Bleeping extra ordinary story.

Soul, please show!
Please....

While we wait for Soul to continue with this story, don't forget starting your business could be easier than you thought. Attend our seminar to get started www.mentornigeria.com

Souloho19 for president

I should've just waited till 2020 before reading this story so I can read till the end....waiting for updates on "the devil wears okrika" almost gave me hypertension now this is happening again

souloho19:
::::::::::
According to the instructions, the first step was to mark out the intended area with a chalk. It seemed Beatrice or whatever her name was had typed the message herself, she was terrible with spellings and found a way to shorten every word to maximum of 3 letters.

Tonye didn't have any chalk, but one thing she did have was her lipstick. In a small purse which contained her driver's license and cash.

She had to climb the bed, and lie down horizontally to figure out where exactly to draw the hole. She was going for a head shot. One bullet should be enough for what she had in mind...bug only if executed well. For a second she considered knocking on the door and blowing him to bits as soon as he opened up.

That would also be effective and she won't need to go through the stress of the hole and what not. But then again it wasn't just about killing him. It was about making a statement. Not just a statement, one with a big exclamation mark also.

The m.o of the first kill had been symbolic enough, killed through the hole in the wall. And even though they hadn't known the significance then, now she had an idea how big killing the first minister via a hole in the wall would be. The hole had struck them with power and crippled Brota terribly. So many lives had been lost and were still hanging in the balance, Andy for instance...no one knew the latest news from the hospital.

Killing the first minister wouldn't just be a counter strike, but a bullet in the head to the figurative head and brains of the hole. Of course a stake to the heart would have been better, but sir Holly or whatever his name was surely going to get it. He was the heart and soul of the organization after all.

She glanced at her watch frequently...taking note of the 30 minute window she had before the arrival of the call girl. When she was sure she had the right spot (slightly above the headboard) marked, she used her lipstick to draw a big circle.

The second instruction was to apply phosphoric acid on the wall and leave for hours. Tonye frowned a bit and scrolled down, prepared to hit the home button and call or consult Google. However she saw an alternative instruction and wondered why she didn't think of it earlier.

Phosphoric acid was an oxidizing agent used to give coke the tangy flavour. Colas were actually more acidic than lemon and vinegar altho the vast amount of sugar helped mask and balance the acidity. In bracket was the suggestion to heat coke with the explanation that more phosphorus is produced by heating the calcium phosphate. ..

Well there wasn't any hot plate, kettle, stove or gas in the room but there was a dispenser. Hot and cold water, the 20 litre gallon was half full and she removed it and placed it face down in the wash hand basin till all the water had drained. Then she made a call to room service for a litre bottle of coke....and ice....and a bottle of wine. She was cajoled into adding the latter two because she got the hint she'll wait a long time if she ordered for just one coke.

She checked her watch again....she had a little over 20 minutes more.
Room service was swift, as she had guessed. She paid the lady cash, responded to the discreet cough with a 100 naira tip and quickly turned the contents of the litre bottle into the bigger bottle of the dispenser. The red button for the hot switch was on and she guessed in the next ten minutes it will be hot enough...at least upwards of 70°

The 3rd instruction was going to be quite a challenge...she had never heard of a circular saw with a 7 inch diamond blade before. But she had an idea of how she could get it.
Bami had also suggested it, she knew he was responsible for the bracket explanations...he was just so sweet.

She would also need a gun. Tonye was partial to Berettas and had to leave hers in the glove compartment of the ambulance she drove to the airport. But with the right amount of cash, one could get anything at anytime, anywhere. You just had to know your way round the dark web. And as a forner government intelligence agent, she still had lots of connects and skills she employed in her Brota work frequently.
She entered a website, on her phone, and when she right clicked the logo three times, another window opened. The first was a popular sponsored bet ad page. She closed the tab and tripple clicked the logo again..this time a well known gossip blog, she closed it yet again. On the fourth try, the opened window loaded what looked like a general chat room...she navigated from the sexual themed group to the section she was likely to find what she sought. This one was a totally different type of bad.
After hinting what she wanted, she got multiple personal reply requests and enaged a handful, screening based on location and amount demanded. Until she had a handful, then she requested to see pictures and compared with the downloaded ones from Google. She selected the most impressive one and beat down the pirice to 150 thousand. That was one thing with people. Once they sensed you were in urgent need of what they had, they looked to take advantage. Although the man kept emphasizing on the late night delivery risk for the saw.
Glancing at her watch in dismay, she hit up her usual weapons contact. Although she hadn't needed anything from him in years. He replied immediately, these people were as nocturnal as koalas.
Getting a Beretta M9 to the island from the extreme mainland where he was located would take too much time. However, one of his boys was in Surulere and could deliver a weapon in about an hour. It wasn't a Beretta however but a colt....colt45.
"Well I'll be damned...a colt45. Was also the murder weapon from the first scene.
Tonye placed her order then hurried out the room to the elevator to intercept the incoming guest.

