KNUCKLE (a story of sex, temptations and mysteries)

Advisory Content:

This poem contains very explicit sexual content and language

KNUCKLE

Afolabi had a million dark thoughts circling his mind

Like vultures impatiently hovering over a dying man

He was brought back to reality

By his wife’s voice as she prayed

“Lord, bless my husband

Bless this family

And grant us the ability

To always remain content with what you have given us

Amen”

At this point, Afolabi also delivered his own “Amen”

Knowing that his wife’s morning prayers had just ended

His wife, Debby turned to him and asked:

“Baby is everything okay?”

You look worried…”

“I’m alright,” he responded

“I’ll be fine. It’s just some office work I left undone,” he added

But in truth, Afolabi knew that he was far from being okay

All through the night that his wife lay beside him sleeping

There had been only one thing on Afolabi’s mind

His problems and how to draw up a lasting solution

Just before his wife got up for prayers

He had finally made up his mind on how he was going to solve his problems

Once and for all

At about 5:15am, Afolabi decided to change from his pajamas

He had already showered

So he simply changed into a fresh pair of boxer shorts

Wore his black jean pant

Put on his white T-shirt

And wore his black long sleeved shirt as well

When he was done dressing up

He went into the kitchen where his wife was

She heard him come in

And turned around to face him – smiling as she always did

When he saw her flash him a smile

His heart warmed up

And he flashed one right back at Debbie

Afolabi took eight short steps and found himself standing right in front of her

And then he went on his knees and held her protruding belly in his hands

He placed his ears to her belly, looked up at her and said:

“I know they’re going to be very beautiful”

She smiled at her husband

The knowledge of knowing that she was carrying triplets rushed into his thoughts

And no matter how he tried

He knew that the scan had been absolutely correct

Afolabi briefly wondered how he was going to feed and cater for three healthy children

When he could barely afford two meals a day

His wife had lost her job 6 months before she even became pregnant at all

And till this moment, they were still living off her savings

It was not that Afolabi wasn’t working but

He had gone unpaid in the last 5 months

When Debbie spoke his name

He looked into her eyes

And knew that a lot was about to change

But he was intent on sticking to his plan

And didn’t want any distracting thought to filter into his head

So he smiled back at her

Hugged her fiercely

And she hugged him back

After 10 seconds

He gently broke off the hug and headed for the door

Just as he held the door knob in his hand

He looked back at her

And flashed her a smile

Even when he knew that he was on the verge of doing something

That would change her life forever

Afolabi knew that later in the day

His wife would hear series of loud knocks on the door

And that when she opened the door

She would see the landlord

Who had been extremely lenient with him lately

The landlord had made it clear to Afolabi

That he would no longer permit him to stay beyond the weekend

And Afolabi just had no idea how he was going to pay six month’s rent

When he was presently living from hand to mouth

As he stepped outside

He looked at his wrist watch

It was 5:30am

The cold breeze that caressed his face

Instantly reminded of the coldness of what he was about to do

In his pocket

He had N5, 000 in cash

And Afolabi knew precisely what he was going to do with it

As he approached a beggar

Who always sat at the T junction that was two streets away from where he lived

He slowed his pace

Dipped his hand into his pocket

Took out the N5, 000

And dropped it into the old man’s tray

He didn’t break his stride afterwards and just kept walking

Afolabi had walked for more than 3 minutes

When he suddenly felt a crawling sensation on his skin

He felt his head swell

And a powerful and metaphysical force urged him to stop and turn around

Afolabi felt as if he was being watched by over a dozen spirits

Afolabi halted his steps

And when he turned around

He saw the an old man

Standing right in front of him

A lot of people in Afolabi’s shoes would have screamed in fright

But Afolabi stood still

Afolabi was not one to be scared easily

He was 6 feet tall

Was blessed with the physique of an athlete

And knew that he could defend himself whenever the situation presented itself

Not that he carried a gun or knife

But Afolabi was aware of his abilities

And knew he could kill a man in less than 5 minutes

Afolabi looked into the old man’s eyes

And recognized him instantly

It was the beggar he had just given his N5, 000

Before Afolabi could utter a word

The old man spoke

“My Dear son…

This day holds much meaning

When it is 7pm today

You will remember me

When you do

End whatever it is you are doing

And return home

May the gods be with you…”

