I knew I was at the beginning of the end. I trembled at the thought of what this men would do to me, I know I should have never gone ahead with Dave’s plan but Susan made me do it. Unfortunately, it was all a waste; the secret I gave my all to protect was poured in the open.

The thought of what Josephine would think of me melted me, she would take me for a beast, a heartless and selfish man. I had disappointed everyone, and if I were to get out of this, I made up my mind relocate to another city and start life afresh with a new identity.

I had shamed myself before my father-in-law, and I knew there was nothing I could do to

get Josephine beside me again.

“C’mon move!!” An officer shouted as he kicked me just below the groin.

“Dad, I can’t believe Gerald could do this…” Susan sobbed.

“Don’t worry my daughter, everything will be fine.” He said, drawing her into his arms.

“The police will beat the daylight out of him for trying to hurt my cherry.” He said mildly.

“Dad… I’m just scared, what if he tries to kill me again once he’s bailed out of the cell.”

“Don’t worry my dear, I’ll see how I can handle that. Don’t forget that the crime he committed was an attempted murder even though not directly, I’ll see to it that he serves enough jail time.”

“Ahh! Jail time?!” I screamed. Could this day get any worse? There was no way this was reality, how could a little mistake cause this great damage.

“This is all a dream… right?” I asked the policeman who dragged me by my waist.

“He-he!” He laughed.

“Don’t worry, by the time we are finished with you you’ll know if it’s a dream or not.”

Another policeman joined him as the dragged me to a small room.

“Make sure you deal with him.” Susan’s dad shouted from the charge room office.

They stripped me off my clothes and I was left unclad with only my boxer.

Soon, it began raining kicks and punches. I was kicked about; tossed from one end of the room to the other and at the same time hot lashes of their batons landed on my back.

Blood oozed our of my mouth and I could feel tremendous pains and wounds all over me.

“Please! Please!!” I begged, but they paid me deaf ears. Mr Daniel must have given them a huge sum as the men seemed to derive joy as they saw me suffer, wail and beg for their mercy.

By the time they felt they were satisfied with the beatings, they left me half dead on the floor.

“Take, that’s what you’ll be wearing.” One of them said as he threw a green shirt and shorts to me. I just held it in my hands, I was too weak to put it on.

*****

They held me tightly as I was taken to the cell. They removed the handcuffs from my hands, opened the cell and as soon as they let go of me, I came crashing into the ground as blood poured out of mouth.

I noticed other people in the cell who didn’t seem moved to see me that way. Soon, they shut the door back on us. It was an iron door with spaces through which one could see through.

“Them done finish this one well well o.” I heard a voice say.

The voices became faint, and my eyelids became heavy and I felt them close against each other. It was like the world paused, I didn’t hear anything anymore; I had passed out.

*****

When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying at a corner. I tried raising my hand but it was as heavy as a log of wood, I felt so much pain all over my body.

“E done wake.” One of the inmates said to another who sat with shoulders raised like he owned the place.

“Hey! You! Wetin carry you come here??” Came the voice of the man sitting down.

I felt too tired to respond.

“You dey thief??”

“No.” I shook my head.

“So na wetin make them beat you like this?”

“It’s a long story.” I said weakly.

“Ehh! See this one dey speak English for me, e be like say you no know say na me be the chairman for here. Na me done tey pass for this place and everybody know wetin I fit do. So e go better for you if you use your head, make I no change am for you.”

“Sorry, abeg no vex.” I said in a bid to not aggravate my situation.

“Viper, you for drill this one for me. I just dey look am, as he dey now if you touch am e fit die sef.”

“Just leave am boss. E done chop enough beating.” The guy standing next to him said. I concluded that he must be the Viper.

They were like a clique, they were three. I found out that one other guy who had been asleep all the while was also a friend of the so-called “Chairmo”. I counted us with my eyes and we were seven, myself inclusive. Chairmo and his cliq were seriously engaged in a discussion while the rest of remained quiet.

The others didn’t care to have a chat, or even know what crime I had committed. There was a strong silence between us, I would have engaged them in a discussion but there faces were very rugged and they looked like hardened criminals. I don’t know what was more killing, the boredom or the pains I felt.

My stomach grumbled, I had not eaten anything since the cereal I had earlier that day. It was almost night and no one had brought us something to eat.

I was almost forced to ask the guy close to me if they don’t eat there when I noticed a policeman and a woman standing in front of the cell.

At last. A smile lit up my face. There was a cooler and small plates, and immediately the woman started dishing out food. We were each given a plate of beans. It had too much water and looked very unpleasant to the eyes.

Geez! The last time I saw food like that was way back in boarding school, but this, was worse. I had to force myself to eat. But as soon as I took a spoon, Chairmo’s voice came piercing through my heart.

“So you get mind dey chop, when you never remit for the elders, I go teach you lesson today.”