Stop there right now if you move i blow your brains out!!!" A commanding thundering roar barked at us at the same time the clicking cluck sound of a corked gun.
"Chimooo… !!!" my mind shouted as i froze sharply in my clutching posture.
Ebuka and Dave whimpered and slowly made to move again and the voice came again
"I said if you move one step mister man you are dead, i can see all of you now get up slowly with your hands in the air!!!" this time every drop of shivering seriousness was in the voice, the cold mean look of the gun was posted sharply on my mind.
I imagined the sharp long muzzle of an AK-47 pointing at us now ready to blow out at any little mistake.
We slowly but steadily lifted our weights to embrace the full image of the security guard who stood solidly like a few yards away pointing a double barrelled gun at us and even though i couldn't make out his face in the darkness i was sure they wore a fierce and dark doom.
* * * * * * * * *
Today was a very bleak one, i slept through the night like a chicken having some nonsensical dreams and waking up at short intervals.
I don't know exactly but what happened the night before with Agatha and princess left me disturbed with an untold grip of an alien melancholy feeling and a sense of guilt i couldn't place.
"So your mummy don come back naaaa" Dave threw at me grinning hard as he raised his eye brow up high!!
"Mummy kwa?" i retorted still maintaining a lazy eyes like someone just waking up, the morning was heavy and our hall was already buzzing and swimming with students going to take their morning baths.
It was a saturday so i can stay in bed till Methuselah dies again nobody cares.
"guy you mumu ooo" Dave said laughing.
"Eeeeehn yes your mummy, mrs Diamond jooor ewu!!!" he blew out falling into his bed laughing at my not so funny facial expression..
"Dave no deh joke with that kind thing, you know am not going over the fence tonight because she is still in lisbon. No deh pull that kind prank abeg" I warned.
"Shut up biko!!! she is back" he insisted
I got up and sat on the bed eyes now fully opened and sparkly..
"Dave no joke give me oo who told you?" I asked
"Miss Lola called Ebuka today and asked him not to fail coming with you today because Mrs D just touched down to Nigeria and is dying to meet you..
I called at Ebuka who was busy snooping on his phone, still focused on the shiney white phone he strolled down to my bunk..
"Guy is it true Mrs Diamond just got back from Lisbon?" I asked before he got to my bunk fully.
He dropped his phone and looked towards me for the first time.
"Oh sky, i even forgot. Yes Miss lola called to ask me to come with you tonight that Mrs Diamond is back and was asking for you"
I jumped and landed on my bed giggling hard to myself, nothing beats the wonders and cash that is incoming for me tonight..
The flush of unsure bleak feeling i had just vanished like a wave, my mind was set on the prize to be won tonight.
Heading towards the football pitch to watch the evening training of the school team that trains every saturday evening, i wore a huge smile and a dreamy eyes looking forward tonights adventure.
Not even Vincent chubby fat arms having my head tucked into it's smelly underneath could snap me out of my jovial mood.
Victors hard snare and where the hell did he get that eye glass. this guy is just a clown, does he think wearing small sparkly glasses makes him look smarter or intelligent.
"Complete moron" I cursed under my breathe remarkably still wearing my smile.
Princess' innocent swollen eye looks wasn't enough, she looked like she has been cutting some juicy onions all day with those red bulged eyes.
Even Agathas pestering as she couldn't just focus on the training that seemed exciting, but kept dragging me from one nonsensical talk to another.
The evening went by swimmingly, a sumptuous dinner of egusi soup and garri with reasonable amount of meat.
I ate and walked like in a dream, mind far away into the venture of the night. The cold night sipped in, starry and a blurry moon smeared thick hazy filter of dim scattering low lights.
"Psssssssssst" I heard a hiss, that was Ebuka who was standing in front of his bed all kitted up.
I looked at him and he pointed toward his wrist, i jolted up immediately and gave Dave two hard spanks on his buttock to tell him its time.
The demands and wishful hopes of the boys sipped in, am sure i promised Lucky that i would be coming back with a lot of canned beer and eatable snacks.
The hall way and refectory maneuver was as easy as it goes and so was the kitchen that saw us into the open back.
Squatting to reasonable concealing sizes we crawled through the night towards the west wing fence.
