Zero is the average yet smart Nigeria fending for his family but he soon turns to crime ,teaming up with a Mickazz his long time friend they become one of the most successful crime duo but a bust after a big hit of over half a billion lands zero in jail for life.

He refuses the ideal of giving up his friend who in turn promises to look after his family...............


But 7 years into his sentence a new government pardons zero ,he comes out to find things are not what he thought they were and this will make him become a legend to the streets.



crime,violence, suspense,mystery hits the table with this one ,stay tuned .



AUTHOR
THE_FREELANCER

ZERO the streets has a legend

WOW

CHAPTER ONE



"so you mean papa Mary sell the house ?!" I asked confusingly as i starred at what my mother and sister use to call home, before i was sent to the prisons, though repainted with more structures even i had had a hard time believing this was the house i had most of my best memories in.

"oh yes ,long ago after e pikin fall inside well one time like that na e talk say the house don vex na e sell park go village!" Ubez said calmly as he observed me from head to toe I had guessed the mockery in his eyes I couldn't blame him , his mockery was the least of my confusion.

"ehmm, do you know where mama and my sister are now, I lost contacts with everyone once I entered prison , those useless people never allow anyone to see us at all..." I paused hysterically when I saw something change in his demeanor ,almost irritated by what I felt was uncalled for made me panic when the expression of pity and sadness came through.

"Zero,hah you no know?!....Jesus! dem no tell you anything for kirikiri?...Hah why na I for no mind try get to you na !" he said as his facial expression began to make me feel really uncomfortable as almost everything ran through my mind for a mind.

"watin you talk?..Oga Ubez watin happen to my people!" I asked hesitatingly almost angry for a moment as for a moment I felt I knew what happened.

"People say na bad people way you be Dy run levels with oh some say na cult people way you vex , zero don machete mama and Doris for biri road two weeks after you enter kirikiri ...." Ubez had not finished before I immediately grabbed him by his dirty singlet close to me in disbelief.

"watin you talk?....don machete who mama?...Oga ubez see no talk am..I go kill person here I no lie, na who don kill?" I asked as my breathing felt like it had been stopped for the time been,I began to fall apart slowly .

"eh..abeg no kill me oh..we no no how e take be, mama and Doris go sell akara for biri ..na..na..." I had let go of him for a moment as I folded both hands on my head in shock and deep sadness.
"zero ,I be think say dem yarn you the matter for kirikiri ,nobody even know watin happen until morning dem say two people body dey dustbin for side ,na we go see am ,we cor see say na mama and Doris na dem machete throw way!" Ubez said as he patted my back in sympathy.
"you say mama and Doris be dey hawk ? how ? when that one cor start?!" I asked again a moment as a tear drop down my left cheek , I hated been called weak hence I hated seeing tears but 7 years with hard labor either softens you or makes you a rock time will tell but for now I hated how I was feeling and what I was feeling.

"hah,zero after you enter kirikiri , Doris con comot for school na nobody dey to support them na ,all of us way dey here no be you be dey help us small small ,things con hard ,doris cor dey hawk even mama con join am , thank God for papa Mary way say because of help way you help he first son go Italy e say e no go collect rent again for mama hand if not dem for throw mama comot ,hmmm zero I dey very sorry for this matter!" ubez said I could feel the sincerity of his sympathy as a tear came down his eyes , I thought getting a pardon from the government was a film trick I didn't no the real film trick was waiting for me outside the prison walls.


"Mickazz my brother ,that my guy where he dey watin happen to Mickazz , e die too ?!" I asked as soon as a flood of memories hit me again.

"Mick who?!..oh that your real G?...mtchew your guy Bleep up oh, your guy no try at all ,hah but some people wicked die! your Mickazz dem say na stinking billionaire e cor be oh for Abroad oh!" ubez said as he wiped away the tear he had seen my confused expression again and for some reason he had decided to explain more.

"Mickazz way port immediately you enter kirikiri na two years later e cor come the guy con clean up,fine reach ground , e cor be big boy , dey drive different cars up and down , dey houses even estates anyhow ,hmm Mickazz no put leg for here one day e even change name na Big boss dem cor dey call small Mickazz way dey share plate with you and them mama and Doris dey drink garri, hah na wao for people shall!" Ubez said in irritation as he shook his head while my brain tried to understand anything that I just heard.

"you say watin!?...you say Mickazz ?..e give una anything hold for me or dem mama ?" I asked again as I wiped the hot beads of sweat that threatened to enter my eyes.

"give watin?..e dey owe before?...hmmm I say Mickazz no even put leg for this house at all talk less of say give...e be dey owe you before?" Ubez asked quickly.

