Must Read: The Brand Of X - Season 1 - Episode 3

6 years ago

Must Read: The Brand Of X - Season 1 - Episode 3

' I will wait for you' Charles said.

His chocolate skin glowed calmly in the dim light of his cab. It was just another evening to make ends meet, little did he know that the evening would change his story_forever.

'Okay. Give me five minutes' His passenger replied as she slammed the door. Her penchant physique cast a shadow on the grey coloured Honda.

Her accent was western Nigerian and Ben snared from the distance he hid. He never liked Yorubas. They were the hardest to please. Even his gang , the ' Kvng Nazis' comprised mostly of the Afonjas.

Charles tapped away on the steering wheel, when Ben surfaced from the corner he hid.

**--#
He had curled himself in an uncompleted building after the gun incident. He had fled the scene and took refuge in the building. He tied his arm with a piece of clothing, torn out of his polo. He had forced himself to sleep.

The noise of the Taxi when it pulled over had roused him up. He observed the streets, the lights, the passers-by and the encroaching darkness.
***#--*

Ben made way to the taxi at the exit of the lady into a building.

Charles jumped up in his sit with fear and his heart entered his anus. He would have admitted he saw a ghost but that would sound stupid. A zombie maybe; neither; but something else : Fear.

Ben hopped into the back seat. He leaned forward. His body ached all over and his intestines ate him up. He tried to hide it, but he knew the driver sensed something.

'Drive' Ben said as he slammed the door shut.

' I said drive' he repeated.

'Where ? ' The semi-confused taxi man said ' I can't just... Wait.. I mean who are you? Where did you pop out from?

' Since when did taxi drivers care about their passenger's history? Ben replied.

He sq££zed his eyelids in agony. His bloodshot eyes blinked faster than they closed. His upper right arm and left leg were heavy. He wondered if the ATs worked.

Why was he dizzy?

' Nothing personal. The moment demands it, man' the driver said ' I'm waiting on another'

Ben said he was aware. He offered to pay double the amount. Even triple.

' You got money? The driver queried.

'I'll pay you. Just drive'

' How? Look , you can't just burst out of the sky and order me. You appear to be in trouble. Fine. But you are more like one who escaped hell, man. ' He paused ' how am I sure that you are not a demon?'

Ben continued ' I will pay you in full . I promise'

The taxi driver ordered him out of his car. He threatened to drive straight to the police. Ben knew was being honest.

However, he wished he could snap his neck and cart away with his car. It was easy , he had done it before. That would be nice if he had an alternative- flying maybe! But someone had to drive.

' You got a family? Ben asked him under a laboured breathe.
He pointed to a portrait in the pidgin hole.

' Man are you kidding me? Well yes. My wife Jasmine. That's my daughter , Liz ; the young man under my embrace' he pointed a finger to the portrait' that's my young Tyson. His name is Tayo'.

Another afonja. Ben thought, no wonder.

He said ' they are adorable'

' Thank you. Now get out of my car. The police are crawling evrywhere , in search of a criminal or suspect of a murder or God knows what he did. I can't have you in here, with...I mean' he gestured with his arm ' You have blood all over you, man'

Ben begged him.

' Who is after you and why is your life in danger?

' I don't know' he paused ' atleast not yet. That's why I have to find out. Who '

The man asked Ben how he came about the scratch on his arm. He wanted to know what had happened.

"I was hit by a stray bullet' Ben said.

The man raised his eyebrow. He was in a state of shock.
He asked Ben if he was the suspect the police were looking for.

' So you killed that young lady. It was you..I should have known' the driver said and tried to escape.

' Wait!!! Wait!! I didn't do it' Ben said ' like I told you - a stray bullet brushed my arm'

* Charles told him to turn himself in , to the police and explain.

' I can't '

Charles tilted his head and figured out there was more to this than he expected.

' Tell me why' he said and focused on the strange man in his car.

' Because I just got bailed. I can't go back in there. Its my girlfriend's birthday in 24 hours and I haven't seen or heard from her in five days. I need to.. ' He paused ' I was framed and arrested. It was a hit that went wrong. We- my home boys and I- realised in the nick of time that we had been led into a trap. Someone had to create a diversion ' He noticed Charles listening with great attention. He continued ' I took the bait, got arrested and I lied that I had stolen the phone as a means of revenge. That mine got missing in same manner. Truth was that it fell off when I fled, it must have fell somewhere. I can't remember where. So , it was a perfect excuse. ' He stopped to catch his breathe.

' I need to locate my home boys and warn them. Somebody is out to eliminate us. They probably think I'm dead and will take out my friends, one by one''

' Wait' Charles said ' who is the 'we '? I mean your friends . Who are they?