BETRAYAL OF BLOOD

Betrayal of Blood

"Mercy, please, do this for me. I'll be forever grateful," Ken called out to his girlfriend, desperate and pleading with her to agree to his deceitful plan to have her date his wealthy twin brother, David, and Rob him of his money before moving out of the country together.

Mercy stood her ground, firm in her refusal to fake love for another man. "You know I love you, right? How can you ask me to be with your twin brother? I understand we need money, but let's not stoop to this level. David worked hard for his wealth," Mercy expressed, rejecting Ken's wicked plan against his twin.

"You claim to love me, yet you're refusing to do this little favour for me . I see your true colors now. If you don't go along with this, it's over between us," Ken threatened, manipulating Mercy into agreeing to his selfish plan.

"That's my girl," Ken said, wrapping her in a tight hug."

David and Ken, twin brothers born of the same blood, had grown up together.

Despite their striking physical resemblance, both were the opposite of each other.

After their father passed away, leaving them an equal inheritance, David invested his share wisely, turning it into a successful business that doubled his wealth. On the other hand, Ken squandered his portion on girls, drugs, and lavishing parties.

Ken was jealous of his brother's achievements and the admiration David received from their family and friends . He longed for the same respect and recognition that David commanded, fueling his hatred towards his brother.

It was this boiling jealousy that led Ken to make up an evil plan to strip David of his hard-earned wealth. He believed that by robbing his brother, he could finally have all his wealth and gain Same respect from people.

David had always admired Mercy, who had grown up with them from childhood. However, at the same time, he was afraid that his brother Ken had eyes for her.

"Bro, do you have anything to do with Mercy?" David would often ask, with Ken lying and claiming they were just friends. Ken even told David that he would help him convince Mercy to date him. Little did David know, all of these were just part of Ken's plan to take away his property.

Mercy proceeded with Ken's plan, visiting David every day, cooking for him, washing his clothes, and taking care of the house. She behaved like the perfect wife material, which only made David love her more.

After months of staying with David, Mercy totally fell in love with him. "Who wouldn't love a caring, humble, and rich guy like David? To hell with Ken and his plan," Mercy said to herself.

Mercy had been avoiding Ken, purposely ignoring his calls and messages.

It came as a complete shock when David handed Ken a wedding invitation and begged him to accompany him to Mercy's parents' house to pay the bride price.

Ken was surprised by Mercy's sudden acceptance of David's marriage proposal. "This isn't what we had planned. Is she changing the game now?" Ken said to himself as he unwillingly agreed to go with David.

While David was at work, Ken used the opportunity to confront Mercy at home. When she opened the door, she was surprised by Ken's manner as he pulled her inside and pinned her against the wall. "Why did you betray me? Do you not love me anymore? How could you agree to marry my worthless brother?" Ken demanded answers, his voice filled with hurt and betrayal.

Pushing Ken away, Mercy's eyes was filled with anger. "Worthless? Ken, you're the one who's selfish and useless in this situation. I love David, and thank goodness that your evil plan led me to someone better," she replied , causing Ken to break down in tears. Threatening revenge, Ken left the house, filled with anger.

A few weeks later, David and Mercy got married, living happily together as the envy of Ken, who was consumed with thoughts of revenge for what he viewed as his girlfriend being snatched away from him.

One Wednesday afternoon, David received a phone call informing him that Ken had been in an accident and was taken to the hospital. Concerned, David hurriedly left for the hospital as directed.

Driving to the location provided, David was confused when he saw no hospital in the place, only a frightening graveyard filled with graves. Shocked , he redialed the number that had called him, seeking explanation.

Suddenly, he heard a loud, mocking laughter from behind him.

Startled, David turned around to find Ken standing there, completely unharmed. "But I thought you had an accident?," David questioned, confused by the situation.

With a wicked smile, Ken replied, "No, I did not have an accident, but you are about to experience something far worse than that." The evil words ringing in the air, leaving David filled with fear and unaware of Ken's intentions.

Ken's eyes shined with hatred as he raised the rod in his hand and hit David on the head, sending him to the ground.

"What have I done to you, Ken? Aren't you my twin brother again?" David pleaded with blood flowing from his head. "Please don't do this to me. I have a new wife waiting for me at home. Please, bro."

But Ken's heart was hardened, his mind consumed by revenge . He hit David with the rod once more. This time, David was unable to move , his breath stolen from him by his Twin brother .

