Black, Beautiful, Brutal!

Chapter One Annie is a lady of 23 ,slender,fair complexioned ,gap teeth,oval face with pointed nose,black rosy hair,bushy eyebrows with black and brown pupil ,height 165. Abandoned by her mother ,father died at age 19,she survived the world. She is smart ,bold knowledgeable,gentle ,kind but you don't want to see her other side ,impatient with impending fury when subjected to frustrations and anger . Her character code loyalty and respect or nothing She is a girl of her own world;born into slums and strives to be better at her best.She is herself woman ! What will the future hold for her in a world of fallacies? "Annie ! it's time for you to wake up,I pay you to clean the house ,not snore"Shouted Mrs Becky ,the chairman's wife in Lako's Lounge "I will be down in a jiffy"Annie answers ,as she hurries to start her day's work. "Heaven help my forsaken self!" Annie mutters to herself . Mrs Becky laments to herself over Annie 's lateness and terms her shrewd and lazy,calls Usman the estate's security guard to update the surveillance footage. *************************** Gideon has always had a crush on Annie ,even though he is a Casanova,life they say is mysterious. Annie never judges anyone's character and accepted to be friends with Gideon, irrespective of the bad reputation he has with women. Jacky is a Rottweiler dangerous and known to be hostile to Intruders ,never mess with the wrong dog . The day runs swiftly as the dark approaches ,so many households are bothered with satisfying their stomachs and ensuring adequate security of their home. Annie goes to her Foursquare rooftop container house ,she uses to protect herself from the unknown world ,and thinks to herself about her future ********************* "Guys ,tonight is the night Mrs Becky must be home with her lousy husband Maduka " Efe tells his gang "Yes boss,I heard he has gotten the red envelope tonight from the gala" Ichuko replies "Good ! then we launch our attack tonight ,no mistakes should be made"Fires Efe the gang leader of Pyrite Confraternity aka The Iroko Black Eye Boyz "Yes boss!" They all chorused in unison "But Boss,what is the content in the red envelope?" Chulo asked A resounding slap lands on his head "You dare to question my authority,who do you think you are?" Efe thundered in fury "Sorry boss,I dare not question you sir!" Chulo squirmed crying inwardly to himself. **DUSK*** The night coils with the warm embrace of the cresent ,tender with the melodious empathy of N.E.P.A to salvage the heatness in the African air and breeze the world with electrical light . The winds smiled in approval and danced with the tree branches sending a chilling atmosphere. Annie unable to sleep decided to read a novel to send her hyper soul to sleep. The generator him from Empire Estate was the only lullaby she had. She didn't know that three streets away,men were already moving. The thugs plan their way in and out of the Lako's Lounge and Empire estate, maneuveuring the surveillance system to gain access control into the building. Inside her container house,Annie closed her book . Something felt off,the air was too quiet.Even Jacky wasn't barking She stood ,grabbed the old cutlass she kept under her bed,and whispered "Heaven help my forsaken self" The phones buzzes "Chief ,get my money ready ,we are on the job"Efe tells his hirer "Send evidence and the parcel,money is not an issue ,good luck" The phone drops dead Efe stared at the dark screen,then turned to his boys,"You heard him.No mistakes.we go in 20." The night stifles with impending danger about to be launched into chaoes by greedy men, descendants of pharaoh in a world of survival of the fittest. Who will bring the trophy home? Chapter Two The clock in Lako's Lounge struck 11:30PM. Mrs Becky was in the kitchen ,arguing with Maduka over the gala. "I told you not to bring that nonsense home",she hissed . "Keep your voice down,woman.Do you know what's inside this?Maduka tapped the red envelope on the dinning table.It was thick ,sealed with gold wax. "This alone can save a thousand generation from deaths and poverty .Tell no one about this". Maduka warns his wife "Some times I wonder if I married a Messiah or a husband "Mrs Becky fumes angrily to herself as she clears up the kitchen to sleep . Annie bored decided to do some mopping ,as she mopped she thought of her container house,book,stress and sleep. "Heaven help me,"she whispered ,locking the back door behind her . At the gate,Usman the security guard yawned and checked his phone , Jacky the Rottweiler growled once,then settled .too quiet than usual for the busy night They both kept each company during the long hours of the grief forsaken dark night of the world,working arm in arm to protect each other from the unknown enemies,keeping their jobs and preserving their lives for future expectations . Gideon on the other hand a ladies man,dressed in a simple green top and black jeans decided to play his catch on Annie ,waiting outside the Estate gate with his bike pretending to have got a flat tye goes knocking on Annie home to get a warm coffee for the night ,lucky for