I thank the hands that undid my ban.

I sincerely appreciate..

...Continuation...

“Tiger and Smallie, make una look after the children. Make sure everything is in order. I want no complains, understood?”

“Yes boss”, we both said at different timings.

“Mr. Salami, why don’t you go freshen up and get ready for work?”

Mr. Salami reluctantly stood to his feet as he climbed upstairs holding the handrails with both hands.”

“Psssp!”, Carpon signaled me and nodded towards Mr. Salami’s path.

I followed him.

Chapter 4

0800 Hours, Same Venue

We were all dispersed to our various posts as commanded by the Capon, our boss. It was obvious that we were all tired; I was particularly tired. The constant tension and sleeplessness of last night was finally telling on me.

The children were brave and cooperative. Aside from their withdrawn state, they almost acted as though everything were normal. They avoided me like a plague; they maintained our communication on a “yes and no” basis. I envied their bravery and I liked their manner of conduct; at least it helped me reserve my energy for the main action.

Downstairs, Capon sat in a sofa with his eyes buried in the screens of his electronic gadgets. I had no idea what they were but I was almost certain that they are the surveillance kits he mentioned earlier. He had two earpieces connected to two similar devices; a piece of each terminated in an ear. I figured that he was monitoring live feeds from Mr. and Mrs. Salami at the same time.

After their breakfast, I figured that it would be a nice idea to lock the kids up in a room; I felt somewhat uncomfortable carrying my pistol about
before them. I felt like I was abusing them in some way. I scanned through a room carefully and ensured that it was safe; I particularly looked out for telecommunication gadgets. Thankfully, there was none. I bundled all three in as I locked the door from the outside. I was free. For the moment, at least.

I descended through the flight of stairs as I returned to the sitting room.

“Smallie”, Capon called as he sighted me.

“Yes boss”, I answered as I stood before him.

“Call the others.”

I proceeded outside to meet Tiger and Mark sitting under a tree while they watched the security man closely as he went about his business.

"Oga they call us", I said.

“We’re coming”.

As I left, I heard them order the security man into his small room. I knew they would lock him inside. Leaving him by himself was apparently dangerous to our mission and safety.

“Come here”, the Capon ordered as he beckoned us to his side.

“Where is the security man?”

“We locked him in his post.”, Mark responded.

“Wey him phone?”

“Here”, Tiger said as he brought the piece out of his pocket.

“Good.”

Capon spread a hand-sketched map on a stool as he sat up in the sofa.

“Listen closely everyone.”, he said as he looked through our faces like he was analyzing our preparedness.

“This is the map of our attack zone.”

Though hand-sketched and done hurriedly, it was an almost perfect piece that only confirms the meticulousness of its maker. I could see the route the Manager revealed that the bullion van would be following. It is a two-lane road that receives three smaller roads from the left. There was no alternative road at its right; a driver plying this road only has an option of going straight through the road or taking any of the three smaller diversions that would obviously lead to a network of streets.

“A tipper truck would go bad here blocking the entire right lane leaving the other lane for drivers to squeeze through”, the Capon said pointing at the junction between the road and its first left branch. “At the right time, a taxi driver would cause a heavy blockage through this other lane causing a total blockage of the entire road.”, he continued.

“Team C would approach from here driving towards the junction between this main road and the first left branch”, he said pointing at the first street. “We would be parked here at the roadside attending to our bad tires.”, he said pointing at the road side a few feet away from the first junction.

“Any questions?”

“No Sir.”

“Now, Arrow and Team B would be hiding in the tray of the tipper truck. Team C would be driving a stolen vehicle towards the junction. Team D is the fake taxi driver and his passengers. An abandoned sienna car would be parked here at the side of the first street. That’s our getaway car.”

“Any questions?”

“No sir!”

“Good.”, he said as he paused to take a quick view at the screens of his gadgets.

“Once you hear the sirens from afar, prepare your rifles and wait for my command. As they approach, Team B would be the first to open light fire forcing them to take a sharp left into this first street. Immediately the bullion van passes, we and Team D would quickly block this entrance point.”, he said pointing at the junction between the first street and the two-lane road. “At this moment, we are to open complete fire on the rear escort shredding it to pieces and ensuring that all of its occupants are taken out. Swiftly.”

“By this time, Team C would have launched a deadly assault on the front escort . When the escorts are neutralized, we are to proceed and open that bullion van via any possible means.”, he said with such ease that I wondered if the fact that lives would be lost mattered to him.

“Smallie, Tiger, and Mark, it is your primary task to ensure that the whole scene is cordoned off during the operation. Shoot at anything that attempts to move in.”

“Do you all copy?”, he asked as he rose to his feet revealing his six foot structure.

“Yes sir".

“There is a white hilux outside. It was brought in by Ozone. We’ve got extra tools in it plus enough ammo.”

Enough made it clear that we were in for a major action; there could never be excess ammunition. A new wave of fear hit me causing me to shudder involuntarily.

“You can rest all you want now. I shall call you when it’s time to move.”, Capon said as he dismissed us.

1030 Hours, Same venue.

The call of Capon sprang me off the sofa where I settled in for a short nap. I swayed slightly as my consciousness adjusted to the present; the let’s-go-rob-a-bank present. Immediately I gained full consciousness and orientation, my heart resumed its sprint within my thorax. This time, fiercer. My breathing turned short and rapid and I found myself blinking more frequently than necessary. I was about to have my first life and death encounter where I was a major player. Again, I recalled, it was just a sacrifice I must do for a better life as mama and papa had always advised. I felt ready for the job.

