Michael got himself a hooded shirt and some fresh pair of jeans at a nearby boutique, he dropped the clothes he wore earlier in a refuse dump on his way down an alley, he took a cab to go meet his new acquaintance, Big Grandy, and at exactly eight in the morning, Big Grandy was at the spot. Michael whistled from across indicating a signal of invitation and Big Grandy walked towards him, the two men walked away from Big Grandy’s domain and into a small restaurant nearby, they both ordered some light food and Michael explained to Big Grandy that he needed his help to settle some scores but that he only required a backup buddy, sort of a sidekick and offered an attractive amount Big Grandy could not refuse. The two men arranged to get a car from the ghetto and some tools to run their mission. Michael also promised more cash to Big Grandy if the mission went successful, Big Grandy was happy either way. ‘My baby’s momma gonna be happy with me man, this will cover my butt for eight months man. I am down for whatever, Mr M,’ said Big Grandy, while counting the cash offered to him by Michael.
The two men left the restaurant after Michael paid the bill, Big Grandy ran back later into the restaurant and picked the full bottle of soft drink and a burger Michael left on the table and rushed out as he glared at the old couple on the other table.
Michael and Big Grandy got the right vehicle they needed for the job, and also some guns and enough bullets for a small assault enough to take an entire football team, but manoeuvring through the city with such heavy gear would put them in trouble with the law, especially with the current situation in the city and around the world and constant presence of law enforcement agents in and around the city. Big Grandy came up with an idea, he virtually knew all the officers in the city, thanks to his record-breaking jail time served. He had been in and out of prison and jail cell quite enough to have some inside men especially the patrol officers. The men decided to make their move after sun down, so they planned to meet at twelve midnight.
To cover up what they would carry, Big Grandy planned to hide the weapons in frozen food packages just in case anything happened, it was a good idea but Michael felt stuffing them inside a deflated spare tire in the trunk would be best, they ended up using both methods. However, Big Grandy added some icing on the cake by inviting his cousin for the party, Michael wasn’t comfortable having a third person but in the end, he agreed because Big Grandy’s cousin looked tougher than the two of them combined and after a short chat, Michael left the two cousins and took a cab back to town. They agreed to pick him up at the rendezvous point at the appropriate time.
Michael arrived at the church on the hill side, paid the cab fare and entered the church, he sat down on the seat on the second row looking at the giant crucifix hanging up on the wall in the church. Michael didn’t come to pray, he only wanted to get things clear with the preacher and his wife concerning what they told him the other day. After a while, Pastor James saw him and came to him, he directed Michael to the basement to show him something, and Michael went after the preacher down the basement through an entrance from the right side of the church altar.
There they met Sabrina serving food to a man, as Michael climbed down the stairs he noticed a man wearing a white seamless robe, the moment their eyes met, Michael stopped. Pastor James turned and smiled at Michael, inviting him to come down. Michael did but his eyes were entirely focused on this man he was seeing for the first time. There were half burnt candles lit all around with one new candle on the old table at the centre of the room. Sabrina smiled at Michael like she always did and he sat down as directed, opposite the man.
Sabrina brought some food to him and there was a small basket of fruits on the table as well, but it was obvious Michael wouldn’t eat. Sabrina and her husband, the preacher, excused the two men and went up, leaving Michael staring at the man opposite him at the other end of the table.
The man did not say a word to Michael, he laid his spoon back in the plate on the table and sipped the water from the glass cup served to him by Sabrina. ‘Do you love sports?’ asked the man, who was now looking at him, but Michael did not talk.
‘Funny how a little accident that dislocated your big toe makes you despise sports, but you wouldn’t have been a good player anyway, you were not moulded for such skills,’ added the man.
‘How did you know about that? I never . . . told anybody, not even my wife,’ said Michael.