Without waiting for a response

The old man turned around

And began walking back to the spot where Afolabi always seen him earlier

Afolabi was almost tempted to run after the old man

And ask him questions

But the words of the old man

Struck him as ridiculous

And absolutely confusing

Surely

Afolabi was 100 per cent convinced

That the man was either insane

Or just didn’t know what he was doing

Afolabi cast his eyes to the floor

And thought about the old man’s words for a moment

But it didn’t make any sense to him

He raised his eyes to look at the old man as he walked away

But was stunned at not seeing him

He briefly wondered how the man could have covered so much distance

In such a short time

Given his age and frail way of walking

He looked at his wrist watch again

It was 5:40am

And he turned around and just kept walking

Knowing that it was almost time to execute his plan

As Afolabi walked

He let his mind wander over his ailing mother

And the fact she had been hospitalised over an ailment that had kept her in the hospital

The last time he spoke with the doctor

Afolabi was informed that his mum had been in the hospital for 5 months

And that her bill presently stood at N230, 000

He thought about his unpaid N150, 000 rent

He thought about his wife and the unborn triplets

He thought about his job and the fact that almost everybody else had resigned except him

Afolabi thought about so many other problems in his life

And how things just kept going from bad to worse for him

At precisely 5:50am, Afolabi was on the popular 2^nd Mainland Bridge

He noticed that vehicular movement on the bridge was incredibly light

Leaving the road scanty and deserted

He looked ahead of him and saw no one

He looked behind him as well

And there was no one in sight

As if on cue, Afolabi climbed to the edge of the bridge

And looked down

What he should have seen was a deep lagoon

Over which the bridge was suspended

But instead

What he saw was a wet grave

In a flash, he remembered the old man’s words

And the 7pm time the old man had mentioned

“Foolish old man,” Afolabi said to himself

Just as he was about to step off the bridge into the water below

He felt a human presence behind him

Afolabi told himself that if whoever was behind him

Happened to be the old man

He would surely kill him and throw him off the bridge before joining him

Afolabi was yet to turn around

When he heard a voice coming from directly behind him

“Don’t jump,” said the voice

From the texture of the voice, Afolabi knew it was not the old man

When he turned around, what he saw shocked him

It was a girl

And she was the most beautiful thing Afolabi had ever seen

Afolabi found himself staring at the girl

She couldn’t be more than 5 feet’ 8 inches tall

She was fair complexioned

Wore a short dress that stopped far from her knees

And Afolabi just found himself staring at this beautiful girl that stood before him

“Please don’t jump,” she repeated

Her voice resonating with the purity of a spring

The sun was not up yet

But Afolabi did not need the rays of the sun

To see that this girl was astonishingly beautiful

And blessed with a physical formation

That could force an erection out of a priest in a market place

Afolabi could tell that this was no ordinary girl

Not just from her beauty

But from the affluence and class she visually represented

He did not need to touch her to know that her skin was as smooth as a baby’s bum

The braids of her hair stood out in shinning form against the glow of the moon

The radiance of her eyes openly challenged the shine of a halogen bulb

Her eyebrows lay in an arch of perfection

Her eye lashes stood uniform and held an allure of fluttering flowers

Her lips were a mirror of sweetness

And when she smiled

Afolabi felt himself being lured into a garden of temptations

At this point

He heard her again when she said:

“Please don’t jump”

Without stepping off the edge of the bridge

Afolabi asked:

“And of what benefit would that be to you?”

She replied: “Kindly step off the bridge and I’ll be glad to tell you”

Again she smiled

Afolabi found her smile very strange under the circumstance and asked:

“And why are you smiling?”

To his query, she replied:

“Because I know that if you keep standing there

You’ll soon have others joining me here; talking to you”

Afolabi saw the truth in her words

Because at that very moment, a car that was speeding past

Suddenly had its occupants pointing at him but not stopping

He looked at the pretty girl one more time

And then stepped off the edge of the bridge

As he stood in front of the girl

Afolabi could see that he had been right about her height

She looked straight at him and said:

“Hi, I’m going to be very straight-forward with you

I don’t know what drove you to stand on the edge of the bridge

But I can make you rich

My name is Bridget”

Afolabi began to wonder who this girl was

And before he could open his mouth again

She spoke:

“I know you have loads of questions to ask me

If you accept my proposal, I would gladly answer them all”

Afolabi was not stupid

And he knew better than to trust a gorgeous girl who emerged from the blues

Once again

She must have read his thoughts or the look on his face

Because at that very moment, she said:

