CHASE
CHAPTER 4
The door burst open, and Lindsay’s father, Mr. Sayou came in looking like and angry lion. However, his expression immediately changed from anger to shock when he found himself staring into the barrel of my gun. He stopped in his tracks looked at me and asked:
“So, you are a cop?”
“Quite spectacularly so.”
“Why did you kill my men?” He asked.
“They drew the first blood. I had no choice but to retaliate.”
“And you are proud to say that? You think I am going to clap for you? One of them was my cousin, and now I have questions to answer to the family. How do you expect me to do that?” He was back to being furious.
“That would be your problem, Sir. It is none of my business. Now, I have to get going.” I said and tried to bypass him; my gun still pointed at him.
“You are going nowhere. You think you can complicate my life and just go like that? Let me tell you; you have just walked into a lion’s den, and you won’t leave here alive.” He threatened.
“Who’s going to stop me?”
“My men will. They can’t wait to get you. There was a general round of cheers and rejoicing when I told them you were here.”
“Sir, I don’t need to tell you that I am a cop. If anything happens to me, there would be serious consequences.” I warned him.
“Yes, that is true. But as you also know, it is true that no one knows that you are here. You will be eliminated, and your body disposed of. No one will ever find you. You can’t escape young man.” He spoke and swiftly pulled out his pistol.
The game was getting interesting. We were now involved in a Mexican standoff. Who was going to shoot first? I had to act fast because his men, who were still in his living room, could realize that he was in danger and come to see what was happening. Once they did, it would be game over for me. As I was contemplating what to do next. Lindsay decided to intervene.
“Dad, please, let him go.” She begged.
“Will you shut up? You were the one who brought this mad man into my house. You brought a man who killed my men into my very own house. Anyway, thank you for that because you have given on a platter of gold, the opportunity to avenge my men.”
“You will not kill him, Dad.” She spoke and stepped in between us.
That was my opportunity. I grabbed her and put my gun against her head, holding her very close to me.
“Now, Sir, I have been told that she is your only daughter. So, drop your gun or she dies.” I threatened.
“You wouldn’t dare. You are just bluffing. You are in love with her and cannot kill her.”
“That is what you think, but you have no idea to which extent I can go to preserve my own life. As it stands now, it’s my life against hers. So, what’s it going to be? Are you dropping your gun or not?”
“Alright, alright.” He conceded. “I am dropping my gun now. Just let my daughter go.”
As soon as he dropped his gun, I pushed Lindsay violently against him and they both fell on the ground. Before they could regain their posture, I had already left the room, but not before I had taken Mr. Sayou’s gun with me. I ran into the living room, two guns in hand, ready to fire at anyone or anything that came to attack. Fortunately for me, the three guys who had survived the shootout in the city, and who had come to report what had happened hadn’t anticipated that I was going to show up like that.
They saw me, but before they could realize what was happening, I was already out of the house and into the darkness, running. As I ran, I heard Mr. Sayou shouting at his men. He was cursing and insulting them for being slow witted. He ordered them to come after me.
I was in a strange and it was very dark. I didn’t even know what to do. One mistake, and it would be lights out for me. I decided to assess the situation. I was alone in a strange village. There were killers after me, and these killers worked for the most powerful man in the village. I had no back up, no ally. I had just two guns and limited ammunition. What was I going to do. I felt like I had been tied to a stake, and like a bear, had to fight my cause.
I checked my Sayou’s gun and realized with great satisfaction that it was fully loaded. Mine too was fully loaded. Each gun had a ten rounds capacity. That made a total of twenty rounds. I also had a few extra magazines in my jacket. I smiled to myself. Who ever wanted to attack me should be prepared. I was an expert shot. I didn’t waste bullets. Each time I fired; a man went down. Let them come.
I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard the sound of some men approaching. I quickly hid behind a tree and waited. When they came into view, I realized that they were Lindsay’s father’s men. I wanted to stay quiet until they passed. However, the dog they had with them seemed to have sniffed me out. It started barking and leading them to my direction. They realized that the dog might have seen me. So, they pulled out their guns and started walking towards where I was hiding. I had no choice.
I fired twice and since they were holding torches, I was able to see two men do a little dance of death before falling to the ground. There were four of them. So, the other two opened fire but I had quickly ducked behind the tree, and the bullets hit harmlessly against the tree trunk. I crouched low and returned fire. I got one man in his chest, and he dropped. As I attempted to take out the other man, the dog jumped on my body.
As I struggled with the dog, the other man ran to where I was and pointed his gun at me. He fired two shots, but it seemed he was an amateur. Both bullets got the dog instead and it stopped fighting and fell on my body, drenching my T shirt with its blood. All the time I was fighting with the dog and hadn’t dropped my gun. Now, I raised it and killed the remaining man.
I pushed the dog away from me and got up. Vexed to have blood on my body, I collected two guns from them, put them in my jacket and ran into the darkness. My plan was to get to the railway terminal, hide myself until it was time for the morning train to pass. I would then, hitch a ride, get back to the city and go straight to headquarters to report my little adventure.
I ran to nowhere in particular until I saw movement. I saw a light approaching my direction. So, I quickly ran back into the bushes, crouched low and waited. When the light came close, I realized it was a young village girl and her boyfriend. She seemed to have spent most of the night at his place, but he had decided to bring her home before it was dawn. It was around 4:00 AM now and it would be daylight soon.
