Capital crime episode 34

Capital crime episode 34
Five…and…Six
Seth
“ I will always be here, as long as you are there and do what I say. Never vice-versa” I recounted the words written at end of every parcel delivered to me from the Alpha. Every single damn parcel always had a task.
First, it started with naira bills. Then encouraging tones and a guardian-like approach. Until the tasks got dirtier and very demanding.
The parcels and letters always came from anonymous locations.
“ Yeah!” I scoffed“ Where are you now?
Looking around into oblivion, I asked again“ Where are you now?
Was it only in my fantasy? Where you only imaginary? Where are you now?
My feet are numb. And I can feel my breathe sieze. in,side my chest is a heart wrenching feeling that I may not survive this night. But I keep running, walking and drifting as fast I can to escape. Or even until this countdown is complete.
“ …humans can be unpredictable you know?” Aremu Johnson’s words crossed momentarily before fading away from my subconscious mind “ Mark this day!”
“ What about machines? ” I had told him.
Concidence that I still remember the conversation we had in a hotel at Lagos before the jet’s hyjack and Kelly’s kidnap.
My mind goes to the device. I stopped for a while. Catching my breathe, I check the countdown. It was still active but the device had gone into a state of emergency hybernation.
A countdown of 29 minutes and decreasing stared back at me. It’s close now.
“ Never vice- versa” Those words hit me again.
The task was always the starting point. I could never reach this entity who watched over me like a guardian angel. And this entity seemed to know all my enemies in the past, giving me a chance to revenge on every single one of them. But now I guess I’m all alone. Or maybe the moon at it’s peak guiding me to nowhere.
The suitcase closed. I increased pace. Alot going through my mind. I should have brought the American girl.
What if this was my only shot and I blew it up.
When I met Rumeh two years ago. I had this feeling he was an imposter or stalking me, until he delivered a written note to me from the Alpha stating that a change in communication media had occurred. No task was issued. But as I read down the letter, Rumeh Kadiri uttered those same words.
That reminds me. I reach for my pockets, and taking my phone out, I dialed Rumeh’s number. Why didn’t that fool inform me about the federal troops invading our camp. How did they even find us? Shit! Its even on airplane mode.
My heart kept pumping blood to the veins in my head as I switched mode and dialed Rumeh’s number.
“ The number you are trying call is not available” The voicemail machine replied“ Please try again later”
This is so disheartening. Damn you Rumeh!!!
I came upon a mini bridge capable of light weight carriage. Underneath it was a train tunnel. My fingers tapped the iron bars used in railings for the bridge. My eyes stared upon empty train tracks as far as I could see towards the East wind.
That instant I heard a freight train horn from the distance. I knew it wasn’t far away now. Hoping it was here already, I walked down the bridge only to return again at my initial s₱0t seconds later.
“ Come on! Come on!! Impatience bit my tongue very deep.
“ It’s over, old man. This is where the road ends for you.” A farmiliar voice caught me off guard.
*******
Jerry
Outside, my eyes darted from angle to angle. I could feel surge in my blood vessels and spikes in my breath levels.
I glanced upwards and noticed confusion all over the moon’s face. Returning my eyes to the T junction which stared at me, I realised nature was trying to give me three options.
Weighed my options, I’d still prefer two–.
“ And so would Seth” I uttered.
“ Left or Right? I asked.
Would he go right or left? What if he had nothing right or good left in him? Did he take the straight highway to hell?
Seth is left-handed. Most right-handed hitmen like myself, would go right- it’s simple: carrying the briefcase on my left arm; Gun in the other; Natural instincts would lead my eyes in opposite direction.
Left it is then.
Off I went, chasing the Seth and my ego stabbed angrily in my chest. For everything. He’d surely pay. Including the death of my friends: Mathew and Charlie.
After a while of running, I chose to dash into the bushes. Running in an open field would make me vulnerable. Speed. Stumping against shrubs and breaking leaf branches in my wake. Leaving battered plants as trail.