Without a feeling of remorse, Ken took a shovel. He quickly dug a grave in the middle of the graveyard, placing his brother's body there . Covering the body with soil, he ensured that nobody would notice that someone was buried there.

He took David's car key from the ground and drove off, leaving no evidence behind.

It was starting to get dark, and Mercy's worry was growing by the minute as David had still not returned home after heading to the hospital to see Ken. She tried calling his phone, only to find it switched off. "This isn't like David at all. He never stays out late, and if he does, he always lets me know. I just hope he's alright," Mercy thought aloud, walking over to the window and looking outside, anxiously awaiting her husband's arrival.

Suddenly, a car honked at the gate, and Mercy's heart filled with hope as she rushed outside, hoping to see David's face. However, to her surprise, it was Ken who pulled up in a brand-new car, with loud music playing in the car.

Ken dragged Mercy inside, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing here? Where's David, and I thought you had an accident, answer me," Mercy said, trying to free herself from Ken's strong hold.

"I have made money for us, my love. The same money that made you leave me for my brother," Ken said, still holding onto Mercy, who pushed him to the ground.

"Don't try that with me again. Don't you know that I'm a married woman? Instead of us joining hands to search for your brother who hasn't returned, you're here, trying to pursue his wife," Mercy said, causing Ken to grow angry.

"My brother's wife or his widow," Ken said, laughing out loud. Hearing this, Mercy was shocked, and several thoughts began to run through her mind.

"I hope you didn't harm David. Where did you keep my husband?" Mercy said, grabbing Ken by his shirt, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and anger.

As Ken heard Mercy refer to David as her husband, his anger increased, and he quickly carried her to the bedroom. "Put me down, Ken," Mercy demanded, but Ken ignored her and locked the door behind them.

Confused and afraid, Mercy questioned Ken's intentions as he threw her onto the bed, tying her hands and forcefully taking advantage of her. Despite her pleas for him to stop, he continued his actions, caring less to her cries.

"I'm your brother's wife, please stop this. He would feel betrayed if he sees this," Mercy begged, but Ken only laughed heartlessly as he satisfied his desires.

After he was done, Ken untied Mercy, who was now in tears. She hurriedly left the room, feeling violated and heartbroken.

The following day arrived, and David had still not returned. Mercy, tired from the events of the previous night, was still fast asleep. However, a sudden knock on the door woke her up.

Rubbing her tired eyes, Mercy made her way to the door and opened it, only to be met by Ken and a group of his relatives, along with some angry elderly women.

"We've heard rumors that you kidnapped David and have been entertaining various men in this house,"the old women accused, not giving Mercy a chance to defend herself. They forcefully dragged her out of the house, much to her surprise as she saw a crowd of villagers gathered outside. They paraded her through the community, throwing insults and accusations at her.

Eventually, they locked her up in a small, dirty house with three male guards assigned to watch her closely and prevent any escape attempts.

Ken, on the other hand, was happy with the outcome. He knew that Mercy might try to go to the police to report David's disappearance, so he made sure she was unable to do so.

He confidently drove into David's company, called for a meeting and revealed to the shocked employees that he was now their new boss. Although they were shocked, they had no choice but to accept and follow his orders.

Late one night, Ken came back home drunk after a wild party, spending his brother's hard-earned money without a care. He went into his room and laid down, sleeping .

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed through the silence, resembling that of his dead brother, David. Fear ran through him as he woke up only to find David's ghostly figure dressed in the same nightwear as him, lying beside him.

"I thought you were gone, why are you here?" Ken stammered, his heart racing at the strange sight of his brother's spirit haunting him. "Why did you do it? Was I not a good brother to you? Do you not remember how I missed my final exams to care for you when you were sick? Confess to our family the truth of what you've done, confess!" David's ghostly voice demanded, sending Ken running out of the house, quickly driving off .

Ken sped away in his car, making his way to his friend's house in search of assistance. "Even in death, that useless brother of mine is still after my life." Ken said increasing his speed.

In the quiet late hour, Gabriel, Ken's friend, was inside the house with one of the prostitutes he frequently entertained. It was Gabriel who had contacted David earlier, alerting him about Ken's fake accident.

Hearing the knock on the door and the message from Ken identifying himself, Gabriel hurried to open the door.

"Dude, my brother is haunting me, his spirit won't leave me alone, demanding I confess. Please, you have to help me. I would rather die than admit to anything. If it comes down to it, I'll kill him the second time without hesitation," Ken declared with a complete lack of remorse.