“I know you don’t trust me but I assure you once again that I can make you rich”

Afolabi looked at his wrist watch again and it was 6:15am

The break of dawn just on the horizon

Again

She spoke:

“Please we do not have much time

If you accept my proposal, kindly tell me your name and we’ll proceed

You have just one minute to decide else I would walk away

And you will never see me again

Afolabi took a step backwards

Looked into the dark depths of the lagoon for about 10 seconds

He then looked back at the girl who had introduced herself as Bridget

He thought about the huge debts, financial responsibilities

And despair that had driven him to commit suicide

And just as the girl was about to speak again, he said:

“My name is Afolabi”

To this, she replied:

“Nice to meet you Mr. Afolabi”

The girl smiled again and flipped open a Blackberry Blade she had held all along

Afolabi knew the phone was very classy and expensive

Because he had read about it just a few days ago

She dialed a number and held the phone to her ears

Someone must have picked up the phone on the other end

Because after 6 seconds

She began to speak:

“Scout Bridget requesting transportation to HQ

I’m somewhere on the 2^nd Mainland Bridge”

That was all she said and Afolabi watched her listen for a few seconds

Before ending the call and flipping the phone into silence

“What was that all about?” Afolabi asked

“I just arranged for transportation for both of us Mr. Afolabi,” came her reply

To this, Afolabi said:

“Would you please stop calling me Mr. Afolabi

My name is Afolabi, okay?”

“Okay then Afolabi,” she replied

“So why did you ask me not to jump,” Afolabi asked her

Well, Afolabi, see I am a scout and I always know an athlete when I see one

I will never stand by and watch a talent go to waste

The moment I saw you, I just knew

You look very strong Afolabi…”

Afolabi offered a courteous “Thank you” to her compliment

“Afolabi, I know you’re going to ask me what sport I scout for

And go on to ask me many more questions

But I urge you to be patient

By the time we get moving, a lot of these questions would be answered

Is that okay?”

“Okay” came Afolabi’s reply

By the time it was 6:30am, a black Range Rover Sport approached

And Bridget waved her hand

Just as the car slowed down and parked right in front of them

Afolabi had told himself that if there was any other person in the car

Besides the driver, he would never get in

When he looked into the car

He could see the driver

Clad in an Italian suit

And looked as smart as a bank executive behind the wheels

Afolabi peered in and could see no one else

Bridget giggled and said:

Afolabi! Ahan! I see you still don’t trust me

See, I am not an armed robber, a ritualist or anything like that o

I have already told you I am a scout

All I want to do is to give you a chance to become very rich

In case you didn’t know, you’ll have to work hard for it too

Just like I do”

And then she smiled at him

As she moved to step into the back seat

Her full view came into enticing perspective

And Afolabi marveled at her breath-taking form

Just a glimpse of her cleavage

And Afolabi could tell that she had wonderful breasts

The type that would make a man wish he could get breast fed all over again

Her hips gently sloped into an ass that men would gladly sacrifice an eye for

When she stepped into the backseat and asked Afolabi to join her

He did so and did not miss the luxurious interior of the car

Afolabi had seen the interior of a Range Rover Sport before

But this one had been pimped into a visual fantasy

It was all there

Small Plasma screens all over the place

A pleasant whiff of lemon that reminded Afolabi of a lemon drink he once loved

Leather seats that radiated class and wealth

A tiny wine rack built into the car – complete with glass cups

iPads, internet-connected laptops, screens with DSTV channels and so much more

Afolabi was forced to ask:

“What exactly am I supposed to do?

I hope I’m not going to have to wear a mask

And then carry and gun and storm a bank?”

At this, Bridget and the driver laughed out loud

When she finally ceased laughing, she asked:

“Afolabi, can you fight and defend yourself?

Do you have any martial art or combat experience?”

