The wrath of Shadow .
“Forgive me Father for I have sinned," I said coldly.
"Go on, son; let's hear your confession."
"My name is Gbenga Adeyemi - AKA - Shadow. Since my last confession as a child, I have killed countless people and broken the hearts of those who love me. I have offended God and man and the cry of the dead still echoes even in my sleep."
"Go on!"
"Well, you see, Padre, I am an assassin. I belong to an undercover mercenary group called the Maze. It was not a move I intended to make but circumstances beyond my control forced me."
I paused briefly to collect my thoughts.
"I have the whole night, you may tell me your story... from the beginning."
I spared a glance at the reverend's face that was almost hidden behind the dock.
"Well, it began years ago, on a cold harmattan night. I was on the street of Sakra - roaming about in abject misery and deep pain after I was abused brutally and sent out of my home by my drunk and angry father. I sat down on the pavement just by the road since the traffic was sparse and tended to the wounds inflicted on me by the one I called father. However, my eyes noticed the broad and imposing shadow that suddenly materialized over mine. It belonged to a grim-looking white man who introduced himself as Djonovik. He had on black spectacles, a pair of expensive leather shoes and a black jacket over his expensive grey tuxedo to keep the cold away. He was big and broad and moved slowly but confidently and when he spoke, his words were meticulous and voice, devoid of emotions." I turned to look at the Reverend.
"Bare it all out, son." His gruff voice said kindly.
"I followed Djonovik and that was how I got to be an assassin, enduring years and years of training and programming to become a tactical and efficient killer."
"What made you do that?" He said after my pause.
"Do not judge, Padre. My mother was ill and my little sister was anything but healthy. my abusive father was a hopeless miserable drunk who only thought about spending all he had in the pub that stood at the end of our street. I wanted better for me and more importantly, for my mother and little sister. Perhaps, this was the drive that spurred me on to become the best in the Maze - too efficient that I was soon known as "The Shadow"; a black illusion - an imitation of what exists but can not be attained or held."
(Read more on Shadow here)
"That's scary, son!" The Reverend said with a gasp.
"That has been the point of my existence, Padre. Recently, I was disavowed by the maze for refusing to complete a mission and the woman I loved was snatched away from me after which my family was killed brutally. I decided to go all the way round and I ended the lives of three of the top members of the elite group. Djonovik would come for me and he would bring with him the woman I love as hostage".
******
There were sudden myriads of sounds as cars piled into the compound. Within minutes, mercenaries had poured into the building. I got up swiftly from the chair just as a bullet whizzed past me.
It went through the thick wood, into the dock and I saw the Reverend's head split open like an overripe pawpaw. He fell limply to the floor and his shocked lifeless eyes were riveted on me.
Rage!
"Est bulem semper fii", I breathed hotly as I did a quick somersault and gained my feet behind an obstacle. I unslung my double-barrel shotgun and held it firmly in my hands. They were moving quickly and cutting off all exits.
Djonovik came in, flanked by two men who held machine guns. He took off his shades exposing his extremely cold eyes and then, he took out an antique derringer pistol from his side holster - always old school but damn efficient.
I knew that somewhere outside, on one of the elevated platforms, there was a sniper in place.
"Est bulem semper fii!"
They began to advance - black-cladded men in military combat boots. I knew they were deadly efficient judging from the way they held onto their weapons.
There were two hefty men now flanking my position.
I crept beneath a pew and materialized in front of one. I could feel his fear and his shocked eyes darted in the darkness. His actions were slow and I savoured his disoriented movements before levelling the gun on his chest.
The rapport of my double barrel was like an explosion. The two huge slugs slammed into the man's chest, lifting him clear off the floor.
There was an evil grin on my face as I watched him crash through the wooden partition wall and outside the church where he fell dead.
Pandemonium! Their guns erupted into a deafening cacophony of gunfire; the sound, reverberating through the hall like thunder.
I crept backwards slowly and noiselessly into the shadow of the dimly lit hall. Once safe, I dropped the gun and took out a k-bar. The blade glinted ominously in the darkness.
I was as silent as anyone could ever be as I listened intently for the approach. Then, it came - there was a sudden squeak from the floorboards about three metres from me. I listened for the boots. It was faint but as a professional - one trained to even pick out the movement of ninjas- I could hear it. From the sound, I could tell that whoever it was was moving with his back to me. "A few more paces", I thought as a ball of sweat dripped down my nose and dropped on my right hand. He kept coming and then, he turned and saw me but he was too close. I pushed my K-bar into his right lungs, efficiently taking away his ability to make any sound and then, I inserted the blade of the knife into his jugular and ripped through his throat.
"Est bulem semper fii!" I said in a fierce whisper as the man fell to the floor clutching his neck and gasping for breath.
A bullet suddenly whizzed past me and crashed into the concrete wall behind me as I moved out of position.
