HUNTED HUNTER

 

Dust flew in furious escape into the air at the school field where they had all gathered with the culprit in their midst. Some shouted one thing, others another. The whole place was held in pandemonium and they were divided on what was to be done to the offender. The loudest voice, however, among the crowd is her husband's who is fully in support of the punishment.

No one is letting her go just yet but they all agreed that a punishment be meted out to her.

She has desecrated the land', cried one voice

'She deserves to die', spat another.

She was the only naked person in their midst. A young lady, tall, slim. Despite the weals and blotches of blood  all over her naked body, she is a rare beauty. Her hands covered her face as she wept. While the noise increased, some let their hands wonder carelessly to touch the luscious pair that were her breasts. Others fondled in their mind with the thought of how she was going to taste in bed if she were to be alone with them. Majority of the people had even picked up stones to finish the whore caught in adultery.

'It is just this once', he begged, his voice husky with lust as he tried again and again to unroll her unyielding wrapper from her beaded waists.

'What if...if... someone is watching us', she asked, taking a firm hold at her wrapper while darting her eyes about the room,  the humid afternoon sun stealing a look through an opening in the window that was shut tight. She was torn between yielding and caution.  Only Eze, not even Emefiele her husband knew how to make her scream  in spasm of unending pleasure each time they held their mutual exchange in the secrecy of the night, in the empty classrooms. They had to move their nightly tango away from the school premises because the gate keeper was demanding more money for letting the classrooms to them and also, the old man was beginning to talk to much after rounds of alcohol.

'No one will know', he assured. His face now covered  in perspiration. He went to check the door again as if to assure her that they were beyond detection.

They had gone only three rounds when the door suddenly came under heavy attack with loud bangs. They were startled, disengaged and quickly scrambled for their clothes. There were angry voices behind the door.

'We know both of you are there', a sinister voice announced punctuating each word with a bang.

She developed stomach ache, headache and nausea all at once because the voice that spoke was all too familiar to her.  More so, she knew what will happen to her. No, to them.

She darted about the room behind him, all the while flapping both hands in rapid succession with a slow inaudible whimper, an omen that she had fallen fatally into the trap trouble had set for her.

He rushed to the window but a bang at it sent him back to the bed. There were people there too. There was only one way out. The door.

He crashed into them after unlatching the door then ramming all of his bulky frame against it. Before they could hold him down, he was gone like  lightning before the clap of thunder. 

His pace was rapid, a visible testament to the anger burning in his veins propelling him to the mad man he wanted to decapitate with a machete held in one hand. Trailing behind him is his wife who was crying and holding a little girl of about three who was walking painfully as though the ground beneath her feet was burning with fire. 

They were inching close to the open field where more people had gathered debating the right punishment to be given to her because they had not reached a consensus yet.

'You can't punish her alone', someone shouted.

'That is true', a loud angry voice shot back in response from the distance. Everyone turned  to where the voice had emanated.

The sparkle of the sun on the machete made the people cautiously take some steps backward until Ogbonna was in the middle breathing heavily. There was sudden silence that held the lips of the onlookers in check except for some whispers here and there. 

'Hold that bastard', he snarled with a voice that sounded like a bomb and then pointed in the direction of Emefiele who, suddenly realizing what was coming, made to run but two strong arms held him firmly. Without saying a word, he carried his daughter of three years, spread her legs apart, he showed the people what Emefiele had done to her.

There was a cacophony of  disapproval from the people who either shouted 'Tufiakwa', 'Jisos', shock their shoulders or simply folded both arms on their chests in disdain. Even the offending wife was in shock too. Some women quickly covered her with their wrapper. After all, her offense is still pardonable even though it is punishable. But her husband's is unspeakable!

'There is no point punishing the wife further...'someone said after plastering two rapid slaps on the face of the new offender. Other people supported the motion in unison.  The mob turned on him. A slap here, a kick there.  In no time, Emefiele was crying and  begging for forgiveness, blaming the action on the devil while being dragged to face the full wrath of the law at the police station.

Thank you for reading this far. I hope you enjoyed it?  Till I come you way next time, I still remain yours truly,

Julius Topohozin.