CHAPTER 1

Men at one end of the room tossed bags to men at the other end. These bags were caught swiftly and dumped into cartons which were sealed. These cartons were either shipped out of the country to bidders who paid huge or to interested buyers within the country. 

This hall was in the underground part of a large mansion located in a place of it's own - It had no other buildings around it. Other halls, both medium sized and small, surrounded this hall, but they had one thing in common: They were used for making money. The large lonely mansion which oozed nothing but affluence did not only house these money making halls but also had rooms above which caged workers who made this money and the bosses who ruled over them.

The workers were members of X-habit, a crime conglomerate whose activities were no lesser than running guns, doing drugs and the like. The Big Four: Steven Chase, Baron Sage, Iphan Carter and Kane Richmond bossed over the conglomerate, with Steven as the head, more of a Godfather.

The underground brought forth money from the production of a white powder. The underground? It was a crack house. X-habit's main aim was to keep the money rolling in, Kaching! Kaching! In hard, hard currency. But somehow other benefits accompanied the money. Fame was one, Power was another.

Chase Motors, a car manufacturing and selling company which was owned by Steven was one of the entities the money brewed. Sage Hotels and Suites was another. Baron Sage owned this one. It was one of the famous hotels in the state and was still rising to greater heights. 

Iphan looked after Harmony. She was not only his sister but his business. With a politician for a father and a lawyer for a mother, he had no other choice as an older brother but to look after his kid sister as their parents were barely present. Kane on the other hand chose to laze around. Business was just not his thing. Aside his girlfriend Jhene, money was all he craved and he couldn't be more grateful he was a part of X-habit. 

•

"Dang it!" Ace cussed under his breath

"I fucking knew you were pilfering these things" Ace said, his fist colliding with Thogg's face, right below the latter's eye.

"Take it easy man, I'm sorry" Thogg pleaded

"Fucking go say that to The Big Four. I bet if they're even gonna listen to you"

"But dude, I said I'm sorry. It hasn't gotten to this"

"Of course it has. You know I forgot to add the phrase, 'again' to my first sentence. You know this is the third time you'll be doing this shit. I've caught you twice and I spared you 'cause you promised you weren't gonna do this shit anymore, but here you are caught red handed. You deserve to rot in hell, man. You fucking know that when you take these things, it's gonna cause a glitch in the sales and what's worse? You'll become a traitor to X-habit. Scratch that! You're already one. Move your broke ass upstairs"

"But man-"

"Enough with the pleas already. Move it!" Ace said, hitting the back of Thogg's head with a gun he had brought out of his pants pocket. 

Thogg staggered forward and almost fell, but regained his balance. Notwithstanding, he had no power of his own as other men had teamed up with Ace, roughly dragging him up the stairs. 

In a jiffy, Thogg and Ace, alongside the mob arrived the door post of the living room where The Big Four were having a chit chat. The Big Four who heard the shuffling of feet at the door way, raised their heads to behold their new company. 

"Another traitor, huh?" Steven mocked as he eyed a Thogg whose face had been battered and whose body was now covered in bruises. 

"Yes boss" Ace replied

"What's his offense?"

"I caught him stealing these" Ace threw some bags of crack on the floor

"The fuck, man. You're stealing my drugs?" Steven asked taking slow steps towards him

"I'm really sorry, Boss. I really never meant to"

"But you already did, so don't give me that flimsy excuse. Fucking save it for the marines"

Steven, by now, was already crouched in front of Thogg so as to meet his new height as the latter was in a kneeling position, hands tied behind his back - all thanks to Ace's mob.

"So tell me, why the fuck did you steal my drugs?" Steven asked, caressing his goatee

"I swear boss, it was for my family. I didn't really mean to"

"Jesus, nigga! Are you broke?" Sarcasm laced Iphan's voice as he spoke from a corner where he sat. That earned a guffaw from all of them.

"But seriously man, you're being paid a huge amount of money for the work you do here, so why pilfer my drugs?"

