Level Up The Colony
Chapter 47: Eid-Mubarak

Chapter 47: Eid-Mubarak

Miriam fell silent the moment she heard Timothy’s words.

For some reason, she understood exactly what he meant.

It reminded her of his mother and sister leaving.

She turned, only to find Timothy staring at her with a questioning look.

Panicking slightly, she quickly said,

"Water. Water will do."

Timothy nodded and retrieved a cold bottle of water, handing it to her before returning to the kitchen counter.

He preferred it there, it gave him a clear view of Gray, and Miriam seemed like she needed space.

He waited patiently as she took a sip.

Once she seemed more at ease, he settled on the counter, quietly watching Gray devour the monster carcass.

Miriam, meanwhile, subtly stood up.

With her cap pulled low over her face, she approached the kitchen.

She wasn’t trying to be sneaky, but somehow, she ended up that way.

Timothy merely watched as she drew closer, stopping at the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen.

Instead of using the door, she leaned over the counter where he sat.

At that moment, her eyes fell on Gray, who was busy tearing through the remains of the kobold.

Timothy studied her reaction under her mask, surprise, and shock.

Most people would’ve been disgusted, considering the blood still smeared across both the carcass and Gray.

The recruits were also struggling to eat, slower, and more hesitant.

But Miriam was simply caught in the sight, observing in silence.

Then Timothy spoke.

"You seemed pretty urgent when you came yesterday."

Miriam exhaled softly and removed her cap.

Her dark hair, tied into buns, was now visible.

Timothy briefly wondered why she even wore the cap, it didn’t seem to serve much purpose.

Then again, clothing had a way of both hiding and enhancing appearances.

It wasn’t his first time seeing her.

In the past, he had considered befriending her, mainly because she might have been able to be his sister.

But that was then.

"So, what brings you here?" he asked.

"They’re gone," she said quietly.

"Who?"

"Mag, Matthew, Noah, the twins. At least, the ones I was in contact with."

Timothy frowned, trying to grasp the full meaning of her words.

"Gone where?"

"I lost contact with Mag first. Then the twins disappeared. It wasn’t obvious at first since they weren’t very social, but Noah took it seriously. He went after them. He believed they were being picked off on purpose... everyone from the raid."

Timothy listened in silence.

"The last I heard, they were out of the state. They were in Calabar," Miriam admitted, her voice quieter than before.

Timothy raised an eyebrow.

"Calabar? That’s practically uncharted territory."

"No. Matthew is from there," she explained.

’So that’s why he’s fair-skinned,’ Timothy thought absentmindedly.

"And that was the last I heard from them," Miriam finished.

A heavy silence settled between them before Timothy finally asked,

"What’s your take on this?"

"My thoughts?" She let out a dry chuckle.

"I think you don’t understand. I’m not telling you this because I need your help. Chances are, whoever’s behind this won’t come after you. And chances are... I’ll be next."

"So, you’re just leaving behind an autobiography," Timothy interrupted.

Miriam’s eyes flickered with guilt as she met his gaze.

But Timothy only stared down at her with a calm expression, no fear, no worry, no hint of distress.

Inwardly, though, he was already considering protective measures for himself.

Miriam couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.

He looked... normal.

A generic Nigerian guy, maybe with a bit of unkempt hair, but everyone had their own charm.

Her thoughts drifted.

Why had she really come here? If she wanted to leave something behind, she had friends and family. Hell, the Association could have provided more protection.

So why did she come to him? Was she trying to protect him?

Before she could find an answer, a sudden knock echoed at the door.

Timothy, too lazy to get up, simply yelled,

"Come in, Miebaka!"

Without a second thought, Miebaka pushed the door open and entered.

He was dressed in his usual casual attire, glasses perched on his nose.

His eyes immediately flickered between Timothy and Miriam, momentarily surprised to see him with company.

Then, as if dismissing her entirely, he turned to Timothy.

"Has anyone come to ask you a personal question? Anyone unfamiliar?" he asked, phrasing it in a way only Timothy would understand.

Timothy shook his head.

"I thought you had that handled."

Miebaka stepped further in, then his gaze landed on Gray.

He stared for a second, then looked back at Timothy with a silent expression that read: I’m not even going to ask.

