#StorySeries: Echoes Of Dust [Episode 2]

If you missed episode 1, you can view it here.

Echoes Of Dust [Episode 2] 

And they turned and followed him as he moved, I managed to stand up as I held Rahanatu by the hand and helped her walk with her cloths drenched in blood to my house, I fetched water that night for her to bath and made a vow to revenge, when Ahmed heard what had happened he was on the same page for a revenge with me.

 Two weeks gone, we have been trailing all movements of Rambo and was looking for the right time to strike, the plan was to use the dagger I bought from the mallam that sells suya at the bustop, the day to carry out our revenge finally came, sitting right in front of my house waiting for Ahmed and shaking in fear, I knew I was embarking on a dangerous journey and might not come back alive if I made any mistake, out of nowhere Ahmed materialized and he sat beside me, he turned to me and said

AHMED: O boy! see what I found

He unveiled a pistol that was clearly concealed in a newspaper and almost fainted from fear

AHMED: Why you dey run na? I think say you get mind, na my senior brother own be dis, if we no stop Rambo for dis ghetto him go rape all the small girls for dis place finish

And I asked him if he knew how to handle a gun

AHMED: My brother don teach me since, I suppose join them dey omila na but my mind no reach

And we paused for over 30 minutes, saying my prayers silently while Ahmed knelt down and was offering his own prayers too and then he gave me a pat on the back

AHMED: O boy make we dey go, him go dey that ashawo joint near waterside

And we moved quietly like the innocent kids everybody thinks that we were, not knowing we were on a journey that would chart a new cause in this slum.

We arrived at the brothel where girls in pants and bra walked freely and were looking for intending customers, a fat girl with tattoo all over her body, wearing pant and was shaking her voluptuous body and dragged me by the hand

PROSTITUTE: O boy come na, I go do you well

We didn’t come to find pleasure, so I removed my hand from her grip and we were walking round the compound, hoping to run into Rambo, Ahmed was the first person sight Rambo, he whispered in my ears

AHMED: O boy see Rambo!

He didn’t even wait for us to strategize on how to attack Rambo well because he was sitting in the midst of his friends of which am sure they all had guns with them, but he walked towards where they gathered and fired shots into the air and the whole brothel was thrown into a tantrum as people scampered into different directions, he was able to dive Rambo and brought him to the ground.

I walked close to Ahmed who was now on top of Rambo, Ahmed tried firing shots at Rambo and it couldn’t click, the gun was jamming, it was one of these juju the native doctor that lived in the ghetto must have prepared for him, this spelt doom for Ahmed and I, our mission is in the bridge of failing and if this doesn’t work, its goodbye to the ghetto but that’s if we get out of their alive, I acted on impulse, dragged the gun out of Ahmed’s hand and picked sand from the ground and touched the gun and it fired two shots straight to his chest, I did all I did from watching too much Nollywood movies and to my greatest surprise it worked and Ahmed took the gun off my hand, fired shots as we escaped into thin air, we ran straight out of the ghetto and ran towards the junction as we boarded a bus heading to third mainland bridge, we had no place to sleep that night as we finally settled under one of the pillars that holds the bridge, Ahmed bought cigarette and was smoking, I was surprised that he smokes and fear gripped for we just committed murder and Ahmed was just relaxed, that night I couldn’t sleep, all I could think of was the fate of Rahanatu, what Rambo’s gang members would do to us if they ever set their eyes on us.

Two weeks gone and we were practically living under the bridge, we would wake up early morning, have our bath by the lagoon and then eat bread and bean cakes for breakfast and the money we used was the money I found in my mother’s box, stroll round the bridge until nightfall, this was a pattern we had adopted and was settling into the new life when we ran into Area Scatter, he was one of the boys of the now dead Rambo and the moment he saw us he took to his heels and ran so fast and Ahmed followed suit, the sudden courage Ahmed developed these few weeks that past was one that bothered me a lot, when he finally caught up with him, he began to beg

AREA SCATTER: Abeg my guy no kill me, you know say I no be Rambo, I choose to be your boy abeg no do this thing

I was surprised to see Area Scatter begging for his dear life, back at the ghetto, he was one person who stood like next in command after Rambo, he told us of how our ordeal had made us popular in the slum, how they had mystified our killing of Rambo and how people now scare others with our names and that rumour had it that after killing Rambo we disappeared and the person that prepared our juju was from India, such voodoo stories is the only thing that can scare a real ghetto boy away, we decided to go back to the camp, let’s go claim our rightful position.

I took a deep breath and decided to face my worst fear when the bus stopped at Ajegunle junction, we alighted the bus the trio of us, my heart was throbbing fast but my face and the way I was walking didn’t carry any atom fear, the moment we got close to the ghetto, people that saw us started cheering and waving at us, and a large crowd followed us behind as traders locked their shops and also joined the crowd, amidst the crowd I used my eyes to find Rahanatu for I knew words of our return must have spread round the slum like wildfire and I couldn’t see her, the crowd danced and cheered until we got to the football field.

I and Ahmed stood side by side as I raised my hand up and there was total silence for me to make speech and began

ME: My people! Una do well as una follow us gather here, from today things go change for dis ghetto we dey so, we go live like brothers and sisters and also they help ourselves, we go dey write letter give government make dem dey remember us for dis ghetto

The crowd cheered and clapped so loud as I smiled and turned towards Ahmed who was frowning, he raised his hand up and there was silence again for him to make his speech

AHMED: My people I greet oh! una see dis new leadership so, na no nonsense leadership o, una go dey pay una levy steady to us, anybody wey no pay, make him ready for trouble

And the crowd began to murmur and we left them and headed straight to my house, I was really beginning to see another side of Ahmed I never knew it existed, it was sad that he was now trying to practice what he hated so much.