The man smiled and reached for an apple from the fruit basket and after taking a bite, Michael noticed that the fruit melted in the man’s mouth like cotton candy as the man looked at the apple and said, ‘I knew its name before it was brought forth and it was predestined to be served to me on this day at this hour, just like this, while you are seated on that very chair, Michael.’ The man leaned his right elbow on the table and said, ‘we cannot go talking about things I know that you do not know or the things you’d later find out which your spirit has found out but your flesh is yet to accept its reality, like you’d asked me how I knew that you have been moving around with a loaded semi-automatic pistol. Your friend Grand S. Simons aka Big Grandy did tell you how to use it safely, didn’t he?’ added the man. ‘The gun would go off in the elevator when a lady who was out walking her two dogs in the hotel premises walks into the elevator, they would make the other woman in the elevator, who was cynophobic, jump out with fear and hold you accidentally triggering the pistol in your pants, and you and I both know that you strapped it in the wrong position, Michael,’ said the man, who took a bite at the apple again.
Michael quietly pulled out the gun from his pants and realised it was loaded, he then disengaged the safety and kept the gun on the table without uttering a single word.
The man kept the half bitten apple on the table, he smiled at the apple and the apple went back to its natural order, back to its untouched form as if no one had ever eaten it, Michael was amazed. ‘I can make your life worth and fulfilled my child, blessed and crowned with such glory more beautiful and healed than this fruit be,’ said the man, as he stood up from his chair and moved to the chair next to Michael.
‘Everything that you see unfolding in your life and around the world is far beyond your understanding of things, this is the time that mankind hoped it would never come, the time both the heavens and the damned are all aware of its inevitability, the line has been drawn, Michael, and I do not expect you to fathom any word I shall utter to you for now but I guarantee you that if you will keep aside what your heart intended to do after sun down, then I shall guide thee and be with thee and use thee for a far more glorious, heroic journey. You are more than what this world intended to make out of you, you are more than an unforgiving cold-hearted killer triggered by the loss, and what this cruel world and its wickedness schemed to implant in you. You were created a king to fight alongside a glorious army to usher in a glorious beginning that had for long passed in the realms of the Father, a heavenly army such that no man nor the damned have seen, so do not take that path for you won’t like what your canal ears shall hear! It will destroy the man in you if I step aside and let this wicked world take thy heart hostage,’ added the man, looking straight into Michael’s wandering eyes. ‘The entire plan of what came, what is, and that which is to come is all in the good book that you so trusted until the night Jana’s spirit departed from this world.
I know your pain my child because I know thee before thou formeth in Esther’s womb,’ the man said, smiling at him. Michael was shocked because this man knew his mother’s name. ‘Yes, I do know Esther and the names of her forefathers and ones before them. The time of the reign of darkness has come to its edge, the time of light is here to stay that is why things are as they appear now, darkness is giving way to light and it does not like what was decreed by the Father and so shall not vanish without a fight. Here lay little or no time for the dark one to devour and take the ones who put their trust in him as fast as he can, but I ask that you lay down the sword of this age that you carry and follow me, and I shall speak into thy hands a great and mightier sword. Take the vengeance off against men who wronged thy humble heart and do not let it be corrupt by what the dark one has put thee through, thou art a man of great integrity and countenance. Let not what is meant to pass away hold thee from passing through the golden gates, which is laid open for all they that received the free gift of the Father.’ These words came from the man.
Michael stood up quietly without saying a word to the man, he was about to leave and then remembered to pick his gun, and after picking it, he strapped it on the left side of his waist and as he was about to walk up the stairs, the man said, ‘woe unto man whose enemies trampleth upon his purpose and wageth ceaseless war upon it before he knoweth why he walketh the earth! Do not let what is of this world deter thee from thy sole purpose bequeatheth by the Father unto thee, Michael.’ He stopped, sighed and then walked away without turning back neither saying a word to the man, all the while the man kept his eyes on Michael and kept smiling until he disappeared. ‘I shall be when thou seeketh and shall appeareth when thou needeth me whenever thou art ready my child.’
Those were the words that echoed like a whisper in Michael’s heart as he walked up the stairs.
