Chapter 34
Confused
Jerry woke up with a nagging headache. He looked about and felt a hand on his body. He tried to rise but the pain was surging through his body. He looked at his side and saw Grace sitting there, her eyes closed. He looked far in the distant and saw Rachael sitting there. Her left hand held her bottle of coffee and her right hand was stuck into a black bag. She stared at him. She came to him, and they kept staring at one another until he smiled at her. She rushed to him and hugged him. Grace winced and rose from her sleep.
‘What?’ She said as her vision became clearer. ‘Rachael, you know who this is to me and you are romancing him, not minding the fact that he is my husband’.
‘But-‘
‘Leave you for me? Do you think he would leave me for you? Do you want to injure him? Don’t you see that he is not fine’?
‘I was only happy that he is alive. So, I went to… Forget it-‘Rachael said and headed out.
Jerry stared at Grace, who didn’t look at him until Rachael banged the door behind her.
‘You shouldn’t have done that …’ Jerry said.
‘How can she?’ Grace hissed and turned towards the door.
‘You know- At least she saved our lives. She brought us here and had been the one watching us, I presume.’
‘Ehn....' Grace said, grumbling.
‘Go and meet her'.
‘I’m not sorting things with her. She of all people should know better…’
‘She of all people ? Why should she know better?’
‘Don’t you remember Rachael?’
‘I know who she is’.
‘Eh ehn… So she should know I had been having crush on you since Jss3…’
‘Me? I remember her only after I woke up last years…’
‘I mean everything she had done'.
‘Oh!’
‘I know Racheal. She is or was my half-sister for just two years before she was kidnapped and we didn’t see her but once in a while. She has become something else …’
Jerry stared at her. He wished he had all this knowledge but he knew it would be a waste of time to strain himself because if the information was needful it would push itself forward and he would remember everything vividly. Or maybe he needed to think harder for it but he wasn't ready to do that at this time. He was feeling weak.
‘Please can you get me something to drink?’
She nodded and raised her head as she headed out of the room.
‘Women’, Jerry said and sighed.
Jerry wondered what would happen if he died. The many women he would have made cry over him. He was happy he didn’t know his family; it would have worsened the case.
His Family
He had never thought of them for once. In fact, he needed Rachael to answer some questions but she wasn’t here to talk about them.
Time crept on but Rachael and Grace didn’t come in. He smiled that his plan had worked; they were sorting things out. With that knowledge, he slept off again.
Two hours later, he woke. Rachael was seated at the corner now.
He looked at the chair beside him to either feel Grace’s eyes or hands but none of them were there for him. He looked at Rachael and saw that she was dozing despite her effort not to.
‘Erm. Rachael…’
She sat up.
‘Oh- I’m sorry for disturbing you. Erm. Where’s Grace?’
‘Grace? I don’t know. I came in few minutes ago but didn’t meet her here. Maybe, she had gone to the toilet’.
Jerry nodded and took his head to the other side. He didn’t want Grace to return to the room to meet him talking to Rachael. Although he wished he could talk to her, he deemed it wise to stay out of Grace’s trouble especially now that he needed them to work together.
‘When did you sleep?’
‘I slept almost immediately you left…’
‘Was she here?’
‘No? No’ he said, shaking his head.
‘‘Where did she go?’ Rachael asked as she shifted forward to the edge of her seat.
‘I told her to get me something to drink. But when she didn’t return on time, I assumed she was with you. And I slept off…’
‘With me? No. She wasn’t with me. After I left you I went out. For how long have you been asleep.?’
‘I said I slept almost immediately.’
‘Almost immediately? Oh God that was about two hours ago’, she said as she scrambled out of her seat. ‘Oh God… ‘Rachael ran out of the room, her black bag dangling by her side. Her feet pattered on the tiles as she ran with all her might. Her feet began to fade away.
Jerry stood, with pain gushing through his body en-mass. He moved to the door and was getting nearer when Rachael’s feet became louder again as if she was running back.
’You’re going nowhere’, She said as she picked the bottle of coffee and closed the door. ‘I’ll be right back…’
‘Rachael’, Jerry shouted as he moved towards the door, hoping he would be strong enough to pull her back, strong enough to pull the door back, but he was weak.
Something rattled in the keyhole. He wondered what was happening. He stood up again and tried to open the door but it was locked.
‘Rachael’, he shouted and banged the door but it didn’t open.
’Rachael’, he shouted again as he began to pull the door. He promised himself he wouldn’t stop until he could go out himself to find his wife. She was everything that remained from his past. Even, if others knew him she claimed to have known him since Jss3. So, he must keep her near and question her little by little.
‘Rachael’, he shouted again.
He must not lose Grace. He had regained some of his memory and everything he knew about her had been reflected in his brain. He just couldn’t let her go like that. She was his love, the only one his heart clung to. He pulled the door until he became weak. So, he sat and wished for a miracle.
One of the nurses should just pass or someone-a cleaner- should want to enter the room. He was restless, yet weak. He just couldn’t seat there while his wife was being kidnapped.
He knocked. Nobody heard him. He knocked harder. But no one answered. He got vexed and knew there was nothing he could do at that time so he sat and wondered what would happen to Grace. He knew where they were taking her. And he knew why.
If the reason he came out was now back at he escaped from wouldn’t it be wise to return to that same place. He knew Rachael wouldn’t want him to go but he had to save her.
