LOVE AND JUSTICE Episode 19 by Tisa Phiri
Ackim…
I waited for a few more seconds and Steve emerged from the blasted door looking at me his face sweaty.
“What the hell are you doing man?” he screamed coming to untie me.
“I was on break, glad you came” I yelled removing the rope tied around my leg with a knife Steve had handed me.
“A lot of them are on their way here!” a guy I couldn’t recognize shouted and we run outside getting into a fierce fire way. I could not even tell which ones were our guys so I let Steve fire so I could tell who belonged to my side.
“The back has our men “Steve shouted looking at me and I got into the fight pushing back the men from the other side so hard with firing. The sound of the gunshots making it impossible to hear anything else.
“I need to get Benson!” I shouted, covering one of my ears.
“Where is he? We don’t have enough time other shooters are arriving man” Steve shook his head.
“I cannot leave this place without him caught.” I shouted and run back searching around the rooms fighting a few men I found along the passages. I was about to enter a room when I saw him running towards the vehicle on the east side of the house his men covering him. Besides him was a tall guy I could not tell who he was but it seemed he was as important as the guys covered his back as the two rushed out?
Without wasting any second I ran to them and fired the tires to avoid them getting away. The other guy pulled out a gun and when he turned to shoot at me I fired one in his hand he fall down but still alive. Mr. Benson started running faster across the yard to the bushy areas ahead.
“Dammit” I screamed as I tried to dodge the bullets coming my way to get to him. Turning back sharply I took out the guy getting after me and run forward to get to Benson. He continued running away and I shot him in the leg to stop him not knowing he had reached some cliff. He staggered backwards looking at me as I approached and I shouted to stop him seeing he was heading for the fall.
“Stop don’t move” I shouted but he moved back trying to escape from me. I run to get to him but I was a second late as he went down with a fall that landed his head on some tree and he was motionless. I took the other way running down to try save him but the time I got to him he was wheezing for his breath.
“Benson, stay with me, am going to get you help” I held his head but he looked at me shaking his lips as he tried to speak I noticed he had a deep cut through his head bleeding heavily,
“You got me you son of a b***h, I have always known you were a deadly killer.” he spat.
“Am going to get you to the hospital” I responded instead lifting him up just as Steve approached us.
“Call a vehicle man he is hurt” I shouted at Steve and right that moment Benson developed a seizure and he died before I could save him. Steve came close as I watched him close in my arms his eyes shut.
“I dint want him dead man, I wanted to stop him that is why I fired to scratch his leg to stop him from running” I looked at Steve my heart heavy I felt bad more than I had thought I would feel for him.
“You tried to save him man, it is not your fault, he was running away I saw him. This bas***d deserves this” Steve shook his head standing up.
“We have to go now Ackim” he added
“No, am not leaving his body here man, he was my father in law, I love his daughter and there is no way am leaving him here after killing him” I shook my head still seated next to his body.
“I don’t believe this man, this jerk…”
“Stop it Steve, just help me get him out of here” I looked at him my forehead sweating I could feel myself shaking. Of all the people I had killed in battle or anywhere else I never felt that shaken. I didn’t know whether it was the love I had for his daughter or the fact that I had come to love the man as much as I hated what he was doing before he died. He had helped me a lot in life and I was not one to forget favors, all I wanted was to see to it he came to his senses and do the right thing or probably get jailed for his crimes that would save his punishment and not death, unfortunate dying in my arms made things even harder.
“What will I tell my wife, that I killed her father?” I kept asking myself and Steve as we drove out of the place the body of Benson left at the house so someone could pick him. The other guy who was running away with him was taken by Steve`s men in the back of the truck and our hope was that he would lead us to the end of the game.
“Who is this?” I looked at the guy seated in the back seat smoking heavily his scar slightly hidden in the black shades he had on, I wondered why he was wearing them when it was dark.
“His the guy helping me with his men’” Steve responded
“ Scar, this is Ackim” Steve explained as he drove us.
“Hm. the General” he stated more of a question than statement.
“Yeah” Steve sighed with a smile.
“Hey” I lifted my head greeting him and he lifted his hand to hit me a five. I greeted him back and looked ahead as Steve increased the speed.
