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I went straight to my lodge to change my dress but I was surprised when I met the room properly arranged. I was expecting it to be upside down following the drama of last night. There were no traces of blood, broken bottles or disorganised items. It was neatly put together. Quickly, I wore my cloth, put on a head warmer and a sun-shade to cover my injuries and dashed out of the room. I was terrified.
Kate couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw me. She was crying when she finally saw my eye. I managed to console her telling her that am okay. However, she insisted on knowing the cause of all injuries—
“What actually happened Dayo?” why don’t you call me? Who did this to you?” She asked continuously as tears formed in her eyes.
After a brief silence, I decided to tell her everything but I started by dropping the bombshell—
“Larry is dead!” I said almost crying.
“What... Larry... Dead... How?” she asked holding my hand and looking curious.
For another brief moment, it was complete silence as Kate kept starring at my eyes. I was only able to gaze at the ceiling. Transferring my gaze from there to the plasma television and the electronic gadgets—the DVD, the home theatre and the cables. From there I moved my eyes to the wall of the room. It was adorned with frames of art and posters of celebrities. My gaze moved next to the corner of the room, there lays a table and a chair. A mirror was placed on the table and the other parts of the table filled with cosmetics, pomades, perfumes, creams and all those accessories of ladies. My next point of gaze was the floor. It was tiled. The design of the tiles reminds me of the kind of flowers I use to paint back then in my secondary school days. Such flowers don’t exit. They’re abstract. You just start sketching and finally, you arrived at drawing a flower. The painting too is not definite, you just keep on applying different kind of colours and later, you found out that what you just drew was artistic. The tiles were artistic.
From the floor, my gaze was transferred to Kate’s eyes. I could only see one thing in her eyes—myself! Not as a beast, not as a psycho but as Dayo; the Dayo I used to be. And that’s Kate’s wish for me; to be that easy-going man who has got that future ambition. I guess things have now changed. I’m now a murderer. And of not just anybody but my only friend, my helper, my angel—my heaven sent. I don’t know if Kate would ever forgive me but I just still have to tell her.
“I killed him!” I said with tears rolling down my face. Kate quickly cuddled my head into her bosom as I wept profusely. For few seconds, I was weeping in Kate’s bosom, soaking her dress with my tears. I raised my head and wiped my right eye. Eventhough my left eye was bandaged, tears were rolling down from it. Being blind doesn’t prevent you from crying. Kate eyes were already red by this time, she was weeping for me!
“Kate, do you believe I can kill Larry? I asked though I don’t know if Kate would ever say yes or no. I was relieved when she said nothing. Yes would meant Kate does not trust me; I don’t know if I would be able to handle that. No; on the other hand would mean that Kate does not know me—I’d be drenched with guilt I’m sure.
I stayed back in Kate’s lodge that afternoon as she helped me to remove my bandages and replaced it with another one. My forehead was stitched so the only thing she does was just to change the wool and the plaster. She nursed my eyes with hot water and rubbed some balm on it. After this, she bandaged it back. I ate also after which I fell asleep.
“Now it’s my turn to take revenge!” I said with my eyes bloodshot and my veins pumped out of my skin as I jerked Bobby to the wall holding him by his neck. I dashed him rounds of punches, leaving him to sprawl on the floor with pains. Then, I brought out my pistol pointing it at him—
“My greetings to Larry and Kate, to my Dad and Mum, to all the Dark Eyes members. I would soon join you!” I said pulling the trigger. The bullet was released with its sound echoing. Just then, the siren of the police started wailing.
I woke up to hear the police passing by while their siren wails. It was yet another nightmare. I wiped gently my face with my palm and sighed. I looked at my wristwatch and it was past eight already. I tried to figure out what the dream could mean but I wasn’t able to… my thought has been overshadowed with fear. Kate wasn’t around at this time, and that worsen my state of anxiety.
“Is Larry truly dead? Is Kate going to die too? Dark Eyes members? What’s my business with them?” These are the questions that crashed into my thought and it raised my nerves and curiosity. “I need to find out!” I concluded. Just then I remembered what Bobby said about Larry’s funeral rite tonight. I need to get to my lodge as fast as possible.
Immediately, I jumped out of the bed dropping a note for Kate telling her that I need to make up an appointment somewhere—I knew that will further raise her suspicion of me being either a killer or a cultist. But who cares? I need to find out what became of Larry and my own fate at the hands of Bobby and his gang. Before leaving the room, I took Kate’s kitchen knife and hid it at my back covering it with my cloth and off I went running.
“I’m not going to put up an easy fight with them… even if they’re going kill me; I must kill one and its going to be Bobby.” I said to myself as I ran faster.
About few metres to my lodge, I stopped running and started walking fast. At the gate, I stopped; putting my ears near the gate to eavesdrop any sound but I heard nothing. After waiting for a while, I pushed the gate opened gently enough that it didn’t make a noise. I tiptoed into the compound and was watching my steps until I got to the middle of the compound. Suddenly, candles were lighted right from the entrance of the gate to the entrance of the door. I was in the middle as the lighted candles were on my both sides. I was horrified. I did not hear any single sound. The compound was dead silent. I was panicking with beads of sweat forming on my forehead even though the weather was cold and freezing. I was transfixed; I couldn’t move any of my legs again. The only thing I did was to touch my knife. I was relieved a bit to still know that it’s intact. The whole compound was dark saves for the area the candle light shone on. Still, I couldn’t see anything not even our co-tenants. Does it mean that all the whole students went for night class or what? Or they’re in their room fear-stricken and unable to come out or utter a word? That made me to remember last night, as Larry and I fought, no single student came knocking to ask what the matter was. There and then, it became obvious to me that the whole escapades have been a set-up. But my anger wasn’t a set up. Maybe my anger was a catalyst to their plan. I sped up the whole thing. I had swallowed their bait—hook, line and sinker! I knew if I would ever escape this, my chances are very little. At this point, my courage failed me since the beginning of the episode. I have to retreat. I need to run away—away from the campus. Fear of the unknown, unseen and the untold set my leg into turning back. But just then, a voice came through and I recognized it to be Bobby’s voice—ugly as his face, lacking sweetness and sympathy.
