Story By Michael Victor

“Yeeee! I know nothing about his death sir, I swear” I said and cried out after the officer with me in the darkroom used a hot pressing iron on my lap.

“You are proving stubborn, right? I have handled millions of cases that are even worst than yours and I helped them out immediately after they confessed. If you like yourself, it’s better for you to confess or life will continue being worst for you in this cell”.

I have never for once hated life but it has chosen to treat me this way and now this heartless officer is asking me to confess if I like life. What if I had hated this life? What would have become of me or is it because I have cherished life so much that it has chosen to toy with my soul? The way I am looking at this officer right now, I feel like gagging him and strangling him to death so I can gladly accept the judge’s verdict in advance for me. His voice sounds like one of those gunmen that killed Adigun.

Could he have joined them to plot the whole event? No wonder, he has been torturing me so badly without mercy.

“Sir, we were inside when the arm robbers came in and demanded money. Adigun exchanged words with them before I could say anything they shot Adigun” I said this crying bitterly and feeling pain in every part of my body.

“When Adigun was talking did you say anything,” he asked

“I didn’t say anything, sir,” I said while crying like a kid.

“Oh, you didn’t want to talk because you planned with the men to take him out if he dares to prove stubborn,” he said with full confidence and opened his eyes wide at me”.

“Ahhh! Not at all, sir. I thought Adigun has charms that would restrict bullets from entering his body since he asked them to do whatsoever they want to do” I said this stretching my two hands forth like I was begging for food.

“Ehn-ehn! Definitely, you asked them to shoot his head because you knew he has charms on his body. Nice one there” He said this showing a wicked smile.

“Obara Jesus! I swear I know noth…”

He interrupted again “My friend, you are mad oo. Shey you know that you are highly mad sha? You are now pretending as if you don’t know anything. Let me tell you this in case you don’t know. You are going to court next week Monday so just know that you have seven days to confess so that I can help you out if not you are gone” he said this and left me in pain.

“So we finally meet again?” said the grey-bearded man in the same cell with me.

Life is truly a comedian. I haven’t killed anyone yet I am about to be killed for the sins I know nothing of. This grey-bearded man and Richard killed my mom yet this idiot hasn’t been killed. With anger I ran to him and punched his nose then he fell to the ground. Immediately, I jumped on him and started punching his face before the other cellmates came to separate us.

“I swear, I will kill you before I would be killed. You b*st*rd son of a b**ch” I said this while panting in anger.

“You can never kill me just the way you killed your mom and the person th…” before he could say what was in his mind I released myself from the cell mates, went to him like an angry lion and kicked his belly so hard that he fell to the ground and started groaning in pains then I decided to turn him around and start giving him the beating of his life. Not until I saw blood coming out from his mouth and nose then I was overwhelmed with sympathy.

“This serves you right. The next one I will kill you for real. Bastard!” I said this and then left him alone to sit alone but deep down, I felt pity for him because he was almost crying.

“Guy! Guy!! Guy!!!” I was being tapped several times on my legs by one of the cellmates to wake up.

“What is it na. You guys should avoid me oo. I am so angry so…”

I was interrupted by another cellmate “Bobo, stand up. This man wey you fight with yesterday don die ooo”.

Immediately I stood up with my eyes wide open as if I was told that it was time for me to die. I went to the grey-bearded man and put my ear on his chest only for me to find out that his heart beats no more.

“Jesus Christ! How come brothers” I said this almost shedding tears.

“Who be your brother? No be you fight am yesterday nii? You no know say the way you beat am na him make am die”

Nice one life. Bravo, I love the way life has turned my soul into a game of chess. I have killed someone for real this time; should I say I have seen what I have been looking for? At least I can be judged for what I have done and I have finally killed one of the ones that killed my mom.

“Make we just pity you because e be like say this man don offend you before” the cellmate said looking at me to respond.

“Ahhh, thanks, boss. So what are we going to say? I have an idea” I said, half smiling.

“Oya watin be that”. he asked.

“Let me call the cell guards or officers and we will tell them that he slept and didn’t wake up,” I said confiding in them.

“No worry we gat you bro. But let me help you to call them because it seems you still have fear in you” he said and touched my shoulder.

I immediately gave in my trust without thinking twice, shame on life.

“What happened to him,” asked one of the officers that came to check who was shouting their names.

“Oga, this bastard you brought in yesterday fought him last night,” said one of the cellmates.

“He even promised to kill him before the sunset,” said the cellmate I confided in recently.

It was as if they planned the whole scenario. I was not given any chance to say anything, all I knew was that some officers came in and carried the grey-bearded man’s body while the rest beat me out of the cell to the D.P.O’s office.

Don’t expect me to say anything about life because I am tired of living in it. Let me wait for my death patiently.

“So because you brought the man here, you decided to end his life yourself knowing we are still on both of your cases? Did you realize that we haven’t finished the recent one you put yourself into? Let me tell you something. You would be forced to visit the hangman after leaving the court”.

I was taken to another cell with no window; it just has a door for entrance. It was so dark and hotter than the other cell room where there is little ventilation.