"What?! How?" I shouted in absolute shock.
"That can't be true Tayo, you are lying to me," I muttered next, still shaken, confounded and refusing to believe his words which struck like double edged swords to my gut.
It was already getting to 10pm on the clock when I lodged into the motel at the next street for the night. Since I had no other place to go to, there was no other option but to elapse the remaining days of solace to families alone in this hotel room with an unsettled mind. My mother was dying in some hospital ward room I didn’t know about and it was eating me up voraciously to the extent that even after the cold shower I had, my mind was still not at ease. I paced around with turbulent thoughts aside a heart pounding in fear of the worst. I had to see my mom no matter what before I left. The guilt of not being there weighed at me deeply and I knew if I didn’t get the chance to apologize, it would be another regret I’ll never forgive myself for. The conversation I had with Tayo still bugged me, I had never intended to lose a brother the second time as I walked through the doors of my home but his hate had run too deep and the length of time seemed to have strengthened its roots. 'I nee
It was the final destination as we had scanned through all the possible hospital locations in Surulere that she could have been admitted into and this was unexpected.I couldn't move my feet to proceed through the doors of the bed of flats that inhabited the clinic my mother was held at. Two things impeded my movements, I felt conscience stricken and guilt ridden that they couldn't even afford to take
My head slowly turned up and when my eyes met hers at last, I almost drowned In the cavernous depths I was disposed to just by staring at them. Her eyes were so empty, devoid of life and sunken and it broke my heart more, even though I was sure there was nothing else left to shatter.Her grip was weak and I could see her eyes widen when she t
"NO! LET ME GO!" I screamed as hands surged forth to grab me from going further into the room to hinder the doctor's work. The heart rate was still a flatline even as the man had pumped up her heart for the second time with the defibrillator. Despite the fact that I was in a frenzied and maddened state as my eyes bulged out at the sight of t
I dropped my weight onto the row of brown Windsor seats lined up outside the rooms with my head bent in agony. I wasn't physically weak but I had no strength left on the inside to go on.They had moved her body to the hospital mortuary but Tayo had refused to leave her room. Two sons' grief stricken by the loss of their mother, now I gu
NARRATOR'S POV:Somewhere in the busy streets of Ikeja, Lagos, an office story building, stood in the midst of the busy crowds and streets that never slept. The curtains of this story were opened and the top floor of the building with the large sign board written as 'THE ICS" was revealed.
LADE... The face cap shielded my eyes from the sight of the men and women hurtling around me in congested crowds. It was the morning hours in Surulere, the clouds pregnant with silent mischief and a warm wind enveloping us as we trailed. Laden with a mix of the sweet and spicy scents of confectionery and something similar t
"I've worked for Richard for 10 years, I idolized the man," I said trying to calm the swelling angst within me and set myself off the edge. "Ambition overrides ethics," he replied, his gaze falling to the dial of his watch. "I agree but I have no motive to kill." "He was stabbed, the Jama'atu had nothing to do with it," he countered and his revelation was shocking once more. "Then we should be looking for the real killers, not wasting precious time," I said with my tone insistent. "You've already been caught, so stop acting cowardly Agent. They found the murder weapon and your finger prints were on it." On instinct, I almost raked my hands through my hair in frustration, where was all this coming from! If I had been in Ikeja things wouldn't have resulted in this but where was Emeka? And why hadn't I heard from him? "General, you've been working with the law for decades now, surely you can differentiate between a murderer and someone who is clearly being framed
LADE: The Jama'tu soldiers left us alone upon Shugaba's command. The pain in my chest grew as if something was being drilled into my skin. My lungs weren't strong. I felt weaker than before. It was only a matter of time. "Agent Lade Adenuga of the ICS, we meet again," Shugaba said, wearing a striking snarl. He sent his gaze to my wounded arm and flitted it back to my face. Raising the arm some minutes ago had been tasking but I had no other choice. My weapons were on the ground. His soldiers had dislodged the bullets from inside them. "I have waited for you." His brows tipped. "Really?" "You owe me, soldier. I hate loosing." I flashed a charming smile. Shugaba eyeballed me and wet his lips. His next action had caught me off guard. He had thrown his weapon to the ground and opened his arms. "I'm all yours. If you w
Hafiz had told a lie, dawn didn't have to reach. Lade burst into the tent I was in with Hafiz. The look on his face revealed that there was trouble at hand. The final moments was here. I noticed he had aged a lot since I had first seen him at the Jama'tu camp. Now, it was time to end it all. "Your sister has made her move. I've been on her tail. She has made contact with the Jama'tu." It took about two seconds. I watched the news dwell on Hafiz. He jumped to his feet, big eyed and ready like he had been preparing for this moment for a long time, but scared because it had come too soon. Lade moved around, grabbing bags and anything reasonable. "I didn't expect her to do it so soon, but we have to act, and fast." Hafiz joined Lade in grabbing things and I stood, watching the two men try to survive. I couldn't stop myself from worrying. What if it was a trap? Since everyone had been pret
CRYSTAL... Protesters filled the streets, wailing. Some stood with angered faces. Everyone had something to say about the headlines of that morning, including Crystal. The news about the secret operation wasn't so secret anymore. The whole country knew about the eighteen dead men that risked their lives to save the kidnapped girls. The nineteenth was a traitor and only the twentieth had lived. Crystal didn't know what to think or believe. Lade had died in some faraway land and betrayed his country. Sitting at the back seat of the Maybach, she placed the cards together. She put everything Emeka had said from the start and the news of Lade's treachery in one basket. It didn't add up. Lade could kill in cold blood but he was loyal and she knew that. She didn't want to remember what Emeka said about her past pregnancy. What's to say he didn't lie? Emeka was Lade's bestfriend but he acted like an enemy who held a personal ve
"The beginning?" Hafiz chuckled. I frowned at him. I couldn’t read his features, and at this point, I had no clue on where our conversation would end. Tipping a brow, I could only fold my arms. Hafiz backed me now. He took a slow turn around the tent and said, "I'm afraid you're the beginning itself." I dragged a sigh and stood to my feet after that. "If you insist on beating around the bush, I don't have time to waste." "I know who you really are, Jane." He attacked from nowhere. "I came here today to let the cat out of the bag. It's time to come clean." At once, my gaze hardened like steel. For a second there, my heart had jumped in fear. It stunned me to hear those words fall from his mouth. I couldn't have thought that anyone would find out. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but a minute ago you tagged your sister as our biggest threat, and not me."
Hafiz toppled over, completely bound in chains of laughter. Apparently the conversation that came across as dead serious to me was weirdly amusing to him. The last indirect question he had brought to the table put me in a tight spot. I had said enough, there was nothing to free me from his vocal trap.
Morning had come but even so, I sat still, staring in silence at the wall. He didn't stay anymore and maybe this would be like all the previous times. Going scarce whenever a serious conversation happened, he had told me so much but I was even yet to spill any morsel of my own secrets—secrets that could change everything. He had also said soon, I just needed to wait a little more. Things were goin
Crystal...
It was still dark, dawn was yet to arrive and the only difference was that this time, I wasn't alone in the tent. The weight of another presence tightened the air. I was calmer now, and the upset in my belly had quelled.
I probably shouldn't have been wandering outside the tent in the dead of night but maybe I had just needed to clear my head. The dilapidated bungalow that was used as an infirmary by the locals here controlled