“So finally you’re here!” he chuckled but I didn’t say anything. “Now it’s clear that you love your friend Larry and at the same time wants to cover up your crime of murdering him…” I cut him short.
“You’re a bastard Bobby and a coward! A worthless beast! Show your damn ugly face and I will show you how it feels to kill a friend!” I said gritting my teeth and putting hand at my back; ready to draw my knife and fight.
“I’m afraid you’re not only going to kill me but kill all that are here too. Save your strength for what is to come!” He said and started giggling. His speech brought terror on me. What is that thing to come? My question was given an immediate answer. I saw faces immerge all wearing masks, with this same black T-shirt with ‘gocked*’ eyes. All were holding clubs. About nine of them stood at the entrance of the door and nine of them at the entrance of the gate. At this sight, I feel like urinating in my pant. I remembered quickly my dream of these men wearing mask. So finally, they’ve come. Are they going to kill me or what? I kept asking myself as my lips sh
akes and my tooth chatters—as if I’ve being caught by harmattan cold.
“You have two choices. Either to go inside and see if Larry is dead or not, or to walk out of the gate and escape from our hands forever! Am only afraid these men won’t allow an easy passage. You’ll need to fight your way through!” Bobby chuckled again.
“Oh! What an end!” I lamented as tears rolled down my eyes. “What a twist of fate! I had come to this school to be someone in life; to fulfil my dreams and ambitions. I had never bargained for this. I have done all my best to avoid joining cults or running into their troubles. I never knew I was living with a devil, with a beast that was set to devour me and render me futureless. At this point in time, I could only say my last prayer and ask for forgiveness from my parents for not becoming what I promised them that I would. I could only forgive myself for not reading between the lines in time. My own life has been tales of woes; of survival and a gruesome end. And nobody would ever investigate my case. I’m not rich. I’m just a helpless orphan who has no family background that is traceable. Now, I have to accept my fate. I must fight till I lose my breath.
Summoning all my courage and wiping off my tears, I managed to ask— “And no alternatives except these ones?”
“Look, am afraid the alternative is as bad as the options…” I cut him short. “Tell me!” I requested hardening my voice.
“Okay! The alternative is you stay there and say your last prayer and you’d be shot dead… what about that?” Bobby added calmly.
“I’d rather die courageously than allow you bloody beast take my soul easily… am going out of the gate!” I said drawing my knife silently.
“Very well! Your wish… you can go!” Bobby said laughing hysterically.
I started making for the gate, walking slowly and counting my steps. I have no idea of what’s going to happen or what I’m able to do to them. What I’m sure of is this—I’m going to die; no doubt about that but I’m going to take one with me!
The men started raising their clubs and beckoning on me to come and pass through the gate. I focused my attention on just one out of them, and I’m ready to kill him. My thought was however a total delusion. I thought they’d come one after the other but they all came once. Three of those men pounced on me battering me with their clubs. I fell to the ground with my face full of blood. I could feel pains in all part of my face. I felt my skin is being torn away. I was groaning and yes indeed, I was in pains; in great agony!
I’m not losing hope. I’m not just going to die like that. My knife still in my hand. I managed to stand up staggering. My view became vague. I could only see blur men but I was determined. My plan came to reality when one of the men came alone. I was bending down when I saw this vague image coming towards me. He raised his club against me but I got hold of it. I was holding the club with the little strength left in me. He was trying to release the club from my left arm but my pains were far stronger than his pleasures—he couldn’t free it.
Just then, I noticed the other coming towards me. My right hand hangs down with the knife lacking strength. I couldn’t raise it up. The other men kept coming. By now, they were a yard away from us and they’re already rolling their clubs ready to batter me again. Gathering the rest of my strength, I screamed and raised my right hand. I stabbed first his left eye and quickly removing it out, I stabbed the other eye. The blood that came out of the eye splashed on my face and the man let out an agonizing cry. Blood was gushing from his eyes. He went sprawling on the floor shouting “his eyes… his eyes.” I’ve just got him blinded.
They came rushing and the clubs kept landing on my head, my back, and my face; in short all my body. My knees were hit and at that moment I thought my bones are going to be broken. So, I’d be going to heaven with broken bones. The knife in my hand fell and so does my whole body. I went crashing with my face up. Landing on the floor, I thought within myself, “Mission accomplished!” I was wrong.
“Stop! It’s enough!” Bobby said from the darkness. Some men have already taken away the one I stabbed. My eyes were going dim. I was experiencing an excruciating pain all over my body. But dead in the middle of my agony, I was smiling. They’ll live to remember this night.
As my view became vaguer and my eyes going dimmer, I caught an image of one of them removing his mask; he looks like Larry but just then, I passed out!