Wednesday 26 March 2014

The Altercation - a short story by Royver


NEPA 2
"Shut up! Shut up!" Chibuzor shouted as a middle aged lady at the end of the fully occupied office continued to scream. The others were looking on in shock and disbelief as Mrs Iwum's half head continued to ooze blood. There was a temporary silence-except for the incessant screaming from the lady- and then everybody moved at once, some heading for the only door into or out of the office while others stupidly tried to break through the barred windows.
Chibuzor watched them as they moved, his revolver stil pointed at Mrs Iwum's corpse. He tried counting mentally to ten to calm himself but he couldn't concentrate with the incessant-
"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeee!!! Aiiieeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!"
-from the banshe at the end of the office. So he did the next logical thing.
The gun went off and the screamer dropped like her plug had been pulled, blood spreading from her left breasst to her white satin shirt. Now other people took her place, screaming at the top of their voices and driving him crazy.
"Why don't you all Shut uuuuuuuup!!!" Chibuzor yelled and shot at those who were trying to make it to the door. Three more bodies dropped and others stumbled and fell over them as they tried to escape with their lives. As they ran outside the security men at the gate, having heard the gunshots immediately alerted the nearby mopol, both of who rushed in, brandishing their weapons. 
Chibuzor saw them coming from the window and waited till the first one got to the door. He fired and the mopol's head shattered to pieces. Flecks of blood and brain splattered into the eyes of the second mopol, temporarily blinding him. Chibuzor put two shots in his chest before noticing the bulletproof vest.
"Damnit!" He said and rushed at the mopol who was struggling to regain his vision. Mr kehinde, who still happened to be in the office tried to trip him but Chibuzor jumped nimbly over his foot and picked up the AK47 of the dead mopol. A squeeze of the trigger and the secobg mopol was on the floor, never to see or move again.
Chibuzor rushed out with the gun and fired at the crowd that was left. Three more people lost their lives before the rest of the crowd lay cringing on the floor.
"Oya, all the NEPA staff come back inside!" He shouted but nobody moved.
"I said all NEPA OFFICIALS COME INSIDE!" He repeated angrily. 
One man got up.
"Please sir, I be customer...I fit comot?" He asked quietly.
"Eh, go." Chibuzor said, and the man bolted.
Another man and two women stood up.
"Oga please make we go? We be customer too o!"
Chibuzor waved them off and they started running. 
A third man got up. 'Please I want to go. I'm a customer too-"
"Na lie oh!" A light skinned thick-set man shouted from his position on the floor. "You wey no gree reconnect my light?!"
The third man began to run and Chibuzor quickly shot him down. Screaming started again though nobody dared to get up.
"Oya that's it! Everybody back in the office!"
The people got up and ran back into the office with Chibuzor behind them. Already a crowd was beginning to gather outside the gate but at what they considered a safe distance.

1 comment:

  1. Really hilarious. I like the "na lie oh" part. Cracked me up so much.

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