At a sudden halt, I heard someone swearing into the early hours of dawnand dialing a call to an unknown person who I cared too little to even give a fuvk about.
I inched quietly towards the path once more and saw that it was Seth. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the rails of a medium sized bridge.
A freight train blarred horns from a distance.
He walked to and fro atop the bridge before returning to his initial position.
“ Come on!!! Come on! He uttered.
I’d be a fool you if I let him jump freely unto that train and have his way easily.
I snatched out of the bushes quietly.
“ It’s over, old man. This is where the road ends for you”
********
Seth
He had a gun aimed at my face while walking closer without flinching. Not even blinking an eyelid.
“ Who’s going to stop me? ” I ask “ You? Can you even see me? One of your eyes is almost closed. You look like a sorry sight from hell’s gutter.” I sighed “ Come on, Sonny. Drop the gun.”
I walked a few inches closer since we were daring guts.
“ Stay back” he snapped.
“ Don’t even try. I swear, I’ll shoot you in the balls if you do”
Serious. I let my palms drop. They were going for my gun initially.
“ Hand the device over”
“ This? You want it? What’s the catch–?
“ I’ll give you two options in numeric figures”
“ You are making me a monetary offer? How generous” I said.
Drew even closer.
“ No. Just two numbers. You can only pick one.”
“ What are you offering?
“ Five, the hærd way out: You die. If you refuse cooperation. And Six, the easy way: you live after handing the suitcase over but you’d wish you were dead”
I could not farthom how he made that up but I wanted to understand more. If he’ll explain.
“ Funny!” I say “ What’s that supposed to mean?
All these while I fought my fears and subdued them arguably well. I would look stupid displaying them.
“ The final destination” he replied “ For people like you and I. When you kill, steal (from) and terrorise or even kidnap people. Nature gives you just two options left: An out through DEATH or life in PRISON.”
Very intelligent. A grin spread across my face.
“ But not today, Sonny”
I rushed him.
The boy fired.
I wedged in with the silver briefcase. The bullet bounced of the casing. With a swipe, a bend to the left, a hitch punch greeted him.
I used the other to hit the gun off his hand. An elbow punch, and another upper cut with my left hand.
He staggered. I felt something around my wa-ist. I snapped it. A dagger. This has a purpose and I’ll use it well. I stabbed it twice into his right upper arm.
“ Arrghh! He gro-ned out.
I pull out swiftly and made for his upper torso. The abdomen. He grabs my hand. Ray must have taught him well. Never allow an enemy plunge or hit you with a lethal weapon around the abdomen.
A quick impulse. Twist the dagger. Manipulate his own strength. He reacted quick.
He dodged.
I winced after a blow clouded my eyes. Another.
A sharp pain in my knee ligaments from behind. A kick. I guess I let my guard down too much. Or he took advantage of the fact that my right arm was occupied.
A quick pain shot up through my right th-gh. The skin on my knees peeled in,side my trousers. I’m so certain about it- as I hit it on floor in reaction.
A punch. The bones in my right ear and cheek recalibrated with an eerie whisper.
Still holding on tightly to the suitcase, I touched my l-ips. A strong pain erupted from somewhere between the skin. Blood.
“ Now, that’s personal”
All my efforts went into one singular act; using my left foot to kick him. The muscles on my right th-gh almost tore apart from this act. But it made me mad.
He fell. Then launched again.
I hit him on the th-gh with the briefcase. He staggered. I went for the face. A hit. Then all efforts, as I slapped the center of suitcase’s case gravity against that his pretty cheek.
He tumbled and hit the floor.
Like a rebound ball from the ground, Jerry quickly got up and thr-st himself again, ready for another charge. I’ve never seen someone with such tenacity, but I’ve had enough of this play.
Reaching for my gun, I sent a bullet into his upper torso.
“ Fuvk off!” I yelled.
He gave out a painful gro-n before dropping  in his tracks.
The fight has an after effect…..care to find out. Hold on tight folks….