₦airaland Forum

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He didn't, he did not shoot, but the look on his face wished he did, I have had enough death threat to make every fear of death just fly out there. Prior now, I have never been afraid of death, afterall, non of us will come out alive. So- some way some how, we will all die, how the death come might bother some people. Well, I don't want to die like this, not lynched.

Every one with enough venom came to spill their wish for my death, and the crowd was growing more, if something wasn't done, that lynching might just happen. The police officer that was supposed to ensure order had already made his intentions known. The only allys I had was the man that brought me to where I was, away from the glearing eyes of people. But just like feaces is to flies, people were already sorrounding me. The man that brought me to where I was had asked, if I wanted to call someone, I said I did, but I had told him to get my phone instead. I had numbers in my head, but I don't trust my brains right now. I am still not stable, and everything still felt like a dream, I need to get out of dream land and come back to real life.

He went to get the phone, and it seemed like he was taking forever, I had felt more secured while he was around, with him gone, it was just a matter of time before things went bad. The other man that assisted him in carrying me, was still close by, but his continuance sheowed that of indifference when he was first asked to help, but right now, I could see in his eyes, he felt more concerned. Love and care is contagious, he looked more like my staying alive was now his responsibility. He will occasionally tell me to stay up, keep your hands up so you won't loose too much blood. Don't worry, you will be alright.

I will be alright, I know, but I f**King need to go to the hospital, of course not spoken out loud. Some man came, what is your name, are you a lawyer, what happened. My name is Bode, I am not a lawyer, he had saw a sticker of Nigerian Bar Association on the windshield. I am a Mechanic, the car lost control. He had his phone pointed in my direction, possibly making a recording. I have someone inkling to give less information about me, it is a crime scene, but I at least I needed to talk, I can't just keep mute and give them enough reason to lynch me. And the way he was looking at me sef and the attentive eyes of the people that could turn to a mob in a switch. Everyone was angry, I am angry too, angry that I had driven a car that I could have just delivered to the customer like that. Must I confirm if the vehicle was OK. The events that had trailed the repairs of the Ford should have made me angry enough to tell the customer to just come and take the Focus like that.

You are a Mechanic, the man asked again. Wetin do the motor, did it fail brake, I don't know, it just lost control, so it just lost control and you killed someone. You have killed someone. It seemed like the best moment to say my last prayers, and I did, Lord please forgive me my sins, please help me, help me. Another overzealous guy came close to take a snapshot of me. The avenue the accident happened was close to a radio station, and they were there in no time, if they came to interview me for their juicy breaking news, I wouldn't know. But I saw them.

And I wasnt just a Mechanic. I was a top management staff for an automotive repair shop. And gotten almost to the peak of my venture. An envy to all staffs and even the Director, I was that young fella you wanted in your business. I have had occasions customers came to the shop and taught I was the owner, no I am not, I work here. I anchor a radio program on one of the best radio stations in the state where I talk about automotive repairs, give on air expert advice to people. If it had to do with autos, then you could count on me. Funny enough, 3 programs back, I had talked about what to do to avoid accidents, and measures to take when a cars brake failed. Well on this occasion, my brakes didn't fail, but my expert advice couldn't save me. I was a top shot automotive expert, a popular one, and working at best autoshop in the state. After the director, I was the next man in charge. In fact, I was in I charge. If this crowd knew I was the man they listen to on radio, and I wasn't just a Mechanic, things could swing either ways. Whichever way, I have chosen to at least stay alive. I had been consciously monitoring my breath. This was the day of evil that I have always been told of, and its all playing out.

The man, the good guy that carried me, had gone for my phone, he took a while. I needed to let people know what had happened. First: call the office, which was less than 2km from the scene of the accident. Then my brother. If I was getting out of this mess sane. I needed family.


The man came, God bless him, he always had this reassuring look on his face. He gave me my phone. He had had some cut on his arm while trying to rummage through what's left of the Ford I drove.

I made the first call. My brother. Hello, hello. Hello bother Jide.



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With the new year here, I wish that we embrace it with an open heart and go forward with faith, hope, and courage.

Happy 2020

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The crowd was growing even more, and tensions were getting even more. I felt like, standing up but I could not make my self do it. It was that moment I knew doing anything requires your mind, your body, your will to make it happen. My head was telling me to stand, but my brain does not have faith in my legs, I might just crash back. The best I could do that moment was to just mutter again, Lord, please help. It happened to be the most appropriate prayer that moment.