He moved towards the door again and knocked harder. He sat again. He looked about, searching for anything that could be of help him in breaking the door. Time ticked, infuriating him.
Racheal had been wise enough to remove anything that could cause her trouble, when she was away from the room. He was angry and banged the door.
‘Rachael’ he shouted.
‘Who is that idiot’, a woman’s voice asked in Yoruba language.
‘Please, help me open this door…’
‘Who locked you inside?’
‘I don’t know….’
‘Let me call the doctor for you…’
‘No… ‘ He did not trust that the doctor hadn’t been hinted by Rachael. ‘Collect the key and bring it to open the door. Please.’
‘I can’t do it…’
‘‘Please…’
‘‘Oga will talk And me, I don’t want trouble for myself. The last time that’s how he was talking that me I’m behaving like a baby’.
He felt like pulling the woman through the door and slapping her face for talking when he needed to save his wife.
‘Mama. Fifty thousand.’
‘What happened to fifty thousand’?
Jerry was tired of shouting over the door. His voice was cracking. He gently hit his head on the door. Heat of anger raced through his body.
‘I’ll give you fifty thousand.’
‘Where will you see it…?’
Jerry hit his fist and shook angrily. He felt like strangling this woman for wasting his time.
‘‘Madam, I’ll give you… I promise. How much is fifty thousand that I can’t afford?'
‘I’m coming’, the woman said and her feet scuttled away.
He turned towards the little chair in the room and took up Grace’s bag. He searched it and was able to find her wallet. She had up to thirty thousand in it. It gladdened his heart. He smiled at the bag, ran towards the door, and began to count time for the woman.
When he counted to five hundred, someone began to open the door. He smiled as he expected the woman; instead, Rachael entered.
‘They’ve taken her to Chief’s place.’
‘Then I’m going there', he said as she limped away, brushing past her. He held on to his stomach and entered the long Hospital passage.
‘Going there? Come back here. Can’t you see that you are injured?’ She said as she pulled Jerry back.
He was adamant and wriggled out of her grasp.
‘Leave me alone. I must save her. I came out of there because of her. Do you want her to be there and they will put me back there and also do you want something to happen to her?'
‘Don’t you know anything? Chief will not kill her or do anything to her. He loves beautiful ladies. He doesn’t hurt them.’
‘How do you know he won’t hurt her…?’
‘Chief cannot. He needs to make those cars because soon we will need it’
Jerry stopped in his track as she tried to pull him back. ‘Leave me…‘ He shouted and headed for the door. Something dropped to the tiles and rolled. The nauseating smell of drugs and injection filled the air.
‘Jerry’, she shouted, her voice rocking the whole passage. He didn't look back but kept walking on.
‘I have a gun pointed at you. If you move an inch, I’ll kill you myself. I said I would get her'.
‘Madam, you are-‘ A nurse said as she came out of the ward but had to stop talking when she saw what Racheal was holding.
Jerry felt compelled to go. He stared at the other part of the ward and wished he wasn’t injured. If he stood there, he wouldn’t be of help to anybody.
’Nurse, go inside and come out in ten minutes’.
Jerry turned and saw her firm grip, the gun pointed squarely at him. He looked about in the passage. He wasn’t strong enough to run away and any movement might provoke her. Her beastly look gave him all the warning he needed.
‘Rachael’, someone said.
Jerry turned to see Pastor Matthew coming inside the hospital ward. He looked Pastor Matthew over. He was still his size, and his bald was still shining as ever. Only that this time his eyes were reflected food deprivation.
‘Rachael, why are you pointing the gun at Bro. Jerry...
‘Pastor, he’s frustrating me’ She said, stomping her right feet on the floor of the tile as tears rolled down her face. 'We are all trying to save him but he keeps running away, disrupting every of our plan. He almost got himself killed and now he’s going to Chef’s place because they’ve taken his wife away’.
‘Bro. Jerry. You are not fit to fight the battle of the mighty. A hunter who has only one arrow doesn’t shoot carelessly. You need to rebuild the cells of your body before you can go for any attack mission. Please, follow me. Let us go into my car. Racheal will be going to their place. She would find a way to bring her back’.
Jerry looked at Pastor Matthew and looked Rachael as tears streamed down her face. The gun she was still pointing at him. He moved towards Pastor Matthew. Then, he turned.
‘Where are you going?’ Pastor Matthew said.
‘My wife’s bag.’
He picked Grace’s bag and left. He avoided looking at Rachael’s face as he left the hospital with Pastor Matthew.
They left her, standing there.
The moment they were about to enter Pastor Matthew’s car, three police van drove into the hospital compound, stopping in front of the car.
‘Pastor Matthew, you are under arrest for causing massive panic’, one of the policemen said as they stepped out.
‘Massive what?’ Jerry said.
‘Yes. Massive panic and you’ve been cutting down trees illegally bla bla bla. And for these reasons we will be arresting you‘.
‘But….’
‘You have the right to remain silent because anything you say here would be used against you in the court of law…’
Two of the police officers came forwards and dragged him. They placed a handcuffs on his hands and pushed him towards the van. He went gently, saying nothing to Jerry.
Jerry stared at the car, opened his mouth and closed it again as he wondered. He watched the black van turn and leave the compound. He moved back. Pastor Matthew had been taken. There was nothing he could than to go home and wait for Rachael but if she returned alone he would go after his wife, Rachael’s promise notwithstanding.
He should follow them but he would wait for his wife before taking any action. However, he thought it was wrong to leave Pastor Matthew, so he followed them. But he had to change course when he discovered a car was following him.

