Karma
(Episode 8 )
I turned back and saw the don dragging one of his legs towards us. The chain of bullets he wore across his chest had significantly reduced. He had dark patches and blood clots all over his face. He tied a strip of cloth around what I suspected was a bullet wound on his left thigh. I was sure the confrontation with the soldiers had not gone well. He ground his teeth with each step he took yet he was still in control.
“Maggots! You all think you can escape me after all you made me pass through? No! Fucking maggots! Impossible!” he bared his teeth as he got closer.
We all stayed down. The way the lunatic was spraying bullets into the sky generously, not even Biggie could dare any kamikaze moves. When he got close enough, he threw a piece of rope to me. It dropped at my feet. I looked at him with raised eyeballs.
“Hey, lover boy, pick it up,” he barked.
I hesitated at first, trying to talk him out of it, but the lunatic fired several shots at my feet to reset my brain. I jumped up and down several times, and Fiona stiffened. The Ọmọ Akin in me disappeared pronto. I picked up the rope. He instructed me to tie everyone up and made it clear that he wouldn’t hesitate to blow up my skull if I tried anything funny. Tried anything funny ke? Me that my Ọmọ Akin has disappeared tey tey! I complied.
“Excuse me, sir,” Shola spoke up, being careful not to trigger the don’s wrath. “See, I don’t trust this lover boy. The way I’m looking at his eyes, I’m not sure he will carry out your instructions very well sir.”
“What are you doing, Shola?” I tried to shut him up.
“And who made you our leader or spokesman, Akin? All man for himself,” he flared up at me.
Then he turned back to the don. “Boss, I have told these fools several times that we can’t run away from you, but they wouldn’t listen. Let me be your loyal servant, and you will be my master. I will do whatever you ask me to do, I promise. Moreover, you are injured. You need support, and you can count on me.”
Surprisingly, Shola was able to talk his way into the don’s heart. His betrayal pissed us off, and we yelled at him to shut his mouth. Instead of Shola, the don responded by spraying bullets right over our heads. We screamed and docked, quivering while blocking our ears with our palms. Sister Elizabeth clutched her beret to her chest as if it was the key to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Sweat dripped from her chin like water from a tap. Fiona wrapped her hands around Amitabh.
“Shut up, maggots!” the don shouted. “Here is someone with some sense after all.” He faced Shola, “take the rope from him and tie them up.”
Shola gleefully carried out the assignment, tying our hands behind us so tight that I feared the rope would eat into our flesh.
All of a sudden, there was a rumble in the sky. Dark clouds started gathering together to obscure the moonlight. A cold, howling wind swept through the forest, shaking the trees, ripping off branches, dropping leaves, and whirling dry leaves around in circles. Lightning and thunder terrorised the sky. I began to plead with the don.
“Please, don’t do this. The weather is changing. You can’t leave us here like this …”
He just laughed hysterically.
“Please, I continued begging, if for nothing else, consider this little boy. You can’t let him die like this.” I didn’t realise when tears rolled down my cheeks.
“He would anyway. Does it matter if he dies now or later? Do you think he can survive the ordeal of this jungle? Look around you. We are in the middle of nowhere. We are fucking lost, maggot! You would be doing that little boy a whole lot of good if you pulled a trigger to his skull right now.”
“You are a devil!” I spat at him.
“That’s what people call me anyway. Thanks for the compliment.” He laughed again.
“Boss, we have to leave now. The rain is upon us,” Shola urged him. “I can spot a raft at the river bank. The earlier we start going, the better. Leave them and let us go.”
“You are worse than the devil, Shola,” Biggie yelled at him.
“All man for himself, Onowvurie. All man for himself.” He smiled mischievously.
Amaka began crying and cursing as the don and Shola turned their backs to leave, “My God will punish the two of you. You will rot in—”
The don swung around and pulled the trigger. The bullet caught Amaka between her eyes, silencing her forever. She fell sideways. She died instantly; not once did she twitch.
Sister Elizabeth, Fatima, and Lilian’s screams travelled far into the forest. In response, the weather became more turbulent. I looked at Amitabh. He was shaking so vigorously I thought he would slide into convulsions. I looked up at the sky. The moonlight was almost nonexistent. With tears in my eyes, I petitioned God, “Please save your children.”
God must have heard my prayer for a great calmness set in. Nonetheless, all signs showed it was only temporary. I heaved a sigh of relief, closed my eyes and thanked God from the bottom of my heart. I looked at Fiona, and she smiled at me. Oh, how much reinvigorating that smile was.
My eyes followed Shola as he provided support to the limping don. Shola pushed the raft into the river. I could see the water clearer now. It wasn’t as clean as we thought earlier and I wasn’t sure it was suitable for drinking. It wasn’t even a river. It was a swamp. It was dark and leaves and other litters were floating on it. It had a distinct smell. I sensed something strange about that water.
Sister Elizabeth momentarily distracted me. “Chai! Na like dis dis girl head wan catch me so?” I heard her rueing.
“What are you talking about, Sister Lizzy?” Fiona inquired.
“The girl I cheated at the park. If she had been the one to get the last ticket, I wouldn’t have been on that bus in the first place.”
I was sure Fiona must have been tempted to tell her it served her right but for the present situation. I hissed, and when I turned my attention back to the swamp, the don and Shola were on the abandoned raft, already sailing across the water. I squinted when I noticed a stealth movement in the water. I held my breath.
To be continued … Watch Out for the Next Episode!
