CHAPTER 1
I had just gone to see my girlfriend off. She had spent the entire afternoon with me since it was a Sunday. She was still a student and lived with her parents. Therefore, I was only able to see her once a week and that was on Sundays. On that particular Sunday, she came as soon as she got back from church. As soon as she got to my house, she changed into something casual, went to the market, bought foodstuffs, came back home and cooked. After she was done, she rested a little and I took her to the bus stop where she got a cab and headed home.
Nerissa, as she was called, was still a virgin. I didn’t know that when I first met her. When I met her, I was struck by her beauty. I had gone to the market to get some stuffs when I saw her. Her mum owned a shop at the main market. So, after I had finished buying from her mother’s shop, I didn’t leave. I just stood there staring at her. I can still remember the conversation between her mum and me.
“Young man, have I given your change?” She had asked.
“Yes, Mam.”
“Then why are you still standing there? Do you want something else?”
“Yes, Mam. I mean, No. I mean, yes.” I stammered. “I am waiting for someone to meet me here. I asked someone to meet me here. If I leave now, he will be confused when he comes here and doesn’t find me.”
“Then you should have said that na, instead of standing there like a security guard.” Her mum said and Nerissa laughed. “Nne, give him a seat.”
I was offered a seat by Nerissa. I was very happy that she had come close to me. God!! She was very beautiful. I wanted to get her phone number at all costs before leaving the place. I waited for about thirty minutes before the opportunity presented itself. Nerissa’s mother told her she was going to the warehouse to get something. She told her to take good care of the shop. Before leaving, she casted a glance at me which suggested she didn’t want to see me by the time she returned.
As soon as she left and I realized that I was alone with Nerissa, I took my chances. Nerissa was not just beautiful; she was also playful. As soon as her mother left, she walked up to me.
“Security guard.” She laughed. “How long will you sit here waiting for your friend?”
“My friend has already come.” I replied.
“Where is he?” She asked, looking around.
“It’s not a ‘he’. It’s a ‘she’.
“What? But I don’t see anyone?”
“It’s you.”
“Me?” She laughed. “Am I your friend?”
“Nope, but you will soon be.”
“How do you mean?”
“May I have your number?” I ventured. I had to be fast before her mother returned.
“Ohhh!! So, it was my number you wanted all this while, and you couldn’t say so. You instead sat there and was behaving like a frustrated goat.” She laughed.
“You can call me what you want, as long as you end up giving me your number.”
“No number for you.” She spoke.
“Why na?”
“What do you want with my number.”
“I want to call you so that we can chat later.” I told her.
“What do you want us to talk about, enh security guard?” She laughed again.
Needless to say, I ended up collecting her number and we started communicating. One day, I invited her to my house, and she came. After we had exchanged pleasantries, I was a sharp guy and I didn’t want to waste any time. I tried to make love to her but I couldn’t penetrate her. Instead, she screamed and pushed me back. I wondered what was happening. Then it dawned on me that she could be a virgin.
“How old are you?” I asked her.
“21.”
“And you are still a virgin?”
“Yes.” She said shyly. “Is anything the matter?”
“No, it’s just that it’s not every day you meet a twenty-one-year-old virgin.”
“There are many out there. You just haven’t looked hard enough.” She spoke.
“So, my job is to go around looking for virgins?” I asked, laughing. She laughed too.
“Can I put on my clothes now?”
“Yes, you can. We will try another day.”
That was how we started dating. We had been together for eight months now and up until now, she was still a virgin. Each time we tried, she screamed so loudly that I had to give up and postponed it for another day.
Now, let us go back to that day that I had taken her to the bus stop. When I got home, I saw two females sitting in front of the compound. One was my neighbour but the other was a strange girl I had never met before. I greeted them and went inside. However, when I went inside my house, something bothered me. The strange girl had given me a very strange look. I couldn’t tell what was behind that look. So, I decided to let it go.
The next day, when I got back from work, I was in for a big shock. The strange girl had moved into the neighbourhood. In fact, she was my next-door neighbour. I couldn’t believe it. There was a vacant room next to mine. She had occupied the room. As soon as she heard me opening my door. She came out of her house and greeted me. I responded casually.
In the evening, around 8:00 PM, I was at home watching my favourite channel, CNN when I heard a knock on the door. I asked whoever it was to come in. She shifted the drapes and walked in. She was wearing a miniskirt that almost went up to her buttocks and a white T Shirt.
“Good evening. I am your new neighbour.”
“I know. How are you?”
“I am good. How are you, too?” She asked.
“Fine. What is your name?”
“Hawa.”
“Your name sounds like you come from the Northern part of the country.” I asked.
“Correct.”
“Are you a Muslim?”
“My parents are or let me say they were. They are both of late now. I am not a Muslim. I have been living in the East almost all my life.”
“Oh!! I am sorry about your parents. So, since you are not a Muslim, does that mean you are a Christian?”
“I will just say, I believe in God.”
“Allah”
“He is the same person. Enough about me. What is your name?” She asked.
“Ike.”
“Alright, I am glad to know you. Hope we can be good neighbours.”
“I hope too.”
That was how my friendship with Hawa started. She was a strange kind of person. She told me she worked at a hairdressing salon at the main market. However, she was almost always at home in the day and only went out at night. I couldn’t understand why. Many times, I had planned to ask her what she really did for a living, but I kept postponing it for no obvious reason.
Hawa looked different from all the other girls in the neighbourhood. She was dark, very dark. In fact, it will suffice to say she was as black as tar. She had a long shiny black hair that rested on her shoulders, and like most girls from the North, she was beautiful. She was a real black beauty. However, she dressed nothing like girls from the North. That was because she had lived her entire life in the East. She was also, easy going, always smiling and very kind. However, behind all that, my instincts told me there was something sinister about her. Something was just not right.
She was always with me when I got back from work. She stayed with me until it was time for to go to wherever she went to at night. Because I saw my girlfriend for just a few hours on Sundays every week, Hawa started playing the role of my girlfriend in every way but sex. She helped me clean, wash and cooked. Since my family lived far away from me, she became the only sister I had. She was always checking on me and making sure that I was okay. One day I had a talk with her.
“Why do you care so much about me, Hawa?”
“You are a nice man, Ike. You are calm, reserved, hardworking and you are handsome, too.”
I blushed when she said that.
“Is that all?” I asked.
“Nope! That’s not all. Even though you are from the East, you look so much like my former boyfriend, Ali. Oh! I miss him. He was going to marry me, but he died suddenly.”
“Oh! I am sorry. What happened? How did he die?”
“He went to the village to see his family. I warned him not to go because the Boko boys were very active in his village. He refused and went, nevertheless. That was the last time I saw him. That was the last time I saw my Ali.” She said tearfully.
“Did you ever find out how he died.”
“Yes, there was a Boko Haram raid. He died in the raid. He died without even saying goodbye. My poor, Ali. May God receive his soul.”
“Amen!”
“May I meet him again in the afterlife.”
“Inshallah.”
“What?! Who taught you that? You have friends from the North?”
“Yowa!”
“There you go again.” She laughed. “You are very smart.”
I thanked God for bringing Hawa to me. She had made life very easy for me. I prayed that God rewards her bountifully for her kindness and goodwill. Though there was an air of mystery surrounding her, I decided to push that to the subconscious part of my brain. For now, I would just take her the way she was. Someday, if there was anything sinister about her, time will reveal it.
One Sunday afternoon, Hawa and me were sitting comfortably on my bed, watching a movie when Nerissa, my girlfriend showed up unannounced.