"Hmmm no, I just say make I ask! hmmm na travel e travel abhi e still dey this country?" I asked calmly for a moment in my sadness and confusion.

"e dey oh but last month dem say e enter Dubai go relax , you even no say e get hotel for Dubai ?! see that travel way Mickazz travel na hammer oh that guy dey inside money die" ubez reiterated as I starred at the ground undecided what to do.

"Ehmm, zero see sorry for the matter oh but make I no lie things rough for here for all of us ,my wife and my girl don return to calabar Since 2years back na my boy Etim dey with me na dey manage" Ubez said in a low tone , he too had changed the short fat beefy man had grow thinner and hungry looking even his dark complexion seemed to have faded into something else.
"Ehm, Oga ubez our things I mean my things where them put them" I asked it had been prayers that maybe someone was thoughtful enough to keep a little out of all we had ,even that was a doubt now.
"Hah, zero na 7years Mata be that oh people don arrange una things tay tay!" Ubez said in a tone I guessed meant he knew more than he was telling me , for a minute I went into a downhill ,I was just out of the prison with little or nothing to do even the very thing I had had to sacrifice for was gone, I had no family my mother raised us with a father ,she had been an orphan impregnated by a drunk driver who absconded immediately I was born though luck smiled on us a little when took my mother as his third wife and Doris my sister was Born but then again nothing good last long in this slums ,my step father was shot and killed in a bar by gang members he worked with and yet again we were left to fend for ourselves, I was that ten year old boy Hawking, working just doing anything to survive my mother did all she could for both of her kids when so many would probably sell their kids or sniff the lives out of them,she was strong and her strength made me better as I grew.

"Ehm, zero if u nor get anywhere to put body ,make we reach my side na , you know say you na my person na" Ubez said ,he was a kind hearted fella no wonder my mother always kept him very close, I could say no and act tough like I used to but things I had seen at the age of 23 when I was thrown into that pit hole for life made a saint out of me for now.
"Ehmm , thank you Oga ubez" I said bitterly as I remembered my mother and my sister once more, bad things happen to bad people all the time a priest who used to talk with us back in the prisons used to say , I had felt a life in prison was bad enough but now I some how wish I was back there not knowing what I knew now.

hmmm next

CHAPTER TWO



"So you mean small kene of that time don be doctor for Delta ?!" I asked hardly believing the strange , funny, sad stories Oga ubez indulged me in the evening while we sat outside is new house up far in mutar streets where we all stayed out.
"Yes oh that boy don get wife self hmmm he papa really try for e life" ubez said sympathetically something I could relate with knowing the stubborn life style of the kid we talked about , kene was far younger than me back then before his father a clergy man moved his family to the mutar streets but the streets had wanted to make a mess out of the kid though I myself never knew him that well , we knew all gangs in the streets of Lagos and a few people who made friends with them but kene was not one of them but his girlfriend was , having been stabbed and beaten on an occasion over a feud with a gang member who made advances towards his girl , his father had stepped up to the challenge and rescued his son from death.
"Hmmm the boy is now a big boy oh hmmm things don change for here oh!, Lagos don turn eye " Ubez said in a manner I sensed came from deep reflections a closer look at him needed say more.
"Frequent still dey up ?" I asked as my mind settled down on the life of mutar streets, a local bar all works of life came to identify with after the days work gangs,whores , and everyone you could think of frequented the bar for some form of entertainment somehow it was the feeling that made everyone better and the once in a while fights and stories that made it a must go for everyone in mutar streets.
"Oh mutar is still up and running and even better , don mama has made it a three star bar oh after she hook one commander three years ago!" Ubez said eagerly.
