STILL ON MANDY'S POV
After praying with Doris, no one interrupted us. Who could have interrupted us? The one outside? Of course not. But I have to come up with a plan to make Doris go outside. I walk slowly to the chair nearby and take my seat. "Doris, can you get me some water?" I ask Doris. "Sure Mom. I will get it from the car", Doris answered. No, she can't. If she gets it from the car, my plan won't work. Think Mandy think. Of course, what was I thinking "Why is Dylan not yet back?" Doris said suddenly. I coughed out loud till Doris came closer and rubbed my back. "Thank you. There is a store at the back of the church once you pass the back door. I am not feeling too well, a chilled one" I tell Doris.
"Alright Mom," she said and walked outside. Thank you Doris for making my work faster, you think you are going to get me water but you are entering the wall of death. Now let me make the next great move. I brought out my phone quickly "Hello" I say. "Good morning madam. What can I do for you?" the voice from the other side asked, he's one of my puppets. "Kill Doris," I say "What!" he shouted in surprise.
"Why the noise? I said kill Doris now, she left the church through the back door already. Her husband isn't with her, she's all alone" I told him. Everything is going as planned. Today your death certificate will be issued for sure. 17th of March, 2024 will be marked the end of Doris' story. The dedication of this victory goes to Dylan. Now, I understand why Mother does say that you have to keep the enemy close to defeat the enemy. In this case, I have used an enemy (Dylan) to kill the other enemy (Doris). What would have happened had it been I didn't hear what they were planning to do yesterday night?
Dylan is such a good planner but the master planner is here and no one can escape my evil eye once it is set on them.
WRITER'S POV
"Marvin, Marvin it's taking forever already. Doris has been inside with Mandy since and she hasn't come out. What is going on? I am so scared, Mandy wasn't coming here before. I am sure about it, she changed the plan suddenly. I don't know why but I feel something bad is about to happen. I have to find Doris as soon as possible" Dylan said to Marvin. "Even I am shocked. I have an idea. Let's go to the back door from the other side, something might be going on which we aren't sure of" Marvin advised Dylan.
Marvin and Dylan got to the back door and couldn't see anything strange. "Marvin, this is the back door and nothing seems strange here," Dylan tells Marvin. "Let's wait and see," Marvin said to Dylan. Marvin looked up and saw Mandy arriving at the scene. "Mandy is coming alone. Let me hide quickly" Marvin told Dylan. Marvin hid quickly while Dylan turned to face Mandy who approached him.
Mandy smiled as she faced Dylan. "Look who's here but you came late. How could you come? You couldn't have since you can't enter a holy place because your powers are still active" Mandy said. "Really! Where is Doris?" Dylan asked. "Ohh.. My dearest daughter went to get water for me and I assume she will never come back or should I say 'a journey of no return'." Mandy said with a smile while Dylan was stunned. "What have you done? Tell me where Doris is or else I will..." Dylan was unable to complete his statement because Mandy caught him shot.
"Kill me. Will you kill me?" Mandy asks in a sassy manner with a seductive smile on her face. "Let's leave this dialogue for a while. I want to picture how you will look in a black dress. You know widower's style" Mandy said as she danced around in a monkey-like manner. "I won't let anything happen to my Doris. This battle was of revenge before but now it is that of revenge mixed with love and betrayal. I won't back down in this fight even if it's going on for a long time. Don't be happy too much, I told you that I will be your shadow in this long life I am giving you. I didn't kill you earlier because of Doris but now I can kill you I still need you for something very important and after that, I will open your door to hell. Enjoy your time for the main time" Dylan said to Mandy who was flabbergasted.
"Once I get to know about what I am researching, I will deal with you mercilessly", Dylan thought as he stared at Mandy. "You know nothing, innocent merman. I always manage to cover my tracks well so in a thousand years to come, you will never find out my secret and I will continue to live" Mandy thought with a coquettish grin on her face. Dylan walked out from the front.
"So painful. A great merman is now a puppet all thanks to love. It's helping me anyway so why should I bother? I don't know what nonsense humans gain from loving each other. They will only suffer but still, they never learn that loving someone is a mistake. I trust my humble self, I love myself, I and me alone. At least I got rid of those three, it's Friday today, and I have to go where I need to be.
"Brother, Mandy has made her move. Follow Mandy wherever she is going while I find Doris in the meantime. I will go in your car and you can take a motorcycle so she won't suspect you are after her. Keep an eye on her well" Dylan said to Marvin.
