Delayed Diagnosis Episode 14
Written by Kingsley Olanrewaju Efughi
The two men looked surprised as Andy and I entered the kitchen. They each held a plastic bottle which probably contained some chemical for washing away blood. The first one had a small brush in his hand..one side strong for scrubbing but the other side was foamy for absorbing whatever was scrubbed off. I noticed all this in a split second but trust my luck not to notice the important detail.
It was almost too late..I had looked around the kitchen for the girl who was no where in sight and just as I was looking back to the two ‘cleaners’ about to order them to get on the floor, I saw the second guy had a gun and he was raising it in my direction with intent.
I didn’t think, I just pulled the trigger!
The sound was deafening again..this hand gun must have been more powerful than the last one I had fired (or misfired more accurately..at Jumbo’s partner 4 days ago) because the sound was twice as loud in my ears. And I felt the discharge as the bullet left the gun.
The silence that followed was just as loud. I stared straight ahead with my eyes wide with something close to shock.
The cleaner whom I had shot stared at me with unblinking eyes, then slowly he fell to the ground.
Somehow I had handled the recoil and hit the target. The bullet had lodged into his throat or maybe passed through..but it had ripped every artery and vein in its path.
The ‘cleaner’ who was no doubt dead fell to the floor and blood spurted out of his throat like a dislodged water pipe. Spraying the Formica cabinet which was beside him.
“Now that’s how you shoot!” Andy shouted and in a flash he crossed over to the second man and he ran him through with the dagger.
The man fell to his knees as he looked down at the blade which was stuck in his belly.
Andy put his long leg on the man’s shoulder and pushed him back while pulling the blade out at the same time.
“Andy!!!”
I couldn’t believe what had happened. I was still trying to grasp the fact that I had just killed a man..but seeing Andy do it with ease..to stick the blade into a fellow human as if it was a mattress he was stabbing…
He looked at me “what is it”
“Andy how could you kill a man in cold blood!”
He pointed at the man I had shot “you also killed someone and it wasn’t in hot blood bro”
“But that was different…he had a gun…this guy was already surrendering…”
“Oba..I just lost my wife and unborn child a few hours ago..and this men came to clean up my blood and dismember my corpse to look like the work of ritualists..however you want to look at it two men are dead in here and I killed only one”
I was quiet..”the gun must have alerted your neighbours..where is the third person anyway..?”
As if in response we heard the front door slam shut. We looked at each other then hurried to the parlour. The kitchen was a bloody mess and I was glad to be out of there. As we ran through the parlour we heard the engine of the van roar to life.
The lady cleaner must have seen us kill her fellow workers and now she was running for dear life.
Andy and I ran outside just as the van was pulling out.. I considered shooting at the tires but my aim was still wack and not good enough to hit a moving vehicle.
“The car!” I shouted at Andy.
We both ran madly to the car and I started the engine. It responded once as it roared to life, the car was a BMW and must have been a v8 engine. The van was turning out of the street now and I put the accelerator down in pursuit.
She drove the van madly with speed and excellent handling..she must have seen the BMW’s headlights in her rearview mirror because she increased the speed but I was catching up and closing the distance.
“Mmmm!mmmm!mmm!” From the back seat again. Andy turned and before he could act(because I didn’t trust him right now) I handled the gun with my right hand and smacked Fluxmind’s head with the butt of the gun. He was quiet immediately drifting off to oblivion.
The van made a hard right turn towards the highway and I followed..on the smooth road of the express with no pot holes and bad road it should be a matter of seconds before I caught up to the van.
“How could you kill someone like that Andy!”
“Look Oba..when you’re fighting with demons you need to get your hands dirty..you can’t be forming principle in this kind of matter”
I was gaining on the van.
“True..but he who fights monsters must see to it that he doesn’t become a monster in the process..and Andy what I saw back there was a monster..a cold blooded monster!”
I was about to overtake the van but a danfo bus had stopped on that side of the road..I could see the driver and his conductor drinking alcohol as they prepared for the early morning rush of passengers..it was almost 4:30am.
I slowed down and switched lanes.
“Oba spare me your philosophy abeg..now I’m with you and you are no longer going to be pushed around by all this agents and this chief and any bloody terrorist..no way..now we are on the front foot..even this Dr. Rasheed we are going to trace him from the hospital after you see him today..no more running away..I have nothing to lose now that- haba you no sabi drive…press this thing now!”
I shook my head..”my God..Andy..what have you become?”
I was side to side with the van now and I horned madly. I could see her looking at the car.
“Pull over now! Stop your car!”
I shouted at her. Andy also gestured with his hand directing her to stop the van.
She rammed into our car and it took all my strength and grip on the steering wheel to keep the car from veering of the road and into the pavement.
“The b!tch wants to play dirty” I muttered as I struggled to control the car. She sped off boosting almost out of sight as if she had nitro installed in the van.
“Too bad for her then..dirty is our game..use the other side this time”
Andy instructed and I complied speeding towards the van. I used Andy’s side this time and as I began to draw level with the van he said “slow down a bit” he put his window down totally then took the knife again which was on the dashboard.I already knew what he was going to do and I moved closer to give him easy access..he pierced the back left tire and it bursted immediately with a loud noise as all the air escaped. I hit the brakes immediately slowing the car as the van leaned dangerously towards the left side where the tire had given out.
The speed was too much for the van and she couldn’t control it in time..
the van fell on its side, tumbled once, then continued to slide with its body for some length of the road.
The road was still empty but I could see a pedestrian bridge in front and I could detect some movement..
