Hello, Cribbers!😁🎊

Y'all know what time it is! It's Gist o'clock 😁😁 and this gist is none other thannn

So... Not to keep us in suspense, we'll be going straight to the Reviews 🤭🤭.

Here we goooo

PEN NAME: DEWDROP.
SERIAL NO: 003.

Story Entry:

The black Lexus came to a screeching halt and a dark-skinned muscular man shot out of the car with urgency. He yanked the door open, his breathing scorched and shredded as lifted the lithe-framed woman in the back seat into his arms. The crimson liquid that soaked her lilac dress and trickled down her legs rubbed off on his already blood-soaked white shirt.

"Nurse! Someone help!" he screamed, his voice quivering so badly. He marched into the hospital reception and a few nurses came rushing out, wheeling a stretcher towards him.

They placed the bloodied woman on the stretcher and began wheeling her away as quickly as they could. The muscular man was going to follow them but one of the nurses stopped him.

"Sir, you are going to have to wait out here." The Nurse told him and he narrowed his eyes on her in disbelief.

"Are you fucking with me?! She's dying! My wife is dying and you are telling me not to follow you!" he yelled.

"Sir, you have to understand—"

"Where the hell is Kenny?" his strident voice echoed throughout the hospital reception, garnering the attention of everyone and thick with so much apprehension. "Kenny! Kenny!" he hollered, his eyes wandering around.

"Sir, you have to calm down. Dr. Kenny will attend to you soon." The Nurse told him.

"Don't tell me to calm the fuck down! Fetch me Kenny, now!" he fired at her, his eyes blazing with fury and tears.

"Get me Kenny!" he raved on, his voice thick with sobs.

"Tomisin,"

The soft, masculine voice caught his attention and he swung his head in the opposite direction to see the light-skinned curly-haired doctor clad in blue scrubs, a black thick-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

"Kenny, it's Dedami." Tomisin rushed towards him.

"What happened?" Kenny inquired.

"I-I-fuck, Kenny. I-" His voice was beginning to break and his emotions were thrown all over the place.

"Hey, hey, Tomi. I am here. Talk to me. What happened?" Kenny asked, his eyes now settling on the blood stains on Tomisin's sleeveless top. "Breathe, I am here."

"It all happened so fast. I swear. I don't even understand."

"You can tell me anything."

"After we left the dinner party at her Dad's yesterday, she complained about a stomach ache before we went to bed, but I-I didn't think it was something serious until this evening. I was working in the living room and I-I think she had been struggling to reach out to me, but by the time she got to the staircase, she was already so weak. And before I-I knew it, Kenny, she tripped. . ." Tomisin broke down, fisting Kenny's shirt.

Kenny went pale, his eyes dimming in colour as though someone crushed his heart to pieces.

"Tomi, hey, hey. I need you to listen to me. She's going to be fine, okay? I promise you." Kenny assured him.

"Then, fucking do something and don't just stand there! You are her doctor, Goddammit! I can't lose her and I can't lose our baby!" Tomi screamed at Kenny, who exhaled before retreating, and then he dashed towards the ER.

"Fuck!" Tomi groaned, clutching his head as punctured breaths eluded him.

                               •••••

As Tomisin paced around the reception all night long, it felt like his sanity was slowly slipping away from him. It ate him, not knowing how she was faring and it rendered him a ticking time bomb.

"Tomisin,"

His head jerked up instantly and his eyes landed on Kenny, whose shoulder looked slumped, and his eyes overly dull and tired. Tomisin rose to his feet immediately, meeting him halfway.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Dedami is fine." Kenny sighed. The sheer reluctance that oozed off him told Tomisin that there was more and he was gripping him by his scrub in no time. "We lost the baby, Tomi. I am so sorry." Kenny whispered and Tomi released the hem of his scrub, dropping to the Sofa with a loud thud.

"I'll uh. . ." Kenny swallowed. "I'll go check in on her. They must have moved her from the OR. I'll let you know when it's okay to see her." He choked out, struggling to contain his emotions.

Kenny didn't know what to say or how to console his friend who was bawling his eyes out like a baby, so he quietly slipped away and headed for the private ward Dedami had been wheeled to. His eyes blurred with so many tears. Dedami was his friend as much as Tomisin was.

Kenny pulled open the door that led to her ward and let himself into the room that echoed with the incessant beeping of the heart monitor. He trotted over to the frail figure that lay on the bed, exhaling softly. He wondered how she could still look so serene in her sleep.

"So perfect," he murmured, trailing his fingers on her light cheeks. "You would think that after being friends with you throughout Uni, I would have gotten used to how breathtaking you are." He chuckled softly.

"God, Dami." He sighed. "I would never hurt you. You know that right?" he asked in a whisper, threading his fingers through her silky black hair. "But, you gave me no choice!" his voice raised an octave higher, anger fuelling him all over again. "I have been right by your side, all along, aching for you to even look at me the same way I looked at you, and then, he returned from the freaking UK. He came into the picture and you shoved me aside and chose him, that bastard, over me!" his eyes stung with angry tears, a knot settling in his throat.

"He was my best friend and then, he took my girl!"

"You shouldn't have waited for me to say it for you to reciprocate my feelings. I showered you with so much love and attention. I stood by you. Could you have ripped my heart out more than you did when you told me you were marrying him? Did you know how painful that felt?" he queried. "I had to suck it up and hope you would realise that you were making a mistake but you just had to get pregnant." He sucked his teeth in annoyance and raked his fingers through his hair.

"You should be wearing my ring. You should be bearing my last name. You should be carrying my child, not his!" It was so hard for me to control the tears that trickled down his face. "I had to do something. I couldn't stand by and watch him take away the love of my life. I knew wrecking the whole thing would be easy after getting that stupid baby out of the way. All I had to do was slip a little something into your drink at the party. Funny how you think that a baby was going to stop me from wanting you, from having you." He gritted out.