Rather than answer her question

Afolabi suddenly cast his mind to his years in school

And why he had quit his Taekwondo career

It was a semi-final bout of the University Games

And he was representing his school

His opponent was a two-time gold medalist from the games

The fight had started with a flurry of kicks and high level techniques from his opponent

But Afolabi’s foot work and counter kicks took his opponent off guard

Afolabi was feared in school by everyone in his Taekwondo class

Not because he was the fastest

But because of the precision of his knockouts

Afolabi remembered a certain occasion

When his coach had called him aside after the day’s class

And begged him to be careful with the force with which he kicked

During that semi-final fight

Afolabi’s opponent had pulled an illegal move

But the judges missed it

And this angered Afolabi

In the second round

His opponent pulled another illegal move

Kicking him below the belt and following up with three solid points to his chest

Afolabi was in a rage and he knew this would end badly for his opponent

His coach saw what had happened and had shaken his head in fear of what Afolabi

Was capable of doing

Afolabi laid a trap for his opponent

With his left leg forward

Afolabi feigned a right leg Dolio

And his opponent swallowed the bait

And tried to counter

By launching a counter Dolio

By the time he realized that Afolabi had fed him a dummy

It was already too late

And Afolabi knew his opponent had taken the bait

He lashed out with a 360 kick that struck his opponent’s head

And Afolabi felt his skull crack open with the impact of his kick

Yet he followed with a devastating head-level Dolio to his opponent’s head

The impact was like a baseball bat striking a head

And he watched as his opponent’s neck snapped off his spine

Killing him instantly

Everyone saw this happen and the entire hall was shocked

In a flurry, the First Aid team, coaches and even judges rushed in

But even as they did

They all knew Afolabi’s opponent was dead

Afolabi just stood there watching them

He felt no remorse whatsoever

And began to shed his fighting gear

First the head guard

Ankle guard

And everything he had on him

When he was done

He simply walked away

Not just from the competition

But from a career that had won him so many laurels and recognition in school

From then on, his days in school held little meaning

It was the first time he had killed someone

The second time had been while he had joined a boxing class shortly after graduation

His coach had spotted the talent and had spurred him to take up competitive boxing

Afolabi was drawn out of his flashback by Bridget’s voice

“Afolabi!” She called out aloud

And then when he looked at her

He could see that she was worried

“Did I ask a wrong question?” she asked.

“Oh no you didn’t,” he replied

“I was just caught in some old memories,” he added

To answer your question, yes I can defend myself.”

She appeared pleased with his response and said:

“Good! Then you’ll make a lot of money,” she said

“Like how much precisely are we talking about Bridget?”

She looked at him for a few seconds saying nothing

And then said:

“N10 million for a single fight”

Afolabi was shocked and exclaimed:

“What! Am I fighting lions and tigers?”

She burst out laughing again

And said: “Of course not Afolabi”

And she began giggling again

Afolabi was getting used to her company

And the ease with which he could talk to her

But what she had just said

Struck him as incredible

How could he possibly win N10 million from a single fight

He knew for a fact that Bridget was either lying

Or the kind of fight she was talking about

Was much worse than she had made it seem

Things were happening too fast

And Afolabi wondered how he would deal with it

As the car cruised along the now bright road

Bridget did a lot of explaining to Afolabi

She told him about an elite club called KNUCKLE

She filled him in on how the name of the name was derived

And Afolabi listened to all she had to say

After her detailed explanation

She produced a purple coloured form and gave Afolabi to fill

Afolabi collected the form and looked at it

The word ‘Knuckle’ was clearly printed on top of the form

As Afolabi read through the form

He could see that

Besides the space where he was expected to fill in his name

Write the day’s date

And append his signature

The form had just four words boldly printed on the sheet

And it read

‘Fight and get rich’

After he filled it, he handed it over to her and she flipped open her phone

And typed in some of the details he had filled on the form

As Bridget continued to speak

Afolabi noticed the car make numerous turns

A left here

A right there

Another right there

And then three consecutive left turns

Just as he was about to ask Bridget where they were going

The car slowed down

And eventually grounded to a halt

Right in front of a very massive gate

He noticed that the gate was black, incredibly huge

And had a massive emblem of a knuckle

The car drove in and kept making series of turn

Until they came to another gate that had the same emblem

Once again

The car drove into the gate

This time

It parked and the driver killed the engine of the car

Bridget turned to look at Afolabi

And told him:

“We’re here now Afolabi

This is where it all goes down

Just come with me

But before we go

There’s one more thing we must do,” she said

She pulled a metal object with a brass handle from her side of the door

And held her hand out to Afolabi

Giving him a prompting look

He placed his left hand in hers

And she pressed the dark surface

Of what he now saw was a metallic stamp on the back of his hand

She pressed hard

And by the time she pulled the metallic stamp off his hand

The was a dark emblem on the back of his hand

And when he looked at it

He saw the same emblem he had seen on the gate of the building

The knuckled fist

“This will open any door you come across

Just flash your knuckle

And you will be accorded the respect of a god

Afolabi flashed an approving look at her

And in response she said:

