Timi had been training really hard. He was committed to his training and his studies. He made sure that everything his Uncle had told him four days ago, when he tried to scare him with a knife and poke at his inexperience of life, affected him positively and not otherwise. He was on a mission, not just for revenge but also to prove his Uncle wrong. He wasn't weak, he wasn't a naive, impulsive, little boy, he knew he was capable and he would show his uncle just how much.
Today, Timi was trained in hand-to-hand combat by his uncle. It was a challenging session and Timi was pushed really hard by his uncle, but he stayed strong and pulled through.
Later, at night, they both sat outside, eating dinner and staring at the stars. There was a little campfire in their middle as they sat opposite each other.
"You did well today boy," Uncle Kayode remarked.
"You're getting faster and stronger every day. I think it's time I start showing you some more advanced moves."
"I'd like that Uncle, but when will you teach me how to shoot?" Timi asked staring into the fire.
"We'll start working with guns when you've mastered the basics of hand-to-hand combat."
"Well, until then."
They both sat there silent for a while, looking at the fire and slowly eating. The silence was very awkward and Timi decided to start a conversation.
"Uncle?"
"Yes?"
"I know didn't leave the military on the best of terms. You retired quite earlier than most, why is that?"
Uncle Kayode sat up straight, put down his food and rubbed his hand over his face.
"What I'm about to tell you, Timi, I haven't told anyone else since I left the military."
"At a young age, I was already a captain. I had my own squad and through my leadership, we were the most successful unit at the time. We were the best"
"It seemed like there was nothing we couldn't accomplish until we were informed about a new terrorist, he was called ABDEL NOUR. He was the scum of the earth. He had this twisted concept that the Nigerian people did not respect the world and he would be our leading light to pull us out of our darkness and liberate the world from our neglectful habits."
"He kidnapped women and children, he strapped bombs on them and used them to destroy schools and churches and prominent buildings". "My team was activated with the mission of taking him and his operation down. When I was briefed on the mission and who I was dealing with, I was consumed by anger and hatred for this man, for what he had done, for the women and children he had killed, for the soldiers that had fallen in their attempt to stop him."
Uncle Kayode looked like he was remembering the worst time of his life and Timi was very interested to hear more about what happened next.
"We received some seemingly 'reliable intel' of ABDEL NOUR's location and me and my team moved in to either apprehend or eliminate him. We were outside his safehouse and I was instructed by my superiors to not engage until we confirm that Nour was inside," He said and sat up straight.
"I was impatient, I let my emotions blind me and instead of sending a lone soldier to survey the building, I instructed my team to attack first and confirm later. I didn't want to wait because I was afraid that Nour would realize we were there and find a way to escape us. We threw in a couple of gas bombs to conceal our position and we attacked, shooting at some terrorists who shot back at us but we killed them all.
"But, when the gas cleared, Abdel Nour wasn't there but his kidnapped victims were. Women and children, all dead. There were more than fifty of them and they were all dead. We..... I, killed them. I let my anger and hatred for this terrorist blind me and made a terrible decision that cost the lives of innocent people. My thirst for retribution lead me astray and I was too ashamed of what I had done, I left the army and in an attempt to clear my conscience, I joined the N.I.A but it wasn't enough"
"I'm so sorry Uncle, I didn't know." Timi was completely stunned.
"I still have nightmares to this day. I see them dieing, I hear their screams and their ghosts haunt me and since then, I haven't had a good night's sleep." "Don't be like me, Timi. Don't let rage and hatred fuel your heart or else you'll do more harm than good and in your attempt to kill a monster, you'll end up becoming one yourself."
"I'm not you Uncle and this is a very different situation. I'm not going to accidentally kill women and children. The only person I'll kill is the man who killed my brother and anyone who may try to protect him from me."
Timi got up and went to bed thinking about Uncle Kayode's story and wondered if he should heed his uncle's advice. Maybe revenge was a bad idea, maybe it'll be better to give the police a description of Ayo's shooter and pray that they catch him, maybe his life would be happier if he let go of his anger and moved on.
As he considered everything, his mind drifted off to Shade and he fell asleep thinking of her and their possible future together if he was to abandon his revenge.
As Timi slept, his mind was fully awake and he dreamt about Ayo. In his dream, he and Ayo were running side by side, smiling and enjoying the outdoors. All of a sudden, the bright sky was darkened and the sun was lost in a thick blanket of clouds.
Timi and Ayo stopped running and stood in one spot, scared by the change of weather. The ground beneath them opened up and Ayo tripped and fell but Timi grabbed his hand and held him right on the edge of the cliff. There was hot lava beneath the cliff and Ayo was slipping from Timi's grip.
"Timi, please help me," Ayo pleaded with tears in his eyes.
"I've got you, Ayo," Timi assured him.
Timi pulled him out of the edge and got him back on solid ground. They both lay on the ground breathless and Timi stood up and gave his hand to Ayo to help him up as well.
As he helped Ayo to his feet, he smiled at him and said, "I'm always going to be here for you brother, just like you're always going to be here for me."
As they stood there smiling at each other, a figure materialized in front of Timi and slowly transformed into the guy that killed Ayo. The killer put his hands into his jacket and pulled out a gun and pointed it at Ayo. Timi then found himself locked in a glass box and was hitting the box repeatedly trying to get out to help Ayo, who was standing right on the edge of the cliff. The killer shot and Ayo fell into the pit of larva at the bottom of the cliff.
"Noooo, Ayo!!!" Timi screamed and woke up from his sleep, breathing frantically and covered in sweat.
"No, I can't. I won't stop. I won't let him live his life while you stay dead. I'll find him and I'll end him. I promise you, Ayo, I promise."