In the church were the preacher and Sabrina are on their knees praying, the sound of Michael’s footsteps made them stop praying and they both turned. Michael was walking fast going out of the church building. Sabrina quickly stood on her feet and followed him calling but he didn’t turn, he ran out of the church and far away into the bushes, Michael ran until he almost lost his breath, he stopped under a tree and lay on the ground looking up at the sky through the leaves. Michael was totally confused, he had no idea what just happened, he took a nap under the tree and by the time he was up, it was already sunset so he rushed to the hotel and on his way, he got a call from the detective that Junior was planning to meet the two men around midnight at the address he sent to him earlier. Michael thanked the detective and hung up and as soon as he ended the call he scrolled through his phone and dialed Clara’s number, she told him that Junior said his father’s body won’t be put to rest till the killers are caught and put to justice. She sounded worried about Michael and he told her he was doing fine and thanked her for her concern, she wished him well and told him to take care of himself and his daughter, telling him that she was planning to leave town the next day to a much safer place but would come back when things calm down or for the old man’s burial when the date is set. She also explained to him that a circular was posted and the company was closed for a week or until things settle as the country itself is bracing for defence against threats by terrorists and other neighbouring nations, all government offices were shut down and all private companies were advised to go on a lockdown until the country is safe for business.
On reaching the hotel, Michael waved at the receptionist who smiled at him and made his way to the lift, there were two people inside—a man wearing a black shirt and a woman in a pink gown—and as the lift was about to close, a woman with two dogs pressed the button and entered with them, this made the other woman in pink ran behind Michael screaming and shaking.
Michael quickly pressed the button and the lift opened again, Michael then asked the lady with the dogs to please kindly move out and take the stairs with her dogs that the other woman was afraid of dogs. The lady with the dogs was offended but she had to go out as the two men stared at her, after she walked out, the woman in pink thanked Michael and he said no word but smiled at her as the lift closed.
Michael got back into the room and met his daughter with Paul and Samantha. Gillian jumped on him, smiling. He sat down, ate some food offered to him by Samantha, and thanked the two for looking after Gillian. He lied to them that he went to the office to have some issues cleared, he then asked Gillian to excuse the three of them so she went to the bedroom leaving them by the diner in the parlour. Michael was quiet at first and after a long silence he removed the pistol and kept it on the table, scaring Samantha. Michael also kept the pictures of the two men he got from the detective and explained to them how he got it and what he intend doing that night, they tried to talk him out of it but he refused to listen. He told them that he needed to do this for Jana.
‘What do you think Jana would really want, Michael? Take matters on your own and stain your hands with blood? What if the authority finds out? Think about Gillian!’ said Paul. The two tried to persuade Michael but he kept a deaf ear to their voices.
While they were talking, Gillian walked excitedly and asked Paul and Samantha to tell her father about the man that came to see them. Michael hid the gun under the table cloth. ‘What man, sweetie? What man is she talking about . . . huh?’ asked Michael, who turned to the couple.
Paul and Samantha looked at each other and Paul said, ‘it’s the um . . . Ambassador, he was here.’
‘What Ambassador?’ he asked. His daughter, out of excitement, described the man and the description matched that of the man he encountered at the church basement. Gillian went ahead to say that the man was the same man she kept seeing in her dreams whenever she was attacked, but that in her dreams he was always shining brightly with such great light. ‘Remember that man I told you, Daddy, that saved me from the lions in my recurring dream the other day?’ said Gillian as she sat on his thigh, smiling.
Michael asked gently about the time the man came and when they told him, it was about the same time he was down at the basement in the church. What marvelled him was how the man was able to be in two places at the same time. Paul told Michael he had a confession to make, he explained to Michael that he and Samantha have been under attacks and many mysterious things have been happening to them, that was why they left their town and ran to the city after Samantha had an encounter with the Ambassador and He told her in a dream that safety would come through this land and so they packed and moved here before the chaos hit the city, the idea of Paul coming for an assignment was a cover up not to make him think they were weird or crazy if they had opened up to him in the first place. They told Michael that Samantha has been having miscarriages whenever she took in since their marriage for four years, and it has not been easy for them since until they decided to sincerely pray over the matter, but the lord has blessed her womb and she was three months pregnant and that they believed this baby was here to stay, the two looked so happy talking about their unborn child.
Samantha explained how she saw herself carrying rocks in her stomach which were put inside of her by Hibnus who came in the form of a dark-figured woman in a dream, and the Ambassador appeared and Hibnus fled, so the Ambassador removed the rocks from her stomach and told her she shall be the joy of many as her womb shall bring forth what it was moulded to hold for nine months in the shortest time possible known to man, and that the Ambassador has been visiting her night after night and had appeared to Paul too several times. Since then, the two were instructed to come to the city according to the instructions by the one they called the Ambassador. He told them that shelter shall be laid in the midst of darkness in this very city. Michael felt the couple were losing it, he began to think that everybody around him was either running mad or that they were playing pranks on him, he wanted to laugh and call them fools but his mind was on his mission.