Mandy enters a cave where she wants to go. A woman's voice can be heard as she sings a lullaby. The mischievous smile on the face of Mandy said it all. She looked at the cage in front of her "Shut up!" She shouted while the woman in the cage, with a chain locked in her legs, stopped singing and feared Mandy. Mandy opened the cage and forcefully collected the doll from the woman who didn't seem to be in her right senses.
"Give me my baby. Don't kill my child" the woman begged. "Why should I give you a baby that is already dead?" Mandy asked. "That is my baby, the one whom you are holding. Return my child to me, I will do whatever you say" the woman begged. "I have forgotten that it is useless to talk to you since you aren't in your senses after what I did to you years ago. Such a foolish woman, I can't believe you were my friend. Thanks for all you do since I owe you a lot. The position I am in today, how could I have gotten here without your help? No way. But that is what friends are for" Mandy said while the woman begged.
"That is all for today. I just wanted to check up on you today like I do every Friday I should have killed you but you can still be a trump card to my victory at the end so I cannot dispose of you yet. Your life is miserable already but that life you still possess can fulfill my aim" Mandy said as she walked out of the cage and locked it back. "Good-bye, best friend" Mandy waved as she smiled.
***
Dylan drove around and couldn't find Doris. He was approaching an intersection when he saw a vehicle parked at the junction. Three hefty men came down and dragged a woman out. Dylan's mouth fell open when he realized it was Doris, he recognized her with her clothes. Dylan opened the door immediately and rushed to the spot but he was held at gunpoint by the three of me. who point their guns at him. "We know you have come to save Doris but you would not be able to too. Won't it be better to send both the husband and wife to the other world at the same time?" one of the men said. The other men removed the blindfold from Doris' face.
"Dylan... Dylan why did you come?" she said but one of the men knocked her out. "Do you think I won't save my wife because you are pointing guns at me?" Dylan asked but he did not wait for them to give a reply as he continued his words. "I will save her and none of you will be spared. I am a merman" he shouted. The men busted out laughing "Really! A merman in 2024? Do you still watch those silly movies mad read such novels? How foolish of you" one of the men said. Dylan smiled as he closed his eyes and opened it while it shined red.
"His eyes are glowing?" one of the men said as he attempted to run but he faced Marvin who was ready to attack. "I will kill you," one of the men said as he pointed his gun at Dylan. Dylan snapped his fingers slowly and the three men remained in a spot unable to move. Dylan walked to the man who pointed his gun at him and turned the pistol to the other man who was standing beside him. A sultry expression on Dylan's face as he snapped his fingers again. The bullet went straight into the man's chest while he gave a loud cry of agony to the hands of death.
The other man and the man who released the bullet stared at each other looking shocked as their friend dropped dead. Dylan smiles as he cocks his head to the left while a satisfying smile escaped his lip. "You shouldn't have kidnapped my wife. That is the mistake you made". "Please don't kill us" the men chorused. "Why shouldn't you be killed?" Marvin asked. "Those who kidnap and kill are afraid of death?" Dylan smirks and hiss
"For real... did you not know you will be killed one day for atonement for the sins you have committed? You can kill others but you don't want to be killed" Dylan expressed his feelings. As Dylan finishes his dialogue, Marvin closes his eyes shut. The man facing him, aware of his intention screamed out "He's going to do something". Before the two could do anything, Marvin used his powers to control the wind, which blew in a cast speed and blew the gunmen's guns out of their hands.
In the Twink of an eye, Dylan creates a massive wave that crashes into the T-junction. As the gunmen struggle to regain their footing, Dylan uses his powers to create a giant whirlpool, which pulls the gunmen under the water. When they surface, they are coughing and gasping for air. Dylan then freezes the water around them, trapping them in a giant block of ice. They are unable to move or speak, and they can only watch as Dylan frees his wife from the bubble he used to shield her from the water and helps her to safety.
Dylan turns to Doris and gives her a reassuring smile although she is unconscious. He knows that she's been through a lot, and he wants to make sure she's okay. Dylan strapped Doris to his back while Marvin followed closely behind, they started to walk away, and then they heard a cracking sound. The ice is beginning to break, and the gunmen are trying to escape. But it's too late, and the ice shatters, sending them plunging into the water below.
