The Ambush!

The morning sunshine did it's best to brighten one graceful morning. The Big Blue could also feel this waking blessings and everything ran smoothly at the Big Blue. Hussain was present that day and could be seen hovering around his empire with admiration and couldn't help but congratulated himself for his sagacity. The store men labored normally with their daily arranging and assorting goods in the warehouse. The catering team tantalized the whole premises with the morning breakfast aroma.

Collins was seemed to have blended perfectly with the tune of the day. He could be hard whistling happily to his favourite tune as he went around his office tasks. Bruce was resting and preparing for an evening job when he would take the truck on the road. He too amused at the breaking of the day and couldn't stop pondering on the business ideas they suggested with George and Collins. Everything was perfect except for the few unsightly leaves and rubbish all over the compound. Alice had not attended work that day. It looked like she was getting demotivated since Susan left.

All the smooth running of the company and the happy mood that had been transmitted all over that day was still not sufficient to get George into the same tone. He was the only one at total odds. He woke up early that morning with a throbbing migraine that he almost missed work . Even when he sat at his office , eyes glaring at the computer screen, he still could feel the remnant of the migraine still sending tingling pain to his temples and crescendoing towards the forehead. One thing was evident with him; he was depressed. To him it was a gloomy day to speak of.

Hussain came to check on him and he found himself speaking of his disturbing headache. Hussain suggested that he finds some painkillers from a nearby chemistry but George hesitated. For once since George knew him, he had never seen him wearing that pity expression on his face. The always acerbic Hussain now displayed signs of sympathy to George.

Something like a harbinger of misfortunes flashed in George's mind every now and then. He sensed that something terrible was going to happen soon. The presentiment was so strong that it evoked more and more mental stress. George couldn't bear it. It was also increasing significantly , the intensity of the headache. His work performance was low . He couldn't make it.

At lunch hour, Bruce and Hussain entered George's office simultaneously. Bruce had came to brief him of their plans for the business and Hussain came to check the apple of his eye and how he was fairing. George was not fine. Everything had escalated so fast that at first sight of him, one could sense a malady in him. Bruce realized that and only decided to keep the sensitive topic to himself. Besides, Hussain was around and such discussions won't be appropriate before him. Hussain also noticed the sickling George.

"Why won't you find some painkillers during this lunch hour?" Hussain poked sympatheticly.

" I can do until evening then I would have to pass through the chemistry." George suggested.

" No! No! No ! Brother you're not okay! Do as the master says!" Bruce cut in impatiently.

"It's just a headache!" George muttered.

" Yes! A headache! You must find it's solution!" Hussain repeated now serious in his tone.

George contemplated and finally resolved to do as to what the majority dictated. He strained and managed to raise up. " Can you go alone?" Hussain examined .

" I will go alone! I'm not that pathetic. I can walk." replied George.

" And your phone?" Bruce reminded.

" Let it be! Take care of it!" George mumbled as he went out leaving his phone on the table. He walked with a normal steady gait but his face revealed he was agonizing over something.

He passed the gate and crossed the slightly busy traffic to the other side where he had to walk for some hundreds of metres to access a shop or a chemist. As he walked lonely along the road on , he felt that everything was coming to an end. His world was turning upside down. He could not understand himself or whatever was surrounding him. Everything seemed unreal. He remembered his old school days when he saw a school bus passing by. He remembered one of his old friend Jackson. His deskmate. He wondered whether the fellow made it in life since they parted ways after school. How he longed to reconnect with him again. To evoke those childhood fantasies afresh. He wondered if he is meaningfully employed. Not just employed and getting an income but an legal and honest one . The headache exacerbated to levels that he couldn't do any more.

Walking proved difficult and he resolved to rest a little before he continued his journey down the road. A fallen electric pole provide a perfect place to sit and he sat on it facing the road . Motorists continued to increase the noise around and this made his problem worse. From that vantage, he could access a view of the gate of the Big Blue on the other side of the road but far away . His old school days fantasies were cut short by two Land Rover pick ups that had glaring red blue lights on top. The police! As traffic congested a little bit the two vehicles came into closer view to George. One had fully armed police officers both in the cabin and on the back benches set in it. The second had it cabin having two serious looking policemen while at the back was what he never expected. Jerome sat to the right bench with two more officers and the left bench had three filthy looking men he had. never seen before. Both Jerome and the three men had been mercilessly bound with handcuffs.

The vehicles turned on their sirens and the traffic paved them way as they sped away. George's senses came back as though he was not sick. He stood to look at the pick ups as they went away. True to what he was expecting, they turned into the gates of the Big Blue. He knew things had gone wrong. This was the day that the numbering of their days came to a halt. He imagined how he had been saved by the so called headache. He new this were not going work.

In the Big Blue, everything was distorted by the deafening sirens. All other minor workers wondered what had transpired. Bruce, Hussain and Collins did not wonder . They knew it was their day. Either to die or surrender into the hands of the police.

Bruce was still with Hussain in his office and when they had the sirens, Bruce got out and went downstairs to find out. Hussain remained in his office. Collins, who was in his office also, had pulled himself out.

" This is Bruce right? " One officer confirmed when he matched the picture he had in his hand with a tall slim man who had dressed officially in a brown suit. He was immediately handcuffed by yet another officer. The other one confirmed Collins also and found that he was the same exactly in the picture that they had . He wore a black t-shirt and a black pair of jeans. He was also handcuffed.

" What we need is total cooperation in this and your life is spared!" One brutal looking officer who had his revolver in his hand thundered.

" Where are your guns?" Another interrogated after searching them thoroughly.

"It's in my office!" Collins replied timidly.

Bruce was hesitant for a considerable amount of time and only groaned in pain after a vicious and healthy slap from one officer. " It's in the truck! "

Two of them went with Bruce to the truck in the parking lot, and two accompanied Collins into his office to fetch the pistols. Three more serious ones went upstairs looking for one major big fish. They too had his picture. An bearded man of an Arabic decent was what they were after. Two of them had readily cocked M16 guns and the one who had the revolver. They passed the first office ( which was initially George's office and vacant for a couple of weeks) which had a closed doors. The second had it's door ajar . They set themselves safely before the ambushed him.

Hussain was never the type of a man to throw in a towel. He was readily prepared for it. He had already cocked his pistol and when the officer dashed in with their nozzles pointed at him, he readily pulled the trigger and let out a stray shoot that caught none of his foes. With their temper and fear of their safety, they each worked on their guns and Hussain was pelted by countless bullets in his head and chest . He dropped his pistol and dropped to the ground reduced to nothing but a vegetable body that died seconds later. The scene was bloody and Hussain's office was reduced to a chaotic and bloody place.