"But it's okay," he crouched to her level and grinned. "I forgive you." He said softly, leaning over to press a kiss on her forehead. "I love you so much, Dami and he doesn't deserve you." He added quietly and rose to his feet.

Kenny reluctantly made his way out of the Ward and when he spun around, he felt himself being shoved against the back of the door, and a solid fist connecting with his face. The harsh contact made his head swing to the side and he chuckled when he tasted blood on his lips.

Kenny was a little relieved that there was no one else lurking around the corridors except him and Tomisin.

"You bastard!" Tomisin growled, grabbing him by the shirt. "You killed my child!"

"Tomisin, please." He rolled his eyes. "At least I didn't marry her for her father's money and planned to ditch her for my wife and two kids." Kenny watched as surprise flickered in Tomisin's eye and his hold grew lax around him. "Did you think I wouldn't figure it out? You left them in the UK and when you returned here, your broke ass saw Dami as an easy way to climb up the social ladder you have always craved!" Kenny yelled. "So, let's not act like I didn't do you a fucking favour and made everything super easy for you." He sneered.

"Fuck you," Tomisin spat.

"Oh, come on, don't look at me like that. It's just every man for himself." Kenny smirked.

"You are a—"

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Look at me like I am a monster. Well, I kind of am, but I am owning my shit. Unlike you, I am not hiding behind the facade of a doting husband."

"Oh, spare me that bullshit, Nerdy Doctor Kenny!"

"Maybe we are both just monsters hiding behind our masks then." Kenny scoffed.

"So, I ask you, Tomisin, who is the bigger monster between us two?"

Commentary: A story from Dew drop 🤭 and now to our next contestant

PEN NAME: SNEAKY COUGAR
SERIAL NUMBER: 022
STORY ENTRY;
 

The landline vibrated, causing the men to exchange glances, a shared realization washing over them. The stout man in a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts lifted the handset to his ear, his heart thumping with anticipation for good news.
A rasp voice came through, "We have a problem. He's with his family."
"Do it."
"But, sir... there's a kid," the voice hesitated.
"Finish him," the man said in a measured tone, laden with finality.
A detached bang ensued, its sound muffled by the phone's transmission. The task was done.
The man raised his glass of Oban. "To a new dawn. A new authority."

***

I secured my pistol in its holster and passed the M16 to Dare. Gabriel's whisper of prayers and the crashing of waves were the only thing I could hear in the stillness of the night.
I made my way to the rear of the van, the salty wind sweeping around he could almost taste it at the back of his throat. Antonio had his back to the van, sucking the life out of a cigarette before nonchalantly flicking the butt into the sand.
"Is Gabriel praying?" He asked.
I gave a slight dip of my chin and he breathed out a laugh. I couldn't help but join him.
"Praying as if he's about to do something that'll please the Lord." Antonio tugged at the edge gloves.
"He said he's doing it for his daughter." I explained, feeling a bit of guilty for sympathizing with someone who'd kill a soul to save another soul.
"Well, I'm doing it for the money. Not for family or anything just the money. I'm not one to pass up a payday." Antonio said, causing me to chuckle.
I didn't blame him for his honesty; after all, the promise of wealth was what had lured most of us into this dangerous game.
"Mine is to relieve grief."
"I heard, and I'm sorry. But you know, just channel your grief, your hurt and imagine the executives and guards are the reason for your Ma's death," he suggested, his gaze fixated on the inky abyss of the ocean ahead.
I nodded.
"You know, I don't trust that guy." He cocked his head towards Dare who checked and rechecked his gun's magazine.
I didn't either. It wasn't his thug-like appearance, nor the scar that carved a path from his eyebrow to the underside of his eyes. What unsettled me was the intensity of his gaze, how I'd felt his eyes on me throughout the drive.
"I don't know why the whisperer insisted we come with him. He's offering five hundred million and I don't want to risk anyone going rogue last..." Antonio trailed off, pushing his earpiece into his ear. "I think I hear movement. Cipher?"
I inserted my earpiece and breathed a sigh of relief when I heard nothing. Antonio raised the binoculars to his eyes, scanning the towering building where Cipher—the sniper—maintained surveillance from all angles of the beach house.
"A to Cipher. Cipher I can't see you."
"All set A. The coast's clear. You've got about ten minutes to approach from the back," Cipher's voice crackled in my ear and I went rigid. My heart leapt into my throat. This was it.
Dare cocked his gun and we all turned to Antonio for the command.
"Remember, we work for this people, try as much as possible to be inconspicuous. Cipher says they're on the third floor—which is the last—so we'll sweep from the bottom up."
Heads nodded and he continued.
"They're about twelve guards in the building which makes it a lot easier since we're coming out of the basement.
"No matter what happens the survivors should take care of our families."
Without waiting for our response, Antonio jogged away from us, his gun dangling from his shoulder. We followed suit; Dare and I. I heard Gabriel's soft voice in my ear—maybe carried by the air. "We'll see through."