As the gunmen sink into the water, they struggle to stay afloat. But the current is too strong, and they are quickly swept away into the sea right behind the bridge across the T-junction. Dylan knows that they won't survive, and he feels a pang of sadness. But he knows that he did what was necessary to protect his wife and himself. As he holds her close, he reflects on what they've been through. "I will always protect you, Doris, even if it is the last thing I do before I die" he whispered. He knows that they are both stronger for it, and he vows to never let anything like this happen again.
"Marvin, the goons are dead. We are so lucky no one passed at the moment, or else our secrets would have been revealed. Take Doris home while I go find Mandy" Dylan said to Marvin. "There is no need for that. We will go home together, I have found out what we need to know about Mandy" Marvin answered. "Tell me, what is it?" Dylan urged him to explain. "There was a human in a cave, that was where Mandy went. I could hear the woman singing some kind of old lullaby and I also heard Mandy saying something like 'Shut up. Don't sing that old song" Marvin informed Dylan.
"A woman was in that ruins? Why did lock her up? Wow was that woman?" Dylan asked several questions. "That I don't know. I did not enter because you know how Mandy can be, very very smart. But I heard her asking the woman something but I couldn't hear properly" Marvin said. "The question now is who is that woman? what does Mandy want to know? And why is the woman locked up in a cave?" Dylan said again. "Let's go home for now. We will think of something" Marvin assured Dylan.
*****
Dylan rubbed a balm on Doris' wounded palm in their bedroom. "Dylan" Doris called. "Yes", Dylan replied sharply. "You must go from here. You can't stay here, this place isn't safe for you anymore. Pack your bags quickly, I will tell Mom as well you both need to leave here" Doris said. Dylan stood up immediately "You will do nothing of such. This is my house and this is where I will stay. I will stay with you" Dylan said, he knew he couldn't leave the Varnado's mansion.
Doris stood up as well and walked up to Dylan who was standing miles away already. "You can not understand Dylan. You can't at all, your life is in danger because of me. I knew this was going to happen when I became a detective. All I want to give you is happiness and not sorrow. I did not expect this to happen so soon and am not sending you away alone. Grandmother, mom, dad and you will leave. The people who are attacking me are following me trying to kill me. Like today, if you didn't appear on time what would have happened? And again, you saved me somehow today but what if you can't tomorrow and your life is in danger, I won't be able to forgive myself" Doris said and she hugged Dylan from behind.
"I won't still leave you. I am your husband, and you are my wife it is my to protect you. We are bonded by the vows of our marriage, we do everything together, we keep no secrets, we help each other, we make up for past mistakes, we look forward to the future together, we live together and we die together" Dylan said as he turned and slowly wiped Doris' tears. "You are in this situation because of me. The villainous cabal has played a huge game and this time around, I can't even guess what they might be up to. I will go see the commissioner tomorrow morning, he will enlighten me more on this issue" Doris explained to Dylan who continued to look sideways not interested in what she was saying.
"You are still not getting it. You could have died today" Dylan expressed his concern as he slowly turned towards Doris. "And that is what I am trying to explain to you as well, if you die because if me I won't be able to forgive myself in this lifetime and many more to come" Doris poured out her heart and she held Dylan's hand in her. "I will do whatever is in my power to keep us both safe," Dylan said.
"You can keep us both safe but what about my mother?" Doris asked but Dylan kept shut because he couldn't find the right words. "I love my mother. I love my mother a lot. And I owe her a lot of things as well. I have always had her since childhood, she loves me and I love her, she taught me everything I know, and she is my lifeline. My mother always fed me when I was small, and she made me who I am today. She is the biggest pillar in my life right now, I may have other opinions about her but I can't let her die Without her, I can't live" Doris said.
Dylan draws her closer and hugs her. "You love your mother a lot but the love Mandy has for you in return isn't that of a mother but of poison," Dylan thought as he closed his eyes savoring the sweet saint from Doris' hair. "You know Dylan, mother used to sing me a lullaby when I was small," Doris said. The words Marvin said that Mandy went to meet a woman who sang a lullaby rang in Dylan's head.
"She sings you a lullaby?" He asked, "Yes she does. Something like... 'My baby whom I care about'. It's kind of weird right? I don't like it at all but since my mother sang the lullaby to me with so much love, I have to like it" Doris answered.
"Wait a minute," Dylan's mind raced as he pieced together the puzzle. "Was it Mandy who sang the lullaby to Doris or the woman Marvin mentioned? What is Mandy trying to hide?" The curiosity gnawed at him, urging him to uncover the truth. "I need to find out," he declared, determined to unravel the mystery.
Chapter ends...
The next chapter coming soon.
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