Like Family, Like Enemy

Adam had known Ruth for as long as he could remember. Back in Lagos, she lived with her drunken father across from Adam and his adoptive mother's house. Whenever she couldn't tolerate her father, she used to come over, and they would spend the night on the roof watching the stars. They were both at that time.

Young, reckless, and left on their own, they did go on a misadventure, pushing the boundaries of sanity, legality, and humanity. With her alcoholic father consistently incapacitated and Adam's mother struggling with illness, the two were forced to fend for themselves, often resorting to unorthodox means to survive. They scrounged for food, scavenged for supplies, and scrambled to make ends meet, all while trying to care for his ailing mother. Their actions were a desperate cry for help, a testament to the harsh realities of neglect and abandonment. Despite their tender ages, they were thrust into a world of adulthood, navigating the harsh consequences of their actions and fighting to stay afloat in a sea of chaos and uncertainty.

People always had something to say about Adam and Ruth, but nothing ever said was truthful. They are more than what's been said; they are like family.

He didn't find the guts to go back to the hotel, knowing clearly that Madame was going to chew him out. Instead, he mindlessly drove to the spot, the abandoned warehouse that, for some twisted reason, he felt at home in. He climbed to the balcony and sadly lay on his back, watching the crumbling ceiling allow sun rays to penetrate.

He lay there for what seemed like hours, the dust motes dancing in the slanting sunlight. Memories flooded his mind — moments with Ruth, their laughter echoing off the decaying walls. Despite the decrepit surroundings, this place held a strange comfort, a sanctuary from the harsh realities of their lives.

He stared at the patchwork of sky visible through the broken roof, he felt a pang of guilt for the trouble he'd caused.

"Which thing happen to you, you fall from your grace abi wetin? E take you two days before you free me from prison." A harsh voice echoed through out the empty place. Ruth face look down at him as she stood hovering over him.

"How are you?" He looked at her callously.

"Haba! You don really fall, you no fit manipulate am again." She blared.

"I don't like it when you..." She cut him.

""Abeg, Big Daddy. This one no be you again, Bash? E pain you? E manipulate you? Wetin e do you wey?" She lay beside him, her face close to his. He could feel her breath caressing his face.

"You don't have a say! What do you think? Pickpocketing! You're better than that," he accused.

"Wetin wetin wetin?" She sat straight gawking at him.

It dawned on him at that moment. He knew Ruth inside and out, and she could be reckless, but not as reckless as stealing from the police.

"You didn't pickpocket a police officer? Did you?" he asked, sitting up straight as well.

"Na who tell you?"she asked.

Adam stood up. He knew what had happened. It was Madame; she could get into his head so easily. G-J worked for Madame, and whatever he had said to Adam could be what Madame wanted him to hear. He knew how to play her game; he knew how to get to her, just like she knew how to get to him.

"Big Daddy, where you hear that one from? Dem arrest me when I dey drive go house, no be say I thief." Ruth glared at him.

"Right, I know!" He held her hand and dragged her to her feet.

"Come with me. I'll drop you home on my way and stop with the pidgin I don't like it" he walked ahead of her.

"Whatever!" She said frustration building up in her.

They walked away from the abandoned warehouse. Adam's mind raced with thoughts of how to protect Ruth from the consequences of her actions. He knew Madame's reach extended far and wide, and getting involved with the police was dangerous territory.

Ruth, on the other hand, was visibly upset. "Why you dey vex like this? You know say na setup be that," she muttered, kicking a stone in frustration.

"I know, Ruth. But you have to be careful. Madame doesn't play games, and G-J is not someone to mess with." He sighed.

"I sabi wetin I dey do. E no go bad if you believe me small." She nodded, her expression hardening.

Adam stopped walking and turned to face her, his eyes searching hers. "I believe you, Ruth. You're family to me. But we can't afford any slip-ups right now. Let's get you home safely, and then we'll figure out our next move."

Reluctantly, Ruth nodded again. "Okay, Big Daddy. I go dey careful. Thanks."

They continued walking in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. The streets were quiet, the evening sun casting long shadows as they droved through the familiar paths of their neighborhood.

They approached Ruth's apartment, Adam scanned their surroundings cautiously. "Stay safe, Ruth. I'll check on you later," he said quietly, squeezing her hand briefly before letting go.