"Boss I swear, I really did this for my family. The twins had leukemia and badly needed bone marrow transplants"

"Now why do I feel that you're lying?" Baron blew smoke from his nostrils into Thogg's face. He was crouching in front of Thogg.

"I'm telling the truth boss, I swear" His eyes were pleading as a tear slid down the left one

"How long have you been stealing from me?" Steven asked

"Cut to the chase, Steven. Sic him already" Baron said, standing to his feet and walking away

"Get away from here man. He still has an interview with me"

"I asked a question, Thogg. How long has this been going on?"

"Just this once, boss" His lie made Ace clear his throat

"Just this once?"

"Yes boss" Thogg lied through his nose, eyes to the floor

"Your lips say one thing but your eyes speak another" Steven grabbed his chin roughly with his left hand, making him look him in the eye.

"Just this once?" Steven's eyes grew dark, narrowing into slits. Thogg didn't reply. 

"Spill the god-damned truth, you motherfucker!" He snarled, giving Thogg a punch in the cheek, causing blood spill from one end of his mouth. Thogg's head fell to the side, making more blood spill onto the floor.

"Are you gonna speak or not?" Steven shoved his hands into this pocket of the sweats he was wearing. He was standing up already. 

Thogg's cheek ached as though a million pins had been stuck in it, hence he found it difficult to reply to Steven.

"Cat caught your tongue, huh?" Iphan teased 

"Damn you, Thogg" Steven cussed

"Since you don't wanna do it, I'll make you. You know Uzi, right? I'm gonna make him fuck your wife real hard, right in your presence, your twins too. I'm sure you'd like that, and even if you don't, that's your own affair; but I will, very much" Steven said and made to walk away. 

Thogg knew better than to piss Steven off the more. Who didn't know Uzi? Dude was a man whore. He was into women and loved them more than money. Could do anything just so he could get into their panties.

"I'll speak up, boss" Thogg managed to say as he spat blood onto the floor. Steven stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Thogg. 

"Two years, boss"

"Two fucking years?" Kane who had been quiet all along yelled

"I'm sorry, boss" A guilty Thogg pleaded

"Don't fucking say sorry anymore. It pisses me off" Irritation laced Kane's voice

"You know, you remind me of a douchebag I call my father" He continued

"I thought dude only drinks and cheats" Iphan said 

"Man, he steals and that annoys the heck outta me"

"What has your mama done about that?" Baron asked 

"Nothing. You know her. No matter how hard I try to talk sense into her head, she still wouldn't listen. She claims that she loves him and is not ready to lose him" 

"Man, if I were to be a wife, I wouldn't keep a drunk and a cheat as a husband. I would have gone for an annulment"

"Yeah man. A divorce would be my next option"

"The more reason I don't wanna have a girlfriend" That was Baron

"And who said having a girlfriend doesn't mean you can't cheat?" Iphan asked

"I never said that. You see that shit called heartbreak? I don't wanna give that to nobody's daughter. Besides, I don't wanna be tied to one coochie. Variety is the spice of life, you know" 

"Shut up dawg. You're a flirt" 

"But at least, I ain't stuck"

"Enough with the small talk guys. I'm still thinking of what to do with this son-of-a-bitch" Steven finally spoke up

"Leave him to me man. I'll handle him" Kane said standing

"What you gon' do?" Steven asked

"Watch me" The next minute saw Kane behind Thogg

"Get up you asshole" Kane smacked Thogg's occiput

Thogg obeyed and Kane wrapped his hands around Thogg's arm, spinning him around and heading for the door. Ace and his mob cleared the way for Kane and Thogg. Steven, Baron and Iphan tagged along. 

Kane dragged Thogg up the stairs to another part of the mansion where The Dark Room was situated. It was also known as the punishment room. A room for offenders, a room for sinners. They paid their sacrifices there. 

After typing in the code which only The Big Four knew, Kane pushed Thogg into the room, making the latter fall to his knees. Kane's entourage walked inside the room taking different positions, getting ready to watch what was gonna happen. 