"Now three of you raise your hands up high in the air this second and take little steps forward" The thundering bark soared out again.
The severity of our condition registered into my mind like a block staggering truth.
I could still make out the blank sad faces and heavy eyes Harison, tunde and Ngozi Ibe wore the day they were expelled in the full glare of the entire school.
Ngozi was already wiping streamy hot tears off her face as the police led the three out of the podium to get their stuffs and the soul piercing "Eeeeeeh!!!" "Aaaaaaah" and murmuring chatter of the scared excited students.
Could picture myself, Dave and Ebuka taking our own walk of shame down the podium after our expulsion was announced to the school amidst the usual ceremonies.
Papa's face looked sad, bleak and pale. I could see raging tears within his soul that it quaked my very fabrics as i stood in front of him at home holding my luggage with a bowed face.
Mama's sobs tore my heart to shreds as she kept ringing constantly "I told you, i told you nwam"
And princess? she would say she saw it coming and i deserved it.
Victor? Oh God his smirking happy face was too clear and the secret mocking "bye" signs he threw at my retreating shamed figure.
Vincent? That one would be my undoing, i could stale people back in the street about my sudden return, but once Vincent gets back i could swear he would tell and ruminate the news to more people than CNN would ever dream of and that would make "Sky" a house hold name in our area.
"Sky move now" Dave's panicking voice whisper-shout into my numb frame.
My wits returned and the situation kept unfolding by the minute, the severity was overwhelming.
"Now three of you stand there and keep your hands in the air"
The now bossy voice commanded.
We walked into his pointed out space, stood like three condemned criminals with our hands high up in the air.
I watched with shivering lips and heavy eyes as he fiddled with the heavy sweater he wore, the darkness made it more of an audio show than a visual one.
Only the shadowy figure move around as his hands searched inside of his sweater which made baggy crisp sounds.
"Now let me see their faces, idiots that won't face their studies busy snooping around like witches" He said to himself as a flash light went on.
The blinding light bathed my face giving my eyes a tough time to adjust.
"Oh my God! This quiet one too? Wonders will never end" He exclaimed as he peered into my face with the touch light.
shook his head and proceeded to Dave who looked more like a trapped rat. My heart sank into my stomach and a bitter taste filled my mouth.
"Eheee this idiot, i knew it was a matter of time before your mischievous and carefree self got you into trouble" He sang on ascertaining Dave's identity.
"Aaah Ebus, is this you?" He queried Ebuka who tilted his face forward a bit.
"Yes na Mazi it is me oo" Ebuka blurted out excitedly.
I looked at Dave and he looked at me, still hands stretched in a high manner.
"Chai Ebus my man wetin you deh do na?" He asked Ebuka now replacing his torch into one of the labyrinth of pockets.
"Mazi, na bread we wan go butter ooo, make we reason aside abeg" Ebuka intoned still pensive.
They went towards a corner and after some short whispers ebuka started walking towards Dave and i.
"Sky, Dave make una drop hands biko. How much una carry there?" He enquired.
Slowly dropping my hands still wearing a lost guilty eyes i dipped my hands into my pocket.
"Na only 10k i carry here o" I said
"Na 8k deh my pocket now" Dave followed.
"Oya both of you give me 5k each" Ebuka said bringing out some wad of cash from his pocket.
Collecting the money together he went back to the tall dark figure who stood in the corner.
In a little while i heard some slappy hand shake "Ebus you know say na only you be my paddy for this side" Mazi sang out at Ebuka who was grinning towards us.
"Oya boys make una begin go, i get una back for base" He said merrily, peeked around a bit and motioned us to be on our way with a waving hand.
"Choi Ebuka you be winch" I praised as we crept out of the fence.
"I never knew it was even the funny security man mazi, his roars were out of the world" Dave said.
"Yea me too, Mazi seem very jovial in this school but his commanding roars and professional English tonight was simply unexpected" I replied.
"Those security guys are really scary as soon as it's dark, ebus how you take manage that guy?" Dave asked.
"I helped him with 20k sometime ago he lamented he needed to send something home to his family ever since but had nothing, we have been good friends ever since"
Ebuka said moving on towards the road.
"Na God save person today say you na im man" i said.
we jumped into the night and into the night's adventure…