“At least, you now know I have no plans to kill you”

Afolabi’s response was swift and caught Bridget a bit off guard:

“There are some things worse then death,” he said

She tired to smile but even she knew it didn’t come out well

Bridget opened the door on her side of the car and stepped out

Afolabi did the same and also stepped out of the car

And walked towards Bridget

When he was by her side

She began walking and he followed her

As they both approached a steel door

Afolabi saw two bulky men standing guard at the door

“Remember what I said,” was all Bridget told him

And when he was about three steps away from the door

Afolabi flashed his knuckle at the guards

And they both bowed their heads slightly and opened the door

Once inside

Bridget led Afolabi to a room

And shut the door behind them

The room

Just like the interior of the Range Rover Sport that had conveyed them here

Equally had class and style written all over it

A massive mirror filled up the entire wall to his right

He saw a 72 inch plasma screen on the wall to his left

Beneath it were all kinds of electronic device

Home theatre systems, a huge wardrobe built right into the wall

A bed complete with blankets and an exquisitely designed duvet

The temperature of the room came with a sensual feeling for Afolabi

He walked around the room for a while

And then walked back to where Bridget stood

Until he was standing right in front of her

She looked up at him, smiled

And said:

“Ko lo wa lokan e? (which, in Yoruba translated into ‘what’s on your mind?)

Afolabi was shocked not just at the clarity of Bridget’s Yoruba

But was also stunned at the fact that she had even spoken the language in the first place

“What did you just say,” Afolabi asked

“I’m sure you heard me athlete” was the response he got from Bridget

And then she smiled at him

Not the way a platonic friend would have done

But in the way a lover would

Afolabi knew he was married

And he knew that he shouldn’t be kissing another woman

But then he recalled what he had seen about three weeks before his wife got pregnant

It had all started with a rumour that had filtered into his ears

As well as a strange text message informing him to go home at 12noon

When he first heard it and had seen the messages

He had instantly killed it

And treated it like what it sounded like to him – nothing but the imagination of losers

But then he was on a routine trip around some clients the other day

When he received another strange text from an anonymous source

And it read:

“Mr. Afolabi

You do not need to know who I am

Neither is this a prank

I have admired your trust in your wife for months

And though it breaks my heart to say this

Go home now at 12noon today and if you’re not convinced

Then you will never get any such message again”

Afolabi had looked at this message very closely and read it all over again

He recalled that he had gotten this message four times every week in the last 3 weeks

Except for the last line that had read:

“…then you will never get any such message again”

No matter how strong your resolve is

When you begin to hear the same thing over and over again

It begins to take shape in your thoughts

Afolabi did not believe the words in the text message

But there was a part of him that feared the possibilities that swam into his thoughts

Finally

He decided to bury his doubts once and for all

And home he went

When Afolabi got home

It was just past noon - precisely12:05pm

He quietly unlocked the door with his key

And right on his matrimonial bed

Was his neighbour, Ojo ramming his plantain-sized manhood in and out of his wife

In the most ungraceful manner one could ever imagine

Before now, Afolabi had always handled his wife like an egg in bed

Gentle yet seemingly purposeful

But there was nothing gentle about what he saw

After a few minutes, they Ojo pulled her off the bed

Flung her against the wall

Grabbed her hips

And swiftly had her pinned against the wall

And while holding one of her legs up

He hammered his big manhood into the wetness of her vagina

Her eyes were closed shut as she moaned in pleasure

Naturally

Afolabi was shattered

He had trusted his wife and now this…

When he could no longer take it

He simply turned around and walked away

Surprisingly, he never confronted her

But he caught them doing the same thing about 11 other times

And after a while, he just stopped checking.

Until she broke the news of her pregnancy to him

He had hugged her afterwards

Still not confronting her with her adulterous nature

He suddenly returned to the present

And feasted his eyes on Bridget once again

Afolabi felt bold

He closed the space between them with a single step

And let his hand slowly trace its way down to her waist

When his hands reached the curve of her waist, he held it firmly

She looked straight into his eyes and said:

“Not now athlete”

But before she could say anymore

Afolabi sealed her lips with a kiss

She placed her hands tenderly on his chest

Simultaneously kissing him back

As he nibbled on her soft lips

Suddenly

Afolabi pulled himself away from her

Took one step backwards

And looking straight at her, he said:

“Bridget! There’s a big part of me that still does not trust you”

She looked away from him and cast her eyes downwards

And spoke:

“Afolabi, you were about to step off that bridge and I begged you not take your own life

Would you have preferred if I had just stood there and watched you jump?”

