CHAPTER 5

          The alleys had always painted a scary and  dangerous picture of themselves, there were more than enough dark corners, where different things hid in plain sight, many secrets, imbeded in the cracked concrete walls, shadows, blended with the darkness, the only thing that couldn't be hidden was the stench of marijuana, coke, drugs, heroine.

       It went by different names, some, more popular than others, it had long since become one of the many ways of survival for the desperate lagosian, young boys who didn't hearken to the advice of their parents, more often than not, found themselves in these alleys, selling cocaine, smoking cocaine, buying cocaine. The place had become what could be described as a melting point, the deals were precise, it was a trade, they had the goods, all they needed to do, was deliver it, occasionally, many a youngster would make an attempt to disappear with the benefits, but the story was always the same, UNSUSPECTING YOUNG BOY SHOT DEAD IN ALLEY,  BODY FOUND FLOATING IN THE RIVER,  LOCAL BOY BATHED WITH ACID, the list was endless, it was a dangerous game, and only the best players made it out alive, but the alleys weren't random, there was always a boss, the big man, the big Bros, the overlord, the chairman, he supplied the amateurs, fixed them when they made progress, and forced them to atone for their sins when they got out of line. This was the secret of the alley, it was a life of guns, drugs, and hustle, and no one knew that better than Mike, who was currently fighting for his life, in a ward, in the Havanna Specialist Hospital.

      The night had dragged on, Mike had fallen to the enticing pull of unconsciousness, he had multiple stab wounds on his side, and a bullet had grazed his upper arm, leaving bare the skin as it passed, aside that, the rest were bruises. Alice had taken him to the hospital as fast as she possibly could, and the doctors had been able to stop the bleeding, he was out of harm's  way, a little battered, but he would live.

       Nothing made sense, this was on a whole new level of crazy. Her life had turned upside down because of him, and yet again here he was, back in her life, with all the madness the world could offer, she wouldn't let it happen, he had betrayed her, and caused her so much pain, there was no forgiving that, there was no going back, she would pay the hospital bills, and he would go right back the way he came.

      The doctors tried to convince her to get the police involved, seeing as it was obvious that whoever attacked Mike wanted him dead, the stabs were meant to end his life, not to mention the multiple bruises, it wouldn't be an irrational step to involve the police, but nothing could be done without Mike's testament, and right now he was still unconscious, plus her life had been on the papers for the past months, this would only spur the journalists, and that was the last thing she needed, she was left to ponder the causes and consequences of her next actions, as the doctors left the room.

       The EKG was stable, Mike was breathing fine, but Alice was plagued with worry, anxiousness, fear, doubt, as to what extent she actually knew him. What could possibly have gone wrong ? what had he gotten himself into ?and why would anyone try to kill him ? these were questions only he could answer, and she needed the answers, ASAP.

        Just as she paced, a groan drew her attention, it was Mike, he had regained conciousness, and tried to move his body, he was obviously in a lot of pain, there were plasters round his chest, he appeared fairly dazed, surprised, but nothing could kill the anxiousness that filled his eyes, then he saw her, Alice, standing there, staring at him. 

    " Alice ? " he called, softly, " where am I ? " he questioned, underneath a groan.

    " He was still in a lot of pain, the anesthetics seemed to be fading away, , she pushed aside her anxiety, and attempted to relate to what he was going through, sure, the trauma would cause a temporary amnesia, a momentary loss of memory, resulting from the shock of whatever he had been through, as the doctors had earlier said, just when he struggled to pull himself up, she rushed to him, any wrong movement could tear the stitches, and then the bleeding would start all over again.

    " It's better if you lay down, you were hurt pretty bad " she suggested, gently pressing him down on the bed.

      His demeanor still reflected his temporary confusion, and Alice wanted nothing more than to scream 1000 questions at him, but they could wait, he was awake now, and she would let the doctors continue their job.

      Like they rightly said, Mike recovered quickly from his temporary amnesia, and by day's end, he was discharged, though frequent check ups were in order, but for now, he was allowed to leave. The drive back to her apartment was tense, both parties made sure to avoid eye contact, and the loneliness of the road stared back as they drove through. The doctors prescribed a bunch of drugs, some to ease the pain, others, to induce sleep, if the pain persisted, all in all, they were for his own good. They finally arrived at the apartment, and Alice helped him in, she walked him to the bedroom, where he was able to rest, while she went back to shut the door. His look was sober, and downcast, and he struggled with words to show his appreciation to her, for saving his life, 

    " I can't begin to thank you enough, I'm sorry I got you into this mess, I had no where to go, and no one to ..." but she cut him short 

   " Ok Mike, you can stop the long talk now, I only did what anyone else would have done, what I would like to know is, how you got those multiple stab wounds ? and a gun shot ?  seriously Mike ? I thought you gave up that street life ? who the hell is after you ?

     Alice knew all too well, how it got when the big bosses had a target, they don't stop until he's silenced, gone, erased, she knew well that whatever Mike was into, had to be big, and she wasn't going to let him drag her down with him.

    With a tone that sounded sincere to an extent , he continued.

" I did give up that street life, " he spoke softly, regret and shame dampened his voice.

" I swear to you, I promised I'd never go back there, and I didn't, but somehow, I got roped again Alice, it's not my fault, I swear, you remember Joshua ? he asked, breathing heavily, she asserted with a nod

" Well, we did something, back then, he stole from this guy, and, I helped him, God ! I don't know why, but I did, and it's been years, we never knew he'd come after us, that he'd find us, Mike said, sweating as though he had been running a 1000 metres race.

  " Come after you ? " she asked softly, what do you mean ? who is after you Mike ? she questioned, but his response seemed to take forever, and her patience was ready to burst the roof, without hesitating, she pushed the question at him again.

  " Who is after you ? Mike answer me !! " this time her voice was a lot louder, he pleaded with her to calm down, and that some one might hear her, with his words, she threw her hands on her head, petrified of what she might have gotten herself into. I'm sorry Alice, I didn't have anywhere else to go, " he sniffed, obviously regretting his actions, his eyes reddened, she pushed her palms into her face, frustrated, terrified, clueless.

  " They were going to kill me, they killed Joshua "  he said, already in tears.

   " And they won't stop, not until I'm dead " he continued, in between breathes, " I'm so sorry, " he dropped in tears again, " I'm so sorry" .

      Alice just stood there, speechless, her eyes blinked in disbelief, and her jaws dropped, as she sank into the chair beside her closet. 

   " You have to go, you have to leave, " she said, as unconscious tears gathered in her eyes, her lips quivered, her sadness, inconsolable, this was his ultimate betrayal, he had played in dangerous waters, put himself on the list, and now, who was to say she wasn't on it as well, if what he had said was true, then it meant just keeping him there put her life in danger.

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