Street Diaries.

The Huntsman. (Titi's P.OV.)

We had been hiding out for a couple of months, and it was beginning to get tiresome, the feeling of being targeted by people who would do anything to end your life was so sickening, it was not even living anymore. Every second of every minute of every hour of the days as they roll in over and over again, I imagined how it would happen, who would it be? Would it be Chuks? Or would Kunle himself burst through the door and point the gun to my head? Would he at least feel a kind of remorse after doing it, or would I just be one more obstacle out of his way?

Funny how innocent he was the first time I saw him, funny how it seemed so long ago, but it was not. I thought it would be better for us if Kunle was the one who would burst through the door, there was something seriously wrong, something really sinister about that Chuks. If Kunle shot everyone in a room, it would be because he had to do it, and he would have sleepless nights over it. Chuks on the other hand had a look in his eyes that suggested that he reveled the idea of violence, he welcomed and enjoyed it. He was a psychopath. Hearing my dad and his associates discuss the war with Kunle and his group had done more damage to my peace of mind, when I heard how Chuks massacred a bunch of people made me more scared than ever before, we were running out of men and resources, and the support was far gone. I once tried to reason with dad to give up the war,

"Let me have a talk with Kunle, he's a reasonable person. Let me tell him that we'll leave town and he'll never hear from us again," I cried.

"You won't understand how this works,  Titi. Giving up is not an option, not anymore. They killed my fucking son! Your brother... Don't you see that this won't be over until we're all dead or they are? The boy you knew is far gone, baby. The power and money took him."

He was heartbroken by my brother's death, but his ego was a bigger reason why he would have never given up, he believed he was nothing other than the kingpin of crime in the city, and he was right. That is the thing about a lifetime of crime, you spend your life building an empire, and someday, sooner or later as you get older and weaker, what you built gets snatched from you. It might be right in front of you while you draw breath or when you're six feet under. I believe my father knew this and it haunted him all his life, it haunted him so much that when it finally happened, he decided that death was better than defeat. I often found him whispering the old Yoruba saying to himself, "Death before disgrace, death before disgrace, death before disgrace," as it became more clear that he was losing his mind. I suddenly found myself alone, more alone than ever before, and it was all because of a boy I loved.

My worst nightmare came true some months later, my dad had been in high spirit for some weeks because the war had somehow turned in his favor. Kunle got shot, and later his older brother got locked away. I still can not say why but I felt bad when I heard the news, I also felt a sense of relief, but that only lasted a few seconds. That was when I heard one of my dad's associates mention how the Seaville street gang leaders got wiped out in a massacre by Chuks.

"He is going to come for us," a voice whispered in my mind. But he didn't come, not immediately, he didn't. My dad and his men prepared for an attack but it didn't happen, then after some days everything went back to normal, Kunle was hiding out, and they had a bounty on his head. It was starting to look as if the war was nearing its end, and I would be free to live my life away from all the mess. I had a plan to return to the states and never return, and oh, I wish that had happened, but everything got thwarted in just one night.

The night started like a few nights before it, I was at peace, no fear of the door getting knocked down and men rushing in gun blazing. It was a chilly night, the November cold was starting to set in and I rolled around in my bed, thinking about how everything could be different in a few months. I wanted to be far away from the safehouse, far away from thugs and killers, and back in charge of my life, preferably on a beach somewhere sipping some fancy drink and soaking in the sun's light.

I must have only slept off for a few minutes when the loud noise started, the noise shook the whole room, it was an explosion. My bodyguards rushed in and Ade who was the head guard said in his thick voice "We need to go now Titi! The house is under attack.
" But, how? How did they find us? I thought we were winning," I replied confusingly

"It was just a matter of time, Titi. This city is no longer ours, it belongs to them now. I told your father that we need to retreat and re-strategize but he would not listen.
What matters now is your safety, Titi. So, come with me now before it is too late," he yanked me off the bed and carried me across the room. I asked where my dad was but he did not even reply.

The house was in a state of chaos, it was literally on fire in a couple of minutes, bullets were flying and as Ade and two other men tried to move me out of the house amidst the chaos, men fell from the right and the left. By the time we got to the back door, I looked back and the whole place was ablaze, startled by the destruction and the screams of dying men, tears filled my eyes.

"We are to rendezvous with your father in the woods, Ade suddenly said."

"What? He's alive?" I shouted.

"Yes, he is."

"Oh, thank God," I wiped my face with the back of my hand as we continued into the bush. We walked for what seemed like hours and then finally we came upon some of my dad's men. "They're here," one of them shouted to alert the others. This was like a go-ahead call, my dad was emerging from behind his men when the unexpected happened. Gunshots rose to the air, and the men fell in different directions, and I fell to the ground. In just some minutes everything went silent, Ade had fallen on me, he was a big man and his weight was crushing me, he was dead. Chuks and his men came out just behind us and started shooting anyone who was still breathing. Chuks ignored the rest of the men and went straight to my dad, the great Sarumky, oh how the mighty fall. He had sustained some injuries but he was still alive, he struggled but his strength failed him, Chuks ordered his men to put him on his knees and they had to force him as he resisted until he no longer could. The Chuks unsheathed the sword he carried on his back and in a swing, he brought the sword down and... My dad's head rolled off his body. Chuks pick up the severed head and they took off.

I fainted for some hours and when I regained consciousness, wriggled myself out from under Ade's corpse. I had to walk for almost a whole day before getting to a road. Then I was free, but something changed in me, I saw my father murdered, and I wanted the ones responsible to pay.