CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

I let out a groan as I slowly regained consciousness, slowing taking in my environment, the room was dimly lit “still in the hospital” I murmured.

Sitting beside me was the guy who saved me. He didn’t know I was awake as he was gazing out of the window. I took in his features and tried searching my memory to know if I had seen him before the incident..but my memory was blank.

The nurse gentle voice came in “Miss smith,you’re awake” she said with a bright smile.

“Good morning nurse” I replied with a lit smile.

This had brought the attention of the stranger to us. his gaze was fully on me, which made me uneasy.

“How are you feeling now?” The nurse asked as she did a general check up on me.

“I’m fine, just tired and hungry” I replied letting out a yawn.

“I’ll get you something to eat” the stranger replied and walked off. Leaving the nurse and I.

“What’s ur relationship with that guy” the nurse asked.

“ No relationship, he’s just a random guy that saved me.” I replied, even though I had a lot of questions running through my mind.

“Hmm..okay” the nurse replied with the look of doubt. “ alright, miss smith I’ll see you later” she said and walked out of the room.

Few moments later..

“Here, I got you food” the stranger said as he walked up to me to fix them on a tray nearby.

I watched him arranged everything till he was done and asked him the only thing I’ve been wanting to ask him.

“Who are you?” I asked, staring straight into his eyes.

The strangers eyes locked into mine,and a faint smile played on his lips. “You don’t remember me?” He asked, his voice low and smooth.

“Should I? “ I asked, because I’ve searched my memory and found nothing relating to him.

He leaned forward,his eyes not leaving mine “ I saved you” he replied almost in a whisper.

“Oh!..common stop messing with my head, I know you saved me” I replied already getting frustrated by his attitude.

“Then,what else do you want to know?” He asked, sitting beside me as he tried to feed me.

“ who are you?, why did you save me?..do you know me from somewhere? and why do you look like him?” my voice cracked at the mention of that.

“Who? “” He asked, staring intently at me.

I was hesitant at first but his name left my lips. “Eric” I said, my gaze falling to my clenched hands.

“Wow…I see you still have memories of him” he replied with a light smile.

I nodded with a dark chuckle, “ why won’t I?…why will I forget the only reason my life turned this way?…why will I forget what his death have brought upon me?”

I replied trying to keep my emotions in check.

The stranger’s gaze drifted away,as he seemed lost in thought.” You asked to know who I am right?” He asked staring at me, while I nodded patiently waiting for his answers to my questions.

“Let’s just say we’ve crossed paths before.” He replied with a light smile.

I felt a surge of frustration rushed through me. “ that’s not enough, that doesn’t do justice to my questions” I replied giving him a frustrated look which made him laugh.

“Miss camellia, my identity doesn’t matter now, what matter is you being safe, those people aren’t done with you yet and just like they’ve promised, they’re going to stop at nothing just to make your life a living hell” he said staring into pace.

“ what? but I’ve served my jail term” I asked in shock.

“ is that so? haven’t you been getting letters in prison? they promised to haunt you till you die.. and that they’ll do except the truth surfaces,” He replied.

“Truth? what truth? how did you know all these?” I asked as I was getting confused and scared by these whole stranger talks.

“You’d only be free, when the real culprit is found, but for now, you’d have to take all the blame” he continued.

I was lost in my own thought the moment he said that. “The real culprit?, “ will they ever find him?”..”how much more dose he know?”.

“Don’t tell me you thought those messages you got in prison, were mere threats?” He asked, staring at me in utter disbelief.

“Oh! No” I gasped as I remembered the letters I got in prison. How could I have forgotten that,and who are those behind them?..as the memories flooded back in like flash.

Flashback

After the angry cops took me from my house to the station where I met mrs caddel, whose eyes were puffy and red from crying too much.

She attacked me the moment she saw me,calling me names.

“You killed my son,what did he do to you?”…She gripped my shirt wailing.

It took the intervention of a cop to pull her away from me. She stared at me with so much hatred and said “you’ll pay for this, I promise”.

And that was the last thing I heard before finding myself in total darkness. I was alone in the cell,when my eyes caught a small piece of paper lying close to the cell’s gate and curiosity took the best of me. I opened it and it read.

“ you’re not safe here either…I’ll haunt you down”

Goosebumps, that was what I felt as my hands became trembling.

I kept receiving letters till the last day I spent there, and the last one read

“fredom?”..hahaha, you’re never getting that..welcome to the world, where I’ll finally crush you …murderer”.

Anger flooded my system,after reading that letter, I tore it off and let out a loud hiss.

So,this was it, I’m not safe out here either?..

“Hey?” The stranger said, jogging back into the present.

“What do I do now?..” I asked, fear visibly written all over me.

“Uncover the truth” he replied simply.

“What?” I asked.

“Yes…I guess that’s the only way” he replied. His phone buzzed, he stared at his phone for a while,then back at me “ I’ll take this outside” he said, before stepping out of the room. leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Uncover the truth?…will I ever be able to do that?…