Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

FURY

After Vivi stormed out of my apartment, I remained on my bed sobbing silently. “What if I was wrong?” What if nothing happens in the end? I guess that meant I’ve just dented my image with her” I thought. Knowing her very well, I knew our relationship would never be the same again and I feared that too.
“So what exactly do you now want? For her to be killed or attacked to prove you were right?” I heard a voice ask in my head.
I didn’t have the answer, but faced with the option of her being attacked just to prove I was right and for her not to be attacked, thereby losing my close relationship with her, I chose the latter. If not for anything, but because I loved her and believed as long as she’s alive, we can make things work again. Though it would definitely take time.
My phone which somehow had been in silent mode began vibrating some 15 minutes later indicating I had a call. But for the name of the caller displayed on the screen, I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. My heart beat immediately increased as I proceeded to pick the call.
“Hello Dera” I called her name as soon as I picked the call
“Fury! Fury..! Hello Fury.. God.. Hello Fury can you hear me?” She called my name nervously indicating worry and the fact that she didn’t hear or wasn’t hearing me
“Dera I can hear you?. What’s the matter?” I answered, my voice showing profound fear. Silently I prayed it was something else not related to Vivian. But deep down I knew what she was about to say was about my Vivi.





She ended the call as she couldn’t hear me and I proceeded to call her back while sitting up on my bed.
“Hello Dera?” I asked when she picked
“Fury where are you? Vivian has just been shot by some people at the main gate o. Oh my God. I can’t believe this. Where are you?” She said and asked about my current location while sounding very dramatic
“I’m at home. Is she alright? I’m on my way” I said getting up from the bed. I wasn’t even interested in what she was saying again as I began regretting that my profession of love for her made her walk into her eventual demise.
“Don’t go there o.. She’s not there” I thought i heard her scream into the phone which I immediately dripped on the bed. I lounged back at the phone hoping she actually said what I thought I heard her say.
“What d’ you say?” I asked hoping I heard her right
“She’s not there. As the boys blocked her car and began shooting, shattering her windscreen in the process, she reversed and then accelerated forward, hitting and killing one of them in the process, a girl. My God. Fury I’m still shaking. The girl’s head just scattered eh. Come and see blood….” She kept narrating, which in a way was a good sign that Vivi was alive and perhaps unhurt too. But I had to be sure
“Dera calm down. Where’s Vivian now? Is she alright or hurt please talk to me?” I asked after cutting her short
“I don’t know if she’s hurt. I was on the pedestrian bridge by the small gate when it happened. I only saw her speed past. The boys took their colleague’s body and sped off too. People have deserted the area. I was actually just calling to tell you and to warn you to leave the house if you’re still there” She said nervously but with a tone of genuine concern and worry about me.






“Huh?” I said surprised. Being street naive with respect to rival cult clashes, I didn’t really get what she was driving at. I’m supposed to be safe at home after all right?. I wondered
“Fury comot for your house o… Abeg. We don’t know why she was attacked or by which group of people. As she don kill one of them so, make dem no find her go house. And you know you two aren’t just next door neighbors, you’re 5 and 6 and always together. In fact you drive her car more than her def. Who know whether na you Dem follow?” She explained with the last part if her statement carrying a cryptic question/message I instantly decoded.
While I was glad and believed strongly that Vivian was ok, her idea of me leaving my apartment finally made sense. Having lived my whole life in Calabar municipal, I had witness no cult attacks on students residence. All the story of cult groups attacking rivals at their residence came from Calabar South where Dera had lived (She was currently living on the other end of my street having upgraded).
“Thanks babe. I’m coming to your place now” I said. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go to at that instant,
“Nooo no no no” She protested. “Not my place I take God beg you Fury. I never reach to die. I no know wetin you or your girlfriend put hand inside or who una don mess with. Abeg I no want person to knock for my door dey ask questions wey I no go fit answer” She argued against my going over to her place. With thus statement, she confirmed my suspicion that she thought I was a cultist, and probably was the intended victim and not Vivian who was only a decent runs girl like herself, trying to earn a living.
“I get” I said. Before adding “It’s alright”
“Fury don’t get me wrong please. I’m just being careful. Na Calabar south I take begin life for Calabar and I know how..” She tried to defend her comment before I cut her short again
“No sweats babe. Thanks for the heads up” I said sounding and feeling betrayed by her statement. Her message was clear, and that was “Guy, you’re on your own”
What a feeling I felt. My misunderstanding with my dearest friend Vivian almost led her to her death. I was certain she was alive and okay then.




Now Dera off all people just told me to my face she thinks I’m a cultist, hence I’m not welcomed to her apartment. I should go bear my cross alone. It was now clear Dera’s friendship with me was only because it was was a ticket to a “decent” living. (Referring to Campus prostitution as decent in this context isn’t from a religious point of view)
Though it hurt me so bad, it was good to finally know Dera wasn’t really a friend as I had assumed. Typical of the female folk. I wasn’t even in trouble (or so I thought before I got a text message from Vivian), yet she was avoiding me like a plague. Meaning that we fvcked liked rabbits didn’t mean she truly cared. At best we were business partners, I needed her to service clients and recruit for me, while she needed me for my connections.


******

That would be the last long phone call I ever had with Dera again. And she quite never got over my terminating the relationship between us. It was important I had people who where not just close to me, but could go that extra mile as true friends. She would go on to apologize for the comment and her action. I forgave her sincerely, just that I never brought her close to myself again.
*****
I had suddenly left the thought and worry for Vivian and was now feeling hurt by Dera when a text message which now made me scared come into my phone.
“Thanks for saving my life. But you need to leave the house for a while. It’s me V”.
I dialed her number, it wasn’t reachable, then I dialed the one she sent me the message with, it was switched off. But now I was scared. So with my shuttle bag, laptop, Atm cards and wallet, I literally ran out of my apartment.
I took a cab and went into the city, far away from the university environs. I went over to the hotel where the Colonel in was lodged, hoping to see him. But his number wasn’t going through. I checked into their least priced room.
After about an hour locked in my room, I began to feel hungry. I hadn’t eating since the few slices of bread I had for breakfast. I decided to go down to the pool area and grab some junk food to eat. I was too scared to leave the hotel premises to my favorite restaurant in town. And just when I climbed down the stairs into the reception, I thought I saw Jane walking out.
“What in God’s name is Jane doing in a hotel at this hour looking so hot?” I wondered in my head smiling. I began to remember how Vivian always appeared to be the bad girl.





“So Jane dey fvck too?” I asked myself. “And she go dey do like say she never see J0yst!ck before, forming dyke”. I concluded. The time was actually a few minutes past 8pm. I almost called her name but decided against it. This was supposed to be a hideout.
“But mehn eh, nobody should trust these good girls o” I smiled to myself as I walked towards the opposite direction leading to the pool while remembering how Dera started. “Dis one own na coded runs I concluded”
My thoughts about Jane were just silly and prejudicial like the average male folk in these part of the world. Without seeing her with any man or riding any guy’s J0yst!ck, I had already jumped into the conclusion she was also into campus prostitution as a coded runs girl. I made this conclusion only because I saw her in a hotel.



*****
I would later call her the following day to say I was looking for Vivian after what happened. And she was so dramatic about the whole thing.