“Gear up boys. We are moving.”, Capon said as he made for the door.

“What about our hostages?”, Mark demanded.

“Leave them. Their people would free them soon.”

Like soldiers, we marched briskly through the gate to the hilux parked just beside the building. Thankfully, the street was almost completely deserted. Mark climbed to the driver’s seat as we zoomed off.

On the floor of the hilux were four AK 47’s, a longer rifle, and some pistols. The smell of metal saturated the car.

“Tiger, show Smallie how to handle those tools.”, Capon said from the front.

Tiger reached for an AK 47.

“Hold am like this”, he said demonstrating how to handle the piece. “This is the magazine. It’s got 30 rounds of ammo. Put it here and push it like this until you hear a click.”, he said demonstrating further. “Co-ck am like this and put your selector for rapid, aim, and pull the trigger like this.”, he continued. “When you are out of bullets, press this catch like this and unload like this. You can reload by repeating the process.”, he concluded. I was unsure if I could handle the rifle but I left my worries buried in me.

Tiger handed me six magazines tied in twos with the aid of black sellotapes. I fixed one of the magazines in its pair into its lodge and placed it at the side of my foot. I watched in fear as Tiger and Capon made for their choices of rifle. Their faces were emotionless; they were all ready for the action that was to come. It appeared that I was the only ill-prepared person in the company.

In some few minutes, we arrived at the location highlighted on Capon’s map. Right at the middle of the road was a tipper that had broken down. Beneath it was engine oil spilled all over the tar. I could see some boys struggling with its engine as they tried to fix it. The traffic in the region was already building as vehicles struggled to pass through the only available lane disorderly. We pulled over on the left side of the road just before the entrance of the first street. Mark got out of the hilux as he squatted beside one of the spoilt tyres as he attempted to fix it.

Right in front of us, just after the junction, I watched as an impatient taxi driver worsened the situation as he struggled to pass through first before a black sedan.

The ringing of Capon’s mobile phone brought me back to the vicinity of the car. It was a text message. Just as he tried to access it, two more came in.

“All teams are in position.”, he announced with his eyes still fixed to the phone.

Just then, my ears picked the approaching sounds of a siren from the distance.

The pitched sounds of sirens grew louder as the convoy approached our ambush. Capon and Tiger reached for their guns as Mark put the vehicle on ignition and in gear. I scrambled over mine as I tried to cork and set it on rapid fire.

The siren sounds climbed an octave.

I watched as the co-occupants of our vehicle reached for the handles of their respective doors as they waited for the right moment to open fire. I gathered my other magazines in fumbling movements, tucking each pair in a pocket of my jeans trousers.

The sirens turned deafening as the convoy got closer.

I saw the boys that were repairing the tipper make for the other side so that the big truck stood between them and the incoming vehicles.

I could now see the front, white escort from the side of my field of vision as it decelerated. This time, they supported the sirens with series of impatient honckings.

In a split second, Arrow and his Team B emerged from their hiding wielding massive assault rifles some of which I had not seen before. They opened mild fire on the front escort as sparks of light and fire left the nozzles of their guns sending passersby and vehicle occupants scampering in different directions. Sounds of shattering glasses and bullets piercing metals were the only response I detected from the convoy.

As predicted, the front escort made for the only available escape route – the left turn – and the bullion van followed suit. Immediately, our hilux jumped into motion cutting the rear convoy off in a swift manner. From my ducking position, I saw Capon and Tiger fling their doors open as they aimed at the rear convoy, shooting at it with reckless abandon. The smell of gun powder and the deafening sounds of gunfire overtook the episode. The confused policemen had no chance to return fire. The officers hanging at the back of their Toyota hilux made for a run – or for cover – but none of them made it to safety as the bullets of Team B caught up with them midway sending them to fall to the waiting arms of death as splashes of blood painted the tar.

“Smallie, wetin you dey do for there?”, Capon’s voice jolted me to reality.

“Move and help out boy!”, Capon screamed on the top of his voice.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as I pushed my door open. I lifted my rifle to shoulder level. It felt heavier and strange to my hold; I had forgotten all the handling tactics Tiger taught me. By the time I got out, there was nothing left of the rear escort as it emitted thick, white smoke from its bonnet and elsewhere with its yellow signal lights blinking.

Arrow and his team alighted from their truck as they made for the bullion van. Team C maintained their position obviously blocking any potential intruder. The other escort was equally bullet-ridden, the lifeless bodies of its occupants were scattered all over.

Tiger, Mark, and I took strategic positions as we formed a perimeter from our end. I knelt on a knee with my rifle raised sweeping from side to side in search of any potential threat. Mark lay completely on the floor with his legs spread to provide him balance. Tiger stood next to Mark.

“Hurry up boys!”, Capon called from behind. “We’ve got ten minutes to leave this place!”, I heard him shout as the gun fires returned without warning. The sounds were deafening as it constantly assaulted my tympanic membranes. From my position, I started saying words of prayer wishing that the whole mission would go as smoothly and as quickly as planned. My knee ached and I felt imbalanced. I felt tension build in my thigh muscles causing my kneeling leg to turn lightly spasmodic.

The shootings ceased again as the back door of the bullion van released a creak as it opened and dangled loosely. I could hear shouts of jubilation from my end and I imagined the boys offloading the cash from the defeated van.

“Continue fire boys. Scare the cops away”, Capon ordered.

Tiger and Mark started shooting at nothing in particular; they seemed to be enjoying the feeling. Team C from their end supported our fire as different sounds of shooting rifles took away the temporal silence arrogantly. I saw Mark and Tiger reload and resume shooting repeatedly as their rifles ejected empty casings in a projectile motion. I was yet to shoot my gun, I did not see the need to. Everything seemed perfect already.

