Mama Duru's House: Evening
Amy stopped in front of the modest two-bedroom house, the address Tonna had provided. The structure itself looked harmless, but she knew that a nasty rot festered within.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
Tonna asked, his voice laced with concern, the powerful bike idling softly behind them.
"No, Tonna,"
she replied, her voice steady. She glanced back at him, her dark, determined gaze meeting his.
"You've done more than enough to help me. It's my turn to take care of things from here on out. This is my ending."
He nodded, understanding that she needed this closure, this confrontation, alone. He gave her a final, supportive look.
Amy turned and pressed the bell. The door was opened by Joy, who instantly shrieked—a high, piercing sound of pure terror—and tumbled backwards onto her butt.
"S-sist-ter in la-w-w?" J
oy stammered, shaking violently. Her scream was so loud that neighbours immediately started peeking out of their windows and doors.
Amy walked a few steps inside, letting the door remain wide open. By now, a small crowd had gathered on the front porch.
Mama Duru, hearing the commotion, rushed down the stairs in a panic. She saw her youngest daughter on the ground, screaming hysterically, and then she saw the cause: her "dead" daughter-in-law standing in her living room in broad daylight.
Mama Duru's eyes widened to saucers. She let out a guttural, terrified scream of her own, the sound abruptly cutting off as she collapsed and fainted right there on the polished tile floor. The commotion escalated as the neighbours started murmuring and pointing.
neighbours appeared next, descending the stairs with a bewildered look. She saw her mother on the floor and her sister screaming. Her gaze finally lifted to Amy. She stopped dead, shocked, but quickly masked it, walking down the rest of the steps with a forced, straight face.
"What are you doing here?"
Onyinye asked, her voice tight with forced control.
Amy scoffed, a dry, bitter sound. She was the same age as Onyinye, but after the coma and massive weight loss, Amy looked younger, while the stress lines and sudden terror made Onyinye look haggard.
"And why can't I be here, Onyinye?" Amy's sarcasm was a cutting edge.
Onyinye crossed her arms, trying to maintain some dignity with the neighbours still watching and even increasing.
"Weren't you the one who rubbished our family name three years ago and brought so much shame on us?"
"What a good mouth you have there, Onyi. It looks like the wings you have been growing in secret, you are willing to flap them in the open today."
Amy caught the look in Onyinye's eyes—a desperate mixture of fear and bravado—and smiled a chilling smile.
"Sister-in-law—or should I say ex-sister-in-law. You were the one who cheated on my brother, cheated his love, and had children with others. There were witnesses who came two years ago, accusing you of seducing their husbands. You also ran away from home after your evil deeds had been revealed."
Amy looked pointedly at Joy, who was still shaking and avoided her gaze.
"If I really were as bad as you just described, then please tell me,"
Amy challenged, addressing the crowd that had gathered.
"Instead of yelling at me and pushing me out, why is your family's reaction so different? Instead, your sister screamed after seeing me, and your mother fainted. Is that a normal reaction for someone who supposedly ran away in shame?"
The crowd murmured agreement; the family's reaction was undeniably too dramatic for a shamed runaway.
Following the rising whispers, Amy leaned in conspiratorially.
"It was almost as if they saw a ghost."
"AHHHH!"
A sudden, sharp shriek came from the back. Amy turned to see Amara, who was shaking uncontrollably, mumbling to herself.
"No, it's impossible. It can't be. You are dead! Dead! You died in that accident. I made sure of it."
Amara's voice was broken, her mind clearly unravelling.
The crowd gasped audibly.
"You messed with my car? So you intended to kill me, Eldest sister-in-law?" Amy asked, genuinely surprised. This was new information.
Amy flashed back to the day of the accident two years ago, the memory sharp and bitter.
Flashback: The Bems Residence, Three Years Ago
Amara was on the phone, tucked away in the back porch.
"Hello... is it done? Will you guarantee that she will definitely crash and die? Okay, I'll wire the rest of the money to you once the job is done. Good."
She walked outside, wearing white shorts and a loose tee, staring disgustedly at a bruised and battered Amy, who was flailing on the ground, having just been assaulted by the six women.
"Sister-in-law, what is the meaning of this?" Amy had whimpered then.
"You are dumber than I thought if you don't get the message, Amy''
She whispered
''You are finished." Amara's eyes had been cold, triumphant.
Back to the Present
"I must have been a real eyesore to the family, seeing how badly all of you wanted me dead,"
Amy said, her voice dripping with venom.
Amara looked up, hate replacing fear.
"You deserve it! For being in a place where you are not wanted!"
"Where I am not wanted?" Amy laughed scornfully.
"Eldest sister-in-law, you must be joking. Aren't you the one poking your nose where it doesn't belong, pining for what is not yours? Your own brother?"
She pushed past Onyinye, grabbed a nearby cup, filled it with water, and then appeared over Mama Duru, emptying the contents onto her face.