::::::::::
There was pandemonium in the house the minute Utebo shared the devastating news from the phone call; The house was on fire.
Martha sparked the confusion when she fainted upon hearing the news. Through out the day and infact ever since she learnt of Emma's kidnapping, her pulse had never really settled down. She seemed to have been in a state of worry so deep, it held held her in a hypertensive state. Seeing their mother faint and slide to the door was too much for Utebo and Cynthia to take and both sisters gave startled shouts and screams, "Jesus!" "Mummy!"
Alli had his heart so far up his throat he could practically spit blood. Thankfully, Martha was revived with few drops of water and Alli rushed to his phone where it still lay on the floor. The call was still on and the man was still talking. Alli recognized the voice belonged to their neighbour on the right, Pa Ayewa. He was still blabbering excitedly ...."two trucks! Two trucks! The thing is still burning! I'm just hoping breeze will not carry-"
"Wait....hold on....is anybody there?"
"What....yes of course the fire service trucks are here..they brought to trucks and they-"
"No I mean...no one was around.."
"No of course not....the person would have shouted since or run out before it got to this stage. Hmmmm..."
"What is it?"
"There's a car parked near the fence...that long car that look like limo, it's in front but nobody is inside. I can't see the driver anywhere...I even thought he had driven his boss back only to see the car now.
Pa Ayewa was an observant or nosy neighbour. It depended on your view or tolerance. Alli didn't care either way, he had just confirmed to him Rex was in the house. Or maybe he had abandoned the car or swapped vehicles.
Swapped the stretch with what? He asked himself.
In times of distress, the greatest favour one can do for himself is to be blunt.
"Alli what is it?" Jimmy asked him as he placed the bowl of water on a table. Martha was now sitting up, steadying her breath and sipping from the tea mug. Alli knew she was steadying her nerves to ask the next question, where is Rex?
He watched his phone screen briefly as the call went to voicemail yet again. His son's line wasn't going through. "I need to go home."
"I'll come with you."his friend said
"No you should stay...it's not safe for the head to abandon his house in the dead of the night..." He looked at the worried faces. They were all in shock, worried and pretty much scared. And they looked to him for the next step.
"Errr...you...Carl..."
"Clyde..."
"Clyde let's drive to the house and see what's really happening.." he struggled to keep his voice calm, looking at his wife as she stared at him. Cynthia was still patting down her brow with a warm towel.
"I'll come with you." The other lady (Kirsten) got up from her chair after the announcement.
Alli wanted to object at first but on secomd thought, he didn't see any reason to.

He looked at Olivia. She sat alone, the wheelchair a little to the side away from the 3 seater where the other Obasi sisters sat, nursing and fussing over their mother. Alli saw the fear in her eyes, and for a second he could feel the love his son and Olivia shared. It was powerful....and achingly beautiful.
He smiled assuringly at her, "the neighbour says Rex car is there, once I get there I'll call immediately so you can all speak to him."
Olivia nodded gratefully.
Hope was also very powerful.

::::::::::::
Bami went to the gate house to activate the deactivated alarm system once more. Sticky brain matter was splattered all over the screen. And he hit the shortcut command key from memory as his vision was impaired. After which he exited the gate house and joined Sparrow to study the damaged gate in silence. Two vans were parked against the gate, blocking the open space from the damaged bars.
"I'm thinking we should fix remote controlled explosives under the van. That was if we catch any movement from the cameras we'll detonate the bomb."
"There'll be no need for that....they aren't coming again." Sparrow said
"What do you mean...how do you know?"
"I just do...trust me no one is coming to attack again this night...let's just keep watch and bunk down for the night. We all need to get some rest.
"Okay I'll forget the bomb....let's go in, and have your wound properly dressed.
The mood in Brota was still a very gloomy one. Bami hadn't said anything about the shocking news Tonye had given him. As a matter of fact, after she said it the first time and he called back to clarify since he obviously didn't hear her right she had ignored the part and started about the hole in the wall. With a racing pulse, Bami had cowardly let it slide. His wife was stressed, she had travelled a lot in the past couple of days and had been in the thick of things, right here in Lagos and now in Benue. She was definitely stressed and hallucinating about the Rex dying scenario. Pffft...Rex dead? Rex couldn't die, it was absurd.
Milking the instructions for creating the hole from Beatrice had engaged his mind for the next few minutes until he hit send and began to wonder why they were about to murder someone. It was murder no matter how you looked at it.
Then the answer began to make him sweat. Revenge. It was a revenge killing.

Now he whispered to Sparrow....even though just the two of them were outside.
"When Tonye called me earlier, she told me that...." He looked away and paced a little bit. His lips quivered and he couldn't seem to being himself to speak.
Sparrow waited him out. Understanding and looking straight ahead, but listening.
"She told me Rex was dead."
There. It was out in the open. And saying it was a very big deal for Bami because it meant subconsciously he had accepted it even if he still chose the temporal respite of denial.
Sparrow didn't say anything for a long while then he looked at Bami, who was strangely looking at him, eager to hear something. "I'm sorry." He said.
That was even worse. "Sorry? Are you mad? It's obviously a like...or a mistake, she's under a lot of stress over there which is why she's making such errors. She couldn't even tell me where she heard it from."
Sparrow looked at him, there was no skepticism on his face, neither was there any doubt or pity. He was extremely conscious of that.
"Okay, I've heard you."
"Good...let's go in, it's getting cold."