Ann2012:
See tension everywhere
Thanks for the update OP

It just got real...

wey my remote, wey my remote!! Who collect the damn thing i need to fast forward this to see sharp sharp the suspence dey too much. Uncle divepen1 i wanna say this is wonderful but then i realized that wonderful is an understatement..

I am loving this. Thanks for the update

Imagindat:
I am loving this. Thanks for the update

You're welcome boss...

germaphobe:
wey my remote, wey my remote!! Who collect the damn thing i need to fast forward this to see sharp sharp the suspence dey too much. Uncle divepen1 i wanna say this is wonderful but then i realized that wonderful is an understatement..

Thanks baba.. We gats buy battery for your remote..

Thanks for the update

Awwn, welcome to my hotel guys, our services are the best.


Wait, what happened to my Grace?

Welcome to my hotel guys, our services here are the best.

Wait, what happened to my Grace?

Divepen1:
Chapter 34
Confused

He felt like pulling the woman through the door and slapping her face for talking when he needed to save his wife.
‘Mama. Fifty thousand.’
‘What happened to fifty thousand’?
Jerry was tired of shouting over the door. His voice was cracking. He gently hit his head on the door. Heat of anger raced through his body.
‘I’ll give you fifty thousand.’
‘Where will you see it…?’
Jerry hit his fist and shook angrily. He felt like strangling this woman for wasting his time.
‘‘Madam, I’ll give you… I promise. How much is fifty thousand that I can’t afford?'
‘

Can't laugh jhor.




Jerry need to carm himself and listen to Rachel cuz i tink dey need good plan not that Jerry strong head.. ITK. Cuz Rachel knw their in and out..


OP washere jhor.. Ur head is dere..

skubido:



Can't laugh jhor.




Jerry need to carm himself and listen to Rachel cuz i tink dey need good plan not that Jerry strong head.. ITK. Cuz Rachel knw their in and out..


OP was here jhor.. Ur head is dere..

Help me tell am ooo... Hmmm...

Thanks boss

queenitee:
Awwn, welcome to my hotel guys, our services are the best.


Wait, what happened to my Grace?

thanks for more info...