Mama Duru sputtered, bolting upright and screaming.
"That Bitch is back! Why can't she die? She has come to haunt us again!"
She kept ranting, oblivious to the recording devices surrounding them.
"Mother-in-law, of course, I am here to hunt you!"
Amy roared, her voice echoing the years of suppressed rage.
"You all hunted me for seven years in this house, abusing me physically, mentally, and verbally! No matter what I did, you weren't comfortable or satisfied with it! From the moment I married my husband until I unofficially left, you lived with us. You all carried rumours about me being unfaithful and involving myself in scandalous things. You sowed discord between my husband and me. You humiliated me in public, and lastly, you took my babies away from me after spreading rumours that they weren't for my husband!"
She looked at their frozen, terrified faces. The crowd outside was murmuring loudly. Realising the public spectacle, Mama Duru tried to regain control.
"Why are all of you here? Please go away and mind the business that pays you! Let's have a private family conversation!"
She walked towards the door, attempting to close it.
Amy instantly moved, resting her body against the door frame.
"What? you feel shame now that people know how you treated me? But when your children were bullying me and the whole world watched, you never stood up for me! Instead, you were adding fuel to the fire! You knew that the eldest sister-in-law was in love with my husband, her own brother, but you did nothing to stop her! Yet you watched her continuous malicious behaviour towards me and just let it go!"
Amy screamed at the woman, who visibly shrank back, shocked by Amy's power. They had never seen this side of her.
"Yes, I survived the accident three years ago, but I learned a lot of things. Who knew that I was rearing snakes under my roof for seven years? Snakes whom I held as family and did everything for! Not knowing I was digging my own grave!"
She leaned in, her voice cutting to the bone.
"The house your son is living in now with his new wife was bought using my life! This house you are living in with your children was paid for using my life insurance, which I paid for with my money! The expenses for the wedding between your son and his new wife were all paid for using my life insurance! Like, how shameless are you people, actually? You knew I had met with an accident, which your dear daughter Amara has just confessed she arranged, but you lied and told everyone that I ran away! You can't deny it, because the police had visited you to let you know I had died! They also told you that Jayden and Jessy, my beautiful angels, had passed, but none of you actually went to the hospital to claim their bodies and give them a proper burial! Even after my supposed death, your good daughter Joy kept sending horrible messages to me on social media, calling me horrible names and wishing I was in hell suffering!"
At this point, tears of genuine anguish streamed down her face.
"What exactly do I owe this family that you went so far to destroy me?"
She spun around to face Onyinye, not even giving them a chance to speak. They were frozen in terror, unable to process that she was alive and so fundamentally different.
"And you are the worst of them all."
Amy started walking toward Onyinye, who staggered backwards.
Just then, Duru stumbled into the living room, mildly drunk, drawn by the shouts. The others unaware of his presence
"You, my dear.....''
Amy said as she walked toward her
''.....Are a horrible little thing. You actually teamed up with Doctor Ife to kill my babies so they could transfer Jessy's heart to you."
Everyone gasped, even Mama Duru. She immediately rushed to Onyinye's side.
"Watch your tongue, Amy! You can't slander my Onyinye like that!"
Amy looked at her.
"So you know my name now? Not buffalo or fat pig."
She laughed sadly.
"Where do you think your daughter suddenly got a heart transplant six months after my children died, hmm? You think I don't know she was born with a heart defect? I remember, while cleaning the room, I had seen an empty bottle which Onyinye snatched from my hand. That bottle contained inotropes. Yes I looked it up. It was a medication prescribed by Doctor Ife, who advised her that if she didn't get a transplant on time, she would die."
"Unfortunately, Jessy and Jayden, who she knew were blood-related to her and were still young, were her perfect victims. So, she decided to create a scheme. Fake the DNA results of them both and create a misunderstanding. She was also aware of Amara's sick love for Duru, so she used that as a weapon. She planted in Amara's mind that my babies were not Duru's. Given that Amara hated me and bullied me, this worked out perfectly for her. She gave Amara the fake DNA results, and Amara ran with it, causing discord between me and Duru, and got her way. Unfortunately, you all ran wi—"
"Stop slandering my innocent daughter! Onyinye would never do such things, you wicked woman! There's no way!"
Mama Duru shrieked, cutting her off.
Amy laughed bitterly.
"Innocent? Did you just say innocent? Hahahaha! This must be the most hilarious thing I have heard today!"
She wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.
A large, black duffel bag was dropped silently at the entrance. Amy walked over, pulled out several papers from the bag, and threw them into the air.
"See it for yourselves!"
The papers included printouts of the original DNA results, the fake ones, and Onyinye's private medical records concerning her heart defect.
At that exact moment, the noise outside intensified as neighbours checked their phones. On news channels, websites, and social media, a breaking News report was interrupting all programming.
