(EPISODE 17) MY WEDDING NIGHT

I picked up my gun and nervously pointed it at the huge white guy who simply scoffed, drew forward and grabbed the gun, slapping me at the same time and sending me down with a ferocious kick on my left leg. “bitch” he cursed coldly, while Esther placed a hand on his shoulder and laughed.

The White Guy: “i heard noises from my room. I couldn’t imagine who you were talking with by this hour, so i decided to check up on you” he explained while she nodded.

Esther: “yea i knew you would come. That was why i slightly raised up my voice when talking to the idiot” she replied and spit on me.

I stared at them like a caged animal, clueless on what next to do. The tape however was still in my jacket recording everything that was happening, but it equally added to the tension in me. I was scared they were going to search me and discover it.

The White Guy: “so what’s she doing here?” he asked Esther who shrugged and eyed me.

Esther: “the bitch broke out of detention to query me on how her silly husband died” she answered. “now what do we do with her, should we wake everyone in the house and tell them of her presence?” she asked the guy.

The White Guy: “we have to tie her up first before thinking of what to do next. Hold the gun, let me go get a rope” he answered and passed the gun to her. “don’t try anything funny if you still value what’s left of your life” he threatened and headed to the door while i shook with fear.

Fortunately as he opened the door to leave the room, a big stick landed on his head, sending him back to the room with a powerful force while he screamed out in pain. I couldn’t believe my eyes as i saw my brother walk into the room like a super hero. I was over joyed and stunned. But my joy was short lived because Esther instantly drew back with fear, aimed and fired the only bullet in the gun at my brother.

Precious: “nooooooo” i screamed and leaped at her like a hyena…. Of course the whole plan looked ruined that fateful moment.

=====================

I pushed Esther to her bed, grabbed the gun and rushed to my brother who luckily was still standing.

Precious: “are you hurt?” i asked nervously.

Precious Brother: “thank God she missed, let’s get out of here” he answered and held my hand, but instantly, Esther grabbed me from behind and dragged me back to the bed, delivering few punches on my face. My brother tried separating us but the muscular white guy closed in on him, throwing out a punch which my brother dodged. In no time, the room turned into a battle field. My brother and i desperately struggled to wade them off and run away, while Esther and her guy did everything possible to hold us back. It really was a violent confrontation.

In no time we were all bleeding. However the earlier gunshot and noise we made as we fought soon attracted everyone in the house. In a matter of minutes the room was filled with surprised white folks, the two Nigerian gate men and two other black male servants. We were instantly separated and surrounded while Esther smiled with a triumphant look in her eyes.

Esther: “they came to murder us in our sleep. Can you imagine?. She even brought a gun” She complained breathlessly, while every other person in the room gasped with shock.

Damian’s mother came forward and looked into my eyes.

Damian’s Mom: “how did you get out of jail?, why did you kill my son, why are you here?, and what did we do to you?” she asked coldly. Tears fell from my eyes, I breathed deeply and controlled myself. I had to act cool. It was the first time i was being given a listening ear.

Precious: “I never killed Damian, I never killed your son. I doubt if any black woman will kill a man who has good intentions for her. I came here looking for answers. I had to brave all odds to be here. The police believes Esther killed my husband. I had no choice than to try get a confession out of her” i poured out.

Esther: “don’t tell me you are listening to that bitch?” Esther suddenly shouted. I turned, looked at her and smiled.

Precious: “oh no they won’t listen to me, but will listen to this” i smiled, pulled out the small recorder which surprising was still recording, stopped it and turned on the tape. The whole room went dead as eve....CONTINUED IN THE NEXT EPISODE....FINAL EPISODE..STAY TUNED.

(EPISODE16) MY WEDDING NIGHT

Let’s go home first. I want to see mum
“So when do you plan heading to the house?” The detective asked seconds later.
“It should be tonight, by 10pm. The neighborhood will be dark and lonely by that time” I answered quickly. “That’s okay but without a good recorder and hand gloves, i doubt if your mission will be successful. I can get them for you. Thank me later” he offered with a smile.
“oh thanks very much. You are indeed an angel” I thanked him. “I think we are forgetting something. We are yet to come up with a plan on how to get her out of this place without your colleagues noticing” my brother queried suspiciously.
“Leave that to me. I’ll get your sister out myself, but you will be right outside the premises to pick her up. You will be the person to drive her to the house” the detective said while my brother nodded in agreement. “Now get ready, in thirty minutes we should be out of here” he added.
“but it’s still 6:30pm I thought she’s breaking into the house by 10pm?” my brother asked with surprise. “Yea she is, but I can’t be able to get her out of this place by that time. I can only get her out in thirty minutes while you take her to your house or anywhere till show time” he answered. I breathed deeply. I really was nervous.

By 7:15pm that fateful evening, the detective took me out of my cell and helped me out of the compound by hiding me in his car. We had no problem leaving the police premises. It really was the most easiest part of the plan. In a couple of minutes we arrived at the agreed rendezvous where my brother was already waiting. As i made to alight from the detective’s car, he held me back and stared at me with a worried look.
“please be careful. Here is the recorder i promised. It’s very small, uses micro card and has high recording capability. It’s already charged” he said with care, as he gave me the recorder with little lecture on how to use it. “here are the gloves as well. You need no lecture on how to use them” he joked.
“please don’t disappoint me” he begged. I nodded, gave him a reassuring smile and alighted from his car. The detective was just a perfect gentleman. “so what now?”My brother asked as i joined him in his car. “let’s go home first. I want to see mum” I answered quietly. He gave me a long look, licked his lips and drove me home without another word.
______
10pm arrived much faster than i expected. I soon found myself at the back of my husband’s house with my heart pounding furiously while my eyes examined the fence as i prepared to scale it. Yea i was born and raised in the village among boys. I knew how to climb perfectly well. My only fear was on how to achieve my mission

I surveyed the area for the last time, reached inside my black jacket and touched the pistol my brother gave me minutes earlier.

Precious Brother: “it has only one bullet. You are not going in there to shoot anybody but i’m giving it to you because no knows what might happen when you get there” he said as he gave me the little weapon, equally giving me a quick lesson on how to use it. With one quick breathe, i scaled the fence, wounding as barbed wires tore my trouser. But the injury was nothing compared to the wound in my heart.

I pushed on, very determined to finish the task ahead. In no time i was at the backyard. I quickly headed straight to the garden and stopped for a minute to take a look at the crime scene where the detective believed my husband was murdered. Tears instantly fell from my eyes.

Precious: “Damian I believe you are watching. I know you are right here. I know a murdered spirit is always at the spot where his life was taken away. Yes i believe in it. I believe in superstition. I can’t do this without you. Please help me” I cried quietly, picked up myself and walked into the building with determination.

All the security lights were glaring as i made my way into the big house. But instead of being caught with the help of the lights, I was guided to the guest rooms by the same wonderful lights. However it really wasn’t easy knowing the particular room to check. I had to start from the first room downstairs, but luckily the first three rooms were locked, leaving me with no choice than to move over to the fourth room. I slowly opened the door but the room was very dark inside. I couldn’t see anything. I drew back to the corridor, closed the door and checked my recorder which was in good working condition. I smiled with satisfaction, safely tucked it back into the breast pocket of my jacket, pulled out a small touch light from my trouser and slowly walked into the room, flashing my torch light.

Lady: “who the heck is that?” a lady suddenly screamed from the bed, switching on the electric table lamp by her side, and revealing her face in the process. She was no other person than Esther Hardey.

The lady I came looking for. I breathed deeply, drew back, locked the door and switched on the main lights of the room which equally revealed my face to the frightened lady.

Lady (Esther): “oh shit, you?? You got to be kidding me” she instantly smiled on seeing my face, equally regaining all her composure as if she was sure I wouldn’t do anything to her. I quickly pulled out my gun from the jacket while she scoffed on seeing it. “oh please” she hissed, sat up on her bed, grabbed a stick of cigarette and lighted it. “what the hell do you want?” She asked coldly.

Precious: “You have to tell me how you did it or i swear, I will blow off your head right now. I didn’t come all the way here to laugh with you” I threatened seriously. Esther breathed deeply, stared at me for some seconds before shrugging.

Esther: “fine, sit down you will have your story” she said cautiously. “don’t worry about me, just talk” I pushed on harshly. “but why the fuck do you want to know how your husband died?. Anyway here is your story. You are still going down no matter what” she said with a smile, reached for the bottle of strong wine by her side, poured out a shot and gulped it all down. “you Africans are very dumb. You are nothing but an opportunist. You deserve whatever that is coming to you” she breathed fiercely. “do you know that I’ve been with Damian since my childhood. We were together all through high school and college. We were together till a silly friend of his dragged him to Africa. Everything changed from that moment, but i still waited and hoped. Then what?” she stopped, shook her head, sucked on her cigarette and blew out thick clouds of smoke, equally studying me cautiously. “I heard that a fucking black like you has gotten him completely off the hook. It was unbelievable. I couldn’t take it. I swore to ruin everything” she poured out while my hand trembled. “I made plans with my cousin who agreed with me in everything. We all joined Damian’s mother and her train. Together we came to Nigeria” she stopped and blew out more smoke from her mouth.

Esther: “do you smoke?” she asked quietly.

Precious: “no just continue with the story?” i urged.