TO BE CONTINUED…
==============================
CHAPTER 2
Hawa and me didn’t flinch when she walked in, looking all beautiful. She on the other hand didn’t seem to be very happy to see Hawa.
“Welcome, babe.” I spoke. “Please, meet Hawa, my neighbour.”
“Oh! She is the one you spoke to me about on phone?” Nerissa said, her face brightening.
“Yes, babe.” I replied, turning to Hawa. “Hawa, this is my beautiful girlfriend, Nerissa.”
“Glad to make your acquaintance.” Hawa said and smiled, revealing a set of white teeth.
Nerissa was someone wth a free mind. She was that kind of person who was too trusting and didn’t suspect easily. That was why she found nothing wrong with me sitting all alone with my beautiful neighbour, watching TV. She did her normal Sunday chores with the help of Hawa and left some five hours later. When she left, Hawa came to me.
“Your girlfriend is beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“I hope she is the only one you have because I won’t tolerate any other person.”
“You have nothing to worry about. Will you be going out tonight?”
“Yes.”
“When are you coming back?”
“I can’t be certain, but I will leave my key with you.”
“Alright, please be safe.”
That night, around 2:00 AM, I heard a knock on my door. It was Hawa. I opened the door for her.
“Why come this late, Hawa?”
“I am sorry.”
“It’s dangerous for you. You could be harmed.”
“It’s alright, I will adjust. But don’t worry. I will be fine. Please, give me my keys.” I gave her keys, and she went into her room.
Hawa and I lived in a “Face me I face you” neighbourhood. The bathroom and toilets were behind the house. There was a single bathroom for all tenants. In the mornings, when everyone was preparing to go to work or go to their business places, there was usually a queue at the bath. So, people had to wake up very early in order to avoid the queue. This queue however, never affected Hawa. Since she went out only in the night, she didn’t see any reason to bath in the morning. She only bathed in the afternoons and at night.
One day, I had just returned from work. As soon as I opened my back window to let in fresh air, I saw Hawa. She was in the bathroom that was close to my back window. She was bathing but she didn’t shut the door and she was stark naked. I was amazed at the darkness of her skin and for a moment, I stood there watching her. She smiled when she saw me. She stuck out her tongue romantically, rolled her eyes and used her middle finger to beckon me.
“Come and join me let’s bathe, Ali.” She spoke.
“My name is Ike.”
“Whatever! Come and join me. You must be tired after a long day from work. You need to freshen up.”
“You wish.” I said and shut my window.
Since the last Sunday when my girlfriend visited me and met Hawa, something changed about her. She had started flirting with me and had been making advances. I couldn’t understand the reason for the sudden changes. She was always leaving her keys with me, and always returned late at night to collect it. Sometimes, she would propose to sleep over at my place, but I would refuse because I didn’t want any complications.
There are some types of relationships that you must try to avoid as a man. These are complicated relationships. They include dating your neighbour, co-worker, your boss’ wife, your sister’s friend, your bestie etc. These are complicated relationships and most often do not end well. That was why I was trying to avoid Hawa at all costs. But for how long would I succeed?
For some reason that I could not understand, my girlfriend, beautiful Nerissa, had stayed for almost a month without visiting. She said the last time she was at my place; she went home late. Hence, her parents had grounded her. I missed her terribly and couldn’t wait to see her again. However, in her place, I had Hawa to minimize the effect of her absence. So, I didn’t feel that bad.
One morning, I had just come back from bathing when I heard a knock on my door.
“Who is there?”
“Hawa.”
“Please, can you give me a minute? I just got back from bathing.”
“Nope, I need to see you.” She said and pushed the door open.
I hadn’t locked the door because I wasn’t expecting anyone. She walked into the room and met me naked. I tried to cover myself, but she wouldn’t let me. She dragged my towel and threw it on the floor. She was wearing a very big T shirt with nothing under. She removed the T shirt and stood in front of me, naked. I looked at her jet-black body, her unshaved VG and her plump breasts, and my LGA started responding. I dragged her to the bed, spread her legs and just at that moment, there was a power cut. I pulled a condom and wore. You can guess the rest.
After we were done, my conscience bordered me. I knew we would never be friends again. We would never live our lives like before. She would now want to be more possessive of me. I hated myself for sleeping with her. I thought about Nerissa, and I felt guilty. She trusted me and believed in me but I had let her down. I promised myself that I would never sleep with Hawa again. I considered what had happened as an error; an error that I would never repeat.
A week later, Nerissa called me.
“Hi babe, how are you?”
“I am fine, Nerissa. I missed you. When am I seeing you again?”
“Today.”
“What?”
“Yes, today. My parents have travelled out of town. They will be away for four days. So, I will be spending the night in your place, if that is ok by you.”
I couldn’t believe my luck. Nerissa’s parents were going away for four days. That meant four days of serious fornication. I couldn’t wait for her to come. I wanted her to come immediately but she told me she was at their shop. Once she closed, she would come straight to my house.
It was around 7:00 PM when she came. I was so happy to see her. After she had bathed and rested, we retired early for the night. We were home, snuggling, when I heard a knock on my door.
“Who is it?”
“Hawa.”
“I am sorry, Hawa. I am asleep already. Nerissa is here.”
“Alright, I am so sorry. See you tomorrow.” She said and left.
I looked at Nerisa and she didn’t seem bothered. I was relieved. So far, Nerissa had not suspected anything fishy. I hoped it remained that way. I didn’t want her to feel hurt. I would be very displeased if something like that happened. I prayed and hoped that Hawa kept her mouth shut.
“What did she want?” Nerisa asked after a while.
“Watch TV, I guess.”
“Alright, why don’t you let her in?”
“Nope, babe. Tonight, is for you and you, alone.”
“Aww!! That sounds so romantic. I wish I could give you sex. I wish I could make love to you. But it’s painful. What do you think we should do?”
“I don’t know, babe. Having sex for the first time is not very easy for most women. It’s only normal that you must feel some pains. So, you have to understand and try to be strong. I will be gentle.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes”
At that moment, the sky started rumbling and a heavy rain started falling. Soon, we were fast asleep.
I woke up some two hours later and realized that it was still raining seriously. In my sleep, I had completely forgotten that there was a woman by my side. I turned and looked at Nerissa and my face brightened. She was deeply asleep. I thought to myself. This was my opportunity to take away her virginity. She was all alone in my house, and we had the rest of the night to ourselves. It was raining too which was a good thing because it would drown all the sounds of her cries. I started taking off her panties. As I did that, she woke up.
“What’s the matter babe?” She asked in her sleepy voice.
“Let’s make love, babe.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“But it will be painful.”
“I will be gentle.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay!”
She was naked now and I got on her and the struggle began. She fought and scratched and bit to no avail. She screamed at the top of her voice but the heavy rain drowned her voice. There was no one to come to her rescue. We struggled for about an hour and I gave up.
“You are giving up?” She asked. “You have been delaying this thing. I hope you don’t want someone to help you do it.”
“I just feel pity for you.”
“Don’t feel pity for me. You are a man. Do what you must do.”
I got on her again and another fighting began. After about an hour, she let out a loud scream. She felt like something was tearing her VG. She tried to push me away but I held on tight. She gave up and started sobbing. The thing was successfully inside. She had lost her virginity to me. She sobbed the whole night. The rest of the night, we didn’t sleep because I had to stay up too to console her.
Early the next morning, she left. I took her to the road where she got an okada and went home. When I got back to my compound, I found Hawa at my door. Her arms folded with an angry frown on her face. It then dawned on me that I had just complicated my life. I now had two girlfriends, Hawa and Nerissa, and by so doing, I had invited trouble to myself. I moved towards her.
