The man started, "What a world we live in. One moment you see somebody, and the next time you hear about that person, he's gone."
He sighed again, taking a swig from his beer.
His words not only caught Jidenna's attention but also the attention of the people around him, as they gathered around, asking questions.
Not to be left out, Jidenna followed the crowd and surrounded the lonesome man, who sat with his shoulders slouched, beard unshaved, and eyes dazed. He shook his head, saying, "It's a pity."
He continued, "You know that guy, that muscular guy, the one who looks like a mountain?"
Without waiting for anyone's response he continued.
"The guy is dead," he added. "He died in his sleep this morning."
At his words, murmuring arose. People expressed disbelief, sympathy, anger, some scorn and insult, but Jidenna's lips twitched up in happiness.
The anxiety and uncertainty that had pressed down on him since that morning disappeared. "It worked."
His gamble had paid off. He felt lighter, like he could cross the seven seas without breaking a sweat.
Jidenna left the bar, dragging his feet, shoulders slouched, and head bowed, looking sad, but inwardly, he almost skipped for joy.
He fisted his hand, which trembled in excitement. Right now, he wanted to throw his hands into the air and yell, "Yes!"
But he knew how weird that would be.
No one could be so happy to the point of doing a little happy dance at the news of another's death unless there was a personal vendetta against that person.
So he kept up his grieving facade until he got home.
Entering into the room, he walked to his window taking a peek out, checking if anyone was following him or if he drew any unwanted attention.
Seeing none, he sighed in relief, but his heart kept on racing.
Whether it was fear or anxiety, Jidenna wasn't sure of it yet.
"Why am I acting like this?" he muttered to himself, feeling confused.
"When I dealt with the other guy I wasn't feeling like this" he sat on his bed.
Even as stayed in the confines of his home, he still trembled in fear, afraid that he'll be found out and jailed.
To reassure himself he went through every detail again, nothing was out of place.
"Was it because this time I really killed someone?" He flopped down on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling
"The last time I could convince myself that it was for the good, I tipped off the police, and they arrested the drug Lords. The last time, I helped a lot of people who have been ensnared under them but this time, this time it was different."
He rose up his arm, covering his eyes.
He knew what he did was against social norms, that's why he was anxious– he didn't want to go to jail.
"No," Jidenna dragged himself off the bed. "I can't keep thinking like this, I need something to distract myself… like food"
He fished out his phone, mechanically opening a food delivery app he installed.
After ordering, he waited, the tension draining off him as his mind began to catch up with the fact.
He wasn't caught, he's still here, and he was successful.
Knock knock
Jidenna's heart skipped.
"Food delivery is here!"
Bringing in the package dishes, the aroma caused his lips to stretch into a grin.
He set the food down, goes to wash his hands, and sit down
His movements were no longer mechanical like a rusty door hinge, he relaxed into his chair, taking in his reality.
He felt more grounded, taking a bite of his porridge yam, a laugh let loose from his lips.
He had won!
That night he hugged his pillow with a smile drawn on his lips.
It was another check-up.
****
In the past few days, Jidenna had the best sleep of his life, even if his "life" was just going on for two weeks.
He woke up like he had a full body massage before bed—no pains, knots, or cramps. Everything was going smoothly.
Beyond the blinds, the moon sat in the sky, gazing indifferently at the woes of men. The fan turned, creating a unique background hum of electricity.
His night played out like any normal night—planning another person's demise.
Jidenna sat hunched over his working table, sketching out some ideas that looked like gibberish doodles.
Even if he would immediately burn it afterward, just in case, he had to make sure it didn't look like a murder plan—even though it was.
He tapped his pen on his chin, his eyes squinted in thought.
He was running out of ideas.
He had tried sabotage and carbon monoxide poisoning.
"What else can I do?" He scratched his beard in confusion.
There were a thousand and one options to choose from, but each had its advantages and disadvantages for him.
The easier and quicker ones could easily expose him, while the slower ones would take longer than he wanted. He only had four more days until he had to leave for school.
'I need to wrap up everything before the fourth day elapses.'
'Oh!' His eyes lit up. 'What if I push him onto a train track?'
'Nah, too risky.'
He stood up and walked around the room, searching for inspiration.
He paused at the door of his kitchen, looking at his electric cooker.
'Fire.'
'Can I knock him out, tie him to the bed, and burn the house down?'
'Or, push him off the veranda on the 2nd floor, his head tilted to the side.'
He added, 'That wouldn't do much unless he falls on something hard, let's add some stones.'
'What else—'
Before he could finish his thoughts,
Bam!
His window shattered. Jidenna was slammed by something, sending him flying through the air and smashing onto the floor.
He groaned, his bones
felt like they were rearranged, blood dripped from his forehead.
Before blacking out, his last thought was, "Have I been caught?"