CHAPTER 11

    

     .     It was dark, lonely, silent, a cold silence that was occasionally broken by the sound of speeding cars, sounds which were often washed away as fast as they came, then the chill of the quiet reigned again, even the cresent moon had the company of stars, the nocturnal creatures had each other to bother, the spark of lighting had the cackle of thunder, but Alice had no one as she trailed the ever lonely road, it was her sole companion, she had no idea what would happen next, no where to go, she didn't make any attempt to return the numerous calls that continued flooding her phone, her life had drastically changed after Mike walked back into it, her future now appeared like a foggy field, nothing was clear anymore, the other day Mike had come to her house bathered and bloody, and now he was dead, the uncertainties made her sob even louder, but alas, she alone could hear them.

      The chills of the evening was anything but bearable, she tucked her hands into the pockets of the jacket Joseph had given her, then crossed them over her shoulders, and rubbed her palms together to get warm, this she repeated severally as the wind blew harder, she had broken one of  her slippers in an attempt to escape from him, her hair was a mediocre of what it was meant to be, her fears couldn't be anymore obvious, she reeked of it. This looked like a good place for a kidnapping, and the bushes around served as the perfect hide out for someone with a bad intention. Different possibilities ran through her mind, but it was better than being with him. She dwelt on the never ending episodes of her life as it morphed into a nightmare, until a flash of light took her unawares, then a hoarse voice.

  " Who are you ? what are you looking for in this place at hour ? " the voice continued, the closer he got, the more she ideas she got of him, he looked to be in his early twenties, but  he wasn't alone, it was a trio, the stench of beer and marijuana made their way to Alice before the men did, this was a typical group of jobless hoodlums, the kind that celebrated the streets of Lagos at night, hoping to fall upon any girl foolish enough to be alone on the road at this hour, this would be their lucky night, and Alice fit the criteria perfectly.

     Without saying a word and with the present awareness of the kind of people they were, she tried to walk away from them, but they wouldn't let her.

   " Well, well, well, what do we have here ? " questioned the one with the flashlight .

  " Are you lost pretty lady ? " the other one asked with a crafty grin etched on the left side of his face.

  " Why are you in such a hurry ? got somewhere to be ? It's a weather for two you know, we could help each other feel more comfortable, " the weasel of a man suggested with a devlish smile.

     She made more attempts to weave herself away from them, but they kept blocking her way.

   " Please let me go, " she pleaded, with a low, shaky voice, as she continued, trying to get away.

   " Sweet heart no one's holding you,  now don't be like that, besides I know a good way we could help out, make ourselves more comfortable, " he smiled as he rubbed at her shoulder,  which earned him a slap from her. 

     Without hesitation she made an attempt to run, but couldn't get far, they caught her jacket, and in the struggle flung it from her shoulder to reveal her ripped blouse. Instinctively she pulled the pieces over her chest, and saw how that laughed at the sight of her bare body.

   " Ah ah, you be runs girl sef, abeg e come do this thing jor, nor they form for us, " one of them said at the sight of her torn clothes.

      Strong hands grabbed her before she could run or do anything else.

   " Let me go !! somebody help me !! help !!, let go of me !! help !! " she screamed, and called for help, but the road was too silent and the thunder was way too loud, the rain dropped slowly on her face and so did a powerful hand that knocked her to the floor.

     They were on top of her in minutes, she scratched and pushed but wasn't strong enough for three males, he forcefully reached for her zipper, while the two others held her down, leaving her with nothing but her screams, she kicked, but he slapped her again and again, till her lips bled.

  " Somebody help me !!! " she screamed with all the air in her lungs, but he held her mouth with his hands and continued to unzip himself, they seized her hands and he pressed himself against her body.

  " Damn ! you bit me ? " he said surprised as he pulled his fingers to his lips, sucking at the pain of Alice's bite, but as she continued to scream he landed another hand on face, and this time her head hit the tarred road,  hard, the pain persisted as blood trickled from her injured head, merging with the water on the rough road, and with it her strength to fight them off gradually washed away, their faces were more of a blur, but she could still feel the soft drizzle on her face, and their forceful apprehension of her as her body was being used to satisfy their pleasure.

  " Help ! " she cried out once more, a lesser cry, a whisper of a scream, a faint plea, her arms were still in their grip, his hold reminded her of the red eyed maniac, every touch, every  laughter, agony, pain, trauma.  

    Her strength was failing her, truth be told they would have their way with or without it. 

  " Ok girly, you're about to have some fun tonight " he echoed, ecstatic at the thought of forcing himself on her, while the others looked on, salivating and biting their lips like dogs.