"No worries, man. I've dealt with this kind of thing before. Spirits belong in the world of the dead. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to a powerful native doctor , and we'll cage his spirit once and for all," Gabriel assured Ken, who burst into laughter, shaking his friend.

The following day, Gabriel and Ken embarked on their journey to the native doctor's hidden shrine deep in the bush. As they entered the scary shrine, Ken was asked to take a seat as he began to confess to the native doctor how he had killed his own brother and now his angry ghost is haunting him, demanding a confession.

The native doctor listened carefully and then smiled, ready to offer a solution to Ken's troubles . "If you wish to be free from your brother's ghost, you must make love to a ghost yourself. This will make you indestructible and your brother's spirit will no longer have power over you," the healer explained, pointing towards the skeleton of an old woman in the shrine.

Ken was afraid, but Gabriel reassured him and urged him to follow the native doctor's instructions. "But that's not all," the native doctor continued, "You must also bring us a young virgin, aged 15, who will be used to cleanse the shrine after you have completed the act with the ghost."

"I'll do it, the great man. I rather do this than confessing," Ken confidently stated.

The native doctor applied a black substance on Ken's forehead to temporary prevent David's ghost from haunting him. He instructed Ken to bring a young virgin back to the shrine by midnight to proceed with their evil plan.

Driving with his friend Gabriel, who eventually went home, Ken drove down the streets in search of a suitable candidate. Pulling up in front of a secondary school, he spotted Ada, the daughter of his neighbor. Approaching her, he offered to give her a ride home.

"Ada, my baby, come inside, let me drive you home," Ken said as Ada, unsuspecting, agreed and entered the car.

As they drove, Ada grew worried as Ken drove past the familiar path that leads to her house towards an unknown destination. "Uncle, where are we going? This is not the way to the estate," Ada questioned.

"Sorry, dear, I need to pick something up nearby. I promise to take you home soon," Ken reassured her.

Upon reaching the lonely Bush , Ken forcibly dragged Ada to the native doctor's shrine, where they tied her, awaiting the stroke of midnight to start their dark plan.

In the Late hours of the night, the native doctor instructed Ken to enter the shrine and make love to the old woman's skeleton. Without hesitation, Ken obeyed and engaged with the ghostly figure. After their encounter, the skeletal ghost of the old woman hugged him tightly. Just then, the native doctor entered and instructed Ken to step aside.

They proceeded to where Ada were. Ken with the knife in his hand, did as the native doctor instructed as he k@lled her. All Ada's pleas were in vain. "uncle please spare my life. Pls, I'm the only child of my parents. My mom can't live without me." Ada cried out, but Ken didn't care.

Having sprinkled her blood on the shrine, Ken drove off, happy that David's ghost has been cage. "let me see who will stop me from enjoying David's wealth now." Ken said, giving out a wicked smile.

Ken went back home feeling happy. He immediately called Gabriel and informed him that he was done.

"Hi dude, I have completed the native doctor's instruction, and that stupid ghost of my brother has been caged," Ken exclaimed. Gabriel suggested that they celebrate at a club close to his house. .

They partied all night long, smoking and dancing with prostitutes. Ken spent more than a million on the party, and people were hailing him for his spendings.

David's company was gradually running down because of Ken's reckless spending. Ken would come to the office and instruct the manager to send money to various accounts. The manager had tried calling David, but his number was switched off. He inquired with their business partners abroad to see if David had traveled without informing them, but no one knew his whereabouts.

One afternoon, as Ken came around to ask for money as usual, the manager decided to confront him. "Sir, please, where's my boss, David? He hasn't been coming to work, and your reckless spending has made us lose many of our customers. Most of our investors are no longer willing to work with us. I'm afraid this company will wind up if David doesn't start coming to work. Please, help send this message to him if you know about his whereabouts."

Upon hearing this from the manager, Ken immediately became angry. "I think you're no longer comfortable with this work. I'll help you retire. The audacity to question me, you poor thing," Ken said as he handed the manager his termination letter. The manager didn't say a word, carried his suitcase, and left.

All through, he was looking for a means to find Mercy, David's wife, as he believed she would know something about David's whereabouts.

It was in the late hours of the night when Ken was sleeping, and suddenly he dreamt of the old ghost he had made love to caressing him. He immediately woke up and was surprised to see the same ghost standing in front of him. "Come, my dear, come my love, come," the old ghost kept on echoing those words, causing Ken to run out of his room in fear.