Esther: “We arrived in Nigeria and I still tried my best to stop him from marrying you but no he wouldn’t listen. So after the wedding when everyone was carried away with excitement. I discreetly told him to meet me at the garden by 12am. It was a long wait, but he finally showed up and I got him distracted while my cousin slit him up. It was a clean revenge, but the whole plan changed when we got to the room and saw you deeply asleep. Instead of killing you, we decided to pin the crime on you by getting your prints on the murder weapon. Unfortunately your mother in law spoiled everything the next morning by pulling out the knife from her dead son’s body. Anyway you are still damned. I heard the case is being moved over to my country” she concluded with a laugh while a cold shiver ran down my spine. That exact moment, somebody pushed on the door leading to the room which I earlier locked, drawing my attention and equally making me take my eyes off Esther. With that split opportunity, she pounced on me like a tiger, knocked me down and opened the room door. A white muscular guy walked in and grinned at me. “oh what do we have here?” he asked with a cold smile. I instantly knew he was the murderer. The idiot that murdered my husband......to be continued

written by olulizzy

(EPISODE 15) MY WEDDING NIGHT

“so tell us what you have in mind?” the detective asked curiously. “well before i say anything, I’ll like to know if the so called Esther that got me into this mess is still staying at my husband’s house?” i asked while the detective nodded. “yes she is at the house. She chose staying their with your mother in law and four other people while the rest moved to a hotel but my department is still in possession of all their passports. So what has that got to do with your plan?” he answered and asked seriously. “a lot officer. It has a lot to do with my plans” i answered calmly. “yes go on” my brother urged desperately. “i can sneak into the compound, sneak up on Esther and make her confess. I know the house very well and i very much know the weak spots i can
use in gaining access to any room i so desire” i poured out breathlessly. My brother scoffed while the detective laughed. “you must be kidding, how on earth can you get her to confess?” my brother asked with disbelief “have you forgotten that i’m a woman. I know how to get a fellow woman to talk. Moreover Esther won’t find it hard opening up her mouth, since to her, i’m good as dead and it equally would be her word against mine. But if i can record everything with my phone without her knowledge won’t the case be solved?. Please just allow me to have access to the house, i’m very sure i can do it” i pleaded desperately. The detective scratched his head and breathed deeply. “have you forgotten that you are supposed to be in police cell?. How do i explain your disappearance?. No no no, even though your plan sounds tempting, i can’t allow it. I can’t put my ass on the line in such way” he said slowly, while i grabbed him strongly. “this is the only chance i got, please help me. If things go bad you can say i escaped from jail. You can fabricate anything and put on me. Please i beg of you” i begged passionately. He breathed deeply and nodded. “fine i’m in but if things go bad, you are on your own” he accepted, drawing great smile from me with his words. I hugged him with gratitude. “just pray it doesn’t go bad.This is the only shot you got to redeem yourself.
Don’t waste it” he advised while i nodded. It all appeared too easy to say but deep down i knew it was a very difficult task with high risk of failing. However I was very determined to carry it out. After all i had nothing to lose trying.
To be continued

(EPISODE14) MY WEDDING NIGHT

Later in the evening my brother came visiting with a flask filled with food, but food really wasn’t what i needed that moment. “i’m sorry for coming late, i really was held up with work. Dad is now safely home. I spoke with him few minutes ago” he said pleasantly while i ate slowly. “so what’s up, any breaking news?” he asked when i was done eating. I forced out a smile, thanked him for the food before telling him all that happened earlier in the day. He listened eagerly, frowning when i got to the suicide part of the plan. “no no no i don’t support that. What’s the detective thinking by suggesting such nonsense. No that’s bad” he said seriously, but before i could answer, detective Jeremiah showed up that moment with a heavy frown on his face. “i’m afraid i brought more bad news” he said as he stopped before us. “the Americans are now pushing for the case to be moved to their country” he calmly announced. My brother and I gasped with shock. "i got a call few minutes ago to prepare and document every thing i have on the case. We don’t even have the two days anymore” he explained seriously. “but that’s impossible!. The murder was committed in Nigerian soil. The trial should be here” my brother protested seriously. “I think you should take that up with the federal government if you have the right connections. I really had the feeling such a thing could happen but kept it to myself. Our leaders hardly deny the American government anything and this case is nothing different.
Seriously many things has been happening which are swept under the carpet without the public knowing” he summarized with resignation. “but i can go to court. I can stop them legally?” my brother asked seriously. The detective breathed deeply and shrugged. “well if you can get the court to sit before your sister is moved out of the country. Then yes you can. But she’s married to an American citizen which somehow makes her an American as well, moreover i learnt her dead husband already procured all necessary travelling papers for her before his death, which makes everything a lot easier for the Americans” he answered. “d--n” my brother cursed. “but we still have till morning to come up with something new” he added while i cleared my throat and spoke out for the first time. “i think i have a plan” i suddenly announced, surprising my brother and the detective with the cold smile which appeared on my face with the revelation.
Of course i had a new plan in my mind. A plan which was nothing close to the suicide attempt the detective proposed earlier in the day. So what kind of new plan came to my mind that crucial moment? C? Hmmmm

(EPISODE 13) MY WEDDING NIGHT

“I can do anything to free myself. Please just speak up” I pleaded. The detective shook his head, bit his lips and stared at me.
“hmmmm, if i’m unable to make any breakthrough within two days, you will have to harm yourself in a way that it will be impossible to put you up for trial. That’s the only way out” he said cautiously.
“wait a minute, I don’t understand. You mean i should harm myself?, in what way officer?” i asked with disbelief. He drew closer to me and squatted by my side. “that’s the only way to escape trial for some days. I can smuggle in some pills that will knock you out. So instead of finding yourself in the courtroom, you will find yourself in the hospital.
However it can be added to your charges but i believe your lawyer won’t have a hard time winning over the charge. But you also have to swear t keep your mouth shut if it comes to that. You know i can equally end up in prison over it” he said seriously, while i nodded. I couldn’t even find the voice to talk.
The plan was just so terrible to hear. Of course it was nothing but a sucidal plan. I knew the health implications of such deed, but it was a better option than prison. Seriously the detective was going out of line just to save a clueless lady like me. It wasn’t as if we paid him to help me. He simply was doing it for free. As if he knew what was going through my mind. He reached out and held my hands.
“when i joined the force newly. A young male student was picked up by our patrol team some miles away from a Robbery scene. We all knew the boy was innocent but still held him just to prove a point that we were working. Unknown to us, the boy was asthmatic and as soon as he was thrown into the cell, his health condition go very bad and before we could run around. He died. Since that moment, i decided to help the innocent. But you see, in police work it’s not always easy to be on the right path because we all obey orders and answer to our superiors whether we like it or not” He said softly. “you are a bright young woman but i’m afraid, if i fail to get good results. You will have to take your destiny in your hands. You will have to harm yourself. That’s the only thing that can buy us more time. Yes you will try committing suicide but I’ll be right on time to save your life. Anyway let’s pray it doesn’t come to that” he concluded and stood up while my head swelled with thoughts.
“God please don’t allow things to get that bad. Don’t allow me to try out suicide as an option” i prayed softly. It was such a difficult moment and decision to take. However i still had two days which was enough time for a miracle to happen...to be continued.

(EPISODE 11) MY WEDDING NIGHT

The murder weapon had only your mother in law’s prints on it.
I know you are helping me officer but you got to do more, you have to try every necessary means to free me. Please I beg of you” I cried, kneeling before Detective Jeremiah who quickly looked away with embarrassment” “Please madam stand up, don’t kneel for me, I’m not God” he begged but I still knelt, shedding more tears.
A junior officer came into the detective\s office that moment bearing a file. “Here are the rest of the results sir” he said to the detective who quickly snatched the file from him while I looked on hopefully.
“You can leave now” he dismissed the officer before going through the file. “Nothing new jeez, this case is really something else” He said to himself as he went through the file while I swallowed hard, confused on what next to do. “Does it mean I’m going to hang for a crime I didn’t commit?. Can’t you run more tests?” I asked curiously. “My dear our police department is one of the best in Africa. I have conducted all the necessary tests including fingerprint and DNA matching. The people that killed your husband had it well planned out and left no trace of anything. The only clear prints found on your husband’s body belongs to you, the rest are blurred. The murder weapon had only your mother in law’s prints on it. So you see there is nothing we can use from the test results, we have nothing. The person that killed your husband probably wore gloves, only if we can get those gloves” he concluded,
While I cried out with the last strength in me “Hey shut up, you are in the police station, don’t you know?” the detective frowned and stood up. “Please shoot me, shoot me, shoot me” I begged with tears, forcing him to look away once again. “Seriously madam, this is slowly slipping from me. I have only two options left, which are pretty hard” he said and swallowed hard while I stared at him hopefully, wiping my tears.
“Number one. I play the good cop bad cop tactics on Esther, by secretly getting another audience with her. This time with another officer, we will then present some selling lies and my colleague will ask for money to keep us quiet. Most whites think we are all corrupt. So I feel she will buy my offer, and through that opportunity, I can get her to talk. The only bad side of it is that if it goes bad, I can be fired from the force.
The second option is presenting my facts to your mother in law, get her to reveal more details about her white guests to me. I’ll then do what we call profiling, which will enable me get the man who killed your husband. Esther is no fool, she had no time to hire a local hit man. She probably brought the killer along as her brother, cousin or friend. The only bad side of this plan is that it may take more than two days to accomplish which then leaves us with one option which you must do yourself to avoid trial. If I fail to meet up with the deadline” he concluded seriously. “so what’s the option?” I asked.
“Oh it’s very dangerous. A very dangerous option” he murmured.

