I couldn't breathe.

  Shallow breaths crawled past my lips. I held my chest, the scent of blood clogging my nostrils. The head remained in front of me, dark and grimy. Bile crawled up my throat as I hunched over. My body bristled with chills. I stared at the floor, blood tainted it also. My world spun.

Daniella had been killed.

  My throat became parched, my lips dry. I gasped, pain enveloping my chest. My fist stung from how long it had been clenched. The blood splatters rimmed my world, an addition to the dots.

"You seem upset." The man spoke, his hoarse voice sending a shard of anger and pain. I shook my head, choosing not to hurtle words at him. That had never helped anyway. I never was close to Daniella but I knew how much Dana cared about her. A tremble overtook my limbs again.

  The very person I had taken this fall for wasn't still out of harm like I had  thought she would be. Shards embedded in my chest, making it difficult to breathe. I tried to focus beyond the blur,  to look for loose ends in this, but I was always backed into the same corner with the darkest truth I have had to live with.

Daniella had been killed.

  I couldn't help the nausea that drenched my throat. I rubbed my temple, feeling small injuries under my pores. I couldn't help but feel that if I hadn't taken the blame for Dana, I wouldn't have known any of this. I tried to conjure up pros that came up with my decision but there were barely any. The ultimate con being that she was in danger despite my attempts. I shook once again.

"Abeg we no go do this thing finish. So we go wait for this boy to finish this yeye crocodile tears him dey shed? O boy stand up jor.." I turned to Atsu , he walked up to me with a mask and a blindfold. He put the mask on my face, something that made my body fill with unease.

We really were going to do this.

He then proceeded to tie the blindfold. The sack like material held tightly to my upper face. The disgust in me grew as I continued to mull over what I had seen. A blank had resurrected to life, just like the time I had found out that my father had embezzled my ma's money and when Robert had started cheating on her, I hated it. A sick sense of foreboding gripped me as Atsu swung me over his shoulder without any restraint.

  My body collided with his muscular shoulder. My stomach wobbled with pain.  Though the pain in my stomach couldn't fathom the pain in my chest. His steps reverberated in my ears, just like the stampede roaring down my heart . Different smells passed through my nose, inviting me to analytically dissect them. I couldn't.

The blank put in front of me was wrapped too tightly. Just like other experiences I had been gripped by a white sheet, no coherent thought written on it. Despite all my vast knowledge, all the midnight oil studying and all the learning I had succombed myself to, to be able to disallow surprises like my father's  pretence and embezzlement from taking root. My chest hollowed. All for nothing.

Daniella was dead.

  The knowledge replayed continuously in my mind. So this is how it felt like. My ma being a doctor, had witnessed countless deaths especially during the rabbid epidemic that happened when I was just a little boy. I had always remained adamant, listing out reasons why they should have foreseen the event of their loved one dying instead of weeping so much. I couldn't help but feel disgusted at the selfishness of my younger self, now stuck in this position with my blank in its thickest, I realize that I can't foresee the future by my knowledge.

The reality made my skin crawl with anxiety. The blank fell over, the mantra replaying in my head. The rise and fall of water bypassed me, the smells rushed past, the sound of his steps, the way he walked, everything was pushed from reason behind the thick blank.

Daniella was dead.

  After what felt like eternity, I was swung over Atsu's shoulder. Fear gripped me as I fell onto a seat, a ripping sound reaching my ears. I grunted as I heard the shutting of doors in the distance, overshadowing my mantra for a moment. With my blindfold still on, my world was painted with black. I coughed as the smell of smoke consumed my lungs. Discomfort flared up my shoulder which made me shift.

  Another smacking of doors followed by the click of a key. My eyebrows furrowed. Affirming my suspicion, the revving and groaning of an engine flooded into my ears. I jolted forward at the pace. The blank's stance was moved a bit, pulled back slightly to allow coherent thoughts.

How did they have a car?

 Due to fights resulting from which country would get the oil and all, the usage of oil had been banned in Nue and, what was once the Northern Protectorates in Nigeria, Gria. Though I had heard of those whom still harvest it illegally and sell the little reserves that was left especially over in Gria. From the groaning of the car mixing with the annoyed mutters of Atsu, I was sure the car was old.

What century did these people live in?

The blank come back once again, tying me down in remembrance to Dana's sister's death. I couldn't help the quickening of my breath.

What had she done to deserve this?

My heart ached in its confinement. Chills swept me on a ride as I remembered the horrific nature of her severed head. My mind wandered to Dana, the very reason for causing this trip. If I hadn't done it, I wouldn't have been caught up in this. I drew in a shaky breath.

But if I hadn't looks like they would have killed her all the same.

I swallowed again. I wasn't a hero, my mind had been fogged as soon as I had started having feelings for Dana. Feelings. Something I had strongly hoped not to have, especially because of my ma's wonderful love interests. My mind continued to crawl with horrific scenes that lay in wait for me, annoyed I couldn't determine what would happen. Things I couldn't foresee. A future I couldn't control, my stomach tightened at the thought.

But you should have known that ever since you surrendered yourself like a guinea pig to take the blame for Dana.

