Chapter 10
Doris had been suspecting Spider’s latest moves. She would always ask him a lot of both necessary and unnecessary questions but Spider always parry the questions. After the marriage ceremony, Douglas went to live with Spider and Doris for some time. They have decided to go and see if they could withdraw from the gang. However, Spider was reluctant to withdraw but Douglas kept on persuading him. They left for the hideout some weeks later.
“Dog, are you sure that the gang will permit us to withdraw?” Spider asked on the way.
“Yes, of course. Why do you ask?” Douglas replied.
“Oh nothing, it’s just that I’m feeling somehow…”
“Somehow? How?”
Spider sighed.
“You won’t understand, Dog, you won’t” he said. “What if Bullet refuses to grant our request? Should we continue with them or should we take a French leave?”
“That’s a nice question. But taking a French leave is not the solution. The solution is to withdraw according to the rules” Douglas replied.
(On initiation, each member of the gang will pass through a series of rituals. One of the rituals is such that no matter where the gang member may be, he or she must be, by any means, consciously or unconsciously brought to the gang before wholly declaring his or herself free from the gang. If the person fails to go by the ritual, he or she would die mysteriously after a certain interval of years unless the person is apprehended red-handed and finally executed. But if the person engages in a fight with another gang member, he or she would only be suspended for a certain period of time).
“Spider what do you think? Do you think Bullet will agree to our request?” Douglas asked after a
while.
“Well, the truth is that it is easy to join any gang but very difficult to withdraw from the gang” Spider answered.
“That’s doesn’t answer my question, Spider. I mean, what do you suggest that we do to withdraw, going by our rules?”
Spider sat at a corner and started to think. Douglas also started to think. A period of silence followed.
“I have an idea” Spider said, suddenly.
“Really? What’s the idea?” Douglas asked.
“The thing is that we will tell the gang of a forged operation…”
“A forged operation? Do you think it will work?” Douglas interrupted.
“Yes, I believe it will work. The arithmetic is that we will go and meet some guys who will go and bribe the police officers for their uniforms and guns. I will tell them about a certain gang of robbers and that the gang compelled us to join them. They are going to act like the police officers in the sense that when they get hold of us during the forged operation, they would quickly put us in their vehicle and drive away. I will also tell them the venue of the forged operation and the time range beforehand. They would either follow us from a distance or attack us from an ambush. In short, they will act exactly as we planned”
“That’s a nice idea,” Douglas said. “But wait a moment, what if the gang suspects such a move? You know, Bullet is a very intelligent guy. He might decode the plan by accurately guessing the brain behind the attack and that would spell trouble if…”
“He will only do that if you leak the plan” Spider countered quickly.
“Well…” Douglas said.
“Well what?” Spider interrupted.
“What if there’s an exchange of bullets?”
“Don’t lose hope, Dog. Don’t you want us to withdraw from the gang?” Douglas was speechless.
“Look Dog”, Spider continued, “If we successfully carry out this forged operation, we shall be free and there shouldn’t be any worry at all!” Douglas sighed and said:
“I hope the plan will work, Spider. I hope…”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Inside the hideout were Scorpion, Black Axe and some other gang members. Black Axe was smoking a cigarette. Spider and Douglas heard someone moaning from a hidden corner. It was a female voice. Douglas wanted to go towards the corner but Scorpion pulled him back:
“Scorpion, why are you pulling me?”
Scorpion used the tip of his gun and drew a line on the ground. Then he ordered:
“Dog, do not go beyond this line”
“Why?” Douglas asked.
“Well, try and see”
Douglas ignored Scorpion and crossed the line. This time, Black Axe pulled him from behind and slapped him.
“Black Axe? You slapped me?”
“Bush fellow, were you not taught never to disobey your seniors?” “Don’t I have the right to ask questions?”
“Bush fellow, you have the right to ask questions but you don’t have the right to disobey orders or simple instructions. Now, if you must know, the leader is having a nice time with the queen. Are you okay, bush fellow?”