ESN News Broadcast (Blaring from Neighbours' Phones):
'Good evening, Dear viewers. My name is Vanessa Nekwe from ESN News. We are interrupting the usual broadcast today to bring you breaking news. The newly elected president Buike Robinson has been arrested at six twenty-three this evening at his home for forgery, rape, murder, illicit cult gatherings, illegal firearms deals, suppressing evidence, and corporate spying, amongst other things. The video that came out several months ago, in which he denied being the culprit with those women, was actually him. Forensics have reportedly proven that the video with Governor Hanye's face was doctored. From what we gathered, he was also involved in blood marketing alongside a famous ex-doctor from Spring Life Hospital, Doctor Ife. They were in the trade of human trafficking and blood markets. The police has also found evidence that the doctor purposely misdiagnosed hundreds of patients who were listed as missing and had no families because he wanted to harvest their organs and sell them to the highest bidder of this evil cult gathering called THE MASK, which the newly elected president is the head of. Shockingly, there are a lot of names on this list which is going to shake the country. The police have also identified a recruiter who recruits naive girls into the business and also brings people who are suitable donors for their blood marketing now... We will keep covering the news and release more evidence later as the story develops. This is Vanessa Nekwe of ESN (EPIC SENSATIONAL NEWS). Stay tuned for more.'
Everyone seeing the news on their phones murmured loudly, throwing accusing stares at the Bem family, trying to connect the dots.
"What more do you have to say for yourself? It's all over the news! Your daughter is the Recruiter the news was talking about, who committed all those atrocities!"
Amy yelled at Mama Duru.
Duru walked slowly, swaying, towards Amy.
''You-u are alive?''
Shock ran through his body and he hiccuped as Amy threw him a revolting look. And then seeing how people were muttering and pointing fingers, especially at his sister shaking his head.
"No, no, that's not true."
He was still mildly drunk and confused. Amy stepped out of his way, and he stumbled to his knees in front of Onyinye, who was motionless.
"Onyin, what she's saying is a lie, right? All those things she said are not true, right?"
Duru shook his sister, confusion etched on his face.
Onyinye stood up slowly, the expression of shock finally gone, replaced by a cold, unsettling smile. She walked towards Amy and whispered in her ear, her voice venomous, confirming everything.
"You think you have done something right? Yes, I paid the doctor's cousin to run you off the road. Yes, I asked him to kill those bastards so I could get a transplant and get some money from it as well. Yes, I paid those stupid women to ridicule you. Yes, I took pictures of you and your children and posted them on social media without your consent."
Onyinye's voice dropped, laced with years of resentment.
"Why do you all get to experience good and fun things in life and not me, huh? Mom doted on you because you were so beautiful and shapely. She loved sister Amara because she considered her a lucky charm. As soon as she came in, mother was able to conceive three times. Hence she always sided with her. She was biased against brother Duru because he was the only son. And she pampered Joy because she was the lastborn."
Her eyes were blazing with the fury of the forgotten child.
"But what about me? I, as a middle child, got nothing! Everyone overlooked me, and I was bullied all through my school years. To make matters worse, it was like God wanted to punish me; I had to be the one cursed with this terrible illness! Mom didn't care much about saving money for my medical fees. Any money she made would instantly go to you four. She barely even thought about me as her child; there was no loss if I died. I was already invisible to you all!"
"Then that day I overheard you talking to brother Duru to kick us out. I never thought I could hate you more than I already do, but I found it was possible. There's no way only I would be miserable. Everyone in this household must be as miserable as I am, because none of you cared about me. So, I came up with this plan and manipulated everyone into going along with it. Now that you have found all this out, are you truly happy? No matter if I go to prison or not, you will still be miserable. I won. I am the one who caused your misery, and you can never get back all you lost."
She stepped back, a triumphant, maniacal smile plastered across her face. Amy looked at her with pure, devastating horror.
Just then, two figures pushed through the shocked crowd and the front door: Inspector Morka and Inspector Ade.
Morka walked straight to Onyinye, pulling out his handcuffs.
"Onyinye Bem, my name is Inspector Morka, and this is my partner, Inspector Ade. You are under arrest for harassment, slander, cyber-bullying, defamation, soliciting human trafficking, the attempted murder of Mrs. Amy Bem, forgery, the murder of Jayden and Jessy Bems, as well as countless others. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?"
Onyinye just let out a high-pitched, terrifying, maniacal laugh before she was cuffed and dragged away.
Ade walked over to Amara, who was staring blankly into space.
"Amara Bem, you are under arrest for assault and battery, defamation of character, slander, cyber-bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, and the attempted murder of Mrs Amy Bem. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?"
Amara was silent, listless. She allowed herself to be dragged up, cuffed, and taken away.
Morka and Ade then walked over to Joy, the final sister. Joy immediately burst into fresh, hysterical tears.