( Episode 10) MY WEDDING NIGTH

Two days officer! You have just two days
Esther tried opening her mouth to say something, but the lawyer quickly held her hand, stopping her. Don’t say anything. The officer is bluffing. Hes trying to make you say something that could incriminate you he said to her before facing detective Jeremiah. If you really have the evidence to arrest my client, then go ahead, arrest her. But if you don’t, then shut the fuck up and do your goddamn work. Mind you, time is running out and you have only two days. The next time you will see me will be in court he threatened, shocking the detective with his words.
Of course not only the detective was shocked, I equally was very shocked because Esther was probably seconds away from confessing or making an unguided comment before the lawyer recovered himself and stopped her. Two days officer. You have just two days, else I will tear you apart in court the lawyer threatened and dragged Esther out of the office.

“We were just close to making a breakthrough damn the detective hissed with despair after they left. So what next? I asked with fear. He breathed deeply, opened the case file on his table, went through it and shook his head. Things are slowly adding up in your favor but we don’t have time on our side. We surely need a miracle he replied, Looked up at me and smiled to make me feel relaxed but I surely wasn’t.
“Remember we talked about the possibility of your husband going out to the garden that night to either smoke or see someone? he said while I nodded. According to the report in this file, there wasn’t any cigarette stick, ashes nor even anything similar found at the garden which then leaves us with one theory. He went out there to see someone, probably Esther, before a stronger person grabbed him from behind and stabbed him he concluded. how then do we find the mystery man that struck the fatal blow which killed my husband? I asked desperately. The detective shrugged. That’s what Im saying, we need more time, as it stands, Esther alone probably holds all the answers but we cant touch her he replied with resignation.
Tears instantly dropped from my eyes. The police had every reason to detain Esther but couldn’t because she was a foreigner. Instead I was the person being detained without due process..to be continued in the next episode..

(EPISODE 9) MY WEDDING NIGHT

After freshening up in one of the bathrooms, I was led to the detective’s office, where I sat and waited for the so called Esther Hardey to show up.
She showed up precisely ten minutes later with the same annoying white lawyer who threatened my brother.
They all stared at me with surprise as they walked into the detective’s office. “What is this murderer doing here?” the lawyer asked with anger. Detective Jeremiah smiled and shook his head.
As a lawyer, you should know that no suspect is guilty until a court of law gives verdict. Shes a suspect just like the lady that brought you along he answered the Lawyer who bit his lips angrily.
“Im taking none of this s--t any longer. If you cant do your job, better resign. My clients are tired of being detained in this country for no justifiable reason. They all want to go home and I give you two days to make it happen, else the fury of the American government will be on the whole Nigerian police force. You cant just keep everyone hostage he threatened.
“Oh I see you are representing all the Americans involved in this case, but I feel that will change soon the detective added quietly.
“What if I tell you, I have enough evidence to throw one of your clients in the cell right now? he pushed on.
Esther Hardey, she was at the house when the crime was committed. She was Damians fiancée, am I wrong? he asked the lawyer who kept quiet.
Esther had the motive and mindset to commit such murder and according to test results we have so far, she was physically present in one of the crime scenes which invariably places her in a bad position. I pin the murder charge on her. Phewwww case closed. I get promoted The detective concluded with a smile, while the lawyer instantly grew tense and stared at Esther with a coloured face.
Of course the detective had nothing strong to pin down the lady, but as a good officer he pulled a fast one on the white lawyer who for the first time looked beaten. It was time to prove how good a lawyer he was.
I prayed silently. I prayed for the detective’s stunt to work.
your client should use this opportunity to come out clean or Damian’s mother won’t like what I plan telling her the detective pushed on, while Esther colored up. It was obvious she was hiding something
oh Lord, make her to confess I prayed................CONTINUED IN THE NEXT EPISODE.

(EPISODE 8) MY WEDDING NIGHT.

Precious: “Officer Im all ears, tell me the news you bear I asked with fear. The detective threw a swift look at Nancy who shifted uneasily.
Detective: Well I don’t think now is a good time. It’s something private he replied, forcing me to smile quickly.
Precious: Nancy is like a sister to me. She knows almost everything about me. You can say anything in her presence I urged him nervously.
Detective: Esther Hardey he instantly called out, searching my face for any reaction. But the name he mentioned only drew me into another pit of confusion. The name sounded so strange and unfamiliar.
Precious: I don’t understand/ I haven\t heard such name anywhereI breathed with confusion.
Detective: That’s the name of your husband’s fiancée. A white lady he was supposed to Marry. The lady he left to marry you in order to fulfill the promise he made to you he explained.
A cold shiver instantly ran through my spine.
Precious: “So are you insinuating that Damian married me just to fulfill a promise? I asked sadly,
Precious: well I never knew he was engaged to any woman, seriously I thought all the ladies he played were just flings I murmured.
Detective: That’s not the problem he continued, breathing deeply. The lady in question is currently in Nigeria and was among the people that came into the country with your husband’s family and equally was present at the house when the crime was committed he explained, while I stared at him with a little hope.
Precious: That isn’t bad news, is it?. The lady definitely killed him. She had the motive and opportunity. Unbelievable I poured out desperately but the detective simply shrugged.
Detective: Yes she has the motive and opportunity, but we can’t just arrest her without strong reason. All I can do is to invite her for a little questioning and equally pray she doesn’t lawyer up he answered, breaking my worn out spirit. however we are still matching the DNA stuff we got from the scene and your husband’s body. I believe something positive will come out of it, but my only problem is that my superiors are putting much weight and interest in this case. They are pushing for closure and speedy trial which really will put you up as the scapegoat, if you are to be dragged to court without me finishing my investigations. You really need to pray my dear. You know how bad our judicial system can be, moreover the Americans want you to hang he concluded, while my heart froze. I instantly fell, collapsing on the floor within seconds.

I fainted

I soon regained myself to see two female police officers and Nancy by my side. Detective Jeremiah stood a distance away, watching me with great interest.
hope you have eaten today? One of the female officers asked me.
“Yea I nodded, breathing heavily.
“You have to get a grip of yourself if you ever want to win this case. You got to be strong. Esther Hardey will be here in few minutes for questioning the Detective said to me.
“Please i want to be present when she’s being questioned. I want to see her face I begged weakly.
“No I cant do that, I have already broken a lot of protocols for you he answered quickly.
I beg of you. Remember we are talking about my husband’s murder. Help a widowI pushed passionately.
He breathed deeply and shrugged.I hope I don’t get fired for all Im doing for you. Well you have to freshen up first, secondly you must promise not to say a word to the lady when you meet her he said seriously.
“Oh yes, I promise not to say a word I answered, while he smiled and left.
“The detective is a wonderful man. He will help you out the second female cop said to me, nodding with a smile...
To be continued

(EPISODE 7) MY WEDDING NIGHT

have to hold on tight dear, we are getting you out in no time. The detective promised to give you special treatment. So just hold on for a little longer my brother begged before leaving with my dad. However my day never had a dull moment because soon after they left, two of my colleagues came to see me as if they cared. I already knew they simply came to confirm things with their eyes, but thats one of the things in life we have no control over.
No matter what we do, we must have haters, we must have people who pretend to care and we also must have people whose only motive is to bring you down. Later in the afternoon, my friend Nancy also came to see me. It really was painful receiving such visits in a police cell.
Yea you guys should just for a moment reflect how it feels to be receiving your friends and colleagues, days after your wedding in a police cell. Horrible isnt it??. Nancy shed real tears on seeing me, her face coloured deeply. The shock in her very apparent.
I heard Rumours, I never believed till this very moment she said quietly. I swallowed hard and nodded. Nancy was my old time pal. We attended the same university, stayed in the same hostel and did our Nysc the same time, though in different states. Her parents were a bit wealthy and lived in the capital city. She
returned to live with them after Nysc while i came over to live with my brother. However i was fortunate to get a good job while
she managed a little teaching job in her neighbourhood. We still remained very close even after we disagreed over Damian. She was of the opinion that i was being overly ambitious, insisting that i was throwing away my life for money. I guess she was right?, but she merely objected to my relationship with Damian simply because i dropped my young boyfriend whom she much preferred, in order to move on with Damian. Yea Justice was the boys name, we were age mates and equally served {NYSC} the same time. He was a good kid but cmon I couldnt waste my future by waiting for him. He was even yet to get a job till the very moment I landed in the police cell.
Justice had a lot to do before thinking of settling down and I couldnt take the risk of waiting for him. At least I was good enough to keep him till we rounded up with Nysc unlike some of my course mates who dumped their boyfriends to get married in final year.
Damian brought only trouble just like i feared. My God this is a terrible Nightmare Nancy sobbed. I simply stared at her, not knowing what to say. But just that exact second, detective Jeremiah showed up with a dark smile.
you may not like the news i bear he announced and came forward while I almost fainted with fear.....

TO BE CONTINUED.    ......

(EPISODE 6) MY WEDDING NIGHT.