"You no mean am ?" I asked as my eyes caught hold of a fair young boy probably 14years old ,though tall his body frame revealed his age , he had wore a dirty lemon singlet on a ragged jeans, his eyes were red hot I had seen the signs of a drug user something I myself was forced to give up by my mother.
"You?...where my money? Etim if you no tell me where my 2h dey I swear I go kill you go Village go kill your mama join!" Bolted ubez almost different from the man who was laughing and chatting with me all this time.
"Which money? Na that tear tear money u dey bold call money?" Etim replied as I stood to intervene immediately knowing how easy it was for people like us in the slums to result to violence.
"Oga ubez calm down ..I say make you cool down!" I said authoritatively as he seemed to heard my words and back down whilst his son walked away without saying another word.
"Hmmm" he seems to sigh deeply as he sat back into the dirty torn chair , he was sad and worried , something I knew had nothing to do with the stolen money.
"You try your best to give this children a good life ,you sweat ,you grind day and night and then you come home to see your son on hard drugs and all , hmmm!" He sighed heavily I had nothing to say to cheer him up when I myself needed cheering up.
"Oga ubez make I reach frequent maybe I will see one or two of the old boys there !" I said as I grabbed one of his shirts he had offered me and bolted out towards the higher grounds across a few corners and paths where the bar was located ,for me my walk was my welcome back tour ,mutar the streets of all streets seemed to have survived the hardships all this time, it was home to everyone and for everyone, the worst of the worst and the best there could be lived and died here , gang members,cultists ,criminal enterprises found a safe haven in mutar something I sensed was now deeply rotting the street as I walked through the streets, 7 years ago I was part of a two man criminal enterprise after pickpocketing and burglary was becoming more dangerous than it used to be for me , I was the brain and Mickazz my once good old friend was the brawl we were making a living out of locally made weapons production , I made them, Mickazz secured and broke the deals , it was how we survived the streets but our fate was destined for a bigger opportunity at living the shitty life.
A five man gang who contacted Mickazz for locally made explosives had given him word of a bank robbery they intended to carry out , I had made the explosives though my first time i knew what I needed to do to make them or so I thought the deal was a cut and pay meaning we were to be paid half of what we were paid initially after the successful operation , which was actually successful , they had robbed one of the new generation banks a day after money was supplied to the bank , the leader had given us a call to meet them at their hide out , me and Mickazz and gone to the location deep inside a near Bush around a discrete area , we arrived early and soon discovered a bloody scene of burnt bodies and collapsed structure of the uncompleted building they used as their hide out I didn't guess long before I recognized the smell of my explosives something went terribly wrong somehow all five members laid dead due to my explosives ,with bodies burnt ,squashed and buried by blocks ,Mickazz had wanted to run away but I begged him to stay as we tried to get access around the building after which we discovered their get away car which held their loot, 510 million naira, 250 thousand dollars and over 35thousand pounds the newspaper read the next day we had subsequently moved the loot to a new location under a week unknown to anyone but us after which we planned to share everything equally but another week had ran by before the police traced me down ,someone had exposed my dealings to the police I had no idea I was already been monitored over sales and manufacture of illegal arms , my sentence after refusing to give up Mickazz who they could not identify or find evidence against was swift a life sentencebehind bars with hardened labour I was down but yet I was accomplished for Mickazz had promised to return my share to my mother and sister and help me invest the rest but the streets has no loyalty except the death it brings.

