a dreamless sleep. For the first time in what felt like forever, his mind was strangely… quiet. He didn't have his usual nightmare, or disturbing thoughts about Blake, or imagined Jacob chasing him through the Thompson's mansion. All he felt was silence. But then voices cut through the peace, muffled at first. “I'm telling you… call me later..” Ethan frowned in his sleep before placing his pillow over his head. But then the voice reached him again and his eyes snapped open immediately. “Jake?" he mumbled into his bed. He threw the pillow off his head and sat upright so fast the blanket slipped off his shoulder. “Jake!" Without bothering to put on his slippers, Ethan crawled off the bed and pushed himself to the floor before rushing toward the bedroom door. His blanket wrapped around his foot, nearly tripping him as he turned down the hallway. H

THE MORNING AFTERSunlight spilled through the curtains in thin golden strips, cascading across the wooden floor before landing on the bed by the wall. It warmed the tangled sheets and one of the two figures under the duvet stirred with a groan. Jake's eyes fluttered open and his face immediately squeezed at the sudden brightness. For a few seconds, he stared at the ceiling, wondering why his entire body felt so heavy. Then the memories from last night slowly returned–Aaron’s call, the meetup at the drugstore, the blood…Gina. His head snapped to the side where Gina laid peacefully, her hair disheveled and her mouth slightly open. Then he looked toward the window where the sky outside was already bright. “It's morning already?" he muttered as he placed a palm over his eyes. “How long have I been out?" With a soft groan, he pushed himself up on one elbow, intending to climb out of bed. But before he could move any farther, an arm wrapped around his waist and slowly dragged him bac

RUN AWAY, SANDERSRoseanne stood by the door, her bleary eyes moving from the pair of glasses lying on the bed, to Blake, before finally settling on Ethan. For a long second, nobody said anything. Then she burped and took a step closer. “What…” she slurred, blinking slowly. "...the hell is going on here?" Ethan's heart nearly stopped in his chest as he immediately scooted away from Blake. He grabbed his glasses off the bed and shoved them back onto his face, fumbling with the frame so badly that he nearly snapped it in half and almost poked himself in the eye. Blake stood up so quickly the bed creaked beneath him. “I… it's nothing,” he said with a nervous smile. "What are you doing here?”Roseanne ignored him, frowning harder as she pointed lazily between the both of them. "What… are…” She smacked her mouth, squinting. "What are you doing here?”Blake opened his mouth to answer again, but nothing came out. His brain was always quick enough to come up with excuses at times like thi

WHAT WE CAN'T CHOOSE "Oh," that was all Blake said. And then silence lingered between the two boys. Blake's smile had disappeared completely now, replaced with an expression Ethan couldn't quite decipher. It was different from the look of disgust and anger he usually held. It was… surprise. For a long moment, neither of them moved. Ethan, already regretting speaking his thoughts out loud, turned to the pulsing floor as his face burned. He could practically feel his heart trying to punch its way out of his heart. He had finally spoken his mind and now Blake was staring at him like he was some alien. The music downstairs continued to play regardless of what was transpiring in the room, while the wind rattled the window beside them. Somewhere outside, someone shouted before a chorus of laughter followed. Ethan lowered his eyes. “I…” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "...just… just forget I said anything–" “Why?" The question caused him to stop short. He looked

THE EYES THAT WATCH 2"Yeah. We found him behind the building."Ryan's expression tightened as he looked at the officer."Someone escaped?"The officer gave a slow nod, his face still carrying the tension of what they had discovered."Looks like it."For a moment, nobody spoke.James turned his attention toward the back hallway, staring into the darkness beyond the entrance. Something about the entire place felt wrong. It wasn't the feeling of a simple robbery gone bad. It wasn't the desperate chaos of someone breaking in because they needed money.This was different.Everything about the scene felt deliberate.The damage. The bodies. The way everything had been left behind.This wasn't the work of someone who lost control.This was organized.Controlled.The kind of violence carried out by people who knew exactly what they were doing and had done it before.James stepped into the hallway, his eyes scanning every detail.The walls were stained with blood and dirt. The floor was covere