Cries from the building from just where I lay were growing even more. Argh. Argh. The ford I drove had hit the gate of the complex, I didn't know how much damage, but bad enough someone died as a result. Things were happening fast, and tensions were brewing. Almost everyone that came close to where I lay gave at least a curse word and tried to find a reason to hit ne, but non did. My brain was saying this people should at least take me to the hospital, I was loosing blood and my hands were already feeling numb.

A woman ran towards the scene and almost tore her clothes, she seemed to know the man that died, her cries made people even more angry, some spoke in igbo, and more cries. A man came close to where I was, na you drive this car. Which kind of dull question was he asking me. Na you drive this car, na you come kill my colleague, you go die o. Why didn't you die, you should at least have died so it will be even. All this while there was a man that just stood close, he had tried to keep eye contact. It seemed like he was trying to read my mind, somehow, his gaze brought some kind of peace, and reassuring look. I had first noticed him, when I was turning my neck

He spoke, no, don't let us have two deaths, let's get him to the hospital. He was probably trying to guage the atmosphere if it was the right thing to do. The angry man who wished I was dead told him off. I beg leave am, you no see say him kill person, ehn. Person wey just dey him place of work o. No no, no be so. The kind man came close, he wore a kaki styled three quarter, with a blue T shirt. He spoke for the first time to me, are you OK. I didn't respond. Can you move your hands, he lifted my right arm, I winced in pain.

See, we need to get you away from this place, at least somewhere away from the scene. We. Who is we, I never knew another man had joined him. They took my legs of the bonnet and helped me, their gesture made people even around feel some kind of pity as they took me just across the road opposite the complex. You need to keep your hands up as much as possible, so you won't loose too much blood. I told both men thank you as they made me seat with back resting on a wall.

Social media mumus have started taking pictures of me, One was even doing a recording of me, his flash light was on, but it didn't matter that moment, I just looked on with pain riddled face. A mobile police officer came close had his riffle hanging carelessly, na him be this, he probably had been asking where I was. Na him, kai. See him face, I for just fire you now, useless man, you drive moto kill person, I go just waste you, he lifted the AK47 with a gesture to shoot. I prayed silently.


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codesty:
I am holding tears like a man.

, I don cry finish. Na laugh remain.

I will do a long post today. Your comments na fuel.

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I need to get my thoughts together, I tried to turn my head to look around and my sight felt foggy, things weren't as clear, gradually crowd was building up. Chai, my phone, where is my phone, looked towards the Ford Focus I was test driving, legs resting almost close to bonnet. How I got to ground outside of the car I can't tell. I will later get to see a big hole on the windshield, the car actually threw me out from the windshield. Where is my phone, I thought again, even if I was going to die, let me at least try and call my loved ones.


I could not move, and of course, I could not ask people around to help me find my phone, that will just be putting petrol inside fire, the angry crowd will just have enough reason to lynch me. I turned my neck to right, I tried to raise my right hand, it did, i could see trickles of blood from my ankle, tried to raise the left hand, and felt a sharp pain, I tried again, it would not move. I felt my legs, and they seem stuck together like when you cross your legs while seating on a chair, but this time my legs were just resting on the right fenders close to the bonnet.

My jaw and my neck were all soaked in blood, the blood was trickling from my jaw, the two front airbag had been deployed, maybe that was what hit my jaw. Then I tried to think about what happened, but nothing came up, then I saw a man. He was walking towards me, in the background were a lot of noise and wailings. I could not figure what they were saying, they spoke in Igbo, and I wish I could at least hear and maybe speak too. That could make me get out of this mess alive. Of all the things to know in a language, I just knew how to say Onyisi(Boss), otutu Oma (good morning), Imela( thanks) and not enough curse words.

The man came even closer, then stood one meters away, before he could say anything, I said please help me, please help me, I repeated, he looked at me with some kind of pity and disgust, you know say you Don kill person, why you dey run. Ehn, you people will just be running as if here na express, you Don kill person, your eye don clear, demon. He tries to move closer and guage if he could hit me, then he changed is mind.


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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Advance to everyone.

May the Good Lord grant solace to the Family of the deceased, and give them fortitude to bear the loss.

Evil shall not befall any of us in the few days left to the New Year and beyond.