TO BE CONTINUED…
==============================
CHAPTER 4
That evening, Hawa and me waited and waited to no avail. The guy didn’t show up. We were becoming disappointed. We thought the guy had good instincts. We thought the guy had suspected that there was an ambush waiting for him and had therefore decided to change his mind at the last minute. By 8:00 PM, we became convinced that he wasn’t going to show up after all. So, we decided to attend to other things.
I went to see a friend while Hawa, as usual, went to her unknown place. I spent about three hours at my friend’s place before coming back home. When I got home, I didn’t see Hawa at home. She had not come back from wherever she went to. It was almost midnight, and she still hadn’t shown up. I was becoming worried. I tried to call her number but remembered that she didn’t have a phone anymore. Her phone had been taken the night she was assaulted.
That night, I didn’t catch any sleep. I thought she had been kidnapped again and maybe killed this time around. Why would Hawa keep putting herself in so much risk every time?
By 4:00 AM, I drifted off to sleep. In my sleep, I dreamt that Hawa had caught all the guys who had assaulted her. She had a machete in her hand, and with the machete, she cut off their privates. After she had killed them, she came to me and told me that I was going to die too because I had decided to have another girlfriend aside her. I tried to beg her but all my cries and pleas fell on deaf ears. She raised the machete, and as she was about to strike me, I woke up from the dream, sweating. I was terribly scared. It was already morning, and my neighbours were already awake.
I got up from bed and opened my door. I looked at Hawa’s door and realized that it was still locked from outside. I went back into my room, locked my door and laid back on the bed. Because I had had very little sleep last night, I drifted off to sleep again. This time, my sleep was a dreamless one.
I woke up a few hours later and went straight to see if Hawa had come back. Her door was still locked from outside. By now, I had become terribly worried. I was beginning to conclude that she had been killed, especially as I heard some women in the compound saying that someone had died last night. I moved close to Mama Kekoi and asked her who died last night, my heart beating fast.
“My son, terrible things are happening in this town these days.”
“What happened, Mama? Who died."
“I don’t know, but people say he was a popular keke rider.”
“Oh my gosh! What happened to him. How did he die?” I asked, relieved that it was not Hawa.
“They said he was found unresponsive in his bed early this morning. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that, my son. Terrible things are happening these days. May his soul RIP.”
“Amen and amen.”
Just as I was about to go back into my room, Mama Eni, another neighbour joined the conversation.
“Have you heard the latest?” She asked Mama Kekoi, excitedly.
“Latest about what again, Mama Eni.” Mama Kekoi asked.
“About the guy who died last night of course, what else?”
“Really, please tell me.” Urged Mama Kekoi.
“They said he went back home with a prostitute last night. No one saw the girl left this morning and no one knows who the girl was.”
“It could be a ghost. This world is dangerous and mysterious.” Mama Kekoi shouted.
“My sister!!” Mama Eni exclaimed. “These young men today, I don’t know what is wrong with them. They cannot control their urges.”
I had heard enough. I went back into my room and started thinking. Could it be that Hawa was the one who had killed him? Was he one of the guys who had been in involved in her assault? There was no way I was able to make any connections because I hadn’t even met the guy. Where was Hawa? What was wrong with her?
I heard a knock on my door.
“Come in.”
The door opened and in came Hawa.
“Good afternoon, Ike.” She said, turned around and walked out of my room. I ran after her calling her name.
“Hawa! Hawa!!” What is wrong with you? Where have you been?” I asked as I followed her into her room.
She was sitting on her bed, her both palms covering her face and sobbing quietly.
“What is the matter, Hawa? You got me scared. Where have you been? Where were you last night? Why didn’t you come back home last night?”
“I killed him, Ike. I took away his life.” She said with no emotions.
“What who did you kill?”
“One of the guys who assaulted me. The one I recognized. The one who was supposed to come and see me last night.”
“Then that’s good news. Bravo!! Hawa. One down, three more to go. This is good news. You should be celebrating. Why are you mourning instead?”
“I have never taken a life before, and now that I have, I feel terribly guilty.”
“But you shouldn’t. He got exactly what he deserved.” I spoke.
“I know, but…”
“Forget it Hawa. In my opinion, you did the right thing. Stop feeling bad.”
“I know, but maybe I should have gone to the police instead.”
“Yes, going to the police seems like a proper thing to do? But then, do you have evidence? The law always asks for evidence. This is Nigeria, my dear. This is not America or Europe. In America, they have a very funny system. Once a man is accused of sexual assault, he is as good as doomed. However, in Nigeria, they will ask for evidence. If you can’t provide evidence, you will lose.”
“Ike, you look to me like a vigilante.”
“I have no trust in the system, I like handling things my own way. If he had shown up last night, I would have given him a fine necktie party. By now, his neck would have been dangling from the end of a rope. Anyway, I want to know how you did it. Please, tell me.”
“When we separated that night, I went to town and met him in front of a club. He took me to club and we danced and drank. He proposed that we go home and I accepted. When we got to his home, the party continued. He started playing very loud music, disturbing the whole neighbourhood. He asked us to dance again. I hated him so much but I decided to play along though I felt disgusted by his very presence. He poured us two glasses of whisky to drink and I drugged his. I put an overdose of sleeping pills that I had with me. As he started getting unconscious, I pulled a knife, grabbed him by the collar and told him to tell me the name of his friends if he valued his life. He complied. As soon as he finished, I strangled him, and he stopped breathing. I will never forget the look of his face as he breathed his last.”
“Good job, Hawa. Now, we have to track down the rest of them and make them pay.” I said, happily.
“Can I ask you a question, Ike?”
“Yes, you can.”
“Why are you so interested in helping me take revenge on those guys? This is my fight and not yours.”
“You are wrong, Hawa. This is our fight. And I will see to it that they meet a disastrous end.”
“Why are you so passionate about it?”
“It’s a long story. Some years ago, while I was still a student, I had this beautiful friend of mine called Chioma. Oh!! You needed to have seen her. She radiated with beauty, and she also had a very kind heart. All the boys in the neighbourhood wanted her but she wouldn’t give them her attention. She was still a virgin and had promised herself that she was going to stay that way until she marries.
“One day, she was coming from the farm with her mother and her other siblings. They all walked in a single file carrying their bags of cassava on their heads. She was the last in the line and she was far behind. From nowhere, six guys jumped out of the bushes and kidnapped her. They were all masked and she couldn’t see their faces. They told her that they gave her the chance to accept them willingly, but she chose the way of pain. For that reason, they were going to have her by force.
“They assaulted her, all six of them. After that, they carried her and dumped her by the side of the road. My friend was devastated. The worst part was that she knew they were guys from her neighbourhood but she couldn’t recognize any of them because of their masks. Hawa, I saw my friend sinking into depression every day until she finally took her life. From that day, I decided that whoever hurts any of my friends would pay dearly for it. I am that kind of person who takes friendship seriously.”
“OMG!! Poor girl. She needed a psychologist. I pity her. For someone who has gone through the same ordeal, I can really feel what she went through. Thank God I have you, Ike. You are my strength and my rock. By the way, were the guys ever caught?”
“They weren’t, but they are all dead now. Chioma’s spirit came back with a vengeance. She was buried with a charm that made her spirit to hunt the guys. One by one, she tracked them down and they all confessed before dying. I still miss my friend."
“Good, I like the way they ended up. They should all burn in hell.”
That night, Hawa came to my room and told me that she would be going out at night. I didn’t want to ask her where she always went to at night. I knew that someday; time would reveal it. I was hoping that she would come back early. However, by midnight, I gave up and went to sleep.
