The Neighbours

The Nieghbours

It rained heavily that night, as though the heavens were crying for what was about to come. Dark storms hovering around the sky, lightning and thunder rumbling above as I dashed quickly inside the building where my partners and I agreed to meet after the heist. Closing my umbrella and placing it by the door.
I noticed they all jumped as I entered and relaxed when they saw it was me. Lol... The guilty indeed are always afraid. When did it even get to this, I remember a time I was a saint, innocent and good, where did that time go.
Well, "To each to his own," that was Collin's favorite word, our leader and my reading partner back in Uniport.

They were all seated, waiting for me to arrive, Amadi, our designated driver and talkactive that doesn't just know when to shut the hell up, and a conniving snake at that.

Lucky, the trigger happy cold heartless animal that lacks empathy, the perfect psycho.

Then there was Collins, my supposedly friend and your typical bad guy, "A very bad influence." I remember Caroline warning me back then in school.

The dark shades hides my eyes and for a second I believe my anxiety, for the latter, I'm grateful because I wouldn’t want this bastards to see through my eyes after all there's a saying that says the eyes do not tell lies, and another that says it's a mirror to the soul or so, I think I watched that one in a movie or read it in one group on Facebook or so... Well how true it felt now.

”Hey late comer, what's with the dark shades this night and under the rain for that matter, doesn't it defeat the whole purpose?" Amadi ranted.

The nerve of this guy, I thought as I smiled and then Amadi went on, ”Fashion disaster, anyways, what do you think?”

”huh……” I had no idea he was still ranting as I took my place feeling Collins eyes all over me, and poured myself a glass of Johnny walker.
”Sorry what was the question?” I asked as I raised my drink to my lips.

Lucky spoke.
”C’mon lighten up, you’re not here, where are you?” he asked waving his hands across my face and actually looking concerned.

There is momentarily silence as I sipped my drink quietly and drop the cup in silence, cold silence. Then Collins speaks.

”You know ever since Caroline died you..."BOOM!
The gun went off!

I didn't wait for him to finish the statement and so in a fraction of a second I raised my gun and drew.

The first bullet hits Collins squarely in the face before the last words left his mouth. It sends him shattering to the floor. Later the police and the experts will say he died immediately on impact.

Lucky was not so lucky, with his eyes popping out in bewilderment, I shot him twice in his chest. I think he died some seconds later. Then I stood up walked over to Amadi, removed my shades and put it back on and kissed him. I don't know why I did that but I think I saw it in a movie or so, and then I actually smiled taking in the scene and feeling like a heroine.

Element of surprise was key in this case, these guys were stone cold killers, the best in Port Harcourt, we have done contracts for politicians, pastors, MD's, you name it, both local and international. We have even travelled out to other African countries to carry out contracts and even Interpol was on our heels, but they had no clue who, or how many we were.
We were known as the "Neighborhood" because we were always ushered in, no case of forced entry had ever been recorded, we simply strolled over to the house and knocked, and because we look so nice and warmly, we are able to get invited and that makes our work so easy. Usually I am the one that does the knocking.

Anyways back to the present.

"You know my love," Amadi said, adjusting his tie. "A little warning next time, you scared the money out of my bank account" he said smiling.
"Forgive and forget doesn't apply to you I suppose, he continued but you know he didn't mean to kill Caroline." I closed my eyes at the mention of her name.

"Amaka my dear, it was an accident, a lover's quarrel." Amadi said clearing the table of our last heist and standing up looking over the dead bodies and shaking his head, his hands shook maybe from fear or sadness I couldn't place it, I wasn't bothered.

I looked at him sharply and he raised his hands and smiled, attempting to kiss me again but I shoved him off and hard with a glass of Johnny walker I had just poured for him.

"You are such a bastard I spitted out, he killed my best friend and roommate who I Introduced to him because she found out he was cheating, he pushed her and she hit her head." I banged my fist on the table. "If he didn't push her she wouldn't have hit her head and died you moron and by God, if you ever cheat on me Amadi, I'll kill you and your lover, I swear." I pointed my gun at him.

"Hold your panties sweetness," he kissed the barrel and smiled and the stupidity made me smile too. He took another glance at Lucky and I saw pain.

 "And Lucky, what did he catch a bullet for?" At that precise moment he started coughing, and then he realized the blood dripping out from his mouth, holding his chest and looking shocked then he glanced at the cup I shoved at his chest and he stared at me... One, two or three seconds passed briefly, and I think that was when realization set in.

"To each his own dear." I said and smiled. He dropped on one knee while looking at me with shock, I almost felt pity.

"I told you Amadi, if you ever cheat on me I'll kill you and your lover, you faggot."I smiled as I bent down to take the cup from his hands, grasping my arms in desperation and pleas, I pushed his hands away with the poison setting in, he was too weak to put up any kind of fight or resistance.

"It was Caroline, she saw the both of you kissing after a raid and she did her investigation and found out you and Lucky were sleeping together, Amadi you are fucking gay and you were fooling me all along, Jesus, and with Lucky the degenerate?"
"Stupid cunt, you and Lucky were the targets all along, Collins got shot because he killed Caroline when she approached him and told him she was gonna tell me, and he pushed her and killed her. You trio knew all along and I was the only fool."
Well, you trained a beast and now it's that same beast that has gotten all of you, I guess this is the end of the Neighbours.

I walked out of the room while he died coughing and spitting out blood and the last words out of his mouth was a short whisper as he gasped and died. "Amaka, you, you, arrh you disappoint me." While his eyes stayed on me as I exited the building before the police arrived.

What a man can do a woman can do best. Isn't that what the feminists say?

*************************************************

In the midst of the sirens and lights, no one noticed the shadowy figure staggering out of the building, for he managed to hide and sneaked out of the building while the police and paramedics were working and cleaning up. Lucky holding his chest and feeling the bullets on his vest, he still felt dizzy after being knocked unconscious by the force of the bullets.

He stood a distance away and watched as Amadi was carried away in a stretcher, he didn't shed a tear, theirs was a convenient distraction without passion, but still, he was Lucky and he wasn't called Lucky for nothing. He will have to respond to this, not out of revenge or stupid love, but respect and maybe the thrill of it.

That bitch, that stupid small bitch, Amaka just made a terrible mistake, she didn't kill him and he was coming for her, oh yes, he smiled an evil cold smile, just you hold on and wait, the Neighbours didn't all pack my dear, one remained and he is coming.

Walking away into the dead of the night, a lone figure walked on with the swagger of a man who has nothing to fear and no one to live for.


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