.::::::::::::::
Inside, Beatrice had been gearing to leave. She had some how mobilized Ada and the latter was prepared to leave with her.
Bami and Sparrow met Dagnet trying to convince both women to stay till the next morning.
"It's too dangerous, it's better to wait till things settle down in the morning."
"Unlike you people no one knows where I live. I'm hudred percent sure they're not aware of my. Existence..unlike the lots of you they know everything about. The price of Fame, remember?"
"What are you talking about? I'm also a cop with a secure place but it would be extremely selfish if-"
"Then go home...you don't have the right to force anyone to stay just because you're staying....and don't you mean ex cop?
"What's going on here?" Bami asked as he entered with Sparrow.
"Ada and I are leaving. Whatever is going on here, you guys can handle it. When you're ready for action we'll talk about the plan Mr X had before you guys frustrated him to suicide..."
"Ada..." Bami interrupted, "you're going with her?"
No reply.
"Why don't you speak to your dad first, he called earlier and I'm sure he'll want to speak with you now that you're back and fine."
No reply.
Bami shrugged. Right now he was past caring. Everyone was responsible for his/her decisions. He still refused to believe the Rex news, (he didn't even permit himself to think the word Rex and death in the same context.)

::::::::::::
Tonye purposely looked down as she walked past the lobby of the hotel. She was conscious of all the cameras at different angles and had scoped it all out the first time she entered the hotel.
If everything went according to plan, tomorrow there were going to be policemen and crime scene officials swarming round the hotel, poring through the video tapes. When they check the records and discover one Fathia Adams had lodged in the room next to the deceased.
She was already thinking of him as the deceased. He was as good as dead.
She chose a good vantage point, where she could observe the coming and goings, checking each car and person that got too close to the lobby.
Then she saw a particular car and just had the hunch it was Uber. True enough a young, voluptuous woman stepped out of the car, and after making payment, headed towards the entrance. She had a bag that was larger than the avergae hand bag and Tonye guessed was filled with all manner of intimacy gadgets.
Just before she could reach the main entrance, Tonye intercepted her.
"Room 498?"
She was shocked obviously...she looked frightened for a second then seeing Tonye, seemed to calm down. "Yes..."
Tonye held her hand and dragged her a little forcibly out of the camera range.
"Do you have a handcuff in that bag?"
She nodded, the frightened look was returning. It had dawned on her that this woman may not be on her side after all.
Tonye let her see the badge. It glinted in the night.
"This is what you're going to do...."

To be continued. .

My people while I clean up the thread...you may need to refresh your memory with the last update. My sincere apologies for the delay. Jah bless

souloho19:


My people while I clean up the thread...you may need to refresh your memory with the last update. My sincere apologies for the delay. Jah bless

Welcome back!

Permit me to ask, did you take a break for personal reasons or something came up?

Alli was behind the wheel and he tore down the road like a speedster, eating up the tarred road like a concrete snack.

Clyde was in the passenger seat whileKirsten was in the back. None of them said any word. Neither did Alli no joy. He was stone silent apart from a grinding sound as he crushed his teeth together with intensity.

When they got near the neighborhood, they could see the thick black smoke still rising high into the night sky, however as they got closer it was obvious the fire service had the fire under control.
There was a small crowd huddled to the corner shaking their head in pity, and silently thanking God the fire hadn't spread to their homes.
Alli parked to the side and hurried out of the car. He had kept on dialing his son's number but he wasn't getting any connection.

He noticed his neighbor who had called to alert them about the fire. Alli tapped him on his shoulder.

The man turned around, "Ah...oga Alli...oooh sorry o...."

"Wetting cause the fire?" Alli asked observing the house.

Only the kitchen was still burning fiercely, the rest had been extinguished or about to.

"We don't know...me I just heard people shouting fire and I ran outside and called you immediately."

Alli nodded, "thanks for that....errm have you seen my son?"

"No I've not seen him..its like nobody was at home and they left something on, which started the fire."

Not satisfied, Alli drifted away from the man.

Clyde and Kirsten had come down from the car but they remained standing behind the open doors, watching the burnt house with trepidation. They had been there just hours ago. Slept there the previous night....

One of the firemen who remained by the truck, constantly adjusting and readjusting the pressure valve glanced at Alli as he approached.

"You need to stay back sir...you're not allowed to be this close during-"

"I need to go in there...I think someone is trapped in there..."

That caught his attention. He stopped his fiddling and straightened up. "who?"

"My....son....it's my house"

"Sir I assure you there was no shout for help from inside if not we would have gone in immediately. If he was trapped he would have raised the alarm or -"

Again Alli interrupted him impatiently. "Do you know how long it took you to get here...do you know how deadly that smoke is? It's even deadlier than the fire and can choke someone unconscious. How will someone who is unconscious be able to raise alarm?"

