Author’s note – FYI, this is part of an ongoing series. If you missed previous entries, refer here for how the site features are laid out and here to catch up!
She stared expressionlessly as he crawled slowly along the side of the building, gasping for air. His snow-white agbada was soaked with the red crimson of blood that had been ruthlessly shed seconds ago in the building he was now emerging from. In fact, the slaughtering was still in progress. She could tell from the haunting screams of pain and agony that were renting the air even now. She knew the screams were music to the ears of the town people hunkered down in their various abodes, unwilling to get caught in the crossfire. Nobody was inclined to stick their necks out for the enemy today. Let them have a taste of their medicine.
She smiled mirthlessly as the escapee crawled on doggedly toward the bushes where she was hidden from his sight. She knew his chances of getting away were slim to none, but he seemed undaunted, this one. His left shoe was missing, specks of human tissue dotted his coarse curls and bushy beard, and she wondered how he could even see a thing with the blood streaming down his forehead but he was persistently plodding on to what he thought was freedom – in the bushes.
She knew the exact second he spotted her. He stopped short as he finally reached the bushes, still on his hands and knees, lifted his head and sniffed. He swiveled in her direction and his eyes narrowed in on her.
In the face of trauma, he has reverted to his basic animal nature, she thought. His bloodshot eyes were dilated, hollow with shock. The two stared at each other, unsure of the other’s next move.
Would she scream and alert the avenging men who were after his ilk? He wondered. Or would she have mercy on him, the mercy he himself had withheld from thousands of others in his uncountable nefarious business dealings?
He looked directly into her eyes, searching for the hatred he was sure would be lurking there, for the same ill-will he had seen in the eyes of the hungry, angry men that had, no less than fifteen minutes ago, stormed the luxury hotel where the honorary dinner-cum-fashion show celebrating the opening of the new refinery in the Niger Belt had been progressing without incident.
***
These mad men had burst into the venue out of nowhere like a stream of vengeful locusts seeking to destroy and devour. Wielding machetes and cutlasses, they had descended without mercy on the guests representing the upper echelons of society. He had watched in disbelief as one of the touts buried the dull edge of his cutlass in the skull of one of the most prominent politicians, Admiral Bestman, before turning around the next second to pump three rounds into the chest of the business partner who had invited him on this trip, citing the sumptuous delicacies – both culinary and carnal.
He had watched in a slow daze as his business partner slumped and the tout pivoted to fire at him too. The second bullet had taken him by surprise as it wormed its way into his shoulder. He had screamed at the burning sensation and dropped down just as the crazy tout fired again. He had screamed again as his now very much dead business partner collapsed heavily on top of him and then, had stifled himself mid-scream, quickly realizing the wisdom of playing possum.
He screwed his eyes shut and held his breath, hearing footsteps moving towards him. He suddenly found religion and began to silently pray in tongues as he felt someone roughly shake the corpse lying on top of him.
“Blood Money! You don waste dem?” He heard a guttural voice from hell ask from across the room. He caught a whiff of pungent ogogoro and stale marijuana as the tout bent over to shake him as well. He remained limp and begged God not to let his bowels fail him. After an eternity of tortuous waiting, the tout called Blood Money stood up and kicked atthe two bodies viciously.
“Dem wasted, Capo!” He had shouted.
“That’s my boy!” The giant called Capo had crowed. “The blood must flow, men! Our earth has been scorched and defiled long enough by these strangers. These strangers who say they have our best interests at heart and turn around and stab us in the back. Our earth is crying for vengeance, for nourishment. Today, we must water Mama Earth with the blood of her defilers in vengeance!”
Aborowa had started in surprise at the polished, educated accent of the apparent leader of this bloody riot. He had not been able to resist opening one eye to stare at the tall, stocky man standing in the center of the room. His chest was bare and smeared with red blood, blood as red as the cap perched at a jaunty angle on his head.
“They have ignored us for too long.” The man continued. “Our countrymen have ignored us for too long. Our enemies have ignored us for too long. Today, they will listen! Today, they must listen!”