***

I slowed my stride, easing my way to the end of the wall with my back pressed against it.
"Target in sight, but my angle's no good for the shot," Cipher said.
"We got it," Dare signaled for me to slow down, his hand raised cautiously as he peeked around the corner.
He was about to turn back when, in the span of a single moment, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air and I felt a warm wetness splatter across my face. Instinctively, my eyes snapped shut, and I recoiled.
It took a moment for my brain to process what happened; and when it did, I found Dare laying motionless on the marble floor, a pool of blood and brain matter forming a halo around his burst head.
I jumped over his body, coming into sight where Cipher said there was a target but there was no one. "Cipher! Was that you? There's no target."
"You gave the signal, I saw a hand!"
I cursed under my breath and trudged forward, wearily wiping my face with my jacket's sleeve. My heart was pounding. This wasn't supposed to happen. I quickly ascended the stairs to the second floor, and bumped into Antonio.
"Dare's dead," I said before he could form his words.
He nodded. "We don't have time, this floor's clear. No guards, we need to move."
"Cipher, how about the third floor?" Antonio asked.
No response.
"Cipher?"
Still receiving no response, Antonio continued to the third floor, and I trailed behind him. The wooden stairs groaned with each step we took. The third floor stretched out before us, a lengthycorridor with doors on either side.
"Cipher? Which door?" Antonio whispered. Still nothing.
We advanced cautiously, our footsteps echoing in the stillness. We approached the first door and I pointed my gun to it as he gently turned the knob. The door swung open, revealing a room with an unmade bed and an open window.
Antonio entered and came out with a shake of his head. We continued down the hallway, checking room after room. The tension in the air and my stomach mounted to it's peak, anticipation surging within me.
We reached the last door with me in position and Antonio opening the door. He must have seen the figure on the bed because he froze, mouth agape.
The stout man strapped to the edge of the bed, with an explosive suicide vest on him stared at us.
Antonio watched his boss, open-handed.
He must have felt the cold touch of the metal behind his head, prompting him to turn slightly and look at the gun in my hand.
"Drop your weapon," I instructed, showing him where to drop it with my eyes. He complied, and his gun fell with a clank.
The stout man wore a cold, unreadable expression which I assumed was the look of an almost dead man.
"Go to him." I nudged my head towards the bed. Antonio walked slowly until he was close to his boss. "Hug him."
He hesitated at first, but did it. Hilarious.
"I'm not here to waste anyone's time so you have two options; it's either Cipher shoots you or he triggers the detonator."
I locked my gaze onto his eyes, which held something... plea?
"Don't think of begging me because you are wasting your time and Cipher's. He has,"—I glanced at my watch—"about fifteen minutes before the countdown on his explosive ends, and the best part is, it's motion-sensitive so don't tire him out."
"Was there a meeting?" Antonio asked, his raspy voice shaking with raw fear. I loved it.
I smiled at him. "Well, since an international assassin decided to be so foolish to accept a mission given by an anonymous person, then I guess you won't know there was never a meeting."
Antonio seemed speechless so I turned to his boss, "I see your roommate in hell has no last wishes so Antonio, can you help him with his gag, so he says his."
Antonio helped him out of his gag and he just stared at me with his dead eyes.
"You are your father's son," he said, his voice hoarse from not using it for the past three days... or was it four?
"Ok, from now on, no more words I want action or I'll shoot all of your joints," I said, my heart swelling with a sense of pride that my parents would've felt. "At least I'm giving you a choice, my father must be rolling in his grave knowing I gave you people a choice when all you gave me was a circumstance.
"Cipher's almost pissing in his pants, getting that suit off will take him about 5 minutes so I guess he'll make the choice–"
Before I could complete my sentence, two bullets pierced through their heads, and they crumpled lifeless to the floor.
I watched how useless they looked when I hear a voice coming from my earpiece, "Everything done?"
"Yes, Gabriel you can pull Cipher out of the vest."

Guess who the next story will be from guysss 🌝🌝. It's none other than Aurelius ✨.

PEN NAME: 023 AURELIUS
PROMPT TITLE: A BRUSH WITH DEATH
STORY ENTRY:

A Brush with Death
Aurelius, 023

The air stilled as if it was waiting with bated breath. The clouds stopped their race across the moon. A shrill whistle cuts through the tension. It was a clear night where children are supposed to gather under a tree while elders told stories of an idealized past.

The whistle sounded again. Death was about on her sporadic walks in your town. Her horrid presence made men cling to their gods and boys to their dogs. When Death comes you fall on your knees and pray you don't fall prey.

Whoo-whoo, the death whistle sounds from afar. A warning to take shelter. Run, else you become a prey to Death. The whistle sounded again, coming closer, coming towards you. With each panicked breath you took, the sounds of dread came closer.

You scramble in fear. You ran from your farm, till the edge of town. You ran until you could no longer hear the dirge of her whistle and the howls of her dogs. You picked a few scent leaves and rubbed them across yourself to confuse the dog's scent.

In the silver moonlight, you stumble upon a cave. An opening in the wall, you entered hoping to evade Death in the darkness of the cave's bowels. Taking a steadying breath, you laid your head on the hard gravel of the cave.
You had escaped Death or so you hoped.

A small cry carried to you. A pathetic whimper like the mewling of a kitten with a dead mother.
You ignored it and the cries continued. The cry kept getting weaker and more desperate until it was cruel to ignore.
Death would find that child and she would sense your living presence when she came for that child's soul.

Risking Death, you got up from the hideout and went towards the child. The child was a girl. A strange thing sitting in a fetal position at the edge of a swollen stream you didn't realize was beside your refuge.

"What are you doing here, little one?"
You stretched your hands to her.
She took it with a fond familiarity and wrapped her cold fingers around your palms. She was still sniffing and mumbling.
You hushed her with a finger to her lips and gathered her in your arms, away from the openness of the stream to the safety of darkness.

You carried her in and placed her beside your spot. In the light of a torch you lit from your farm bag, it was glaring that she wasn't from here. Her hair was teased into a fascinating updo of those in the highlands. Her dress was a shiny material you've never seen. It looked hard but felt soft and slippery as water when you carried her.

You repeated your earlier question to her. She arranged herself into a stiff upright position and answered.

"I'm on my way to fulfill a mission," she said in a clipped accented voice.
She sounded well read like a princess but no royalty was ever going to be lost or be sent to fulfill any missions. So a royal emissary in training, you concluded.

You asked where she was from hoping to strike conversion to set both of you at ease.

"The Upland," she replied in the same clipped tone.
You nodded and put out the light.
The cave was plunged back into darkness and silence.

Once again the sounds of Death's footsteps came to you. Her whistle and her dogs howls came so close and loud you were convinced they were in your head.

You held your breath and held your hands to the girl's mouth. Death's footsteps approached your cave, her movements echoing in the entrance. You stopped breathing and willed your heart to not betray you with its beats. You prayed to the Pantheon of Gods to help you escape her.

They heard your prayers when the dogs barked in excitement and Death ran back to the direction of your farmstead.