"I can assure you sir our response time is one of the best nationwide-"

"This is a fuckin waste of time." Alli charged past the truck and towards the house. The kitchen was now under control and the fire seemed to have been totally defeated. Yet the four firemen cointinued aiming their hoses through the windows....like they planned to extinguish even the smoke.

The man who was apparently the fire captain ran after him. "Okay wait! I'll send my men in right now...they are geared up for this kind of scenario. You just hold on"

Alli paused. Truth be told he could feel the heat even from this distance. The smoke had already begun to sting his eyes also.

"Hey Hey.... Nankling you and Fredo go in for a thorough sweep, it's possible we got trapped Vic's." The captain shouted at the firemen.

The pair snapped off their hose, hoisted helmets and charged into the house. One of them held a fire extinguisher in case of small bouts of flame still inside the house. The other held a small axe to hack down any obstacles.

Alli paced worriedly then he picked up the hose from the floor. It was heavy and he struggled to set the aim and perfect the arch but then it felt lighter suddenly. Clyde had come from behind and hefted the remaining length up. Alli opened the valve and the water gushed out.

There was no more fire to put off anymore and it felt like a futile effort to rinse the dark sooth off the blackened walls, still they kept aiming the gushing water at the house.

Finally the captain shut off the main supply valve from the truck.

Alli glared accusingly at him.
Although it was clear they were just wasting water, it was deeper than that for him. This was his house, he had built it from scratch....literally. He had been involved in every brick laying due to his skills as a civil contractor. It was a big blow to his heart to see the house he and Martha had started their family in such a state.

But then one of the firemen came back out. Even under the mask he was sweating profusely. He took off his helmet hurriedly then took a deep breath. "There's a body in the house...around the dinning area. Totally burnt without recognition....it's strange, but it seems the fire started from him and spread to the rest of the house because of the state it's in compared to the rest of the house furniture. It's like...he was doused in gasoline."


:::::
Lagos (Brota Hq)

After Ada and Beatrice left, Bami drove the two trucks to block the damaged portion of the gate again. He was still numb in shock since the news. So caught up that he had forgotten the promise he made himself to arrest Beatrice and make her pay for all what she had put them through with the kidnapping saga. But he had let them go. His mind was so caught up on his Buddy and wishing he was alive and there was some kind of mistake, nothing else mattered.

He re-entered Brota after reactivating the security system. It was more or less an alarm system now as there had been considerable damage.

Sparrow and Dagnet were in the lobby, he had his arm around her and she was leaning on his shoulder. She had been through a lot. They had all been through a lot....she had been flung around a couple of times from the force field of explosives, while Sparrow had been shot in his gut...
Same with Bami although he had been saved by his Kevlar

When Dagnet had inquired worriedly about Sparrow's bullet wound he had assured her...stating his "Qi" was much too potent to be snuffed by a bullet.

Bami remembered running around frantically to stop the bleeding and disinfecting the wound with liquor. He said nothing however, he was beat...mentally and emotionally. He still held on to a tiny hope that Rex was alive.

Rex was like a cat with 9 lives. He had faced the almighty shadows, taken them down, taken down assassins and faced several deadly situations and come out unscathed. Like a cat with 9 lives.

He nodded assuredly as his thoughts took hold. Rex was alive, definitely.
But then another morbid thought crossed his mind; a cat had 9 lives....9. Not infinity, 9 was the limit.

A shiver ran through his spine as he strolled into the corridor to the kitchen,followed by S.s and his family before Dagnet and Sparrow.

He entered the code on the microwave and the hidden door slid open to p and they all filed in.

The walls were padded and on the other side was a password digit box. Bami entered the combination and the door slid shut.
Short Sam and his wife looked around in awe. Two sofas, a 2 seater, a flat screen television, with decoders and even a PlayStation console. There was a sink on one side beside a cabinet and drawers filled with snacks and canned food. Then there was a 7 foot double door fridge. Opposite was a small door with the toilet sign.

At the extreme end of the bunker was a couple of roll up camp beds.
The place was quite humid but it was fast changing as the a/c was put on full blast.

"Why didn't we come here straight when the attack started." S.s mused

"It was all very sudden, they managed to infilterate the premises through a well known affiliate." Bami explained

Bami was still busy with his phone, trying the hospital, trying to reach Jimoh and find out about Andy.
There was also no connection.

He faced an internal battle as apprehension grew. He could wait till morning...then go check up on Andy immediately....but what if....oh shit...they couldn't afford to lose Andy....he almost added (too)

Bigelow...Buzz.....God rest their souls. Despite his earlier betrayal Buzz had fought bravely with them.

He was aware he didn't add Rex to the list. That was because Rex Obasi was still alive. And no, he wasn't in denial.

