Amanda

She's dead

Amanda is dead????????

And my inner conscience keeps on blaming me

Pointing at me with derogatory fingers

Whispering into my hears over and over again

Those same words I had grown to hate

"You are the cause of her death , Not chuks ,not Amanda but you 6, Filthy murderer"

Whenever he says that

It hits me hard and I feel as if my healing wounds were reopened and rubbed with salt

I am a final year student of Computer Engineering

University of Uyo

Joshua

Yes, my name is Joshua and I want to take you on a tale on why my conscience keeps blaming me

Amanda is a beautiful fair and soft hearted and reserved lady

She is also a student of uniuyo
Chuks
The girlfriend to my room mate, Chuks

Chuks happens to be my room mate

A very cunny but hardworking and reliable fellow...

So it happened on a Friday

A week before last

Chuks invited Amanda to our students lodge

A 2 rooms accommodation

We used a room for the sitting room for receiving visitors

While the other was used as a bedroom

12:00 pm

Amanda knocked on the door of our residence

12:00 pm

Amanda knocked on the door of our residence

Chuks was at the bedroom while I was at the sitting room

I strolled sluggishly to the door as I greeted her

"Babe how far now, You no dey around ?"

"Joshua" she waved at me

"I travelled but I'm back , Is Chuks in"
She asked

"He dey inside " I replied

"So u no buy anything come back?"
I asked her jokingly

"I brought some stuffs back but they are at the hostel "

"I go come collect am later o" I said and smiled widely

"okay "

"Chuks !! Mumu you no hear your wife voice"
Amanda blushed at the thought of me calling her Chuks wife

I laughed inwardly

Chuks came out grinning from ear to eat

"Baby girl , you didn't tell me you were back "Chuks said

"Yes I came back "

"Any ways welcome "He said and gave her a kiss at the cheek

During all this I watched from the sides

"Babe let's go inside "

Chuks turned to me and whispered in my ears
"Single Pringle you no fit relate"

After he said that he gave me a bombastic side eye as if saying no near that room

Few minutes later I heard the sounds of bed creaking and all I prayed was

"Lord let Chuks not break that bed "

At the sitting room I continued perfecting the application I had coded

Time passed slowly and in matter of hours the creaking noises of the old bed stand finally became still

4:00 pm

Chuks and Amanda came out with Amanda in the lead

She was visibly embarrassed seeing me in the sitting room and even when I acted like I was focused on the system and didn't listen to them she still blushed with embarrassment

They went out

While I was at home

8:00 pm

They returned home after what seemed like ages though with some uncooked foodstuff

During their 4 hours or so outing I had dropped by the campus main gate to grab a bite from the woman who sells pastries

From what I saw Amanda and Chuks had probably gone to the local market

I was excited because Amanda happened to be a very good cook and at the end of the day we were going to eat cooked food

Not some pastries from down the road

9:30 pm

Chuks came downstairs with a solemn face

He said those words to me

Those words I wished I had never heeded to
Those words that haunt me even as I pen down these

When Chuks first came with the solemn face I thought he had wanted me to give them some privacy but what he said felt so ordinary

Not befitting of a sentence that lead to a d**th an d sorrowful mournings

With Chuks composure I had already knew he wanted to ask me of a favor

He beckoned on me to lean closer and he Whispered into my ears

"Guy help me do something "

"Wetin" I spoke normally to him instead of whispering back

He covered my mouth and whispered again

"Guy no make noise before Amanda go hear , she dey Kitchen"

"Guy talk na "

"I want make you hack Amanda phone "

Though we were conversing in whispers after what Chuks said I had a bit of an emotional outburst and spoke loudly at him

"What is wrong with you chuks"

Immediately he covered my mouth again

I made to struggle because I was angry

I felt Chuks wanted to know if Amanda cheated on him on her travel

I kept struggling with him I heard Amanda voice

"Chuks!,Baby, Chuks "
At that point it was all still
I had stopped struggling

And Chuks had loosened his grip on me

Then Amanda mumbled loudly to herself

"They have probably gone out "

