Beating the Odds – episode 25

Beating The Odds – Episode 25
 
 
 
© Brian Ngoma
 
 
 
(Unedited)
 
 
 
The officers all laid down following Boadi’s command. Not once in his life did he thought he would have this kind of raid, he was scared but with the Chief’s life at stake, he knew he had to act bravery and quickly. He slowly stood up while all the officers laid on their stomachs. He walked to the veranda with his gun ready to fire. He knelt under a window which was closed trying to hear something, anything that could assure him the Chief was fine. He could see the door was slightly opened. He looked back at the other officers and they were now on their knees all looking at him. He felt a great load of responsibility on his shoulders.
 
 
 
Franklin looked up at Cayn. He wiped the blood on his mouth. The giant was also looking at him too. “I told you I’m not playing,” Franklin said.
 
 
 
“You could have shot her,” Cayn said.
 
 
 
“And i will shoot her if you don’t comply,” Franklin looked at his gun. “Now we will pass her to you and if you try do anything funny, we will kill the both of you.”
 
 
 
Cayn didn’t say anything. He knelt down on the entrance while pushing Shekinah’s gun away. He saw the giant carry her from the floor and lifted her to him to grab. He got hold of her hand and pulled her. She was heavy for her small body, he thought. He pulled her and got her to the kitchen floor. Looking at her, he could see something was wrong with her neck, there was a swelling on it and her left hand was broken. She was barely breathing. The fall had hurt so bad she needed medical attention lest she lost her life. He saw the giant come out of Cellar followed by Franklin still holding his gun.
 
 
 
“Now we will go out holding her hostage and since she’s their chief, they won’t do anything to us,” Franklin sighed. “This was supposed to go smoothly, not this; it’s all your fault,” he kicked Cayn on the face he fell on Shekinah.
 
 
 
He angrily looked at him and said, “The chief is dying, she won’t be of any use. She needs medical attention now. Your monster here hurt her when he pulled her into the cellar.”
 
 
 
“No No No, move away,” Franklin pushed Cayn from Shekinah. He checked her and saw how badly hurt she was. He grabbed her by her uniform and shook her. “Wake up!”
 
 
 
“You are hurting her,” Cayn shouted.
 
 
 
Franklin didn’t stop. Cayn couldn’t do anything as the giant carefully and angrily watched him. Franklin continued shaking her vigorously until something fell off her pocket and landed on Cayn’s feet. It was a squared small piece of paper. He could see it was a photograph. His instincts told him to pick it up but he didn’t, he just looked at it and looked back at Franklin and kept thinking of what he was to do to get out of the mess. “That’s enough man, i will carry her. Let’s get out of here.”
 
 
 
“Now you are talking,” Franklin pushed Shekinah to him. “Let’s get going.”
 
 
 
Cayn felt sorry for her. As he carried her, she whispered something to him. He couldn’t get exactly what it was. His mind was on getting out. He knew she couldn’t walk, so he carried her in his arms and when he did, something felt too familiar. The way she looked at him with bitterness and angst but hopelessly. It was like she was begging him for something. The giant and Franklin were now at the door waiting for him. He looked at her. “What? I didn’t do this to you.”
 
 
 
She painfully raised her hand forming a fist and lastly an index finger pointed to the floor where the photo was. He looked at the photo, her and back at the photo.
 
 
 
“We are running out of time Cayn!” Franklin shouted.
 
 
 
“Just a minute, it’s not like when we get out of here, we will manage to run forever,” he knelt down with her in his arms and picked up the photo. When passing it to her, he saw what was in it. His heart stopped. His knees became weak he almost dropped her to the floor. His mind couldn’t think properly. She got the photo and squeezed it in her hand while she closed her eyes. He was still,….. in his position.
 
 
 
“Cayn,” Franklin walked back to him and pointed the gun at him. “Hey man wake up!”
 
 
 
His head bowed down and in a dark state. He couldn’t move nor say anything. He felt his heart sink into oblivion. He remembered the day he first saw Shekinah on the TV, that day at the Bank, the day she came to his place and the day at the station. It can’t be her; he was slowly coming back to terms with what was happening. He looked up and saw Franklin in his face shouting and yelling at him. He was up close even his spit splashed in Cayn’s face. Furious and confused, Cayn banged Franklin’s nose with his head he fell down dropping his gun. Cayn took off with Shekinah in his arms while the giant was at the door. Just when the giant wanted to charge towards him, the door busted open and detective Boadi bumped into the giant. He tried to point the gun at the giant and was punched in his face sending him flying and hitting the wall with his gun still in his hands. The giant dropped his guard and Cayn passed him running to the backdoor where he got out to the car. He put Shekinah in the car and went to the driver’s seat. The bag of money was on the passenger’s seat together with the gun. He put the car in reverse and skidded it causing noise all the officers were alerted. He looked back at Shekinah who was unconscious in the backseat and said, “Don’t you die on me,” he drove the car at a speed all the officers dived out of the way looking at the car go in awe.
 