Then it happened. Just like the first time, I heared another siren – or sirens – approach again but this time, it seemed like they were coming from every possible angle.

“Return to your cars all units.”, Capon ordered. We immediately left our cover positions and made for our vehicles. Capon did not return to our hilux. I saw him run into the getaway car as it screeched away. Mark jumped back behind the wheel as he fumbled with the ignition. For some unexplained reasons, the car failed to return to life. Mark gave it three quick tries but to no avail. He pushed open his door as he jumped out running in the direction of Capon’s exit. Within the same second, Tiger jumped off from his side as he ran off in another direction.

As Team C tried to reverse and escape, they hit the tipper truck killing the engine of their already shabby taxi. Almost immediately, each of the doors flung open as the occupants escaped in different directions.

I was too shocked to move, my knees were locked and my stomach churned. At this time, the shooting had resumed as the sirens were now as close as our victims were. Gun fire came from all angles as the police came hard on us.

I reached for my door as I attempted my own escape. As I ran in an unknown direction, I took a glimpse of a police-coloured hilux screeching to a stop as some fierce-looking policemen jumped off it. I wished my legs could carry me faster. I heard rapid gunshots from my back. I ducked as I pulled my head down. I threw my rifle away as I ran in a zigzag manner. The gunshots continued. I could hear the high-pitched buzzes of the flying bullets as they tore through the air inches away from my ears. Glasses in front of me shattered, the cars were not left out as the bullets made rapid holes through them giving out some puff sounds. The security alarm of an abandoned car came on as it got riddled by bullets. I concluded that my time had come and suddenly, I started looking forward to death; a part of me wanted to be hit and escape this agony forever; as I ran, scenes of my past started playing before my mind’s eyes; scenes showing my arrogance and disobedience, my stubbornness and rebellious style of life. For the first time, I wished I could turn back the hands of time but of course, it was too late. I knew I had reached the point of no return. My gang had deserted me, I had no ally fighting by my side, for the first time in my life, everyone around wanted me dead. Myself inclusive.

I turned as I made for a van at the side to use as cover. It seemed to be my best bet. I figured it would avail me some time to catch some air and re-strategize. Just then, I felt a sharp, metallic object tear through my back. It came in with such force that I was pushed off the ground. As it tore through, it left a hot, painless path behind. I hit the ground with my head as I lay on the tar unable to move. A pool of my blood expanded from beneath. A phase of grave silence followed as my ears became shut to the exterior. I could only hear the beats of my heart with its rate reducing per time. I felt something gradually suck my consciousness inwards as the curtains of my eyes were slowly drawn leading me into a space of total darkness.

Missmossy, Joanee, Iyhehelvins, Dandypearl..and every other reader, please I need your reviews..

Captivating,watch your use of tenses. Keep it coming

Missmossy:
Captivating,watch your use of tenses. Keep it coming

Thanks. I'll watch them..

...and, welcome back...

More comments, please...

Criticisms would be great..

excellent story.. ride on

Hmm is he dead? Captivating!!

...Continued...

Details of my environment started leaking into my consciousness in bits. I could hear a steady beat from the background. My sense of smell picked the peculiar smell of disinfectants. My body felt heavy and sore. I tried to open my eyes but I was too weak to move a muscle. I felt paralyzed. Every department of my body reported severe pain. I felt groggy and disoriented.

“He’s coming on”, I heard a thick male voice announce.

“Inform the Inspector”, another voice said.

I attempted to open my eyes again and this time, I recorded a bit of success. I managed to open them halfway as beams of light intruded my eyes instigating a pain. Gradually, I adjusted to the light so that I could now see clearly. I met the angry gazes of policemen standing at either sides of my bed. I was in a hospital, I figured. I had survived the shot. I was not dead. But I wanted to be dead. I did not believe that I was back to the world I had failed. I tried to move my hands but they were restricted to the bed.

“How are you feeling?”, a doctor in a white ward coat asked with an apparently fake smile.

Silence.

“You got shot through your back. You were rushed in here almost gone. We had to do an emergency surgery on you. Medically, you died momentarily but somehow, you returned. You are a lucky man.”, the doctor said.

You are a lucky man almost made me laugh in frustration. The truth was the opposite. My being alive meant that I would have to pay for the crimes I committed; the lives that were lost would be put on my shoulders even though I did not fire a shot. I knew that there was absolutely no way I could come out of this. Literally, I was dead.

A superior police officer in his mid fifties came in. He walked to my bed with his aides behind. As he approached, the other policemen gave him a salute then stood erect and motionless. He looked at me with an obvious frown with his dense, black mustache curled over his upper lip. He moved his gaze to observe my bandaged chest. He returned to my face and observed me closely as if he were processing the details of my face as a computer would. He said nothing to me as he turned and walked up to the doctor. They spoke and nodded their heads to each other for some time. I knew I was the subject of their discussion. I knew he was asking the doctor when I would be ready to be taken away to their station for torture. I knew they would torture and squeeze every information there is from me. I was ready for the worst. I had already submitted myself to whatever the repercussion of my action is.

As I lay on the bed, I thought of Capon and the gang members. They all abandoned me. I wondered if they made it or they too were caught or shot. I cast the beam of my thoughts to the day I joined the gang. It was Rasheed that introduced me to Capon as his guy. It was two years after we graduated from secondary school.