The couple went ahead and told Michael that they had no idea what those words meant when the Ambassador spoke to them in a dream but they obeyed with faith and without question. Michael knew that Paul had no reason to lie to him but watching Paul being caught under such religious web stunned him, he felt that maybe he should ask the couple a few more questions. He told them that the person that approached him in front of the hotel called himself Hibnus and it was a man, not a woman.
Samantha excitingly told him that Hibnus can appear in many forms— at night is a woman and in the day a man. Michael then asked her how she knew all these. She then told him that once the Ambassador touched her hands, she knew all within a flash of a second. ‘An immeasurable load of knowledge was passed to me in the form of light within a short period,’ she added.
Michael then asked, ‘so you’re telling me that all these is real; the unborn child, Hibnus or whatever it’s . . . his or her name is, the rocks, the shiny guy in white and . . .’
Samantha and Paul uttered ‘yes, Michael!’ at the same time.
‘Yes, Daddy!’ Gillian added too, smiling.
He giggled and asked them to give him some time alone to think, he then secretly took the gun on the table and walked out of the hotel room.
It was already 10 p.m., while sitting by the swimming pool staring into the water, Michael got a text message from Big Grandy about the operation, he wanted to know if the mission was still on as planned.
Michael replied with a positive response. There were too many things on Michael’s mind, processing all these things he was bumping on was weighing his senses and judgment down, he did not ask any further questions because his attention was more on the clock than any other mystery he had seen or heard so far and he didn’t know what to believe anymore. Killing the two men and finding out why they attacked his family was the only thing that clouded his mind. He went back to his hotel room, Gillian had slept off, Paul and Samantha were sleeping on the couch in the parlour. Michael then shut the door quietly and took the stairs through the exit door on the other end via the public pool section to avoid being seen by the receptionist.
By 12 a.m. he was already at the rendezvous point and immediately after he got there, Big Grandy and his cousin picked him up. Big Grandy’s cousin was very excited about the mission and just couldn’t wait to get a piece of the action. On their way, Michael told the men that when they get there, they would wait for him outside until he gave them a signal and if he didn’t show up within the specified time or signalled them they should come in thirty minutes. The two men were high on marijuana that they puffed earlier before they picked Michael and it was obvious that big Grandy’s cousin was a trigger-happy young man. Michael asked Big Grandy’s cousin what he did for a living and he said he was a rapper and wanted to be a rap star someday, he said why he volunteered for the job was because Big Grandy used some of the money from the deal to pay for his studio session that day, he even wanted to play his demo CD for Michael but Big Grandy insisted he wait until this was over.
Michael then promised to support him on his album once it was over. Big Grandy’s cousin, who was sitting on the passenger’s side, was so excited that he mistakenly fired a shot in the air through the sunroof as the men passed over a small bridge that night. Big Grandy, who was driving, slapped his cousin and collected the gun, the men went down taking a shortcut through the bushes and arrived at their destination.
They parked not far from the estate fence and as planned, Michael took a pistol and a dagger while Big Grandy had a shotgun wrapped on his shoulder and a pistol in his hand but his cousin held up two semi-automatic, closed bolt and blowback-operated pistols variant generally known as the Uzi. Michael and Big Grandy didn’t even know how he got the guns. ‘If you had money to buy that, cousin, paying for a studio session shouldn’t be a problem, man!’ said Big Grandy as the two entered into an argument. Michael left laughing saying, ‘thirty minutes, boys, thirty minutes!’
‘Yes, boss, I got you! I got ya back!’ answered Big Grandy, who turned and slapped his cousin on the head again.
Michael jumped off the fence and into the compound through the backyard, he saw a man making a phone call in the kitchen downstairs. The house was a semidetached duplex with a concrete fence separating them, dogs were barking from the other house so he quickly moved and lay on the ground, the man making the call looked around and saw no one then continued making his call.
