CHAPTER FOUR
The splash of water on my face brought me back. I was too weak to say anything or make any move. Before now, I thought I was dead, waiting to see my parents and Larry—though I’m not sure if truly he’s dead or not. Just then, I noticed that my two hands were tied to two stakes that leaves me in the middle sagging down as I could not stand up upright. Blood was dripping from my nose and mouth.
It was dark, so dark, I couldn’t see anything. I was gasping for breath. But then, who had come to pour me water—this must be the forest of the ghost, maybe I didn’t make it to heaven, so I was dumped here by angels to suffer for my sins; at least that was what I could think of but the aura of this very place smells of earth… I’m not dead after all; I had only passed through its island.
Every second bring me closer to death. After a long moment of agony and perseverance; of holding back from death even though that was my wish—to die—and hanging on to the tiny fibre of life… Long moments of loneliness and pains, of last prayers and wishes; the men with masked faces emerges again. This time, they were not holding anything.
They came from different angles—in two(s) and three(s) did they all come. They started gathering around me. In no short time, I was in the middle enclosed in a circle of masked men. “The ultimate end!” I thought. I knew within me that, these people either kill me or they sacrifice me to their god. That moment, it came to me that I had been the sacrificial dog all this while. All those things that Larry has been doing were on purpose. No wonder, when Kate took over, Larry was forced to stop. Hence; the genesis of my end. From my fight with Larry to this present moment; it has been a set up. I swallowed Bobby’s bait so easily!
The answer is not farfetched. I was trying to prove my innocence, stay pure and naïve—never wanting to take risk; though I was taking without me knowing. But here am I today, am no longer pure and innocent. I’ve taken risks and so, I’m no longer naïve. Still, I haven’t taken any risk, I’m still pure and naïve—at least as at now—and very innocent. However, not after tonight’s drama.
One of the masked men came very close to where I was, lighted a matches and ignited some woods—a pile—that has been put together. Immediately, there was light enough for me to see six metres away from my position. Another man came—not from the ones who circled me—bringing a chair. The chair was something I couldn’t describe. The colour of the chair was black, red and green. My soul couldn’t hold on any longer as my groan grows louder. Ironically, my pain and agony was their source of joy and pleasure. They laughed at every of my groan and yell.
A figure emerged from the darkness and I recognised him to be Bobby with his black beret. Everything about him is ugly even his movement. And deep down in my pains and agony, I grew more hatred for him. Another figure followed him but I don’t seem to recognise who he is. He’s also masked.
Bobby sat down on the chair and the man that followed him stood close to him.
“The Dark Eyes!” Bobby called out. “We see everything!” The rest chorused.
“Tonight… Bobby began again. “We add to ourselves, another member—a brutal one as you all knew what happened some hours ago.” He paused and I can see those men in circle nodding not uttering a word.
“But before we begin, unmask!” Bobby said. And all the men removed their mask save for same man standing behind Bobby. This made me to start thinking who that man could be. The thought of him being Larry arose my heartbeat.
My eyes were focused on him. After unmasking themselves, they brought out—each of them—a green beret and wore it. Then, Bobby stood up stretched out his hand and a man brought him a calabash. On receiving the calabash, the man started coming towards me. He looked me in the eyes and smirked. Next, he tore my cloth into shreds. My stomach and my chest were left bare to the sharp thrusting fang of the cold. Thereafter, he moved back to the circle. As this happens, there came from nowhere any sound. Everywhere and everything was dead silent.
Bobby started coming towards me with the calabash. He got to my front, inspecting my face. After some while, he started talking—
“Dayo, now you can’t run. Not after tonight. You’re now one of us. With the content in this calabash, I offer to you power, wealth, fame and respect. With this calabash, you’re no longer ordinary; you are now extra-ordinary. Today, your wine changes to blood and meat to flesh. Today, you become one of us. You’re now a Dark Eyes member. The most deadly and mystical fraternity!” he said laughing out hysterically.
He opened the calabash and brought out something like paste. He gave it to me to eat and I obliged. The paste tasted like a mixture of red oil and grounded but un-cooked leaf. He then gave me a kola-nut. As I ate all those things that would give me power and fame—if I’m to believe Bobby—my hatred for him grew.
Ironically, Bobby was caring this night… he brought his handkerchief and wiped the blood away from my nose and my mouth.
“You see Dayo; the life we live is followed closely by death. When you toy with life, death takes over. You toyed with your life this night but death didn’t take over. You have just survived what many couldn’t stand. Your life line is thick. People like you would make a good member. People who doesn’t value life as a precious gift but as an instrument for acquiring power, wealth and fame; People who can die courageously fighting for what they believe in, people who had killed their worst enemy—fear! And their worst fear—death! On this basis, you’re not joining as a member but as the second sub-alpha of Dark Eyes. Thus; the opportunity to suck a high ranking blood. The blood of the masked!” With that, he turned back and started laughing again and whistling as he nods his head in rhythm; and back to his seat.
The blood of the masked? Who could be the masked man? The thought of him being Larry sent cold running down my spine. I was thrown into a complete perplexity. I wasn’t given much time to think about Bobby’s last statement as my attention was shifted to the masked man who’s now coming towards me. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt. Few yards to where I was, two men from the circle joined him. He rolled off the sleeve of his shirt. One of the men gave him razor blade. He collected it and tore himself. The second man brought out a glass cup tied in the middle with a green piece of cloth. The blood was allowed to drop into the cup in quantities. Just then, the two men started coming towards me with the cup.
Within me, I’ve decided that I’m not going to drink that blood. And I’m going to do everything to seal my mouth even if it means me biting those men’s finger. They calculated my thought and another man joined them. I was weak with my hands tied. Little could I do to stop them. They grabbed my mouth and forced it open; wide enough to swallow three heavy morsel of pounded yam. The third man empties the cup into my mouth. I had no chance of spitting it out; thus with ease, the journey of the masked man’s blood into my stomach was.
I thought everything has come to an end. How wrong was I. another man brought out an iron with its front having crossed bar. On these bars was inscripted “Dark Eyes.” They dipped the iron inside the fire and waited while it heats up. Am about to be marked.
The masked man started coming towards me with the iron. The iron was already red—extremely hot. The man stood in my front with his left arm holding the iron and his right hand holding the edge of the mask. I was terrified but I remained calm. I have seen enough in these past hours. Death—as ugly and terrifying as it is—has been my only companion during those deadly moments. Yet, it has refused to take me. My death; I concluded, is therefore not in the hands of these fellows. And with that, I braced up for the unknown.
Removing his mask, lo and behold; my friend Larry—has been the masked man. I was too shocked to say a word; too weak to release a drop of tear. I was dumb-folded. I could only open my mouth wide. I couldn’t even think of anything. This is the very height of betrayal. So Larry was after all not dead. “What a friend!” I finally thought but I was interrupted…
“Their wants overcame our needs!” Larry said and before I could give a thought to what he h
ad just said, he pressed the hot iron against my abdomen; below my navel and I let out an agonizing cry…