They came close to me, and then stopped.
“Goodnight, Sweetheart.” I heard her say.
“It’s already morning, baby.” They guy replied and laughed.
“But it is still dark.” The girl argued.
“Yes, it is morning, but not dawn. There is a difference.” He laughed.
“Alright, good morning and goodnight.” She laughed and hugged her boyfriend.
They kissed for a while as I watched with interest. If only they knew that hiding just a few inches from them, was a cop. Not just a normal cop, but one that had killed people in their village. Finally, they detached from each other, and the boy started walking back home. The girl was already close to her house which was near where I was hiding. She walked to her house, removed the keys from her pocket and was going to open the door when I ran from my hiding place, came behind her and pointed the gun at her occiput.
“Good morning and goodnight, darling.” I spoke.
She turned around in fright and put a hand over her mouth to smother the scream that was about to come out when she saw that I was having a gun with me.
“Please, don’t kill me. Please, I am begging you.” She spoke desperately.
“I am not going to kill you as long as you do exactly as I say.” I assured her.
“Who are you, and what do you want?”
“Get into the house.” I ordered.
She opened the door and we both got into the house. Her house was an ordinary village home built without any regard for class or architecture. I looked around and realized that it had just a living room and two bedrooms. The kitchen and bathroom were external. The furniture in the living room was old and worn out. That meant her parents whoever they were, didn’t have money. But where were they?
I got a chair for myself and sat down. All the while, my gun was still pointing at her.
“Sit.” I ordered.
“Yes, Sir.” She replied and sat down. She was shivering seriously.
“Who do you live here with?”
“My parents and younger brother.”
“Where are they?”
“They travelled to the city.”
“When will they return?”
“In two weeks.”
That was a welcome information. Her parents would be away for two weeks. That was enough time for me to stay in hiding, if it came to it, without being found. I wished the village had network. If it had, I would have been able to contact my boss, and he would have sent backup, or at least a means for me to evacuate this place. I was hungry and tired and feeling sleepy. But how could I sleep in a situation like that?
“Do you have food in this house?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“What is in the menu?”
“Plantains and beans.”
“May I have some?”
“Okay, Sir. But please, let me heat the food first.” She advised.
“No, no need. I will eat it like that.”
She put the food in a bowl and brought it to me. I was very hungry, however, I had to be cautious. I was afraid she might have spiked the food with a dangerous substance.
“Have you put anything inside?” I asked, eying her suspiciously.
“Yes, Sir. There is meat but it is not enough.”
“That is not what I am talking about. Anyway, I want you to taste the food.”
“Sir?!”
“Yes, taste the food.” I ordered.
She tasted a bit of the food, drank water, and went back to her seat. Satisfied that the food was safe, I started eating. When I was done, she took the dishes away. Then, she asked.
“Who are you, and what do you want?”
“My name is Rayim. I am a policeman. I found myself in this village under the most unsavoury situation. There are some people who want to kill me. That is why I am in hiding. I have been running away from them since yesterday.”
“Oh! I am so sorry. What did you do to them?” She asked.
“Nothing that you would understand.”
“Okay, Sir. Who are these people?”
“They work for one man called Mr. Sayou.”
“Mr. Sayou!!” She explained. “How did you come about crossing a man like that? He is very dangerous and deadly. Oh my gosh! Sir, I wish you didn’t come here. I wish you hadn’t come to my house. If he ever found out that you are here, I would be in serious trouble, me and my family.” She said sadly.
“Is he that powerful?”
“Yes, Sir. He is very, very powerful. In this village, he is the law. Whatever he says, goes. I am so afraid, Sir.”
Now, I realized what I was up against. I was up against a gangster. Not just a normal one, but one who was deadly. Once again, I regretted why the village didn’t have network.
“Don’t worry, he won’t know that I am here, okay?” I assured her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, calm down. What is your name?”
“Stephanie.”
“Alright, calm down, Stephanie.”
It was morning now, and I still had not slept. I was wide awake because I was afraid that if I closed my eyes, someone might sneak in on me. As for Stephanie, she had managed to doze off on the chair she was sitting. As she sat there sleeping, I didn’t disturb her. I had already complicated her life by coming into her home at gunpoint.
However, her sleep was rudely interrupted by the noisy gong of the village town crier. He was moving all around the village announcing that Mr. Sayou was looking for an armed robber who invaded his premises last night and killed people. He was warning anyone hiding him to hand him over or face consequences if he was caught. He was also offering a cash prize of one million for anyone who will bring him dead, or one million two hundred thousand if he was brought alive.
“You see what I was telling you?” Stephanie asked in a whisper. “They are already looking for you. What are we going to do?”
“I like the sound of that, Stephanie.” I said, smiling.
“What are you talking about?”
“You just used the word ‘we’. That means you have involved yourself in the matter. Don’t worry, ‘we’ will solve the problem together.”
“But how? What if they start doing a door-to-door search? By the way, how come you don’t even look worried?”
“I am a cop. I have been trained to withstand situations like these.”
“Okay, but I am really scared. You need to leave as soon as possible.”
I was about to respond when both of us froze. We had heard footsteps coming close to her door. Apprehensive, we stayed silent and waited for what was going to happen, but I had already pulled my gun, ready for eventuality. The person, whoever he is, reached the door and knocked.
“Who is there?” Stephanie asked.
“Open the door immediately.” The voice answered.
It was a man.
TO BE CONTINUED…