A honk was heard from the frontage of the house so the man left the kitchen, as Michael was about to make a move toward the kitchen door, he heard a thud and another thud and on his amazement, Big Grandy and his cousin had already made their way through the fence too. He was mad but could not say a word so he gave them a hand gesture to calm down and not make any sound because Big Grandy was knocking his cousin’s head when they landed. He asked them to come over, which they did, crawling like soldiers under barb in combat training. The moment they got to him he whispered to them to stay put and not move till thirty minutes have passed and they nodded in agreement at the same time like dogs.
Michael tried to open the kitchen door but it was locked, Big Grandy nodded and quickly tried it with some tools he had and it popped opened. ‘Now, that’s what’s up!’ whispered his cousin, smiling with his two front broken teeth. Michael noticed the two missing teeth and was speechless so he made another gesture telling them to wait and they nodded again in agreement. Michael crawled in gently through the kitchen and overheard Junior’s voice shouting and lamenting. He stopped and squeezed himself to a good hidden spot behind a refrigerator, and from what his ears could gather—a television in the house was switched on so Michael could not hear them clearly—Junior was telling the men that he didn’t ask them to kill anyone, he said he made it clear that he only wanted to send a message to Michael but not by killing his wife. Michael was able to have a faint glimpse of the three men talking from where he was now standing, one of the men who was smoking got mad and pointed a gun at Junior, telling him to sit down, which Junior did without question.
‘Take that gun off me, Martin, or I won’t pay you guys the other half . . .’ said Junior, ‘besides, why should I pay you guys, you didn’t do as instructed,’ he added.
The men laughed, one of the men frisked Junior and pulled a gun from his holster and kept it on the table and told Junior they weren’t working for him, he didn’t understand what they were saying until one of the men called out to William, Junior’s nephew.
The weather forecast on the television was still loud and one of the men turned the volume down cursing at the lady in the television at the same time for no reason. William came down from the spiral stairs smoking and hysterically laughing at his uncle. Junior did not understand what was going on and so was Michael, from where he was standing. William was holding a glass cup half-filled with red wine and instead of drinking it he poured it on Junior’s head. ‘Are you out of your mind, William?’ Junior exclaimed.
‘Sorry, Uncle Cee . . .’ answered William, laughing. ‘What’s the meaning of this?’ Junior asked again.
William then sat on the glass centre table facing Junior, while laughing he kept the cigarette and grabbed hold of the pistol on the table, sighed heavily and said, ‘the end, Uncle Cee, the end of you after . . . grandpa.’
Junior looked at him and William smirked, saying, ‘oh, yeah! I knew about it before it happened, just as you’re about to be done with, uncle Cee.’ Junior got up angrily and pushed his nephew to the floor, breaking the table to pieces. Martins and Pattoski broke the fight between the two men, Martins hit Junior on the back of the head with the edge of his pistol and he fell to the floor.
Junior and William were both bleeding from cuts they got from the broken glass table, William was annoyed. While on the floor, unknown to the three men, Michael could see William pressing some kind of device that started to beep so Michael stepped out from where he was hiding, pointing two pistols at the men, he ordered Martins to drop his gun on the floor, which he did without hesitation. Junior got up looking at the wounds on his body, saying ‘oh, Michael, thank God you are here, these fools were trying to . . .’ before he could say any more, Michael pointed a pistol at him, so Junior slowly moved back and joined the other men. ‘Oh! Okay, all right, but I didn’t do it, Mike, I told you even the cops suspected me but I have got nothing to do with Jana’s death or my father’s. It’s my freaking nephew, could you believe this?’ said Junior but Michael ignored him and asked them ‘why?’ The four men looked at each other and none said a word.
‘I will tell you why,’ said a voice behind Michael. The individual placed a gun nozzle between Michael’s shoulder blades. ‘Drop your gun gently on the floor before I make you!’ said the individual again.
Michael kindly dropped the pistols as ordered and slowly turned, no one other than detective Samuel pointing a gun at him with his left hand in his left pocket as usual. ‘How the hell did you get that blood on you, son?’ said detective Samuel to William.