::::::

The first minister took a swig from his drink. He was worried he hadn't gotten feedback on the Brota strike. But then again there was plenty reason to celebrate. Rex was dead. Which could finally persuade sir Holly to let the family be.
"I'm not a bad person....Rex was just a necessity...he kept on digging too close...atleast I kept the family safe by my orchestration....I'm not cold blooded...I'm a good man..."
He spoke to himself softly, sitting on the chair and staring at the wall mirror. He seemed to be trying to convince himself he was indeed a "good man"
When the knock sounded he burped loudly. He was already halfway drunk. "Who...(hic) who is it?"
The voice was sexy and purred reply was, "batgirl"
"Oh yes...about time you showed..."
He yanked the door hurriedly and licked his lips hungrily as his eyes almost fell off.
"Oh just what I imagined...come in come in...have a drink..."

The lady walked in quickly. And dropped her bag on the floor. She shrugged out of her trench coat a bit too quickly revealing a red lingerie that had him licking his lips like a hungry dog that just stumbled on a pot of biscuit bones.
"There's plenty of time for that later...but bat girl needs some good cobtact baby." She dragged him roughly to the bed seeing he looked like he was about to complain it was going too fast...she hadn't even worn the mask yet.
She silenced him with a deep kiss. And he smiled like a kid when she pulled away. He quickly tore away his Robe and underwear and voluntarily lay on the bed and offered his hands to be handcuffed to the head board.
She quickly removed a pair of handcuffs from her bag, after digging in for some seconds and removing several devices.
She sashayed over to the bed, making sure to feed his lustful eyes with her exaggerated curve not
She straddled him on the bed and handcuffed his left hand to the head board...she licked his neck and bit his ear a bit...making him shudder. "Honey you're in for a real surprise..." She purred
She snapped the second handcuff to his wrist and the headboards and her countenance changed immediately.
She straightened, got down from the bed and picked her coat from the floor and shrugged into it. She dug into her bag and picked up a red ball with an elastic strap.
"Hey hey hey... what are you doing? What's going on?" He asked frowning with worry as he started to recognize her intent.
This was sure going to shut him up. She pulled the elastic past his head but he kept his mouth shut, refusing to open it so she wouldn't stuff the ball in. She solved the problem by grabbing his balls and squeezing. He yelped and she released the ball, the elastic sent the ball straight to his mouth and it sure would have shattered his teeth if she had aimed for it.
She stared at him for a full ten seconds then without uttering a word, she picked her bag and exited the room, closing the door gently she placed the 'do not disturb' sign the cop lady had given her outside on the door knob.
She walked down the corridor and into the elevator. She was a single mom with 2 kids. Whatever she had to do to prevent an arrest she was going to do it. Besides she had been paid handsomely.

::::::::
From the shadows, Tonye watched the lady exit the hotel doors, she had a Uber waiting for her as promised and the woman hurried towards the car.

The operation seemed so flawless that Tonye almost didn't want to spoil it by speaking but she had to confirm.
"Is it done?" She called out

The call girl jumped, startled. "Yes...just as you said."

"Good...not a word, remember"

She nodded vigorously and hurried into the waiting car.
Tonye watched the car drive away and stepped back into the shadows. Her phone was in eye Care mode so the glare wasn't bright and would be barely visible from anyone far off.
She accessed the web page and reloaded the chat page once more. Her gun was fifteen minutes away...the saw 30.

She would wait. That way the Coke in the dispenser would bubble more and be closer to boiling point when she would need it.


:::::::::

At the Apapa General hospital, pandemonium had ensured for hours. The explosive hadn't been massive enough to shake the over 3 story building but still the whole hospital was shaken.

The young man who had the misfortune of opening the envelope had died instantly. Half of his face had been blown away and it was a really really really really graphic image.

Jimoh, a young man of only 24 had been killed on the spot. Maybe, just maybe if he hadn't been inquisitive...maybe if he had dropped the envelope in an uninterested manner, flinging the so called "get well soon" letter on the edge of the chair, the weight of the explosive would have toppled the envelope over to the floor. Causing the bomb to explode on contact with the floor. From that angle, the explosion wouldn't have been as potent. Maybe he would have lost a leg, maybe both legs but he would live.
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

All maybies.

Reality is often disappointing, and in a snap, Jimoh had opened the seal and curiosity had killed the cat.

In the inner room, a couple of feet from Jimoh's corpse, Andy sat, staring out the window at the corpse of his colleague in horror. He had somehow managed to sit up and had his back against the wall. There was a male nurse attending to him, taping the needle to his forearm to administer the drip.

There was another doctor and for a doctor he looked like he was about to vormit. The corpse was graphic. Very graphic. Thankfully Andy's view of the corpse was obscured but still he wondered...

The Doctor rushed into Andy's room, grabbed a sheet from the second bed and hurried out of the room.

Trying his best to avert his eyes from the face, (or remaining face) he covered up the dead body with the sheet and shouted at a nurse who was gaping in horror from the doorway.
"Go get Suleman to take this to the morgue!"

Andy was still in a kind of daze. As a matter of fact he had been in a kind of daze ever since the explosion had gone off and claimed the reporter's life. There had been some kind of shrill sonic beep that refused to go off when the bomb had gone off.

