The Altercation - a short story by Royver

"Oh, what is it now?" Chibuzor hissed angrily and approached the window while keeping his gun trained on the crowd. He glanced outside and saw that a group of mobile policemen were gathered. They had used two black Peugeot saloon cars to block the entrance to the office and some of them were now crawling on their bellies towards the side of the building. Two policemen had taken cover behind the Peugeot barricade and one of them was handling a gramophone. 
Chibuzor shook his head in amazement. Where on earth had they found a gramophone to use? He sighed and turned his attention back to the crowd. 
"If you know you don't work here please go to my left," he said, gesticulating with the gun.
There was an immediate scramble as people dived to his left hand side. Chibuzor heard a commotion at the back and spotted the man that wanted to watch match trying to hide behind a fat lady.
Their eyes met and Chibuzor motioned for him to come out. 
"Who, me?" He asked meekly.
"Yes you." Chibuzor said, sighing. " Victor abi? Oya come out first."
Immediately Victor put his hand on his head and started wailing. People around him quickly moved away as if he had just been infected with chicken pox. He came forward, sniffling and crying and as soon as he was close enough he went on his knees.
"Ah, Oga abeg..."
"Which match you talk say you wan watch sef?" Chibuzor asked.
The man looked around pitifully but no one came to his aid. So he swallowed and answered
"Arsenal vs Swansea Sir."
"You be Arsenal fan?" Chibuzor queried menacingly.
"Ah, me? No oh." Victor said, sweating profusely. "I dont even like football sef. Na my friend say make I come visit am."
"You see your life? You nor even get stakes for today match. Me, I be arsenal fan oh, so na me the thing go pain pass if I no watch that match!"
"Yes Sir!" Victor wailed. "Allow me to fix your light sir!"
"How much?" Chibuzor asked.
Victor swallowed again, trying to lubricate his now very dry mouth. " Free of charge for you sir, its my duty after all."
"That's all I wanted!" Chibuzor shouted. "That's all I wanted and yet you people chose to ridicule and provoke me! And for what? Not as if you are even interested in giving me light sef!"
"THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING!" the voice from the gramophone cackled as if it was coming from the speaker of an ancient radio. "COME OUT OR WE ATTACK!"
"What is wrong with you people?" Chibuzor shouted back. "Have you forgotten that I have hostages?"
From the magnifying power of the gramophone Chibuzor heard a few muffled words.
"Hin get hostages inside?"
"Una no talk na!" 
"How many? Shhhhh, shhhh, off this thing first!"
And them the gramophone went off.
Chibuzor looked at Mr. Victor who was still kneeling g on the floor.
"Call out you colleagues. If you don't call them out before the count of three, I will..."
"Tayo! Ahmed! Maduka!" Victor shouted, turning to point them out. Soon 7 people stood in front of Chibuzor, two ladies and five men, all sweating profusely.
"Em, Maduka, please go and close the window blinds." Chibuzor said.
Maduka obeyed without saying a word. He went to the first window and closed the blinds. On going to the second one there was a loud gunshot and the window panes shattered. Maduka was thrown bodily to the floor and lay still in a quickly forming pool of his own blood.
The crowd screamed again and Chibuzor kept quiet, allowing the people outside to hear their screams. When the screaming died down He shouted.
"Na una kill dat one oh, no be me."
Then he turned to the one called Tayo.
"Oya oh, go and close the blinds."
"Make una no shoot oh! I no be the criminal oh!" Tayp bellowed at the top of his lungs as he cautiously approached the window. As he got there, another gunshot cracked out and the window pane above his head shattered. Screaming along with the rest of the crowd, he sprang back.
Outside there was commotion as the officer that had fired the second shot was reprimanded by his superior.
"Wetin dey worry you na! You no hear say make we no shoot again?"
The policeman looked at his superior through red glazed eyes and murmured.
"Sorry sah."
"Sorry for yourself!" Oya, go back to the van! Move!"
The policeman kicked the dust angrily and left the scene.
Inside Chibuzor was waiting for Tayo to stop screaming. When he did he pointed his gun at him.
"Go and close that window, sir." He said.
"Ah, Oga no na." Tayo pleaded. "They almost shot my head."
"Okay...so let me help them do the job well! Come on go and close the window jare or I shoot you myself!"
"Wait, wait!" Tayo said and stuck his hand I to his pocket, bringing out a was of notes. He threw it to one of the customers.
"They are already bringing the new transformer, we ordered for it last week. The money is not necessary ."
The customer, the same fat woman Victor had been trying to hide behind, gasped.
"Oga move na" Chibuzor said but the fat customer walked forward.
"Leave him, my child." She said. She looked like she was in her late 40s. "Not because of the money he gave me oh, because I know if not for this gun you are holding he for no give me back."
"Then why ma?" Chibuzor demanded angrily. "Why?! Every time they'll be frustrating somebody, they won't do what they are supposed to do, what kind of rubbish is that!"
"Its alright my son, calm down, biko."
Then the rest of the crowd started to plead as well. The NEPA officials went on their knees and the crowd joined them. Chibuzor sighed.
"Na was for una. You for let me first fish them Jo!"
'Sorry sir!" The crowd chorused.
"Okay, okay. I won't shoot again on one condition." Chibuzor said.
"Eh, what is that?" Victor who had regained his composure a little asked.
Chibuzor pointed to the corner of the room where a television was plugged. "Una get Dstv? Make I watch the match under fan first."