"How did you know about my inhaler being buried under dirt?" She asked.

"I know you are asthmatic, you told me."

"Yes, yes I did. But that's oddly specific. How did you know I was with my inhaler that night? You were there, weren't you? You tried to kill me too."

"That's ridiculous," he countered, pouring the remnants of the drink in his cup into his mouth. "You know I care about you so much. How would you think that?"

Her lips were slightly apart, her mind, wandering. "OK I get it now. You were there and saw Thelma try to kill me but did nothing so you could pin it on Martins. You were the one who gave the detective the pencam right?" She asked. Her soul burned with the mere thought his jealousy could have ruined her.

"Martins was trying to rape you," he replied defensively, hiding his fear under his weak claim. He had never seen Mary that upset before. Her eyes glistened a lot brighter, her lips were shut and countenance straight.

"-but you'd rather watch me die than end your stupid quarrel and misunderstanding?" Mary's voice was pitched high now and her wristwatch loosely moved about her wrist. His phone rang loudly as the bass tone rushed out of the speakers and jolted them both. Kelvin hurriedly reached for it from his pocket, glad an interruption erupted in the tense air. It was Ashley and her picture stuck to the screen. Mary looked into the phone and back to Kelvin who felt a wave of guilt for unsure reasons. "Ashley is calling you," she said calmly.

"Yeah, I better go see why she's calling me. She's going through a lot." He stood and tucked the phone into his back pocket.

"I'm not? You don't even act like you care! I was thought of as dead and now I'm right here yet you still want to leave? You haven't even answered me yet." Her carapace cracking and her soul, melting.

"We'll talk later, OK?" He rubbed her forearm gently. "Just know that I never wanted to kill you. I would never." His words pierced her subtly and then sharper once more when she realized he was tilting towards Ashley.

"Are you two dating?" She asked, unsheathed. A loud thud was heard from inside and it eked through the walls. It had to be a utensil falling.

"She asked me out," Kelvin said while still standing. He feared staring into Mary's eyes. The hurt was glaring and he had never felt that way before. A part of him still feared she might have been a spirit. The gruesome marks on her skin had disappeared and the warm mix of brown cocoa sat as her skin. "I haven't responded. Ashley might be sick or in trouble but you aren't. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy learning you're alive." He sat back down and reached for her lofty earring hoops. "It was in fact Ashley who told me you're alive and well and so I hurried to see you. I'll be right back OK? She has already left over five messages and two missed calls and you know what that means."

Mary didn't know what any of it meant and feared she navigated his choices too by her presence. She cried into her hand, a teary lake of tears and watched him leave.

Ashley called with an unknown number later. It startled her how Ashley had realized she now had a phone. Her voice was low and polite and Mary's reply, simple. She agreed to meet up in a park and discuss after her plead and so they met up at Central park.

Since it was a holiday, a Christmas holiday at that, the park had a reason to buzz with excitement everyday. Children paraded with shiny plastic red hats dressed on their bests. The mouth watery worth devouring cake, cotton candy and more candy all smelt like happiness. There was a robust man who camouflaged Santa Clause in his red suit stuffed with a ball on his stomach. He would lift a child to his thigh and take a picture with them and give them a wrapped present afterwards. Christmas music blared from every angle and the lovely innocence of childhood nostalgia rooted in.

They met beside a carrousel filled with children guided by their parents as they galloped round and round. Ashley appeared on a skinny jean and a loose sweater as did Mary. They sat on a bench built with stone and Ashley had intended running off to buy whatever Mary wanted, but Mary had confirmed she was full. She wasn't however, but knew it was best she related with Ashley from afar. A long space divided them as they spent time baring into long thoughts. Ashley wanted to feel Mary's skin as though reassuring herself that the cautiously seated Mary sprayed with exorbitance, was the same as she had known her.

"I'm sorry," she said in an unbelievable honesty. A kinder faced person who smiled more often was who Ashley had morphed into. Mary wanted to ask why she was sorry but drowned the idea, as quick flashbacks of all the bad that had happened halted her. "My family was unkind to you. Please forgive us," she continued.

The silence continued more promiscuous than before but for the chattering and loud music with bright lights. The world was spinning in its own frenzy as Mary's eyes darted towards the rollercoaster she had feared as a child. "I forgive you all," she said finally. They talked about many other things and the space between them reduced until their sides touched. They laughed as well and Mary had yielded to the ice cream and cotton candy she had earlier rejected.

"Ashley there's something I want to tell you," Mary said as Ashley struggled to clean off the creamy smudge above her lip. Some rested on her nose and when her tongue couldn't reach, she wiped it off with s handkerchief.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Do you like Kelvin?" Mary asked, hiding her sinister undertone with a smile.

"Yeah! I mean no because I know you don't mean the ordinary like. I also wanted to apologize for dragging him out the other day. I was really going through a lot of mental stress and I didn't know he was with you."

It felt off referring to Ashley as her sister especially because it meant the real deal, but she did so quite often after that and had decided to overcome her nauseous desire and childhood fragility by trying out every equipment in the park. Mary would scream and Ashley would laugh at the tumbling sensation the rollercoaster gave. She felt dizzy after the ride and they returned back to sit on another stone bench beside a waterfall.

"Can I tell you something sis?" Mary asked. Evening was settling in and their shadows had started to merge with the tar.

"Sure, anything." Ashley uncapped an orange juice and placed the cap on her lips, hurrying the pulpy richness.

"The doctor said I'm to die today," Mary said and poked her nails idly while a tear fell out. Ashley allowed the drink in the bottle to pour and it seeped between the knitted sweater she wore. "He said my lungs have deteriorated and if I see it till the end of today, then I'm lucky."