Again that night you took another steadying breath. When Death was far enough you engaged in conversation with the child.

She got separated from the rest of her group when she stopped by the stream. She had twelve sisters who were also emissaries. So she was born into the family trade. She was satisfied with her life and she would not want it any other way.

You asked her about her view about her life and death and all she said was, "In a sense life and death are sisters conjoined at the chest. They share a beating heart and one can't exist without the other. To have life means to embrace death."

Your conversation was forced into silence again when the piercing cries of the whistle came back and in that silence both of you stayed till daybreak.

"Come on, it's time to go," she stood up as darkness lightened and the light of the sun reached into the cave.
You rose up at her instruction. You were just as anxious to reunite with your family as she was to meet up with her group.

"Follow me," she commanded in that clipped educated accent.
You felt your entire being respond to her bidding.

"Where are we going?" you questioned.
You followed her into the dawn hoping she was going to where her group told them to stay in case one of them ever got lost.

"Don't you understand?" she paused to ask.
You raised your brow in confusion. You looked at her and waited for an explanation.

"You've been dead since last night, Èta," she said, her voice now gentle and sympathetic.
You leaped backwards or tried to. You wobbled in place, her command still holding you to the same spot.

'How would you be dead when you escaped death? How did she know your name when you didn't tell her?'  you questioned yourself.

"I'm an emissary of death. I'm her daughter. The whistles and commotion were because of you. I'm here on earth for you," she continued.

She took a step towards where you were rooted in disbelief. She locked eyes with you and you saw the truth in their black depths. You saw yourself how you really were.

You were dark air, a cloud of smoke from a dying fire. A grounded gray ghost.
She took your hands and locked her fingers with yours and you felt darkness wash over you.

We have Zoë next guysss let's see what she has for us

PEN NAME: 030 Zoe
PROMPT TITLE: Lethal Duality
STORY ENTRY:

Title - Lethal Duality.

"Every day, the same thing keeps happening..."
That was the last entry Tracy made in her journal. The entry, dated July 3rd, was just two days before she was reported missing, and two weeks before she was found dead.
Detective Remi was the lead investigator assigned to Tracy's case.
As the news of Tracy's disappearance spread, the police force feared the worst with each passing moment, a collective dread that was realized when they found a lifeless body sprawled in a random woman's apartment.
*****
~July 18th~
"911, what’s your emergency?"
"I’m calling from Regent Estate. There’s a dead woman in Unit 7," the caller on the other end wailed into the receiver.
“Ma’am please try to stay calm. Are you sure she’s dead?”
“Yes, she’s not breathing!”
“Have you tried CPR?”
“She’s cold!” the woman screamed into the phone.
“Okay ma’am, please do not touch anything and just sit tight. A team is on their way as we speak.”

Regent estate is one of those 1% of the 1% estates, the crème de la crème estates, where you can’t take two turns without coming face to face with a public figure or one of those TikTok influencers.
Apartment 7 was at the top, so the ride in the elevator was quite long, giving me time to prepare myself for the sight.

"Damn these braids," I muttered to my reflection in the elevator's mirrored walls. Six-month-old goddess braids and big brown beads didn't quite match the occasion.

The cold gripped me as I approached the crime scene. Call it a detective’s sixth sense or just a general ominous feeling, I had an uncanny sense that what I was about to encounter would be unforgettable.

There she was, Tracy, in all her 5'4" glory, beautiful even in death. She lay in the bathtub, crimson water reaching its brim, unclothed, as though in the middle of a bath. Her wrists were slit, one deeper than the other, hinting at hesitation.
The woman who had discovered the scene was shaken. She was a new cleaner contracted by the estate and had come to work for the first time today.

The apartment belonged to one Stella Meyers, who had no online presence, so definitely not an influencer or celebrity.
Probably someone with a shit ton of money.
The policy at Regent Estate would not get us personal information on the apartment owner without due processes that could take a week, and we couldn’t get more than an APB out based on the limited information we had.
The estate put everything under wraps to avoid scandals.
The question loomed at the police station: "Why?”

The team sent to Tracy’s house returned with a boxful of stuff to help us crack the case.
Her call, texts, and email records showed no hint of a Stella Meyers connection.
Her journal was the biggest piece of the puzzle.

The last entry, on the 3rd of July, was “Every day, the same thing keeps happening...” and that was it. The remaining part of the page was torn away.
The entry on the 2nd of July simply said “I finally decided to quit therapy. I need time to prepare for the baby and tell Milo. She doesn’t want us to have a baby though. I’ll try to talk some sense into her at her place today.”
I sure as hell am hoping that this “she” is Stella Meyers.

The preliminary autopsy reports returned on the twentieth, and traces of meth were found in her bloodstream.
The one thing that stood out to me was that the report showed that it was a double homicide, and not suicide as we had all assumed.

The lead scientist wrote in the summary, “The autopsy showed multiple wounds that indicate self-harm and physical abuse. The patient was two weeks pregnant before the time of her death. Based on the samples collected on the 18th of July, a post-mortem showed Meth traces were found in the patient’s bloodstream, but cannot be ruled as the cause of death. No evidence of blunt force injuries, and the patient had no natural disease prior. An 11cm monochromatic blue tattoo of a pair of praying hands is on the epigastric abdomen. Cuts found on the left and right wrists differ in depth. The left wrist had a 6mm deep cut spanning from the left to the right, while the right wrist had a 4mm deep cut spanning from the right to the left. The patient is said to be right-handed.”
But Tracy was left-handed.
And pregnant.

Milo, Tracy's boyfriend, was brought in for questioning about the meth and possible domestic abuse.
“Look, I didn’t kill her okay? We had meth, it’s not an uncommon thing in our relationship, and we had a few fights once. We always made up. I wasn’t even in town that weekend.” He said, itching away at his arm.
“Some Stella Meyers woman texted me that Tracy was cheating with her therapist. I followed the man. He was going on a vacation. Turns out the tip was wrong because there’s no way that old geezer who can’t even walk properly was making me insecure, so I headed home only to meet a missing spouse, and now you all accusing me of murder.”
“Mr Milo, you’re here as a witness, not a suspect. If I remember correctly, you reported Tracy missing two weeks ago, but did you know Tracy was pregnant at the time?”