Around 2:00 AM, I was woken by loud cries from my neighbours. There was serious commotion and pandemonium going on outside, I wondered what could have happened. I got out of bed and dashed outside only to find the whole place crowded. Everyone in the neighbourhood was there. They all had buckets filled with water with them and they were putting out roaring flames form Hawa’s room. Someone had broken into her room and set it on fire. If people hadn’t come out on time, the fire would have crossed to my section, and I would have probably been burnt in my sleep.
The next morning, Hawa came home and met her room burnt. All her belongings had been consumed by fire. She was beyond grief. She sat on a small tool that belonged to a neighbour and wept seriously. When she was done weeping, she came to me and said:
“Goodbye, Ike. My home has been burnt. I now have nowhere to live. I will be going out of town. I know who did it. I know who burnt my house. I am going now but I will be back. They should be prepared for me. They should wait for Hawa’s return.
TO BE CONTINUED…
==============================
CHAPTER 4
That evening, Hawa and me waited and waited to no avail. The guy didn’t show up. We were becoming disappointed. We thought the guy had good instincts. We thought the guy had suspected that there was an ambush waiting for him and had therefore decided to change his mind at the last minute. By 8:00 PM, we became convinced that he wasn’t going to show up after all. So, we decided to attend to other things.
I went to see a friend while Hawa, as usual, went to her unknown place. I spent about three hours at my friend’s place before coming back home. When I got home, I didn’t see Hawa at home. She had not come back from wherever she went to. It was almost midnight, and she still hadn’t shown up. I was becoming worried. I tried to call her number but remembered that she didn’t have a phone anymore. Her phone had been taken the night she was assaulted.
That night, I didn’t catch any sleep. I thought she had been kidnapped again and maybe killed this time around. Why would Hawa keep putting herself in so much risk every time?
By 4:00 AM, I drifted off to sleep. In my sleep, I dreamt that Hawa had caught all the guys who had assaulted her. She had a machete in her hand, and with the machete, she cut off their privates. After she had killed them, she came to me and told me that I was going to die too because I had decided to have another girlfriend aside her. I tried to beg her but all my cries and pleas fell on deaf ears. She raised the machete, and as she was about to strike me, I woke up from the dream, sweating. I was terribly scared. It was already morning, and my neighbours were already awake.
I got up from bed and opened my door. I looked at Hawa’s door and realized that it was still locked from outside. I went back into my room, locked my door and laid back on the bed. Because I had had very little sleep last night, I drifted off to sleep again. This time, my sleep was a dreamless one.
I woke up a few hours later and went straight to see if Hawa had come back. Her door was still locked from outside. By now, I had become terribly worried. I was beginning to conclude that she had been killed, especially as I heard some women in the compound saying that someone had died last night. I moved close to Mama Kekoi and asked her who died last night, my heart beating fast.
“My son, terrible things are happening in this town these days.”
“What happened, Mama? Who died."
“I don’t know, but people say he was a popular keke rider.”
“Oh my gosh! What happened to him. How did he die?” I asked, relieved that it was not Hawa.
“They said he was found unresponsive in his bed early this morning. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that, my son. Terrible things are happening these days. May his soul RIP.”
“Amen and amen.”
Just as I was about to go back into my room, Mama Eni, another neighbour joined the conversation.
“Have you heard the latest?” She asked Mama Kekoi, excitedly.
“Latest about what again, Mama Eni.” Mama Kekoi asked.
“About the guy who died last night of course, what else?”
“Really, please tell me.” Urged Mama Kekoi.
“They said he went back home with a prostitute last night. No one saw the girl left this morning and no one knows who the girl was.”
“It could be a ghost. This world is dangerous and mysterious.” Mama Kekoi shouted.
“My sister!!” Mama Eni exclaimed. “These young men today, I don’t know what is wrong with them. They cannot control their urges.”
I had heard enough. I went back into my room and started thinking. Could it be that Hawa was the one who had killed him? Was he one of the guys who had been in involved in her assault? There was no way I was able to make any connections because I hadn’t even met the guy. Where was Hawa? What was wrong with her?
I heard a knock on my door.
“Come in.”
The door opened and in came Hawa.
“Good afternoon, Ike.” She said, turned around and walked out of my room. I ran after her calling her name.
“Hawa! Hawa!!” What is wrong with you? Where have you been?” I asked as I followed her into her room.
She was sitting on her bed, her both palms covering her face and sobbing quietly.
“What is the matter, Hawa? You got me scared. Where have you been? Where were you last night? Why didn’t you come back home last night?”
“I killed him, Ike. I took away his life.” She said with no emotions.
“What who did you kill?”
“One of the guys who assaulted me. The one I recognized. The one who was supposed to come and see me last night.”
“Then that’s good news. Bravo!! Hawa. One down, three more to go. This is good news. You should be celebrating. Why are you mourning instead?”
“I have never taken a life before, and now that I have, I feel terribly guilty.”
“But you shouldn’t. He got exactly what he deserved.” I spoke.
“I know, but…”
“Forget it Hawa. In my opinion, you did the right thing. Stop feeling bad.”
“I know, but maybe I should have gone to the police instead.”
“Yes, going to the police seems like a proper thing to do? But then, do you have evidence? The law always asks for evidence. This is Nigeria, my dear. This is not America or Europe. In America, they have a very funny system. Once a man is accused of sexual assault, he is as good as doomed. However, in Nigeria, they will ask for evidence. If you can’t provide evidence, you will lose.”
“Ike, you look to me like a vigilante.”
“I have no trust in the system, I like handling things my own way. If he had shown up last night, I would have given him a fine necktie party. By now, his neck would have been dangling from the end of a rope. Anyway, I want to know how you did it. Please, tell me.”
“When we separated that night, I went to town and met him in front of a club. He took me to club and we danced and drank. He proposed that we go home and I accepted. When we got to his home, the party continued. He started playing very loud music, disturbing the whole neighbourhood. He asked us to dance again. I hated him so much but I decided to play along though I felt disgusted by his very presence. He poured us two glasses of whisky to drink and I drugged his. I put an overdose of sleeping pills that I had with me. As he started getting unconscious, I pulled a knife, grabbed him by the collar and told him to tell me the name of his friends if he valued his life. He complied. As soon as he finished, I strangled him, and he stopped breathing. I will never forget the look of his face as he breathed his last.”
“Good job, Hawa. Now, we have to track down the rest of them and make them pay.” I said, happily.
“Can I ask you a question, Ike?”
“Yes, you can.”
“Why are you so interested in helping me take revenge on those guys? This is my fight and not yours.”
“You are wrong, Hawa. This is our fight. And I will see to it that they meet a disastrous end.”
“Why are you so passionate about it?”
“It’s a long story. Some years ago, while I was still a student, I had this beautiful friend of mine called Chioma. Oh!! You needed to have seen her. She radiated with beauty, and she also had a very kind heart. All the boys in the neighbourhood wanted her but she wouldn’t give them her attention. She was still a virgin and had promised herself that she was going to stay that way until she marries.
“One day, she was coming from the farm with her mother and her other siblings. They all walked in a single file carrying their bags of cassava on their heads. She was the last in the line and she was far behind. From nowhere, six guys jumped out of the bushes and kidnapped her. They were all masked and she couldn’t see their faces. They told her that they gave her the chance to accept them willingly, but she chose the way of pain. For that reason, they were going to have her by force.
“They assaulted her, all six of them. After that, they carried her and dumped her by the side of the road. My friend was devastated. The worst part was that she knew they were guys from her neighbourhood but she couldn’t recognize any of them because of their masks. Hawa, I saw my friend sinking into depression every day until she finally took her life. From that day, I decided that whoever hurts any of my friends would pay dearly for it. I am that kind of person who takes friendship seriously.”