The Dark Room housed different instruments all used for the punishment of sinners. Some had been maimed there while some had lost their lives. It was a room for blood, blood and more blood.

"Untie him and lay him there" Kane ordered, pointing to a large raised platform in the center of the room. 

The platform was the death block. Two men from Ace's mob came forward and did as Kane commanded. 

"Spread those legs and tie 'em to the posts" Another order from Kane. 

The death block had four short posts at it's corners, relatively far apart from each other. Each post carried chains. 

"Hands too" Kane added. The men did as they were told and Thogg laid on his stomach, all limbs tied to the posts. 

"You know, I should make you die a slow death but my hate for pickpockets wouldn't allow me" Kane said as he approached the death block. 

He climbed the two steps that surrounded the block and was now in close proximity with Thogg. 

"Boss, I beg you, spare my life. I still got a family waiting for me" Thogg pleaded

"You should have thought about them before pilfering them drugs" A hard hearted Kane retorted

"I'm begging you boss, please" 

"I said I fucking don't wanna hear no pleas!" Kane yelled, slapping Thogg hard across the face

"Give me that, and that too" Kane said, pointing to a very long and large nail and a hammer. 

In no time, the instruments were given to him and he gave out a sly smile as soon as he got what he had asked for. The nail was of great similarity to the one used to crucify the biblical Jesus and Kane's smile curved more to one side of his mouth as 'beautiful' thoughts danced in his head. He was going to make maximum use of the nail, and the hammer too.  

"Got any last words, Thogg? Say it now" Kane drawled as he twirled the nail in his left hand and tapped the hammer gently on the death block. 

A battered Thogg was too tired to reply, so he just kept shut. 

"Well, in the absence of famous last words, I'd just proceed to business" Kane stamped the hammer furiously on the death block as he got closer to Thogg. 

The latter who was too weary to reply, just lay there on the block and resigned to fate. 

"Now to y'all watching this, I hope y'all derive a thing or two, but incase you don't, then that's your own affair. Just so you know, don't test me. Who knows? Something worse than death might follow. Just don't push my buttons" Kane warned, placing the tip of the nail on the side of Thogg's temple. 

"Tell the sweet Lord I said hi" Kane said as he positioned the hammer on top of the nail

"Scratch that!" He continued "Sinners don't make it to heaven; saints do, and you ain't nothing close to a saint, so, say me well to Lucifer 'cause you're 'bout to have dinner in hell" And without further demur, Kane drove the nail ferociously into Thogg's temple, courtesy of the hammer. 

The nail carried out its job in the most perfect manner ever. It rammed violently into Thogg's temple, crushing bones and tearing cartilages; splitting veins and fraying arteries. 

Next came the thick liquid which flowed in all its red grace and majesty from all newly created pores in Thogg's temple. It seeped through these pores, trickling right down in heavy drops onto the surface of the block and onto the floor. A look of distortion graced his face as he took a bow out of the earth. That was the last still. He was dead. 

"Clean up that mess" Kane gave his last order as he moved towards a sink which was situated in the wall at one corner of the room. 

Switching on the faucet, he let the cold water flow on his slightly blood stained palms which he had applied soap on seconds before turning on the tap. 

"I'm out, guys" Kane said as sauntered towards the door after wiping his hand on the flannel which hung on a rack right above the sink. 

That referred to the remaining three of The Big Four team. 

"Cage" Steven called out to one of the gang members

"Yes boss" Cage replied, stepping forward

"Take care of the mess in the living room while Ace does his here" Steven said as he remembered a now dead Thogg's blood which had already clotted on the living room floor. 

"Roger that boss" Cage stamped his fisted right palm on the left part of his chest. The remaining part of the gang bowed their heads as The Big Four walked out of the room. 

What just happened to Thogg was part of the X-habit game. Play by the rules or get punished in return. Commit a sin and get ready to pay a sacrifice. That was X-habit.