Afolabi said nothing

She was about to speak again when her phone began to beep

Bridget excused herself and flipped her phone open

Afolabi just let his eyes roam all over her as she walked around the room

While receiving the call

She would look up at him every now and then

Still receiving the call

And would resume walking around the room

In slow leisurely steps

Finally

She flipped the phone closed

And as Afolabi took a close look at Bridget

He could see a tiny line of worry begin to take form on her forehead

“What’s the matter,” he asked

“It’s time,” she said

Afolabi looked at his wrist watch and it was 9:45am

He looked back at her and asked:

“Time for what?”

Without responding to his question

She simply began walking towards him

When she got to the spot he stood

She took his hand in hers and asked:

“Afolabi, please can you sit down for a minute?”

He obliged her and followed her as she led him to the edge of the bed

And sat down

He did the same and she began to speak:

“Afolabi, I want you to listen to me very carefully

Remember I told you I am a scout

What I did not tell you is the kind of people I usually look for”

She paused for a while and then began to speak again:

“The men I bring in here are men who are not afraid to die

That’s even putting in kindly

I mean animals and monsters in human skin

Men who have been condemned not just by the society

But by God himself

Men who have an addictive craving for human blood

I really don’t know why I am telling you this

From the moment I saw you

I knew there was something very different about you

I was almost tempted to walk away from you

But my soul

Would have haunted me for the rest of my life if I had let you jump off that bridge

You are different

I still do not know what factors drove you to attempt to take your own life

But from the moment you turned around and I looked into your eyes

I just knew”

Afolabi looked at his wrist watch again

And it was 9:50 and he asked:

“You said it was time 5 minutes ago – time for what?”

After he asked the question

She looked at him for a few seconds

And then looked away and let her gaze drop to the floor

She held her palms together and then spoke:

“Afolabi, KNUCKLE is an elite club with members spread across continents of the world

Members of KNUCKLE are billionaires, members of royal families across the world

Politicians, drug barons and extremely powerful people

There’s a lot of high-stake betting involved

And because the stakes are very high

The rules are also very extreme

When you are drafted into KNUCKLE, you are paired in fights with men

That should only exist in the Devil’s library

If you can take down your opponent in five minutes

You walk out with N10 million”

After this, she paused

And Afolabi asked a question:

“By take down, I take it that you mean ‘kill’ – am I right?”

Afolabi was not surprised when she nodded in acknowledgement

“N10 million is not child’s play and I know men who would kill for less that amount

But I have another question

What happens if both men remain alive after 5 minutes?”

Still keeping her gaze on the floor, she said:

“The fight continues but the stakes are raised for another five minutes

Until one of the fighters is pronounced dead

I must also add that after a fight

The winner is asked if he wants ‘in’ or ‘out’

Choosing ‘in’ means that the winner still desires another fight

While the choice of ‘out’ means that the winner has decided to walk away with his prize

The incredible thing is that if the winner chooses ‘in’ after a win

And goes in for another fight

He wins 10 times the amount he won in the first fight

Which in this case is N100 million

But he gets a two-hour break before the next fight

If after winning, he still chooses ‘in’

And wins again, then he wins N1 billion”

Bridget paused again and just as she expected, Afolabi asked a question:

“What happens if the fighter still desires another fight after a third win?”

Bridget looked up at Afolabi again

And quickly looked away but Afolabi could see the look of fright and intense trepidation

That had crept into her eyes and countenance

Six seconds passed and Bridget did not answer Afolabi’s question

He was about to speak again when she spoke up:

“The fighter would have to face Kamar…

Kamar has been undefeated even before I was recruited by the club 6 years ago

No one who fought Kamar has lived to tell the story,” Bridget said.

“How much is at stake for taking Kamar down?” Afolabi asked

“N500 billion,” came Bridget’s answer

“Goodness! Is Kamar human at all?”