“What the fuck?!” He half yelled.

The silence in the room was so thick, I could feel it closing around my throat and squeezing hard.
Milo’s statement didn’t give us any breakthroughs to the case, except Stella and the therapist’s phone numbers, and a valid reason to charge him for substance abuse.

I sent Stella’s number to technicals to track.
“Hello Dr Thomas Uwana. This is Detective Remi Odutayo from the Violent Crimes Unit. Your presence is required at the station because I believe you had a patient by the name, of Tracy Randall.”
“Yes, I did. Good day to you too detective.” I could hear the clip in his tone, but I was too stressed to even bother.
“She was found dead earlier this month and we would appreciate it if you could come down to the station to give a statement.”
There was a long pause on the other end.
“I’ll return soon.” He answered.
“Thank you for your cooperation sir. Safe travels.”

~August 3rd.~
I went through the evidence again and still could not place the connection between Stella and Tracy.
Doctor Thomas Uwana, a gangly old man with a spring in his step, came into the station this morning to give his statement.

“Tracy was my patient, she suffered from depression, schizophrenia, and dissociative disorders. I can’t disclose the event that led to these diagnoses and I feel really bad that she had to die so soon. So young.” He said, tearing up.
“Tracy had a rare disorder. She was battling within herself. I don’t know if this makes much sense to you. She contemplated suicide a couple of times and self-harmed a lot.” He sniffled.
“Tracy said she stopped her sessions in a journal entry on the second of July. Why?”
“She decided she needed time away to prepare for her baby. I took the opportunity to travel.”
“Thank you for your cooperation. If you think you remember anything you feel would be relevant to the case, do not hesitate to reach out to us.” I said, handing him my card.
I escorted him out.

I returned to an envelope from technicals. It read, “Stella’s last texts were to Dr Thomas.”
I ran after Dr Thomas, only to find him walking back in through the double doors.
“I remembered something.” He said, reaching into his bag for his phone.

It was a text from Stella. A picture of the missing part of the journal.

It simply read “…each time I mentioned having kids, Stella would drive us to her apartment and inject us with meth and then hurt me and hurt herself too.”
“When did you get this?” I asked him, wide-eyed.
“On the 16th. A little while after Tracy called me on this number,” he answered with a shrug.

“You should’ve shown me this first!” I shouted.
“I’m sorry detective. At my age, it’s easy to forget things.”
“Excuse me, please,” I said, rushing to the evidence room to get the journal.

The picture was a match.

“Every day, the same thing keeps happening…each time I mentioned having kids, Stella would drive us to her apartment, inject us with meth, and then hurt me and hurt herself too.”

Our killer was Stella Meyers.
We had to find her as soon as possible.
Dr. Thomas was still here, waiting for me in the lobby.

“One last thing detective. The other entity present in Tracy’s mind has tried to contact me once before. Her name is Stella Meyers, and I think she’s dangerous.”
Yeah, no shit.

And as our final contestant, we have Delphinium ✨✨

PEN NAME: 032 Delphinium

STORY ENTRY:

"Dunni!"

The voice causes the light brown skinned girl to look up from the book sampled in front of her, her large red-rimmed almond eyes trailing up her vanity mirror.

She stares at the reflection of the dark skinned middle aged woman standing beside her door and it takes a minute for her to realize that the woman called her.

"Yes?"

Her voice is hoarse from crying and almost drowned out, even in the silence of the room.

"Your mom wants you in her room."

She purses her lips for a moment before nodding. She forces herself out of her chair and joins the woman at the door.

She leads the way, the woman trailing behind her. Soon, she enters the master bedroom and finds her mother seated on the queen sized bed.

"Dunni!" her mother calls, springing up from the bed and engulfing her in a bone crushing hug once she gets near.

"Mummy, you're choking me," she says, forcing out a laugh.

Her mother releases her immediately.

"I'm so sorry my dear. I just wanted to know if you were okay. I heard you locked yourself in your room and you're refusing to eat," her mother says, her forehead creasing slightly.

"Mummy, that's not the case—"

"What's not the case!?" Her mother's voice rises, cutting off her statement midway. "Tell me why you're trying to starve yourself to death."

Her mother's eyes are glossy as they roam her slender figure.

"See how much weight you've lost. Why can't you take care of yourself, ehn?"

She tries to speak but her mother beats her to it.

"In fact, BOLA!"

The middle aged woman, who had been leaning on the door post all the while, stands attention on hearing her name.

"Madam?"

"Bring food for Dunni."

"Mummy—" she starts saying, but her mother cuts her off again.

"Shut up, you foolish girl! Is it because I left you to do as you please? Tell me, why are you trying to kill yourself?"

Veins pop out on her mother's neck as she speaks. "Is it because of that evil child that you're trying to kill yourself?"

"Mummy, she was my twin sister—"

"SHE TRIED TO KILL YOU!" her mother yells, the veins on her neck close to snapping.

"And that's the problem!" she yells back, her tone matching her mother's, "My own sister wanted me dead! Firstly, dad and then, her. I thought she changed, I really thought she did."

Her voice cracks towards the end and she breaks into sobs. Her mother pulls her into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly.

"It's okay," her mother whispers, "at least she's dead now."

She raises her head from where it's nestled on her mother's chest and shakes her head vehemently.

"It's not okay," she says before her voice falls to a whisper, "You weren't there. You didn't watch her burn in that fire."

"It served her right. She wanted to push you into the fire and she ended up falling into her own trap. Stop beating yourself up for it," her mother says, still trying to console her.

"Looking back now, I don't think she actually wanted to push me into the fire."