"But someone’s digging," he continued, his voice serious.

"And they’re uncovering tracks fast."

"It’s only been a week. That just means you’re inefficient," Timothy countered.

Miebaka clicked his tongue.

"No, you don’t get it. The only way someone can undo the methods you used to cover your tracks is if you either hid something in their own house or used their own tools to bury it."

Timothy’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"But that’s not the real problem," Miebaka continued.

"The problem is that if you want to stay anonymous, you don’t deal with a situation by trying to undo what someone else has done."

He fell into deep thought for a moment before speaking again.

"I changed my approach. I used you as bait to flush out whoever’s looking into this." His gaze darkened.

"And I got some conflicting results. They’ve got backing, troublesome backing."

Timothy exhaled through his nose ignoring the bait part

"And?"

"And, Tim, I know you’re not a religious person, but we’ll need to use another method to deal with this." Miebaka adjusted his glasses.

"Simply put, we’ll need a huge backing of our own... which means you’ll have to come clean."

Timothy had been quiet since his rambling, barely grasping what was happening except for one thing, someone was looking for him.

His mind flashed back to when Yusuf had warned that his clan would come after him again.

Thinking about it now, Yusuf must have had some significant backing to make such a claim.

"Looks like you have your fair share of trouble too. I’ll take my leave. Here’s my number." Miriam scribbled her number on a piece of paper as if she had come prepared.

She adjusted her cap, gave a quick glance at all three of them, and turned toward the door.

Just as she reached for the handle, the door was suddenly flung open with such force that it nearly slammed into her.

She barely managed to pull back in time.

The entrance was rough, anything but courteous.

Two individuals stood at the threshold, a man and a young woman, both clad in matching attire, their hands adorned with prayer beads.

The woman’s face was concealed beneath a hijab, while the man, seemingly indifferent to Miriam’s presence, fixed his gaze on Timothy.

"Step back," Timothy said firmly.

Miriam obeyed without hesitation.

"Extended family relations?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Timothy shot her a side glance.

"Do I look that religious to you?"

He had risen from his seat in the kitchen, now fully on guard.

The unwelcome visitors had arrived at dusk, an ominous timing that only heightened his suspicion.

Miebaka met Timothy’s gaze and gave a subtle nod.

"It’s them."

"Eid Mubarak," the strangers greeted in unison.

"I don’t speak Hausa," Timothy responded dismissively.

"That wasn’t Hausa, Tim," Miebaka corrected, his usual smugness showing.

The man at the door ignored the exchange.

"Timothy Walters?"

Timothy let out a sigh.

"Seems like everyone knows my address these days. Who’s asking?"

"We need you to come with us. There are some questions we’d like to ask."

Timothy scoffed.

"Do you have doors in your house?"

The man hesitated before replying,

"I was... unrestrained in my strength."

"Apologies must be expensive these days," Timothy mused.

"I hope doors aren’t too costly either."

"Do you..."

"Yes, I accept cash," Timothy cut him off, clearly uninterested in their agenda.

The man frowned.

"He’s got quite the mouth."

The woman beside him sighed.

"These heretics never know how to appreciate goodwill. Do what you must."

At her command, the man lunged forward, his movement so sudden that it was difficult to track who he was targeting.

But before he could close the distance, Timothy intercepted him with terrifying speed.

His trusty machete flashed, and with a single powerful strike, he sent the intruder flying out of the house, further damaging the already battered doorway.

The woman barely had time to react before a devastating punch sent her crashing into the street.

The loud noise startled the neighbors, but the most shocked of all were Miriam and Miebaka.

One moment, there had been a machete in Timothy’s hand, the next, it was gone.

Miriam, though taken aback, had been prepared to intervene if things turned dire.

She lacked the physical strength but trusted herself to act if necessary.

Now, however, she simply stared in stunned silence.

Regaining their composure, she and Miebaka hurried outside to assess the damage.

Yet, despite the clear signs of a struggle, a dent in the ground, and drag marks from where the woman had landed, the intruders were nowhere to be found.

"Where are they?" Miebaka asked, scanning the surroundings.

Timothy stood at the doorway, his expression unreadable. "Gone," he said simply, his gaze fixed on the empty space where the two had been just moments ago.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m

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