For a moment, I had forgotten about the sniper on the roof. I inserted the dagger into its scabbard and went on all fours. Crawling, I reached the gasping man and searched his holster. I found a grenade.
I knew that my next action would disclose my position but then, the sniper needed to be taken out. I had located a staircase at a corner and an idea had struck.
Without further ado, I unpinned the grenade and put it in the hands of the gasping man. Although his eyes were shut as he jerked, he held onto the bomb in a frenzy.
I made a dive to my left just before the explosion. I knew the sniper would be left confused and blinded by the flames. The steps leading to the roof were a short flight. I took them two at a time. I had just gained the landing when I heard the gunshots. There was a rain of bullets that brought a fraction of the wall down.
Chuckles. Shadow was too much for them. Est bulem seper fii!
The sniper was a professional but I was Shadow. I was responsible for writing the manual which was used in training the new intakes in the art of hand-to-hand combat, sniper, knife combat, guns and seduction. I wrote a book about meeting and approaching women as part of their training. (Read it here)
Being able to seduce women and gain friends was a huge part of the training as an assassin.
I spotted the sniper and began to roll on the silencer on my pistol. His sniper gun was trained in the direction of the hall below, all his attention was on the sight. My gun spat once to his head and he was put down.
Three men were below and two others were combing the perimeter of the building. I knew that in one of those parked SUVs was the woman I loved. I imagined her gagged up and tied making the rage sizzle within me.
"Vindicta non-deficit!" I said and tumbled swiftly out of position. I made a jump and landed noiselessly, somersaulting with the remainder of my momentum and reaching a stop just by the fallen sniper.
I took hold of the gun.
The first man walked by. His eyes were on the sighting system of his rifle as he covered the whole area around him.
I trained the gun towards his head.
"Odi et amo!" I said and pulled the trigger. The bullet burst into his skull like a hammer through an egg and brain matter splattered on the wall behind him.
Est bulem semper fii!
I went down the roof and gained my feet. I heard the footsteps that approached and then, the voice speaking:
"Hawk-one, do you copy?"
The man made the bend and stood right in front of me but did not notice because I was in the shadow.
He dropped his rifle and pressed on the radio.
"Hawk-one! Shit shit shit!"
"Dropping your rifle was the lamest thing you did, kid," I said, coming out of my hiding place. My gun was trained towards his head.
He pulled out a poisoned dagger and I chuckled mirthlessly. I inserted the gun into my holster and made a stance.
"Not minding the circumstances, it is an honour to fight with you, Shadow.” He said and came for me.
His movement was fluid; he spun bringing the dagger down in a vicious arc but I evaded the attack and sidestepped him.
I saw his eyes bulge with surprise but he regained composure and came at me again.
I parried, dodged, blocked and jumped. I was impressed. He seemed to have mastered the technique I wrote down in the manual for the Maze.
I knew that if the knife made just a little cut on me, I was as good as dead so, I evaded his attacks as best as I could and then, knowing that the time was right, I released a punch to his shoulder and another to his ribcage, breaking some bones.
He stood paralyzed by pain but his eyes were fixed on me, unyielding and bright.
He came again and I took out my sawed-off shotgun, drawing out a dreadful gasp that came from his assulted lungs.
"Ultio suavissima rerum!" I spat and pressed the trigger. The explosion as the bullet left the muzzle of my gun and met him was like fireworks. His head was decapitated and scattered around the ground.
I turned and ran into the building. My silenced pistols spat once each and the two men in the hall fell.
There was a rapport from a gun and I dived swiftly and rolled over gaining my feet. Djonovik walked out into full view.
"Gbenga, AKA, Shadow!" He said and shook his head. He was walking towards my hideout. He was a bit old now but his eyes were still as alert and cold as they were years ago when I first met him.
"You had the guts to turn against the Maze that made you who you are!" He screamed.
" The Maze went after my family and abducted the woman I love. I did not want the mission to be completed because I noticed there was a weak link. If I had done anything at that time, we would have been uncovered!" I said, making sure my voice reverberated to confuse him about my location.
"You went ahead and murdered my family and then, you disavowed me, sending the hounds after me. When it clouds, it pours, Djonovik! You know this! Sic vis pacem, para bellum!"
I somersaulted and my two guns jumped into my hands and began to pump leads into Djonovik.
He fell limply to the wooden floor.
Ultio suavissima rerum!
******************
I went out and took my woman out of the car where she was kept.
"It's okay, I'm here, my juju" I said and began to cry. "I would never let you go!"
"Oh juju, bubu, is that you baby?" She said and I laughed so hard that I farted horribly.
"Yes, my heart, my breath, my love, my bubu!"
She farted too and smiled brightly and we hugged each other, our hearts, beating in tandem and finding that rhythm that was kept away from us for years!
"Hey, your fart smells badly!" She said hitting me.
"I was just about to say that about you", I said wrinkling my nose.
She ran away and I chased her.
My name is Shadow; odi et amo. I hate and I love!