THE NAIJA HUSTLE

TWELVE

What can I say
The weak cannot survive
In places mean't for the strong

EMEKA

I opened my eyes, it was still dark. I couldn't remember anything for a millisecond then it hit me. There were gunshots , oh no am I dead , am I in Hell were the only questions that came to my head. I then realized that I didn't feel any pain apart from the thorn that had pierced my finger.

"So who was shot" I asked myself, then mustered up the energy to stand up and then I looked around and got the answer to my question immediately. Almost fifteen steps away from me laid Rambo in a pool of what I believed was his own blood motionless. I walked closer to him and saw that he was shot in the back three times.

Then at that moment I heard someone calling Rambo's name from a distance. I was scared because I knew it was one of the other gang members.

I didn't know what else to think except that they will kill me because I was sure they will not believe I didn't kill Rambo and the fact that they were only calling Rambo's name and not mine did not help my fears at all.

I went towards the light ( oh no not that light). I mean I went towards the torch lights I was seeing. On getting there I saw the gang. At first they couldn't see me but thanks to twig that broken under my leg all the guns were pointed to my direction.

"Who is that come out before we blow your head" one of them said. I slowly raised my hand in the air and walked out from my hiding place "Chai na so I take die" I said to myself. Then to my relief and surprise thry slowly dropped their guns and eyed me down seriously.

" Where is Rambo" the one called Viper asked. I really didn't want to answer because I knew anything I said would probably be my last words on Earth and I didn't want me last words to be a confession (like a typical early 2000 nollywood movie) but when Sniper shouted " Where is Rambo", I knew I had to accept my fate.

I managed to stutter and tell him what happened and then waited for a bullet to pierce my skin but to my greatest surprise nothing happened. I opened my eyes and saw Sniper right infront of me with his hands outstretched like he wanted me to hug him.

I looked at the other two guy's faces, they were emotionless. " Come forward" Sniper said which I did with a little bit of hesitation. He drew me into a hug and squeezed me. "It's ok" . He said, paused for a little while then continued saying "It was his time to die". OK OK pause I was confused he said all these things while I was still in his embrace

( Dear reader on a scale of one to ten, how would rate your comfortabilty when you are in a hug for too long).

I wanted to ask why they were so calm, we were in big trouble the police was chasing us. Then it hit me, I hadn't seen or heard any sign of the police. I thought to warn Sniper and the rest. "The police, t..they were pursuing us" I said. " Don't worry about those ones, we don treat their fuck up" he replied and pointed somewhere with his right hand. Viper then pointed the torch light he was holding in that direction then I saw some bodies lying down there motionless.

I walked closer to inspect the bodies with person of Sniper of course as I was not ready to die yet. I saw the police officers with different kinds of gunshot wounds. One had two bullets to his chest, another had just one visible bullet to his fore head, then the third one had his own somewhere below the belt, I'll leave you to Imagine where exactly.

I walked back to the others after I saw what I was sure will give me nightmares for weeks. I entered the car and drove back to that uncompleted building they called their head quarters, where my whole arm robbery story began. In car I thought about what I just witnessed, if this was what I signed up for, I could see then really I had to be strong. I couldn't get to be weak.