Chapter Five

Charles

Sunday, October 2

04:15 pm.

"The boss wants to meet you." Stanley said another hefty man standing behind me, why does the boss want to see me?

I became a bit scared to be sincere, I never wanted to join this group, but I get a lot of rewards and I'm nothing without these people.

I don't like the operations they carry out an I'm scared we might all get caught.

"Come on walk faster!" the hefty man said, his cheek was full of scars, scars that told tales of the pasts, scary tales indeed.

I'm scared of everyone of them and I have never met the boss.

  The only person I'm close to is Stanley and I'm beginning to regret ever joining this cult group, how can they give me an assignment to kill an innocent girl.

It's my first assignment and I know nothing about guns or girls , I know I want the reward money but I don't want to kill to get money.

I followed behind Stanley and the  hefty looking man, I'm the youngest so they should go easy on me.

We approached a street and I examined the place closely.

We were heading for a small building that looked like an old house, it was painted pink so I wonder why it is called the Black house.

I know nothing about this cult group and I only joined because Stanley told me I'll get rich if I joined. That's what I really want, to get rich!

"Why is it called the black house?" I asked not caring if other people on the street might hear what I just asked.

The hefty man turned back to face me, he gave me a deadly glare as I swallowed saliva. He looks so scary and no matter how much he smiles a baby would never like his face.

"Will you keep shut!" Stanley said frowning at me, I immediately kept my stupid mouth shut and continued to follow them till we got to the old house.

Well it looked very old and I still kept wondering why it was called the black house.

Stanley and the hefty man went inside the house and I stood outside admiring the beautiful flowers that were planted in the garden.

Judging by the exterior designs, I think the house was either owned by a female or an old person, no normal guy would use this kind of exterior and paintings, not to talk of a secret cult group.

"Come in." the voice of another hefty man interrupted my thoughts, my heart started beating fast for a reason I was not sure of... Chill Charles it's just a house right?

I said to myself trying to muster some courage, I'll have no choice but to go in, there's no backing out from the Darkest Devils.

"Is this him?" A man asked the minute I got in, he was seating on a chair while the others standing, I'm guessing he is the boss.

"Yes boss. " Stanley replied facing the floor, I think it's an act of respect for their boss.

Five other hefty men stood beside Stanley and six others opposite them.

"I'm guessing he is new, has he gone through training?" The boss asked again staring intensely at me.

If looks could kill, I'll be swimming in heaven right now.

Not like I'll go to heaven, I mean I have done so many bad things in my life... Stealing, I'm a thief!

"Emm... N... No sir." Stanley said fixing his eyes back on the floor after giving the boss an answer.

"You know you screwed up." The boss said facing Stanley who dare not raise his head.

"I'm sorry boss." Stanley apologized, I wonder what training they are talking about, no one told me about any training I took an oath that was all. I have homeworks to do.

I can't do any training, Stanley knows I can't I'm still in secondary school, and I'm not dropping out  because of some training.

"You!" The boss's voice startled me as I looked directly into his eyes, noticing a scar across his face. I think he lost an eye because I could not see the pupil of one.

The other was grey in color, his lips red, with a very broad nose making him look like the demon he is.

"Yes boss." I replied, my voice was not very pleasant and it kept shaking like I was scared, yes I am scared. The interior is quiet different from the exterior design.

The place that looked like a family living room, converted to were they use as a meeting center, it is painted black and red with scary posters and drawings of bones and skulls, spider webs, snakes and scorpions.

I took my time to reexamine the place while the boss stared at me like there was something amusing on my face.

His second eyeball was scary and because of that I tried to avoid eye contact with him.

"So, this is your first assignment, and if you do it well, you get a great reward, you also get a plus because you haven't undergo any training whatsoever." The boss uttered still staring directly at my face.

"Okay boss." I replied nodding like an idiot, I'm still new to all this and I really don't want to kill anyone, can't they just give me a simple assignment to steal something, I'll prefer to even rob a shop.

"Don't say okay, say you won't let me down!" He said, almost like he yells every single time he talks  I could hear him yell even though we were like twenty feets apart.

"Okay boss... I won't... I... I won't let you down." I replied stammering a bit, I did not think before making a decision to join this group, I think I just dug my own grave.

"Good boy." he said, he belittled me, just then I noticed most of them were far older than I am, I'm seventeen and Stanley who is still the second youngest is twenty five years old.

This world is not fair at all, I think they just want me to do their dirty job for them, but there is no backing down its too late now.

"So what research have you done on the assignment?" The boss asked facing a different man, I listened patiently.

The man raised up his head slightly "She and her mom returned home yesterday at exactly two pm noon, she's the only child of the previous assignment." The man said giving the information Mr bossy asked for, I hate his scary face and I'm so sorry for myself for being a victim and joining a bad guys group.