‘Your freaking brother-in-law almost killed me, what took you so long, Dad?’ answered William who moved across to the detective’s side, the other two men crossed to the other side as well. William hurriedly picked two of the pistols from the floor pointing it at Michael and Junior.
‘So, this is what it’s all about, huh? Said Junior to detective Samuel.
‘Yeah, I told you I will get your family . . . for shattering my life and that of my son, Cannon!’ replied the detective.
‘It was an accident you fool, get it in your head and get over it! You were there for Christ sake, Sam. You were right there, and what, you brainwashed your son too? You’re a madman!’ said Junior.
‘Who was where, what’s going on here?’ Michael asked. ‘Now here’s the screamer, Junior sent these two to kill your wife, you found their hideout and shot them to dead with a pistol you bought from the ghetto and they shot you in the process as well! Blah blah blah! End of story! Besides, why wouldn’t you want Junior dead? Well, I will tell you why, Michael. He has been banging your wife whenever you were in the office and when you travelled abroad with his father trying to make the company big, my friend. Oh, don’t you know?’ said detective Samuel, laughing, pointing his gun at Martins and Pattoski directing them to move back and join Michael and Junior as well.
‘Don’t listen to this madman . . .’ uttered Junior. ‘Michael, oh he will, he has to . . . every fool gets to know what he is someday or what he’s been taken for . . .’ said Samuel and he added ‘you know what, Mr Henning, you go run a DNA test on your daughter and tell me who you believe the real father is, but that won’t happen anyway because you, my friend, and all these puppets will all be dead by tomorrow, all of you. But before that, brother, why don’t you tell the good-hearted man here the truth about you and Jana, huh? Go ahead, man,’ said Samuel, pointing the gun at Junior.
Junior kept quiet and moved back a bit away from Michael and said, ‘you sick bastard!’
‘Am I? Open up or I’ll fill you up with lead!’ Detective Samuel threatened Junior again.
Junior looked at Michael and said, ‘I’m sorry, man, I didn’t know what came over me, and it was a long . . .’
‘What the hell are you talking about, Cannon?’ said Michael.
‘Don’t listen to this lunatic, he is crazy. It was a mistake, okay!’ said Junior, looking remorseful.
‘A mistake, is that what you call it? Huh! I know everything, you fool. Helen told me everything. Banging the man’s wife way back, she helped secured your job with the company because daddy’s lil boy Junior here promised to use his father’s influence to hook you up only if she gave him a taste of the pink apple, and she did. But the banging stopped after you got the job and that’s after he impregnated her with the child you called your own,’ said Samuel.
‘Shut up, you fool!’ said Junior. ‘You are lying!’ screamed Michael. ‘Oh, am I?’ asked Samuel.
‘Samuel this is not necessary, you have brought enough pain on this man’s life, let it rest, you bastard!’ Junior exclaimed.
‘No! We . . . yeah, we, have brought these on him— you, the self-righteous old man, and myself, Junior. I just decided to take advantage of the little dilemma to seal my own plans, that’s all and God will understand, the old man thought that by making Mr Nice Guy here head of his company, that justifies everything! Now, tell him the truth or I will shoot you in your balls, you fat chunk of grass,’ said Samuel.
Junior turned to Michael again and told him he was sorry that the story was true but it was a long time ago and that he actually forced her.
Michael refused to believe him, Michael learned that even the old man knew about it but warned Junior to stay away from Jana. Junior went ahead to explain that he actually forced Jana when she came to him to help secure a place for her husband in his father’s company, Jana was the one who connected Michael with the old man when Michael was struggling to get a job after he left his former place of work but she was only able to gain access to the old man after going through Junior.
Michael didn’t want to accept anything he was told but he understood that with the depth of the situation of things, Junior would have no reason to tell jokes or lie to him. ‘So this is all a set-up? You set these things up all by yourself using your son, for what? What does my family got to do with this madness?’ asked Michael.
‘Revenge, he wants revenge just like the fool that he is!’ said Junior.
‘Revenge against who? You handed over the photos of Martins and Pattoski to the authorities as well?’ Michael asked again.
‘Yeah, I did, they are expendable,’ answered Samuel.
Tension rose like hot steam in the room with Samuel and William holding the guns, they were the ones in charge and calling the shots. Pattoski’s attention was on the other pistol on the floor.