By 8am the next day, my brother showed up with my old father & detective Jeremiah. They all look very serious and tired. My heart bled as i saw tears form in my old mans eyes.
my darling you shouldn't be here he breathed painfully. I forced out a smile to assure him that i was alright.
  don't worry sir, we are coming close to solving this case. I'm working round the clock to make sure i solve the puzzles in the case. In no time your daughter will be out of here the detective said to him.
Officer please tell us what you have gotten so far. Tell us how far you have gotten my brother asked anxiously.
you know it isnt in our conduct to be revealing our investigations to people but nevertheless i will tell you guys how far i have gotten he answered, while my brother nodded desperately.
i worked on this case all through the night and i came to a conclusion that two people were involved in the murder. Moreover one of d security men in the house admitted seeing a white lady head to the garden at the exact time the crime might have been committed he revealed while I jumped up hopefully.
you should arrest the lady right away, isnt d testimony enough to vindicate me? i asked breathlessly. The detective shook his head and looked down.
im sorry but it isnt enough. The security man admitted seeing a woman head to the garden. He never said he saw her kill ur husband, moreover the knife cut in
your husbands chest was strong and deep. I doubt if any lady can strike so hard. A lady equally cant be able to drag your husbands body from the garden to his bedroom unless of course she was assisted. The fracture on his noise equally brought up another fact that the murderer might have
sneaked from behind, strongly cut off his breathe by covering his nose & mouth with one hand while burying the knife in his chest. Something a woman will find very hard to do. Anyway we are still running DNA tests which will help us put more things together he concluded, while I sighed with desperation.
cmon cant you just drill the woman that was spotted at the scene instead of wasting the time we dont have. Who is the woman, who is she? i asked curiously. The officer shrugged.
the security man unfortunately couldnt identify her.
According to him all the white women in the house that night looked the same to him he answered, shook hands with my brother and left. My father came forward & stared at me for some seconds, tears blinding his vision.
im going to the village today. Im going to visit the only living soothsayer in our clan. He can reveal the murderer for us he informed me slowly. I couldnt believe my ears.
Dad noooo!, you cant do that. You cant abandon your Christian believe for my sake. You are a strong catholic dad. It hasnt gotten to that I pleaded.
I cant sit, watch and do nothing. Your mother barely managed to survive the night. I must do something, I'm still the head and protector of my family he said
strongly. I bit my lips and looked at my brother for support, but all he did was just shrug.
It was obvious they had all agreed on it before visiting me....to be continued.

(EPISODE 4) MY WEDDING NIGHT

As we got up to leave, i passionately pleaded to the detective to help me out. “seriously i have no hand in my husband’s death. You have to help me. You have to do something” I pleaded desperately. “as long as you are innocent, you have no problem with me. I’m a good cop. I promise to get to the bottom of this case” The middle aged officer promised while my brother smiled with relief. “now you are talking officer. Don’t let them intimidate or stop you from doing the right thing” he advised as they shook hands.
On our way out of the force headquarters, my brother held me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear. “you have to be strong my dear. Everything happens for a purpose. Please you have to be strong when facing our parents , they are very devastated” he begged quietly while more tears fell from my eyes. I really didn’t know how to face my old parents, especially mum who braved her sickness to witness mywedding ceremony.
Nevertheless, we first headed to Damian’s house after leaving the police headquarters in order to pick up my things, but on getting to the house, we were stopped by four policemen who told us that they had orders not to allow anyone pick up even a pin from the house. “madam this place is now a crime scene.
You can come back tomorrow to pick your things. As for now we have orders not to allow anybody pick up anything from the house” one of the officers said, leaving me speechless. “i think it’s a good development. A piece of evidence might still be lying around who knows. The police are really correct with this decision” My brother’s lawyer said in agreement. And so we had no choice than to turn back and head to my brother’s house where every member of my family was waiting for me. It really was such a painful scene as every one of them cried on sighting me, especially my poor mother who sobbed uncontrollably. “this marriage was just a huge mistake. oh no” she cried painfully.
However another big development occurred at exactly 5pm when detective Jeremiah showed up once again with a team of policemen and a white man who looked like a lawyer to arrest me. “i’m sorry, the order came from the I.G’s office. It has nothing to do with me” he said as a handcuff was thrown round my wrists, putting my entire family into another wave of shock. My brother as usual tried to defend me by creating a scene but had to shut up when the white lawyer threatened to arrest him as an accomplice in the murder charge I was facing. “don’t worry, I will protect you” the detective whispered to my ear as he led me away. This time, there wasn’t anything to save me from cooling off ina police cell.
To be continued..in episode 5

(Episode 2) MY WEDDING NIGHT

I really can’t write how hurt and empty i was that fateful morning. I can’t describe how devastated i was nor how my heart bled. I was totally broken and dead. I couldn’t even call my brother to tell him the bad situation i found myself. In fact my soul and my spirit ran away from me. I was just a shadow of myself. The devil just took time to urinate on my destiny. Damian’s mother never bothered nor cared about my feelings, instead pulled out the knife from her son’s body when my cries brought her to the room and almost stabbed me with fury, screaming some incoherent words, until other members of the family came in and held her. “i said it; nothing good ever comes out of Africa.
She stabbed him, she probably did it in her sleep, or maybe it’s witchcraft. God save my soul” the old woman screamed and cried. I simply sat beside the bed and cried out my heart. I was just like a cornered rat. I was simply in the midst of foreigners. In the midst of people who saw me as a second class animal or probably a gold digger. None of them spoke to me nor asked how it all happened. I barely had changed my night wear when an ambulance arrived with men from the force headquarters. Before i knew what was happening, i found myself at the back of a police SUV while the perpetrator of the crime walked freely, probably watching the unfolding events from a safe distance.
 Another problem i had was that i didn’t know who to suspect nor accuse. They all looked the same to me. They were all a bunch of conspirators. I felt like taking my life as the police took me away, because there wasn’t any need living again. I knew the justice system would easily convict and close the case than investigating. “Who am i among a bunch of whites all accusing me of murder??”. I had nothing to prove my innocence. I was the only person in the room with Damian. The murder weapon which might have saved me through finger print test was already compromised by Damian’s mother. My life was nothing but over. Kiri kiri prison awaited me with a dark smile.
How do i save myself?, how do i prove my innocence?.
To be continued...

(Episode 1) MY WEDDING NIGHT

write with Tears, I woke up after my wedding night to see a knife buried in my husband’s
chest, our bed sheet soaked with blood. I couldn’t believe my eyes, i couldn’t believe it was all real. I held
my dead husband and looked around. “no this can’t be happening” i breathed, trying hard to control myself. But itwas all real, Damian was cold and still. He was dead for real. “nooo” i sobbed
quietly, wondering what to do, wondering the next step to take. There was any doubt, i was about
experiencing a very terrible twist in my life. Damian was definitely murdered by someone who was so desperate to destroy my happiness. I sat down on the floor while my mind flashed back to how i met my husband. After NYSC, early the previous year. I came to Abuja to live with my elder brother who was a doctor in one of the city hospitals. He had no problem getting me a good job in a very popular construction company inside the city.
Seriously i counted myself as a very lucky girl because i was the first to get a job among all my classmates and friends. I started work in Damian’s office as a secretary and that was when my life took a dramatic turn. Damian who was my boss, a white and an American citizen quickly took interest in me. He was so sweet and caring but equally a womanizer.Everyone warned me to be careful. My colleagues advised me to be professional when dealing with him and never give in to his demands, which i obeyed. But surprisingly he continued disturbing me, even after turning him down so many times. The more i turned him away, the more bolder he got. This continued until i finally gave in to him. We had a very sweet relationship that soon became the talk of the town. As our relationship progressed, i started getting threats from his old girlfriends both in Nigeria and abroad, but it never stopped me from giving up on him. Three months into the relationship, he proposed to me and met my people, drawing another shock from everyone, especially the white community. Our marriage was quickly fixed and i insisted for it to be done in Nigeria because of my family and friends which he accepted without hesitation. Damian’s mother, family members and friends arrived the country two days to our wedding. I had a very long talk with his mum and cousins who all tried to be nice to me even though the resentment on their faces were noticeable. The church wedding and reception went very well. Damian really spared no cost in organising the whole show. We planned travelling to Dubai the next day for our honeymoon, which made us spend our first night as husband and wife in his big house where almost all his family members and friends slept. Anyone of them could have crept into the room as we slept and struck him, but there wasn’t any doubt i would be the major suspect…. “Oh no” i wailed with a loud voice, drawing the attention of everyone in the house. Within minutes, almost every member of the white community was in Damian’s house. It was as if they were all waiting for such news…. I couldn’t believe i was married only for one night…
TO BE CONTINUED... (EPISODE 2).

