Short story

A fatal Mistake.

Being unemployed isn’t easy, especially when you’re twenty seven and more broke than you’ve ever been before. I rubbed my palm across my face as I read Tinu’s message for what could be the hundredth time today.

“You don’t even have a stable source of income, you can text me again when you’re more serious with your life”

The most frustrating part of it all is that Ive tried my best. Its not like I just sit at home with my degree in actuarial science rotting away in my room. Ive applied to different organizations but some how there is always someone more qualified than me out there. You’d think that after all the strikes, stress and exams I deserve a lot better.

Today has been a roller coaster ride, really. When I told me childhood best friend Kola about everything. He didn’t give me his usual speech about trying harder and praying about it. Instead, he gave me an address and told me to meet him there “desperate times call for desperate measures” He’d said. Knowing how shady he sounded I had hesitated. But recalling the countless number of time my mother had told me to find a job and stop being a disappointment, I decided this was a risk that I had to take.

Dressed casually, I arrived at the scene which was actually close by. The location itself was already looking really suspicious. It was a bushy area which was filled long weeds, grasses and one or two trees popping out. If you looked hard enough, you could see a river on the other side, and a few boats being moored away.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped. It was Kola. I had been so distracted by the area that noticed him. A few meters away, I could see three other men probably about my age standing behind us. They were each holding a fairly used barrel. While one of them looked shifted nervously, the others had stern looks on their faces.

“I’m glad you showed up” Kola chuckled “I actually thought you were going to chicken out”

I sucked in a deep breath to calm myself “what are we going to do here?”

He smiled showing a few crooked teeth “Don’t be scared Thomas. I’ll explain as we walk”

I nodded and he turned back “Lets go boys”

Then we proceeded, pushing back weeds and swatting at mosquitoes who had made this place their home. Kola clapped his hands killing one before speaking up.

“Two words” Kola said turning to me “Oil bunkering”

I stopped in my tracks, shocked by his statement “Isn’t that illegal? How are you even so confident about this?”

“I work for someone” He said with a proud smile “He’s so influential, he can bribe the police into keeping shut”

“That’s crazy” I said backing up “Even for you”

“Calm down” Kola said reaching out to put a hand on my shoulder. I stopped backing away wondering how he was going to explain his way out of this one”

“We grew up in this area Thomas” Kola said waving his hand around “You have to have heard of Baba Lakande”

I gulped. Baba Lakande was one of the rich “business men” Who lived here in Akute. That’s what he called himself and parents told their young children to admire him, greeting and hailing him as he passed, but everyone knew that wasn’t what Baba Lakande did. He was involved in some shady business but no one had known what it was. Some had believed he was a herbalist others thought he was a scammer a “419” expert.

“So this is where he got all his money from” I said my eyes wide. I’m not sure if I was reacting this way out of shock or fear. But I knew one thing, what Kola had just implied has made me even more afraid.

“Yes” Kola said with an encouraging smile “So you see, we’re protected”

“Like I said before” I said shaking my head “I’m not doing again”

“You don’t have to be afraid” Kola assured “He has the local police station in the palm of his hand. We’ll never get caught…”

“There’s no way we wont get caught eventually” I interrupted “Then it could even be worse. The army might be the one to catch us not the police” I was becoming hysterical now and I knew it but I didn’t care. I just wanted out of this situation. I was an idiot honestly, why did i even go into the forest with them?

“Don’t move” one of the men behind us shouted. I turned around and oh God he was pointing a gun at me.

“T-boy” Kola said putting a hand out “what are you doing?”

“Following orders” he replied in a gruff voice “baba said make we shoot am if he no comply”

Jesus!

“No,no, put the gun down” Kola said before giving me a look “Thomas will follow us right?”

I looked at Kola and I at the man whose alias was T-boy. I didn’t want to do this, but I didn’t want to die either. It was wrong and I knew that somehow we were going to end up in prison even if it took some time, but i knew that if I didn’t listen, I would be shot without a second thought.

“Y-y-yes” I stuttered turning back “I’ll follow you”

T-boy put his gun away and we kept walking. As we continued in silence, I couldn’t help but wonder how much trouble I had put myself in now.

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This was meant for a short story contest but the word limit was 200 words and trust me when I say this goes beyond two hundred words. I really hope you enjoy it. I’m posting a poem a bit later on too (first time doing a double post lol) but I’m experimenting with imagery and I’m not quite sure I nailed it so I’m kinda nervous… Hehe.

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