Ken went to the sitting room, searching for his car key to drive out when he saw Ada's spirit standing close to the door, crying blood instead of tears and screaming "uncle why, why did you take my life, why!"

Ken started to sweat, his fear knew no bounds as he took the car key under the table and ran out, entering inside his car.

Inside the car, Ken was met with his brother's ghost. He became frightened as David's voice kept on asking him to confess. "Same mother, same father, same blood, but you chose to spill my blood because of money. You chose to kill me. Confess, Ken confess!" David said.

Out of fear, Ken ran out of the compound. "So this Native doctor's plan didn't work out. Now my problem has only increased. I would rather die than confess. David and his ghost should go to hell," Ken said, heading to the native doctor's shrine.

At the shrine, David was furious as he confronted the native doctor, demanding an answer as to why David's ghost, Ada's ghost, and the old woman's ghost were chasing him around. The native doctor calmly replied, "The old woman's ghost you made love to has fallen in love with you, and you are to take her skeleton with you. Whenever her ghost appears, you must make love to her, and she will protect you from both David and Ada's ghost."

Ken, feeling a mix of fear and acceptance, carried the old woman's skeleton in his hands as he prepared to leave. Before he could go, the native doctor called him back. "Ken, go to where you buried David and bring me sand from there. I will use it for a sacrifice."

"Understood, wise one," Ken replied, and with the old woman's skeleton in his hands, he left the shrine, ready to face whatever fate awaited him.

The manager started looking for Mercy. He came to the estate and few women narrated how Mercy was paraded all over the community because she kidnapped her husband and was bringing different men to the house.

Hearing this, the manager couldn't believe his ears. "They claimed that he's missing, and no kidnapper has called to demand for ransom and his brother has already declared himself the boss of David's company. There is more to this. I don't trust that Ken of a guy." The manager said to himself as he thanked the women who also showed him the direction to the place where Mercy was locked.

The manager arrived at the location and was stopped by three bodyguards who refused him entry. He offered them some cash , and they allowed him to go inside and speak with Mercy. Upon entering, the manager shocked by the sight before him. The small, dirty house was filled with mosquitoes, and Mercy herself appeared so thin. She was surprised to see the unfamiliar man standing before her.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I understand if you don't remember me, but I'm Emmanuel, the Manager of your husband's company. I was present at your wedding," the manager said, with Mercy quickly recognizing him.

As the manager narrated how Ken had been misusing David's money and how he had fired him for asking about David's whereabouts, Mercy couldn't hold back her tears, filled with emotion.

"I fear Ken has harmed my David. He would never leave without informing me. My David cares deeply for me and would have come to save me," Mercy sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. The manager felt her pain, offering his shoulder for her to lean on.

Once Mercy had calmed down, she told the manager the truth about her and Ken's plan to deceive David and flee the country with his wealth "Ken and I intended to deceive David and run away with his money. But I couldn't go through with it, as I witnessed David's sincere care for me and fell in love with him. I was afraid to disclose his brother's deceitful plan, knowing how cunning Ken can be. I had wanted to reveal Ken's true colors when my marriage is up to months, so David wouldn't doubt me, because he trusted his brother a lot," Mercy said , regretting her silence about the situation. She further revealed how David had received a call about Ken's accident, causing him to leave and never return.

The manager was shocked by the revelations and promised Mercy that he's going to get to root of the matter. He left the place, contemplating his next move.

The next day, the manager, on his car, was heading to the estate when he saw Ken leaving the estate on his own car. He decided to secretly follow him and know where he was going to.

Ken, on the other hand, with his new love, the old woman's skeleton, was in the car, driving to the graveyard to get the sand which the native doctor had demanded. He wasn't aware that the manager was going after him. As Ken stopped in front of the graveyard, many questions started running through the manager's mind. "What is he doing in a graveyard? From the little I know about David's family, his late parents were buried in their house and not in a graveyard. What's this guy up to?" the manager said, secretly watching from afar.

Ken was busy trying to locate the exact spot where he had buried his brother since the land was leveled. Recalling the spot he had stood that day, he immediately used a nylon bag to get the sand as he quickly returned to his car.

Inside the car, the old woman's ghost appeared again, saying the same words to Ken. "Come, my dear, come, my love, come!" Ken knew what the old woman was demanding and started making love to her skeleton inside his car. The manager was surprised why Ken hadn't moved the car, he sneakily went close, seeing Ken making love to a skeleton. The shocked manager managed to control himself from shouting as he watched on.