Her words cause her mother's body to go rigid. Her jaw slacks but she quickly rearranges her expression before her daughter can notice.

"What do you mean?"

Her mother's voice is strained, hardly making it through her clenched teeth.

"I mean, thinking about it now, it seems more like she tripped . . . But there was nothing to trip on." She purses her lips for a moment before continuing. "She had called out to me and when I turned, her hands were spread out in front of her which led me to think she wanted to push me. But she could have also been trying to brace a fall."

"What is your point!?" her mother asks, massaging her temples with her fingers.

"If there was nothing to trip on and she didn't fall on her own, it could only mean she was pushed."

The sound of glass shattering against the tiled floor jolts both their attention towards the right.

"Sorry," a tiny voice mutters before they see the owner of the voice, Adufe, quickly gathering the shards of glass.

"Why are you the one who brought in the food? Bola is here for a reason," Dunni's mother says to her niece, Adufe, who just shakes her head in response.

Ever since she reappeared after two years of going missing, without an explanation of where she had been, she had been acting strangely.

Waving her aside, Dunni's mother returns her attention to her daughter only to find her staring at Adufe. Her mother is about to nudge her when her voice fills the air.

"You were there."

Her almond eyes remain fixed on Adufe as she speaks.

Her words cause her mother's brows to furrow while Adufe just glances up at her with widened eyes, before quickly looking away.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Adufe rushes out, before standing to leave.

"What are you talking about?" Dunni's mother asks, looking between her and Adufe.

"I saw you!" she says, ignoring her mother's question, "You were standing behind Funke and—"

"You don't know what you're saying," Adufe interrupts her, before running out of the room.

She stands up to follow Adufe but her mother's hands wrap around hers, halting her movement.

"Where are you going?"

"Adufe—"

"I sent her to the market around that area that day. Maybe that's why you saw her," her mother says, not letting go of her hand.

"But why did she deny it?"

"Maybe you saw her but she didn't see you. It doesn't matter. Just stop what you're doing. Funke's death was of her own doing. Stop trying to convince yourself that someone else had a hand in it."

Her mother cups her cheeks, looking straight into her eyes. "I regret that you two have the same face because every time I look at you, I remember what she did. If you want this family to remain united, then don't think too much about this. Funke is gone and nothing you do can bring her back."

Her mother lets out a sigh when her silence stretches out for too long.

"Let's go and see the others," her mother says, leading her out of the room.

She doesn't resist and by the time they get to the living room, it's packed with relatives all dressed in black. They both settle on one of the black sofas while the voice of her aunt echoes in the room.

"I still can't believe Funke is dead," she says, in between exaggerated sobs, "she was like my own daughter . . . "

Foods and drinks are passed around as the woman continues her wailing until a voice interrupts her.

"Enough with this drama, aunty, it's giving demented."

Dunni's mother tries to shut her up but it's already late and the whole family has their eyes trained on them.

"What did you say?" her aunt asks, her brows lifting slightly.

"I said you should quit the act!" she says, unflinching, staring down at her aunt, "You never liked Funke when she was alive so why are you pretending now?"

"Dunni—" her mother starts saying but she interrupts her.

"It's not like I'm lying. You all know the truth. I wonder why you're just ignoring it!"

"Oh shut up you insolent child!" her aunt screams at her, before turning to her mother. "Is this what you taught your children? One tried to kill the other and this one is accusing me of murder."

"Aunty, no one even mentioned—"

"Dunni, go inside," her mother says, shutting her up.

Her mother's voice is calm but with the look she gives her, she doesn't hesitate to comply. She spots Adufe in a corner but she hides on seeing her. Ignoring Adufe, she heads to her room.

She makes it a point to slam the door once she enters the room. She sighs when her door clicks shut, snapping the rubber holding her locs in a low bun.

She takes deep breaths, pacing around the room for a minute before finally slumping on the chair in front of her reading desk.

Her eyes land on the book in front of her. She scrunches her face as she stares at it.

"I thought I left this open," she says to herself, running her fingers over the book's leather jacket.

She flips it open, her fingers tracing the words:

Funke Martins
Diary.

She caresses the page a bit before flipping to the page she was on before Bola came to call her. Her eyes scan through the first few words.

She stops at the part where there is a list of endless uncertainties and possibilities that would follow. Pursing her lips, she picks up her pen and adds the last part.

. . . but one thing is certain, they'll never know which twin survived that fire.

Now... To the best part of this evening 🌝🌝. We're going to be seeing the reviews of the last three contestants Aurelius, Zoë and Delphinium 🔥.

✨ CONTESTANTS REVIEW ✨

AURELIUS' REVIEWS

DewDrop, 003

Wow!
This hits harder than Tomison's punches.
I was taken with the story from the tense opening to the one, two punch at the end. Such classic bait and switch.

The Judges asked for a plot twist and you said 'bet?'

The description is simply marvelous. Both men are monsters and I hate their guts. Dr Kenny can eat shit.

You ended with a rhetorical question and I'm a sucker for those.

You keep outdoing yourself, Dewy.
That's one of the numerous things I  like about you. Keep raising the bar for us.

Cheers.

Little Nitpick:

A few punctuation errors.
A most obvious example was in the 2nd part.
"Tomison,"

You started a new paragraph after and closed the quotations.
A full stop should've been after that.

Zoë, 007

The opening line got me curious. Awesome callback to the first prompt. It feels like a full circle. It shows you're thinking of the overarching narrative of this competition.

One line kept running through my mind while reading, gory in full glory.

I like the way the detective described the scene and death position with cold efficiency. It's a very detective thing to do.

One question:

Milos said, "...that old geezer who can't even walk properly…" when he was talking about Dr Thomas.

But

When we finally got to meet the doctor he was described as, "...an old man with a spring in his step…"

I held onto that believing it was intentional.
And Dr Thomas was the murderer.
When I found Stella was the murderer I was not on that ship at all.

I read it again with the context that Dr Thomas was a red herring; it still didn't fit well.