I was able to see Rahanatu the next day and she hugged me as she told me all that had transpired after I left the slum, we talked and walked round the slum until i got dark, she sat in my room as we ate suya I had bought while we were coming back, she suddenly began to cry and I asked to know why

RAHANATU: Am pregnant! Am pregnant for that thief, this child in my belly is a bastard

ME: {drew her close} make you no dey talk like dis Rahanatu, what of me wey no know my papa? I don die? see wetin I dey assure you be say, I go take care of you and dis pikin inside your belle well

RAHANATU: {Still crying} you know suppose suffer for another man mistake, it’s not fair, na to comot dis belle dey hungry me

ME: {Shouting at her} if you just comot dis pikin just know say everything me and you don get

As I consoled her and made sure she stopped crying, that night we made love, after which I escorted her back to her house, and I felt total peace that night but my morning I heard one of the worst news my ears has ever heard, I was at the back of my house brushing my teeth early that morning when Area Scatter ran to my backyard crying

AREA SCATTER: Oga kasala don burst

ME: See Area Scatter if na play you dey play make you better stop am, wetin happen?

AREA SCATTER: Oga you babe Rahanatu don kpai, she die dis morning

ME: {looking surprised} make thunder fire your papa, Infact na your papa go die dis morning

AREA SCATTER: Oga mi, I know fit lie with dis kind thing, your babe go drink poison to kill the pikin wey dey inside her belle, when the thing begin affect her, by the time people go gather rush her reach hospital she kpai for road!

I almost fainted when I heard that news, I sat down there and began to cry like a baby, Area Scatter looked at me like he was confused

AREA SCATTER: Baba olenu gan! but this thing never reach like dis na, how people go pass dey see my boss where him dey cry, na fuckup na, make we enter inside house

I walked into my room and sat there almost the whole day crying, later that night, I heard a knock on my door, I peeped through a tiny hole and saw Ahmed standing with two guys who had guns strapped to their sides, I go scared and pulled the machete under my pillow and held on to it as I opened the door and he walked in and the other guys stood outside and we shook hands as he sat on a plastic chair that was beside my bed,

AHMED: O boy you dey fuck up, since we begin rule dis ghetto, I never see you come out to ginger dis people, instead I hear say you dey inside house dey cry because of woman

ME: Padi see make I tell you, na dat girl I been wan marry so no talk about her anyhow, I no dey come ginger anybody for here after all no be me carry dem come lagos.

AHMED: your head no correct, oya come first make we go chop because I know say u sabi mumu

That night we went out to eat, we drank and out frustration I smoked, Ahmed kept telling me

Ahmed: O boy smoke dis thing, na man you be now oh!

From two puffs I slowly started smoking wraps of weed and that was how I dabbled into other kind of drugs. That night he gave me forty thousand naira and told me that was my share from the park, when we got to the slum him and his friend took the path that leads to the brothel while I walked to my house.

We would sit out every night and lavish money on drinks, no matter the price, we could afford it, I, Ahmed, Area Scatter and two of Ahmed’s friends would lodge in the highbrow area of Lagos, we snif cocaine with prostitutes and drink till our feet fail us and the next morning we would go back to the ghetto, on one incident police surrounded the hotel and Ahmed got from the receptionist, when she called the intercom in the room and Ahmed turned to the rest of us

AHMED: O boy Kasala don burst, ekelebe men surround right now as I dey talk to una

My heart sank, I began to have jittery feet and out of nowhere Ahmed, Area Scatter and Ahmed’s other guys were routing AK47’s out of the blue, I was the only one who wasn’t armed and that scared me more, Ahmed opened the door slowly as he looked at opposite directions and signaled at the rest of to follow as we all tiptoed towards the balcony of the two storey building and Ahmed peeped slowly and turned

AHMED: Dem no dey here,be like say dem don dey climb upstairs, if person jump dis thing him go break leg but e be like say e get one trailer wey park near fence and sand dey inside, na to jump on top of am

He peeped again to make sure he was right and he was the first to jump, we all watched as he took flight in the air and landed right on the heap of sand at the back of a truck, and next on the line was Area Scatter, he jumped but almost missed the truck while landing as he crash landed on to Ahmed and another of Ahmed’s guy took the center stage and jumped too, he seem to have mastered the art because he landed smoothly on the sand, I was next to jump, Ahmed knew that I was scared because from afar I saw him telling others to position at different angles incase I fall into the wrong side and I jumped but as fate would have it, none of the things I thought would happen to me did happen, I landed on the heap of sand smoothly and jumped to the floor.

The police officers were so close and it was only one of Ahmed’s friend that was remaining and police fired shots at him but they missed and hurriedly he jumped off the balcony and landed with his tummy into the waiting sharp edges of broken bottles that was used to secure the tip of the fence so that people can jump in, Ahmed almost shouted in anger, if not for the fast arms of Area Scatter that grabbed him by the mouth, we knew if leave that area by that time we would sure be caught because the police must have mounted road blocks everywhere so we found a mechanic shop and waited until we saw their van pass with all the prostitutes at the hotel inside of their van.....

to be continued