Chapter Seventy-Seven

Chapter Seventy-Seven
Holding a bunch of keys in my hands all of a sudden when it was a key I sought for did some sort of relief in my system. 

For a minute, I wanted to roll on the floor in overwhelming gratitude but only then, it dawn on me that the keys I found were just random. I didn't know if they were outdated or some old bunch of useless keys. 

“I must try them out on the door of the secret room,” I thought. 

So with hope in my heart, I hurriedly ran out of Nelson’s messy room to the door of the bedroom which I badly wanted to open, now. 

“I hope you're the right one, but if you're not, I don't even wanna know, just open please! Be the master key for me!” I prayed silently as I dug the first key into the hole on the door handle. 

With all the strength in me, I tried to twist it open but it failed. It wasn't the right one. I felt a huge wave of disappointment.

“Please don't do this to me, darling keys, please!” I wailed, the sad reality that I might not have found the key dawning on me.

Forcefully, I dragged out the inserted key and tried with another one, my eyes thrown away from the handle as though they had the capacity to hinder the door from accepting the key.

I heard a sound that indicated that the key clicked, I twisted it again and there I was with the door already slightly opened in front of me. 

I jumped into the air, throwing fists in celebration of this feat. I was beyond happy that I'd gotten one step closer to my dream; that of investigating the criminal, Nelson.

Now the door was open, revealing nothing yet, but only then did I realize my life might be in jeopardy if I walked into a room that I'd been warned continuously about. 

I stood frozen on the spot, my heart beating fast against my chest as I thought about what was in store for me, in there. 

“May, you’ve come a long way. You can't turn back now!” I whispered to myself amidst the ravaging fear.

My heart pounded in my chest like a jackhammer, threatening to break free from my ribcage. I hesitated, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios. What could Nelson be hiding? Why was he so adamant about keeping me out? 

The questions swirled in my head like a vortex, pulling me down into a sea of uncertainty.

When I couldn't contemplate my decision any longer on whether to go in or remain at the door, I forced myself into the very dark room. 

As I walked in, I was greeted with a very strong stench from inside the room and I wondered what it was. This time, it wasn't the smell of a dead rat or animal, nor was it that of dirt. It was something I couldn't explain and curiosity immediately filled my mind. 

Every room in Nelson’s house had at least three windows but I couldn't explain the utter darkness in this room. There was no single ray of light in sight. 

Familiar with the position of the bulb switches in the house, I stretched my trembling left hand onto the upper part of the back of the door and luckily for me, the switch was just in position. 

With a deep breath, I flipped the switch and the light came on, but I was never the same again. 

The sudden brightness made me squint at first, and for a moment, I was blinded by the light. As my eyes adjusted, my gaze fell upon a scene that made my blood run cold. 

Wraps of suspicious substances, neatly stacked and labeled, caught my attention first. My eyes widened as I took in the guns and ammunition, carefully arranged on a nearby shelf. And then, there were the blood-stained walls, a grim reminder of the horrors that might have taken place in this very room.

My eyes widened in terror as I stumbled backward, my hand flying to my mouth. "Oh my god, oh my god," I whispered, my voice trembling uncontrollably. 

My eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape, a way to undo what I'd seen. But there was no escape from the truth, no way to unsee the evidence of Nelson's involvement in something sinister.

My hands felt numb and my body began to drip with hot sweat. Yes, I searched for any implicating items in Nelson’s house as my mind had always compelled me to, but nothing prepared me for the sight that I'd just witnessed. 

My mind struggled to process the implications. Nelson, the man I loved, the man I thought I knew, was involved in something dark and dangerous. The thought sent a chill down my spine, and I felt like I'd been punched in the gut, my breath knocked out of me. I doubled over, my stomach churning with nausea.

Disappointment and fear wrestled for dominance, leaving me feeling torn and helpless. How could he deceive me so thoroughly? Were his feelings for me ever genuine, or was I just a cover? The questions swirled in my head, making me dizzy. I felt like I was living in a nightmare, and I couldn't wake up.

Now, this explained his sudden aggression towards me. He was just acting up in the beginning until he would reveal his true self which he couldn't mask for long of course. He was a criminal, a traitor, and a devil. 

My gaze kept drifting back to the incriminating evidence before me. I saw the careful packaging, the precision, and the planning. This wasn't just some amateurish endeavor; this was a well-oiled operation. And Nelson was right in the thick of it. The realization made me sick to my stomach.

I knew I had to get out, call the authorities, protect myself, or just do anything at all, as my life was now at stake. 

If I ever wanted to, I could excuse the arms and dangerous weapons, but the blood stains on the wall, I couldn't dare excuse that. 

Nelson was a murderer and his attempt to keep me in his house was just a clear indication of his true intentions- getting rid of me, maybe for money or some fetish purposes. 

I stomped my feet slowly on the floor, calculating my next course of action. I couldn't make it out of the house before his arrival because he had the keys. I couldn't sneak out because he held the same keys with him every damn time so I was stuck. My life was at stake and now I was clueless about an escape route. 

I tried to move a bit from the spot on which I'd stood for the past fifteen minutes or thereabout, but my legs felt like lead, refusing to move. 

I was trapped in a nightmare, and I couldn't wake up. My mind was now racing with thoughts of what could happen if Nelson found out I'd gotten into this sacred room of his. I wondered what would follow if he found out that I knew about everything.

Would he hurt me? Would he try to silence me? Of course, I didn't need to be told the answer, because I already knew it. 

With a surge of adrenaline, I turned and ran to the living room to pick up my phone. I couldn't afford to waste a minute more here without seeking external help.

As soon as I'd gotten hold of my phone, I tried to ring my aunt, Brittany but her line was not connecting.

“Not today! Not now!” I cried bitterly.

I tried to call again but this time, my call was diverted to voicemail. 

“Hello Mama, it's me, May. Yes, my life is in danger as I speak. Nelson locked me up in his house and now I think he's trying to eliminate me. I'm not just speculating, I've got enough evidence against him. Don't worry, I'll text you the address now…” and then I hung up.

As I attempted to type the address of Nelson’s home to her, my fingers trembled and shook in fear and I found myself texting gibberish. 

“Please help me, God,” I screamed out of strain and anxiety. 

My life could never be the same after this experience, I knew it, but I just needed saving before he would return and meet me here, panicking. 

I had stumbled into something much bigger, much darker, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to escape unscathed, but I was not going to give up, at least not yet.

I cleared the paragraph I was typing after discovering I had typed all sorts of nonsense and tried to type again, this time, my nerves much calmer than the first time, but as soon as I was done typing the first sentence, tragedy struck.

I heard someone unlocking the door to the sitting room. Only Nelson had the keys and knew it was he who opened it.