“Hold it. Don’t call me a bush fellow”
Black Axe grimaced. He took another draw of the cigarette and said:
“Bush fellows always disobey orders, bush fellow”
In a moment, Bullet and Isabella appeared. A brief period of silence elapsed and Spider commenced with the forged operation shortly:
“Men, there’s this operation I want to present...”
“Oh, really?” said the gang members excitedly.
“Yeah, and it will bring some cool cash if executed neatly” Douglas added.
“What is the nature of the operation?” Bullet croaked from a corner.
Spider then told them about the forged operation and they believed him. “What about the escape routes?” Bad Bird asked from a corner. “I’m afraid, Bad Bird, there’s only one escape route”
“What! Only one escape route?”
“Yes, that’s the route that leads to the expressway. It is the only escape route” Spider answered.
“Do you think the operation will bring enough cash?” Black Axe asked.
“Yes, it will” Spider replied assuredly.
“Bullet, it’s now over to you” Dragon concluded.
Bullet stood up and lighted a cigarette. Then he studied, analyzed and mapped out the operation and instructed the gang members accordingly.
The next day, the gang assembled to rehearse how they would successfully carry out the forged operation. Bullet addressed the gang as usual before they leave for any operation. Then they performed some rituals and left for the operation.
The disguised police officers were already waiting for the gang to pass the expressway as planned. When it was time for them to act, they tried to do exactly as told. They tried to overtake the gang but Bad Bird, being an experienced driver, suspected the move and quickly took another direction. The disguised police officers reversed and started to pursue the gang. Bad Bird looked through the rear mirror and increased his speed while Scorpion poked his head through the window and released some bullets into the air. The leader gave him a hard knock on the head and ordered:
“Stop wasting our bullets! It’s not yet time to shoot”
The disguised police officers continued to pursue the gang but when they saw that they were no match for the gang, they targeted and fired some bullets into the tyres of the gang’s vehicle. Bad Bird shouted and screeched to a halt. The rest of the gang got out of the car and started shooting indiscriminately. The disguised police officers later abandoned their vehicle and dashed into a nearby bush.
“Shit!” shouted Scorpion. “What sort of nonsense is this?” “Where’s the queen?” the leader asked at once. “I’m here, leader” Isabella answered quickly.
“Do what you are supposed to do immediately!”
“Yes, leader”
Quickly, the queen dropped her gun and picked a pistol. She crossed the road and stood by the roadside. Few minutes later, a man drove past her. He slowed down, looked at the rear mirror, reversed and drove up to her.
“Hi pretty girl, can I give you a lift?” he greeted.
“Thank you, I’m not in a hurry” Isabella responded disinterestedly.
The man removed his eyeglasses and said:
“That’s notwithstanding, babe. I can still take you anywhere you want to go whether you are in a hurry or not. Meanwhile, my name is Henry. What’s yours, pretty girl?”
“Don’t bother yourself” Isabella maintained.
“Come on babe, come on” the man persisted, “Come on, don’t say that. You see, such a pretty queen like you shouldn’t be standing here under the sun. I think I need to give you a lift. Yes…just a lift”
“How do you know I’m a queen?” Isabella asked.
“Your lovely smile and graceful shape revealed the secret to me” the man replied lovingly, “Just get in and let me give you a lift, yes, just a lift”
Isabella agreed reluctantly.
“Well, if you insist…” Then she opened the door and got into the car.
“That’s lovely, queen. That’s lovely” the man said. He put on his eyeglasses and adjusted his tie.
Then he started to move. Suddenly, Isabella brought out the pistol and whispered:
“Get out”
“What? Get what?” the man asked, frightened and bewildered. He removed his eyeglasses again and said:
“Gentle girl, please I beg you…”
“Get out of the car fast!” the queen interrupted. “Get out before I shoot you! Get out and drop the
keys!”