(Final Episode 14 ) JUMAI

Mark looked at Jumai then moved his attention from her, she wasn’t his focus now; he had men to deal with. He was not sure exactly how many of them he had to deal with or how armed they were. Did the drug prevent bullet penetration? Would he be able to dodge the bullets? He had too many questions. He would have to find answers to them behind the door.
He felt a surge of pain go through his body and he screamed.
“Mark, are you okay?” Jumai said, grabbing his arm.
He pushed her away and flexed his muscles. For a few seconds he waited as a wave of heat swept across his body; he could take on a thousand men if they stood in front of him right now. He looked at the girl on the ground at his feet, was she an enemy or a friend? She would be so easy to break in two. He laughed. That is Jumai, she is the reason you are doing this! He looked at the girl again, she looked so weak it made him angry. Pick her up and get out of here. He grunted in disgust and picked up the girl.
He stood in front of the door, hoisted the girl on his shoulder and punched the door with both hands. It flew off the hinges and into the room next to his. There were about… – he did a quick scan of the room, there were five soldiers in the room and now their attention was on him. He dropped the girl in a corner and faced the men. They stood slowly, curious about the door that had flown across the room. One of them recovered from his shock and grabbed his gun. Mark jumped across the room and with one blow knocked him unconscious. Mark looked up and laughed; this felt great.
The remaining four men had their guns pointed at him now but their eyes were on their fallen colleague.
“Shall we do this?” Mark said.
He wanted to feel their skull his hands while he broke their spines. Remember you are doing this to get her to safety. He looked at the girl crumpled in the corner, she was crying. He would get her to safety but first; these barbarians.
He ran towards the first one and the gunshots started, now was the moment to show how great he was. He was on top of the soldier before he could fire his first bullet. The other soldiers fired at the spot where he had been, haha; they missed. They soon found his new location and fired at him but he blocked the bullets with the body of their friend. He rushed towards the next one and knocked him over with the head of his colleague, he kicked the guy and he was out. Two to go.
“Wait.” He shouted.
For some stupid reason, the soldiers stopped, guns still pointed at him. He could imagine how afraid they were. He looked at the girl in the corner, he wished she had a camera to record his awesomeness.
“I am clearly outnumbered here, I think I should surrender.” He said.
He went on his knees and put his hands behind his head. The men looked at each other, they were confused. He jumped at one of the men and slammed his fist into his throat. He snatched his gun and fired at the other man and in less than ten seconds they were both down. This was fun. He was sure there were other men outside, he was going to kill them all. Every one of them.
Jumai, she needs to leave this place.
He looked at her and walked over to where she was lying, her face to the ground. She wasn’t impressed with his skill? He picked her up and she screamed.
“Hey shut up, I will get you out of here but not if you continue screaming like a tortured dog.”
“Mark.” She whispered through her tears.
You love her, get her to safety.
He looked through the window and just like he expected, there were men waiting outside. They must have heard the gunshots because they had guns ready. They were on the first floor of a storey building, most of the soldiers were on their floor, all he needed to do was get to the ground fast enough to avoid too much of a fight. Why would he want to avoid too much of a fight though? He grinned.
She would get hurt in a fight, get her to safety.
Damn the voice in his head! He needed to get this girl to safety on time so he could come back for a bigger fight. He held the girl in his left hand and readied himself. He took a deep breath and kicked the door off its hinges. The bullets started flying immediately. He took a step forward and threw the girl over the railings and she flew through the air towards the ground; head first. He jumped after her, grabbed her and landed on his back, the girl safe on his chest.
He stood and ran as fast as he could – which was very fast, away from the house and the soldiers who he so longed to fight. He ran and ran till he got to a forest. He looked behind, he could not even see the house anymore. Here was safe enough, he could drop the girl and go back for the fight.
“Mark.” The girl called him. What did she want now?
“Huh?” He grunted back at her.
“We need to get to the camp, you need to take the antidote.” She said.
“What antidote?”
“You can’t remain like this for too long, remember what happened to the others?”
What was she talking about? He looked back the way he had come by, he needed to go back and deal with the soldiers. He took a look at the girl and started back towards the house. Go back for her. She needs you as much as you need her. That was it! He was done listening to the stupid voice in his head. He knew what to do and he would do what he wanted now. He grinned and increased his pace; this was awesome.

***
Mark sat on the car and looked around, this wasn’t as awesome as he imagined. He had not taken as much time, effort or skill as he thought he would to deal with the soldiers. He looked at his right shoulder, blood trickled down from the wound. Deliberately getting himself shot to increase the challenge did not work either; men were too weak. What would he do now? Go into the city and look for more people to fight? He shook his head, what would be the point of fighting civilians? They would be too easy. Maybe he should look for a military barracks. He remembered one of the soldiers made a call before he killed him, maybe whoever he called would come with soldiers.
He felt a squeeze on his face and he rubbed it with his palm; his face felt dry. He jumped off the car and walked into the house, maybe he needed water. He looked around, there was no single water container standing aright; he had done a lot of damage to the house. He found a mirror in one of the rooms and he looked into it. His face looked strange; it was blacker and the part he touched earlier was wrinkled. What was happening?
Remember the other men? You are dying.
No way, he was not dying. He was super-strong and awesome. He punched the mirror and it shattered. He just needed more people to fight, that was it. He needed a fight. He walked out of the house, he would go into town, even if all he had were civilians.
He heard a sound behind him and turned around. His lips parted into a huge smile, there was a truck filled with soldiers slowing to a stop in front of the building. He rolled his fingers into a fist and started to bounce on his toes; Christmas came early. Thank you Santa.
The first soldier out of the truck saw him and cocked his gun. Mark ran towards him and grabbed him by the throat. Another soldier saw them and shot in his direction; he shifted the soldier swiftly and his body took the bullet; perfect human shield. But that was close; the bullet was headed for his stomach. Was he getting slower? Get out of here now! No way. He wanted this, he really wanted this. Most of the soldiers were still in the truck, maybe he could finish them off easily. He went to the front of the truck and pushed it; it moved. Great! He pushed it again and he applied more pressure and soon it was moving away from the house at a good speed. He looked and saw a slope, it was perfect. He pushed the truck to the slope and let it go, it ran down towards God knows what. Some of the soldiers jumped off the moving truck, they would come to him. He turned around and ran back to the house.
There was a different car in front of the house; a hummer. He looked inside the car; it was empty. He heard voices coming from inside the house. A sharp pain shot through his neck and he dropped to his knees. He held his neck and rubbed it; it felt like his face felt earlier. Did it mean his neck would be black and wrinkled too? For the first time, he feared; this was not good.
Get to the camp now!
The camp? The IDP camp! He looked at his palms, they were wrinkled too. Panic shot through him, he was not ready to die. He had to find the girl, he needed her. Jumai. He needed to find Jumai.
The men talking inside the building came out. They were two; a soldier and another man. He knew the man, he was a dangerous man. He killed Baban, you need to get out of here. Yes, he remembered now. The man was the one who brought the soldiers, he was the bad man.
Mark stayed low and crawled around the car. They were a few feet away from him now, he felt pain in every joint in his body but he had no time for self-pity, he needed to make a move now. He rose gently to his feet and jumped at the soldier and with a blow knocked him out. The bad man brought out a gun but he knocked it away before he could use it. The man raised both hands and looked around. Mark knew what the man was looking for but he was not going to find any.
He walked over to the man and grabbed his hand and knocked out a shoulder joint. The man screamed.
“Do you want to die?” Mark growled into the man’s ears.
The man grunted and shook his head.
“You’re going to drive me to the IDP camp. Now move it.”
“I don’t know where it is.” The man said.
Mark pushed the dislocated shoulder and the man screamed.
“Do you know the place now?” Mark asked.
He pushed the man into his car and he climbed in into the backseat. He put a hand around his neck and squeezed it gently.
“This squeeze can get a lot harder if you do any nonsense.” Mark said.
“Your hands looked all wrinkled up.” The man said. “I hope you know that means you are about to die. The kulunix kills you on its way out.”
“Just drive.” Mark said.
He knew the man was right, why didn’t he remember this before? And Jumai, where was she? Where did he leave her? He had to get to the camp fast.

***
His hands were barely tight and his eyes were already closing when they entered the camp. He was in trouble now, he was sure. Even if General Babatunde who he was sure was already sensing his weakness did not kill him, there was a good chance the kulunix would do it. He needed the antidote but the chance of him finding it before he became too weak to move was low now.
“We are here.” General Babatunde said.
“Thank you General.” Mark said.
“Thank you?” The general said. “The kulunix must have worn off. Would you please get your wrinkled hands off my neck?”
“Not yet. Get me to the office area then you can go.”
“Why on earth will I do that?”
“Because I still have my hand on your neck.” Mark said and squeezed the general’s neck.
Pain surged through his hand and through his body and he let go of the general’s neck. He shouldn’t have squeezed harder, using that extra energy was too dangerous, and it was going to kill him. He rolled in the back seat as his stomach turned and his head burned.
“Well, I guess I don’t have to take orders from you anymore.” The general said. “Now, we will take a trip to my house, I have a little place where I kill people like you.”
Mark looked through the window, the car had turned around. He could not let the general take him out of the camp. He reached for the car handle and opened the door. He jumped out of the car and fell on his face. He mustered all the energy he had and stumbled towards the offices, the antidote would be somewhere there.
Behind him, he heard the car stop and a door open. There was no point stopping to see what the General was doing, he needed to get to the office.
“Mark!” He heard a voice ahead of him.
He looked; Jumai! She was safe! She was here!
He caught a second wind and ran towards her, she ran to meet him too. He smiled, it felt like he was the star of an Indian movie. Except his beautiful Indian princess was a beautiful Nigerian one with a large syringe in her hand. The antidote! He dropped to his knees, he would survive.
A gunshot rang through the camp and for a second it looked like the whole world stood still.
Jumai came back to life first. She screamed, threw the syringe away and grabbed him. She held him and screamed in his ear. Behind her three men with cameras ran towards him – the pressmen he had invited earlier in the day. It felt so long ago.
Jumai held him at arm’s length and he saw blood on her shirt.
“Jumai, you are bleeding.” He said.
A trickle of blood slid down the side of his mouth. He looked down at his stomach, he was bleeding too. His hands felt weak and they dropped to his side.
“Jumai…” He mumbled.
“Shhh, don’t say anything.”
Pain hit his stomach and he crumbled and lay on his back. From the corner of his eyes he saw General Babatunde running back to his car with a gun in his hand. His eyes widened; he had been shot!
Oh no!
“Jumai,” He whispered. “I have been shot.”
“Stop talking Mark.” She was fidgeting with her phone. “One of the cameramen has gone for help.”
“You are doctor, you are the only help I need.”
“Conserve your energy Mark.” She said.
“Conserve it for what? You? I have you here already and that’s all I need.”
“The pressmen got that shooting on camera and I promise that man would not get away with it. My father will make sure of it.”
Mark smiled. He did not care about General Babatunde. Even if they arrested him, there would always be another bad man. With the doctor gone and Baban dead, no one would be producing kulunix anytime soon. He wasn’t dying for nothing. He closed his eyes, he had never felt more at peace.
“Mark, open your eyes.” Jumai said.
Her voice sounded like it came from across a large room, a beautiful large room; heaven maybe.
“Come on Mark, Joey Tribbiani wouldn’t die on me.” She said with a nervous chuckle.
Haha Joey. He laughed and coughed, blood spurting from his mouth. He opened his eyes and looked at her; he could not believe he met her less than a month ago. He reached for her hand and held it. If he could write his life’s story he would title it Jumai. He smiled at his own stupidity.
“Mark.” She said his name so beautifully he wished he could hear it one more time.
“Jumai.”
He whispered her name softly and it echoed in his mind as his eyes closed for the last time. It would continue to echo, maybe even for all eternity.
Beautiful wise.....