“Das right!” “Capoooo!” “Power pass power!” “We go show dem!” “Blood must flow!” “Blood must flow!” Blood must flow!” “Blood must flow!”
Aborowa watched covertly, sickened, as the men began to chant loudly, rounding up the survivors and herding them to one side of the room.
“Devil’s Son, Mad One, and Point of No Return, gather the dead bodies and stack them outside.” Capo ordered. “They are going to be the fuel for the bonfire over which we shall roast our dinner tonight.”
The so-named boys crowed exuberantly and moved to do his bidding.
I must get out of here, he thought in panic.
Inch by cautious inch, he had slithered across the floor towards the closest exit. The exit couldn’t have been more than a minute away from where he was lying but it had seemed like an insurmountable distance, like the distance from here to Timbuktu.
He continued to glide across the slippery, bloody floor, painstakingly taking care to lie as still as death whenever he heard or saw someone approaching. Soon he had reached the exit, at which point he had slithered through the space between the wall and the door, which was ajar, holding his breath when it had creaked too loudly.
At last, fresh air! He had inhaled triumphantly. The air inside had reeked of blood, gunpowder, death. In contrast, the fresh air of freedom had never tasted so sweet, but he had known he wasn’t home free yet. He knew he had to get as far, far away from here as he possibly could from this scene of evil, this hell, and find his way back to Lagos immediately. That had been the sole thought on his mind as he had inched his way over to the bushes.
***
But now here he was, having thought he had found temporary refuge in said bushes but no, a young girl – she had to be nineteen at most – was standing there, watching him closely. She must have been watching him since he emerged from the building, he realized.
Would she help him? He wondered. Or would she scream for the mad men to stall his escape? Was he doomed to die now, just after he had barely managed to crawl out of death’s icy grasp?
He squinted as the sun shone directly into his eyes, trying again to see if he would see in her eyes the bloodlust he had seen in the eyes of his would-be killers but he saw nothing but curiosity and bemusement.
Slightly encouraged, he cleared his throat and spoke through the dust. “Wa…water. Pl…please, I need…water. Help me.”
She didn’t answer. He looked up at her to see that she wasn’t looking at him anymore, but behind him with a tense expression that wasn’t in her face seconds earlier.
“They will find you, you know,” she said in a stilted tone, as though English was unfamiliar to her.
He looked at her, uncomprehending. She looked back at him as though he was the biggest fool on earth until she grasped that he didn’t understand what she was trying to tell him.
“I mean…they will find you…here, if you stay here,” she said again. “I think I…can hear somebody coming now.”
“Wh…what? Can you help me, please? Help me, please! I don’t want to die, please! Please!” He begged in a raspy voice with pure desperation in his eyes. He sounded as though he had been screaming for his life. He probably had, she thought. He was still on all fours now. She marched quickly to his side and helped him up. He was heavier than she had guessed. She winced as he leaned heavily against her as she led him out of sight.
Shoving him behind the thick foliage, she lifted her finger to her lips. “You have to be very, very quiet now. If you make noise, they’ll find you and then, I can’t help you anymore.”
She waited until he nodded his eager understanding and then she swiftly made her way back to where she had been standing when she first saw him. She got back just in time. Maximus, with his trademark red cap atop his head, surfaced from the building just as she returned to the path. She saw him quickly scope his surroundings. He was always so aware, Maximus.
“Onome!” He called out as he moved swiftly towards her. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous!”
“I heard what was going on,” she replied, her heart pounding. She knew her cousin would never hurt her, but she had always been more than a little scared of him. “I wanted to see for myself.”
“Your amebo will get you into trouble one day. Does your mother know where you are?”
She shook her head, looking at the floor, not wanting to look at the blood on his bare chest.
“Did you see anyone come this way from inside?” He asked her brusquely.
“One of your men?” She asked dumbly.
“Is that the answer to my question?” he asked harshly.
“Sorry. I didn’t see anybody,” she answered.
“Are you sure?” He peered around her.
“Maximus, I didn’t see anybody. I heard you killed everybody inside there. Is it true? Did you really kill them?”