I parked to the side of the road..
“Quick let’s see if we can get her out of the van..I need some answers from her..I hope she’s not dead!”
“You and your questions..are you Frank Edoho?” Andy grumbled but he got out of the car..we ran towards the van which lay on its side with both right side tires still rolling in the air..the engine had began to smoke dangerously and I feared another explosion.
I could see the lady sprawled across the dashboard probably unconscious.
I thought of how to get her out of the van as the door was facing the sky and other door was pinned to the floor.
I could feel the city coming alive and the van had made soo much noise..any vehicle could drive pass at any time…time was not a luxury..
Finally, I used the butt of the gun to smash the windscreen after hitting it close to 9 times..I leaned in and pulled her out of the van..the broken glass pieced my hands and arms mercilessly drawing blood but I didn’t feel anything..I could see a gash on her forehead from where she had hit her head against the windscreen or maybe even the floor when the van fell..who knew..?
I dragged her out of the smoking van then carried her back to the car..thankful that no vehicle was in sight. Andy opened the door for me and I dropped her in the backseat on top the two unconscious men.
I hurried to the driver seat while Andy buckled in.
“If the police should stop us now we are in big soup” I said as I started the car.
“You bloody pessimist” Andy muttered.
We looked at each other and at the same time asked “where to?”
“Let’s go back to my house” Andy said
“Are you crazy? With the dead bodies in the kitchen not to mention Alhaja would have called the police by now..”
“So I’m now also homeless as well..Thank you very much for that”
I started the car and headed for the nearest turning just before the pedestrian bridge.
“I won’t bother with a reply for you”
“So where are we going now?”
“To my house”
He was silent for a while, then: “but didn’t you kill someone there about five days ago?”
“Four and it wasn’t me..it was strange eyes..he actually saved my life”
“This strange eyes person..I really need to meet him..he has to explain to me how come my wife is dead”
“No problem..I have some questions for him too…but that has to wait till night..we have more pressing matters at the moment.”
I inclined my head toward the backseat where we had three unconscious individuals.
The rest of the drive was silent.
We were lost in our different thoughts. Mine was simple,: this time next week would I be alive? Or even this time tomorrow. Andy on the other hand…I didn’t need a soothsayer to guess what his thoughts were.
My house was a 20 minute drive to Andy’s place but I took my time, wary of any police hilux lurking nearby. The worst thing that could happen would be to be pulled over right now. I had an unlicensed gun, there was a very wicked knife/dagger/sword and to top it up we had three very unconscious people sprawled across the backseat.
It seemed good luck was on my side however and I when I pulled over in front of my house it was 5:02am. There was no light as usual and the neighbourhood was quiet but I could hear the prayer call from the nearby mosque and that had me worried..there was bound to be movement as Muslims headed to the mosque. During my days working in the bank I had used the reliable call as an alarm from Monday to Friday but right now I wished the mosque was in another neighbourhood. I had two Muslims in my compound and they were my initial problem I didn’t know if they had gone out yet..I wouldn’t want to be carrying the bodies to my house and one of them would come from upstairs and see me.
“What are we waiting for?” Andy asked impatiently
“Oga calm your tits…wait here”
I got down and strolled nonchalantly towards my front door.
There was police caution tape wrapped around the front door and I could see a massive padlock had been used to lock the door.
I swore violently and kicked the door in frustration and it opened to my surprise and I inspected the padlock and saw that it had been bursted earlier and wasn’t hooked to the door.
My blood went cold as I wondered who was responsible for this…the kidon?black September?or maybe the Chiefs goons? I shook the shivers away then hurried back to the car.
“Your door is open?”
“Yes..we have to carry them in while everywhere is silent…we have to be fast”
“All right..let’s do this!”
Andy got down from the car and we studied the street. The prayer call had stopped which should mean every one should be in the mosque by now..including my neighbours.
The car was as close to the curb as possible and it was a short distance to the apartment.
“I got the girl” Andy said and he carried her easily. She was quite Petit and must have been light because he carried her as if she weighed nothing.
“This her boobs big sha..”
“Fool..just hurry up so we can carry this remaining two.”
Now my next door neighbour Mama Nkechi was as nosy as they come. She was always chattering about other peoples lives but kept a tight lid on hers. She knew what went on in the next 2 streets but nobody knew anything about her.
I hated her and she hated me also. I could hear her singing as she moved about her kitchen probably preparing her children for school. If she should come out and see me now that would be disastrous! I tapped my foot impatiently as I watched Andy try to get under the caution tape which was impossible, he was as long as a pole!
“Just tear it off!” I whispered not wanting my voice to be heard my mama Nkechi who was still singing. ‘My hands are blessed,my hands are blessed…’
He barged in with his body..ripping the caution tape and came back seconds after.
We proceeded to pull out Fluxmind from the car. “This was a bad idea..you know the kind of snitch neighbours you have Oba”
“Once we get the answers we need we can leave them in the house..please don’t make any noise..this my neighbour…”
The words were barely out of my mouth and we were at the door. We had been moving side ways as we carried the dreaded thug and I had his legs while Andy held his shoulders or so I thought..it turned out he carried him by his dreadlocks and as we rotated to a straight line to pass the door easily, he lost his grip and Fluxmind’s big head crashed against the floor with a bouncing noise that I feared his head must have split open.
“We should have left him in the car..sheybe its just the girl we need to question!” Andy whispered furiously.
“Sshhhh!” I listened closely..straining my ears. The singing had stopped.