THE END.

Authors credit : josh stories.
brownstories#jumaifinalepisode#tosynbrownblog#

(Episode13) JUMAI

was falling into place now for Baban. The men on kulunix were doing exactly what he wanted; maybe a little more. Soldiers had been killed and a few of the men had been killed but it was getting attention from the government. But he knew it was just for the meantime, this needed to be the beginning of many more attacks. He had leaked a few pictures and videos to reporters and a few people were talking about the ongoing incident. He needed more than a few people, he needed the whole nation talking about these new terrorists. He needed men who would pay to have his drug and his sponsors needed the government to buy weapons. Everything was good except for one missing man; Doctor Coker.
Where the hell was he? He had alerted his sponsors and they had put a flag on his name so he could not leave the country.
Dongo had just returned from his house and from the look on his face he could tell he didn’t have great news.
“What did you find?” Baban asked Dongo.
“Nothing?” Dongo said.
“What do you mean you found nothing?”
“I didn’t find Coker or his family.”
“They are gone?”
“That’s the crazy thing, it doesn’t look they’ve gone anywhere. Their car is still in the driveway, their passports are all in place, ATM cards too.”
“I don’t understand.” Baban said.
He really didn’t. If Coker didn’t take anything there was no way he could escape. Except he had help.
“Sir,” Dongo said. “Do you know where he could be?”
“If I knew where he was would I be here worrying?”
He paused then said. “Maybe your friends do.”
Baban raised his eyebrows. “Friends?”
“Yes sir. The general and his friends. They know all about this project and seeing what is happening now they must see how profitable it is.”
“Yes of course they see how profitable it is, that’s why we’re in business.”
“What if they wanted to eliminate the middle man and want the drug for themselves?”
Baban stood and began to pace. “There’s no way they would do that; they won’t betray me like that. They get their profit from their gun sales and I handle the drugs; that was our deal.”
“And you think they won’t stab you in the back if they get the chance?”
Baban shook his head, there was no way they would do that to him. He was the one that brought them this business in the first place, why would they steal from him? Money! They would do anything for money and so would he.
If their plan was to hurt him, he would hurt them first.
“Can you find out for sure if they have Coker?” Baban asked.
“I’m already on it.”
He had to make plans now he had the chance. He knew General Babatunde was smart and wouldn’t waste time in putting a mark on him once they decided he wasn’t of use anymore. And there was Fauziat whom the General had already threatened already. All of a sudden things didn’t look so good anymore.
“Sir, there’s also the problem of the girl we have here and Mark who we haven’t found yet.” Dongo said.
Baban slammed his hand on the table. There was only so much his brain could attend to at once.
“I don’t need the girl anymore, I have more problems.” Baban said.
“And Mark?”
“He doesn’t know anything or he would have said something by now.”
Dongo turned to leave. “Do you want me to take care of the girl?”
“No, I will do it myself.”
He had started the day with hope but just one conversation was sending his day spiralling to hell. I am a warrior! He wasn’t where he was but crumbling under problems, he would solve it all one by one. Starting with killing the girl.

***
The car spluttered again and the engine went off. Mark knew the car wasn’t coming back to life this time around, there was no point pushing it. He beckoned to Mohammed and they exited the car. He stuffed his pocket with the kulunix the Indian Baban had forced him to take and Mohammed carried the flask containing the antidote the doctor had given him. He cast a final look at the car and they began to walk towards the camp.
He expected to meet soldiers on the way but they were not at their posts. He could see the camp ahead; everything looked the same but something was strange about what he was looking at. It did not matter now that he knew who was holding Jumai and who was behind what happened with Sule. He closed his eyes and shook off the thought of Professor Tanko’s smiling face as he made promises to help WAAP.
“Uncle look!” Mohammed shouted and pointed.
Mark looked at the direction Mohammed’s finger was pointed to, on the floor a few feet off the road a man lay prostrate on the floor. Mark ran up to the man and knelt beside him. He checked the man’s pulse, he was dead. He looked exactly like the man he and Jumai had found behind one the buildings. This was kulunix. Was there an outbreak on the camp?
“Let’s hurry Mohammed.” Mark said.
They ran as fast as they could to the camp. As soon as they entered the camp Mark knew something major was wrong. He looked around and saw similar sights like they had seen on the way; bodies laid prostrate on the floor. There was a chance some of them were not dead but he couldn’t do much on his own, he needed help.
He ran towards the office area. If there was an outbreak of kulunix, there was a good chance that the staff were dead. He swallowed at the thought.
He turned around a corner and stopped! It looked like a full battle had just finished here. There were dead bodies lying on the floor; soldiers and men from the camp. Mark’s blood boiled at the sight. What had Professor Tanko done? This wasn’t just about Jumai, the man had killed men just to test run a drug? There were still a few men running around the offices, it was obvious they were on Kulunix. It was possible there were people locked inside those buildings or maybe they had escaped. He had to do something about this.
He removed his phone and took a few pictures and uploaded them online; it was time to expose Professor Tanko.
He tagged the first picture; ‘This is what this man would do to test run a drug.’
He tagged a few online newspapers but he knew it wouldn’t catch on until he mentioned who the ‘man’ was. Professor Tanko had Jumai, it was not smart to give up all his leverage.
He uploaded more pictures telling the story but not mentioning the name. One of the newspapers sent him a message privately, they wanted to know who the man was. He shook his head, he still had to save Jumai.
He scrolled through his contacts and stopped on Professor Tanko’s number. He dialled the number.
“Mister Mark, where have you been? We have been worried.” Professor Tanko said as soon as he answered the call.
“Professor, you can drop the act, I know who you are and what you are doing, Baban.”
The professor stayed quiet for a few seconds then said, his voice very cold. “If you know who I am then you will know I have Jumai and I am very dangerous.”
“Is she okay?” Mark asked, fear getting the better of him.
“She is okay, for now. You do anything stupid and she is dead.”
“Oh yeah, that’s what I called about. I have started talking about you to the press but I haven’t mentioned your name but I can’t keep that secret very long.”
“I already told you, don’t do anything stupid.”
“Release Jumai and you have my word I won’t be giving the newspapers already calling me your name.”
“I can arrange that.”
“And on time because these newspapers are already mounting pressure.”
“I’m one hour away from the camp.” Professor Tanko said. “I will come with Jumai and you will hand over all you have on me. Do we have a deal?”
Mark nodded. “Yes we do.” He ended the call.
Mark looked at his watch, he had one hour to make a plan that will leave him alive. He knew Professor Tanko was lying, there was no way he would hand over Jumai and let him go with the knowledge that he had. In truth he didn’t have hard evidence against Professor Tanko, but he could get his evidence. If he could get news men secretly filming the exchange, he would have evidence that Professor Tanko kidnapped Jumai and that way he would survive. The Professor would not want to worsen his case by killing him on camera. Hopefully he wouldn’t.
He had a lot of calls to make. He hoped he could get the cameras here before one hour. More importantly he hoped he would still be alive in one hour.