“That night I drunk so heavily to get my mind off the death of my father in law. I never wanted him dead Paula, I swear all I wanted was to stop him from running away. I needed to stop him so he was see the evil in what he was trying to do and realise what was important in his life apart from his ambition to get richer and powerful. I know I have hurt you so badly and you are right to hate me but I want you to know that am not proud of what I did” I held her hand as she sobbed loudly.
“I don’t know when my father turned from being a good man, a patriot for this country into that villain you have just described, what happened to him Ackim?” she cried looking at my face I could see how disappointed and hurt she was feeling at the moment.
“I pulled her close into a hug and let her cry out on my shoulder.
“I love you baby and am so sorry for this. Am as much hurt as well and don’t know how to forget that look on his face before he died. I bet he was right to call me a killer. I have killed my father in law and I will live with it my entire life, sometimes I wonder if I deserve you and my kids my love, I have done so horrible things in my life that am not proud of, every time I try to start over, something pulls me in to the guns and killing” I lamented my eyes now crying too she looked at me with pity and instead held me closer rubbing my back.
“Its okey Ackim, I know he is dead and he was wrong, but we cannot turn back the hands of time, you tried to stop him and help me but what can I say? Maybe this was the end of the line for him. I loved my father and will forever miss him but I love you too. I love you so much I don’t want you to live your life feeling broken and cursed, I know if you fought him it’s because something serious was going on”
“Where is he?” she asked after some moments of silence.
“I mean where his body is, I need to go see him and arrange for his funeral” she wiped her tears standing up.
“I have to find out, I saw on news last night they found his body and was put in the mortuary, the state will obviously run his funeral. They have nothing on us so far and am afraid I can’t go out there till we finish this thing up” I explained.
“I will talk to my aunty she must have something, I only wonder why she never called to tell me a thing. what are you and your friends up to now?” she asked wrapping a towel around her body I could see she was trying so hard to be okey in front of me but the sadness in his eyes was so evident.
“We have one final move to make. I got something from your father, including a list of names for those involved and my prayer is that this is the last of my activeness in such kind of life” I sighed leaning on the door to the bathroom as she took her bath inside.
“You better finish this off Ackim, you and me are going away from this country and we are never returning. If we have to start afresh we cannot do it here, there is a lot of corruption and staff going on and I don’t want either of us nor our kids to be part of it” she sighed walking out the tab with water dripping down her body she stopped to look at me as she reached the door.
“Yeah you are right” I nodded my head without looking at her.
“Ackim” she called my name standing in front of me.
“Am serious, you promised last time and yet you broke the promise going back to this. Am not going to take light any broken promises in the future” she shook her head seriously.
“I know baby, am sorry” I held her shoulder.
“Am so sorry I will never do this again after tomorrow, let me just see this to the end and we move on” I held my palms together to plead with her.
“am going out to see what is going on with my father`s funeral, my aunty should have something and I will keep in touch, stay safe will you?” she brushed her lips on mine and walked away to clothe herself.
I watched her in silence as she went on dressing up and i couldn’t help admire her, not only was she so beautiful, she was so understanding and supportive I couldn’t have asked for anything more in a wife. She looked at me when she was done. I walked her to the door holding her in an embrace before she could leave.
“Thanks for understanding my baby, I love you” I whispered honestly
“I love you too, will see you later. I will call you when I get there” she added. I kissed her for a minute and watched her walk away.
“Any progress with the American?” I asked Steve on the phone after closing the door.
“Yeah, good news, we are going for the grand move tomorrow man” he responded.
“Good” I sighed looking out the window seeing Paula getting a taxi outside the yard to the hotel. I could see clearly from the top floor we had booked in.
“How did it go?” Steve asked snapping me from my watch
“Better than I thought, she is broken but forgiving” I responded
“Yeah, that is expected, she will get over it, just give her time” he added.
“Am coming over man. Let me shower up” I told him before hanging up.
“My man will come for you, you are not to move about in the streets yet in case of anything” he responded and cut the line. I sighed deeply and moved to the bath room.
LOVE AND JUSTICE Episode
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To be continued…
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