Capital crime episode 20

CAPITAL CRIME EPISODE 20
…U-turn like a Panda
KENDRICK
His eyes turned reddish-blue due to the drugs in,side his blood stream.
“ How will I know the particular vehicle?” I said, while driving at a steady speed and blasting my way up the hill from the Auchi-Benin bypass road.
“ Watch out for a blue van… it’s the only one.” Boss replied
“How did you know?” I asked again.
He remained silent. And I continued to match down the throttle, giving the engine makers a test for their money.
“ Millepede in view” He got a reply from the sniper guy.
We were in the clearing now and I could s₱0t the sirened power bike blaring through the highway. He signalled with his fingers meaning I should increase speed– At the moment, there was need for speed– I fired up the hill.
The same time, another one fired from a distance on Lagos road, in opposite direction to the convoy; on the other line of the highway.
He ordered again, “ Hold positions! No engaments, yet.” This was for the sniper guy
Seconds later.
“Soldier ants, move into formation. Go, now! Go! ” His lungs were on a drill, “ Block the millipede’s path. On my marks.”
Our trailer continued the blasting, up through the hill,and from one bend of the road.
Boss Seth started his count down timer and in a bid to catch up with the van, I matched the throtlle h-rder.
Activating the nitros, I increased gear and speed to the last figures.
( Fourteen minutes, fifty-nine seconds… Fourteen minutes, fifty-eight seconds… Fifty-seven…fifty-six…)
★★★
The power bike siren blared. A lot of things were happening at once and more people crossing the tarmac on Lagos- Benin express; Cars clearing and giving room to the siren and convoy.
. “ Now!” He yelled into his intercom.
( Fourteen minutes, thirty seconds… Twenty-nine…twenty eight…)
The sniper released a single bullet which travelled at more than 50km/hr, only at this time, in the speed of light aiming straight for it’s target.
The sniper bullet sweetened itself into the forehead of the bike rider. It shattered the officer’s black helmet. The bike skid off the road and crashed into a set of musical equipments. They exploded at once, killing seven people on the s₱0t.
Within seconds, I rammed our trailer into the van. It flew into the air and tumbled sideways: Three times, unto the other lane– Almost instantly, the second trailer which had been blaring horns ramp-ntly had a fair share of the Van –smashing it to stupor; it was tossed four yards behind the convoy.
Narrator
Khadija and Mama Bola s₱0tted a motor bike. They also saw cars clearing the path, but one tipper, in defiance to the siren, moved into the middle of the road with a single aim: To block the motorcade.
“ Wetin dae happen?( what’s happening?).” Mama Bola asked.
The rider upon the power bike horned , just to, in a bid to dislodge the disobedient Tipper ahead– if the driver was non-chalant to the siren– but he was probably mad , deaf, stupid or all-in-one; he moved into a perfect blockade position.
★★
Then they heard a loud gun shot. Just one. In reaction , the bike rider lost control and skid off the road . He crashed into Dj Beatscratcher’s equipments. They exploded at once, killing seven people on the s₱0t. Including the rider.
Khadija s₱0tted a trailer which sped up the hill and was paces away from a blue van.
Subsequently , the van got smashed, catapulted into the air and tumbled sideways: Three times, unto the other lane– where she shaded her oranges.
The second trailer which had been blaring horns ramp-ntly had a fair share of the Van –smashing it to stupor even before it touched the ground.
*****
The impact came like a man, running into a pile of rocks with his head charging forward; only this time, the man’s head is made of metal and smasking the rocks into tiny pieces.
Awestrucked, she froze like ice block where she stood. It was not long before men dressed in black vests and others in khaki uniforms, climbed down their vehicles to open fire.
At this unexpected sight, she exclaimed, “ Iye meh! ( My Mother!)
She ducked and took cover, disappearing into shelters just like many had done. The confusion increased as she bumped into a pot bellied man running in opposite direction to her, headed for the experess way. A round of gunshot saw the man doing a U- turn and breezing past Khadija like a panda.
Mama Bola was nowhere to be found, She had long disappeared. Drivers abandoned their vehicles in the new traffic: Cars collided into each other, after which three explosive impacts occured, of which, one was a ghastly motor accident that sent tyres into the air. Oluku junction went ablaze in the mayhem.
 
Holy Shit!
JERRY
I glanced at Ray before clenching my fist; bit my l-ips; released the tension and loosened my fingers.
I would not be going through all this stress and torture–The life I chose after Ray taught me how to “ Fish” for money to fund my education and envisaged lifestyle–The wrongest turn from a wrong decision among every right choices I made in life. But I am, bcause of Ray. Now, the only way to redeem myself is to play along with all these and hopefully get over with it sooner or later.
“ Is that your real name? Valley? Tell me your name… Your birth name.”
Ray laughed h-rder this time around. And so annoying to think about.
“ What’s your name?
Valley became upset by Ray’s laughter.
“ Hahaha” Ray mocked “ His name is : screwing, f-cking Valley. He has no name. It’s f-cking Valley.”
For almost a minute he kept on laughing then had to stop for a moment when he realised he was the only one laughing. “ Ha–hah!” He uttered.
“I’m sorry, Valley.” I said.
I looked at Matthew and then at Garba, checked my wrist watch.
“ Why?” Valley replied after his silence all these while.
I glanced at Ray, then Matthew gave a nod which I picked up as a signal to “go ahead”.
Ray was confused but he laughed on, nevertheless, with a glare written all over his face : Hysteria.
“ For this.” I said and dashed my elbow into Valley’s chin. Another knuckle followed as I slapped my pistol against Valley’s temple.
★
“ What was that sound?” Garba asked when we heard a crash and explosion.
“ It’s an ambush…” scre-med one officer, he had popped out his head to see what’s happening. “ Back up! Now, we are caved, back up!”
Ray smiled to this. What joy must have come over him and I knew this fact. Infact, I had seen that smile million times to know when Ray anticipated something wonderful.
–··–
Through a pigeon h0le I peeped outside. What I saw made my heart skip a beat. A trailer was charging towards us. It’s driver was probably a mad man on the loose.
“ Go now! Now– ” the officer yelled a second time.
“Holy shit! ” Ray uttered.
Before I could say jack my entire being was shaken and i felt weightless. It was as if a volcano of fear erupted from within me and then a forceful impact tossing me angrily against the walls of the van.