Few months after our graduation party, James, Timi, Rasheed, and I lost contact. Timi and James had initially told me that they would be travelling to Lagos. Rasheed mentioned that he was still around the neighbourhood and we did run into each other a couple of times. One day, I met Rasheed at a football betting centre. I had gone there to place my bet on my favourite team, Arsenal, even though my parents had warned me repeatedly to desist from betting. Rasheed was in a violent brawl with a boy. I had no idea what the problem was but on impulse, I rushed in the fight to support my old friend by attacking the boy with an empty bottle of an alcoholic drink that stood on a table. The blow of the bottle sent the boy to the floor as he bled and cried in pains. Scared of what I had done, I ran out of the centre unsure of where I was headed. Rasheed followed me behind as I later discovered. I got to an abandoned building and decided to hide in it for a while.

“Guy, wetin you do?”, he asked in-between his panting.

“I no know o, I did it out of impulse.”, I replied.

Rasheed was obviously scared and I wondered why.

“That boy is the younger brother of Razor.”, he said.

“What!”, Razor was a household name. He was the leader of a dangerous gang that tormented the neighbourhood.

“You are in deep trouble.”, Rasheed cautioned. I noticed that he excluded himself smartly.

“What do you mean by that? What about you?”

“I’ve got protection, you haven’t”.

“Protection? Na for police station you dey sleep now?”

He laughed.

“Tell me na, make I know”, I urged him.

“You won’t understand. Follow me let me show you something”, he said.

We walked through the street to a junction where we boarded okada to a destination Rasheed mentioned to the rider. I was not sure of where we were going to but out of trust, I followed my old time friend without asking him any questions. The ride lasted for some ten minutes we stopped in front of a compound. Rasheed paid the rider as he took me by hand into the compound.

It was like every normal compound where people live. It had two blocks of residential apartments separated by a small field for parking cars. We walked to one of the buildings as Rasheed knocked at the red, wooden door.

“Who be that?”, a thick, male voice queried from inside.

“Boss, na me, Rasheed”, my old friend replied.

“Come in”.

Rasheed pushed down the door handle as it opened inwards. He beckoned me to follow him. Inside the apartment was half-dark and it reeked of all kinds of smoke ranging from cigarettes to controlled substances. My stomach churned as I knew that that was not a good place one should find himself. There were some boys that sat at different locations of the sitting room with different lengths of lighted sticks in their mouths. Something in me asked me to turn and run. I knew it was the best decision but I declined as I stepped forward with Rasheed to a giant male that sat in a special sofa.

“Who’s this person you came with, Rash?

“He’s my guy, boss. He needs protection.”

“Hmm…I see. What happened?”

“We were in a fight with Razor’s egg. It was a bloody fight and I’m sure they’ll come for us.”

“I see. Boy, wetin be your name?”, he asked as he turned to face me. His red, deep eyes penetrated my heart causing a chill of fear to flush through my spine.

“I’m….I’m Balafama by name.”, I stammered.

“Hmmmm…”, I saw him size me up as if he was accessing my abilities.

“From now on, you’ll be called Smallie. You’ll get the protection you need here but we’ll have to recruit you into our association. Take note, at this junction, there is no going back.”, he said with his gaze still locked on me.

Those words of Capon marked the beginning of a new phase of life for me. From that day, I seldom slept at home out of fear that I would be attacked in our house. My lifestyle took an immediate change. Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages became a habit. I became more violent as the feeling of the power of belonging to a cult group intoxicated me. My mother cried and pleaded with me to retrace my steps, my father did everything within his manly powers to call me to order but I had made up my mind on the path I was to follow. My siblings cried and begged me but I turned deaf ears to their pleas. At a point, everyone at home gave up on me except my mother. In some occasions, she would take me to her pastors for prayers and deliverance. When I got tired of this, I stopped following her along. I grew wilder by the day.

Three weeks after the fight incident, Rasheed was gunned down in front of the sports betting centre. This made me super-scared. I figured that the best way I could get absolute protection was to move over to live with the Capon. A week afterwards, I moved out of our homefor the Capon’s.

The pains of my body and the seriousness of the trouble I was in recalled my thought pattern to the present. The senior police officer had left. Two policemen remained on guard in the room. I turned to look at the drip connected to my left hand. I watched as the drug dropped at regular intervals. Bored, I decided to count the number of drops: one….two…..three….I dozed off.

Missmossy:
Hmm is he dead? Captivating!!

It was a near miss..

Good morning all.. I'm sure you all slept well..

I pledge to update twice...at least..today..

Have a nice day..

Dear TONYE001,

You're doing a great work here. The fact that some of us are not commenting does not mean we are not here; believe me, we are . This is a nice story I must commend you. Keep up the good work.
But an observation though - instead of splitting the updates why not join them to make them longer? Just my view though. You're the boss here

PS: I'll try to comment as frequent as possible.

DandyPearl:
Dear TONYE001,

You're doing a great work here. The fact that some of us are not commenting does not mean we are not here; believe me, we are . This is a nice story I must commend you. Keep up the good work.
But an observation though - instead of splitting the updates why not join them to make them longer? Just my view though. You're the boss here

PS: I'll try to comment as frequent as possible.

Thanks for your observation. I'll work on it..

Well done..

Thank you @ Lalasticlala for unbanning me.

You've done well.

Chapter 6

Location: Unknown Hospital…

My recovery was slow but steady. I was not sure how long it had been since I got admitted. Weeks? Months? I could now move my trunk with minimal pain. It was relieving, at least, as the myriad of pains that assaulted my nervous system had reduced significantly though I still felt a bit sore around the region. The doctors were nice; they cared less about the story behind my being there. They were just interested in doing their job. The policemen were the direct opposite. It was obvious that they could not wait to obtain clearance for my discharge. The sight of their super-veined, muscular arms left little to imagine of what would become of me in the interrogation room.

