Second Chance

The day that evil won.

12/09/2020.
It had been a cloudy and gloomy day,which was unusual as if the heavens knew what was going to happen and was unhappy. It was just 7:00 pm but it was already quite dark.

Bright walked home from work exhausted from a long day of work at the factory. He looked forward to getting home, where his girlfriend and the love of his life,Naomi would have surely made dinner.

He smiled at the thought and quickened his steps. As he rounded the corner into the street where he co-rented a flat with Naomi He was surprised to see three expensive looking cars parked right in front of their apartment building.

A feeling of unease started in his mind and he frowned and hurried into the flat only to see a scene straight out of his worst nightmare. His boss sat in their sitting room as if he owned the place,with his girlfriend tied and gagged and several armed thugs with weapons ready, stood around making the small sitting room feel even smaller.

His girlfriend whimpered through her gag and gazed at him through teary, terrified eyes. Icy fingers of dread crawled up his spine and his heart pounded in fear and rage.

Meanwhile his boss, Mr Edward, smiled as if nothing was wrong and spoke "Ahh Bright, just the man I've been waiting for,Your girlfriend is eh quite beautiful" Bright clenched his jaw and moved towards where his girlfriend was only to be blocked and grabbed by the goons who knocked him to the ground and hit him on the head with the butt of a gun so hard he started bleeding,he could barely hear his girlfriend's muffled screams through the ringing in his head.

Mr Edward leaned forward with a smile "Bright,just hand it over and everything will be fine! I will pretend all of this never happened and I will even make you a very rich man" Bright raised head and glared at him "I don't know what you're talking about"

He did know what his boss was talking about. Last week he had discovered some evidence of his boss running a crime ring where he kidnapped, murdered and sold people's body parts and he intended on taking it to the media and destroying him.

One of his friends,Ngozi had gone missing weeks ago and he had later discovered that she had been kidnapped and murdered by his boss's goons.

"Let my girlfriend go, I don't know what you're talking about" Mr Edward smile faded into a sinister glare, "I know that you took videos and files from my office last week. Let me explain something to you, there's nothing you can do with it, even if you take it to the police or the army it will only be silenced by me, so be a good boy and hand it over so I don't have to waste your pretty girlfriend eh?"

"You may feel that you're above justice, but even people like you can be brought low. I will make sure you pay for everything you've done. If anything happens to me all your dirty deeds,how you kidnapped and murdered my best friend, will be released all over the internet for everyone to see" Bright had made copies of all the evidence and kept it with his friend Nonso.

He trusted Nonso to keep it and continue their plans if anything happened. His main concern was how to get his girlfriend out here. He had a gun in the drawer near where Naomi was tied so he turned lowered his hands so the goons wouldn't notice and used and used sign language to tell to get the gun.

Naomi's eyes widened in fear but she nodded slightly. Her father had been deaf so she knew sign language. Suddenly a phone started ringing. One of the goons leaned forward and whispered in Mr Edwards ear.

Suddenly his boss laughed and spoke "Oh pick up and put him on speaker" which the goons did "Hello am I speaking to Mr Edward?" "Yes, you are have you made a decision?" The voice replied "Yes I have, I will give you the evidence and you transfer thirty million naira to me and get me out of the country" Mr Edward laughed "it will be done by the end of the day"

Just before the call ended Bright cried out, "Why???" Why Nonso?? How could you do this?" his voice trembling with shock,rage,hurt and helplessness, bitter tears ran down his face as he stared at the phone in disbelief "Bright, look it's every man for himself and I'm only trying to survive,you're just to stupid to realize it,why waste this opportunity because you want to play avenger" Nonso replied.

Bright was stunned, never in his wildest dreams would he have believed that Nonso would betray him, Nonso had been a friend and brother to him ever since he met him and he had trusted him because he thought they were on the same page. "Nonso!!! Have you forgotten that this man is the reason Ngozi was murdered??"

"And so what?? How is it my fault that Ngozi was dumb enough to get herself killed? Look I don't have time for all this" Nonso said, the annoyance could be heard clearly in his voice. "Nonso!!!" Bright called out but he had already hung up. His heart sank as he his last hope faded away.

Mr Edward stood , "Well I can't say it has been a pleasure doing business with you, and since I have found another means to get what I want,well I won't bother you anymore" and walked out with some of the goons following him while one remained .

Outside, the sound of muffled gunshots could be heard while Mr Edward drove off. The last goon walked out, got into the other car and drove off as well.

Inside the house Bright lay in a pool of his own blood as he stared at his girlfriend's body,he had failed. Failed to protect Ngozi, his girlfriend. He had failed his parents, with his last breath he wished he could be given a second chance.