It was twilight when we entered the city of Accra, on a Friday evening. It took us an hour and a half in traffic to hit the motorway and sped east all to Tema- free zone, where wodmax and DedRox where located.
The tax rate in this area is hundred percent but the companies had a comparative advantage, this is the market place where it all goes down, all the big giants in the country are here, form oil refineries, textiles, oil and gas, power plants, steel and aluminum companies, to chocolate and beverages.
This is where the big bucks where made.
"
..I know you don't need any direction to Wodmax?".
"Yah spooky, work the place for ten years as a dock guy, except the place has change somewhat, so many new companies in the last few years".
"it a gamble Kogna, I am hoping the woman will still be at the office although its already seven pm. she closes late on Fridays, alright turn of the light and pull over, we are in lack, her car is still there at the parking lot, now we wait."
her to move then we follow her home."
It was not long before Diana came out, and drove out of the fence through the security post.
she handed some bills to the smiling happy security guard on night duty and out into the one way road leading to the main road .
We came to two conclusions three miles on the tracks of the woman. either she spotted us and was trying to lose us or she was heading towards my area, and we both arrived at one conclusion. Diana is going to see Shanaz, my nextdoor neighbor.
we took the lead to my condo in the lonely isolated area in the outskirts of Dowenya, few miles away from free zone.
we pack the car more than three hundred yards away and walk the rest of the distance on foot.
we approach my place through the back yard into the garden and not from the front.
Entering my own place like a thief felt infuriating. No man deserves to live this way.
Good lord, I miss the place, seeing the creek shimmer in the bright half-moon light brought to me great memories in this same garden.
"take the right flanks Kogna let me take the left, don't go all the way to the front, then we wait and see what happens, whether we can make any sound, within the house or outside the house."
I stare down at the new key ruby had handed over to me, our last contact before we part ways in near tears, she had cling to me sobbing in my room, claiming she had a bad feeling about all this.
Demm the whole thing is bad enough, and man can't just sit around and do nothing.
Then we heard it; the gate to my place opening and sliding to the side, another surprise for the night.
I took the opportunity of the gate sound as a cover sound to open the door that instant.
Then glide into the room, scuffing to the front door, jack knife ready.
**********†***†********
Diana open the door and her prized cologne seeped into the room instantly taking over the whole space.
"don't touch the light switch Diana, hand to me your bag, and placed your two hands on the wall, make any silly move and I will shoot you."
"I am glad you alive Kuga, good lord I thought they had you…".
"is this how you want to play it Diana? More games hah! Now tell me, are you expecting anyone?"
"no Kuga, someone is expecting me." at that I felt a cold metal press against my nape from behind, "drop your weapon, on the count of three, two…"
'Do it spooky, don't try anything silly', "demm, I am tired of being silly Kuga'.
I never let the counting reach two before I launch my unexpected attack, swinging free from the line of fire as I dug under the arm behind me, grabbing it by the wrest as I turned 180°anti clock wise, slicing through the armpit of the outstretched arm, causing the gun to fell to the ground.
His mistake had been his presumption that my weapon is a gun.
Diana had switched on the hall light quickly enough to see my location, .37 caliber in hand pointing to my forehead three yards away as I stooped to pick up the gun of the fallen man, who now had his left hand clasp around his armpit in an attempt to stop the blood flow.
"stay right there on your knees Kuga, any slightest move and I will and drill a hole on your skull".
She said and kick the gun away from my grasp to the bleeding man on the floor and he picked up struggling to stand up, and looking very pale.
"showing me your true colors now right Diana, why not pull the trigger and be done with it."
"shut up! will you?". "shut up! in my own house? Come on now Diana."
Demm what is taking kogna so long?
"shanaz! What a surprise brother, been a longtime, never did I thought we will meet under such awkward circumstances, I thought we were very good neighbors?".
"what is the secret code to your safe deposit box buried under the kitchen sink?" Shanaz asked gruffly.
"from a snitch to an arm robber, quite an upgrade man, tell me what they did to twist you against your own kind shanaz, is it about the cash? Name your…".