Without offering an answer, Bridget rose off the bed

There was something that worried Bridget

Afolabi could tell that much

But he just couldn’t place a finger on what exactly it was

Bridget simply walked to the door without looking back

Afolabi watched the swing of her heavy backside

The girl was incredibly beautiful

And he thought about the sexual things he could do to her

As if on cue, he killed the thought and replaced it with the task at hand

“You have to change what you’re wearing,” she told him

Afolabi opened the wardrobe and he saw all kinds of clothes

“He picked out a black slack that had a white vertical line on the left

And put it on after he had shed the jean he had put on that morning

As he got dressed, Bridget simply stood by the door – watching

When he pulled off his shirts, he could feel Bridget’s eyes on his bare body

And when he looked at her, he didn’t miss the admiration in her eyes

“Wow!” was all she could say and then added

“You look like you live in a gym…”

“Thanks,” he said

“Aren’t you going to wear a shirt?” she asked

“Not at all,” he replied

When he began walking towards her, she spotted the bold tattoo on his right shoulder

It was the image of dragon’s head with red fiery eyes

And she admired the beauty of not just the tattoo but the one wearing it

In all honesty, Bridget was afraid

Not for herself but for Afolabi

She had never seen him fight

And silently wondered if he would survive what she had brought him to face

Afolabi seemed to have read her thoughts and said to her:

“Bridget! Don’t worry yourself to death

The worst that can happen to me is death

But I assure you

I will not fall to a mortal man

Afolabi did not know who or what lay beyond the walls of the room he found himself

But he knew one thing for sure

He felt death hover above him

The same way it would hover above a man strapped to a an electric chair

Afolabi was not afraid of death

He had never been

All through his childhood

Fear had never been given the slightest room to breathe

It had never been a choice

He just was not capable of being scared

He suddenly remembered an incident when he had seen his girlfriend off to her apartment

The girl had just brought him into the compound that housed her residence off campus

When the landlord’s dog – an Alaskan malamute spotted him and began to growl

The girl had urged Afolabi to leave

Because of the dog’s notorious reputation of biting and injuring strangers

Even as she spoke, Afolabi could see the dog

Stretching the chain that held it to a an erect pole

The dog barked at Afolabi viciously

Growling and leaning its weight against the chain

Trying to break the chain

Afolabi could see what was happening

And despite the fact that it was barely 15 feet away

Afolabi could see the dark intent in its eyes

With one sudden vicious pull, the bog broke loose

Afolabi’s girlfriend saw what happened

She tried to run

But Afolabi held her back and told her not to run

By the time the dog was about 10 feet away

Afolabi’s girlfriend just stood there screaming for help

She was however shocked at her boyfriend’s reaction

He just stood there – waiting

He stood so still, she wondered if he was even breathing at all

By the time, the dog leapt into the air

Its wide jaws, razor sharp canine and claws all extended to tear and bite Afolabi

His girlfriend was too horrified to look and she looked away in fright

She expected to hear Afolabi’s scream and cry for help fill the air

Rather, what she heard was the dog whining out in pain

When she turned around

She saw the dog in clear agony and struggling to get on its feet but couldn’t

Afolabi on the other hand just stood there

And the dog constantly tried to get away from him – it’s tail between it legs

But couldn’t get on its feet quickly enough

By this time, the owner of the dog and other occupants of the house began to emerge

Afolabi’s girlfriend had asked him several times what had happened

But he kept telling her that all he did was get out of the way

She was however informed a few days later by the owner of the dog

That the vet had discovered two powerful hits to the dog’s skeletal framework

One to the rib cage

And another to the cervical vertebrae

The vet added that whatever hit the dog that hard could as well have killed it

If it had chosen to do so

Once again

Bridget’s voice brought him back from his flashback

“Let’s go,” she said to him

And he followed her

She led him through a very long corridor

And Afolabi began to hear the buzz of human voices from the distance

The farther they walked, the clearer the voices got

Now, Afolabi could hear human voices all around him

And then he could make out the form of two men in the distance

When he was close enough for him to shake them

He flashed his knuckle

And when they opened the door behind them

Afolabi saw it all

Bright lights, a steel-cage ring

A spectator size of about 700 people

Referees, a First Aid team and a whole lot of rich looking individuals

Afolabi heard Bridget’s voice when she said:

“I’ll see you after the fight athlete”