Sneaky Cougar, 022

Cipher the sniper.
I love that so much.

Trademark that if it isn't trademarked already. I love a good rhyme and you gave me that.

The story opened with a lot of tension and intrigue particularly after the first few lines and I grabbed my puff-puff bowl to sit with this story to enjoy the high octane danger from the comfort of my bed.

Then the excitement slowly pittered out.
I ended up confused and my final take at the end was, "Huh?" accompanied with a head scratch.

I read again and again and again, believing it was a big brain, 5G, technowave, Elon Musk IQ thing I didn't get. It might still be that so correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm sure the plot twist would've been shocking if I had been able to decipher the hairball of alternating POV's, shifting perspectives and dicey dialogue.

Speaking of dialogue, there were a few errors with the punctuations and the lack of proper dialogue only made things more confusing.

I really enjoyed the description and. I see you snuck in a little bit of religious imagery too. I like that.

Delphinium, 032

"Ugh!" That beginning was so great. You got my attention immediately and I was so glad I read that story. It was beautifully written and the ending…what a twist.

Now, Dear Oracle, which twin survived that fire? It had better be the twin I favor else you'll have the fire of my wrath to contend with.

There were a few punctuation errors especially with commas and proper dialogue quotations.

COMMENTARY: Here's Aurelius' Review for the Entries guysss. What are your thoughts?. Oh and what Judge does this contestant remind you of? 👀

Zoë's Reviews

-Dewdrop 003

This is an intense and gripping story with strong emotions oozing left and right, but it also involves complex characters.
Gosh!

It begins with a dramatic and engaging situation as Tomisin rushes into a hospital with his injured wife, immediately grabbing my attention, cause Uncle, what happened to your babe?

You've conveyed the emotional turmoil of the characters effectively mehn. Tomisin's desperation and anger, as well as Kenny's complicated feelings, come across vividly.

The revelation about Kenny's involvement and his motives creates a sense of moral ambiguity and complexity that made the story more intriguing, cause Ehn?

The dialogue is sharp and helps to advance the plot. It's also a powerful tool for character development, revealing their motives, and the underlying conflicts. Applaudisé Dewy👏🏾

The descriptions are well-done, particularly in the hospital setting, creating a vivid mental image of the scene.

The characters' motives and actions are clearly defined, which is crucial in a scene with such high stakes.

The tension between Tomisin and Kenny and the moral conflict between them are central to the plot and also well-portrayed.

I love how story goes into the moral complexity of the characters, making them more than just heroes or villains, but rather, self acclaimed monsters.
Truly, in real life, “we judge other sinners for sinning differently”, which is wrong fr. Everybody lowkey has one comma😂

Oh, and the good old jealous best friend trope. Nice.

While the intense emotions are important, be mindful of pacing. You may want to vary the intensity and allow for some moments of reflection or introspection amidst the drama. As we are finding out this one, before we can digest it, another one is coming😂let me breeeeevvvvvveeeeee!😂 But I liked it, and I understand it was fast paced because of the limited word count.

Ensure that the characters' emotions are consistent with their actions. For example, Tomisin's reaction when learning about Kenny's involvement might need more rage yunno? Only punch? After finding out Kenny killed his baby? He just Dey accept say e be monster? Fight for your family, Tomisin!😂

While you've done a good job with dialogue, consider showing more of the characters' emotions through their actions and body language, than telling us.

Then, Brother Kenny, what do you expect to happen when she wakes up from her slumber?! That she’ll just jump ahead with you?! You lieeeeee

Me I sha think that Tomisin likes Dami o, cause if he didn’t, he would’ve let her die and collect her proptees😂 but it is what it is🤲🏾

All in all, this story is emotionally charged and filled with conflict, which definitely kept me engaged.

Dewdrop! Agba writer🤲🏾

-Delphinium 032

The story begins with a strong sense of mystery and tension, capturing the reader's interest right from the start with the familiarity of the back and forth between a parent and a child.
Ah-mazing!

The use of dialogue and character interactions is effective in conveying the strained relationships within the family. Cause which kind twisted home is this one 😭

The revelation about the diary and the uncertainty surrounding which twin survived the fire adds an intriguing twist to the story, leaving readers with questions they want to see answered.
Because ahn ahn😭
Why did Funke want to kill her twin?
If Dunni really did see Adufe there that day, and Dunni is probably Funke, why then would Adufe push her cousin into the fire?!😭
My brain ooooo😭

There are several instances of incomplete sentences and fragmented thoughts (maybe to just me sha.) While this can be used effectively for stylistic reasons, it's important to ensure that these fragments do not hinder comprehension. Also, there are some issues with punctuation, such as missing commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

Some transitions between scenes and moments could be smoother. The story sometimes jumps from one interaction to another abruptly, which can somehow disrupt the flow of the narrative.

The story leaves us with many questions and mysteries, which can be a good thing to keep us engaged. However, it might be beneficial to provide a bit more context or hints to maintain the reader's interest without leaving us completely in the dark.

Overall, your story has a strong foundation in terms of its intriguing plot and character dynamics. The mysterious elements and the diary entry add depth to the narrative, making me curious about what will happens next😂

Delphinium please what did you add in your stew?😭🤲🏾

-SneakyCougar 022

You've created a tense and suspenseful atmosphere, which engaged me fr fr.
I was hooked.

The use of different perspectives and alternating between characters' povs adds depth to the story and somewhat enhances the narrative, but it got confusing at a point because I had to keep returning to what I had just read.

Meanwhile,
There are some shifts in verb tenses, which can create confusion.

Some dialogues lack proper punctuation(idk, it might just be me sha.)
Make sure that each character's dialogue is enclosed within quotation marks, and that there's a comma or a period before the closing quotation mark when followed by a dialogue tag.

In action sequences, especially towards the end, the events are a bit rapid. Providing more details and clarity can help the reader follow the action more easily because Omo, I was lost with the Cipher thing till I read it over again.