"what is the secret code spooky?" Shanaz asked again looking exhausted, perhaps from the loss of blood.
Diana was now looking at me with predatory eyes, the eyes of a raven, this is not the first time she did this, the woman holding the gun is a professional, and will pull the trigger without any squabbles.
She is going to do it, I thought to myself as I saw her finger movement around the trigger.
The sudden blast of gun shots inside and outside the house, got me confused for a while.
then I felt hot pain on my thigh as Shanaz went down with a look of shock on his frozen face.
Diana's gun was still steaming with smoke, pointing to where Shanaz was standing.
The fallen man stared blankly into space in a pull of blood. But I could sense his fingers moving.
Kogna had company outside, the ragtag of fire exchange said it all, "are you here with someone?", Diana asked and I nodded.
"get whatever you have in that safe and let's head out, right now, we don't have time," she added in desperation. "and what makes you think I will do that Diana."
"you will do it because I have the gun and your life in my hands. Get moving now."
Demm there was no time to spare, she was the one with the gun, and soon Kogna will be out of ammunition, Diana is the only available option, survival first.
"there is nothing in here," I heard my own exasperated voice as I watch the empty safe stare back at me.
"okay, then let's get moving," Diana said
as we pass through the back door leading to the garden.
"Move where Diana?". " will you stop talking and get on with it? you keep waisting my time and I will shoot and go my way".
"what are you running from Diana?".
"to the wall now!" She said and handed me the M19 she took from the cold hands of Shanaz.
I felt like we're acting a movie.
whoever was out there, Diana didn't want them to catch up with us. I could just shoot her, but she knows I wouldn't.
I limb to the side of the building were Kogna was busy at work. " we got to go.."
"take the lead spooky, I will be right behind you" he said as he empties his magazine into the darkness in the wide expanse of the front yard, and I heard a man grunt in pain less than fifty yards away and fell to the ground as his comrades return fire in our direction.
I limb towards the seven feet wall which Diana was now scaling without any trouble.
The gun shots were coming closer now, as Kogna exploded in a run from his position, rampaging through the garden towards my position returning fire in the direction of the gun men in his wake.
I position myself with the M19, took a lousy aim and empty four bullets forcing the two men chasing Kogna to dug under for cover. I was only hoping I wouldn't shoot Kogna by mistake with my sweating unsteady hands.
"climb the wall man, let's roll," Kogna said as he drew closer, "you are bleeding from a nasty one on the thigh spooky, get your hands on the wall let me push you up."
I heard running feet again from the direction the men took cover earlier still shooting at us, as I reach the top of the wall, my heart pumping furiously.
Sitting on the altitude, I could see movement of the silhouettes of the assailants, about three or four of them.
I kept shooting at them till Kogna made his escape over the wall to the other side.
Two bullets from the assailants' hiss passed me, the third didn't, it went through my right biceps as I fall from the wall to the ground outside the garden, where Kogna and Diana now held each other at gun point.
"don't shoot Kogna, I am with you".
In that very instant a head pop up above the wall, trying to climb over, but a shot from Kogna got him right on the head, there was not even a cry from the dead man now hanging on the wall, dancing his last dance to the next life.
"damn you Kogna, you blew up his skull," I said with horror at the gruesome sight, I knew the image will stay with me forever.
"that could have been any of us. welcome to my world Spooky".
Diana and Kogna came to my side speedily to help me stand up, each gave me a shoulder as we made our way into the shrubs, making enough noise to give our location to the hunters but there was no other way.
We pause every now and then hoping to sense any movements aside from ours, but there was none, that last shot by Kogna might have scared them off.
"Where to?", Kogna asked as he sped away. "when we hit the main road, head straight to Ada," Diana replied as I begin to drift into darkness, I tried very hard to stay conscious but the darkness seem to engulf me and I welcome it;
It seems to become my home anyway, and I was getting used to it, one day I know I will go and not return back to this despair, this life, this misery, the burden of living.