following lik no tomorrow

continuation




Truly much had changed the once rusted zinced space in under a huge pear tree seemed unlikely like the concrete finely painted bar that now stood in front me , I shook my head in approval as I walked in though it seemed different but the ever constant smell of alcohol ,cigarettes and pepper soup filled the place I had quickly surveyed the place as I tried to get a space among the faces that cared less about me or who I was know honestly I didn't want the attention at least not today, I needed a drink and that was all.
"Hah zero ,blood of God are you still alive ,dem don free you ?!" Screamed a hard coarse voice I recognized almost immediately , it was piper a gang member I used to have dealings with.
"Boss himself, na me oh I just dey !" I said as my eyes scanned through the bar only to see some faces I recognized now.
"Hah, bross see as prison fresh you , you cor fine put!...." He teased a bit before calling a sales Rep.
"Ehmm bring three bottles of the main thing for my guy here and one plate of pepper soup, fast fast!" He ordered .
"Hah na you oh , una dey enjoy mutar up and down" I said as he gave me a dull smile.
"Enjoy?! Hahah, prison don fast forward you ? Hahah guy come join us here jhore make we dey with you to celebrate your prison break!" Piper said as I reluctantly followed him to a table where sorki and big tee sat all gang members who I used to assist with locally made weapons.
"Hey boss! Na you be this?"Sorki said as we exchanged handshakes ,the tall lanky dark skinned who girls used to fight over seemed much different ,sorki had scars and dark rings over his faces like one who engaged in boxing constantly but big tee the shorter one seemed a bit fatter and irritating as ever.
" guy, I greet u!" Big tee said as I sat down.
Sorki and the gang had soon brought me up to speed about mutar and everyone I used to know it turns out that a lot had really changed , mutar was now been over run by crime spree , cults , drugs and prostitution more than what I knew , many had left the streets in search of greener pastures and few more had travelled ,mutar as it turns out was becoming a shadow unlike what I felt.
"People no dey sleep for ground in this place oh e be like cemetery here!" Sorki said as he gulped down a bottle of beer.
"Even kids this days they carry dagger waka almost every kid is a cult member mutar no dey Lagos map again" piper said.
"Ehmm you know that your babe Lizzy , she don port oh tay-tay!" Sorki said as he starred at me conspicuously there were reasons to , Lizzy was my Sweet heart back then ,we grew up together in the same neighborhood though her uncle was a paedophile who took joy in abusing her even before she turned adolescent hence she took to the streets like every one else after her uncle made her abort a pregnancy that almost took her life with it , this she told no one until we meant again when I was twenty at a cheap brothel we call quickie due to the unprecedented access to sex workers and the convenience of how business was done fast.
She seemed different all grown up right there I things happened between us , they say whores ain't loyal except to the money but she was to me , she was a survival but to me she was something more , all the boys in mutar knew us , she was a year older than me but we fitted perfectly,I hadn't even thought of her all this while.
"Where she cor dy?!" I asked as I drank steadily.
"Dem be say she enter Italy that year some say she don relocate to island some say she dey work for one big place like that!" Big tee said as he scratched his beards softly .
"Good for her!" I said even when I had start to miss her company ,she seemed to know how to get me in the right mood all the time.
"Ehm, zero how far you , you go free this evening?" Piper asked as he starred both at sorki and big tee for a while before returning to me.
"Anything for me?!" I asked not as if I didn't know what they meant.
"Yes na something dey tonight, you go come!?" Piper asked as he lighted a cigarette.
I had nothing for now my desperation was as same as It was before I got into the prison,any cash right now would do me some good.
" No wahala I go dey with una na!" I assured them.
"Where you dey na ...." Piper seemed to have paused for a moment as he starred at me right in the eyes he had reasons to .
My fist was clenched harder than I had to when I beat a gang member to coma in the prisons, piper knew about my family and the massacres ,they all knew ,even the death of the rats in the gutters in mutar spread like wide fire .
"...bros,cool down oh we know watin happen to your mama and Doris the matter pain all of us but nobody no the guys way handle that mata or why?" Piper said as I watched confusingly mutar breed the hardened of the worst ,piper was a street brawler who put a knife into his own brother's chest at an early age something he used to boast of , he never showed remorse for anything he did but today something felt different.
"Dem go pay na small small I wan take collect am!...." I said with a grin as I stood up to leave.
"...I dey with Oga ubez!" I said as I walked away.
"Oga ubez?!....sleep with one eye close!" Big tee said with a coarse laugh at the end ,I wondered what he meant by that unfortunately 7 years made me forget what sleeping means.
I sat at backyard late at night as I waited for piper and the boys to show up , 11:45 on the dot a Camry pulled up at the road a single search light beamed quickly was my queue I hopped down and walked straight out of sight , I sat at the back while piper was on the wheel with sorki driving short gun , they said no word even more confusingly they dressed casual as if they were heading out for a party ,nothing like a burglary or perhaps a robbery which made me feel stupid with the tight ripped jean and tigth fitted hood sweater ubez son had left lying around.
The drive was a 30 minute drive around the streets surrounding mutar after which we came to stop at a junction where surprisingly other people gathered around, the whores , streets urchins and all going around I knew the set up all too well ,it was one of those places I had meant lizzy.
"So na gal una cor collect na una dey busy me?!" I asked disappointed.
"Shhh!! ..just calm down zero , something wan sup now!" Big tee said emphatically as he stretched his head a bit as if to get a clear view of a hyundal jeep that now strolled quietly into a corner which seemed to draw both Every one who was on the street like they had been waiting for the mystery jeep which produced two guys ,it was right there I realized what was happening, it was a drug sale.
"Let's go!" Piper said as he produced a locally made pistol from his belt after which they both bolted down from the car as I followed quickly.
"Gboa!...Gboa!!"
The sound of piper's shots filled the air as every scampered for safety ,fleeing the scene.
"Gboa!...Gboa!!....Gboa!!!" Came three more from one of the guy who tried to retreat back into the Hyundai .
"Gboa!...Gboa!!" came two more shots from a bike rider who rode into the scene unexpectedly killing the guy who tried to retreat he hadn't seen it but we did.
Then every where was silent , the second was nowhere to be seen as sorki got down from his bike and bolted for the doors of the hyundal.
"Watin dey happen here"? I asked .
" zero, welcome back!" Piper said as he laughed sarcastically whilst sorki threw two small Ghana must go out of the Hyundai after which big tee pulled a bundle of money from one of the Ghana must go and threw it to me which I caught still confused of what was happening.
"Zero , see that bike take am , you fit add join the cash way dey your hand now ,make you start fresh eh but if you want know watin dey sup ,you know where we go dey tomorrow!" Piper said as he jumped into the hyundal with sorki and zoomed offed even big tee had returned back to the Camry and fled the scene also , there was no time to think I got on the bike and hit the gear so hard I felt something else break, tomorrow was going to be a great day.



to be continued..

