UNTAMED

Part Twenty-six

He picked his phone and opened the app. He slowed down his speed and glanced at the file. He clicked on it and it opened to other files. He clicked on the first file and pictures of different people appeared on a small box, like a passport size. Some of the pictures had the bad symbol on them but it was not following any particular pattern. He glanced back on the road to make sure he had not deviated, then he went back to the pictures. Numbers were written in all the pictures.
“The three bad are already dead, and there are two more, it’s not following an odd number neither is it even, the first person that was killed is even at the end. And you know they normally kill the whole family. Omakor has a book on his table which looked like he had been doing some math calculations to figure out the next victim. There is another thing though. I discovered only few files can be opened and some of the files have pictures of the murder suspect but the man with the name Musa, a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, is the right hand man to Mr Abdu Salam who is from the opposition party, an enemy of Alhaji Umaru. Looks like Omakor must have sent the message to the wrong person, because this doesn’t make sense”
“It’s almost looking like a chess game but I’m confused” Mark said.
“Ghost, what did Umaru and Abdu study?” Jason asked.
“Mathematics for Umaru, Agriculture for Abdu” Ghost answered.
“Jason anything?” Wild asked.
“This is a work of a math scholar” Jason answered.
“And Umaru is the mathematician. He had made a name after making first class in mathematics from Ahmadu Bello University, but Musa is Abdu’s right hand man and Abdu is Umaru’s enemy” Ghost said.
“Jason what have you discovered?” Major asked.
“I’m working on the puzzle in the encrypted file, the one you have is outdated. Every picture there has an equation attached to them. He is playing a game with all of them, the answer to the equation tells him the next enemy to kill. The first victim had one as answer, with another number indicating the date. Second victim had two, same with third. I have to find the number four by solving all the equations on the pictures. I may stumble on number four early. Mark you try open the other encrypted file while I work on this math” Jason said.
“Roger that” Mark said.
“Ghost have you bugged their houses?” Mark asked.
“Later today” Ghost said.
“Then what were you doing with Omakor's wife and kid?” Doc asked.
“Just wanted to make acquaintance” Ghost said.
“From what I’m seeing, I think Musa is working for both parties” Fast said.
“But I can’t see Abdu’s picture here, he is Umaru’s public number one enemy. Umaru had defeated him to become a House of Rep member” Ghost said.
“Ghost you just said public. They could be friends” Doc said.
“Something is wrong. There is no way Abdu can create this puzzles. This is confusing” Mark said.
“Ghost how far are you from the third person’s house, that’s Mallam Farouk?” Jason asked.
“Not too far. Why?” Ghost asked.
“You might get there on time if you move now. He is the next target and it’s today” Jason said.
“Jason it’s almost five in the morning, it’s too late” he said.
“Maybe but he would definitely meet them” Jason said.
“Jason what are you not telling us?” Wild asked what he was about to ask.
“I’m on the move” Ghost said.
“Mark get hold of Ghost’s flight and connect it to the circle, increase the audio” Wild said.
“Roger that.”
Soon he started hearing sounds of someone running and landing on a surface.
“What is going on?” he asked increasing his speed.
“Ghost is using the roofs” Wild answered.
That was Ghost best and quickest way of movement. He needed to get to Jason’s place as fast as possible before Halima woke up and also so he could follow up on Ghost’s movement. Just when he had driven past University of Benin Main gate, he heard voices in Hausa same time Ghost stopped his movement.
“Please someone tell me I’m not late. Farouk’s youngest child is just five” Ghost said.
There was absolute silence from the Circle, only the voices of the men speaking Hausa were heard. He could pick out some few words because the Circle were forced to learn up to three languages but their dialect was deep.
“What are they saying?” he asked but nobody answered.
“Ghost I know how you feel but you can’t kill all of them, someone needs to state who sent them to the police” Major said.
“You don’t know how I feel, these men just raped and murdered women and children and they are so happy about what they did that they can’t wait to know their next victim. They are dead Major. Farouk, his two wives, his five children, his security including two police men. I could not save them” Ghost said.
“Then keep Abdu’s man and make him confess” Wild said.
“He will never confess. I’m reading a file on him right now” Doc said.
