DOPE Season 2 Episode 15 by Erasmus Ugochukwu Okafor
**Larissa’s games**
Waking up as some droning sounds like waves bid him welcome to the land of the living, Hugo felt so weary as his body ached. The last thing he could remember was feeling weak when he entered the limo after alighting from the airplane. Every other thing was swept away by forgetfulness. His sight was blurry as he tried hard to open his eyes. When he succeeded with that eye exercise, he simply took the remote control of the Television and pushed the power button but noticed that the remote control wasn’t working. He felt surprised believing that it must have developed some faults and needed to be fixed, so he dropped it benignly on the bed and tried to stand but still felt so weak and famished.
Everything in the room was in order and the apartment well decorated but Tessie wasn’t there, even the intelligent dog, Maxx wasn’t there too, so it made Hugo feel that they must have gone for morning jog or workout. Remembering the seduction experience in the aircraft that Tessie made him pass through, he giggled wearily and shook his head.
Hugo felt so hungry and weak as if he hadn’t eaten for days, so he rushed to the fridge and saw that lots of edibles were there. He felt so joyous knowing that Tessie tried for him by getting the fridge filled with sumptuous meals. He quickly grabbed some pizza and began to munch without even thinking twice. After eating, he felt heavy and happy, so he relaxed a bit on the couch to allow his body to have proper digestion of the food. He suddenly began to feel a bit good and happy as if life just got the way it should be. He gave thoughts about revenge on Larissa a break, so he didn’t have to bother himself with those disturbing thoughts especially when the song ‘Let it be’ always repeats in his head to remind him of Tessie’s advice on how to handle life difficult situations.
Thinking of the next line of action, he smiled, took his phone to call Jose to know how they have been, and to update him on his plans to visit the other two bank accounts according to Ocatvio’s letter to recover the money that the dead left there too. After dialling Jose’s number three times, he discovered that the phone lines were connecting at all, making Hugo feel that something wasn’t right. But at a second thought, he relaxed knowing full well that Jose can take care of himself even when he isn’t with him.
The lonely man went to the bed, sat down, and got lost in thoughts as he soliloquised: “How’s today gonna be?” He asked himself and smiled, “But today should be the date when the raid on my cartel will take place. For me not to have visited the site even to take a pin before the raid comes means that the bitter blood of drugs doesn’t flow inside of me anymore. But I just hope that my enemies would allow me to rest and enjoy these sweet feelings that I….” Before he could complete his soliloquy the TV suddenly switched on and the news he’d been waited for just showed up. “What the heck…” he said and paused, and then came closer to get full details of the breaking news ongoing. He saw Marco’s boss at the DEA a being interviewed concerning the success of the operation on the cartels; mentioning Misterio plantation as the last visited. According to the news, it was about four days past that it happened but if Hugo could remember vividly, he just came back home with Tessie feeling weak and slept off but what made it four days already was confusing to him.
Out of curiosity, he sprang up from his sitting position, went to the door leading to the hallway to the bunker where the drugs were hidden. He tried to open the door using the usually when he got to the entrance door but it was stuck and didn’t work as if the codes had been changed. The last time he checked, it was only him and Tessie that knew the code and location of the powder, so he was more confused and perplexed.
He looked around to know if he could get any clue of what was going on with the discrepancy in dates and days but he got none, so he switched off the TV so he could think since the noise emitting from the television was beginning to make him uncomfortable and more perturbed. He quickly wore his clothes casually, and then searched for the keys to the SUV that Belle bought for him but couldn’t see it. He shuddered at this because the keys don’t ever leave the drawer for any reason except he’s the one that changes its location. Even Tessie doesn’t tamper with the keys, so everything became so strange for him.
“This is unusual indeed,” He muttered as he headed to the exit door to find his way out and know if he could locate Tessie and Maxx.
Reaching the door, he forced it open and became shocked with what he saw. He was surprised that he was just in an old facility that looked alien to him. He first thought he was dreaming because he was supposed to be in his secure house but he was entirely at an unknown and strange area. The interior part of the house was exactly like the house he inherited from Octavio but the outside was an abandoned warehouse that echoed back the slightest sound made in there; scary indeed as if he was hypnotised.