Life, of what use is it if after acquiring everything you die and leave all behind? It is an unnecessary chase after thin air. At the end, we all would quit this world for the one after. I figured my end was near; unlike others, I was actually looking forward to it. I felt I had gone through a lot already, I needed some rest.

As I lay on my recovery bed, I channeled my thoughts to mama: has she heard of my current plight already? Have they heard? The answer was most likely in the positive. I know papa, he is always glued to the dalies and the news channels. He must have heard of it somehow. His reaction was quite predictable. Dad was the last person I expected to pay me a visit. I imagined him declaring to mama that he had detached himself completely from her son. He would continue by putting series of blames on the poor woman. It’s your fault. I’ve been warning you of a day like this when all your pampering would land him to his early grave. Mama would cry afterwards and beg him to accompany her to see me but of course, he would decline telling her that I was no longer his son. Perhaps this would be the cause of that heart attack mama had been telling me about. My son, you know I love you so much, each time you act like this, you make me very sad and pained in my heart. If you continue like this, I may end up dying of a heart attack, someday, because of you.

No! I was prepared to die and leave this world but I was not prepared to be the cause of mama’s early death. I was not even prepared to imagine mama dying soon. If I owed anyone anything, that would be mama. I owed her my life, I could not afford to fail her after all the love and affection she had shown me. I had already failed her by choosing this path of life. I was not going to fail her again.

I felt tears gather in my eyes as they streamed downwards through the sides of my face in obedience to gravity. My heart ached in sadness. This was too much for me. I had gone so deep without realizing it. I had been foolish all these while thinking I was making it. I would die and take the quick exit leaving mama to suffer the pains of my carelessness. I could not let this happen. Not at all. I must fight back. Maybe I needed to postpone my death to a close future. I needed to ameliorate my wrong with the little time I had left.

My gang was successful at the robbery. I was certain they were not caught, not all at least. They would have gone into hibernation, spending their cash in low key. They must have kept my share of the money. If I could get that money, I would give all to mama so she could invest in whatever business she desired. This sounded like a good plan. Step 1: Successfully escape from the hospital, step 2: Locate the gang members, step 3: Get your share of the money, step 4: give all to mama, step 5: submit yourself to the police for prosecution. I needed to go to work as soon as possible. Time was surely not at my side.

I had to device an escape plan.


1830 Hours, 1 Week Later, Same Location…

I pressed the call button with my uncuffed hand.

A nurse – the young, pretty one – came in accompanied by a plain clothe officer.

“I want to use the bathroom, please”, I said.

The nurse turned to the officer behind her seeking advice of what action to take. The officer looked at me briefly as I gave my best act of pain and fatigue. He walked up to me retrieving a small key from his jacket. The handcuffs released a metallic click as he unlocked them.

“Please…please, help me up, Sir..”, I asked.

He scowled at me.

The nurse reached for my hand as she pulled me up to a sitting position. She unhooked the infusion bag from its stand.

“Place it on the hook in the bathroom when you go in”, she instructed.

I nodded sincerely appreciating her in my mind.

In truth, I had recovered far better than I acted. It was of utmost importance that no one knew about the true state of my health. I had been working on this for a while now and as expected, the guard of the security men had gone significantly down. Things were just as I wanted.

In the bathroom, I quickly reached for a bar of soap resting in its dish as I went to work. I opened the tap of the white sink as I made thick lather in seconds. I raised my hospital robe and rubbed the lather on my abdominal hairs making a rich deposit of soap. I washed and dried my hands.

As I returned to the room, the plain clothe officer conducted a quick search on every inch of my body. Satisfied, he allowed the nurse help me to my bed as he cuffed my right hand to the metal bed.

“Thank you very much for your kindness”, I said to her.

She ignored me.

“I owe you a lot”, I assured her releasing a faint smile.

She played deaf.

They exited the room afterwards.

...Continued...

I waited for about thirty minutes listening to activities outside my room. There was relative calmness. Through a narrow space between the basal edge of the door to my room and the floor beneath, I could see the rear of the black shoes of the officer on duty. He was standing right in front of the door. I had barely one hour before the next hospital rounds. I had barely one hour to escape.

I turned to my right as I spat a fair volume of saliva into my free left hand. I pulled up my robe as I massaged my abdomen forming a thick, slimy solution with the soap. I rubbed my right hand and wrist region generously with the solution. I narrowed the width of my right hand by bringing my thumb and fingers together as I started pulling my cuffed hand through the metallic restraint slowly. The pain was extreme and unbearable but I kept on to the task. With each deep inhalation, I pulled through the circular metal channeling the pain into a slow, mechanical exhalation. While at it, my eyes were locked on the feet of the guard through the narrow space between the door and the tiled floor. In about ten minutes or so, I was successfully free from the cuff; I sustained significant skin injury in my bloodied right hand.

There was a tray resting on a rack at one side of the room. It had some first aid kits. I reached for a light brown bandage and a card of a pain relieving drug. I secured the pain reliever in the folded bandage and put it in my mouth locking it between the rows of my upper and lower teeth.

There was a free stool in front of a table. In quiet, conscious motion, I got it and placed it under a square-shaped ceiling door. I climbed as I pushed the ceiling board opening my way into the roof compartment of the hospital.

I reached for the wooden edges of the opening as I pulled myself up into the roof compartment in quiet groans of pains. In no time, I was completely in; I returned the board to its position. I spent some few minutes bandaging my injured hand to arrest the bleeding. I also swallowed some tablets of the pain reliever I had.