“They are radical Muslims who believe they are cleansing Islam by killing those who are friends with the enemy and those who are not true Muslim. Fard kifaya. If you capture them, they will never confess, they will see it as persecution and wait for their death with the hope of escaping the torture of the grave. They will go straight to Garden of Eden. So it will be an honor for them to die as martyr” Major said.
“But there is nothing religious about these killings” Fast said.
“That is the big issue, politicians like Abdu and Umaru take advantage of them to kill their opponents” Doc said.
“So Musa will just be handed over to the police?” he asked.
“He is definitely going to confess, the part where I’m to leave him alive is what I’m finding difficult to accept” Ghost said
“They are twelve in number Ghost. How do you want to attack and how is the man going to confess?” Mark asked.
There was no answer but what he heard next made him stop his pickup. He quickly opened the app.  The bird was giving an aerial view of the killers. They had stopped their movement and they were turning towards different directions all confused. He quickly counted their numbers and only ended with eleven. One was missing. It must be his scream he had heard.  Someone told them to continue and they started walking but became alert. If he had not been watching keenly, he would have missed it. Ghost was very fast. A rope fell on one of their necks and was tightened almost immediately. Before the man could scream, he was lifted up. He landed on the roof and Ghost sliced his throat with a laser knife. The roofs were not that high. He was on black and wore a black mask, his black Circle bag was on his back.  The men turned round again. Their postures were now different, the fear had started. They quickly hurried their movement, changing direction. Ghost moved swiftly but stealthily on the roofs of buildings. His rope was back again and another was lifted to the roof and his throat was sliced. Three gone, remaining nine.
“Who are you?” someone shouted in Hausa.
He could understand him. He must be Abdu’s man. The others started speaking the same time. The leader told them to run which they did but another was lifted again but instead of the back it was from the front. It was like watching an action scene in a movie. Ghost was just ghost, he could not follow his movement. He would see him one moment then he would disappear another moment. It looked like he was diving and resting on the wall to avoid being seen. He had his climbing tools with him. The runners stopped running and stepped back. They were now completely afraid.
“In the name of Allah show yourself coward” the leader shouted in English with a thick Hausa accent.
“Guys you need to see this. I just opened the file” Mark said.
The screen was split in two and a picture appeared in the second screen.
“What the heck!” he exclaimed.
“Ghost just listen. The picture I just opened has Abdu, Umaru, Chief Esigie standing close to each other. In the next picture, they are sitting down and there is another picture with John” Mark said.
Apart from the men looking everywhere, there was no activity on the first screen. Ghost was listening.
“That is not surprising Mark, Chief is also a House of Rep member. So it should not be surprising that they know each other” he said.
“John being in the second picture could mean Chief is their weapon supplier” Fast said.
“I don’t agree with you Tamed. They knew way back before he became House of Rep member. Check out this photo” Mark said.
Another picture appeared on the second screen.
“Ghost the last picture has Chief and Umaru looking younger and the camera looks outdated. I will try check to find out the period using the camera pixel” Mark said.
“Is everyone thinking what I’m thinking?” Doc asked.
“Ghost mission may be connected to Tamed and Jason’s mission. But most importantly there may be the possibility that Halima might have come from Umaru” Wild said.
“But right now every evidence is pointing at Abdu” Doc said.
“Ghost you can make use of the knowledge” Major said.
He wanted to understand what Major meant but the screen was back in full.
They were still waiting, maybe with the belief the person would show himself but Ghost response was to pick another person from the back making them five. The leader cocked his gun and fired at the direction he must have felt the killer had come from. That was too close to residents. Any stray bullet could kill one of them. As if Ghost knew the danger of getting the man more agitated, he saw him on the roof again but this time, he was with a desert pistol with suppressor which he released on them. Four went down with four bullets. They were the ones with guns. The others had long blades and dagger.  Musa was now the only one with gun and he could see it was an AK 47 rifle. While the others panicked, Musa raised his gun to fire but Ghost suddenly jumped into their midst same time Musa pulled the trigger. Ghost’s hand was already on the gun and he had raised it to the sky making the bullet shoot up. He wrestled the gun from Musa. The others recovered from their shock and attacked Ghost speaking Hausa.