"kuga wait". I turned only to have her soft lips came crushing on mine…. This act was all the inspiration I needed to stay alive. I nodded before running from the grove, hoping the bastards will come after me and they did.
I heard them rampaging through virgin greens, boots crushing and breaking dry branches and twigs, slumming into the shallow mashes and splashing water…
The disturbance got terrestrial life spiral on an escape spree.
Running without any particular destination in mind, I got stuck under a big tree with creeping intertwine roots.
Excruciatingly, the pain shoot to my ferocious pumping heart. My left ankle locked in a narrow hole created by two interlocking roots, which I had the misfortune of stepping into.
I blew a silent air through my toothless hole in exasperated agony, for I couldn't cry, I might have twisted the ankle. Trying to free my leg only made matters worse.
I head movements, two different kinds of movements that got my internal radar on high alert.
One a slithery hissing movement of a snake no doubt. The other, was an approaching feet of a gunman out here to put a bullet in my brain.
I didn't know which one I dreaded most. it's like asking a man on death row to choose how he wanted to die…. "lethal injection, or firing squad?".
My answer is neither, yet here I was confronted with two deadly questions, the answers to which; I didn't want to ponder.
"now you listen spooky mouth, one life force governs the gaia, and in the gaia there is balance; panic and fear, destabilizes and create illusions in the reality of the gaia…
don't you panic now my boy, les your soul fall out of place, go into stillness in the eyes of thou greatest dread…"
granny's words came back to me in the eyes of my greatest dread, except that I couldn't stay still. I am stuck her without even a stone for a weapon.
four assassins on my tracks arm to the teeth. I here comes the approach of a hissing viper right above my head.
Out of options, I took a deep breath and close my eyes. In my mind's eye, I was sitting at the bottom of the creek in my garden slowing down my breath to be in sync with the Tao, hoping not to provoke the approaching viper.
"well, well, well, look who we got here, Spooky! the jaw breaker, except to day only one jaw gon break, only Spookys". Kogna said in a snigger, cocking his gun…
"look into my eyes Spooky, give me the honor man. Personally, I like you spooky, but hell! The offer was too profitable to refuse, and you know in our world we have so many mouth to feed…" Kogna said, hissed and spat a red colanut juice an inch from my free leg.
He took aim with 9mil ready to pull the trigger…
Want happen next was a surprise to both I and Kogna as I saw his eyes bulge in terror, and his feet buckle from beneath him. His out stretch hand went limb dropping the pistil to the wet ground half a yard from me.
He now had both hands on the spot of his neck where the viper had just bitten. I picked up the gun half a sec after it hit the ground. As Kogna went to down choking and gasping for breath.
Who would have thought destiny could be this twisted? A high price killer, a bloody hit man most dreaded in elite cycles, faced his unexpected doom in the hands of a gaboon in a lonely forest.
The irony gave me a toothless smile as I watch the dying man wiggle on the moist black earth, like the snake that did the job on him.
But there was no time to dwell in the petty victory, there are still three gunmen out there, and too helpless women depending on me.
I saw the last look Ruby gave me before I left and it spark in me a new strength. I pulling my leg from the damn hole again, but the endeavor seem futile.
I will chop the damn thing off of that's what it takes to get moving. Half a leg is better than to die. the pain nearly made me choose death instead as I felt raw skin peeling off around the ankle exposing white tendons, nerves and bones.
But my leg was finally free. I retrieved the Chuck Taylor converse sneaker I had stuck in the hole of misfortune, while sweeping the parameter with the 9mm in my right hand.
Another sharp pain surge through me as I hastily push my bleeding foot into the sneaker, lacing it firmly all the way up to serve as a makeshift support for my twisted ankle.
Another excruciating pain shot through me when I have my full weight pressed on it as I started to move, but it was to be the last.
"who made the call Kogna?". The dying man replied to my question with a cold stare. "that's what I thought Kogna". I stood up to leave.
"hep!help! hep mee!" Kogna called out to me on my fourth step. 'Damn kuga, don't you stop, keep moving'. "no spooky we can't let him die like this, perhaps a bullet to the brain will be swifter".
Shooting him will give off our current location.
Turning to the sweating pale face dyeing man, I crouch low and placed the cold nuzzle to his brain and whispered; "nothing personal Kogna".
I was about to pull the trigger but caught sight of the movement of the gaboon almost three yards away, now making its ultimate escape after having loss energy in the release of its venom.
Thanks and Sorry my dear friend, but I will need some of your juice to save the enemy… I trap the snake around the neck with a split stick, weakening it as it wiggles and coils around the stick venomously.
