The Dark World

Chief Joseph, the proprietor of Hum Yam Business Options Limited, was abundantly rich. I was his Personal Assistant whilst I worked in the company. He meant many things to different people- to some he was a good man, to others a wicked man. But you may not know how wicked he was even than a frightened snake. My discovery of his latter attribute was later revealed to me. But as soon as I discovered this, I stole myself against him.

That day, he sat on his favorite sofa when I appeared before him. He was uncollected. His countenance changed, spreading goose bumps of fear all over my skin like palm oil does on hot yam. He could read the fear on my face.

"My man" he said with a controlled voice.

"Take this briefcase" he pointed at a briefcase on the center table.

I bent onward and slowly lifted the briefcase.

"Open it" Chief ordered me.

Within a blink of an eye, I opened the briefcase. The contents in it took me aback. The cold fear ravaged my complete body. For three minutes or so I was a deaf.

"What?" Chief Joseph questioned

The contents in the briefcase still baffled me. Suddenly the chief rose to his feet and studied my face.

"Sir, what should I do with this?" I pointed at the briefcase.

"Check the brown envelope you find in it"

I picked up the envelope and brought out the letter inside it. It read "Kill Chief Anifowoshe".

"That is what I want you to do with the gun in the briefcase" Chief cleared his throat as he declared.

"Kill him?!" I repeated in high volumes of my voice.

"Those are my final words. If you think you can't do it, tell me and I will hire another professional assassin" he stressed professional assassin.

"And..." he continued " consider your appointment terminated, hereby you start living in a danger." He left the living room immediately he finished his words.

This threat worked. I became mentally unbalanced. I did not know what to do. I reread the contents of the letter. It was included in the letter that I had only eighteen hours to get the target (Chief Anifowoshe) killed. I remained on the spot as my feet was glued to the floor, thinking how possible was it for me to kill a man who picked me up with his finger and led me to the door step of success. I summoned courage and vanished to my house.

Chief Anifowoshe's path and mine crossed when I was helpless. He was a nice man of his 60s. As he was known to me, he had never eaten another man's portion. He was not avaricious for money. I was swimming in the river that was driving me to the abject poverty when we came in contact. Though I had an university education but I was unfortunate to secure a job after I had stopped being an undergraduate. I was a carrier in Oshodi market when he spotted me in rags. He changed my life as he employed me in his company. As weeks bled into months, months into years, he accelerated me to the post of general manager. This was triggered by my hardworking nature. I could remember that it was the day I attended a conference meeting with chief Anifowoshe I got to know Chief Joseph. I was told they were childhood friends. As time raced by, Chief Joseph initiated interest in me. Suddenly Chief Joseph said to my boss that he wanted me in his company. Chief Anifowoshe aborted the idea, telling him it was impossible. But it seemed Chief Joseph was dogged in this matter as I was, one day, summoned to my boss's office. Chief Anifowoshe said as from next day on I should be resuming to Chief Joseph's company. Had it been he knew that my transfer to Chief Joseph's company would lead to his downfall, maybe I should say his demise, he wouldn't have vetted it.

Back in my room, lying my on bed I reminded myself that I had eighteen hours left. I took a glance at my wristwatch, and it read six thirty. I sat up, then stood and reached to the spot I left my car. I yanked the car door open, hopped into and drove recklessly to chief Anifowoshe's residence. Whilst driving, I almost knocked down a roadside worker who screamed "wereeeeee!" I didn't mind being called a mad man. I wasn't in the right state of mind. All that dominated my mind was how to rescue Chief Anifowoshe. I would tell him to flee the country together with his family. My case? I was ready bravely to face the consequence.

As I drove into his residence, I saw an ambulance and a police van packed in front of his house gate. People clustered across the house. Some were crying. There was a woman who was crying like a pupil being flogged by a teacher. I examined the faces but none of Anifowoshe's family was part of the crowd. A few minutes later the ambulance left followed by the police van. I entered his compound through the pedestrian gate. What happened? I asked myself. I knew Something was amiss. On getting inside, I was welcomed with bad news. "Chief has been assassinated in front of the gate when he was returning home from his office" His wife said. Her crying voice made it difficult to me to hear her clearly. She repeated the statement. I unconsciously dashed out to where my car was. I again drove recklessly to Chief Joseph's residence. It took me forty-eight minutes or so to reach his place. I met a huge traffic that slowed down my car.

Whilst making an attempt to open the door led to his living room, I eavesdropped chief Joseph's voice, conversing with a someone on the telephone.

"Why did you send your boys to kill him?" He asked the person.

This question convinced me that chief Joseph knew the face behind the mask. But who was the architect of the act? I asked myself with no word came out from my mouth.

"Let me remain here" I intoned quietly.

Let's think of it, it seemed Chief Joseph didn't want the receiver to get Anifowoshe murdered.

"You couldn't have done this now, Bukola"

Bukola was Chief Anifowoshe's wife. The woman who just related the sad news to me just a few minutes ago. I was getting furious.

"I have assigned the work to Peter." That was Chief, mentioning my name.

When I could no longer withstand this, set my foot in and pointed a gun at him.

"Why did you kill him?!" I roared like an angry lion.

He was smiling, thinking I had no got to shoot him. His confidence was shaken when he saw me, trying to pull the trigger.

"I will kill you, believe me" I declared.

"Okay, I will talk" the threat worked.

"Chief Anifowoshe and I won a contract worth 1.5 billion and I didn't want him to have his share. Besides his wife Bukola and I are having an affair. All the children in his house are my own. Though Anifowoshe didn't know this secret. It's true that I asked you to kill him but Bukola has hired another assassin to kill him. When I asked her why she did that, she said she wanted to kill him now because if he later know that he wasn't the real father of the children, he would pack her belonging out of the house. And you know..."

"Shut up!" I screamed.

"You deserve death but I will not kill you with my hand" I explained

I brought out my phone from my pocket and said: "Everything you said has been recorded. I will get you arrested and make sure that you are sentenced to death." I brought my phone and called police station. Chief Joseph was arrested with Bukola. Both culprits were charged to court and sentenced to death by hanging.

By Lawal Rasheed

From: Nigeri