At first it had just been the ringing in his ear...now as a matter of fact it was closer than that...more personal...like, it kept tickling his brain all the way from his ear drum.

And then just when it seemed to get a little better, another bomb had gone off.
A brother couldn't even catch a break.

As Andy watched the doctor fuse over him, he knew it would be so easy to give in. To cave into the insanity. There would be no turning back if he did but he'll find respite in craziness.
The offer was tempting. He closed his eyes and cocked his head a little, as if to hear the suggestion clearly from the imaginary pitch fork wielding, devil on his shoulder.

But then he had the flashes....images playing in his mind like a kaleidoscope....his mother, Monna, Rex, Bami, Olivia, Jimoh, Tonye, Helen....Helen.

The Article they had been working on was saved in a flashdrive in a....in a....in the kitchen....in a...tin.." he grimaced as he struggled to remember everything. And he did; It was a Danish cookies tin on a cupboard in the kitchen.

He still had to go on. He had to keep pushing, keep living. It wasn't for his sake anymore.

So he opened his eyes and was surprised to see the doctor's lips moving. The man was looking at him expectantly as he spoke, probably waiting for the feedback for whatever he was asking about.

Andy couldn't hear anything. He heard nothing but the Sonic beep.

Nickshrapnel:
Permit me to ask, did you take a break for personal reasons or something came up?

Bro something came up, that literally choked me. On that note, I'll be inviting you guys for my book launch soon

Jeez
I cannot believe ds is you.
Good to have yu bak.

Gracias muchas

Benue {Obasi residence}


Alli no joy was in his late sixties. He was still in considerable outstanding physical condition. Although the prime years of his physicality had been in his 40's and even 50's. He had been quite a beast then.

He had never had a stroke, heart attack or any life threatening illness. The most serious ailment he ever had was a bout of food poisoning. Which somehow had excluded Martha even though they ate virtually the same thing. He had spent the better part of the day holed up in the toilet. The fact that event was the most severe I'll moment in his memory spoke volumes. Alli was in charge of his body. He wasn't extra conscious about what he ate or even bothered about excercise. It was just how and who he was. He wasn't hypertensive, Martha was the jumpy one and her earlier fainting had really affected him. It still affected him till now.

Now as the fireman made the revelation about the body they had discovered, he experienced a certain sensation like he was falling from 20 stories. At the same time his pulse was raising so fast it felt, like he was being levitated. It was a funny feeling, falling upwards.

Something had to give and it did. Alli doubled over, clutching his chest and fell to the ground.

::
Kirsten was really worried. She didn't really know exactly what was happening, in the sense of the full scope of things....looking at the bigger picture....she had no idea what the portrait looked like.

Still, a blind man could tell they were under attack. The kind of attack that was planned and strategic. And precise.

As she got down from the car and looked at the house - or what had become of the house. She shuddered. It was a precise strike alright.

Clyde also got down from the car and they watched Alli hurry off to the small gathering and engage a man in conversation.

After the incident with the hose and the subsequent search of the house for...survivors? The fireman had returned and announced the discovery of the dead body.

All these while, Kirsten had been observing the house, her sharp mind processing the announcement and making deductive reasonings immediately.
If the fire had started from the body like they were insinuating, then it was arson...and judging by the complete annihilation of the once lovely home, the perp had spread the gasoline round the house... especially blocking off the windows and doorways so nobody could run in or out....hmmmm....

Her train of thought was derailed when Rex's dad hit the tracks. The towering figure fell to his knees, clutching his chest and groaning.

Kirsten was gripped by so much fear, she rushed to his side and Clyde was equally as fast. Together they prevented him from going horizontal and she soothed him until he began to groan, massaging his chest gently.

"Is he alright?" The fire captain asked worriedly.

"I'm...I'm fine...." Alli gasped. He seemed to be breathing through his mouth. He tugged on the two agents and Clyde and Kirsten helped him to his feet.

Convinced that Alli was alright (although he looked far from it) the captain instructed his men.
"Get a stretcher and go retrieve the body...." He looked at Alli. "For identification"


:::::::
Tonye was a little bit...okay not scared.... Plenty things scared her...she wasn't exactly fearless...The terrifying thought of losing Bami scared her more than anything, she was also apprehensive about clowns...she didn't know why but ever since she had been a child, she went crazy at the sight of clowns, then snakes....she didn't hate them, she feared them.

But meeting this fence wasn't among her scary list. Although there was always the possibility that special secret agents could get wind of transactions...infact, that had been one of her major burst routine when she was still a federal agent. You'll be surprised at the crazy transactions that went on in the background of the black web.

Sometimes they posed as sellers, since they had access to basically equipments one would seek to build a bomb or generally cause mischief. Then they would set a location and then nab them. Although the hardened criminals were wiser and they mostly nabbed naive c listers.

Still, tonight she could free her thoughts from such worries. Her gun was from a well known source....as for the concrete saw......well it wasn't really a shady item...not enough to draw unnecessary attention. There were way more crazy requests to keep any potential watchers busy.