     The sounds of screeching tires that followed, signaled the driver was either drunk or assumed this to be a race track, the screeches were even louder as the car came to a stop few inches away from the men that heartlessly harrassed Alice. The abrupt stop equally put a pause in their act, despite the weight of their offense and the arrival of a stranger who looked to be anything but a passerby, they exhuded a surprising amount of confidence, it was as a result of two things, probably the influence of the beer and the smoke (marijuana) or the deceit of their numbers, both of which were about to land them an unforgettable experience and a disappointment for ages to come.

      They paused and turned, their gaze squarely fixed on the strange car whose head lights illuminated the dark road, the figure of a man, his face was hidden, masked by the blanket of the darkness, but what rested in between his hands was clear to an extent, his strides were gallant, practiced, polished, they would have no idea what hit them, as he came even closer they readied themselves, but then the shape of the spade came into full view, and before they could do anything, he slung it at one of them, the rough back colliding against his fore head, the other drunk was hardly a match, he shot a punch and landed an embarrassing miss, and the next thing he felt was the spade against his lower back and then his tempo, he fell back, groaning and cursing, as for the third he wasn't drunk enough to challenge a man with a spade, he slowly walked aside from Alice, pleading for his life, before the gong of the spade against his head that knocked the lights out of him.  She didn't have the strength to thank whoever it was that rescued her that night before falling unconscious.

                              *       *      *

     The room was lit with bright lights reflecting off the gold chandelier that hung from the ceiling, inspite of the air-conditioning, it reeked of the ever present stench and smoke of burning cigarettes, two strangers sat face to face, knee crossed, eyeing themselves in a stony stare, then each proceeded to press the remains of the burnt out cigars against the small aluminum receiver, the men were dressed in black, formal suit, tie and everything, each in a hug of nothing less than six muscular men, individually equipped with ghost like lethal fire power and a stoic expression, one set standing in front of the sound proof door, this was Fasting's inner chamber, where he did all the bits and bargains of the alleys and the underworld, and the man sitting on the opposite side of the table was his most recent deal, anything could go wrong in a bargain, when it came to these dealers, nothing was sure, a harmless exchange could easily turn into a blood bath, the deals had to be prescise, no short cuts or cut corners, time was valuable and money was not to be toyed with. With a firm handshake they sealed the deal, then the door opened to reveal three  beautiful young ladies, all dressed for the occasion, ready to please, and excited about it, they were all in their early twenties, tall, pretty, and wore clothes that showed off their whole body, they walked in giggling and surrounded the man who had only just secured a deal with Fasting, brushing their fingers against his hair, chest and every where in between. His guards didn't make any attempt to stop them, they had been with their boss long enough to know how he  was with women, he smiled back at them in full appreciation of their generous caresses, inching closer to get a better view at their undergarments, but they pushed even closer, giggling and seducing him.

    " Consider this as a gift from my part " Fasting said with a cheeky smile.

    " Much appreciated " he replied, but didn't take his eyes off them.

    " Are you ready ?" one with the Auburn type low cut wig whispered into his ears, but he only smiled back and affirmed with a nod, jumping from his seat at the invitation, she pulled at his tie, while the others pressed themselves against his sides,  with three ladies and enough alcohol he was up for a steamy night of hormonal excitement. 

   " Do take care of him ladies, only the best for our guest " 

   " Of course " they echoed behind giggles.

      The hug of six guards made way for the man and his company as they exited the room and soon blended into the excited crowd, the open door allowed the loud background sounds of the DJ's mixer to penetrate the room, then a group of three other men walked in, sealing off the bang as they shut the door behind them. 

    " Tell me, did they finish the job ? "Fasting asked the three men who looked rather uncomfortable as they prepared for a reply.

       

     " Well go on, did they ? why are you so quiet ? " he questioned, his confident look melting into one of concern, following their delay to respond, which could only be a bad sign.

    " No, they didn't sir, they're dead, someone killed them " replied one of the three men with a barriton voice.

   " Who ? " 

   " We don't know sir, it wasn't the cops, "

   " The C S S ? " 

   " Not them, I called, Shola still has his eyes on them, it wasn't one of his guys "

   " So we have four dead guys, and no clue as to who killed them ? what about the boy ? " he questioned again in a slightly less angry tone.

   " We didn't find him sir, "

   " And the girl ? " 

   " We don't know where she is "

   " Find her " 

   " What about Sunday ? " 

   " If you find her, I have a feeling he won't be far behind "

         

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