Compliments of the Season

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This life sef, everything could just be going right and everything just turns sour in a twinkle of an eye, yesterday was just my birthday and today I just had an accident and I have got a manslaughter case hanging on my neck, and I don't have a drivers licence, things could actually go worse.

Every part of my body hurts, but much more my heart, it seem as if it will tear apart, I still felt I could just turn back the hands of time and change everything, maybe I shouldn't have test driven the vehicle after repairs. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the route I did.

I prayed silently again, Lord please help me, please help me. I have actually lost touch with praying and all that church thing. They seem not to know what they are doing there, and I only see the the things they do wrong. Sheybi me that knows how to do things the right way, why I haven't I opened my own church ehn and just be the kind of pastor I wanted to see in others.

I have always felt in charge and believe with the right thoughts, attitude, hussle, you can be anything. You can use your deep thought process to analyse situations and get out of them. I swear, I haven't been thinking straight since the moment I lied down in a pool of my own blood, and could hear faint voices like, let's kill him, him never die. He has killed someone.

I couldn't move my legs, I wanted to breath but I am afraid, I was afraid it could be last breath. Argh, this is how I will die o. I wasn't sure to pray to stay alive. Good Lord, I said Lord, please help me, please help. It was almost 12 noon and the sun was showing itself in best of ways, at that moment it didn't matter, I couldn't guage how badly injured I was. It still felt like those saying he killed someone were trying to pull a prank on me, I can't just wrap my head around it.



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The line went mute, and everything around me went mute too, I could still feel the pains from my ankle, I had also tried not to look at the bruises again. The pain seemed to increase when I look at them, the way my ankles are mashed up like broken watermelon.

Wetin be your name, which kind speed you bin dey run, the fat police woman behind the counter I was Docked asked with look of pity and disgust. I did not know if replying her was right or wrong, I just nod. I winced in pain again, argh. She said sorry. I said a prayer under my breath, Lord please don't let me die.

Who would have thought my day was going to pan out this way, how would I have known someone was going to die and I will be directly linked to the caise. Right on the cemented pouch in the station I had me just sitting alone, I felt alone, afraid and trying not to replay events. My phone rang again, it was my step sister, she is a Justice, maybe things might not go bad. Ehn. Sheybi if the accident happened, and nobody died, I would just have had to deal with the repairs of the vehicle and possibly damages. How do I mend or fix a dead person.

The phone was still ringing, didn't know if I should pick up. I actually do not want to. The police woman at the counter stares back, that kind of look like, won't you pick your call. Phone went silent. I know she will call back. And I want her to, I need all the help I can get..................

codesty:
Waiting for moreWaiting for moreWaiting for more

I was almost leaving the story o , with your post, maybe I shouldn't afterall

My body still hurts and trying not to remember gory images. Maybe writing will make me heal.

NOTE:

Names, Locations and Some events have been changed to protect the identity of the acts in this story.


The world out there is shredded in evil, crime, hate, love, hope, family, and just about everything.

I will write, as I try to recall the events that led to my being kept in a Detention facility, to the conversations with suspects and the kind of crime out there, to the betrayals, and gold quote that family is everything.

Someone had died, it was an Accident, I have tried to forgive myself, and I think I already have, then the families of the deceased, I do not know how much Solace I could profer. But only God can take away the kind of pain loosing a Loved one brings. May the good Lord bless the Soul of the deceased and his family.


Chapter 1: I am Coming for You.


Hey Listen, can you hear me! I had my phone clutched to my ear, I could hear, but I wanted more that he was right hear with me, everything still felt fogy, the bruises on my right arm were making it difficult to hold the phone like I should, it could slip off.

Listen, Bode, I am coming. I am coming, not for anything, I am coming for You. That moment i broke down in tears again. It was my brother on the phone. Don't cry, I want you to be calm, we are going to get out of this. The word we, even made the streams of tears flood even more. I have always handled all challenges all alone, I felt more in charge that way, the same reason I decided not to go back to Lagos after serving in Bayelsa. They had tried all means to convince to come back home, but I wouldn't bulge. I had made it clear, it was my life, and I call the shots.

Bode, he wanted to be sure I was still on the line, I could only mutter a yes that sounded like ehn. Mohn bor( I am coming). Just be strong. I cried even more, Egbon, someone died, the man died, I know, I know, but you are alive. You need to stay alive. I am coming for you.



To be continued