THE PROTECTED CRIMINALS

EPISODE 7

I stood there staring at the written words on the door, which happened to be very refractive, allowing me to see myself and the rest of the sitting room through it. I was still staring at the words when I noticed a man in black moving from the right to the left side of the sitting room, then enter the door leading to my guest room. That movement reminded me of the man in black I had seen the day I returned to Downhill City. "Can you tell me who you are?" I screamed, well aware that I was being heard. I had a feeling it was Joseph.

Suddenly, all of the lights went out, and the house was completely dark. "I'd rather die like a man," I thought to myself as I drew a knife from my waistband; I do, after all, go out with knives. The light came on again as I stood sideways by the door, ready to jump on anything. The sound of a high-heeled shoe coming from the visitor room alerted me that someone was entering the sitting room. I heard the door creak open and saw the figure in black's right leg.

"I got you there," Kelvin yelled as he stormed out of the visitor room. From the right side of the sitting room, james burst out laughing, tears streaming down his face, carrying a can of red paint. "What does this mean?" . I inquired, a little irritated, but they didn't respond as they continued to laugh. Our black outfit was worn by them. "We got him in the proper spot," James added, turning to Kelvin, and the two of them burst out laughing again. I jumped onto a cushion and yelled, "This isn't funny." ” That was fun” James stated as he started wiping the door with a sort of liquid and a cloth.

"Why are you so filthy?" Kelvin inquired after noting my soiled clothing. "I was involved in a club fight," I said sluggishly. " A fight in a nightclub? Why?” Still washing the door, James inquired. "Because of a girl," I explained, as they burst out laughing again. Kelvin fought to hold back his laughter and continued, "For all I know, you don't have a girlfriend." "She's not my girlfriend; she's just a random girl," I explained. " So, what sparked the fistfight?" James inquired, his cleaning tools strewn across the tile floor. I said, "Those touts thought I was the reason she snubbed them." ” Why did they think so?” Kelvin had enquired. "She was sitting at my table with me," I explained.

" So, by this time of night, what are you guys doing here?" I inquired as I sat up straight. "We'd been here since around 7:00 p.m.," James replied. "What brought you people here?" . I inquired once more. Kelvin said, "We came to spend the night here." " How was your day today? "Did you really get the work?" While I shook my head, James inquired. "The headmaster stated unequivocally that he cannot employ a secondary school certificate," I explained. "Oh gosh, that's terrible; what are you going to do now?" James was the one who inquired. "I'll apply for the position of cleaner," I declared. "A what?" you might wonder. They were both surprised and amused when they inquired. "A cleaner," I responded, unconcerned about what people might think.

"So, why are you guys dressed in uniform?". I inquired since I was beginning to feel sleepy as a result of the day's tension. " We were hoping to terrify you right now," James replied. " Joseph told us everything; he claims you suspect him of being a serial killer and that there is a serial killer in Heartrow. So we took advantage of that," Kelvin explained. "However, why do you think Joseph is a murderer?" James was the one who inquired. "Because there's a lot about him to be skeptical of," I said, wiping my face with my hand to keep from falling asleep. "Guy, this isn't a movie, and everything you're thinking might not be true," Kelvin remarked once more." So, why are you guys dressed in uniform?". I inquired since I was beginning to feel sleepy as a result of the day's tension. " We were hoping to terrify you right now," James replied. " Joseph told us everything; he claims you suspect him of being a serial killer and that there is a serial killer in Heartrow. So we took advantage of that," Kelvin explained. "However, why do you think Joseph is a murderer?" James was the one who inquired. "Because there's a lot about him to be skeptical of," I said, wiping my face with my hand to keep from falling asleep. "Guy, this isn't a movie, and everything you're thinking might not be true," Kelvin remarked once more.

"See, gentlemen, I'm a well-trained spy, and I can tell when my thoughts are correct or incorrect," I explained. "Do you mean we're not also trained as spies?" James was the one who inquired. "Not that," I said, "since you folks aren't connected to this, you can't have instincts." "Anyway, that person Joseph doesn't appear to be a serial killer," James stated once more. "Serial killers don't appear to be serial killers," I said. ” Let’s drop this, Richard, gist us about that club girl” Kelvin stated feeling eager. "She's not like the other club girls; she simply came to share my table with me," I replied as I rose from my seat.

"Not that type of gist," Kelvin said. "I meant is she gorgeous, endowed, voluptuous, and the likes." I yawned, "I couldn't observe all that in the brief time she spent with me." ” Goodnight guys” I murmured again heading lazily to my room. "Goodnight," James replied, "I and Kelvin still want to play some games."

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TONIA'S POV:

I grew up in the small village of Heartrow, which is located in the country's eastern region. I'm not going to say what state it is. My mother is a trader, and my father is a farmer, as is the case for most couples in Heartrow. Because I am my parent's only child, I am naturally a unique individual. Although most men have shown interest in me throughout my life, I have never been very interested in them. This is something I take advantage of. Some will assist me in carrying my father's farm produce from the farm, while others will assist me in carrying my water pot home from the village stream.

But there's one guy, Richard, to who I've feared giving my water pot to since he shattered one when we were teenagers. We used to be like family friends when we were younger, now I no longer visit him and he just visits me. Until one day, I didn't see him again, he was the only male friend I had. His parents informed me that he had departed for the city; he had not even informed me of his departure, and I had no business with him. I walked to the stream one fine morning around 6 or 7 years after Richard had departed for the city and encountered a fine built man dressed like the men of Heartrow who lived nearby.

I recognized his face, but I couldn't put my finger on where I'd seen him before. When he addressed me by my surname, I took a closer look at him and remembered a long-time friend. I was tempted to take his hand in mine, but I restrained myself because I was still upset at him for not alerting me before leaving for the city. I growled and moved past him, hoping he would pursue me, which he did; if he hadn't, I would have leaped into the stream and drowned.