“OMG!! Poor girl. She needed a psychologist. I pity her. For someone who has gone through the same ordeal, I can really feel what she went through. Thank God I have you, Ike. You are my strength and my rock. By the way, were the guys ever caught?”
“They weren’t, but they are all dead now. Chioma’s spirit came back with a vengeance. She was buried with a charm that made her spirit to hunt the guys. One by one, she tracked them down and they all confessed before dying. I still miss my friend."
“Good, I like the way they ended up. They should all burn in hell.”
That night, Hawa came to my room and told me that she would be going out at night. I didn’t want to ask her where she always went to at night. I knew that someday; time would reveal it. I was hoping that she would come back early. However, by midnight, I gave up and went to sleep.
Around 2:00 AM, I was woken by loud cries from my neighbours. There was serious commotion and pandemonium going on outside, I wondered what could have happened. I got out of bed and dashed outside only to find the whole place crowded. Everyone in the neighbourhood was there. They all had buckets filled with water with them and they were putting out roaring flames form Hawa’s room. Someone had broken into her room and set it on fire. If people hadn’t come out on time, the fire would have crossed to my section, and I would have probably been burnt in my sleep.
The next morning, Hawa came home and met her room burnt. All her belongings had been consumed by fire. She was beyond grief. She sat on a small tool that belonged to a neighbour and wept seriously. When she was done weeping, she came to me and said:
“Goodbye, Ike. My home has been burnt. I now have nowhere to live. I will be going out of town. I know who did it. I know who burnt my house. I am going now but I will be back. They should be prepared for me. They should wait for Hawa’s return.
TO BE CONTINUED…
==============================
CHAPTER 5
Hawa had gone. Where she went to, I didn’t know. She didn’t tell me. All she told me was that she would be back. However, I knew that wherever she went to, she had gone to fortify herself before coming back to face whoever had been behind her misfortunes for the past several weeks. I hoped and prayed that she be safe.
After she had gone that was when I got all the information, I needed to know about her. Hawa was a sex worker. That was the reason she was always going out in the evenings and coming back only late at night or in the mornings. Everything made sense to me now. I had been practically living with a prostitute without knowing. It all made sense to me now. I now understood why she had once told me that I was unique. She said she found it difficult to sleep with one man many times, but when she met me, everything changed.
I also remembered one day that she and I went to the market to purchase some stuffs for my birthday. I remembered the number of people who greeted her on the way. They were all males, and I also remembered the strange way people looked at me. People were like, ‘it seemed this guy doesn’t know that this girl is a prostitute.’ Poor me, I was so innocent that I didn’t notice anything.
However, I was not the kind of person who would be scared of such things. I decided that what had happened had already happened. I was a bit annoyed that she had kept her trade from me. However, I understood why she had done that. It was not an easy thing to tell someone you love that you are into that kind of business. So, I decided that I would forgive her while waiting for the day I will see her again.
The next day, the landlord came to survey his house. He was terribly vexed and blamed Hawa for keeping bad company. He said it was thanks to Hawa’s bad company that his house had been burnt. He promised to take the matter to the competent legal authorities for reparations from Hawa. But where would he see Hawa? She had vanished into thin air. Because he couldn’t find Hawa, he transferred his aggression to me. He said Hawa and me were pals. So, I somehow knew something. I told him I didn’t know anything. He refused to believe me. We quarreled and he asked me to leave his house.
The next day, I started moving. I was even happy because I was tired of living in that compound. I called Nerissa and told her I would be moving. She was very happy and came to help me move. I was moving to a better neighbourhood with good apartments. Nerissa was the one who cleaned the apartment for me and helped me park in.
For two months straight, I didn’t see or heard from Hawa. One Sunday, I hadn’t gone to church because I wasn’t feeling too well. So, I was in bed when I heard my doorbell ring. I ignored it because it was still early, but the ringing persisted. I woke up, went to the living room and opened the door. Lo and behold it was Hawa standing there.
“Good morning, Ike.”
“Good morning, Hawa. What are you doing here this early? How did you find my house?"
“I went to the former neighbourhood and asked. Someone directed me here.”
“Alright, so where have you been?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Why have you come back?”
“To take revenge. I told you I was going to be back, right? I have come back now and the people who hurt me will hear from me.”
“You still intend on killing them? I thought you got over it.”
“Got over it? Who can get over a thing like that? I have come back to take my pound of flesh.”
“Have you been able to find out who burnt your house?”
“Yes, I was able. It was the younger brother of the guy I killed, and his friends. But I have already taken care of them. Don’t worry about that.”
“I want to join you join you in your quest.” I proposed.
“Nope, not again. It’s my fight and I will do it my way. I don’t want to mess up your life. I don’t want to get you involved. I will do everything myself.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked.
“Very sure.”
“Listen, Hawa. I can’t in good conscience allow you to go face those guys alone. Facing hardened criminals, rapists and murderers is not a safe thing for you to do alone. I insist, I will go with you.”
“You really want to do this?”
“Yes, I want to.”
“Alright, how about your girlfriend, Nerissa?”
“She is good.”
After the killing of the first guy, hitherto unknown to Hawa, the guys had suspected that their friend didn’t die a natural death. That was because during his funeral, his brothers said they saw him bring a girl back home on the night he died. They had asked him who the girl looked like. From the description that was given to them, they suspected, correctly that it was Hawa. They looked for her to kill her, but they were not successful. That was why her house was burnt.
The guys now were on their guard. In fact, they had intensified their search for her, especially when she sneaked into town and murdered the younger brother of the guy she had killed. It was the guy who burnt her house. She sneaked into town at the dead of night, laid ambush and shot the guy and his two friends on their way back from the club. She had been monitoring their movements for hours and struck when they least expected.
One mistake Hawa made was that she thought she had the element of surprise on her side. Up until now, she thought the remaining three guys had no inkling that she was behind all the killings. She forgot that the guys were hardened criminals and their criminal instincts had helped them put the pieces of the recent happenings together, and they had unanimously concluded that Hawa was behind everything. They couldn’t go to the police to report the matter because it would only expose them. So, they came to one resolve – hunt down Hawa and kill her before she killed them.
Another thing she didn’t know was that they knew she was in town and had been tracking her. In fact, they had tracked her to my house. Poor me, I was oblivious everything. My interaction with Hawa was going to put me in serious trouble. I wish I knew better. Because I was a friend of hers, and they had tracked her to my house, they had concluded that I was helping her out. They therefore decided to earmark me for slaughter since I was her accomplice.
“Have you ever used a gun before?” She asked me.
“Nope.”
“Do you think you can handle one?”
“Yes, it easy na. I have watched many videos on YouTube on how to handle a gun.”
“Good, I will give you a gun and some ammunition. You need to protect yourself.” She cautioned.
“Protect myself from who?”
“Are you not the one who said you wanted to join in the hunt?”
“I said that.”
“Good, now, you have to be used to carrying a firearm around because you can never tell when the enemy will strike.”
“That is okay, I understand.”
“One other thing you should know is that I am not the easy going, beautiful and calm Hawa you think you know. I am more than that. I am sorry to drag you into my world. It was because you showed me so much love and concern. By going on this quest with me, you will be going deep into the crime world of this city. I have lived in the streets for many years, known many criminals, did a few unsavoury things myself. I finally decided that I should live a quiet life and put my past behind me.