  I wish I had a way out, but they will kill me if I decide to leave the group, I don't want to be an assassin and I don't want to live the miserable life they lived, I'm only after the money.

"Okay, any other PERSONAL information?" he asked the man prolonging the word 'personal'.

He glared at the man and immediately the man fixed his eyes on the floor.

I know they all fear him so much, judging by the way they have been staring at the floor, or maybe his face is just too scary.

"She is sixteen, brown skinned, she looks a bit older than her age  and she's a secondary school student." The man said before he kept his stupid mouth shut.

"Get a picture of her, her school and more information, do that before tomorrow!" The boss said before facing me again.

This time I could tell that he was only staring at me but his mind was somewhere else as he spoke.

"Now I think we should let Juan go, as long as he keeps his dirty mouth shut!" The boss said before another man replied.

"He was involved in an accident last Sunday.", The boss looked up after hearing this then he stared at the man who fixed his eyes on the floor.

"Old hagg!" The boss said before laughing devilishly, some others too chuckled.

Who is Juan? I kept wondering as I stared at them like a dummy.

"He got hit by a van while trying to cross the road, before that he was diagnosed with some illnesses like satyriasis." the man said again making all of them to burst out in another round of laughter.

I still did not understand a word they were saying, as I stood there watching the older men laugh.

"Boy!" The boss called after laughing till he was fully satisfied, I looked up startled a bit and I kept wondering what he had to say.

" You can go now, make the Dark Devils proud,  don't try anything smart because we are now your shadow!" He uttered before smirking at me.

"Okay boss, I won't let you down." I replied before turning to leave the so called Dark house.

The man that told me to come in earlier opened the door, he smirked at me and it made me very uncomfortable.

I moved out of the building, I turned back to catch a glimpse of the house, the outside looked very pleasant but the inside was something to get scared about, it was as if the house was owned by vampires or witches.

I walked back home my eyes on the road and my mind on all what the boss told me. If there's a lesson I learned today, it's that never join a cult group, but still I have a lot to gain from them.

Money!

Stanley told me earlier that the Boss is a billionaire and even if any of his men was caught and arrested for a crime, he'll just pay the police the lawyers and the judges, he always won the cases.

So I should rest assured that nothing is going to go wrong, still I'm glad I did not miss this opportunity.

"Charles!" I recognized that voice anywhere, I turned back to face him, he walked towards me and placed his arm over my shoulder.

"what's up bro?" he asked smiling at me as we both moved towards the apartment we share.

"I've been fine, you?" I asked him he just scratched his head and I knew something was wrong.

"Your mom." he replied as we walked side by side, he had a small bag across his shoulder.

My mom, I haven't seen her for years now, so why would she come back here?

"What about her, did she come here?" I asked looking furious, a frown plastered across my face and my tone fixed with curiosity.

"She came here to see you, won't you go back home... Charlie you don't belong here." Jacob said looking very serious.

My mind went down memory lane....

I told her I was leaving and I would never come back, she got married to another man, he mistreats me, he hit me the son of a late multi millionaire, and then she supported him, she told me to leave if I wanted to.

She chased her fourteen year old son away, I suffered, It was me alone against the wicked world, she did not care to check on me, she did not care if I was alive or dead, she trusted a cruel man and she left me to live like an orphan.

I have made harder decisions without turning back, I keep going so now I'm not going back there, I'm an orphan and I'll keep going fighting for myself and Jake.

"I don't want to see her Jake, she is as good as dead to me." I replied as I increased my speed, Jacob opened the door when he found the keys then we entered our one bedroom apartment.

It might be small but it is more than home to me, since I have sworn to never ever return to that place.

"C'mon Charlie, she came all the way here to see you, You know people like her will never ever visit a slum, and besides she—" Jacob uttered.

"I'm not going back there and that's final!" I said cutting him off,  I bounced on my small bed as I thought of how great today went, I should start planning my assignment.

I wonder who this assignment girl is.

I switched on my phone to see several messages from my class mates  group chat, I have not switched on my phone since thursday.

And this Lilian girl that no one is ever talking to, wonder why? Ldon't blame me for not knowing all my classmates, I just got a scholarship and I recently joined the school, I think she's ill, You can say I'm a friendly person yes I'm very friendly, how do you think I met Jake, I also made some other friends in my new school.

But none of them know I live in the slum and I really don't want them to because some people already don't like me because I'm not brilliant, leaving them aware that I live in the slum with my orphan friend will make the girls to stay away from me or even see me as a pauper. As it is most of the guys don't like me.

That's why I've been so friendly with the girls because I don't want rumours and gossips about me, I just want to make money and further my education, that's all.

I am happy I was given a scholarship, as it is scholarships don't fall down from heaven.