The man was astonished. He quickly opened the door and alighted. Isabella then reversed and drove up to her members, who posed as if they were repairing the deflated tyres. Then the gang quickly transferred all the weapons in their car into the newly snatched one. Bad Bird slammed the door and headed towards another direction.
“That’s a nice job, queen” the leader commended.
“Like an actress, I have played my part” Isabella giggled.
The gang finally zoomed off with the newly snatched car. Some minutes later, Douglas looked at the dashboard and exclaimed:
“Look Bad Bird, look!”
“Look where?”
“Have a look at the dashboard”
Bad Bird slowed down and looked at the dashboard. “Damn!” he shouted. “We are running out of petrol!”
“You must do something to save the situation, Bad Bird” the leader ordered. Bad Bird then drove
into a petrol filling station and stopped. The gang members jumped out of the car and released some
bullets into the air. Dragon went inside the offices and carted away huge sums of money while Isabella
handled the petrol pump. She inserted the nozzle into the car’s petrol tank and filled it up. Douglas and
Spider were extremely disappointed. When Dragon had ransacked the offices and found no more money,
he signaled Bad Bird and they left the station.
Along the way, Bullet checked his watch and said:
“Men, I think we’ve got more than enough from the station, so we will cancel the operation” Spider heaved a sigh of relief. Douglas shook his head and heaved a sigh of relief too. Then he started to think up another plan.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
In the hideout, later in the evening, Douglas took Spider to a corner for private discussion. He was anxious to withdraw from the gang even more than Spider.
“So Spider, what are we going to do now?” he asked.
“Dog, the guys disappointed us. In fact, I’m confused” Spider replied. “I don’t know what next to do. I really don’t want to continue with the gang…”
“Me too” Douglas said.
“The big question still remains: what next?”
“What next, Dog?”
“Well, we’ll think up another plan. Let me think”
“Think very fast, Dog”
“I will, but think as well”
Douglas sighed and started to think.
“What of a forged fight?” he said after a while.
“A forged fight?”
“Yes”
“Do you think the leader will dismiss both of us at the same time?” “That’s another point, Spider”
(According to the gang’s rules, if there is a fight between two members, the guilty one would only be dismissed or suspended depending on the severity of the matter.)
“Alright, we’ll try that” Spider said.
Some days later, Douglas and Spider came up with the forged fight: “Hey Dog, go and get a packet of cigarette for me”, Spider ordered. “I’m not going anywhere” Douglas retorted sharply.
“Why?”
“Are you a cripple?”
“What! How dare you talk to me like that?”
“Of course, you can’t do anything to me, you brat!”
“What! You called me a brat?”
Immediately, Spider clenched his fists and gave Douglas a pretended blow but Douglas dodged the blow.
He almost giggled but Spider signaled him to act exactly as planned. Douglas then pretended to attack
Spider with karate. In a moment, the leader emerged:
“Hey, hey, hey what’s going on here?” he asked.
Spider and Dog are fighting, leader” Dragon answered.
“Fighting? Did you say fighting?”
“Yes leader”
“Now you idiots, come over here!” Bullet commanded.
“Why are you fighting?”
“Douglas insulted me and I can’t take such from him” Spider snarled.
“Look Spider, I’ll deal with you!” Douglas fired.
The leader grinned and said:
“Well gentlemen, you all know the consequences of fighting in this gang…”
“It’s suspension or dismissal!” shouted Black Axe from a corner. The leader thought for a while and said:
“Spider, you are guilty. So, going by the rules of the gang, you are hereby dismissed. Now, take your things and leave at once”
Spider looked at Douglas and shook his head, tears of joy streamed down his cheeks. He was in high spirits because he had been peacefully dismissed from the gang and, at the same time, unhappy because Douglas was not dismissed as well.
“Look, he is crying!” Dragon shouted pointing to Spider.
“What? Spider so you are chicken-hearted? I can’t believe this” said Black Axe.
Spider did not utter a word. Still in tears, he sighed, shook his head, looked at the gang members and left the hideout. The rest of the gang members started to laugh but Douglas went out to meet him:
“Spider you are a lucky chap. You made it at last!”