confirm

Continued


I woke up before dawn not because I couldn't close my eyes but it was hard for me sleeping through the night for one second without going through the whole scene probably my adrenalin was still fueled by high level of excitement that ran through my me, finally Oga ubez had woken up to find me at the backyard doing some press ups.
"Hmmm ,no wonder no body way Persi no dey fit win fight for your mata!..." He nodded impressively before I greeted him.
".....Castillo dey buy and sell, make you sharply go arrange this one!" He added seeing the bike that I hid in his backyard he knew the ropes all too well and sometimes that is a bad thing.
The Morning gave way very fast but I had made the most out of it ,a few new clothes and a phone with a few change left to pick up a girl was good enough for me , Castillo had paid out more than what I was hoping for the brand new bike plus the cash I had received meant a lot to me.
As soon as my new line came through I had decided to go online and search out my one time friend ,last time I heard he was living the good life and sure enough he was popping out cash on the daily bases ,his escapades with the billionaires and high personalities in the society was everywhere, his chain of businesses ,fleets of cars,houses and celebrity girlfriends glanced my eyes , he looked much bulky and fine and seemed to be enjoying the moment with his new life as the so called Lagos big boss but there are rules in the streets, dont ever put a knife in a brother's back ,Mickazz didn't just betray me ,it left my murdered family to rot in the street ,poor and hopeless which is the same thing I swore I will make him go through soon, revenge is best served slow and painful,but for now I needed a quick fix to my inner man , good sex was more than what my body needed right now , I immediately headed for the direction where quick and good sex came at very cheap prices , for me a party would finally seal my welcome back.
The evening drew near as I made way for the frequent though I had this pit deep down my stomach about the possibility of this freedom I now had escaping me once more if I was ever caught again, so do it right and do it fast I assured myself as my eyes came down on piper who sat in the same spot as he did the previous evening.
"I be dey reason am say prison don do u tay-tay" piper said with a grin as he extended his hand which I shook as I sat down.
He had soon ordered for some bottles as we got down to chat.
"Ehm zero sorry for how we take run things for your present yesterday oh but...." He paused a bit more while he looked around suspiciously at almost everyone for a minute then starring at me as if he was having a second thought about telling me what he wanted to say.
"You really wan know watin dey?...." He said finally almost after 15 minutes of silence had ensured which I nodded positively to as I opened one of the bottle on the table .
"Hmmm zero , you fit just look around make you tell me watin you dey see!" Piper said as he opened a bottle and almost emptied it in one gulp, I looked around slowly as my eyes searched through the crowd in the bar , truly the more I looked at it I found something amiss , something mutar itself had revealed to me early when I came back.
"Way the small small boys and girls way dey trouble this place up and down!" I murmured to myself even though he was able to guess what I was saying.
"Mutar no get boys or girls again oh, Omo guy things don red here , mutar don become dust bin inside dust bin oh see eh the kind things way dey happen here ehm this days eh man pikin suppose to don move comot , oh boy even 10years old don join gang dey rape our girls up and down, cults don full ground ,issues way e be say that time guy na unto levels u fit take dey na na children dey use weed and gin take dey form cult up and down ehm as in eh mutar don waste reach ground finish, hope u no say that secondary school don close for mutar tay-tay see eh mutar eh right now eh na mutar na cementry ,mama kill pikin or pikin kill mama levels na mutar con be!" He stressed as he drank abit more before bringing out a pack of cigarettes.
" and so?!" I asked clueless of the point he was trying to make , mutar was no angel's town ,it bred demons even before they were born.
"He don too much Broda, if we dey go like this how we wan take enjoy mutar ,see eh things don dey happen mutar don turn grave for all of us see me and my guys way e be say we dey cast fear for people mind ,small boys don collect our mutar for our hand so for now we wan cut those hands one by one in a coded way!" Piper said as the whole drama of yesterday finally made sense to me , it was a take over , the drug sellers probably belonged to one of the many gangs running around mutar and other streets around it and how best to send a message to other gangs to keep clear off mutar.
"So you dey get watin sup shey?!...." He asked seeing I had caught up with the whole idea of what went down yesterday.
"...for the past 9 months na this method we dey use notify them to stay clear but guy ,mutar be like sugar for their mouth base on say mutar na be the center of power way dey cover all the other streets here plus nobody dey get mind even army no get am for them to do any how here so ,if them base here dem don make am na be that and we no want am , mutar don die reach ground !" Piper said almost like he was reminiscing about mutar's current state.
" but guy, you no say that whole shiit no dey work like that na ,you know na!" I said , he more than I knew putting bullets into those who work for other gangs did nothing in fact it only drew more attention.
" ehm I know but the thing cor dey make sense base on say the money dey dey here anytime as in the cash dey always with themlike that so our own na to just coded like yesterday arrange them collect the cash and put a bullet into those bastards skull!" Piper said.
"And them no dey ever suspect una?" I asked him.
"Who we be?...guy we dey the streets like blood for body who dem wan pin down besides so many marketers dey so the fools dey always fight themselves at the end while we dey flex the cash ,easy cash like that!" Piper said again as he ordered for more bottles.
It was a good plan , even before I was jailed mutar was a hot cake for all vices , it was the one place that many like to see as above the law which truly it seemed ,mutar was a country in a country where everyone was his or her president , infact few argued it was part of the state at early instances , mutar was ran by either a criminal syndicate or some drug lord usually the tussle for power ended in blood spill where one stood over the corpses of all associated with the other, this was of course beneficial to all and 7 years ago piper had survived an onslaught and even seized power one time ,his new antics showed he still hadn't had his fill of the power.
"So guy man, since you na fresher u con be na I get two choices for you , you fit join us make we run this thing,make we secure mutar for ourself together or I fit forget one bullet too for your head !" He said daunting as his eyes fixated on me.
" hmmm , dem no born you reach my guy, no swallow stone ! ,anyway I go think am ,mutar na we get am, nobody fit take am from us " I said as I stood to take my leave , I had seen an opportunity to do something I never did before ,an opportunity to make a name for myself, mutar's seat of power was vacant ,to hell with piper he may be tough but an empty skull has no weight ,I was about to hit it big.


