The week had been quite fraught, the happenings; demanding, but the results; utterly exhilarating. Their status had formerly been changed; from boys hustling in the hood and managing what ever came to them, to those who would take the bull by the horn and win at all cost.
Nonso had officially become a sex offender; an incestophile against his own sister, and Cyril had become a murderer. The thought of the things that transpired through the past week kept them awake. Cyril especially was unable to sleep, the night only brought memories of his once-before lover; Veronica. Every time he tried to close his eyes, he would only see vividly what had happened that night.
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It had been two days since anyone had heard from Veronica, her parents had called her friends at school to find out why she hasn't been answering their calls
They couldn't give a definite answer so Mr. Bayo Olumide decided to visit the school and get the answer for himself.
Mr. Olumide worked as a 'customs officer grade 1' at the Nigeria Customs service.
He was a hardworking man and tried his best to fend for his family .
He got to the school at 10:00 in the morning, he went straight to her hostel.
At the hostel he met Veronica's friends and course mates. He asked them where his daughter was, they said they didn't know. He alerted the school authorities and the police about his daughter. The police arrested two of Veronica's friends who shared the same room with her.
At the police station they revealed that Veronica had gone on a date with one of her boyfriend and that since then she had not come back. The police relayed the information to her father.
"Mr Olumide we have new information concerning your daughter's where about, her friends disclosed that she had gone on a date with one of her boyfriend called Cyril and since then she hasn't been back."
Mr. Olumide was thunderstruck.
" One of her boyfriend, then how many does she have?" He asked.
"Did they tell you were they went to on this date of theirs? I'm sure that little rascal has my daughter."
"They gave us an address of the hotel they had gone, our team are on their way there as we speak. We shall find your daughter sir, just calm down."
At the hotel the police detective on the case met with the manager of the hotel and asked him if he had any information about two young individuals that may have spent the night at the hotel two days ago.
"We are not allowed to divulge our clients information" the manager said
" but because this is a case of a missing person, we shall help. We make sure every of our clients writes their names and signs at the front desk before they are offered any service."
They walked to the front desk, sat was a lady of about twenty-five. They asked her to give them information of everyone that lodged at the hotel two days ago and especially anyone with the name Cyril.
"There's one person with the name Cyril" she said.
"Actually a phone was found in the room after the customers had exited the building."
She presented the phone to them, they turned it on and boom; Veronica's picture as the screen saver.
The police went to the room and investigated but found nothing because the cleaners had tidied the room the morning after Cyril had left the hotel.
They asked every worker who was present If anyone knew or had information that could be helpful. The gate man was the last to be asked, since he kept close to the gate surely he may have seen Cyril and Veronica when they came in and when they left.
"Hello" the detective said to the gate man.
"We have a few questions we may like to ask you. Do you recognise anyone in this picture."
They showed him a picture of Veronica first and then Cyril's after. Immediately he saw Cyril's photo his countenance changed.
"I recognise the guy" he said.
" he was here two days ago with his girlfriend, at around 12:00 in the middle of the night he came down to meet a driver he had called. I asked them what they were doing and he told me that his girlfriend was sick and had to be taken to the hospital urgently. I assisted them in carrying the lady into the car the driver brought and from the way I saw her she was truly not well."
"Thank you" the detective said
"but tell me which way did they follow.
He gave them the direction they had taken.
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Cyril had woken up with a fright, something was chasing him and he couldn't see its face but he knew it was something familiar.
"What kind of a dream is this?" He asked himself.
He had eagerly been waiting for his next task, he was anticipating it to be easier than the first. All through the day he had wondered why Nonso's task was easy - just getting hair and a handkerchief.
"Well the greater the sacrifice the bigger the pay" he said to calm himself.
His second task had finally been revealed not like he anticipated but definitely doable and the instructions had been clear.
He had the next seven days to perform his task. He picked up his cell phone and dialled Nonso's number.
{Meanwhile}
Nonso had also gotten to know his task and it crushed him even more than the first. His first task had taken him to his mother's door and he had committed an abomination. Now the second even worse and he had seven days to accomplish it.
Amidst his brooding, his cell phone rang; he answered the call.
"Nonso how far na, your mission don clear?"
"My brother yes ooo, this one go hard me small ooo."
"Oboy no worry just try am, remember say na you put me through this thing. No come be coward on the way ooo."
"I go try, my bro."