“Onome, go home now. I will see you in the evening. You can’t stay around here. It’s too dangerous. Go now. I will watch your back, or do you want me to come with you?”
“I’m fine.” She turned to go and then turned back to say softly, “Maximus, please…be careful.”
He smiled at her, his weary eyes lighting up a little. “I will. You know I’m doing this for you. I’m doing this for all of us. After today, things will be better. Things must be better once we have sent this warning that we are now in control of what is ours. We will no longer be controlled by these thieves and vagabonds!”
She watched him in awe as he spoke fervently. He had always been so eloquent, having been lucky enough to attend high school in Lagos before his father, her uncle, had died in a pipeline explosion. He had come back then to relieve his grieved mother and five younger sisters. Bitter over his father’s loss, he had been the main force in rallying the young men of town in forming this brutal opposition.
He was still pontificating. “A new dawn is coming but I want you to go home now, okay? It’s not safe here. My men are dangerous now, they are drunk on blood. I can’t protect you here so go home. I will come and meet you when it’s over.”
He touched her cheek gently and she looked away shyly, blood rushing to her cheeks. She knew he had always had a thing for her even though she was his cousin. He would sneakily grope her whenever he was a little drunk or had smoked a joint or two. She had never minded though because she hero-worshipped him. She loved him and hated his many girlfriends. In her notebooks, she would trace his name repeatedly, the first word he had taught her how to write. She felt like a queen when people pointed to her and said enviously, “That’s Maximus’ cousin.” She would wear her shortest skirt whenever she knew she was going to see him and would glow with pride when he whispered in her ear, “You’re such a temptation, cousin! One day…!”
“Capo!” Someone shouted in the near distance. They were looking for him, their leader.
“Quick, go!” He told her again. “I will watch your back.”
She felt his eyes on her as she turned to go. She knew he would watch her keenly until he couldn’t see her anymore, so she made sure to walk all the way down to the end of the path until she was sure the dusk had swallowed her. Only then did she double back to where the stranger she had rescued was waiting, quivering in fearful anticipation.
***
“Y-y-you came back!” He stammered. “I didn’t think… I thought you’d leave me…”
She had to squint to see his face in the growing dark.
“I told you I would come back for you.”
“Why are you helping me?” He asked her blankly.
“I don’t know,” she said softly. “I really don’t know.”
“Please, I need…I need to find my way back to Lagos. Can you help me? I-I-I flew here with my business partner and he’s…he…those animals killed him! His wife just had a baby for God’s sake! I don’t know what I’m…I’m going to tell her. I can’t believe…” He stopped and suddenly burst into tears.
She watched, taken aback, as he began to let out big, racking sobs. After a few minutes, she moved closer and took his hand in hers.
“Stop crying. We don’t want Maximus or any of his guys to hear you.” She cautioned.
“Maximus? Who is that? Is that their leader? You know him? What sort of barbaric monster is he? What sort of madness are these men displaying? Killing innocent men over what exactly? Why are they doing this to us? What have we done to deserve this kind of brutal treatment? We came here to celebrate with them this opportunity that has been created for them. Why are they choosing to repay us this way? What did we ever do to them?”
She shook her head and pulled her hand away from his, stung at his foolishness.
“Can you hear yourself?” She snapped. “You came here to celebrate which opportunity? This so-called celebration, how many of the town people did you people invite to come and celebrate with you? Instead you gathered all your rich friends to come eat a slice of the cake and flaunt their wickedness. You’ve come here, patting yourselves on the back, you’ve named yourselves heroes. Well, let me tell you if you don’t know – that the real heroes are those men with the guns and the knives in their hands.”
He stared at her in surprise.
“Look at me, I never knew my father. They could not afford the hospital treatment for his stomach cancer, so he died. My mother’s brother, Maximus’ father, was our lifesaver. Out of the little he had, he kept me and my mother alive, even though he had many mouths to feed. Then one day, a pipeline exploded as usual and he was among those that died that day. Since then, Maximus has been taking care of my family and his. He couldn’t finish university like he wanted because no one could afford it and he had to take care of the family. He and many of his friends, they found no jobs here. Even me, I have no job. How can I when I’ve never seen the inside of a classroom? What I do know how to read and write, Maximus taught me.”
