“Alright, Kyeremah, Teye, here are your orders: Do not let Mr. Gardiner out of your sight. You are to maintain a close presence around him at all times. This means you’ll be with him 24/7, from his home to any location he visits, be it work, public events, or personal errands. Also, following the tragic loss of his colleagues, you can see he is currently in a fragile mental state. Approach him with empathy, patience, and respect. Your demeanor should be reassuring; make sure he feels safe and supported…”
Denar and Awo stood at attention, watching Sergeant Hughes with rapt attention as he outlined the orders they were to comply with while watching over Shadrach. They were in front of his house, with his sister standing by him, rubbing his back gently while he stood there with bloodshot eyes, still struggling to believe what had happened in the last 24 hours.
Anyone could see he had been deeply traumatized by these events, and aside protection from the evil one lurking around the corner, he needed all the help he could get.
“Remember, your mission is to ensure no harm comes to him. This isn’t just about physical safety; it’s about making him feel secure in these trying times. Stay sharp, stay safe, and keep Mr. Gardiner safe. Understood?”
The two saluted and replied, “Understood, sir.”
Sergeant Hughes nodded curtly, then turned to Shadrach and his sister. His expression softened slightly. “Mr. and Ms. Gardiner, I want to assure you that Constables Kyeremah and Teye will do their utmost to ensure Shadrach’s safety. We understand the gravity of the situation and the emotional toll it has taken on you, Mr. Gardiner. The constabulary is here to support you fully. You have our word that you will be well-protected.”
Shadrach’s sister nodded, her face full of relief, while Shadrach himself managed a small, weary smile, acknowledging the sergeant’s words with a slight nod.
“Should anything arise, or if you have any concerns at all, you can reach out to us at any time. We’re in this together, and we’ll see this through.”
With that, Sergeant Hughes nodded, turned to Denar and Awo, who saluted him. He saluted back, then headed toward the police car. Shadrach’s sister then beckoned for them to come in.
***
“So, you’re new here?” Sabrina Gardiner asked Denar as she poured out some orange juice for her brother. A few hours had passed, and Shadrach was still as stricken as ever. He had succumbed to an almost violent breakdown, cussing Doomblade with everything in him while attempting to smash up everything in sight. Obviously, Denar and Awo managed to reel him in while consoling him.
After a few moments of crying his heart out, he fell asleep. Now he was up, still stricken with grief, but much calmer.
Denar, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed while Awo stood by the window, occasionally glancing outside, nodded. “Yes. Been a resident of Gamma my whole life. Born and bred there. Visited Sima Hills on a couple of occasions, but this is my first time settling here.”
Sabrina nodded as she sat next to Shadrach. “Nice. Sucks that you’re here at such a dark period in our existence. Else the city is quite a lovely place to be. It’s busy and bustling, but, we all know each other around here. I know Awo through Nadine; she was my classmate back in secondary school.”
“Oh nice, nice,” Denar nodded. “That’s lovely. And yeah, judging from the patrols we’ve undertaken, I can see everybody knows everybody. It’s definitely a place I can see myself integrating into quickly.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure once this evil man Doomblade is dealt with, you’ll have the freedom to enjoy it well. Hm, I pray this taskforce gets the job done. Now we really need them to step up.”
Denar and Awo agreed, before silence reigned. For a while, only sounds from the TV filled the room.
Then Shadrach spoke up.
“Does anyone know what ‘stillborn love’ is?”
Everyone looked at him strangely. What an interesting and rather out-of-the-blue question.
Sabrina tilted her head. “Stillborn love? Uhh… like, love that never got a chance to live?”
“Stillborn… like a baby that doesn’t make it? But with love?” Awo further added.
Shadrach took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. Love that had all the potential, all the signs it could be something beautiful, but ended before it could even begin.”
He paused, gathering his courage as he raised his head. “Can I… admit something to you?”
Sabrina nodded. “Of course, Shad, of course. What is it?”
Shadrach took another deep breath, then started. “This thing… it’s hit me so hard for a reason. The truth is… I… I was falling in love with Adepa.”
The room fell into a deeper silence. They all looked at each other, taken aback by this piece of information.
“You know we were both on the panel for City Watch. I had always seen her on TV, doing her thing,” Shadrach continued, his voice thick with emotion. “I was always enthralled by her passion, her conviction… I thought she was a great lady. Then I joined City Watch, and my… opinion of her turned into something more. I found myself absolutely enchanted by her. It wasn’t just her beauty, it was everything. I saw who she was, up close and personal. And it was a little feeling, but… I could feel that… chale, this was someone I… I’d really want to be with.
“So after last week’s episode, the one where she tore Doomblade a new one with that ‘Shame on you’ rant, I asked her out. She accepted. And we went out last night. It was just supposed to be a friendly dinner, but… there was something there, you know? The way she laughed, the way she looked at me, the way she respected me. I felt it. I was so sure that something was going to eventually happen between us. But now…”
Sabrina reached out, her hand resting on his shoulder as he trailed off. “Shad, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“So sorry, Shadrach,” Denar added. “That’s horrible to hear. Really horrible.”