“I am not happy, Dog” Spider replied.
“Why?”
“What about you? How will I enjoy my freedom while you are still with them?” Douglas started
to cry.
“I must find a way” he said. “I must devise a means to leave the gang. You will see me in your house as soon as possible”
“I hope so, good friend”
“Things in the world made us to turn against the world but destiny and chance had made us better friends. Spider, please remember me in your prayers” Douglas cried. Spider sighed and gave Douglas a pat on the back:
“I will, my good friend” he said. “I will always remember you in my prayers. But try my dear, try your best, I believe you will eventually succeed”
“What are going to tell Doris about me when you reach Lagos?” Douglas asked after a while.
“Leave that for me, Dog” Spider answered.
“Okay, I trust you”
Then they exchanged some farewell pleasantries and Spider departed while Douglas turned and went into the hideout.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Doris was not at home when Spider returned. She had gone to the market to buy chinaware and foodstuffs. Spider had earlier lied to her that he and Douglas would travel to Spain. Doris was very happy to see her husband, drinking in the parlour, when she returned from the market.
“Hi darling, you’re back!” she greeted.
“Oh Doris, my angelic Doris. Oh come, come, come, come and hug me, my lovely wife” Spider responded.
Doris was ecstatic. She hugged Spider and kissed him affectionately. Then a series of endearing chitchats, lovey-dovey and romantic pleasantries ensued:
“Darling, I missed you”
“Oh honey, I missed you as well”
“Your absence totally weakened my bones”
“I’m greatly sorry my dear, though we were only then separated by distance but within our hearts we share each day”
“Darling, I have never seen someone who is as loving and caring as you are”
“Even if I don’t know anything in the world, all I know is that I love you. You’re really a special gift from God to me”
“Well, I love the things I love for what they are, but I am prepared to die for who you are” “I am flattered!” Doris said giggling. She hugged and kissed Spider again. Then she asked:
“Now darling, how was your trip?” Spider smiled and said:
“Wonderful. It was wonderful”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but we nearly had a plane crash”
“Oh my God! A plane crash?”
“Yes but you may not believe it”
“Darling, you’re joking”
“I am not joking”
Doris hugged Spider tightly and whispered:
“Darling, please don’t joke with me”
“I’m serious. I am not joking at all”
Doris kissed Spider once more and said in a low tone:
“Well, whether you’re joking or not, thank God that you are here today. Our enemies will not succeed”
Spider uncorked a bottle of wine, gulped a glassful of wine and picked a magazine. Doris went inside the kitchen to prepare some meal.
“Darling, I’m hungry. Please hurry up” Spider said.
“I’m coming…” Doris replied from the kitchen.
Then a long period of silence followed. Shortly, Doris came out from the kitchen and asked:
“Darling, what about my brother, Douglas?”
“Ooooh!” Spider exclaimed. “Douglas is still with my business associates over there. I’ll be with him in a couple of weeks”
“Wow, you guys are always as busy as bees!”
“That’s why it’s called business; it is all about busyness and struggles, my dear wife” “Oh my darling, you’re welcome once again” “Thank you”
“But you’re not going back in a couple of weeks…” There was a long period of silence.
“Now darling, guess who I saw on my way to the market today?” Doris said after a while. Spider became uneasy. He was afraid because he thought the person might be someone who might have told Doris the truth about him and Douglas. He was shivering and somewhat worried.
“Who was that?” he managed to ask.
“Darling, why are you shivering?” Doris asked.
“I’m feeling cold”
“Oh, sorry my dear. Let me quickly turn off the fan”
“Thank you. Now, who was that?” “It was Gladys!”
“Gladys? Did she recognize you?”
“No, she didn’t”
“Did you approach her?”
“Ah? Why should I? After all her maltreatments?”
