Chp 2 - Not Dead...Yet

“What? What who went back for?” Tanya asked anxiously. With her heart in her mouth and the thought that she might end up dead after all.

“There were five of them! Been wondering where the fifth one was!” He shouted.

“What did he…..oh!” She said as she saw headlights flashing at them from behind “He went to get the car! Great! What would my mother say?! She would be so heartbroken! Oh my God, I am not even twenty-four yet. I can’t die before I clock thirty. That just makes no sense” she rambled on in panic as she tried to envision her parents face when they told them that she was no more.

“Damn! They are gaining upon us! Stay down! He shouted as he bent down close to the steering wheel barely seeing where he was going. Another bullet whizzed by where his head had just been then another struck the fender, then another, and another. The men seemed intent on riddling the car with bullets till it stopped.

Tanya flinched with each striking sound as she tried not to scream out loud.

“The irony of it was that no sound could even be heard from the shots. So if one should penetrate my body now, I would simply die without a sound. Always thought I would go out with a bang”

“Are you okay back there?” The car asked just as he swerved the car in a way that Tanya got thrown from her spot to the opposite side.

“Not dead yet if that’s what you mean by okay?” She shouted back at him.

“Good. I would hate to have to explain things to your fiance. Can you run in your shoes?

" I can run on anything but this is a special occasion so I don’t mind taking it off if….“.

“Now!”

“Wha…..” She squealed as he stopped the car and got out, opening her door and grabbing her.

Tanya was blinded for a moment by car lights. She had no idea how she had tuned out the sounds in her terror but they were in the middle of a traffic jam surrounded by what seemed like a hundred cars, all stretched out and moving slowly. She chanced a look back and saw that the car that was chasing them was about six cars behind them.

They swerved between honking cars, running at high speed. The clattering sound of her heels sounded deafening to her ears but there was no time for them to stop. They almost got knocked down by a car but the driver stopped on time, cursing at them.

“I am so sorry” Tanya shouted but the guy turned to the irate driver while running backwards.

“I was coming to inform you that I caught your wife in bed with that man running after us ” he pointed at one of the men that had gotten down from the car to chase after them ” That was why he was chasing me, he wanted to stop me! To silence me!”

The angry driver got out of his car and lay in wait for the approaching goon. Then as if he just remembered something, he turned to shout at their departing backs.

“I am fucking single, you asshole! She left me for a man who was better in bed! That was my damn wife’s excuse!”

Tanya giggled hysterically as they kept running then she looked back when she heard shouts. The driver had punched the goon anyway!

****************************

Tanya couldn’t stop laughing as they continued running and even though he told her to keep it down, she saw that he was amused as well but he doesn’t want to admit it. They left the main road behind and entered another neighbourhood, one different from the one they were coming from - a slum area.

The contrast was typical of how most areas are on Lagos streets. One of the places Tanya wouldn’t have been caught dead in unless she was out on a cause.

She could remember the first time she had taken up her cause of reaching out to the junkie and addicts and she had been captured going to a place like this. Her mother had had one of her perpetual migraines for days, the characteristic migraine had not stopped her from lecturing Tanya though. The Internet had been abuzz for a month and some netizens had asked her if she was meeting up with her secret lover there.

Some had said she had been going there to give birth to a child and some were even saying she had the child earlier but gave him up for adoption and now she has to go check on him. The whole scenario had been so annoying and she had ended up giving in to the persistent request of her publicist for her to release a statement. That was how what she had intended to do personally had turned public and in no time her foundation had been borne.

“What a sensation this would cause online now if someone should see me right now and post it online” she was lost in thought that she missed what he said to her. She was startled when he nudged her and repeated what he had just said, asking if she had any money on her.

“No, I don’t go about with cash but I am with my phone” she replied, uncertain of why he was asking. She was about to ask him when he said.

“Great, they accept transfer,” he said as they approached a softly lit motel.

“What, who accepts transfer?”

“The people here, I know some people here that wouldn’t rat us out even if those pursuing us could discover this place. We just had to get there first without being gunned down in the street” he explained to her in a rush as he looked sideways carefully for anyone lurking in the shadows before crossing over to enter the motel.

A man hailed him from the counter.