A warm, dense air welcomed me into the ceiling as I made for my escape. I crawled through the ceiling in search of a safe exit. I moved over a couple of rooms pausing to peep into each room to ascertain what it was. Most were private rooms for patients and some were theaters for surgery. I continued farther moving towards the right wing of the building.

I was exhausted and my body felt terribly sore. The pains were excruciating and the bleeding of my hand persisted. I knew I was running out of time. Apparently, it would be better if the knowledge of my escape was known after I had exited the building. The longer I remained in the building, the more likely I was to being caught.

Then I heard a sound from a distant. It was the sound of water running through a shower. I also heard the voice of a male singer. I turned and headed towards the source of the sound. As I peeped through, I saw a young, muscular male taking his shower in one of the rooms of a large multi-roomed bathroom. There was a large dressing space with hooks where clothes and towels were hung.

I quietly made for the small ceiling door over the bathroom at its inner end. As quickly and as quietly as I could, I removed the ceiling board closing the door as I lowered myself into the bathroom. I made a swift, soundless drop landing on both legs first then hands so as to absorb the shock of the fall. Another sensation of intense pain exploded in me as I fought back the urge to scream.

Through the thin shower curtain, I saw the image of the young man as he sang and vigorously scrubbed himself. I tiptoed towards the clothes hanging in their hooks. There were some clothes and pairs of trousers. Just beside a white towel was a complete set of a uniform of a private security firm. I reached for these.

I wore the blue shirt with the badge of Perimeter Watchers. I slid my legs through the pair of black trousers that hung next to the shirt. In no time, I was completely dressed with the shirt well tucked-in. There was a pair of black boots at a side of the bathroom. I tiptoed to them as I put them on. I reached for a black, customized face cap of the private security firm hanging in its hook.

The pockets of the trousers felt full. In it were a wallet, a mobile phone, and other personal items. I quickly opened the wallet. There were some hundred naira notes, a passport of a dark-skinned man in his mid twenties, a debit card and an ID card. I retrieved the ID card and scanned through it: PERIMETER WATCHERS; Name: John Felix Emeka; Position: Guard. I opened the door cautiously.

The cool breeze delivered the smell of freedom to my nose. It felt refreshing to my skin. I walked through the compound towards the gate. There were armed policemen all over the place at strategic positions. The gate was heavily manned by men of the Mobile Police Force. There were different types of security vehicles parked all over with the colourful lights of their sirens penetrating the darkness of the night.

My heart jumped into my throat in fear. I was unsure of what next to do; the premises was completely secured, there was definitely no means of walking through the gate without generating suspicion.

As I walked through the fairly big compound, I tried to look around covertly in search of a possible alternative. I noticed a steaming marked hilux bearing the emblem of Perimeter Watchers. I turned and headed towards it.

“O boy, you don close?”, a voice called from behind.

I was certain the speaker was referring to me as there was no other person within earshot. I put my right hand into my side trouser pockets as I pretended to be looking for something.

Do all the guards of Perimeter Watchers know each other? This was highly unlikely, though, as the firm seemed to me as a big one. I had to try my luck.

“Yes o. Today own don finish.”, I said looking back briefly to get a picture of the face of the speaker.

“Your own good na. Me na night I dey this week.”, he said as I heard him quicken his steps so as to catch up with me.

“Chei. E dey be like that sometimes. Just manage.”, I said struggling to maintain a calm voice.

“Oga send me message. Him say make I go buy am suya. Him say make I use the moto go quick, quick.”, he caught up with me.

The sound of moto calmed my nerves in relief.

“E be like say I go join you sef. Man no get strength to dey waka this night.”, I said in the most casual manner.

“No qualms na. Na we, we.”, he said.

Bingo! I had finally found a way out. We continued to the car in silence as we were each lost in our thoughts.

“Guy, how far?”, I greeted the man behind the wheel in pidgin.

He responded to confirm that he was OK. The other guard got into the passenger seat while I settled down in the back seat. It was the best ride I had had in my life.

We passed through the gate with relative ease except for the routine security check.

...To Be Continued...

Good morning all..

How una dey?

I couldn't update yesterday; I was pretty busy..I may be busier today but I promise to drop "something" before the end of the day..

I'm sure you all are OK..

Bon weekend a tous..

well done o. i'm glued to this story. waiting for your update. more mb to your phone

Keep it coming,kudos.

Can't w8 to know his next move. Keep the good work rolling, Bro

Chapter 7

The crows of the cocks and the cu-cu-curu-cu-cu's of the flying birds announced the arrival of morning. The cool morning breeze conveyed the aroma of Mama Baby’s roasted fish as the gentle rays from the morning sun settled on my face restoring my state of wakefulness.

I opened my eyes to meet an alluring morning impregnated with promises of possibilities. Good, great possibilities. I was some few hours away from retrieving my share of the money from Capon. Though I met his absence when I sneaked into our headquarters the night of my escape, I was not perturbed as I was certain he would return the next day – today. Even though the house looked deserted with a strong musty smell hanging over the air, an impossible event to occur under Capon’s watch, I still had a strong feeling that he would be back. The thick coats of dust resting on the furniture and the haphazard displacement of the household items meant nothing to me. There must be an explanation, somehow.

I rolled about on the foam stretching my unusually heavy body as its joints protested in cracks. I was having a fare share of morning fatigue, my body pleaded in the language of pains that I remained on bed. Too bad I had a job to do and to make it worse, my time was limited.