“What the hell is going on?” The confused boss asked and took his phone to make a call but realised that the phone he thought was his was just a dummy phone that looks exactly like his phone with all features but not his phone at all.
Everything became vague and confusing the more he tried to wrap his head around the entire mystery, so he slowly began to leave the house into the empty facility where lots of containers were arranged like in a wharf.
Hugo was almost helpless and couldn’t understand how to handle the situation. He quickly rushed back into the room believing that he could get a clue or anything that could help him know what was going on with him. Getting into the mock apartment, he ransacked everywhere to know if he could see anything familiar but saw nothing.
Feeling dejected and confused, he took the pillow that his hands could get hold of and angrily flung it away. He was surprised that his phone was hidden under the pillow, with a note dropped beside it. He suddenly grabbed the phone and the note to know what was going on.
Checking on the note, he saw Tessie’s handwriting but couldn’t understand the language because it was all written in a way that it didn’t make sense as if the letters of the alphabets were all in codes.
“Calm yourself down, Hugo,” He said to himself and sat to think of how to forge ahead, “for Tessie to have dropped this, she knows the situation, therefore just dropped a clue for me but what could this mean?” he asked and kept on looking at the note without comprehending what was written on it. At a long stare, he felt that the note needs to be read from right to left and not like the orthodox way of reading the English language. “Oh, I think I got it now,” he said and read silently from right to left.
In Tessie’s tone, Hugo read: “The surprise I had for you was to capture Larissa but she seemed to be smarter and my plans jinxed, now we’re all in deep shit. I’m out of option except she takes the bait I set for her and falls into the mouthwatering trap,”
“Which bait is she talking about, and which trap?” Hugo asked and continued reading: “The house where you found yourself is a replica of the bunker and not the real house, and you have been sleeping for a couple of days now. I was the one that drugged you because I was planning on convincing Lord Rodrigo that I was yielding and cooperative but things got ugly and I can’t explain how he got to know that I was just playing along and not partnering with her to consummate her plans for you. Keep your phone handy because she’ll contact you when you’re awake.
Hugo just confirmed that it was Larissa that was playing games with his intelligence even to the extent of outsmarting Tessie who he believed could be a match to her.
He planned to leave the facility but on second thought, he decided to wait for Larissa’s call because, for her to allow him to be in the room staged to be the real apartment, the location could be important to the bad girl.
Hugo waited for a couple of hours but no call came, so he began to seek his way out of the warehouse. He walked through the big warehouse as he carefully observed around to ensure that he wasn’t being followed. He walked with uncertainty as his senses heightened.
Getting to the large entrance gate, he pushed it open and then realised that he was actually in a moving ship and not in a warehouse. He saw lots of containers in hundreds, if not thousands. He couldn’t understand what was going on or where he was, so he moved further to the gigantic exit gate. He opened it, and slowly began to find his way out. He suddenly became so afraid when he discovered that he was travelling to an unknown location on the sea.
It was a very large ship travelling to a location he knew not. It was like a dream but he suddenly began to feel that he was heading to the abyss and the land of no return.
It was more confusing because the wave of the sea and drizzles of the water got him so frightened as the breeze blew grains of water on him.
“What is Larissa up to and where am I?” he asked rhetorically as his question returned to him without a promising answer or suggestion, “If this is a ship, then there is a captain,” He added and collected a life jacket lying casually by the corner and began to head to a location he felt could be the location he could see a human being to ask questions. As he walked, a heavy wanton breeze from the sea got him so frightened, so he held the rail to support himself as he kept walking down.
Getting to the large door that showed there were some people around the area he got, he slowly pushed the door open and was surprised to see some men looking like multinational company workers; all dressed in overall work cloth. Hugo was taken aback to realise that those guys didn’t even recognise who he was. They looked at him with surprise and waited for him to come closer, for them to know who he was and what brought him to ship.
Getting to them and he reeled into the hall, he dragged a seat and sat while they watched him without uttering a word.
He looked at the guys and noticed that they were as surprised seeing him as he was seeing them, so it was obvious that none of them knew that he was on that ship.
After a while, he cleared his throat as he watched the five men playing cards, even though they all held their cards close to their chests as they waited for him to talk.
“Who are you people and where am I?” Hugo asked looking tensed and confused.