Ruth gave him a half-smile, her eyes reflecting gratitude. "Thanks, Adam. You be my person."

With that, she disappeared into her apartment, leaving Adam to wrestle with the conscious and the anger he had tried to hide from her. He knew their lives were intertwined in ways that went beyond friendship or mere survival. They were bound by a shared history of struggle and a world that seemed determined to keep them down.

He walked drove away, his mind raced with thoughts of how to outmaneuver Madame and protect Ruth from further harm. The stakes were high, but he was determined to keep their makeshift family intact, no matter the cost.

Adam drove to the hotel, the place he called home. Led by instinct, he opened his car boot and took out a baseball bat, then walked through the hotel. The receptionist ran to him, calling his name, but this time he didn't answer. He just walked into the elevator and rode up to the penthouse.

He wasn't sure why he took the bat, but the moment he spotted G-J, he did what he had been so scared to do all his life, hurt a friend.

Adam stood there, gripping the baseball bat tightly in his hand, emotions churned within him. G-J was a trusted friend, now looked at him with shock and fear.

"Adam, wait! What are you doing?" G-J pleaded, his voice trembling.

Adam's mind raced. He had never been one to resort to violence, but something inside him snapped. "You betrayed us, G-J. You sold us out to Madame," Adam said through clenched teeth, his voice low and menacing.

G-J stammered, "I-I didn't mean to. They threatened me, man. I had no choice."

Adam's grip on the bat tightened. "You always have a choice," he said sharply. "You could have warned us. You could have protected Ruth."

G-J took a step back, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Please, Adam, I'm sorry. I'll make it right, I swear."

But Adam was beyond reasoning. Years of frustration and helplessness boiled over as he swung the bat with a force fueled by betrayal. The crack of wood meeting flesh echoed through the room as G-J cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground.

Adam stood there, chest heaving, as he looked down at G-J writhing in agony. A part of him recoiled at what he had done, but another part felt a twisted sense of satisfaction, as if he had finally taken control of his own fate.

The door burst open, and Bash rushed in, his eyes wide with alarm. "Adam, what have you done?" He exclaimed, rushing to G-J's side.

"I... I couldn't let him get away with it, I didn't like been betrayed and actually it's you I'm after" he muttered.

Bash knelt beside G-J, assessing his injuries. "He's hurt bad, Adam. We need to get him help," he said firmly, his voice steady despite the chaos around them. But all Adam could here was how Bash fuck him off last night and how Bash mother throw Ruth in jail just to get him do he bidding.

Adam picked up the bat once again, his eyes taking on a darker shade every time he heard Bash's voice. And when Madame's voice finally echoed, he snapped. The bat collided with Bash's head once again. The man staggered, blood oozing from his forehead.

"I don't care when you punch me on the shoulder or when you tighten a string around my neck, choking," Adam muttered, cycling through his anger. Madame stood a few feet away, watching them with amusement.

"I don't mind when you steal from me; hell, I don't mind doing all the fucked-up things you throw my way." He hit him again, the bat colliding this time with his waist. "Because you're my boy, my pal, my friend - fuck, you are my family, and I respect every bit of it."

He hit him again and again and again until all Bash could do was cough up blood. "But I do mind when Ruth is involved. Boy, I would kill, just like I killed that girl - the one I fucked so hard she bled to death."

Madame's amusement turned to concern as she realized the intensity of Adam's rage. She stepped forward, her voice calm and authoritative.

"Adam, that's enough. You've made your point."

Adam's chest heaved with exertion, his eyes still blazing with anger. He slowly lowered the bat, his grip relaxing.

Bash collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood and struggling to breathe. Adam's words hung in the air like a challenge, a reminder of the darkness that lurked beneath his surface.

Madame approached Adam, her hand extended. "Give me the bat, Adam. It's over."

Adam hesitated, then handed the bat to Madame. She took it, her eyes locked on his.

"Go to your room, Adam. We'll talk about this later."

Adam nodded, his anger slowly giving way to shame. He turned and walked away, leaving Bash and G-J to Madame's care.

He disappeared into the shadows, Madame's expression turned from concern to calculation. She knew that Adam's loyalty was both his greatest strength and his most significant weakness. And she would use that to her advantage.