Make sure it's clear who is speaking. In some instances, it becomes unclear which character is speaking, which became a little confusing for me.

Some paragraphs are quite lengthy, which can make the text feel a bit heavy. Consider breaking them into shorter paragraphs.

There are a few typos, such as "it's" when it should be "its," and some sentences that might need revision for clarity.

You’re an amazing writer, SneakyCougar👏🏾

-Aurelius 023

This piece provides an engaging and eerie atmosphere, and it plays with the theme of life and death, adding a supernatural element to the narrative.
I loveeeee

The tension and urgency build up effectively throughout the story. The use is the shrill whistle as a warning adds tension to the narrative. Then the frantic escape from Death and the attempt to hide in the cave builds a strong sense of dread and fear.
See me here yelling that why didn’t the girl run to her house from the farm? Why did she have to hide in a cave???😭

Your story contains vivid descriptions that help create a visual image of the setting and characters. The moonlight, the cave, and the interaction between the emissary and Eta are well-depicted.

There are some issues with punctuation, such as missing periods at the end of sentences and a few fragmented sentences as well (atp, it might just be a me thing with these fragmented sentences sha.)

The narrative switches between past and present tense inconsistently. For example, it begins in the past tense "The air stilled", but then shifts to present tense from the “It was a clear night” part, and reverts to past tense in the "The whistle sounded"

When a different character speaks, I think it should be formatted as a new paragraph… idk.

The motives and background of the girl are intriguing, but I wish it could be further developed to provide more depth to the story and the characters. Too bad we had such a limited word count🫠

But why did the emissary wait two days?
How and when did Eta die?😭
Why did Death go back after getting to the cave?
Eta is crazy for not going home in the beginning sha😂

In conclusion, this was an amazing read.

Aurelius♥️
Pen master fr fr🤲🏾

DELPHINIUM'S REVIEW

003, Dewdrop.

Before I review the main story, I'll start with pointing out a few small errors I noticed.

I'll start with the dialogue. Dialogues that are succeeded by dialogue tags should end in commas not fullstops. For eg, instead of:

"Sir, you are going to have to wait out here." The Nurse told him and he narrowed his eyes on her in disbelief.

It should have been:

"Sir, you are going to have to wait out here," the nurse told him and he narrowed his eyes on her in disbelief.

Instead of:

"I forgive you." He said softly, leaning over to press a kiss on her forehead.

It should have been:

"I forgive you," he said softly, leaning over to press a kiss on her forehead.

Take note of the comma placement and the capitalization.

Apart from that, any dialogue that doesn't have a dialogue tag succeeding it ends in a fullstop. So it's:

"Tomisin."

And not:

"Tomisin,"

One more thing before I leave dialogue. If the same person is speaking but the dialogue gets too long, to the extent you have to break it into a separate paragraph, you don't add the closing quotation mark to the first paragraphs. The closing quotation marks are placed only at the end of the last paragraph.

That said, you should have done this in your story instead:

"He was my best friend and then, he took my girl!

"You shouldn't have waited for me to say it for you to reciprocate my feelings. I showered you with so much love and attention . . . "

Note that I didn't end the first paragraph with the closing quotes the way you did.

Apart from that, there was once you slipped in the POV you were using. In this sentence:

It was so hard for me to control the tears that trickled down his face.

It should have been him instead of me.

Now to the writing. I must admit that I really like your writing style. Your descriptions and all were on point. As for saying whether or not you executed the theme for this stage, I'm not really sure.

I mean, I actually was shocked when the doctor mentioned that Tomi had another wife and family but that was the only place I felt real shock. The plot didn't go how I predicted though (so I guess that it should count as a plot twist) but I wasn't particularly shocked because I actually had in mind from the beginning that the doctor had something up his sleeve.

I just didn't know what. Apart from that, the story was pretty nice.

030, Zoe

So I'll just give the same correction I gave to Dewdrop. When writing a dialogue that is succeeded by a dialogue tag, a comma comes before the tag and not a full stop. You also shouldn't capitalize the first letter of the dialogue tag.

Apart from that, the writing was pretty okay. I had a problem with the switch in POVs but I think that's pretty much it.

The story was slightly confusing on the first read but I got it on the second read. It didn't come as a shock shock to me that Tracy and Stella were the same person though.

Like the fact in itself should have been shocking but the revelation didn't hit as it should have. I feel like, there's a way you could have done it that would have made it really really shocking, especially with how good your writing is.

That aside, you did a good job.

022, Sneaky Cougar

I had a problem with the sudden change in POV at a point. Like in this sentence:

I made my way to the rear of the van, the salty wind sweeping around he could almost taste it at the back of his throat.

I got a bit confused here because you had been writing in third person then you switched to first (this wasn't really a problem) until you switched again here.

There were errors in the dialogue punctuations. Basically the same errors I pointed out for the others.

I'm not going to repeat them but I think going online and searching for the correct way to punctuate dialogue would help.

The use of semicolon at a point was wrong.

Errors aside, permit me to gush over your writing style. It's so smooth, like I'm really a fan.

At least I felt shock in your story, so I can say you executed the plot twist. I'm a bit confused though about why Gabriel helped your MC but apart from that, I think I'm pretty alright with the story.

023, Aurelius

Tense inconsistency. I guess that was pretty much the only error I noticed. Thank God I didn't have to open dictionary while reading your work this time😂.

Neat writing, perfect pacing. I love that you know what you're doing. This would have been a mad twist if my brain hadn't already been conditioned to the fact that I was expecting a twist.

So yes, I saw the twist coming. Not the exact way it did though. I knew the girl had something to do with Death. Either she'd been sent by her or something along that line.

Na so my brain spoil the twist for me. But that aside, you truly are an impeccable writer and I'm probably your number one fan😂❤️.

Cribberssss 😗, Isn't it thrilling that the Contestants are reviewing each other's entries?.
Well, that's all the gist I have for y'all this night 😗😗

Till then miss me and my gist cribbers 🌝💞