Ann2012:
Thanks for the update

You're welcome...

Chapter 35
The End of Freedom
Jerry stood and ran towards the car that entered the compound of their hideout. He had been lucky to deceive his follower. When Rachael came out of the car, he was surprised. Grace was helping her into the house.
‘What happened to her?’
‘She was shot’, Grace said.
‘Chioma…. She sent men after me’, Rachael groaned, her bag dangling by her side. She held her lower lip with her teeth.
‘Chioma betrayed me. I’ll show her’.
Jerry stared at her and at Grace as if he was hearing that for the first time of his life as he looked at her and helped her inside. He looked about and felt the need to do more. So, he took a handkerchief and gave it to Grace.
‘Take this’, he said to Grace as her hand shook. He held her hand firmly to the cloth. ‘apply pressure to the injure part’.
She nodded severally and pressed the cloth hard against Rachael stomach.
‘I’m going out to get a doctor’. ‘
No… you can’t go…’
‘Why?’
‘They will follow you… Chief's men will follow you’, Racheal moaned.
‘Don’t worry’.
‘Bidemi’, Grace said as Jerry took the car key and went for the door, ‘Why are you bent on going? I don’t want to lose you again ‘
‘Do you want her to lose her baby…?’
Rachael and Grace looked the themselves. Then Grace looked at Rachael’s stomach ‘Do you mean you are pregnant? ‘
Rachael stared at Jerry.
‘I have to go…’
‘Jessica is coming, Bidemi…’ Grace said as she helped Racheal up from the ground to a chair.
‘Jessica is coming with a doctor... I mean she went to get a doctor’ Racheal said, her word coming out in a breathy state–‘.
A car drove into the compound and screeched to a halt. Jerry opened the door and widened his eyes as though his eyes would make the next events fast. Jessica led a man towards them. Her crazy jean trousers made her weird as usual and her face, though adorned in the antitragus earring style, looked as if she was haunted by the ghost of her ancestor’s enemy.
When they got inside to the door, Jessica removed the blindfold of a fat man and brought him forward. Martha held a bag and pointed a gun to the man’s head. They hurried the man past Jerry and headed towards Rachael.
Jessica cried and shook. ‘Oh! My Rachael’.
‘Jessy... No move near am. allow the doctor do in thing’ Martha said, casting a quick glance at Jerry. And gritted her teeth.
Jerry retreated as the doctor began to attend to her. ‘You should have brought her to the hospital instead of kidnapping me. I would have done it for her’.
‘Idiot! Who’s kidnapping you? Won’t we pay? We just didn't want you to start negotiating with us and there was no time to do any work. No time...Do your work and shut up your mousy mouth before I blow your head off’, Martha shouted at the doctor.
Even, Jerry felt his breathe stopped the moment because she said it all in one breathe. The Doctor bent over her after asking her to lie and tried to make the bleeding stop.
Jerry had a feeling in his throat as if he had a jagged stone within it. He swallowed and swallowed hard.
‘He did it’, Grace said, pointing at him.
Rachael became stabilized. After resting a bit, she took up her bottle of coffee
‘Mat. Help me pour some coffee into this bottle’ she gave Martha the bottle.
After drinking it, she looked at Grace for some time, cocked her head to a side, and frowned.
‘What happened...?’ Grace said.
‘Did Chioma or anybody do anything to you? I mean did they put anything?’
‘Who’s Chioma?
‘The fair foolish girl-‘Martha said.
Rachel sat straight, straining, and shouted.’ Did she put anything in your body?’
Grace stared at her and at Jerry and back to Racheal and nodded severally. She pointed to her left arm.
‘Oh no…Jessy… Take that hand and remove the chip. We need to leave here as fast as possible…’
Jessica moved towards her as though she had just seen her most irritating insect and must kill it.
’Let her remove it.’ Rachael said as Grace shifted back.
‘They’ve planted a chip in you that will give them a direction to where we are. Oh! Why did I not see this coming?’
‘Oh God! Jerry said, sighing.
‘There is no time for that right now’, Jessica shouted as she rushed to Rachael and lifted her. ‘They will be on to us any minute from now’
‘Then everybody should get out’, Rachael said, she said as she tried to get up. Martha was already by her side to help her stand aright. They rushed out of the room and into the car.
‘Rachael’ The others shouted as Rachael turned and limped towards the house.
‘What-?’ Jerry said.
‘My bottle of coffee’.
