CORNERED

written by Madubuike Michael

Left the meeting angrily, they didn’t agree with my proposal for a business expansion. Instead they went for another which I know was a shallow plan. The thought of this made me angrier.

I’m driving home now, still angry. “I don’t understand why I was turned down. It would have been a big break for me, if got awarded the contract.”

Honk! Honk! Honk!

A car is seriously and annoyingly honking at me from behind. “What the hell is his problem? Go the f*** around me fool.”

I was making a turn off the highway, the honking fool takes out my bumper and speeds off.

“OMG! What a f***ed up day this is. Everything is blowing itself to hell. Shit!”

In my bed, can’t sleep. I tossed and turned. I looked at the alarm at my bedside table; “1:05 AM”. I take a deep breath. Just then, I heard loud thumps by my bedroom window (men jumping into my compound). I hear voices. They are trying to get in. I hear sharp crack sounds at my front door. I quietly rushed to see. A few bars have been cut off my burglary. A man was squeezing through. My heart is pounding loud and hard. I can’t think. I could hear the other men tell the one inside my veranda to cut faster.

I run back to my dining table, I’m antsy, I’m scared. I need a weapon. Nothing useful around except for the pen I had used the night before to write the proposal that fell through.

I heard a very loud pound on the front door, and then another and splat! The double door flew open, off its hinges. Just then, my heart stopped. Everything went dark and then quiet.

Moments later, I came to. Three dead men are bleeding out on my orange tiled floor, a fourth wide eyed stood at the door with his mouth open, bewildered. Me, I’m on my knees in between the dead men, a bloody pen on my left hand. I’m covered in blood and sweat. My pupils glowed like an Alaskan night wolf.

I hear a metal fall clank to the ground, and then running footsteps. “Should I let him go, should I give chase?”

Like a possessed being, I sprang to my feet, instantly leaping over one of the dead men in front, I could feel the cold morning air on my face as I sprinted through the door. I see the one trying to escape, scaling the fence of my backyard. Like a leopard, I jump on him, with the pen still in my hand. Bang! Straight into his jugular. He screams and falls, chokes on a mouthful of blood…