Spider was relieved. Later, he ate, went inside his room and dozed off.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bullet didn’t allow Douglas to withdraw from the gang no matter how he tried. Since then, Douglas had been reluctant to follow the gang to any operation. In a week, the gang attacked and robbed six buildings, four petrol filling stations and two senators. Douglas had made a huge amount of money but he was not happy because he wanted to withdraw from the gang. One day, the gang ran out of luck and Douglas was caught! It happened on a Friday afternoon: The gang was returning from an operation when they ran into a group of mobile police officers at a police checkpoint. Bad Bird quickly applied the brakes, reversed and took another route. The police officers suspected the move. They quickly jumped into their vehicle and started to pursue the gang. Bad Bird looked through the rear mirror and saw the police vehicle pursuing them like a ferocious bull. Then he promptly increased speed. The driver of the police vehicle also increased his speed. Bad Bird then started to drive in a zigzag manner. One of the police officers poked his head through the window and fired a shot at Dragon. Dragon quickly withdrew his head and the bullet hit the side mirror. The gang then started to shoot at the police officers in that manner but the police officers started to drive in a zigzag manner. Black Axe poked his head through the window, took several shots and then withdrew his head quickly. Jude loaded his gun, poked his head through the window, took several shots, and quickly withdrew his head too. At a point, the distance between the gang and the police officers started to decrease. Douglas was angered. He poked his head through the window and saw a petrol tanker as they were approaching a crossroad.
“Take left!” he shouted at Bad Bird.
Bad Bird swerved and bumped into a deep ditch. When the police officers approached the crossroad, they also swerved and took the same direction. By now, the petrol tanker was in between the gang and the police officers. Douglas thought quickly. He pressed a button on the roof of the car and poked his head through the vent. Then he pointed his gun at the driver of the petrol tanker and shouted:
“Halt!”
The driver was frightened. He did not know what to do.
“Halt!” Douglas shouted again. “Stop and get out immediately!”
The driver applied the brakes suddenly; the tanker jolted and the police officers almost hit it from the rear. Then he opened the door, and started to fire at the police officers using the door as a shield from the bullets. Douglas then fired a shot at the tanker but the bullet hit the wall and ricocheted. Scorpion also fired a shot at the tanker but the bullet hit the tanker and ricocheted too. The police officers were, by now, only some few metres from the gang. Quickly, Douglas took some rough mental and angular measurements and fired a calculated shot at the tanker. Instantly, the tanker burst into flames. The police officers were then forced to stop. Then there was an exchange of bullets. Pandemonium ensued. Shortly, the gang got their vehicle out of the ditch and drove away. The police officers jumped into their vehicle, tightly wound up the glasses, quickly drove past the burning flames and angrily started to pursue the gang this time at a very high speed.
“Look these men are up to something!” Bad Bird exclaimed. “Please watch out! Watch out for other routes!”
“We are on our guards, Bird. Just maintain your speed” Bullet assured.
The police officers and the gang started to drive in a zigzag manner again. They continued in that manner until Bad Bird approached a traffic sign. Douglas looked at the sign closely and read: “Crossing Railway”
“Bad Bird, do you know what that means?” he asked.
“I don’t know. What do I have to do with it?” Bad Bird answered. Before Douglas could explain the sign, two railway officers lowered a pair of strong iron bars that prevented motorists and cyclists from colliding with trains. Shortly, a lengthy train appeared and, consequently, a heavy traffic-jam ensued.
“Oh my God, we’re cooked!” Douglas exclaimed.
“It’s like there is no other escape route” Dragon wondered.
“Shut up you lily-livered rats!” the leader barked, he was thinking and calculating to work out possibilities of alternative routes.
As the gang and some motorists were waiting for the lengthy train to pass, the police officers drove up to the scene! Then there was a commotion and another exchange of bullets. At last, the gang shot one of the police officers but the police officers were able to catch Douglas.