‘Are you for real?’ Jerry said, stood and saw her defiant look. He rushed for the bottle and came out to meet that the others had returned to help Rachael back towards the car.
He ran towards the ladies who were getting near the car. He took a side-glance at the ark and its workers. There was no one to supervise them. It looked as if the men weren’t aware that Pastor Matthew had been arrested and that he and Chioma wouldn't be around to supervise their work.
He ran towards the car that the others were running towards but changed his direction to the one Grace was running to. He preferred to be around his wife when anything happened to him than to be with another person. He was about to catch up with her when five black cars drove in, scuffling the sands and making Jerry cough as he covered his nose. He dove for the door and was about to open it when someone shot the handle of the car. He withdrew his hand in a haste. He turned to look at the shooter and saw it was Chioma. She was putting on a black bum short and a blue blouse. She smiled. And she blew the edge of the pistol she was holding.
She shook her head and grinned. ‘Don’t try it. You know,’ she turned to a guy with dreamy eyes. ‘I think I’m becoming rusty. I wanted the gun to touch the middle of that handle, it hit the side’.
Jerry rose, turned towards her, and kept staring at her.
‘Do we have all of them here’, she said as her men rounded all of them up.’ Good… Who want to deal with some idiot? I need someone to remove those idiots from the fruitless work they are doing, put the fear of God in them’.
She looked at a hefty guy. He grinned and a wicked smile took the place of the smile. He headed towards them. Chioma pointed at three other guys,’ follow him’.
Chioma turned to the dreamy guy and winked. He shot the hefty guy first, the bullet hit him on the back of the head, he yelled and slumped. Then he shot the others and didn’t miss their head even as they turned hurriedly.
‘Why… why…’ Martha shouted as she vibrated with anger. Her eyes roamed from the dead guys to Chioma to the guy with the dreamy look and then back to the dead guys and back to Chioma.
‘What…. What…?’
‘Oh! Those ones, they are the fools that still see Chief as the evil of this world’.
She laughed loudly and pointed at Rachael, ‘that’s the evil of this world.’
Jerry swallowed hard as he watched the expression changed and their head towards Rachael.
‘All these things you are seeing... All the ideas I got and the one I used to help chief build this world. The one I used to start world war III, she gave me because she doesn’t have the guts to do it herself because she wanted to remain a saint’.
Everyone except Jerry turned to Rachael, she cringed from their eyes.
‘Do you mean she wrote the cause of the things happening in the world?' The Doctor asked.
Chioma turned to him.’ Who are you?’ She said, disgusted.
The doctor shook like a leaf.’ I’m a doctor. ‘
‘You are a doctor’.
She shot him.
‘You are crazy’, Jerry shouted as the fat man landed on the dry bare floor. Jerry was infuriated that he rose from his kneeling position and ran towards Chioma, one of the assassins shot him, but Martha, who wanted to stop him, saw the assassin trying to shoot Jerry.
She pushed him away. Jerry stopped on his track. His body stiffened. Everything went silent. He looked at his body expecting himself to fall in pain, adding to the pain from the previous gunshot. He shouted as he saw blood gushing out Martha’s eyes. She had taken the hit for him. She was breathing hard as blood gushed out of her eyes.
The others, not minding the guns pointed at them, rushed to her side. She was panting and blood was rushing from her eye to the floor.
She touched Jerry’s cheek. 'You're a special man'.
She stopped breathing.
‘No….’ Jessica cried. The others also shouted.
Jerry wished he could be the one dead at that time so that he wouldn't see what he was seeing or stop thinking of the number of people that were willing to die for him.
‘Round them up’, Chioma said, her feet wide apart. ‘Get up, everyone. We’re going to my dynasty’.
‘My father’s dynasty’.
Chioma laughed. ‘You are still the arrogant fool you are. I will be putting your father in the same prison as you’.
Rachael stared at her bottle of coffee. Chioma went to the bottle. And she kicked it away.
‘uhhh… Tut…Tut… You’re going to be missing your coffee for a long time’.
The men forced them up and they headed for Chief’s house. Although Jerry didn’t like Chief, if Chioma became the owner of everything, then there would be much trouble. He looked back as he sighted the men going to meet the men working on the ark. The sky rumbled and little cloud formed.