One of the guys heaved a sigh, dropped his cards on the table making sure that it was well covered, came close to Hugo, and said: “How did you enter this ship and who are you?”
Hugo couldn’t answer the question because he didn’t even know how he got to enter the ship, but at least he could answer who he was, but he wasn’t sure that the people sitting next to him would be the guys that wouldn’t report him to the police as being the owner of the currently raided plantation.
After a while of trying to conjure his wits amid the confusion, he said: “I am a Brazilian that was sedated with unknown drugs. I have been sleeping for…sorry, what’s today’s date?”
Looking at Hugo, it was obvious to them that the guy facing them was lost and needed help, so the other guys dropped their cards too and came closer to give him hope if possible or report him to the security operatives if he couldn’t explain himself well.
“Today is July 4 and Americans are already celebrating their Independence,” One of them said and smiled, “So you see that we’re celebrating American independence with the playing of cards and gambling with it. But to help you, the first question is this: do you know who you are or…?”
“Yes, I know who I am,” Hugo broke in, “at least, I think I do. That’s if this isn’t another dream,”
“Dream?” The black guy among them said and smiled, “You’re definitely in need of help but there is no doctor here. We work with Marlborough Company, makers of tobacco, and this ship belongs to the company, but we have lots of…”
One of the guys nudged the black guy because he wasn’t sure that Hugo was truly lost and needn’t hear some information if he shouldn’t be trusted.
“No, I don’t think he’s a threat,” The third guy with long hair said: “I am Jeff,” he said and thrust his hand for a handshake but Hugo was a bit unsettled but he had to accept the handshake and faked a smile.
“Where is this ship heading?” Hugo asked looking forward to getting an answer. He couldn’t just understand why Larissa would choose to put him in a ship, let alone knowing the aim she wanted to achieve by that.
“Well,” the fattest guy among them said as he adjusted his overall that struggle to hold his fatness together, “Son, we’re heading to Port of Alexandria, Egypt, and we still have a couple of weeks, a little less than one full month, before we get there. So why asking…”
“Whoa…whoa,” He interrupted him as confusion loomed in his head, “I’m currently heading to Egypt?” Hugo asked gaping with great surprise. “What does she plan to achieve by this,” He thought aloud.
“Who, please?” The fat guy asked and began to munch the burger he had with him, “It seems you have an enemy that wants to get you killed. But how did you enter the ship? Were you smuggled into this ship?”
“Well, I was left in one of the containers for some days. I just woke up and realised that I had been sleeping for four days in…”
“Four days?” They all chorused in unison.
“But who could have done that and why?” Jeff asked with his hands akimbo, “I think you need to find your way back but you would get to Egypt first, then enter another ship or airplane heading back to Brazil. But how possible will it be because you’re an illegal immigrant? You don’t even have your international passport or anything that would allow you to travel,”
“It’s true,” The macho Latino guy on braids said and shook his head in dismay, “Even as you’re in this ship, it’s an illegal trip, and I hope the captain doesn’t see you so that you wouldn’t be handed over to the police once we get to Egypt. You need to stay hidden if you must get away with this,”
“And even if you succeed avoiding the security forces,” The fat guy said and gulped down some water to digest his food. “The distance is much and you may need some months to get back to Brazil. I think you’re in trouble, boy. Happy American independence or should I say happy July 4th?”
Hugo was so weak that he couldn’t even do anything or say anything as he was numb to words. In that state of lightheadedness, he remained calm and thinking to know if there could be a solution to his predicament but he found none, other than thinking of how long it would take for him to get to Egypt, take lots of risks in avoiding the police, and then find his way back to Brazil.
The quiet slim one among the guys slowly came forward and whispered to each of his colleagues; one after the other. After whispering to them, they all nodded as if they just reached an agreement. Looking intently at Hugo, he said: “I am Joshua, and the truth is that you need to change into this work cloth to look like you’re working for Marlborough. If not, once the security team comes around, you’d be arrested. You need to act fast, that’s if they aren’t here already,”
The Latino guy slowly went to the door, peeped, and rushed back to them. “They are close already and walking as if they’re searching for something,” he said and dragged Hugo into one of the rooms where he changed into the work cloth and wore the helmet, making him look like one of the workers.
