OMNISCIENT
Despite the death penalty placed on armed robbery, the high unemployment rate in the country continued to have direct links to its increasing rate. And because these robbers knew that once they were caught, it was either the hangman's rope or firing squad, they tended to operate with brute force. This meant killing anyone, especially uniformed personnel (police/army) in their way. The armed forces had been having a running battle with robbers, with a notorious Chris Craig reigning supreme and topping the wanted men list.
But by the late 80s and the dawn of the '90s, a new social vice was added to the list of crimes giving the police a headache. Only this time around, it had the backing of the political class."Cultism"
Backtracking to the year 1963, a group of seven friends had formed the Kraken (Sea Dogs) Confraternity at the elite University College, Aztec. According to their observation, the university was populated with wealthy students who were associated with the colonial powers and a few poorer students, who strived in manner and dress to be accepted by the more advantaged students. It was also noted that campus social life was being dictated according to tribal affiliation.
One of the founders noted that the Krakens aimed at differentiating themselves from a "stodgy establishment and its pretentious products in a new educational institution different from a culture of hypocritical and affluent middle-class, different from alienated colonial aristocrats".
With membership open to any promising male student (regardless of tribe or race) who must have passed stringent selection processes, the confraternity was very popular. For almost 20 years, it remained the only confraternity on the regional campuses.
But in the year 1983, a group of students who were expelled from the Krakens for failing to meet expected standards, went ahead to found the Vikings Confraternity (Sea Lords).
It is said that the primary reason for the creation of new confraternities was the fact that members of the new groups simply did not meet the high academic and intellectual standards set by their parent group, and thus considered the original organization to be elitist. As a result, different cult groups began to emerge without checks from relevant authorities. One such cult group was the "Knight Crew" confraternity at the University of Aztec.
In the initial stages, there were no confrontations between rival groups as all of them went about their businesses mindful of the other. But as time proceeded, confrontations began with rival group members clashing. It wasn't long before dangerous weapons were introduced to settle old scores, leading to the death of members.
As members metamorphosed into dreaded monsters, the school authorities saw them as answers to insolent lecturers and student union leaders. Students and lecturers alike who questioned the authorities were usually intimidated or summarily executed gruesomely by these monsters, on the orders of the authorities who provided them protection or cover.
And by the time the elections of the late 80s came to play, the political class had seen in them willing tools for the intimidation or murder of their oppositions. At the end of the elections, weapons given to these students by the politicians were left with them. With these items in their possession, they intimidated, harassed, maimed, or killed (rival) students, and lecturers while some engaged in armed robbery and drug peddling.
Students were intimidated or coerced into becoming members, with a preference for students from rich homes. This brings us to three friends named Elvis, Oscar, and Chucky.
Elvis Ellsworth is the first child of Mrs. Martha, a popular woman in Dauda who owned the popular southern Cantina (or Native) restaurant. His dad who was a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science University of Aztec, was murdered by a suspected cultist in his office 7 years ago when he was in JSC3. The only child of his parents, his mom had worked so hard establishing herself so she could see him through the university. However, three years after the death of his father, his mother found love and took in another man.
Gaining admission to study Mechanical engineering at the University of Aztec, Elvis became friends with Oscar and Chucky.
Oscar is the son of a wealthy Aztec Minister while Chucky is the son of an Aztec-based millionaire businessman from the East. Both Oscar and Chucky had been friends from FGC Vi Island, where they were involved in all known and unknown vices associated with boarding schools.
Oscar and Chucky became members of the "Knight Crew" confraternity right from their first year at the university. Elvis had avoided the spotlight as the son of Dr. Ellsworth, the lecturer who was murdered in his office. But by his second year after he had become friends with Oscar and Chucky with them realizing his identity, they began to coerce him into becoming a member of the Knight Crew. He was promised vengeance for the murder of his dad, who according to them, was killed by a rival gang on the orders of a lecturer known to them.
As much as he wanted vengeance, he never fancied cultism. But what he hated most was the sight of his mother's lover always coming around to sleep with his mother on his dad's bed. The thought that she even had a kid for the man disgusted him to the high heavens. But he finally made up his mind to join the group a month ago, when he came home for the weekend and saw his mother had bruises all over her body. Her lover had beaten her. His reason was to avenge his father and then deal with the lover man.
He had passed the first two stages of his initiation rites which involved getting drilled and taking a blood covenant. The final stage of his initiation had to do with embarking on a difficult and dangerous task. He was presented with four different tags and asked to pick one. Whatever task was written on the tag would be his final test.
The task on the card he picked was "Kidnap a Lady for the house"
"Guys, how do I go about this task now?" Elvis asked his friends when they got back to their apartment later that night.
"Saturday is just one week from now" he added wondering how he would be able to pull that stunt.
"Guy, keep your head down, you got the easiest task yet you are whining like a baby" Oscar answered.
"You call kidnapping easy? A mature lady. In this Aztec?" He asked angered by the nonchalant response Oscar gave him.
"Hey, chill. I wonder what your response would have been if you had picked going to the cemetery to exhume and behead a corpse" Chucky shot back at him.
"What did you say? Was that the task given to you two?" Elvis asked surprised.
"We're the Knight Crew, The undertakers, we do unconventional kinds of stuff. We're the most dreaded brotherhood on the West Coast dude, so you don't expect to get easy tasks. You have to prove that when it matters most, you'll be up to the task. Ain't that right Raven?" Oscar said asking Chucky who was christened Knight Raven.
"You're right Rider" Chucky replied him calling his fraternity name, Knight Rider. "Don't worry, since we're the ones who brought you, it is expected that we'll help you with whatever task you pick" Chucky added, addressing Elvis.
"Yea.. That's why we're brothers. The point is we always have your back. And you must always watch ours too" Oscar reassured him smiling and nodding.
"Thanks, guys. So what's your plan? How do we go about it"? Elvis thanked and asked his pals.
"what do you think?" Chucky redirected the question to Oscar who always had solutions to almost every situation they find themselves in the past.
"I'll have to see one of my dad's taxi drivers and collect his car that day. Since he's among those who make weekly returns to me, I'll ask him to take Saturday off. Then we'll go to Berger or Altoona and pick up one of those girls coming to Aztec for the first time. It's not that hard to know someone who just arrived. Guys please I want to go to bed, we plan later " Oscar said crashing on his bed.
"The Rider himself, you got this thing planned out " Chucky hailed his friend for coming up with such a brilliant idea.
"So what will happen to the girl?" Elvis asked a bit worried.
"Dude you just have to get the girl?" Chucky answered him in anger.
"Not like that, just…" Elvis replied but was cut short by Chucky.
"Guy go to bed. Your worry should be getting the girl first and not what will happen to her" Chucky answered him.