CHAPTER THREE......

nice story cant wait for it

Guy this is too good, next update pls And don't abandon the Demon S.oo

CHAPTER THREE



I ate slowly with etim ,ubez had gone out to place his bet after receiving his months pay from his watch duty at a construction site three streets from mutar.
I observed etim for a while his muscles were tough ,the bruises and healed spots in his chest showed how much of a street boy etim was , though 16 , his tall lanky body gave him a good impression of a 25 year old.
"If you dey press up ,dey maintain your breathing e go help you well!" I advised him as my mind reflected on how poor his aim at exercising daily was, he starred at me without saying a word before we both continued eating.
"Na me u dey form boss for?you no how many people I dey fall for kene?" He bragged as his eyes lit up for a moment.
Kene, I had not heard that word for a long time, mutar was famous for everything, the drugs, the sex, the gangs but if you really wanted to know what connected everything it was kene , years ago after a group of kids with the aid of their brothers adopted and killed a teacher , the only primary school in mutar was formally closed down but we all know doors never close in mutar the primary school quickly became a place for drug transactions and other things you could not think of among such was kene a brutal and violent fight arranged between two people where bets are made on who wins ,soon kene out placed every other vices and became the name we addressed the building as ,it was where I made my first almost legit money actually it was where I first got knocked into coma but kene was short lived as a new government as at then daringly ordered the demolition of the primary school building , three weeks it took as soldiers and the gangs clashed before much blood from both sides brought the gangs to give kene up.
"Kene? How you take know kene?" I asked curiously as a smile appeared on his face.
"Kene?!, who know no kene?!" He said.
"So dem still dey organize kene ,hahah notin dey ever die here... How many times?" I asked.
"3 times na I don win shall but old man no dey gree make I go there because of watin dey sup there" he said finally as he packed up the plates.
"We go fit go kene, today?" I asked for no reason , the thing was piper was right I was a fresher even if I was born in this streets a lot had changed and I needed someone who knew this changes .
"Find watin to tell old man , fight dey this night!" Etim said before leaving.
Kene wasn't just a fighting ring it was were the baddest of all hung around ,it was were wannabe gang members proved their worth ,where else to know the who is who than in kene.
I stayed indoor all day as I waited for the evening which was cold and dark.
Luckily Oga ubez had stayed over night for work so I needn't tell a lie.
"Wear something guy, juju dey fight this night so better dey!" He said , I could feel the excitement in his voice as I wondered who juju might be but I decided not to wait.
"No body be stranger for kene!" We used to say then.
We walked across the slum for 15minutes ,cutting through bush paths , backyards until we arrived at what anyone would pass for an uncompleted building ,well it was , the uncompleted construction stood tall in the midst of bushy foot paths and little one room apartments , a perfect spots for the whores to do business.
I smiled slowly as I caught the big red Alphabet "K" boldly yet closely painted on the wide door entrance a wooden door covered, there was Nothing on the outside to show signs of life even the insects made no appearance around the building, classic kene I gave a sigh as the door loosely opened to life within the building.
I could hear and smell it all,the blood,sweat,stench,drugs,cigarettes ,it was all there.
Cars ,bikes had been parked inside the building at a spot whilst wide chatter came from deep within the building itself , I walked closely to etim as we drew near the noisy gathering that now stood before us.
"Na watin you cor do here?!" I turned swiftly to recognized who had asked the question as we began to mingle with the crowd.
"Piper!...how e take affect your background ? " I asked piper who stood before me with sorki on his side .
"I just dey ask ,dem no dey no person fit forget bottle for person head here!" He said as a sinister smile appeared on his face while he took his leave and disappeared again into the crowd.
"The big bosses dem self no dey come here but dem dey send their boys come to check people way dey fight ,na here dem for dey get boys to run levels for them!" Etim said as we rarely got ourselves to a good position where we could see the fight.
"Who get levels pass for all the big boys around?" I asked as i began to scan the crowd for the few people who didn't fit in due to the excess expense dressings they wore ;possibly gang scouts as etim had explained.
"King Kong aka K.K ..na e be juju boss , e dey run drugs for plenty areas even outside state self ! K.K get money die reach ground !" Etim said emphatically as a thin black boy wearing just short ripped jeans entered center of the crowd whilst another fat slightly fair man with a black hood on his head which covered his face except for his eyes and mouth came out to announce what was about to happen.
"E say e na Pablo , he dey press up 50 times , e don knack e neighbor wife four times , e don smoke pepper way dem mix with garlic tire and today e say e wan send person go meet baba God!" The man Announced much to the excitement of all who gathered as another much matured man stepped into the ring ,His eyes were as dark as the shadows the light bulbs created around kene, he seemed twice the age of the little boy who was to fight him with massive chest even pro wrestlers would die for , his fat head sat on top of his huge massive body , his muscles pumped veins that seem to want to escape his body at any moment , he was Scarry and my guess hit the jackpot.
"The man way even the Satan dey fear pass God , the man way na man born am ,way dey use blood take bath ,the man way area dey pray to ,the man way no man don hit put for ground once ,boys in the street wan be like am ,king Kong personal person e name na JUJU!" The short man said again as the crowd cheered even more for JUJU who seemed not to pay attention to the cheers for a.moment.
"Pablo don finish die !" Etim shook his head pitifully something told me he knew him.
"Who set up the small boy before?" I asked etim who seemed occupied with the fight I knew was not going to last long.
"The rules na say first person to faint or die na e lose oh or first person to say e no go fight again e don Carry shame na e be that!" The announcer said one last time before JUJU had suddenly launched at the already frightened boy much to the excitement of all.
The teenager had tried to whisk pass JUJU but the sly devil had guessed it and held on to his left shoulder dragging the kid back into his hands so tightly the boy gave up a horrifying crying, this was no fight this was death, I watched as he squeezed Pablo tightly to his chest as he gnawed at the boy angrily , in 2minutes time Pablo did not resist JUJU anymore he was gone as everyone kept mute for a minute while two other boys who had their hoods on too came out and rolled the boy out of the scene while JUJU walked out signalling the end of his fight for the night.
"I be tell am say make e nor put up e bet ,the idiot dey say God way do am for David for Bible go do am for am ,fool no even read watin or who David even be self hmmm " Etim said slowly as he shook his head as my eyes caught hold of piper who bounced into the ring much to my surprise.