Ah Martha, Martha, rest in perfect peace.
Please where's the chioma I know? Chioma my lover, warrapend?
Kukuma let's all go to chief together. Btw, please release our pastor abi who will be in charge of crossover tomorrow?

queenitee:
Ah Martha, Martha, rest in perfect peace.
Please where's the chioma I know? Chioma my lover, warrapend?
Kukuma let's all go to chief together. Btw, please release our pastor abi who will be in charge of crossover tomorrow?

Chioma... she was a very good girl .

Tanks for the update

Hmmmmm... Interesting

Thanks for the update

Ann2012:
Hmmmmm... Interesting
Thanks for the update

You're welcome...

so touched by martha's last words "you're a very special man". But this chioma na something else oo

skubido:
Tanks for the update

You're welcome..

germaphobe:
so touched by martha's last words "you're a very special man". But this chioma na something else oo

As in.. Real something else

Chioma

Not what I thought but..

Xclusive all The Same..
More Grace
More Funds
And Unlimited divine Inspiration

Well done Divepen1
Continue the great work

Well done Divey,now drop ur pen,write no more.Go focus on your MODERATOR job,so I dont take ur place wen u get sacked

LightQueen:
Well done Divepen1
Continue the great work

Thanks ..

Eberechi24:
Chioma

Chai.. Na Once cause am...

nastynic:
Not what I thought but..
Xclusive all The Same.. More Grace More Funds And Unlimited divine Inspiration

Amemmm..
What did you think..

Divepen1:
Amemmm..

What did you think..

I thought the Chief would Maintain being a villain,Chioma would stop Bugging Jerry and Stick to the Side of the Assassin that saved her..
But Fuuuuck that
Your Storyline is Better, predicting a Literary piece and watching it unfold as Predicted is a Huge Turnoff for me..
There is this Rush of adrenaline that comes with an Explicit Suspense, Painstakingly crafted by the Author that always keeps me Enchanted to that Piece..
The feeling can be likened to an Ogasmic-bliss
Thanks for This interesting Piece Bruh...

nastynic:


I thought the Chief would Maintain being a villain,Chioma would stop Bugging Jerry and Stick to the Side of the Assassin that saved her..
But Fuuuuck that
Your Storyline is Better, predicting a Literary piece and watching it unfold as Predicted is a Huge Turnoff for me..
There is this Rush of adrenaline that comes with an Explicit Suspense, Painstakingly crafted by the Author that always keeps me Enchanted to that Piece..
The feeling can be likened to an Ogasmic-bliss
Thanks for This interesting Piece Bruh...

I'm happy to have met your expectations..

