PORTAL BATTLE

Chapter 1

“…..and it is yet another breaking news of a teenager who mysteriously died early this morning at this residence where we bring you the news” the female journalist reports the news from the crime scene where the 17th death since the last three days recently occurred in the early hours of the morning.

Mosan had never been like this. It had always been the envy of neighboring communities because of its peaceful existence but all that came to an abrupt end three months ago.

Strange things have been happening;people have been going missing, children have abducted mysteriously only to be released as totally different people. The cops would normally try interviewing those kids but they would say nothing. Some believe it’s as a result of shock perhaps,others think the children have had their mind messed up with bad juju. Either way,their release didn’t serve as a lead for the cops. These kind of things were only believed to happen in movies but right now in Mosan, fiction has become the truth, it has become life, it has become reality.

News had reached the divisional police headquarters Mosan who are trying all their possible best reducing if not totally stopping the ever increasing rate of irritating deaths of teenagers,abduction of younger children and disappearance of certain individuals.

The once blissful town whose day-day activities have become death, abduction and disappearance have become a one stop shop for neighboring newspapers.

Its now a trending topic for the press. The streets of this town have gone empty with lively happy people leaving empty bodies behind crime tapes and reporters in front of their camera men struggling to get past the police for comprehensive video clips and images of dead bodies. The cemetery has gone crowded with dead bodies of the persons whose deaths are a mystery and those whose deaths are a cause of grief. Mortuaries have gone closed refusing to accept more dead bodies. Leaving the now wrecked town would normally have been considered but the deaths of a few who tried to have scared others to their unsafe abode.

Many detectives have one excuse or the other to not be in work but under the warmth of their duvets. “ we don’t even feel safe at home so why risk our lives for the dead” have become the common speech from the mouths of the once brave officers of the law. Some resigned out of frustration; they have grown tired of involving themselves in different cases at the same time with no single lead. Even the bests of the bests have given up.

Believers hope these ugly events would eventually become history just as it mysteriously started making history.

Neighboring townsfolk who have always dreamt of living in Mosan now pray fervently to never get caught up in Mosan. Only a few kindhearted towns have recruited criminologists, journalists and officers to help in solving this big case. One of which was James Walker from Democracy Newspapers.

DEMOCRACY NEWSPAPERS

March 6,2021, Monday,09:45 am

“James and what exactly do you call this,” Mrs Femi asked James.

Well yeah she was a 37 years old married lady with three kids one of which was a teenager. She still flirted with men way younger than she was.

“ My report” James said nonchalantly clicking his computer like no one was standing before him.

“ Like I don’t know” Mrs Femi yelled shaking violently “ Who’s gonna believe this crap ? Huh?! The mayor; big suspect for current state of insecurity !” She yelled again her loud voice booming through the windows to the other offices, her full bosoms bouncing happily, her large bulgy eyes red with anger and her forehead wrinkled into a frown.

All these didn’t intimidate Walker junior one bit well, he had seen worse days and had experienced much frightening situations and this, this was no match, for him absolutely not. She kept on ranting about the consequences of James’ action who on the other hand saw nothing bad in it as he was just trying to bring justice to light.

“ James this is Nigeria such things doesn’t work here I mean he is the fucking mayor he is the law for pit’s sake just get a report on something else” She said softening her tone with the latter looking at her with an unreadable expression.

Really one wouldn’t tell whose attitude was worse, Mrs Femi’s loud anger or James’ deadly silence.

Truth be told Mrs. Femi was rumored to being entangled in the mayor’s criminal offence and was also a friend with benefits to the mayor and couldn’t afford dragging his name into the mud as it could ruin things for her worst of all put her behind bars.

Silence was gaining the upper hand in James desk until the slap which was as a result of the contact a thin envelope made with James desk swept across the room with everyone watching the staring contest between their boss and colleague.

“ It’s a resignation letter from your most unwanted employee thanks for the opportunity” he half yelled before walking out his corner, the room , the office, ignoring the pair of eyes dancing around him.

Well it was expected James would someday walk out of DEMOCRACY NEWSPAPERS a free and jobless man.

James’ apartment, Banana island, Lagos

March 7, 2021, Tuesday 09:45

Exactly one day after the ordeal between ex-boss Mrs Femi and jobless James.

Walker junior sipping from his cup of espresso coffee due to the terrible hangover he was experiencing.

The night before, he had decided to cool off at home consuming a mini fridge of vodka which of course he was paying dearly for right now.

His place of course was well furnished being a secret business man he had so many businesses registered with fake names. You wouldn’t blame the chap he was a crime fighter so had to lay low.

With his perfect furniture, state of the art technology room (where of course he conducted most of his researches, experiments which only few knew he conducted before going on his crime fighting crusade; his job ), latest technology equipment, well stocked bar in fact you could call James’ apartment a personal hotel.

A smile played on his lips remembering his mother’s rants about bringing him in to live with her at age twenty seven. They knew she was only kidding herself as James would rather live in the streets than go live with mummy.

Right off the bat he took off his long bath robe while taking low strides to the bathtub. He allowed himself into the already filled bathtub.

Just letting the water take control.

Still at James’ place, same day 11:59 pm

James was still sleeping in his bathtub when he was interrupted by his phone’s ring tone that blared noisily into his ears causing a small frown to appear on his ever handsome face.

“the hell” he muttered under his breath.

He tried rolling to the other end of the platform he thought he was on but then he realized he was still in his bathtub.

James had found himself in such situation before. He was ten years old when he had slept off in the bathtub and instead of having a dreamless sleep, a nightmare of a lovely dream, he just found himself floating in an empty space filled with nothing but dark cold liquid and somehow he was breathing and just when something circular; portal looking was coming to life emitting very odd light. He could see the smoke on the other side. Something somehow pulled him out of wherever he was only for him to wake up in reality in his bathtub. He woke up with one question; “ what the hell was that?”

But tonight, the question was who the hell was disturbing his dreamless but peaceful?

Just who?