Madame's eyes narrowed as she gazed at Bash's battered form. She knew that Adam's outburst was a manifestation of the pent-up anger and loyalty that had been building up inside him. And she had a plan to harness that loyalty for her own gain.

She knelt beside Bash, her voice dripping with sweetness. "Poor Bash. Adam can be quite... passionate, can't he?"

Bash groaned, his eyes fluttering open. Madame's smile grew wider as she continued.

"I think it's time we had a little chat, Bash. About your girl and the fracture she created in our little family."

Bash's eyes widened as Madame's words dripped with malice. He knew that he was in grave danger, trapped in a web of loyalty and deception that Madame had expertly spun.

"Mom, I need a doctor," Bash glared at the woman. He wasn't sure why, but everything about her creeped him out. Bash knew Adam would get back at him, but he hadn't thought it would go this far. Adam was a cautious guy; he knew when to engage and when not to.

"You hurt him really bad!" Madame smiled broadly as she picked up her phone.

"I hate him so much, more than I hate you." Bash tried to stand up. "And I'm going to kill him, right kill him!"

"You won't," Madame said, her voice dripping with confidence. "You're a coward. And you wouldn't if you want to see your little girlfriend again."

Bash choked, coughing up blood in shock. "She's dead; you can't trick me anymore than you already did."

He walked towards G-J, who was lying still and unmoving. He touched him, feeling his veins. The man was alive; relief washed over him. He tried to walk away from Madame.

"You know him more than I do," Madame said, her voice dripping with malice. "Just think what he would do if he really did fuck her up to death."

She walked past him into her bedroom. Bash stood there for what felt like eternity until his leg gave way, and he collapsed.

The truth of her words hit him hard. If Adam had killed his girlfriend as he claimed, he would have presented her to him in a grand display. Adam could be bold when he wanted to, and he would. Bash hated him for that, and he would hate him for as long as they walked the surface of the earth until one of them finally succeeded in ending the other.

Memories of their childhood together surfaced in his mind, fresh and vivid. Adam had found him and his siblings one night under the bridge and had stolen their food. When he came back the next day and found them still lying feverishly, not knowing what to do, he had punched Bash right in the face so hard that Bash knew he was going to die. And die he did, for from that day on, the young, stupid, soft Bash was gone, replaced by something else - a monster. A monster that roamed the earth for years until he made his love life, the one woman who tore his chest and cracked the ice surrounding his heart and made an abode there.

Here is the corrected text:

"Marya, that's what he called her. They met at school. He was studying medicine, and she was already a nurse working at the teaching hospital. They knew they were meant for each other right away, and soon they were planning the most lavish wedding. But one night, she disappeared, gone. His heart was torn apart, and he searched for her all over the world, but it was as if she never existed. Then, one night in Paris, while scrolling through his phone, he saw her - with no one but Adam.

His friends, his family, his mentor, and Adam wouldn't tell him what happened, and then the enmity began growing every passing day."

A knock sounded on the door followed by a medic. His mother came out of her inner room all dressed up.

Bash's eyes narrowed as he gazed at her, his mind racing with memories of Marya. He had thought he had lost her forever, but now, it seemed, she was back, and with madame of all people.

"Where is she?" Bash demanded, his voice low and menacing. "What have you done to her?"

Madame smirked, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, Bash, you're so predictable. Marya is fine, don't worry about her. She's exactly where she wants to be."

Bash's anger boiled over, and he lunged at the medic who tried to help him sit up, but Madame's voice stopped him cold.

"Enough, Bash! You'll get your answers soon enough. But for now, let's focus on the task at hand."

Bash turned to Madame, his eyes blazing with fury. "What task? What are you talking about?"

Madame smiled, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Of course getting you back on your feet."

Bash's eyes widened in shock as Madame's words hung in the air. What did she mean? And what did it have to do with Marya?

He pondered these questions, Madame continued, her voice dripping with malice. "You see, Bash, I'm going to be using Marya to get to you. Playing on your emotions, using your love for her against you."

Bash's eyes snapped back to madame, his anger and betrayal boiling over. "You slithering snake!" he snarled, launching himself once again, this time at her.

But Madame's voice stopped him cold, her words echoing in his mind like a promise of revenge.

"Not yet, Bash. Not yet. But soon, very soon."