“I am sure by now you must have heard that I was a prostitute. Yes, I was a prostitute, a call girl, a sex worker. However, I just wanted to raise enough money to start some business and then put my former life behind me. But fate had decreed otherwise. I was kidnapped and raped by those hoodlums. Now, I have to eradicate them from the surface of the earth. Wherever I find them, I have to kill them because they are vermin and must be eradicated.”
“I understand Hawa. I understand everything you have told me. However, now that you have vividly explained everything to me, I cannot tell you a lie, I am a bit scared. However, my resolve remains strong. I won’t and I can’t let you do this alone. I will stand by you to the very end.”
“Thank you, Ike. But how about your beautiful Nerissa?”
“Let’s forget about her for now. She was supposed to be here today since it’s Sunday. However, she texted to say she wouldn’t be able to make it anymore, which is a good thing since you are around. I don’t want any complications.”
That evening, Hawa and I went to town to get something to eat. She said she was hungry and hadn’t eaten all day. It was risky going out like that. She thought no one knew she was in town. So, she had to disguise before leaving. She wore a hijab and dark glasses before we left the house.
While I was in the university, my Procedural Law lecturer, Prof. Michael Adeleke had always told me that as a good lawyer, you should always be aware of your surroundings, and you should always be alert at all times. He said being watchful and observant while you are in a particular place could save your life in more ways that you could imagine. He said you might also notice something that might be useful to you in court someday.
That was the reason I was able to notice two strange guys monitoring Hawa and I closely as we sat at City Fast Food, enjoying a delicious plate of rice and chicken. I noticed that one of the guys seemed to be taking pictures of us and he was constantly on the phone with someone. I drew Hawa’s attention to it.
“Hawa! Hawa!” I whispered. “Look at the far end of the restaurant. Look at that fair skinned guy.”
“Which one particularly are you talking about? There are three guys there with light skins.”
“The one who’s on the phone. Please, don’t turn around. Just look with the corner of your eye.”
“Yes, I see him now. What about him?”
“He seems to be watching us. I think I caught him taking pictures of us. I suspect him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Wait let me take another look at him.” She said and turned to look at he guy again and opened her mouth in shock and fear. “Jesus Christ, Ike. I know him. He is a killer. Ike, I believe our cover has been blown. Let’s get out of here immediately.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
==============================
CHAPTER 6
We abandoned our half-finished food and ran out of the place. We went to the road and stopped a bike man that was passing. He carried us and we sped to my house. When I looked behind, I noticed that there were two bikes chasing us. Each of the guys had two occupants. I told the Okada man to increase speed.
“Oga, what is the matter?” He asked.
“We are being followed.”
“I hope I am not in trouble?” He asked, scared.
“No, you are not but you will be if you don’t increase the speed of your bike.”
The bike man was a good rider and within a short while he had outpaced the other two guys. I realized that they already knew where I was going to. They knew my house. Therefore, I had to rethink and change strategy.
“What do you think we should do, dear?” I asked Hawa.
“Tell the bike man to stop.”
“What? You are not serious, are you?”
“I know what I am doing. Tell him to stop.”
The bike man dropped us, and we paid him. He hurriedly sped away, afraid of what might happen should the other bikes meet him.
“What’s the plan?” I asked Hawa as soon as the bike man disappeared.
“You have your gun with you, right?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“Check to see that it is loaded.”
“It is, I checked already.”
“Good, let’s get behind that carpentry workshop.” She said, pointing to a carpentry workshop that was about ten meters away. “When we get there, we will wait until they approach. They won’t know that we are waiting for them. As soon as you see them, open fire. You will target only the riders. Taking out the riders will send both bikes into the bushes. Then, we will finish off the rest of them. Do you understand?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Good, you will target the second rider and I will take care of the first. They will be in motion so; you have to try as much as possible to be accurate. Shoot with extreme prejudice. Do you understand, Ike.”
“I do.”
“Now, let’s wait.”
We ran behind the carpenter workshop and crouched behind. We crouched just in time too because almost immediately, we heard the approaching sound of the two bikes. As soon as they came into view, Hawa and I opened fire almost immediately. I missed but Hawa got her man in the head, and he died instantly, sending the bike out of control. Because the other bike was closely behind, it crashed into the first one, lost control and threw it occupants harshly on the ground.
The killers took more than a moment to realize that they had just been bushwhacked. As they laid on the ground, bruised, stunned and injured, trying to make sense of what had just happened, Hawa sprang into action.
“Ike, the time for caution is over. Let’s go get them.” She spoke.
“Right behind you.”
Even as she spoke, she was already on the move. With her gun spitting bullets, she fired two more shots in quick succession and killed the other rider I had failed to kill. There were supposed to be two guys left now, but we realized that there were three instead. We had miscalculated. One of the bikes had three occupants instead of two. So, altogether, there were five of them. Two of them, the riders, had been killed. Now, there were left three.
By now, the three remaining guys had realized that they had been waylaid and ambushed. They pulled out their guns and returned fire. The situation had become very dangerous.
“Duck, Ike, duck; take cover. They are returning fire.” Hawa cried.
I was confused, I had never been involved in a firefight before, except in video games. This, however, was no video game. It was a live firefight. In video games, people don’t die. In this one however, one mistake, and it will be oblivion for me.
I ran back behind the carpentry workshop as the guys, all three of them, opened fire. One bulled flew past my ear and another went through the plank wall of the carpentry workshop like an icepick on cheese and would have gotten me if I hadn’t moved just in time. I opened fire with my pistol but realized that I was out of bullets.
“Oh no!” I said to myself. “I am in serious trouble now. Hawa!! I called, I am out, I am seriously out.”
“Just lie down!!” She shouted over the noise of the deafening sounds of gunfire. The guys had sub-machine guns with them while we had ordinary handguns.
The guys had managed to crouch behind a building that was opposite the carpentry workshop. The building was solid as compared to the plank walls of the carpentry workshop. So, they were in a better position than us. Also, they had an advantage in numbers. It was three against two. They also had better guns. So, we had to reassess the situation and re-strategize otherwise, we would be killed.
Hawa stopped firing and managed to crawl back to the carpentry workshop. She gave me fresh ammunition and I reloaded my gun. I now felt a bit comfortable and confident.
“What do we do now?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“We are outgunned and outnumbered. Thank God that we took out the other two guys. It would have been worse. This is what we would do. We will crawl away from this place, go in a wide circle and appear behind them. They won’t be anticipating such a move. Now that we have stopped firing, there are three things going on in their minds. The first is that we are dead. The second is that we have run out of bullets, and they could easily kill us now. The third is that they could crawl to their bikes and disappear. We must not let them do that. If they escape, they will alert the whole gang and the heat will be too much on us. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
The night was quiet now. It was around 11:30 PM. Luckily for us, where we were was a business area. The owners of the workshops and factories had already closed for the day. If we were in a residential area, there would have been serious pandemonium and commotion, and the police might have arrived by now. Hawa didn’t want the police involved in this. Neither did I and I am sure the killers too.
What was going on now was a waiting game. The guys were waiting for our next move before they made theirs. They were afraid to leave their hiding places for the time being because they couldn’t determine whether the cause of our ceasefire was because we were dead, out of ammunition or strategizing. As for us, we are already moving. We crawled in a large circle and after about thirty minutes, and my elbows and knees were serious hurting, we came to about thirty meters behind them.
We stooped crawling, got on our feet and with drawn guns, we started moving towards them, bending low in typical commando style. When we got close, we saw all three of them hidden behind the building. But as soon as we saw them, they saw us too and realized that they had been cornered. They opened fire first and we ducked while returning fire. That was when I made my first kill of the day. I shot one of the guys on his lap and as he tried to crawl away, I put another bullet in his stomach and then in his head. The guy was left with no option than to begin the once in a lifetime business of dying.