A voice in my mind shouted to me. I couldn't deny the fact. But I had thought I would just serve her sentence, I never knew I would be dragged into this. The sinister situation lurking outwards pressed on me. Time had passed, my shoulders and legs growing numb. The sense of foreboding grew stronger with every minute, the blindfold on not helping matters at all.

If I could have this thing taken off, I-

As if answering my plea, what I think was the door produced a loud snap. I felt his hands on my legs, pulling me down. I fell onto the floor. My head  exploded with pain. I hissed. I could feel the faintest trickle of blood. My stomach curdled. My mind flashed back to Daniella's severed head. Cold fear gripped me once again as bile trudged up my throat.

Before I was fully immersed in those devastating thoughts, Atsu ripped the blindfold off. I yelped, blinking slightly. It was night time. The thick blanket in full force, the absence of street lights was beyond discomforting. I rose up, my legs almost giving way underneath me. The sky was blotched with yellow clouds. The absence of floods confirmed this was the upper lands of the lower region which bordered with the Upper region.

  Though I could see a mart down the road with a sign, the light it exuded gave light showing me the grey sand that sat at the front of its fence. Dull with scars of rocks and reddish pebbles decorating it.

Ruddy's supermart, it said. The words were in cursive, dark and uneven lighting flashing behind the words. The small bungalow looked tiny compared to the houses in the cities of the Upper region. I turned to my right.  I could see the gates of the Upper region which glowed a dull silver. Home sickness crawled through me but I was jolted out of my reverie by Atsu's grip on me. He pointed at the shop, I suddenly smelt the strong scent of soil and decay.

"You go rob that shop eh. And if you know say you like yourself and your girl better wise up and act with sense because if you do jaga jaga I go blow your head." I nodded quickly in fear despite the fact he couldn't see me. He thrusted what I felt would be a pistol into my hand.

Blood pounded in my ears as I trembled. A faint trickle of pain slammed into my neck, my throat bobbed. The blunt edge of the knife rested at the nape of my neck.

"You think say I go leave you? Any jaga jaga attitude you display I go blow you into pieces." I felt the urge to correct him since he couldn't blow me into smithereens with a knife but I kept my mouth shut all the same. As we walked towards, the mart, rocks skittered down the road with every step we took.

Each step we took worsened the pounding in my head which entwined with the tapping of our feet against the sand. Soon we stopped by the fence of the gate as I had seen on the map, this side of the lower region, Eka, was almost barren, devoid of life. The roads were lonely and closed off, the mart was the only facility within a few kilometers radius. The blackened wooden beams we're almost falling in themselves, held upright by iron fixed haphazardly.

This would be totally ineffective.

We walked past a small gap before the sand gave way to grey brick floor which had cracks while some bricks were absent. Our loud footsteps echoed as we looked at the building from a close point of view. The walls were dull, different colored tiles making the front. Plasters and banners were hung haphazardly from nails forming a conjunction of chaos, cobwebs and dust streaked the bottom which had dirty grey sand particles joining in the fun. Even the sign from close view looked as though it would fall back from the creaking it made with every whoosh of the calm breeze.

Who in the world does this decor? This is painful to look at.

  Yellow tiles that seemed to have been plastered around the entry door,  almost fell away like the door hanging on its hinges for dear life. Outside the first layer of yellow tiles, two other layers were made of glass in which I could see an old man hunched over a monochrome monitor which flickered rapidly.

Sweat gathered at my back as my grip on the pistol tightened. I felt the faint pierce of the knife into my smelly jumpsuit, I tensed. We both walked indoors, the interiors were even worse, uneven tiles, dirty aisles, splintered ceilings, burn marks in the neon pink walls. Dirty shelves that had held the damaged goods for sale.

   At least this place was a dump.

That didn't help to calm my nerves and my brewing guilt. The man looked up on hearing our footsteps, his eyes widened. He removed his spectacles revealing droopy eyes as he rose from the seat behind the table that was stacked with thousands of papers. Too immersed in my thoughts I ignored the disgusting clutter. He rubbed his chubby face as he rushed from behind his wooden table.

"Welcome to-" Atsu nudged me with the knife again. My hands tightened as I raised the pistol. The man paused, staring down at the barrel, his fair skin blanched. I licked my lips, my stomach dropping. He scampered back to his table, his back against the wall. I couldn't control the shaking and sweating, the presence of the muscular hulk behind me worsened the icicles between my joints. I blinked under the yellow lighting, my vision sporting dots.

  I tried to get the words out. I sputtered, the words forming a lump in my throat. The palpitating of my heart increased when Atsu whispered,

"You better wise up before I go take my own action. " My limbs trembled as my hands fell loose from the pistol. It clattered to the floor, sliding over the tiles. The sound echoed in the anticipated silence of the mart.

"Wetin dey work you for head? I go blow you oo." He nudged me harder with the knife, this time it drew blood. I winced as I shakily dropped to my knees and fumbled about with the pistol, making sure not to grab the trigger. I aimed the pistol at the man, despite my clumsiness he remained visible shaken, his face resembling someone that was staring down at a monster. Though he looked more shaken by the pistol than me. I swallowed again.

Get this over with. You aren't killing the man, you're just stealing from him.

The thought had little effect but I finally sputtered the words,

"Give us all your money." Then I heard sirens wailing in the distance.


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