CONNECT: Rise Of The Undead King

Uche was lost in his thoughts and failed to notice that they had arrived at their destination until the bike came to a sudden halt. Looking up, he was surprised—totally confused, and at the same time, scared.

"Oh no,"

He blurted out.

'How did she know where I live?'

Uche's heartbeat quickened, pounding so loudly that even the woman could hear it racing.

"Don't be surprised, and I don't want you to be scared. Let's go in, we have a lot to discuss,"

The young woman said as she walked toward the entrance.

Uche stood still, trembling, his eyes fixed on the strange woman.

Gathering his confidence, he calmed himself and spoke.

"We should go in? Like it's your own house? Listen, I know you're with those guys. I don't want anything to do with you people. You may have saved me twice, but I don't know your motives for doing that. Please, tell me what you want now."

The woman smiled, stepping out of the sun before removing her hat. Her smile widened, making it look almost sinister with her black lipstick and the strange makeup on her face.

"I said don't be afraid. Let's go in so we can have a proper discussion. The sun is scorching out here,"

She said, opening the door and stepping inside without waiting for Uche.

'How did she know the lock combination? This is not making sense.'

Still, he decided to follow her—cautiously.

"You have such a nice home, how relaxing,"

The woman said as Uche stepped in. He quickly turned back and cursed internally.

'Damn it.'

"What the hell are you doing?"

Uche shouted.

"Taking off these rags, of course, to get some fresh air. The heat is too much. I only put them on to save you in the first place,"

She said while removing her dress and washing off the strange makeup and lipstick.

"Be quick, please,"

Uche demanded, still looking away.

"I'm done."

Turning around, Uche immediately turned back again.

"You… are you going to remain like that?"

He shouted.

The woman was now dressed in nothing but a black singlet that barely clung to her shoulders and a very short bum short, leaving her pale skin and most of her body uncovered.

"Yeah, I don't have any other clothes to put on here. Why, are you surprised?"

She asked calmly, sitting in the large comfy chair.

Uche said nothing and instead turned away, doing his best to keep his gaze from drifting toward her.

'Damn, that singlet isn't enough to cover her chest.'

It was the first time in his entire life he had seen a woman exposed like this.

His thoughts were interrupted.

'Idiot, don't be distracted. Get to business—you're in danger, and this might just be a trap.'

He struggled to find the right words, but the woman spoke first after glancing around.

"I know you have a lot of questions and desperately need answers, but before that, call me Mira,"

She said with a bright smile.

---

"Oh dear, Kante, there you are. Have you heard about what happened to Cassia?"

An old and fragile-looking woman asked with a painful expression.

"Huh, Cassia? What happened to her?" Kante asked, surprised.

The woman rubbed her face before answering.

"Nobody knows how it happened, but we found her fallen from the rooftop… or maybe she was pushed. Nobody knows."

Tears rolled down her face. Kante didn't say anything, only continued staring at her.

"She's such a nice girl,"

The woman whispered before looking up at him again.

"The cops are waiting for you at the office. They're investigating and interrogating everyone."

"Oh, I'll go meet them,"

Kante said as he gently walked into the room to his left, where all his colleagues were standing in anticipation. Two men in black overcoats stood at the front.

"Is this the last colleague?"

One of them asked.

"Yes,"

A colleague replied.

"Welcome, Mr. Kante. I am Sergeant Kim from the Lagos State Special Crime Squad, and my colleague here is Inspector Ray from the Lagos State Central Intelligence Squad," Sergeant Kim said, showing his ID card. Inspector Ray did the same.

Kante nodded, and the Sergeant continued.

"Inspector Ray and I are currently working on a special case. As the closest squad to this area, we were ordered to investigate the death that happened here earlier. It hasn't yet been confirmed whether it's murder or suicide, but we're still investigating. We have a few questions for you as the victim's colleague."

"Others have been interrogated,"

Inspector Ray added.

"So, are you ready to answer our questions?"

Kante nodded calmly. Inspector Ray stepped forward and began.

"First, what can you tell us about Miss Cassia? Her personality, her movements, and her love interests."

Kante looked down at the young inspector, sighed, and answered.

"Cassia… she was such a nice girl. It's sad we lost her so soon."

He sighed again and glanced at his colleagues before continuing.

"As everyone here might have told you, she was a loving woman, happy and kindhearted. At least, that's what I knew of her."

"So what do you know about her love interests and her movements?"

Inspector Ray asked.

"Be mindful of your question. Asking me about her movements is almost as if I've been stalking her, like I was watching her every step. We weren't that close—just colleagues,"

Kante replied.

Sergeant Kim smiled faintly.

'Interesting, we've got a sensitive one here.'

"Sorry if that question was too direct, we just learned that she had something for you, but never mind"

Inspector Ray paused before he continue a couple seconds later.

"But from the few interactions you had with her, do you think she was someone who could possibly consider suicide? If not, we'd like to hear your thoughts."

"Well, just like I said before, Miss Cassia was outgoing, loving, and kindhearted. She lived like she had everything she wanted. So, I wouldn't entertain the idea of her committing suicide… but at the same time, I wouldn't disregard it,"

Kante answered calmly.

"Why so?"

Sergeant Kim asked with interest. Kante's colleagues also stared at him in confusion.

"Well, nothing in particular. But only she knew her mind—only she knew what she was going through internally. Who knows? Maybe she just put on a happy face in front of everyone, but never found peace inside," Kante said.

"Makes sense. Now, the last question: do you know, or suspect, that she had an argument with anybody in the company? Or perhaps noticed someone who didn't like her?"

Inspector Ray asked.

"None that I know of,"

Kante replied calmly.

"Okay, Mr. Kante. Thank you for sparing us a little of your time, we appreciate it. Please, if you notice anything unusual in the company, don't hesitate to reach out,"

Inspector Ray said, turning to Sergeant Kim to signal their departure. But Sergeant Kim continued staring at Kante, something clicking in his mind.

"Can I ask where you were when you heard about her demise?"

Sergeant Kim said, eyeing Kante from head to toe, as a particular scene resurfaced in his memory.

'I bet you don't even know how a criminal dresses. Black suit and polished brown shoes.'

'What was that about?'

Sergeant Kim thought.

He had a nagging feeling about the man in front of him—the way Kante answered questions so nonchalantly, devoid of emotion, almost as if he didn't care at all. It hadn't bothered him at first, until he paid attention to Kante's clothing… and recalled a certain testimony.

'I heard he was shouting the same thing in the restroom, before that man came to call us.'

Kante scowled at Sergeant Kim.

"Why are you asking where I was? Are you suspecting me now?"

He said, offended.

But before Sergeant Kim could respond, someone burst into the room, saluted, and delivered his report.

"Yes, sir—the eye-patched man has escaped. The officers escorting him are unconscious."

Sergeant Kim spared Kante one last glance before rushing out of the room.