As they were coming to join the workers, they saw the officers leaving suspiciously as if they were searching for something or someone. They calmed until they were ensured that the cops were gone.
“What’s going on?” Hugo asked looking dazed, “are they searching for me?”
“They know that someone who isn’t meant to be in the ship is here,” The fat guy said and heaved a deep sigh, “I guess they discovered that the door leading to the facility was open, so they went in and searched. They said that one of the containers was made into a room and some footprints were seen there; showing that someone was there.
I guess they are searching for you, so you need to stay with us, act like one of us, and feel free to avoid showing some strange behaviour that would make them single you out as being the only odd man here,”
Hugo nodded in agreement and shook his head feeling so bad about how the situation just ended. His greatest confusion was that he couldn’t even understand if Tessie was okay, even Jose who couldn’t be reached on the phone. At that point, he was dispirited and speechless. Thinking about the fact that he hadn’t been to Egypt before and wasn’t even planning to be there until the unforeseen incident took place, he remained more confused.
“I want to thank you guys for watching my back and protecting me even when…”
As he was saying that, his phone beeped and he discovered he just got a WhatsApp message.
Suddenly, he shifted to a corner so that none of the guys would know what was going on. He checked through his WhatsApp and saw lots of pictures looking hazy, so he downloaded the pictures and was surprised to see Jose, Amanda, and Tessie tied on a chair as they struggled for freedom that didn’t even seem to be coming so soon.
It was so surprising for Hugo to see Larissa there too as she smiled at the camera as she took the selfie.
Hugo was so angry and frightened this time, especially remembering the strange dream where his mom and dad were killed by Larissa. This got him so unsettled and dysphoric because he began to feel that the dream was becoming a reality.
“This can’t be it!” He hollered making company workers be surprised.
Seeing Hugo falling and going down on the floor as he began to cry made the guys rush at him and clustered around him to provide comfort for him. Even though they knew nothing about the situation Hugo was passing through, they suspected that whatever was causing him the pain was from his phone. They had to provide soothing comfort for him to make him feel better for the meantime before probing deep to know what was going on with him.
After a while, Jeff patted Hugo’s back, sat beside him, and said: “Is there any way we can help?”
Hugo looked up tearfully at him with his red eyes and said: “This bitch was the one that put me on this ship. Now she’s captured my girl, my mom, and my dad. The ruthless girl I know must surely kill them just to make me suffer. But the reason why she put me on his ship, I’m yet to know that,”
Jeff took some time to think through his statement and shrugged knowing that the situation could be dicier than he imagined. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He just had to tell him the blatant truth. “It’s simple,” Jeff said and pulled him closer by the shoulder, “she simply wants to take you further away from Brazil so that she could execute his plans efficiently. But if I may ask,” he added and tried to collect the phone from Hugo to view the message that was traumatizing the poor guy but the saddened guy held tenaciously to the phone without allowing him to have the phone. Jeff didn’t struggle for it but allowed him to have his privacy, “What could be the reason why she’s doing all these?”
Hugo didn’t even know how to start telling his story without letting them know that he is a drug dealer and someone who should have been in the police net. He simply hissed, smiled, and shook his head without saying anything.
Jeff knew that Hugo was hiding something but didn’t have to dig to know, so he allowed him to have his time and reveal to them whatever he wants to reveal when the time comes.
“I think you should allow the kid to be,” The fat man said and forced himself to stand, came forward to Hugo, and handed over a chicken lap to him, “You’ll need some energy. Take it,”
Hugo was a bit hungry but eating chicken wasn’t a priority to him yet as his current malady outweighed his sense of hunger, so he smiled and said: “Thanks…I mean, no thanks,” he added with a faint smile.
The entire workers apart from the ravenous fat guy looked surprisingly at each other because they were amazed that the fat guy offered a chicken lap to Hugo which was unusual for him to share edibles with anyone.
“If I were you, you should take it,” the macho Latino advised, “It’s hard for Mr. Biggie to share an edible with someone,”
“Especially chicken,” Jeff added, “So take this or you will miss the opportunity. Maybe he’s happy because of the spirit of independence,” he added, grabbed the chicken from Biggie, and handed it over to Hugo. “You need this. Take it, bro,”
Hugo felt the comic mood and smiled as he took the chicken.