***
“How far out are you?” Baban asked.
“Just ten minutes.” Dongo’s reply came over the phone.
“If you don’t pick him up please don’t come back here. I want him alive in case he has told someone else. But if taking him alive will allow him escape then by all means put a bullet in his head. I want him here in thirty minutes, dead or alive.”
He ended the call and smiled. The small fool threatened him? He was already dealing with threats before the boy was born. Once the boy was here, he could die next to his girlfriend. That was the second problem almost solved. Now he had to think of what to do with his back-stabbing partners.
The door opened and General Babatunde happened.
“Speak of the Devil.” Baban mumbled.
“What did you say?” General Babatunde asked.
Baban faked his best smile. “I wasn’t expecting you here today General.”
“Forget the niceties, we know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work.”
“What are you talking about?” Baban asked, he was truly confused.
“Your doctor, he suddenly fell off the radar now when his creation is finally working, coincidence?”
“What?”
“You cannot hide him for long. What would you tell us? He escaped? He’s dead?”
“What is this? Some sort of reverse thing? You have my scientist and now you accuse me of hiding him?”
General Babatunde laughed. “So that’s the angle you want to play? We have him? For what?”
“So you can have all the business. If you have the scientist, you don’t need me.”
“Hmm, that is actually very true. When we find the scientist, we will kill you and we will have all the business.”
“Are you saying…?”
Their phones rang at the same time, stopping Baban in the middle of his question. General Babatunde walked to a corner of the room and answered his call.
Baban answered his.
“Dongo, do you have him?”
“Yes sir, I do.”
Baban sighed, finally. “Is he alive?”
“Yes he is, a little unconscious though.”
“A little unconscious? What does that even…never mind. Get here fast!”
Baban ended his call and saw the general staring at him.
“Who is Mark Ademola?” General Babatunde.
“He’s nobody. He works for the charity people. Why do you ask?”
“Well, your ‘nobody’ is getting attention on social media telling people about a certain man testing drugs in IDP camps.”
“What?” The bastard. “Did he mention my name?”
“I’m not your press secretary. The important question is, did you know about him and did nothing about it? Or is this part of your plan to deceive us?”
“My guy is bringing the boy in now. He’s not a problem to you or to me.” Baban said. “And about the doctor, I don’t have him. I actually thought you did.”
The door opened and Dongo pushed Mark in, gagged, hands tied and blindfolded.
“That was so fast.” Baban said.
“This is the boy?” General Babatunde asked.
The general looked Mark over then removed his blindfold and gag.
“How did he find out about you?” General Babatunde asked.
“I don’t know.”
“He found Doctor Coker.” Dongo said.
“What?”
“He has a very low threshold for pain, he told me everything before I landed the second punch.” Dongo said.
“Where is Coker?” General Babatunde asked.
“He doesn’t know for sure but I can find him.” Dongo replied.
“Okay then. We have the boy, we will have Coker soon and the government is already interested in talking to us.” General Babatunde said then turned to Baban. “I think your work is done.”
“What?” Baban knew what that statement meant but there was no way General Babatunde would kill him in his own place, surrounded by his own men.
“Face it Tanko, you are of no use anymore. You are actually a liability right now.”
Baban laughed nervously. “You will kill me here? Among my men?”
General Babatunde smiled and turned around. “Soldier, handle this, will you?”
Soldier? Baban looked around and turned on time to see Dongo point the gun to his head. No way!
“Dongo, you? You are my right hand man, we made plans together.”
“I’m sorry, I have my orders.”
The door opened as the general walked out and Baban saw the number of men outside, there was no way out of this for him.
“Dongo, please I have…”
The gunshot rang through the room and Baban’s body fell at Mark’s feet.

***
Mark crashed into the room and for a few seconds he kept his face on the ground. He was dead for sure now. They had not hesitated to kill Professor Tanko who he assumed was the person to fight all along, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. He was stupid, so stupid. He shouldn’t have been caught. Now he was going to die, so would Jumai and the poor doctor and his family. He was so stupid.
He felt a touch on his back and he flinched.
“Mark?”
He raised his head. “Jumai?”
He hugged her tight and held her for what looked like an eternity but still it wasn’t enough. He was never going to let her go. The men who would kill her would have to pry her away from his dead cold hands.
“Mark?” Jumai gently released herself from his hug.
“Are you okay?” Mark asked, looking her over.
“Hmhmm.” She said, tears forming in her eyes.
He pulled her closer and rocked her. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
They sat in silence for about five minutes. Mark wondered why this had happened to him of all people. His life was simple. He helped people for a living and now most of the people he had spent his time helping were dead or dying. Where are the women? He had not considered that, he could only hope they were okay. His boss, Jumai’s father, the whole team, they were all somewhere unaware that he and Jumai were about to die. Nobody would miss him but Jumai, she had people; parents, a fiancé. She shouldn’t die like this. She won’t die like this.
“What are you doing?” Jumai asked.
“What? Nothing, I haven’t even moved.”
“Something about you just changed and I have a bad feeling you are about to do something stupid.”
“Well, it’s true I want to do something stupid but I can’t even think of any stupid thing to do right now.”
“You don’t have to do anything. I’ve made my peace with God and myself, I already know I’m going to die. I’m just glad to see you again before that happens.”
“You are not going to die. I will get you out of here even if it’s the last thing I do.”
“That sounds heroic and stuff but except you’re ‘the Hulk’ and you can transform into a power machine, I don’t see that happening.”
Mark laughed. “Don’t make me laugh Jumai, I need to think right now. Although if I could transform I would have because I am very angry right now.”
“Can we just sit and wait for them? At least I will have the comfort of knowing I died with someone who loved me.”
Mark looked at her. “Love? I never said I loved you.”
“Are you saying you don’t?”
Mark pulled her closer. “Remember Faruk? He’s the reason…”
“Who?”
“Faruk, your fiancé?”
“What?” Jumai laughed. “You actually believed that?”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t have a fiancé, I was just messing with you.”
Mark chuckled, this was great news. If only they were not about to die.
“You were messing with me…I am very angry right now.” Mark said. “Why can’t I just transform into the green monster already?”
“I think it is money they call the green monster actually.”
“Do you really want to argue that right now? The Hulk is the…” Mark stopped and dipped his hand inside his pocket and brought out a pill. “Oh my God, I can actually transform.”
“What are you talking about?” Jumai asked.
“This is the pill Sule took, it is called Kulunix.” Mark said. “I can actually transform.”
“Wait a minute, what are you talking about?”
“If I take the pill, I’ll get the super strength that can break walls and fight off the men outside.”
“No, no Mark. No, you won’t do something that stupid.”
“So this is the stupid thing I should have thought about since?” He took Jumai’s hand. “We can’t just wait here and die. I can’t just watch you die or watch you watch me die.”
“Sule died from this thing.”
Mark sighed, that was true. Doctor Coker told hime Sule died and so had many other men who used the drug. But he had to take the chance.
And there was an antidote!
“There’s an antidote. It is back at the camp but we can maybe get there before…”
“No Mark,” She walked away from him. “You won’t do this.”

continued in  the final episode.....