After my escape from the hospital, I managed to sneak into our headquarters under the cover of the darkness of the night. I was too tensed to grab some food; I made it to bed in an empty stomach. All I needed, then, was a good sleep in a safe location. Awake in tiredness and ravaging hunger pangs, I tried to analyze the sta-tus quo.

Where has Capon gone to this morning? The Capon I knew hardly left the house unless there was a strong-enough reason like there was in the night of our siege in the manager’s house. Was there another hit? Why is the apartment looking scattered and abandoned? Abandoned! My senses were making a slow return. Abandoned! This was highly possible; Capon must have known that I was left behind; he obviously was not sure whether I was dead or captured alive. A calculative and proactive Capon was not likely to return to this house if he is not certain that his safety was guaranteed. I imagined him making a quick entry, collecting his personal effects, destroying evidences that may lead the law enforcement agents to him, and making a quick exit to another haven. I was certain he had several layers of safe locations so it would not have cost him much to change location.

I did not have a line to call to reach him – or the others. I could not afford to go back to my parents. The gang had used me and abandoned me afterwards to my fate. How was I to survive without them? I sacrificed everything I had when I left home to join them; now I was alone in a world that needed to take me out. I was a fugitive.

The truth was overbearing as my legs felt too heavy to move. My stomach churned as my heart skipped out of its rhythm. I was having a panic attack. The walls of the apartment appeared to be spinning as I staggered about under the influence of my imagined vertigo. No. No. No. This is not happening. What was I to do? Where was I to go to? Soon enough, the police may come down here in search of me, highly unlikely though, but possible.

I had a quick shower and I got dressed in a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a face cap. I had to look for the Capon. I had to find him. I needed my share of the cash, I was not ready to let that go just as I did my freedom. I knew I would be needing some cash to run around, something to get me going for a few days at least. How do I grab some cash? I could smell money but I could not reach it. I felt like I had money somewhere; no, not the big one with the Capon but some other cash hanging around.

I searched through the house frantically. I still could not see this cash. Where then was it? I sat at the edge of the centre table as I traced my way through the memory lane in search of clues: I gained my consciousness to find myself naked under a thin robe in the hospital. Throughout my stay there, I never had any cash dealings with anyone. Neither did I while I escaped. Escaped. Ceiling. Guard in the bathroom. Mobile phone. Wallet. Wallet! Oh! It was the ATM card I found in the wallet that night. The debit card was my way to some quick cash.

I put on the mobile phone I found in the pocket of the pair of trousers I collected from the hospital. I needed to find the PIN of the debit card. I knew I had until 0800 hours as I was certain he was already at the bank waiting to lodge a complaint of his stolen debit card. My first guess was that it was stored in the device. I scanned through the phone book looking for names like: PIN, Code, Password, Remember, Access, Number, and so on. I found none. I instinctively went to the message folder as I started reading through his messages. I saw normal, everyday conversation bothering around informal matters. I saw some messages exchanged between the owner of the phone and a lady whose name he stored as My Love. I opened this message and decided to read through it from the most recent to the older messages. As I read through, I prayed in my heart that my search should be successful.

I got to a message that attracted my attention. This message was sent about a year ago. It read: Baby, na 1226. I beg, take only 2 thousand o. I smiled as I made for the closest ATM.

Good morning all. More updates are on the way after church..(evening..)

Have a nice day today..

oya now,come and update o. this tori sweet o

Keep it coming,more updates biko.

Guy eyi dara

It was a busy morning. The traffic was building up as people hurried about in their bid to catch up with their various appointments on time. School children formed small clusters as they hurried to school with bags of various designs hanging over their backs. The touts of the motor parks were not left out; I saw them calling and urging potential passengers into a bus whose driver they were working for. A traffic warden in yellow and black stood at the middle of a cross junction directing the multi-coloured streams of vehicles through the road in fairly regular alternations.

I successfully withdrew N12,000.00 from the ATM. Poor, it was, but at least it would see me through to a reasonable extent. I found my way to a nearby restaurant where I ordered for some breakfast. As I ate, I tried to develop a plan on how to sniff out the Capon from his hiding. It was a long shot; I was certain he was still in contact with Mark, Tiger, and Arrow. Through these guys, the probability of me locating the Capon was a fair figure.

I knew Mark was not far. I could smell him from the humid morning air. He was the loudest of them all; I imagined the degree of difficulty he must be passing through trying to spend his money quietly. Party. Exotic cars. Girls.

Mark was like a bat: dormant in the day, active at night. To get to him was to search through the darkness of the night. A female company would make it a whole lot easier. I knew a pretty lady whose profile suited this task. Her name was Juliet.

Juliet was a bartender. I first met her along the street where our headquarters is located. She was beauty personified; with her shapely figure, light-complexioned skin, and long strands of black hair pouring over her narrow shoulders, she could easily bring out the senses of a man casting him into a spell of lust. I have had some dealings with her and I knew that with the right sum, she would go any extent.

After my meal, I returned to the road as I headed for the street bar. As I walked, I cautiously scanned through to ascertain if anyone was at my tail. It was almost twenty-four hours since my escape; I knew a search had been ordered. Detectives would have passed the message around activating the search in all their units in the city of Port Harcourt. Soon enough, the media would make me popular and whatever little detail the police had of me would be published and perhaps, if I was important enough, a fairly large sum would be pegged to the search.

But what intel does the police have? My name? If they decided to trace the pseudonym I gave them at the hospital, they may end up arresting a random mad man roaming the street. My picture? Well, maybe this may cause a significant damage. Thank God for that doctor, the one that was in charge of my case. He kept putting the impatient detectives off declaring that I was not yet fully recovered – and ready – for them.