him He got himself in for a night of serious meditation on silence with Annie ********* The thugs crept in with a shadowy show. A shadow moved by the fence,then another. Ichuko cut the power to the outer cameras,the estate went dim for 3seconds,then N.E.P.A light returned "Now," Efe whispered. Inside ,Annie paused .she heard it,a soft click at the back door she had just locked Her heart didn't race,it went still She knew something dangerous was about to happen and thank goodness Gideon is a wonderful companion to keep her fears at Bay. She carefully tapped Gideon ,signalling for him to remain still and alert in silence because they were not alone Total darkness engulfs them. Gideon makes eye contact with Annie,the message is clear Lako's Lounge is under siege who will save them ? Differents thoughts erupted within them,yet consoling each other in silence and keeping the momentum still. ********************* Inside the Empire estate ,a floor board creaked in the kitchen,then another. The Maduka's fast asleep and unconscious to their surroundings snores peacefully . Annie 's hand found the cold handle of the cutlass under the sink,as she sneaks into the main building. Gideon's jaw tightened,he stood ,blocking her with his body From the hallway ,a whisper "check every room,the envelope first,no noise." Efe instructs his gangs Annie looked at Gideon.For once,the Casanova wasn't smiling,she nodded once the game has begun who will survive this conquest? *CHAPTER THREE* The kitchen door creaked open an inch. Cold air slipped in with the smell of sweat and cheap cologne. Annie pressed her back to the wall. The cutlass felt heavy in her hand — not with fear, but with purpose. Gideon stood in front of her, his jaw locked. For once, there was no smirk, no charm. Just a man ready to fight. Two shadows entered. "Clear the kitchen," one of them muttered. "Boss said no noise." The first thug stepped forward. His torchlight swept across the counter and landed on Annie’s feet. His eyes widened. "Who the —" Annie moved. The cutlass flashed. A cry was cut short as the man dropped, clutching his arm. "ANNI!" Gideon shouted, grabbing a frying pan and smashing it into the second man’s face. The man staggered back into the hallway. From the living room, Efe’s voice boomed. "What was that?" "Trouble, boss," someone answered. "There’s a girl and a boy." Efe appeared in the doorway. His eyes locked on Annie. On the cutlass. On the blood dripping onto the tiles. He smiled, slow and dangerous. "So the chairman’s maid has teeth. I like that." "Stay back from her," Gideon stepped forward. Efe laughed. "Casanova Gideon? You’re a long way from the bars." He raised his gun. Annie didn’t think. *Loyalty and respect, or nothing.* She threw herself between Gideon and the barrel. The shot went off. The world went silent. For a second, no one breathed. Then Annie looked down. No blood. The bullet had hit the metal pot she’d grabbed at the last second. Gideon exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for a lifetime. "You’re crazy," he whispered. "You’re welcome," Annie whispered back. Efe’s smile vanished. "Get them. Now!" Footsteps thundered. Three more men rushed in from the hallway. Annie and Gideon backed toward the back door. "Where’s the envelope?" Efe roared. "I know it’s here!" In the master bedroom, Maduka stirred in his sleep. The red envelope was still on the dining table, gold wax gleaming under the N.E.P.A light. Annie grabbed Gideon’s hand. "Run," she said. They burst through the back door into the night. Behind them, Efe screamed, "After them! Don’t let them leave with anything!" Outside, the estate was alive with chaos. Usman was on the ground, knocked out. Jacky was barking, chained and furious. The generator coughed and died. Total darkness. In the dark, Annie could hear it — her heart, Gideon’s breathing, and footsteps coming fast. She pulled Gideon toward her container house on the rooftop. "If we can make it there, we can hide. And fight." Gideon squeezed her hand. "I’ve got you." Above them, the crescent moon watched. Below them, The Iroko Black Eye Boyz were hunting. And somewhere in Lako's Lounge, the red envelope waited. Untouched. For now. The night Misty with impending doom ,yet tension wavered on the other side Efe groaned,kicking the wall,"this was supposed to be peaceful operation . Get the girl alive and kill the boy ,boss won't be happy if he hears this we are all doomed!" Efe thundered and lamented in anger Ichuko swallowed hard "Boss... what do we do now?" Efe stared into the darkness where Annie and Gideon had vanished .His eyes bloodshot. "We hunt",he said quietly ."Tonight,someone brings me that envelope,or I bring back bodies." In her rooftop container,Annie slammed the door shut and dragged a chair against it. Her hands were shaking ,but not from fear. From fury! Gideon watched her."Annie..." She turned to him,cutlass still in hand,eyes black and steady "They came into my house,"she said."They touched my people. Loyalty and respect ,or nothing ." Outside ,footsteps crunched on gravel,came closer . The game wasn't over ,it had just begun. -