"I don't know what to say," Ashley said. Her lips started to quiver like they always did when she panicked. "You can't die again, not anymore." She cried so loudly it pushed Mary to cry. The noise about and around the park didn't seem to matter as they locked their heads together each person crying louder than the other.

They ebbed into their own worlds, a sad world of crying and sniffling. The sky was blanketed with thick dark clouds and it started to release quick flashes of lightening.

"Have you told anyone?" Ashley asked, pulling herself from Mary.

"No, not even Aunt Beatrice. I don't want anyone panicking on my behalf."

"Not even Kelvin?" Ashley asked.

"I'll tell him myself."

Mary texted Martins to come over as she did also for Kelvin. They sat in silence for a while, the quick flashes of lightening still struck the earth and the wind blew fiercer.

"Do you still like Martins?" Mary asked, a weak smile gracing her lips.

"The sad truth is that I do. I just wish I could talk to him about so many things sometimes."

"I hope this is one of those times," Mary said, guiding her hand to the back where Martins appeared with Kelvin. Ashley stood up and peered into Martins' eyes, so dark yet so perfect. He had rolled up the painting and then opened it up for her to see the majestic work of beauty. "I'm sorry," he had said and she nodded, immediately absolving him of his wrongs. As though the painting was enough to flush all the beatings and bruises down the drain.

Kelvin took Mary's hand and they paraded the park, reaching the empty space carpeted with evenly trimmed grasses. The park looked more beautiful at night time, the water that shot out from the fountain blossomed up like the bud of a rose flower with the flickering of small green and red bulbs around it.

"What if I die today, what will you do?" Mary asked, staring into his moon shadowed face.

"Die?" Kelvin asked, holding her palms tighter and firmer. "The mere thought of knowing you were missing, ripped me in two. Let's not go about thinking about death. About that night, I swear I didn't mean for any of what happened to happen. I never intended hurting you, I just felt Martins had to pay for dragging you into the mess and that is why I don't want to lose you again."

"But we can't control death. It can hit us at any time," she continued.

"Please stop all this talk about death. I'm here to have a good time," he countered.

Her voice waned and she drew out a paper from her back pocket. She slowly opened it up and peered into the sheet, where a list of things to do were written.

"What's that?" Kelvin asked.

"It's a list of things I wrote to do many years ago. I wanted to live life when I got the opportunity and I do now. Let's finish everything on this list," she said, persuading him with a longing on her face.

"You are still very young, you'll have all the time to accomplish this. Why the rush?" He asked.

"Because tomorrow is not promised."

They rode the carrousel twice, swam in the virtual water of doom, where one combats a strange alien with an anomalous tentacle, they chased after each other, each time Kelvin catching  Mary, but Mary never caught him. Running exhausted her and she started to cough. She fell unto the floor coughing and he ran over to help her up, worried that she coughed too deeply and shot out streaks of blood. She admitted to be OK and he immersed her slowly into water, teaching her to swim. Drenched, they sat by the pool and Mary placed her soaked self on Kelvin's legs.

"Today was fun," Kelvin commented, staring into the starry sky. The vastness of the sky allowed for the wide distribution of glowing small dots which they connected.

"That's a Christmas tree. Can't you see?" Mary asked, drawing something on air but Kelvin saw nothing.

"What I'm seeing is a pregnant woman with wings," he said, eyes still up and lightening sped past, thickening the clouds.

"Chai Kelvin, nawa for you!" She laughed. "Take my rosary, it's my gift to you." She pulled out the small shiny black cylindrical string of beads and fitted it over his neck. "Make sure you pray it o!" The rain fell in a long thread, dotting their clothes and skin.

"Mary, umm... I know you want to be a Reverend sister and all but is it OK if I kiss.. I mean I know it's crazy but-"

Mary locked him in a kiss. She leaned forward and drew his neck to hers till their faces touched and skins touched. She had never kissed before, but had picked up scenes from the romance movies Ashley enjoyed.

The rain poured generously and soon their clothes soaked again. Kelvin wanted them to leave for shelter, but again wouldn't let his lips part with hers until she stopped and the rain slowed.

"I want to sleep. I love you so much Kelvin," she said and pressed her hand on his cheek. She teared, but he didn't see it because the rain had stained her cheeks. She laid back on his legs and shut her eyes.

"I love you too, but is it here you want to sleep? Let me take you home. The mosquitoes here sef," he said, slapping an insect on his skin with a loud swat and a drop of blood from the squash tainted his skin. He tried acting natural because she had too. She seemed perfectly OK and so he resisted the urge to explode in his excitement. He stared into her face and her expression remained unchanged. "So she really slept here," he leaned forward to kiss her again but he didn't feel the slow breath as he had before. "Mary!" He called out, wringing her slightly. "Mary!" He screamed, tugging her dress, suddenly realizing she had died. He cried so loudly his voice dried. His heart was pounding and his head was spinning. Martins and Ashley ran over after hearing him scream. Ashley stopped abruptly, hands over her heart and lips to stop herself from sinking in tears but she couldn't. Mary was gone, this time for good.

Author's note: 😖😖💔

Thank you all for reading up until this point. Please vote this chapter after reading OK? Thank you!

I may or may not continue this book as a sequel, but I'll drop possible snippets of a sequel in the next chapter.

This chapter is dedicated to all my lovely readers, who would hurry to devour each chapter as I drop them. Thanks for being the very first dedicated readers I have ever seen. I appreciate your comments and votes. I appreciate your kind words.

So if you've loved Hell Mary and look forward to more books tended to keep you hooked like this, please give this book a shout out on your walls. Also, because I know so many readers are writers as well, I'll love to check out your works. DM me with your book's name and I'll go through as much chapters as I can.

I love you all 💖