(Episode 12) JUMAI

He heard the click of the *trigger* (what is the name of the thing you pull before you pull the trigger?) and waited for the bullet to pierce through his skull.
“Major.” A voice called.
He waited a few more seconds and he felt the gun leave his head. He opened his eyes and saw Major putting his gun away.
“My friend, come.”
Mark looked in the direction of the voice and there he was; Baban. He was not white as Mohammed as suggested, he was Indian. Why would an Indian man be the drug lord in a Northern Nigerian village? It did not matter, the man just called him ‘friend’, that was a good sign. There was hope for him. There was hope for Jumai.
The girl gave him his shirt and he walked away from the disappointed crowd to Baban. The closer he came to Baban, the shorter he realized he was. Mention drug lord and Baban was not the picture that came to mind. How did he control his troop of lunatics, most of whom did not even speak English?
Mark stopped in front of his saviour and looked down at him, Baban frowned. Someone hit his leg from behind and he fell to his knees. Mark looked up at Baban, he was smiling now. The two obviously and heavily armed men behind him were smiling too.
“You are a long way from home my friend. What are you doing here?” Baban asked.
“My friend is missing and I have reason to believe that you have her.”
“Really?” Baban looked at the men beside him and they laughed. “Look around you, do you see her?”
Mark looked around. “No, I don’t see her.”
“So why would you believe I have her? Do we look like kidnappers to you?”
He wouldn’t put kidnapping past them but he couldn’t say that. “Not at all. I’m not accusing you of anything. But I beg you in the name of God, in the name of Allah, please just let me see her.”
Baban shook his head. “What is your name?”
“Mark Ademola.”
“You are Yoruba boy? You are really far away from home.”
The man was from India, how could he be telling him he was far away from home? He could hear and tolerate anything as long as he stayed in his good books.
“This your friend that is missing, what is her name?”
“Jumai, her name is Jumai.” Mark shifted on his knees, he couldn’t stay like this forever. “Can I stand please?”
One of the men stepped towards Mark, his hands raised but Baban stopped him.
“Mark Ademola from faraway, come and let us talk about your friend.” Baban said and walked away.
Someone grabbed him from behind and pushed him after Baban. They went through a dark corridor and a door he didn’t see until they were right in front of it. Everything changed after the door; it was almost magical. Everything after the door were worlds apart from what he had seen outside. The room they entered into was large and well lit. It could have been the living room of a Senator. The electronic gadgets in here were state of the art, Mark could not help but stare.
Baban turned around to face him. “Do you like what you see Mark?”
“Yes.” He said. It was no wonder why this man was living so far away from his country.
“Please take a seat.” Baban said.
Mark looked behind and none of the people who followed had entered the room with them. It was just Baban and the two goons who now looked more like his friends than his guards.
Mark settled into one of the sofas, sitting on the edge; he wasn’t to forget why he was here for a second. A girl – who thankfully had some clothes on came into the room with a bottle of wine. She placed it in front of Baban and walked away.
“Come closer my friend, join me.”
“Thank you but I will be driving later so…” Mark saw Baban’s face and stopped. “Maybe I’ll take a glass.”
Mark switched to a chair closer to him and Baban poured him a glass. He was not one to drink alcohol but now wasn’t the time to be virtuous, he took a sip of the wine. He was not sure he was qualified to judge what good wine was but this tasted like great wine.
“You like it?” Baban asked.
“Oh yeah, it is great.” Mark said.
“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, I want you to join me.”
“Thank you very much but can we please talk about my friend now?”
“Okay Mark. Why do you think I have your friend?”
Mark told him the story of Sule taking Jumai and the text Jumai sent to him.
“And you just came here thinking it was me?” Baban asked, a smile on his face.
“A boy – Sule’s brother told me about you.” He had completely forgotten about Sule. Was the boy even okay out there by himself?
“A boy? Mohammed?”
Mark sat forward in his chair. “You know him?”
“Suleiman and Mohammed, I knew them both. I always wondered what happened to them.”
“Are you saying Suleiman did not come here with Jumai?”
“I’m not the only called Baban in the world, you know right?”
Mark sank back into his chair, so he had wasted his time, fought an idiot and almost got killed for nothing? If Jumai wasn’t here, where was she? Who on earth was this other Baban?
“I’m interested in something you talked about, Suleiman having super strength. Can you tell me more about that? Did he take a drug or something?”
Of course Baban was interested in the drug. He could not afford to stay anymore though, if Jumai was somewhere else he needed to figure out where it was or at least return to the camp.
“Mark?” Baban broke into his thoughts.
“I’m sorry. We couldn’t tell for sure what happened or what kind of drugs he was on. Everything happened too fast and we more interested in finding Jumai than finding what drug Sule was on.”
“Hmm, okay.”
“Please I’ll like to take my leave.”
“There was a man who came here a few days ago.” Baban continued like he didn’t hear Mark. “He said he was a doctor, he needed fake international passports; his family needed to leave the country undetected. That’s right, I can get you passports if you need to change your identity or anything like that.”
“I will remember that next time I’m feeling the country.” Mark said, he just wanted the man to finish his story.
“Apart from passports, I arrange help across the border. Helicopter service, boat escapes, anything you want.”
“Thank you Baban. Please continue the story of the doctor.”
“Oh right. The doctor did not have money because he claimed all his accounts were being monitored so he could not withdraw. He offered me something in exchange, something that sounds a lot like what you just described.”
Mark’s mind snapped back into action. “The drugs gives super strength?”
“He said so, he claimed to be the one who made it. But you will end up dying in less than forty eight hours. But it has commercial value when it is sold and used in smaller doses. You won’t have super strength but you will sure have strength. Some of my men have tried it. I myself don’t take drugs. If you are interested though, you can have some.”
“No, thank you.” Marks said.
Mark’s mind was on total autopilot now. What Baban was saying was great news for him. If he could find the person who made this drug then he could lead him to the person who bought it. Somewhere in that link he believed he would find whoever held Jumai.
“He said the drug was called kulunix and he promised it would make me a millionaire. Not that I am not one already.”
“Sure. Can I meet his doctor?”
“That can be arranged.” Baban said.
Mark smiled, he was going to find Jumai after all. “I will be grateful, I can finally find my friend. I will owe you for this Baban.”
“Owe me? I don’t really like people being in my debt.”
“If you want to do this as a favour, I will be eternally grateful to you.”
“Favour? I already saved your life, that’s enough favour for one day. You will have to pay if you want to meet the doctor.”
“Pay? I don’t have money with me.”
“Oh my friend, that is not good.” Baban said.
This would be a good time to have an expensive watch on but he was not even wearing any.
“I have money, I just don’t have it here.” Mark said. “Baban, please you have to help me here, Jumai’s life depends on it.”
“Do you have something you can deposit then?”
The car! “I have a car here, it is not mine but I can deposit it.”
“That would do. You will see Doctor Coker first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow?” They would be worried sick at the camp, he needed to get back as soon as he could. “Can’t we meet him tonight?”
“Tomorrow morning.” Baban said and stood. “I won’t be able to eat dinner with you, I have to go and arrange the meeting. I hear there is a girl you like here, I will send her to stay with you overnight.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Mark protested.
“Is it a man you want?”
“Hell no. But please Mohammed has been outside for a long time, he needs food and a place to sleep too.”
“Oh right, I will have someone take care of him. And I will see you in the morning.”
“Thank you Baban.”
Baban nodded and left the room with his friends who Mark had totally forgotten about.
He was not sure he could sleep, he was not sure Jumai would be sleeping either. It was the second night was spending with whoever the other Baban was. He hoped they were just holding her for ransom. He stretched out on the chair; he was too tired to stay awake. He knew he was not going to wake up still tired because the fear and tiredness would only continue into his dreams.
***
Baban looked at his watch, it was almost nine pm and Mark was not back. Nobody knew where he went; that was not good. What if this guy found out who he was? He would be hunted by the government and arrested but that wasn’t even his biggest problem. The three men who had bankrolled this project were no nonsense people who would not hesitate to terminate him if they thought he could give them away. And of course they would assume he would give them away which meant he would have less than two hours to live.
He looked at his watch again, he didn’t want to show his panic but he could not help it.
“Professor Tanko, I didn’t know you were still around.”
 Baban looked outside his car, it was Doctor Aderoju. He put on his best smile.
“How can I go? First Jumai, now Mark? I’m not even sure what’s going on anymore.”
“One of the cars is missing, we believe Mark took it so we assume he is safe. Jumai is our priority right now.”
Of course she was. She was the daughter of the rich man, Mark was just an employee.
“I hope they are both fine.”
A loud noise erupted some distance from where they were.
“What was that?” Baban asked.
“I need to check it out.” Doctor Aderoju said and ran towards the noise.
Was it another Suleiman incident? He wanted to see what was going on but he needed to be able to escape in case someone bad was going down. He walked a few metres towards the noise and looked into the darkness. He was not sure if what he was seeing was right but he was seeing men being kicked into the air. Was this the super strength they were talking about? And this wasn’t just one person.
Someone came running from the direction of the melee; it was Doctor Aderoju.
“What’s going on there?” Baban asked.
“Professor Tanko, you may need to leave.”
“What is going on?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it except in movies.”
“Doctor, what are you saying?”
“Have you seen Hulk, the movie? They are not as big or as green but they are as strong.”
Baban didn’t know what this Hulk was but he had a pretty good idea of what the Doctor was talking about.
“What are you going to do now?”
“We have soldiers here with rubber bullets, hopefully that would help.”
Someone ran towards them from the direction of the fight; it was one of the volunteers. He saw Doctor Aderoju and stopped.
“Sir, the rubber bullets are not affecting them. They have killed one soldier already and they are now switching to live ammunition.”
“No, they can’t do that!” Doctor Aderoju shouted.
Baban walked away from them slowly towards his car. This was super; the kulunix was in full effect. This was when the money was to be made, he needed to call the general; it was time for him to call the NSA. He could forget Mark for now, they had to maximise the brouhaha that was about to hit the camp.

***
Mark paced in the room, he was tired of waiting. The doctor was supposed to be here now and Baban had made himself scarce since the previous night. He was tired and worried. He had spent his night doing more of worrying than sleeping, it wasn’t too different from what he expected. But he had patiently endured it believing that it would all be over this morning when he saw Doctor Coker.
The door opened and a man entered.
“Where the hell is Baban and the doctor I was supposed to meet this morning?” Mark shouted at the man.
“I am Doctor Coker.” The man said.
He sighed. “Finally. Please sit, I need to ask you some questions.”
The Doctor sat. “I was told your friend was kidnapped by a Baban.”
“Yes, she was. Do you know who this Baban is?” Mark asked and the doctor hesitated. “Please sir, my friend has been with him for two days now, anything could be happening right now.”
“I know who Baban is.” The doctor said. Mark could see the anger in his face.
“Who is he please? If you tell me I can have him arrested.”
“Arrested? You don’t arrest people like him because they will be out in a few seconds, you kill them.” The anger was boiling over now. “That bastard killed my son and threatened my family.”
“I’m sorry about your son. I can help you get justice for your son if you tell me who he is.”
“Okay.” The doctor said. “His name is Professor Tanko, he is…”
“Professor Tanko? I know him. He is the one holding Jumai?”
“If you want to do anything about him you have to move fast.”
Doctor Coker told him about the kulunix and what would happen if the men in the camp used it. They would kill a lot of people but all die in less than forty eight hours like Baban had told him.
“Those men will die through no fault of their own.” Mark said.
“Yes, after they have killed a lot of people.”
“You made the drug, isn’t there an antidote?”
The doctor paused for a while. “There is an antidote but it’s never been used. I haven’t even tested it but there’s a good chance it will work.”
“You have to come then, we can’t just let these people die.”
“Come?” Doctor Coker chuckled. “There’s no way. As soon as I get my passports from Baban, I’m leaving the country with my family.”
“But Doctor…”
“Look, the people who are behind Professor Tanko are very strong, I cannot risk staying here till they find me. And they will if I stay any longer.”
“So, what now?”
“I will give you the antidote, it is up to you what you do with it.”
“Do you know where I can find Professor Tanko? Where is his hideout?”
“I’ll write you an address for where I know but I cannot guarantee that that’s where your friend is being held.”
He heard footsteps at the door and Baban entered.
“My friend.” He said with a big smile. “I’m sorry I’ve been away but I see you two have met.”
“Yes we have.” Mark said.
“Okay then, as soon as you want to leave you let me know. We have sold your Hilux but...”
Mark shot to his feet. “What?”
“That was our agreement but because you are my friend, I have left a small car for you to travel with.”
“I didn’t say you should sell the car! I said I would deposit it.”
“Then how will you go home?” Baban asked, looking all self-righteous. “I did what was best for us. You have seen the doctor, I have my money and you will still get home – you will have to refill the radiator every thirty minutes, but it will get you home.”
Mark balled his fist and stilled himself. All he needed was to get back to camp with all the new information he had. If it meant being duped by a drug dealer and driving an almost dead car, then he would endure it all.
Hold on Jumai, I’m coming for you...TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT EPISODE.