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The morning came with the sun rising in the city of Albany, as it penetrated the curtain openings, its rays falling on Dinah's face.

Dinah yawned as she stretched out her hand.

She felt like sleeping the more since she thought of herself to be useless.

It's been over a week now since she lost her Parents and her immediate sister was driven to a coma.

Life could be harder on her when she found out her parents had owed a loan bank a huge amount of money.

|6 March 2022|

She paid the cab man as she alight from the cab,

She should have ordered Uber or rather, asked her parents to come pick her up, but she wanted her comeback to be a surprise.

Dinah's look at the envelope in her hand as she smiled at the words displayed on the envelope.

Filled with happiness, Dinah decided to check the files again. Earlier that day, she felt weird as if she lost something important or rather forgot something, which made her check the files again.

She breathed out a sigh of relief as she started walking.

Looking at how crowded her house has become, Dinah looked confused as she struggles to walk-by the crowd until she got to the front.

At first, the corps at the entrance of the compound wouldn't let her in until she yelled at him that her family lives in, and she's the daughter of Mr. Zealot.

After confirming her identity, the corps let her in as she walks to the compound

Fear gripped her as she looked around, policemen standing guard at the door, others stopping the crowd from bursting while some took some pictures.

As she mustered courage to walk in, Dinah could not think straight, she could feel her legs trembling and her palms sweaty.

Shutting the door behind, Dinah swallowed hard as she slowly walked closer, hoping that whatever that is happening or has happened shouldn't be what she is thinking

“Ma'am, what are you doing here?” A corp asked her, but she was rather too dumb to hear him reply since she was full of thought already.

As she walked closer, Dinah began seeing traces of blood on the tiled floor which some corps took photos of.

Her hearts began pounding as she felt herself, sweating already.

“Dinah.” Somebody called as he held her, making her freeze on her stand.

“You shouldn't be here.” He added and Dinah slowly turned to look at him.

“Why…” Dinah stutters as he grab her by the hand, but she fidgets.

“I need to know. What's happening here.” She forced out her words as she walked more closely.

“ Mum….” Dinah was shocked as she widened her eyes seeing the corps putting her mum who was bleeding seriously to the cot.

“Mum!!” Dinah yelled, she was about to run to the corps carrying her mum on the cot but the other corps standing beside her stopped her by holding her hands as she struggled out of the hold, but it was proving futile until her mum was out of sight.

Dinah screamed as she fell to her knees.

She could feel her world crumbling already as tears poured down followed by screams of pain.

The envelope she was holding earlier fall to the floor, lying. beside her.

“Dinah. Dinah.” She heard her name, but she was too weak to reply as she slowly shut her eyes.

She was feeling dizzy already and what she could see now was blurriness with sounds of feet as she hit her head to the floor.

And Blackout!

As she slowly opened her eyes came with a headache.

Dinah groaned as she blinked rapidly, opening her eyes.

The smell and aura, she knew she was in a hospital as she sits back, moaning at the headache as she touches her forehead.

“Oh, you are awake.” The nurse who had been beside her said as she turned to look at the nurse who flashed her a gentle smile.

“Where am--” Dinah pauses, remembering the nights as she shoots the nurse a look. “Mummy.” She called as her heart began racing.

She began wishing that what she had seen that night shouldn't be true but to be a dream.

Furthermore, she refused to eat unless she gets to see her family and she wasn't responding to treatment, which made them hire a psychologist.

Dinah was confused about the hiring of a psychologist, all she wanted to see was her family, why should it be so hard until she learned that her parents were dead, and her immediate sister has been driven to coma.

Those words, at first, sound like a poem or rather storyline until she was taken to where her parents had been buried which made her weep the most.

She realized it wasn't a drama anymore but reality, all she could now think of was her life being a mess.

She was about to deliver the good news that night to her family that she has finally been made a secret undercover cop, but as fate could want it she met with her parents' dead bodies.

As days went by, her psychologist helped a lot until she recovered.

Renting an apartment in a local neighborhood, which thought would be inconvenient for her.

She has lived her life as a mama and papa's girl and a princess in their beautiful house, but what could she do after finding out again that the house is to be auctioned off due to some loan.

Their properties were seized and companies were shut down, she was now left with the remains of the property her dad had given her.

Dinah sold all the property in her care to start a new life, though that it might be hard. With the amount of money she got from selling off the properties, she settled in a comfortable one-room apartment in a local neighborhood.

….

Dinah weighed herself down the bed and to the bathroom.

Last night was as usual, crying and filling her stomach up with some foods.

She went for the bathtub as she dipped herself in.