She consulted her browser again. The colt.45 was ten minutes out...the electric wall saw, 25.
She strolled to the end of the road and remained in the shadows, across a suya seller who was attending to a customer and it was easy for her to remain in the shadows as she revelled in her plan and what she was going to do. If she really had her way she would have skinned him alive, every inch, with a potato peeler.

She shivered. She was cold. Although she was dressed warmly in a trench coat and the weather was warm but still she felt cold. She felt stone cold.

:::
She finally got a buzz on her phone. The sweet smoke continue to assault her nostrils from the suya spot but it was bland to her. No aroma could make sense to her in this black and white state. Not when Rex was dead. She only had her nose out for blood. Literally.

When she received the signal, she narrowed her eyes and scoped the perimeter. A couple of seconds later a black sedan pulled up slowly. She walked briskly to it, opened the door nonchalantly and got in.

Backseat.

It was an old habit but Tonye was used to avoiding the front seat. She reasoned, that way you couldn't be taken by surprise if it was a setup and someone in the backseat was out to get you with a gun or maybe a garrot wire.

Although there was no reason to take such measures as she had done business with this particular contact for years. However old habits die hard.

And besides it was his nephew making the delivery not her contact himself.

However there was no one else in the car when she got in.

"Evening ma'am" he was young, probably very early twenties. Chin strap was usually the fashion for them at the age.
He drove away slowly, and into the parking lot of the hotel. .

"Evening." She responded finally. Altho it was way past midnight. "I've transferred the rest of the money already."

"Okay, but I'll have to call him and confirm first."

"That's your business. Where's the weapon?"

There must have been something in her voice. An edge which made him back off.

A couple of minutes later and Tonye was out of the car. She studied the still parking lot and argued within herself if she should return to the room.
No...no....she had to reduce her movement. She would go in once, and come out after a while. When she had fulfilled the mission of course.

But right now she had to find a good hiding place and wait for the saw. She didn't want to return to the suya spot cause they would be more aware of her presence now that they had seen her. Then she decided, f#$k it and returned to the spot she had stood just minutes ago. But this time, there was a powerful handgun under her jacket.

:::::::
"I can't imagine the police hasn't shown up!" Short Sam exclaimed for the umpteenth time. He was sitting cosily in one of the sofas. His son was in a camp bed fast asleep. Wrapped under blankets.

They had regulated the air conditioner but still everyone was a little chilly.

His wife was resting her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed although she wasn't sleeping.


Bami wondered if she was reliving the nightmare because he noticed her eyes twiched every now and then.

He on the other hand had the phone pressed against his ear and his eyes twitched with frustration. Every line he tried was unreachable.

Jimoh's line, Rex's line, even Tonye had busied his call. He watched Sparrow and Dagnet from across the room. The duo we're engaged in some kind of intense conversation.


.
.
Dagnet at first fussed over Sparrow and cleaned his gunshot wound properly and bandaged it. But she was also tired. Sparrow could tell her each movement was draining but she kept pushing. What a woman.

He smiled to himself and held her hand.
"Come...you have to relax your spirit, sooth your agitated soul and then your body can properly heal...I'll show you..." he looked at the computer screen then at Bami who was also busy observing them but with the phone to his ear. "I'll like us to go outside...."

"What? Outside?! Are you crazy?" Dagnet didn't know when she blurted it out. She was stunned.

"Just relax...I mean out in the compound....the gate is barricaded and-...."

"But it's dangerous, there's no need to take such a risk."

"Dagnet..." He got up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do you trust me?"

She looked at him and nodded.

.
.
Strangely, Bami didn't offer any protest when Sparrow informed him they were going out. Dagnet thought he looked lost. He just nodded, staring at them in a strange way....as if he wasn't really seeing them.

"The password is.."

"It's alright I got the code the first time you opened it up." Sparrow assured him.

"Wait I don't understand...what are you people going to do outside?" S.s called from his spot on the chair. He sounded a little disturbed by the idea.

His wife also sat up straight. She hadn't been asleep after all. "Left to me I'll say you wait till morning. It's really late and at least in here we can observe everywhere with the security cameras"

"Trust me. I'll have double the radius of any camera. But I need to be in my element." He looked at Danget and lowered his voice. "I want to share something with you..."

She nodded eagerly.


:::::::
Benue{Obasi residence}

Two firemen emerged carrying the body in the stretcher.

"We should've gone in first....they surely messed up the crime scene now.. " Kirsten whispered to Clyde.

"The question you should be asking is, who is that?" He replied.

.
.
Alli felt his chest tighten when the men emerged with the body.
There was a gasp from the small crowd huddled in the corner. The fire was gone now and they dared to huddle closer...just a bit.

The body was burnt beyond recognition; Just a black chaff that might as well be a man like sooth carving. But a father could always tell his son.

One of the firemen handed a transparent ziplock bag to Alli.

"He was clutching this tightly in his hand." He said in a very sad voice.

These men hadn't even waited for him to confirm first for God's sake. They all oozed of pity in exponentials.