Chapter 36
Saved by Cage
They drove into the compound. Jerry expected them to stop but they didn’t. Instead, when they got to the other fence of the house the walls opened, they were taken into a prison with 10 cells.
Jessica was pushed into the first one. Rachael was put in the last. Jerry was placed in the cell that was between Rachael’s and Grace’s cells.
He was angry; he shook the gate until he was tired. He shouted until his voice cracked. Now, there was no one to help matters.
After some minters alone, Jerry felt bad and searched around for what he could pour his anger on. He turned to every part of the cell but there was no part to talk to. He needed to pour the words of his heart to someone, he was tired of all the trouble he had faced since he woke.
‘Grace, can you hear me…?’
‘Bidemi…. Are you okay?’
‘Yes.... Yes…’
‘That means Rachael can hear me… Why did you do it? Why did you plan such ludicrous things? You didn’t use that your smart- rather, foolish brain- to build the world. You were dreaming of dominating the world. If you wanted to dominate the world, you would have gone to America for long and become their president. Now, your foolish brain had given power to wicked people’.
‘Bidemi, that’s enough’, Grace shouted from the other side.’ You can’t blame her for everything. Do you know what she had faced? What she had faced even for you?’
‘For me…? If she had not planned evil, maybe I wouldn’t be in trouble right now. Who know sh…’He said but had to stop as the gate that led to their cell opened.
‘Ah! Jessica, you’re a disgrace. You betrayed me. You are a useless child. You are worthless', Chief said from the passage.
Jerry wondered why Jessica couldn’t tell her father to run away or to do something because Chioma had plans to kill him.
‘Where are the others?’
‘Baami…’ Jessica called. ‘I have to tell you something, and it’s urgent’.
‘Gbe gbogbo enu soun’, he shouted,’ shut up your mouth… What does her jero have to say. Awe let me see those other fools…’
Chief stopped and hissed. Then he got to Bidemi’s place and looked at him scornfully.’ After all the running, we still catch you… Idiot’, he said and moved to Rachael.
‘Fool…. You –‘
Jerry stared at him through the bar and saw that the assassin beside him was holding a gun to his back. He smiled at Chief.
‘Baba.... No try any funny thing ooo. Na gun dey my hand so. If you try any foolish thing, I go shoot you,.’
‘Emi ma ni… I’m the person.... I’m Chief ooo’, Chief shouted and tried to turn. His big stomach made Jerry wonder if it was the belly directing Chief
‘Baba… no move ooo’
‘Chioma...You are looking at me like television ni… Tell this foolish guy to remove the gun from my back…’
‘Aww… I think it will be good to always stick gun to your back. You called my real name at last…’
‘Fool… Is Chioma … Your real name?’ Chief said as the assassins pushed him into the cell. 'You're just living a life I gave you. I made you survive…'
'What are you talking about?' Chioma asked.
‘Are you children mad? The thing I build myself, with my money. I’ll kill all of you, I swear to God… ‘
‘If you won’t talk, I'll make you. I intended killing you but there's a lot of time. See ya…’ Chioma flapped her fingers.
And just like Jerry, Chief shouted and raved but nothing happened.
When the ray of the sun began to go off, Jerry wondered if he would ever see outside. So, he looked for an iron and marked the wall. Rachael was on the on the other side, moaning. Jerry was angry at her. She acted foolishly. She should have....
He shook his head.’ Grace, are you alright?’
‘Yes…’
‘We’ll be fine… It’s alright.’ He turned to the other side, ‘Rachael’.
‘Bidemi, leave her alone…’
‘Rachael… You wrote this plan right? Do you know the next thing on agenda…?’
‘This wasn't part of the plan. She added a few tweaks, ones I did not see coming.’
Jerry nodded.
‘I’ll kill her when I get outside… ‘Jessica shouted from her cell.
The door opened. Jerry strained to hear what the person that entered would do.
Three hefty men came in and went to Chief’s cell. Two of them lifted Chief amidst his shout. The third person began to flog him.
‘Leave him alone’, Jessica shouted from her corner. ‘Leave him alone’.
Jerry watched with wonder as the men kept on flogging Chief despite the wringing. The door opened, Chioma entered, and Jessica shouted at her. When she got to Jerry’s place, she blew him a kiss and went to Chief’s place.
‘Drop him’.
The men dropped Chief. He was crying, and shaking.
‘Ehya… I feel for you but you’ve done so much evil that I can’t even do half of what you’ve done, and that’s making me angry. Now, tell me what you know about me. I'm really curious'.
Chief refused to talk.
'Chief, this is how you will be flogged daily but to help matters, you will be getting fifteen strokes until you talk’.
All the prisoners shouted.
‘Oh! I’m too kind, I know. Okay, it seems this people do not like the fifteen strokes, let’s make it twenty....’
The prisoners, including Jerry, shouted.
‘They just say it’s too small, make it twenty-five per day’.
Nobody talked.
‘Now, that’s what we are saying…. Good children….And Erm… Rachael for your info, Once is dead. Yes… He’s dead. I killed him. And before I killed him, I removed his organ of reproduction. So, when you die, tell him, I send my regards’.
‘Go to hell…’
‘That's…That’s trespassing. Hell is your inheritance, why should I come there to greet him. I’m a heavenly candidate. Bidemi would have gone to heaven too but because he is not a committed Christian. He has had affairs outside marriage, a lot. So, I’m the only holy person here. That fool over there uses drugs…’
‘How did you know?’ Rachael asked with a weak voice.
‘I know everything except the ones you hid from me, but the ones you refused to hide from me, I know…’
‘Okay. Even if you’ll put me here, just a bottle of coffee’, Rachael said, cutting her off.
‘On your death bed’.
'C'mon. My gouts will be back'.
'Yes. Her gouts will be back', Grace said.
'Nah… Tut..Tut', Chioma said and walked off.
‘I’ll Kill you … I promise… I’ll kill you’, Racheal shouted with all of her strength.
Chioma laughed hysterically and lifted her head as she moved out of the room. After she got to a place, she laughed loudly. Jessica shouted. Chioma laughed louder. And the door banged.
Outside, the cloud had disappeared again.