Thinking became her habits, and eating while crying became a hobby.

She was to start her new work the following day, though that should have been since last week, but the station was considerate enough to email her to take a week off.

Dinah walks back to her room after a minute bathing as she walks closer to pick some cloth in her wardrobe.

She would be shopping for some foodstuffs, dresses and as well making another payment for her sister's treatment.

She settled in a gown which stopped mid-thigh, she left her hair combed and unpacked.

Furthermore, she glanced at the mirror, with an assuring small smile to her reflection, she walked to the kitchen.

Dinah prepares herself seven slices of toast, bread and tea as she walks out of the kitchen to her room.

She sits on the wooden chair beside her bed, dropping the tray to the table.

As she munched on the slices she scrolled over her phone to the internet, she scoffed seeing that the news and gossips of her parents death were still trending.

She switches her phone off, about taking another slice, Dinah grunt realizing that there was none left, she should have made ten, but she wouldn't want to spend lavishly since her upkeep and sister's treatment would be her.

She gulped down the tea as she made her way to the kitchen.

She washed the dishes, tidied the kitchen and her room and had a quick rest.

.

A minute later, she took her purse as she made her way out.

She locked the door and put her phone in her bag as she hung it to her shoulder. She climbed the stairs down since she was living on the rooftop as she walked down the streets.

The neighborhood seemed quiet; that's what she needed, quietness.

She walked to the bus stop, luckily the bus just arrived as she hurried to get in along with some passengers.

She went ahead to sit close to the window.

The bus started moving as she looked out the window seeing passerby.

Her life might seem harder or happier later on, but that won't stop her from getting revenge from those who brutally murdered her parents, there is nothing more to lose or gain.

......

She alighted from the bus and started walking over to the hospital.

Her phone rang and she opened her bag bringing out the ringing phone, she checked the caller ID seeing that it was August.

Her cousin who lost his parents at his tender age in a car accident, they grew up together though he was all moody during his childhood.

He is also the one who is in charge of her parents' murder case.

"Hi Augie." She called his nickname as she continued her walk to the hospital.

"Hey Dinah, I had asked you to drop by yesterday, why didn't you come?" August asked from the phone

" You know I haven't planned my schedule yet and I was really taking a good rest. " Dinah says. " I had to go out today to shop and pay Elizabeth for treatment. '' She explained, she heard August sigh.

" Okay, but I really need to see you today, at least come hear what I have to say. " August pressured and Dinah shrug

" Can't we talk on the phone as we normally use to. " Dinah asked as she walk inside the hospital

" Come on. Don't act stubborn and drop by, I will be expecting. " He concluded as he hung up and Dinah smirked, heaving a sigh.

He act like an elder brother or rather a daddy sometimes.

She walk closer to the reception.

"Hi, Miss Dinah, nice to see you here." The receptionist say smiling and Dinah smiled back giving the receptionist her card

"Two months." She informed and the receptionist nodded, collecting the card, doing the paying while Dinah looked around.

Nurses pushing patients on wheelchairs, some strolling by, others sitting with worried look or blank expression.

"Here." The nurse called her attention as she collected back the card with a small smile as she walked away. She walked to the elevator as she pressed the button, seconds later, it opened.

Dinah nods negatively seeing that it was full already and she doesn't want their pity eyes to be on her.

She walked to the staircase as she began climbing on it.

She climbed the last stair to the hallway.

After some walking, she stopped at the front of her sister's ward.

She swallowed hard, hesitating as she entered the room.

The nurse who was checking on Elizabeth turned to see Dinah, she bowed as she used the blanket to cover Elizabeth properly before walking out of the room.

Seeing her sister lying on the cot half-dead, Dinah was reminded of the once upon a good times they had together.

With the birthdays, ceremonies, outings and little fights they always had together.

She took a step backward.

Had it been a dream, she would have called it a bad dream, never gonna come true.

But now, it was a painful reality.

Her parents had never meant evil or had any enemy, they weren't such good or bad people, still they were loved around anyone who came in relation with them.

Why would fate be this cruel or humans!?

She walks nearer to her sister on the bed as she sniff.

"Hey Eliz." She called as tears slid down her cheeks.

She scoffs. using her thumb to wipe away the tears.

"I hope you are doing good, and would..." She pauses, fighting back the tears.

" And would come back to me." She forced out the words." Let's punish those motherfuckin murderers together." She added within gritted teeth already crying.

She touched her sister's hand.

"Hang on okay.... I would make sure their fucking life become not worthy of living. " She swore

Hi, I really hope you're enjoying it's.

let's continue with the ride. Sure you're not gonna regret it

Author K