I broke the silence and sneaked out first

Knowing fully well Chuks was going to follow me

Chuks came out and we strolled to a uncompleted building

"Chuks what was the meaning of that shit you said in there"

"That is not what I mean "

"And what do you mean "I blasted back at him

You see as an aspiring computer engineering a lot of suspecting men came to me to help them in sneaking tracking and screening bugs into their patners phone

Most of them even after been convinced that their partners were clean still refused to own up to their mistakes and apologise to their patners

It made me feel so irked when spouses who were putting their all in all in making sure of a successful marriage or relationships are being investigated, and suspected as cheaters from their patners and at the end of the day the erring patners refuse to own up to their mistakes

That was how I felt when Chuks asked me that

I mean Amanda had returned back from a long journey and instead of taking a good nap came visiting and she was even in the kitchen preparing a meal instead of resting

Wasn't that enough evidence of sincerity and faithfulness

What else was he looking for

Then Chuks said something that made me calm down

"I need you to inject FIX into her phone system "

"And why would you want me to do that "

"Beacause

"Because I... I... I miss her so much "

"So what does FIX has to do with you missing her" I said staring at him vexingly

"Josh calm down and understand me , I mean Amanda no harm "

He paused and looked at me then continued

"I want her to stay over "

FIX is a firewall I designed originally to fix software issues and clean viruses but Chuks coerced me into putting in a prank mode

When activated time runs about 2x slower on the hardware

"Then I'd later break it up to her and take it as a prank"

"isn't that a bit extreme "

"Baba just do am give me abeg I no want make Amanda go "

"I don too miss the girl "

"No wam sha, Na em be say I go sleep for sitting room be dat o"I said making a comic face

"Guy no worry I would show you joy na"

"Come do the thing fast na "I beckoned on him

"Make I go bring the phone come"

As he said that he left happily

I pondered on what he askedme for

It seemed to me like an harmless prank or so I thought

Chuks sneaked her phone and my laptop and I installed the software on her phone and Chuks returned the phone

10:00 pm

Amanda called us in to eat

She had prepared for us a meal of delicious Egusi soup accompanied with a big mould of sumptuous fufu

We ate and dined joyfully for it has been ages we had such a meal

The time on her phone was 9:45 pm so she felt she still had time

Chuks connected his Netflix to the tv and we were now watching a Netflix series

Chuks and Amanda kept cuddling with Chuks begging Amanda to stay over

She was probably ashamed of the former incident even when I acted like it didn't happen

We kept on watching the movie as time flied on and on

12:00 pm

At exactly 12:00 pm Amanda stood up and bade us goodbye

The time on her phone was 10: 45 and I smiled knowing that was the doing of FIX

After much pleading from Chuks to Amanda to no avail

Chuks summed up courage and confessed to Amanda

Amanda seemed a bit pained , even though she hid it under a warm smile

I could still see it in her eyes as she looked at Chuks with unwavering will

She was visibly angry as she shouted at Chuks

"And what audacity is that to tamper with my phone
You see Chuks, through out this relationship you have been so selfish and it is getting out of hands
I selflessly make decisions for the betterment of the relationship while you let greed cloud your hearts
I have my own reasons for not staying over but what did you do
You decided to do your shit without considering my opinions

You know what?

I'm tired of your selfish behaviour I'm tired of you and also don't call me I need to clear my mind" She said and barged outside

When she spoke Chuks kept whimpering and when she left his whimpers turned into high pitched sobs

Chuks cried all night

The next day news flew around campus that a fair lady has been murdered and her body dumped at the garbage pack

Her vital organs had been harvested and her body mutilated

When I and Chuks went there we saw Amanda's body staring back at us with cold eyes

Chuks made a loud cry and tore his clothes

And since then Chuks has been roaming around the streets of uyo, A mad man

While Amanda

Well Amanda spirit refuses to rest and keeps tormenting Chuks and Joshua

Joshua is a computer engineer even though he suffers from minor mental disorders

"Ercerpts from "My horror books"