Hawa engaged the other one but from my observation point, I realized that the guy had run out of bullets. Twice he tried to fire but both times, his gun clicked, signaling that he was out of ammunition. Hawa, who also seemed to have run out of ammunition allowed her instincts to act faster than her reasoning. Instead of her to reload, she ran to the guy instead and they were engaged in a hand-to-hand combat. I looked for the third guy, but he had disappeared. So, I ran towards Hawa to help her.
As soon as I got close, I realized that Hawa didn’t need any help from me. She was able to handle the guy herself. I saw her send all her five fingers into his eyes with force. Blinded momentarily, he screamed and held his eyes with both hands. That was all the time Hawa needed. He pulled a knife that was hanging from the guy’s waist and airconditioned his stomach. He pierced him below his navel and then drove the knife up until it got to his rib cage. His intestines and other vital organs spilled out and the guy’s eyes became still. His mouth hung open. He was dead.
“There is one of them left.” I cried. “We need to get him.”
Just then, we heard the engine of a bike starting and then the bike leaving in high speed. The last guy had escaped. I told Hawa that we should get on the other bike and chase him but she declined.
“What is wrong with you, Hawa?” I asked in anger. “You said you wanted none of them to escape.”
“Yes, I said that but that has changed now.”
“How do you mean?”
“I think I know where his is going to?”
“How did you know?”
“You haven’t asked me why I decided to kill the last guy with my hands instead of with a gun.”
“It was because you ran out of bullets and didn’t have time to reload.” I spoke.
“Nope, I had all the time to reload. I just wanted to get close to him to see if I could recognize him.”
“Did you?”
“Yes, I did. I knew him back in my days in the streets. We even had an altercation once. I was very afraid of him then because he was not just a killer, he was also a cultist. He belonged to a very dangerous and deadly cult.”
“OMG! Good thing he is dead now.”
“Yes, but our fight is not over yet. That last guy who escaped, I know where he is going to. I am sure he is also a member of that cult, that is why I am sure I know where to find him. I am beginning to understand how all these came about. Your girlfriend, Nerissa seems to have a hand in these.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
==============================
CHAPTER 7 (Special edition)
Mama Nerissa was no ordinary businesswoman. She had a shop in the market where she sold provisions and household wares. However, what most people didn’t know was that she used the shop as a cover up. Her real business was the sale of arms. She dealt in all sorts of arms and ammunitions. She had connections in high places of the government. That explained why up until now, she had never been caught. Actually, she had been caught a few times but just a call, just one call had always led to her release each time she had been caught.
Mama Nerissa wasn’t just an arms trafficker; she was also involved in other illegal activities. These included, human trafficking, contraband and many others. However, the most dangerous of all her activities was her involvement in cultism. She was a core member of the Fell Creatures, a very dangerous and deadly cult. The cult and its members helped her to carry out some of her illegal activities and also to silence some of her rivals, either by carrot or by stick.
The Fell Creatures was founded by Mama Nerissa’s husband. He ran the cult for many years until he married Mama Nerissa. Soon after he married Mama Nerissa, she became overzealous and over ambitious and started looking for a means to topple her husband. After many unsuccessful attempts to topple her husband, she decided to take away his life. He poisoned his food and waited for him to die.
The ailing Papa Nerissa on the other hand, realized that his wife was the cause of his demise. He found out that his wife wanted him to die so that she could take over the running of the cult. During the days of Papa Nerissa, the Fell Creatures wasn’t as deadly as it was now under Mama Nerissa, and that was her problem. She wanted to introduce new illegal activities into the cult. Papa Nerissa wanted none of her diabolical new innovations though and that always led to a clash between them.
Papa Nerissa had founded the cult in order to help its members. There were a few illegal activities here and there no doubt about that. However, it was nothing compared to what Mama Nerissa had now turned it into. When he found out that he was going to die, and that his impending death had been caused by his wife, he decided to frustrate her efforts. He decreed, in line with the code of conduct of the cult that, his wife Mama Nerissa would not be his successor.
According to the rules and regulations and the laws binding the cult, a female would only be allowed to become leader of the cult after she had reached twenty-two years and she must be a virgin at that time. She could get married later but she must be a virgin at the time she would be made leader. That section of the constitution immediately disqualified Mama Nerissa. However, since her daughter, Nerissa was not up to twenty-two years, Mama Nerissa was allowed to be a caretaker leader. She was allowed to hold the position in trust until her daughter reached the required age.
During her reign as caretaker leader, she was diabolic. She introduced many bad things into the cult. Things like kidnappings, robberies, money laundering, assassinations and others, became regular activities of the cult. There was a reign of terror during her tenure as she ruled with an iron fist, while waiting for her daughter to take over. As much as she hated the fact that her daughter would soon take over from her, she was at least consoled by the fact that the leadership would remain in her family.
However, her plans were seriously thwarted by me. I had taken her daughter’s virginity, which meant that she was no longer eligible for the post of leadership of the Fell Creatures. Mama Nerissa was greatly angered and terribly vexed when she learned that her daughter had lost her virginity to me. You might wonder how she came about knowing that her daughter had lost her virginity and I was responsible. I will explain it to you.
You might remember the first day I went to Mama Nerissa’s shop to buy; the day I met Nerissa. You might also remember that I was behaving strangely on that day because I had fallen in love with Nerissa and wanted to take her number. Mama Nerissa instead thought I was a policeman and had come to secretly investigate her. So, she excused herself and lied that she was going to get something from the warehouse. She wasn’t going to any warehouse. She instead went and called some of her guys and asked them to hang around until I was ready to leave. When I left her shop, I was followed until I got home. For months, the guys monitored me and gave feedback to Mama Nerissa.
When Nerissa spent the night in my house the day her mum travelled, they were aware and told Mama Nerissa. When she got back, she questioned Nerissa about what happened, and she confessed that we had sex that night and that her virginity was gone. Mama Nerissa was deeply aggrieved. She was inconsolable for many days because she knew that was the end of her family’s rule over the Fell Creatures. She decided that she was going to kill me for ruining her daughter’s chances of becoming the next leader of her cult.
The guy who escaped from Hawa and I that night of the shootout was the one who begged her to spare me. He advised her instead to use her powers as caretaker leader to change the constitution and remove the virginity clause so that her daughter could still become leader when the time was right. She agreed to do that. She called the majority of the members, bribed them, intimidated some and the virginity clause was removed. With the virginity clause now gone, Nerissa once more became eligible for leadership.
Mama Nerissa, however, was still angry with me. She made a silent decision that she would only spare me if I remained faithful to her daughter. However, you know what happened between Hawa and me. I tried to hide it but the guys who were watching and monitoring me told her about it. She called Nerissa and told her everything. She promised to deal with me, but Nerissa begged her not to. She told her mum that I might have fallen into that trap because for a long while, she couldn’t give me what I wanted because she was still a virgin. She begged her mum to let me be and that she would handle things her own way.
Her mum grudgingly agreed but decided that someone had to pay for my sins. Hence, she decided to attack Hawa. Fearing that she might recognize her cult members, she decided to use random guys to attack her. The plan was to defile her and then kill her. However, after the guys had defiled Hawa, she was saved by one of them who realized that they were from the same part of the country. That was the guy Hawa killed first by drugging his drink and then strangling him. If the guys had carried out Mama Nerissa’s orders to the latter, this story would have ended on that day. Dear reader, I am sure you now understand Nerissa’s involvement in the whole bloodshed. Now let’s get back to recent events.