The poor level of technology in the nation makes it quite easy for criminals to move about freely without detection. There are no bio-metric records, surveillance cameras, and lots more. I was absolutely certain that the police had almost nothing concrete on me – thanks to my slow recovery rate. In the day of my arrest, I had no personal item on me as it was the custom of the gang that its members should not go to the field with his personal belongings. The reason for this was obvious: to frustrate attempts to trace ones origin in the event of an arrest – or death.

I arrived at the bar and settled at a free table at an edge as I waited patiently for my order to be taken. An old school Shaggy was singing softly through the speakers positioned at the four edges of the bar. I tried to settle down as I cast my worries to the beats of the song.

“Welcome Sir; please, what would you want to have?”, a feminine voice asked.

I raised my head to meet the gaze of Juliet. She was yet to recognize me.

“A bottle of water, please.”, I said releasing a brief smile.

“Just that?”, she could not hide the surprise her facial muscles expressed.

“Yes, that’ll be OK.”, I insisted.

In some two minutes, she returned to my table with my order. I handed her a note of a thousand naira.

“Keep the change, please.”, I said.

“Oh, thanks for the gesture. That’s nice of you Sir.”, she said betraying her obvious happiness.

“And I must tell you – “, I said now sitting up, “ – that there’s more from where it came.”

She paused.

“Julie”, I called as I took off my cap.

“What!”, she said in shock.

“Shhhhhh.. Calm down Julie."

“Hey! Juliet!”, a pot-bellied man called from a desk. Her boss, I thought.

“Enjoy…enjoy your drink Sir, you can call on us if you need anything.”, she said rather too loudly as she walked away briskly.

I finished my water over a period of one hour observing her as she went about doing her business. She was tensed, I noted. She must have heard! What she heard depended on the teller of the tail. That I was arrested? Or dead? Phew!

I stood up and made for the bar. She was standing behind the bar preoccupied with arranging drinks and glasses while her boss sat just beside her.

“Thanks very much for your service.”, I said to her.

“We are pleased you are satisfied.”, her boss jumped in. “We have some wonderful – “

“ – It’s a nice bar. Thank God I’m back; I would be coming here more often.”, I interjected ignoring the manager.

“We are looking forward to hosting you again Sir.”, she said awkwardly.

“Have we met somewhere before?”, I asked feigning a surprise.

“Uh..I doubt that. Maybe here.”, she was becoming more tensed.

“But I haven’t been here before. Well, never mind. It’s just that you look like a lady that made some six figures doing a simple job for me. And she did it so perfectly. Too bad I’ve lost her contact.”, I said as I wore a sad look.

I saw her bite her lower lip as she tried to remain calm. I had successfully fueled her interest.

“I’m sorry Sir, but – “, her boss again.

“ – The resemblance is quite striking. And considering the fact that I currently have another little job I needed someone to fix, and I really needed that same girl to do it……”, I allowed the unspoken words to sink into her heart.

“I’m sincerely grateful, Sir –“, I was now referring to the boss, “I am down the street; No. 12, just a few blocks away. I’ll make it a habit of coming here daily to enjoy your quality service.”, I said as I smiled and left.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


I spent the rest of the day in the deserted headquarters. I was certain Juliet would come. You don’t drop a cube of sugar on the floor and doubt the arrival of ants. I waited patiently as I went through my plan over and over.

I heard the anticipated knock some few minutes short of 1900 hours. It was Juliet’s.

“Come in Julie.”, I said from inside.

“What was that about?!”, straight to business.

“Sit down, please. “, I said calmly.

She settled into a sofa.

“I knew you would come. Thanks for coming.”, I said.

“Why did you come to me? You want to get me sacked..or...or. .. arrested?”, she queried as ridges of skin folds formed on her forehead.

“Not exactly. I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t need to.”

“The word out there is that you were arrested by the police. Some even said you were killed.”, she said and continued: “What have you gotten yourself into? What did you do? How long have you been here?”

“Relax. I’m OK. Let’s leave all those details and focus on the deal at hand. I’ve got a job for you. Tonight”, I said.

“What is it this time around?”, she was getting calm.

“That’s my girl. Always predictable.”, I said as I smiled genuinely.

“What’s the job?”, she asked again ignoring my tease.

“Let’s say I’m in the process of taking what is duly mine”, I said studying her face closely.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yea. I have a target I’m trailing. My guess is that he would be at Dan’s Club tonight. I need you to lead him to me.”, I said.

“Who’s that?”

“At the right time, you would know.”

“Hmmmm..”, She was considering the offer. “How much is in it for me?”

“Five hundred thousand. All this job needs is just a few minutes of your time and you’ll be smiling home with half a million.”

“Sounds good enough.”, she said.

“Is that a yes?”

“Maybe……but I don’t want any police trouble.”,

“There won’t be any.”

“OK.”

“Any special request?”, she asked.

“Yes. I’ve got two.”, I said.

“And they are?”

“One, dress to kill.”

She smiled. “I can handle that.”, she said.

“I know. I trust you.”

“What’s the second request?”

“Our entry ticket is on you – “, she was beginning to protest. “ – I’ll pay you back with a swollen bonus.”, I added quickly sending her back to her state of absolute submission.

“Dan is pretty expensive, you know that but I’ll see what I can do.”, she said.

“Good. Be prepared. We’ll leave at 2100 hours. I’ll pick you up.”

“I’ll be waiting.”, she said as she stood up and left.

#Updated.

Bring the constructive criticisms on, please.