Shortly, Ken drove off, heading towards the native doctor's shrine. The manager wanted to follow him further, but what he saw left him scared as he followed another path.

The manager headed to the police station, informing them of David's disappearance and narrating all the events to the officers who drove to the graveyard, to get to the bottom of the Mystery.

With the shovel in their hands and the manager pointing to the exact spot, Ken collected the sand from, they started digging, yet nothing was found. "Mr. man, there's nothing here. You've wasted our time," one of the officers said to the manager, asking the others to follow him so they could go.

"There's something fishy going on. If this manager claims he spotted that man's brother here, it could mean two things: either he's involved in some ritual and perhaps his cult demanded sand from a graveyard, or maybe a ghost is haunting him and acquiring the sand is the only way to put the spirit to rest. But if that's the case, it may imply he had a hand in the person's death. There is also no gravestone (usually placed on top of graves to identify the dead) in the spot he got the sand from." pondered one of the officers as he went further into the graveyard with the shovel in hand, to continue his investigation.

As if controlled by a spirit, the officer stopped at a spot in the graveyard and started digging. The other officers were getting angry as they called him for them to leave. He wanted to drop the shovel, but when he saw something that looked like a cloth inside of the ground, he screamed, causing the other officers and the manager to come closer. They joined him in digging the ground and shockingly, they found David inside the ground. His face covered with sand, and his body smelling, the officers carried him out and placed him in their police van as they proceeded to Ken's House.

Meanwhile, at the native doctor's shrine, Ken handed the sand to the native doctor who shook his head and said, "this sand wasn't gotten from the spot you buried your brother. Go back to the graveyard and bring me the sand unless you want David's spirit to start haunting you again." Ken was completely tired as he left the shrine, heading to the graveyard to get another sand.

As Ken reached the graveyard, he saw the ground dug up and went over, noticing that it was empty and a foul smell was coming from there. "Where's David's body? How did he disappear? Is he still alive? No, it mustn't be," Ken muttered as he rushed back home to see if David had somehow come back to life.

Upon arriving home, he was met with fear when he saw officers waiting for him. "Good day, young man. We are here to question you and we expect your cooperation," one of the officers said boldly.

Ken wanted to comply with the officers, but he was distracted by the ghostly presence of the old woman who asked him to make love to her once more. However, with the officers present, he couldn't entertain her request.

Angered by his refusal, the old woman's ghost vanished, only to be replaced by the spirits of David and Ada, who pressured Ken to confess. "Confess! Confess!" they both demanded as Ken fell to the ground in front of the officers, screaming.

Caught between the demands of the two ghosts, Ken felt helpless and unable to defend himself against their haunting presence.

Ken managed to lift himself from the ground, and ran to his car to make love to the skeleton, but it was nowhere to be found. It appeared that the old woman had disappeared with her skeleton. David and Ada's ghosts kept on flogging him with a cane, screaming, "Confess! Confess! Confess!" The stubborn Ken wanted to run out of the house, but he was blocked by both ghosts who flogged him hard.

Left with no option, he started confessing how he killed his brother, took advantage of his wife and property, and also how he killed Adaeze. The police officers were shocked, hearing this. They remembered that some days ago, a woman living in the next building had come to make a report about her missing daughter, Ada. It now became obvious that Ken was responsible for her disappearance.

One of the officers called the woman to rush to Ken's house to see what was happening. Ada's mother came, hearing how Ken confessed to killing her daughter. She was angered, and with the rod inside the officer's van, the woman immediately carried it and hit it seven times on Ken's head, causing Ken to die.

Gabriel, hearing what happened, entered his car to run away, but had an accident on the road which also took his life. The native doctor who Ken mentioned his location before dying was arrested, and Ada's corpse was retrieved from his shrine.

Meanwhile, Mercy was released by their relatives who apologized to her for accusing her wrongly.

Both Ada and David were given a befitting burial, as David's ghost appeared at his funeral, beckoning Mercy who couldn't see him, farewell.

After the burial, Mercy found out that she was pregnant. But she was unhappy, remembering what happened between her and Ken and thought the child might belong to Ken. However, when she went to the hospital, the doctor confirmed that she was two months pregnant. She was happy, as it hadn't been up to a month since Ken had forcefully taken advantage of her, which means that the child belongs to David. Mercy smiled, knowing that someone is finally going to carry on David's legacy.