And she disappeared into the crowd

Afolabi just kept walking on a straight line

Towards the ring

When he was about 10 feet away from the steel ring

A metal door opened before him

And just before he stepped in

He heard the crack of a public address system

And then the voice of the commentator filled his ears

“Ladies and gentlemen…you’re welcome to another episode of KNUCKLE”

He heard the crowd break into a deafening cheer

And the commentator just continued talking

“Today, we have two fighters amongst us

The one who is about to step into the ring is Afolabi

He stands 6 feet tall, hails from Ogun State here in Nigeria

And remains as mysterious as he looks

We do not know much else about him

Because his scout has insisted on keeping us in suspense with his abilities”

Afolabi stepped into the ring and let his bare feet take in the floor of the ring

He was shocked at what he suddenly discovered

The floor of the ring was concrete – hard solid German floor

He moved confidently around the ring

Slowly rolling his shoulders in slow vertical circles

He went to a corner of the ring

And placed his hand on the cold steel that covered the four corners of the ring

It was cold but was much harder than he had imagined

He dropped his hand from the metal wall that stood before him

And looked all around him

He felt all eyes outside the ring focus on him

And he silently wondered which one of them belonged to Bridget

The voice of the commentator

Suddenly boomed out of the speakers that seemed to be all around him

Simultaneously

He also heard a very loud cheer erupt from the spectators all around the ring

He let his ears and eyes trace the sound to its loudest source

And then he saw a very bight light focus on the point where the had traced the loud cheer

“Ladies and gentlemen…,” went the commentator

“Approaching the ring is Isaac

He stands 6 feet’ 5 inches tall

And hails from the Northern region of Bauchi

Isaac was a soldier up until he was handed an early retirement

After he went berserk and killed 10 fellow soldiers with his bare hands

In a single evening of madness

Today, we shall all witness what this human monster has to offer,”

Afolabi watched his opponent approached the ring

With every step he took, the crowd cheered

The ring was indoors and as such, the lighting was controlled

And presently took on a gloomy touch

With a soft halogen glow trailing Isaac as he moved closer and closer to the ring

His arms were as big as yams from the ancient city of Benin

He wore a clean shaven head

And had no moustache or beard

He had a very broad chest

And possessed strong shoulders

When Isaac finally got to the entrance of the steel cage

The gate electronically swung open

And Isaac stepped in

He cast his eyes upon Afolabi and kept it there

Slowly moving around the ring

For a few minutes until he finally stopped walking

And just stood still

With his dark menacing form facing Afolabi

Like Isaac, Afolabi was equally still

Perhaps, he stood so still, a snake would have gone past him thinking he was a tree

He rested his eyes on the huge opponent that stood before him

As both men just stood there glaring at each other

The commentator’s voice broke the silence

“Ladies and gentlemen

It is about to begin

We have all seen men die in this very ring

Just the same way we have seen men win and become stupendously wealthy

Finally, to the fighters

You have five minutes to either win or lose

There can only be one winner

And remember, there are only two rules

First, you must finish off your opponent in five minutes

And secondly, there are no other rules

And remember that KNUCKLE is full of shocking surprises

At the sound of the bell, the fight begins”

The commentator stopped talking

And then the bell went off

Afolabi noticed the light dim a little

As Afolabi raised his arms

The right arm close to his head and the left slightly forward

Fists clenched

Isaac raised his huge fore arms

His fists as big as rugby balls

With fire in their eyes

And vile intents in their hearts

Both men stepped forward

Composed by Samod Biobaku

simplysamad@yahoo.com

Dedication

This story is dedicated to Lara Oyinda Obaremi for her eagle eyes and frankness, to all who take out time to drop comments, to Zeal for her loving words, to all who find time to read despite their tight schedules, to Kedra for her presence, to everyone out there who has given me a reason to keep writing and to all Simply Samad fans out there across the globe. You all mean the world to me and may God watch over you and bless you all at all times.

I also dedicate this to those who were able to console me and spur me to rewrite this story after I mistakenly replaced the complete story with a copy (incomplete) that was just sitting on my laptop. Finally, I dedicate this to the one who always patiently listens to a verbal recitation of the entire story (and making corrections) before it goes out. You know yourself.

This poem was composed by Samod Biobaku – Author of Out of Time, Her ROOM, CLOSE, Faceless FOE, Her ROOM II and Morgan.

The second and final sequel would be delivered on simplysamad.blogspot.com in May 2012. Keep those fingers crossed.

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