TO BE CONTINUED.

CHAPTER THREE



I ate slowly with etim ,ubez had gone out to place his bet after receiving his months pay from his watch duty at a construction site three streets from mutar.
I observed etim for a while his muscles were tough ,the bruises and healed spots in his chest showed how much of a street boy etim was , though 16 , his tall lanky body gave him a good impression of a 25 year old.
"If you dey press up ,dey maintain your breathing e go help you well!" I advised him as my mind reflected on how poor his aim at exercising daily was, he starred at me without saying a word before we both continued eating.
"Na me u dey form boss for?you no how many people I dey fall for kene?" He bragged as his eyes lit up for a moment.
Kene, I had not heard that word for a long time, mutar was famous for everything, the drugs, the sex, the gangs but if you really wanted to know what connected everything it was kene , years ago after a group of kids with the aid of their brothers adopted and killed a teacher , the only primary school in mutar was formally closed down but we all know doors never close in mutar the primary school quickly became a place for drug transactions and other things you could not think of among such was kene a brutal and violent fight arranged between two people where bets are made on who wins ,soon kene out placed every other vices and became the name we addressed the building as ,it was where I made my first almost legit money actually it was where I first got knocked into coma but kene was short lived as a new government as at then daringly ordered the demolition of the primary school building , three weeks it took as soldiers and the gangs clashed before much blood from both sides brought the gangs to give kene up.
"Kene? How you take know kene?" I asked curiously as a smile appeared on his face.
"Kene?!, who know no kene?!" He said.
"So dem still dey organize kene ,hahah notin dey ever die here... How many times?" I asked.
"3 times na I don win shall but old man no dey gree make I go there because of watin dey sup there" he said finally as he packed up the plates.
"We go fit go kene, today?" I asked for no reason , the thing was piper was right I was a fresher even if I was born in this streets a lot had changed and I needed someone who knew this changes .
"Find watin to tell old man , fight dey this night!" Etim said before leaving.
Kene wasn't just a fighting ring it was were the baddest of all hung around ,it was were wannabe gang members proved their worth ,where else to know the who is who than in kene.
I stayed indoor all day as I waited for the evening which was cold and dark.
Luckily Oga ubez had stayed over night for work so I needn't tell a lie.
"Wear something guy, juju dey fight this night so better dey!" He said , I could feel the excitement in his voice as I wondered who juju might be but I decided not to wait.
"No body be stranger for kene!" We used to say then.
We walked across the slum for 15minutes ,cutting through bush paths , backyards until we arrived at what anyone would pass for an uncompleted building ,well it was , the uncompleted construction stood tall in the midst of bushy foot paths and little one room apartments , a perfect spots for the whores to do business.