When the railway officers raised the iron bars, Dragon ran after the train, though he did not know its destination. The train increased in speed and he increased in speed too. Eventually, he jumped and got hold of some iron bars at the back of the train. Black Axe and Jude dived into a nearby river and swam to an unknown place. Isabella ran into a church. Bullet, fearing capture, mumbled some mumbo-jumbo, licked the tip of his ring and vanished. The rest of the gang abandoned the car and took to their heels. The police officers searched the car and found two guns and some bullets. They took Douglas to a police station, detained and locked him up.
* * * * *
Some days later, Spider was watching a television in his parlour when he heard a shocking headline. He became afraid and drew closer to the TV set. The newscaster, a fair-complexioned young lady, adjusted her dress and began:
“Good evening and welcome to the news. In the news tonight:
“Police Anti-robbery Squad apprehends a gang of robbers”, “Armed Robbers snatch Mercedes Benz at gunpoint”, “A fourteen-year-old girl raped to death”, “An eighteen-year-old boy reported missing”, “Five Custom officers declared wanted”,
“Nigeria Labour Congress embarks on Strike”, “Rangers Football Club of Enugu defeats Iwuanyawu Nationale of Owerri”, “Importation of fairly-used vehicles and textile materials banned”,
“Gas pipeline explodes”,
“The value of the Naira nosedives”, “Now, the news in details…”
Spider was glued to the TV set. He was anxious to hear the details of the first headline. In a moment, Doris came into the parlour and sat on a sofa.
“Darling, any good news tonight?” she asked.
Spider did not utter a word. Instead, he started to shiver.
“Darling why are you shivering?”
“My dear, I’m just feeling cold”
“Oh, let me get some balm”
“Thank you”
As Doris went to get the balm, the newscaster arranged the papers on her table, adjusted the microphone’s distance and angle to her mouth, cleared her throat and began:
“The Police Anti-robbery Squad has apprehended a member of a gang, who was terrorizing the town. The gangster, who gave his name as Douglas, is now in police net…” Then Douglas was brought into full view for the world to see!
“God! I’m in danger oh! I’m in real danger! Dog? Doogg…Douglas? Oh, my God! My God!” Spider shouted hysterically, “Forgive me, Lord” he prayed, “I thought I would be free but my sins have finally caught up with me”
Doris heard him and ran out to the parlour. Immediately Spider picked the remote control and switched to a cartoon station.
“Darling, why are you shouting?”
“No…no…nothing at all…”
“But I just heard you shout Douglas?”
“No…you got me wrong. I - I said tumblers”
Doris then picked the TV remote control; sitting on a sofa, she switched to a sports station. Spider started to sweat and shiver again. He was uneasy and afraid because Doris might suddenly switch back to the news station. Then he thought very fast and said:
“My dear please go and get the newspaper… no, the magazine inside my room for me. It is inside em…em… the bag…under…no…behind the refrigerator, no sorry… between…sorry…beside, yes beside the lantern, no...table lamp above…oh, beside my bed”
“Darling are you sure that there’s nothing wrong with you?” Doris asked, worried. “Confide in me and tell me the truth, what is really wrong with you? Tell me, I will understand”
“I have told you there’s nothing wrong with me, eh. I’m alright. I’m just feeling cold. Please where’s the balm?” Spider reassured.
“There must be something amiss” Doris mumbled.
She gave Spider the balm, got up and left the parlour. Spider quickly picked the remote control, reduced the volume of the TV set and switched to the news station but the newscaster had finished with the gang’s report and was about to give the report about the stolen car. Then he heaved a sigh of relief. Before Doris could return with the magazine, the newscaster had already finished with the news. Therefore, she failed to get the news about Douglas and the gang. But Spider was flabbergasted and uneasy, buried in thoughts, he couldn’t sleep. He knew he was sitting on a keg of gunpowder with the Sword of Damocles hanging menacingly over his head, he knew his life was in grave danger. All through the night, he was deeply worried, weak and troubled. Worse still, his penis was flaccid and he couldn’t make love to Doris for he had already lost appetite for sex and food and all desires of the flesh. But Doris was horny all through the night.