I extracted its venom beneath the canines on the upper jaw of the gaping mouth on to a leave before releasing it to go its way…
Then I got to work to help save Kogna, a man that will probably kill me at the slightest chance, but I hold the cards now, and I have had it up to my neck, any stupid move from him and I wouldn't hesitate sending him to his eternal abode.
Kogna knew this, hell, he looks at me with gratitude as I use his blade to slice open the puncture of the bite to sucked the poison.
Then crash some herbs along with the venom I had collected from the life snake earlier to prepare a temporal antidote.
It works as I saw color return to the pale eyes of Kogna, but I had his hands well restrained with his stripped torn shirt and his mouth gag with the same material.
He probably wouldn't make it, because the herb I used to mix the venom was just a placebo to give the man a fighting chance.
I tried to recollect how far I have run from Kate and Ruby's position. It wouldn't be that far for I hadn't been running for that long, maybe more than seven but less than ten minutes.
All this while I had my ears, nose and sixth sense casted to the wind, searching for even the slightest sound. Waiting to locate the movement of the enemy rather than giving away a sound that will lead them to me.
I head running feet closer to where I was hiding with Kogna now, silently I pressed the nuzzle of the gun to his skull, in case he wanted to make any sound. I was trying to understand why I risked saving Kogna.
Kogna looked at me in complete surrender, his peaceful face showing no alarm. Then we heard the voices… now two pair of boots were in the vicinity, so close any slightest movement from us and they will find our location.
In fact, they only have to look behind under darkness of the small grove where we have our bodies cloistered together.
"got anything on your side?" one asked the other. "naah, you heard of Kogna?" masked man asked. "naah, last I saw him, he headed this way" the other replied…
"damn, some creepy place out here, let's get moving man, Kogna is probably at the rendezvous waiting….". "what if he is not there?" masked man asked.
"then we get moving, Slash, we have already wasted enough time out here".
damn you Ziggy, now there is no doubt he is involved.
**†****†****†****†**
Kognas' men where long gone… and I freed him of his phone, spare magazines, jack knife, and a 1m long gruesome hunters knife.
Ungagging him, and picking up his dead iPhone Xplus. I pressed the switch on button and it came alive.
"what is your four-digit pin code Kogna?". "SPOO" he replied. I couldn't help but laugh at the man. "really Kogna…haha. I didn't know I am a living legend to a renown killer…"
I immediately disable the location and called my own line immediately, "hello ruby, this is spooky. How is Kate?... "no Ruby, don't call the police, stay tight I am coming to get you.
"now back to you Kogna,". I stared down at the tracking map that led the man to my location, the first thing I did seen when I first retrieved the phone from him.
"how come you are able to track me with this Kogna?"
"are you so dumb spooky? Man, I have always known them suits and officers gon dull your razor sharp mind!"
This got my mine racing as I start searching myself, till I found it in one of my pockets, it was so small one could barely notice it.
A tracking device who could have done that? It was planted at the hospital but by who or ..? I didn't even want to consider the other possibilities. nothing was beginning make sense.
"who sanction the hit on me Kogna, I am running out of patients." I cocked the pistol.
"you aren't gon pull tha trigger spooky". he laughed.
"and what makes you think so Kogna". "cuz you need me man, but you are so scared to set me free, you don't know whether I can be trusted." He said shrewdly.
I landed him two hard punches on the face, "nice try Kogna. Now repeat your statement again, cuz I didn't hear you the first time".
He spat out a bloody tooth and smile at me with a hooded eye, "oh spooky, you want me to look toothless like you now, aint that right?". He said and scoffed.
Another punch got him sprawling on the ground. 'Stop now kuga before you kill the fool, don't let him play with your emotions….'
"is it Ziggy?". he shakes his head.
"you listen to me now spooky. If them boys don't see me anytime soon, they gon becoming with a whole gang.
Men, I heard boys call me brother, but none will dare sucked gaboon venom from my bloody neck. Hell, you brought me back from the jaws of death spooky, and no amount of your beating can make me honor you as a brother to the death.
Now either you free me of this shackles, and let me help you nailed these bustards or just pull the trigger on me let me kiss by bloody ass goodbye…". Kogna locked gazes with me, and I saw no treachery what so ever.
Life is about taking risks, I will be damn if I feed this man, but I seem to have no other option. I will be watching his every move anyway.
After freeing the man, he did something a didn't expect… he locked shoulders with me in a firm hug. And in that fleeting moment, I knew I have a killer as a brother.