It was Nerissa’s birthday, so she called me because she wanted us to spend the day together. She was oblivious about all what had been happening. She didn’t even know that my life was in danger. She didn’t even know that I was involved in the shootout that was reported on TV and that claimed four lives in one night. She just wanted to have a good time with me.
“Hi babe. Today is my birthday, my twenty second birthday. My mother said she was busy and won’t be able to throw a party for me on this very day. So, can you come and let us spend the day together? I could come to your place instead. I need a good birthday sex.” She said excitedly.
“I am sorry, Nerissa baby. I would have really loved to spend the day with you. But as it is, I can’t go in the open in good faith. Some guys are after me. They almost killed me once and they are still on the prowl. I have been keeping a low profile for a while now.”
“Oh! That’s sad and I was relying so much on you. By the way, what have you done? Why are they after you?”
“I don’t know babe. But I think it has something to do with Hawa. You know her house was burnt after some guys defiled her. So, she tried to revenge on them and actually got a number of them. However, the remainder of the guys came after her. I tried to defend her and now the guys are after me too. We got into a shootout with them and some were killed. It’s a very dangerous situation babe.”
Nerissa had learnt that a few members of The Fell Creatures were involved in a firefight with a rival gang, and some lost their lives. She had no idea that it was connected to me or Hawa.
“Be careful baby. That Hawa girl will put you in trouble. I think you should avoid her.” She cautioned.
“That’s what I intend to do, babe, as soon as all these is behind us.”
“Good boy. However, I must see you today, come rain or highwater. Look for a means and meet me at the Presbyterian Primary School field this night. Please try to be there. I miss you so much.”
“Ok babe, I will try.”
That night, around 7:00 PM, I sneaked out of the house and told Hawa that I would be back. She asked me where I was going, and I told her to mind her own business. She shook her head in frustration and let me go. I managed to get to our agreed location and Nerissa was already there waiting for me. She ran towards me and gave me a tight hug as soon as she saw me.
“I am sorry, babe. I won’t take long. I took a great risk coming here.” I whispered.
“It’s okay, babe. I am happy you are here. I am grateful.”
After singing her a hurried happy birthday song, we had a quickie in the standing position. There was no time for preliminaries. So, we finished as soon as we started. After we were done, I kissed her goodbye and left. But before I left, she made me promise that I would call her to let her know that I had got home safely. She insisted that I made the call. She said it was important to her. She had begun to suspect that her mum was behind my troubles and that I was being followed. I promised to call and left.
I hadn’t gone up to a hundred meters when two guys appeared in front of me and surrendered me with their guns. I went for my own gun but they advised me to keep my hands off my gun if I wanted to stay alive. I was kidnapped, my gun taken away from me, blindfolded and taken to a location that was strange to me. When I got there, I was hogtied, and a guard was kept watching over me.
Back in Nerissa’s home, she had waited for my call until she got tired. So, she decided to call my phone and the call was picked by her mum. Afraid, she knew her worst fears had been confirmed. Her mother had kidnapped me. She knew exactly where I was going to be held. So, she got a cab and went there. At that same time, Hawa too had been trying to get me to no avail. She concluded that I had been captured. She got her gun and enough ammunition and left the house.
It was around 9:30 PM now. I was still tied hands and feet and Nerissa’s mum was with me and six other members of her cult, the Fell Creatures, including the guy who had escaped during the shootout. I had been tortured seriously and just when they were going to pull the trigger on me, the door burst open and in came Hawa and Nerissa. Hawa had her gun on Nerissa.
“Let him go.” Hawa demanded. “Or your daughter dies.”
“You will do no such thing, Hawa. You were a member of this cult. You know the rules and you know what it means to pull a gun on a fellow member.” Mama Nerissa shouted.
“Yes, I was a member. But I opted out and you gave me a free pass. I opted out because I was no longer happy with the way things were going. It was because of your wickedness that I opted out. Instead of you to let me go, you sent people after me to destroy me. Why are you this wicked?”
“Fell Creatures is a one-way ticket, Hawa. Once you are in you don’t go out. However, because I took you like my own daughter, I was ready to make an exception but what did you do? You came after me by sleeping with my daughter’s boyfriend, this idiot here who took her virginity. If not for those foolish creatures who didn’t respect my orders, you would long be dead. Good thing they are all dead now, and by your own hands I heard.”
“Let Ike go. He is innocent.”
“He is going nowhere. He started all this trouble. He is going to die just like you.”
At that moment, another member of the Fell Creatures who had been hiding in the shadows appeared behind Hawa, surrendered her and took her gun. She was violently pushed to where I sat. Both of us now waited to be executed. We both knew we were living the last moments of our lives. Mama Hawa had no time to waste.
“Shoot them.” She ordered. “Shoot them both, and when they die, don’t burry them. Leave their bodies to rot.
The guy who had taken Hawa’s gun raised his gun and was about to shoot when Nerissa halted him.
“Stop!!! I order you to stop. Don’t you dare shoot them. Untie both of them and let them go.”
“What are you talking about?” Mama Nerissa asked, furiously. “What right do you have to make such a decision. You are not the leader of this cult.”
“But you are mistaken, Mum. I am the leader. So, stand down.”
“You are not the leader. I am the caretaker leader. You can only become the leader after you turn twenty-two.” She was furious.
“That is true, mum. But you have been so busy that you forgot that today is my birthday; my twenty second birthday. So, I am the new leader. I am so sorry, mum.” She laughed.
“This cannot happen. Shoot them.” She ordered the guy who had taken Hawa’s gun but the guy declined.
“I am sorry, Mam. But what she said is true. She is the new leader now and her order stands. I can’t shoot anyone until she says so. Untie them.” He ordered the other guys to untie us.
As the guys were untying us, Mama Nerissa, realizing that power had just slipped from her hands, became over taken with anger and frustration.
“Fool!!” She cried. “You are a weakling just like your father and that is why I killed him. I will never let this cult pass into the hands of someone like you. Your first minute as leader, and you have started with a bad decision. Hawa and this idiot called Ike deserve to die. They all deserve to die. You all deserve to die.” Mama Nerissa seemed to have gone mad.
“Mama!!” Nerissa shouted. “You killed Daddy?!”
“Yes, I did and you all deserve the same for betraying me.” She spoke. Her face was really transformed now.
She lunged at one of the cultists pulled his gun and was about to fire on her own daughter, but she was too late. The guy who had disarmed Hawa fired three bullets and they all caught her in the chest. She did a little dance of death as the gun dropped from her hand, tried to move but she couldn’t. Her body went limp and she fell on the tiled floor with a loud thud and died.
Two weeks later, after Mama Nerissa had been buried, Nerissa called all the remaining members of the Fell Creatures and told them that she had disbanded the cult. Everyone was now free to go about their own business. She gave everyone huge sums of money from her mother’s coffers and told them to be good citizens henceforth. True to their name, the Fell Creatures had finally fallen.
Hawa told me that she would be leaving the country. She thanked me for everything and apologized for all the trouble she caused me.
“I am very happy to have known you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, I will never forget you, Ike. I kept my life a secret from you because I love you and I wanted you to be safe. However, fate decreed otherwise. But I thank God that we are all live. Now I want a remembrance of you. I know you have Nerissa; I can’t come between you both. She is going to be your wife someday. But I want a copy of you. I am unsafe now. Make love to me, let me carry your baby and I will be satisfied and contented.”
Hawa and my five years old son now live in Canada. The beautiful, kind but cold-blooded killer, Hawa was now a mother. You can never predict the outcome of life. Nerissa and I are happily married and we have a five years old daughter too. Hawa and I still keep our secret to this day.
THE END
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