Awo moved to sit on the arm of the sofa, her voice gentle. “It’s like a love that was born but couldn’t breathe. I get it now. I’m sorry, Shadrach.”
Shadrach nodded, a single tear escaping as he wiped his eyes. “It’s the pain of knowing what could have been, but knowing it’ll never be. That’s what stillborn love feels like.”
Everyone was silent as he fought back a fresh batch of tears, feeling awful for him. Indeed, this was rough to hear, so it would obviously be worse to experience.
“It’s not like I don’t care about Mawuli,” he added carefully. “His death cuts me as well. But… look, I’m just so exhausted. It’s been hell having to deal with this Doomblade psychopath with a law of his own. Now he’s targeting us for criticizing him as we ought to. Honestly, I need him to be dealt with. For targeting innocent folks, for taking the law into his own hands… for killing the woman I was falling in love with…”
As Awo and Sabrina patted him on the back, tears leaking out of his eyes, Denar could feel a weight of sadness upon his shoulders.
Doesn’t this depraved terrorist see what he’s doing? Ah! Look at the sorrow you’ve brought to so many people’s doorsteps. Just imagine how her family will be feeling…
With a sigh, he walked over to Shadrach and patted him gently on the knee. “We’re here for you, Mr. Shadrach,” he gently spoke. “Whatever you need, we’re here.”
Shadrach looked up at him, his tear-stained eyes full of gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you so much. And uh… I’m sorry I… lost my shit a few hours ago…”
“It’s alright, Shadrach,” Awo assured him. “We understand.”
***
It was almost eleven o’clock, and Shadrach was asleep once again on the couch. Sabrina had retired to the bedroom, choosing to move the mattress to the floor for safety reasons.
Denar and Awo stood nearby, their voices hushed so as to not disturb him. Denar had taken a quick hour-and-a-half nap, and would be taking over the night watch. Awo had one more hour before she could also get some sleep. They watched as their assignment slumbered, their hearts going out to him.
“Hmm, chale… he’s really going through it, isn’t he?” Denar remarked, his gaze fixed on Shadrach’s peaceful, yet troubled face.
Awo nodded. “Yeah, he is. Stillborn love… chale, it’s a kind of pain that’s hard to describe unless you’ve felt it.”
Denar turned to her, curiosity in his eyes. “Hmm. Sounds like you’ve been there before.”
Awo sighed, nodding as she glanced at Shadrach before continuing. “Yeah. Obviously not as terrible as what Shadrach is going through right now, but… I know it all too well. I had this guy, thought we were on the same page, you know? Them things some. But then I decided to join the police academy, which has always been my ambition, thanks to my godparents who are also police officers. He cut me off like I had the plague, telling me that the police service wasn’t for ‘a babe like me’, and my standards were low.” Her voice hardened slightly at the memory.
Denar’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Ah! Seriously? This guy paaa. What does he mean by low standards? What nonsense! This isn’t about you being a babe. It sounds more like he was threatened by your ambition.”
“Exactly,” Awo confirmed, her facial expression tough. “He loved the idea of me fitting into his narrow view of what a woman should be. And I was never gonna kowtow to that. So when I chose to follow my dreams, it was like our love was never born at all. Stillborn, just like what Shadrach is dealing with now.”
Denar shook his head. “That’s rough, Awo. Chale, sorry you had to go through that.”
Awo shrugged. “Oh, don’t worry. I left that idiot in the past a long time ago. What matters is that I’ve moved on, and I’m doing what I’m destined to do. That’s all.”
Denar nodded. “That’s all. Nice to know your godparents influenced you to get into the police service. For me… I just felt a calling to serve the public, and I felt I’d do it best through the police service. A lot of people tried to talk me out of it, saying this and that about the police and corruption and bla bla bla, but chale, this is my calling. If I do my job right, that’s what matters. I wanna be an example of a solid officer of the law, with integrity and uprightness. That’s my aim.”
Awo smirked. “Ala, Negotiation Guru has spoken…”
Her quip was cut short by a sharp noise from outside the house shattering the calm. It sounded like metal clanging against the ground.
Both of them tensed, their instincts kicking in instantly.
“Stay quiet,” Awo whispered, her hand instinctively moving to the gun at her waist. Denar mirrored her action, his expression sharp and alert. They moved silently to the front door.
“Let’s check the perimeter,” Awo ordered. “Better safe than sorry. You check the front, and I’ll check the back.”
Denar nodded, and they split up. As Awo crept through the kitchen and out the back door, Denar cautiously stepped out onto the porch, and the compound.
Both moved around their areas cautiously as they inspected thoroughly for any sign of an intruder, guns cocked in case there was the need to shoot.
Save for a dustbin lid on the floor of the compound, there was nothing else.
As they converged at the front door once more, they nodded, satisfied that all was clear.
“Just the lid of a dustbin on the floor. Must have been a cat looking for food or something,” Denar commented, fitting his gun into the holster.
Awo nodded as she did the same, relief written on her face. “Yeah. Well, at least we don’t have a problem. For now, all is clear. Let’s just hope it stays that way…”
Poor Shadrach. The love story we thought would grow never got the chance, thanks to the sick psycho…