She paused for breath and continued. “Many of my friends have lost their fathers and brothers to the fires. The smell of petrol hangs in the air permanently. There are no fishes in the water – they have all died. The crops in the farms, they have all withered. The soil is dry, it’s burnt. There’s no water, there’s no electricity. The doctor says my mother’s lungs are filled with smoke and she has days left but she says she will not go until she sees justice with her naked eyes. Nobody has the mouth to tell her that justice won’t be served in our lifetime, talk less of hers.
“There are more widows in this town than wives. There are more orphans in this town than parents. But what do you care? You’ve grown fat on what belongs to us, and you come back to rub salt in our wounds by displaying in front of us. You want us to praise you for building another refinery, for creating jobs, for this, for that. What happened to the last three refineries they built? You see those men out there – my cousin and his men that you call barbarians? You and your people, you’re responsible for their madness. You’re responsible for their disappointment. You’re responsible for their anger. Don’t you know that if you keep kicking a dog when it’s down, it will eventually turn on you? Who is the mad man that will blame the dog then?”
She stopped her tirade, breathing hard in anger.
He stared at her, awed by her surprising eloquence and shamed by her poignant words.
“I didn’t know.” He finally whispered. “I swear I didn’t know. I’ve never seen it that way.”
“Liar! You know, you’ve always known, but you don’t care! I hate you. I hate all of you. You’ve stolen our future and you’re not content. No, you must come here to make a mockery of our suffering by celebrating in the midst of our sorrowing. Why must you do this? Why?”
To his horror and increasing shame, she began to weep.
“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching for her. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. Please stop crying.”
She flinched from his touch. “I don’t need your pity. I’ve seen your type before. You show remorse today and then, tomorrow, you forget. You never remember…”
He cut her short. “No, I can never forget – not with what I’ve seen today, not with what I’ve heard today, not with what you’ve said to me today. I can never forget. I swear, I will never forget.”
She ignored him, wiping the tears off her face with her dirt-stained hands.
“Once I get to Lagos,” he continued, “I will make sure I do something about this terrible situation. I will come back for you. I will but please, you need to help me get back to Lagos first. Will you help me get back to Lagos?”
“I don’t…if Maximus finds out…”
“Please, I need your help.” He begged.
“Okay, okay.” She gave in reluctantly. “We’ll have to wait until nightfall, and then I will take you to the taxi park. If you have enough money, we may be able to find someone who would be willing to take you to the nearest airport.”
“Thank you! I will do anything if I can get out of here! Money’s not a problem.” He exclaimed. “Thank you so much! Thank you!”
She nodded soberly.
“What’s your name?” He asked after a stretched moment of silence.
“My name?”
“Yes! I mean, we’ve been talking all this while and I don’t even know your name. My name is Aborowa. What’s your name so I can thank you properly?”
She turned to him and smiled, her white teeth glinting.
Dusk had chased day away and it was getting harder to see but still, he suddenly noticed it wasn’t just her teeth glinting in the shadows now. His eyes narrowed and then widened in shock and confusion as he recognized the silvery outline of the object hovering in the air. He moved to react but a second too late – the dagger buried itself in his throat.
Why? Why? His eyes seemed to be asking as he clutched at his neck, futilely attempting to stem the flow of blood even as he felt his very life ebb away.
“Because my name is…Nemesis.” She whispered into his ear as she twisted the sharp blade, so it neatly severed an artery.
She stood, watching passionlessly as he gradually stopped struggling, gasping out dying breaths. Once she was certain he was gone, she turned around and walked back down the path to where the rest of the enemy was being scourged, leaving behind the fool’s blood to water the thirsty earth.
Maximus was going to be proud of her. He would be angry, yes, but proud all the same and that was all that mattered.
***
The oppressor and oppressed had just reversed roles.
© Lara Brown, 2020
Worlds via Words 