“Thanks. Mr. Biggie,” he said and took a bite.
“Glad you took their pieces of advice because I was already changing my mind,” Biggie said and went back to his seat and dozed off without a waste of time. Shortly into the sleep, he began to snore, making everyone uncomfortable even though other workers were already getting used to his usual snores.
As Hugo was eating the chicken, there was another beep on his phone. He quickly took a look and saw a video sent by Larissa. He quickly downloaded the video to know what was sent to him. He was surprised to see that it was the exact warehouse where the recovered money in the safe was kept by Bret McGowen; the exact location where they fight took place. It was then obvious to Hugo that location wasn’t even Brazil but the US. He then knew that Larissa took Tessie to Florida, captured his parents, and decided to kill them at the exact location where her dad was killed. What Hugo couldn’t understand was why Larissa didn’t kill him since she had the opportunity of making him go into a deep sleep. It wasn’t adding up but he was determined to get to the root of it even though he had run out of options and didn’t know how to go about rescuing the captives, especially while in the middle of the sea heading to a foreign destination.
After a while, Hugo called Larissa through video call on WhatsApp but she didn’t take the calls. He kept trying but without luck. He felt so defeated as he ran out of options on how to handle the situation. He couldn’t even understand how Larissa could singlehandedly execute such malicious plans of abduction without help. It was then obvious to Hugo that Larissa was worse than he thought; Lord Rodrigo indeed.
As Hugo was looking at the WhatsApp chat window to know if Larissa would reply, he suddenly got a text from her, so he looked through it and was surprised to see some pictures that Larissa took in his house in Brazil; a location that is hidden away from everyone, even to his close pals. He was more surprised that she even sent the code number of the bunker where the drugs were hidden; making it obvious to Hugo that Larissa had discovered the location of his house and possibly forced Tessie to reveal the code to the basement. Hugo was so weak at this point, so he replied: “If you have the money and the opportunity to drug me into a deep sleep, why didn’t you kill me, take the drugs and cart the entirely white powder away?”
Larissa replied: “Killing you can’t bring my father back, but you need to be alive to see what it means to grieve for your loved one. Tessie made the plans easier for me by putting the drugs in the coffee you took while on the airplane, but she’s a fool thinking that she’d get my cooperation after working for me. Your girl will die like a cheap whore while your parents will kiss the dust soon. As for your little sister who’s on the run, she can’t escape my sharp claws and eagle’s eyes but I promise you this; I’ll kill them bit by bit and ensure that you get the full video coverage soon, or better still, the live feed to witness it as they die. If you think you can make use of your phone to contact anyone for help, you’re wrong. I have it all covered and you can’t escape the wrath of Lord Rodrigo. You’ll pay for my dad’s death, even for my brother and hubby who have been captured. You’ll pay for them all soon. Safe trip to your doom as you journey to the abyss of death in the African country,”
Hugo became afraid at this point, so he began to weep while the guys around consoled him. He knew for sure that Tessie must have played along with Larissa thinking that she could capture her and deliver her to him which was the reason she said she was going to surprise him but Larissa was smarter than she could handle, making the entire plans to be a fiasco and in shambles.
Without hiding anything from the company workers since he felt busted already, Hugo narrated the entire ordeal about the drug business to them, making them surprised about how far the young guy had gone into the business.
Luck shined on Hugo for being honest by telling them everything because he just discovered that Jeff was a cousin to Bret McGowen, the former US Navy SEAL. With his help, he connected to Jeff on the phone and sought his cooperation. Hugo fervently begged for Bret’s support to find his way to the warehouse where they defeated Stone’s men and seek a way to rescue his people from Larissa. Hugo still had to warn Bret ahead of the operation, to ensure that he is so smart and shrewd because Larissa is a very smart and ruthless lady that is always one step ahead.
Bret made a promise to do his best, making Hugo have only the option of waiting to know if the rescue operation would turn to be successful or a flop. He simply had to bank his hope on Bret as he imagined how Larissa could outsmart Tessie upon her astuteness. The only cheap asset left with Hugo was hope as he kept watching the skies as the ship set sail to Egypt.
To be continued…