The captain crouched down and studied the body. "I reckon he was trying to call for help."

"But why didn't he try to get out..? "

Alli studied the phone in the bag and his heart sank. It was just like his son's phone. Despite the damaged state, he could see part the logo on the back.

"Na wa...where is the police? We called them immediately we were alerted about the fire!" The captain complained
He pointed at the nearest man. "Try and control the crowd.... they're getting a little too close."

He studied Alli finally and the latter slid to his knees. "I'm sorry about your loss sir"

"But I didn't identify him"

"You didn't have to"

.
.
"Oh my God Oh my God....this isn't happening.." Kirsten gasped as they saw Alli slide to his knees. Even with his back turned his pain was evident."

Clyde said nothing. Just continued to look in horror and disbelief.

:::::::
It turned out the electric wall saw seller was hundred percent legit. [I]'Mike and sons equipments'[/i was sprawled on the body and it was obvious the van was also a mobile shop. Mike looked like a very young man and Tonye wondered about the sons part as she stood to the side and he opened up the padlock securing the van.

"I have just the thing you need ma'am. And it's really portable too...the bigger type or should I say biggest type is what industries use to slice-"

"Please confirm the payment. I've transferred all of it..." She interrupted. She wasn't interested in any small talk.

"Oh not to worry...I'm sure you've done it as you say"

"That's impressive Mike. Nice doing business with you"

"Oh my name is Phil. Mike is my father."

"Oh okay then.."

"And don't forget we sell all kinds of powered appliances.."

"Definitely"
.
.
Back in the hotel room, she placed the tumbler against the wall but she heard nothing. She fought every urge to go into the next room and check things out for herself.

If she went in she might as well forget about the hole. Cause she would shoot him on sight. So instead, she placed the carton of the electric wall saw on the bed and then tried getting the hot coke into the bottle. But she had to stop because it almost began to melt the plastic. She crossed her arms then decided to use the wine bottle.

The waiter had left a wine opener in the tray next to the ice blocks and she opened the wine and just as she had done with the dispenser water before, she emptied the contents in the wash hand basin.

The thick bottle could hold the bubbling liquid and Tonye took her time. Standing to the side of the bed, she located the circle she had drawn with her lipstick in the middle of the wall. She began to pour the liquid (it wasn't really coke any longer)on the wall, allowing it to trickle slowly.

The paint immediately began to peel and there was some kind of evaporating whistling sound, as the acidic content began to interact with the composite compound..

That was when she heard the sound from the next room.
"Mmmmh hhhhhm....hhhm mmh. Hhhhm mmmhhh....mmmmh hhhhmmm"

He sounded like he was gagged but she could swear he was trying to "mmmh" 'somebody help...help me. Help meeeee...Somebody heeeeeelp"

That was good. She wanted him terrified.

Wow a third??
Seems we're wrapping up d story tonight.
Yes...to your launch invite

Eh, don’t tell me Rex is truly dead? no, I can’t take this.

I don't know why I feel so certain that Rex is Still alive. Souloho weldone. As trilling as ever

Pleasant surprise.

Welcome back Mr Souloho.

Thanks for the updates. Thank you so much!

See updates as them line up body dey sweet me die.
I believe Rex ain't dead, I just pray Tonye succeeds in finishing the FM.
Thanks for the update Boss

Thank God u are back..

Good ol days.... This work has taken forever, but happy soul's himself again, welcome back Soul

if only one body was found, then what about the driver that entered the house with Rex

A body found instead of two.... Hmmm.... Something is missing.... Why am I having the feeling that the mysterious driver (the one Oga Souloho19 is refusing to tell us who he is) have hands in the turn of event.

The champ is back I just pray you our coming back is permanent souloho19

I don't even know how to feel now. Haba, ehn, Soul,why Rex? Why?
Well done o, but you no try.

what an awesome updates, Souloho thank u so much. pls I'm a bit confused, who is Beatrice and is it first minister that is Rex in law or Sir Holly?

Kaycee9242:
what an awesome updates, Souloho thank u so much. pls I'm a bit confused, who is Beatrice and is it first minister that is Rex in law or Sir Holly?

Hi, Beatrice was the one who kidnapped Rex's daughter. The First minister is(was, may his soul rest in peace ) Rex's in-law

Nickshrapnel:
Hi, Beatrice was the one who kidnapped Rex's daughter. The First minister is(was, may his soul rest in peace ) Rex's in-law

k thanks

Napoleonsammy:
I don't even know how to feel now. Haba, ehn, Soul,why Rex? Why?
Well done o, but you no try.

Remember that Junior, the driver was also in that house

Princevirus:

Remember that Junior, the driver was also in that house

What is making me say that is because of what I saw bro. He wrote something like 'but a father would always reconize his son'. Anyway, you don give me small hope, but the driver was'nt killed close to the dining na.

Hmm, so finally we have souloho19 the resurrection! Wish I can be happy for real, unfortunately, the just thinking "who knows which year he'll post another update" keeps tearing my heart. Good update anyways

Thank GOD I came through to check this thread... Let me go and read..