 
 
Detective Boadi slowly got up. To his right was Franklin struggling to get up and just when he was about to turn to his right, he heard fast pacing footsteps sounding like a thud and he knew the goliath that had hit him was bustling to him. He quickly drew his gun and turned when he saw him jump at him, he had no option but to pull the trigger. The giant fell on him and they all fell on the floor. Boadi pushed the giant from him and found Franklin wanting to run away. “Freeze, i will put a bullet in your skull,” he shouted feeling the weight of the giant slowly weighing him down.
 
 
 
Franklin stopped.
 
 
 
“Hands in the air,” he walked to him. He led him outside where they found all the officers alert. “Take him.”
 
 
 
Franklin wanted to say something.
 
 
 
“Shut up!” Boadi shouted. “The chief has been kidnapped, let’s go after her,” he sprinted to his car and got in it. He made a call to the station informing them about the situation.
 
 
 
Driving into Kafue road at a speed that could scare the devil, Cayn turned a corner almost tipping the car in the process. He knew sooner or later, they would catch up on him. He stepped on the gas. He was fearlessly driving at 180 per hour. He kept thinking about the photo in Shekinah’s hand, that was him when he was four years old. He clearly remembered the day he left the photo with the orphanage caretaker to give Tasha if at all she ever returned.
 
 
 
Nearly reaching town, he was stuck in traffic. His heart kept beating quickly. He looked back and there was no sign of police cars. He wondered what could have caused the traffic suddenly. He then saw a traffic officer in front checking cars, he was busted. He put the car in reverse and drove out of the main road into the pedestrians almost hitting them. He drove it anxiously hitting the hooting button. The onlookers dived out of the way and he saw a police car through the rear view mirror driving as fast as he was driving. He knew that was Boadi.
 
 
 
 
He drove into Kafue roundabout swerving the car missing a few car cars and drove up the bridge into Independence Avenue road. The police car was on his tail. He stepped on the gas and so did the car chasing him. He had to lose this car, he thought. The police car behind him was slowly closing up. Cars on the road were giving way because of the siren of the police car. Cayn made a sudden turn to his right and changed lanes going into the lane where cars were coming in the opposite direction driving straight at him. He maneuvered the car till he got out of the road into a small ground just after Kamwala market. He drove into Changa road which led him to Burma road. The police car was off his tail but he could hear it’s sirens. He could tell he had lost them when he joined Nationalist Road which directly led him to University Teaching Hospital (UTH). He parked the car outside, he got his backpack and phone leaving the gun, got out, carried Shekinah and ran like a mad man to the reception. The nurses ran to him as soon as they saw him with her in his arms. She was taken to the emergency room while he stood hopelessly looking around.
 
 
 
A moment later, a nurse came to him while he stood in a corner. She asked him how he was related to the woman he had just brought in. He couldn’t answer but stared at her blankly.
 
 
 
“There!” Detective Boadi shouted.
 
 
 
“Damn!” Cayn cussed. He took off running shouting at the people to get out of the way. He ran as fast he could till he got into a hallway which led him outside in the dark. He looked both ways and saw no one but some ambulances parked. He looked back and saw Boadi. He stepped back, ran and jumped to the edge of the ambulance roof and got himself on top.He turned around and saw a window some meters up from where he was. He made a daring jump and grabbed the rail and pulled himself in the hospital’s first floor. As he stood up, he found some people looking at him in shock. He ran to the elevator. He got in and pressed the destination control panel to go to the last floor. Whilst in there, he jumped and got hold of the emergency trap door and pulled himself up and closed it back. He removed his backpack and placed it on the Elevator ceiling. He got his phone and called Sky. “Don’t talk, just listen. I’m at UTH in the elevator, if anything goes wrong, i have put my backpack in the ceiling.”
 
 
 
“Cayn!”
 
 
 
“I said don’t talk. I don’t know how you will get this money but i know you will. Bye,” he hang up the phone and switched it off.
 
 
 
He remained at the top of the elevator while riding it back and forth he felt nauseated. He had a lot of questions and only one person could answer him. Despite the conditions of where he had hidden, he was willing to wait and waiting he did.
 
To be continued