CONTINUED

I smiled slowly as I caught the big red Alphabet "K" boldly yet closely painted on the wide door entrance a wooden door covered, there was Nothing on the outside to show signs of life even the insects made no appearance around the building, classic kene I gave a sigh as the door loosely opened to life within the building.
I could hear and smell it all,the blood,sweat,stench,drugs,cigarettes ,it was all there.
Cars ,bikes had been parked inside the building at a spot whilst wide chatter came from deep within the building itself , I walked closely to etim as we drew near the noisy gathering that now stood before us.
"Na watin you cor do here?!" I turned swiftly to recognized who had asked the question as we began to mingle with the crowd.
"Piper!...how e take affect your background ? " I asked piper who stood before me with sorki on his side .
"I just dey ask ,dem no dey no person fit forget bottle for person head here!" He said as a sinister smile appeared on his face while he took his leave and disappeared again into the crowd.
"The big bosses dem self no dey come here but dem dey send their boys come to check people way dey fight ,na here dem for dey get boys to run levels for them!" Etim said as we rarely got ourselves to a good position where we could see the fight.
"Who get levels pass for all the big boys around?" I asked as i began to scan the crowd for the few people who didn't fit in due to the excess expense dressings they wore ;possibly gang scouts as etim had explained.
"King Kong aka K.K ..na e be juju boss , e dey run drugs for plenty areas even outside state self ! K.K get money die reach ground !" Etim said emphatically as a thin black boy wearing just short ripped jeans entered center of the crowd whilst another fat slightly fair man with a black hood on his head which covered his face except for his eyes and mouth came out to announce what was about to happen.
"E say e na Pablo , he dey press up 50 times , e don knack e neighbor wife four times , e don smoke pepper way dem mix with garlic tire and today e say e wan send person go meet baba God!" The man Announced much to the excitement of all who gathered as another much matured man stepped into the ring ,His eyes were as dark as the shadows the light bulbs created around kene, he seemed twice the age of the little boy who was to fight him with massive chest even pro wrestlers would die for , his fat head sat on top of his huge massive body , his muscles pumped veins that seem to want to escape his body at any moment , he was Scarry and my guess hit the jackpot.
"The man way even the Satan dey fear pass God , the man way na man born am ,way dey use blood take bath ,the man way area dey pray to ,the man way no man don hit put for ground once ,boys in the street wan be like am ,king Kong personal person e name na JUJU!" The short man said again as the crowd cheered even more for JUJU who seemed not to pay attention to the cheers for a.moment.
"Pablo don finish die !" Etim shook his head pitifully something told me he knew him.
"Who set up the small boy before?" I asked etim who seemed occupied with the fight I knew was not going to last long.
"The rules na say first person to faint or die na e lose oh or first person to say e no go fight again e don Carry shame na e be that!" The announcer said one last time before JUJU had suddenly launched at the already frightened boy much to the excitement of all.
The teenager had tried to whisk pass JUJU but the sly devil had guessed it and held on to his left shoulder dragging the kid back into his hands so tightly the boy gave up a horrifying crying, this was no fight this was death, I watched as he squeezed Pablo tightly to his chest as he gnawed at the boy angrily , in 2minutes time Pablo did not resist JUJU anymore he was gone as everyone kept mute for a minute while two other boys who had their hoods on too came out and rolled the boy out of the scene while JUJU walked out signalling the end of his fight for the night.
"I be tell am say make e nor put up e bet ,the idiot dey say God way do am for David for Bible go do am for am ,fool no even read watin or who David even be self hmmm " Etim said slowly as he shook his head as my eyes caught hold of piper who bounced into the ring much to my surprise.


TO BE CONTINUED.

hmmm nice part