Cub: Chapter 7

As the tension in the room reached its breaking point, time seemed to slow down. Kayode’s finger tightened on the trigger, and Demola braced himself for the inevitable. The sound of his own heartbeat thundered in his ears, drowning out everything else. The world had shrunk to this single moment where everything hung in the balance.

Just as Kayode was about to pull the trigger, Musa, who had been silently observing the escalating situation, sprang into action. "Oga, abeg!" Musa’s voice cut through the thick silence like a knife, full of urgency and desperation. He rushed forward, positioning himself between Kayode and Demola. "No do this, abeg. E no go solve anything!"

Kayode’s eyes, burning with rage, flicked toward Musa, but the older man’s fury was too strong, too consuming. "Move comot for there!" Kayode snarled, his voice raw with the pain of loss. "This boy don kill my pikin! Today, I go end am!"

Musa held up his hands in a placating gesture, his heart pounding as he tried to reach the man behind the anger. "Oga Kayode, I sabi say you dey pain, but no be so we go take settle this matter. Demola no wan harm your pikin, na mistake wey life bring. But if you kill am now, wetin you go gain? You go carry more pain for heart."

Kayode’s face remained hard, unmoved by Musa’s words. But Musa didn’t give up. He turned to Demola, his voice softening as he tried to piece together the story. "Demola, wetin really happen?" he asked, desperation creeping into his voice. "Why oga Kayode dey talk say you kill him pikin?"

Demola’s voice trembled as he spoke, tears brimming in his eyes. "We no wan kill am… I swear, oga Musa. Na Morayo say make we remove the belle because of her papa… she dey fear him… But everything go wrong, oga. She die for my hand… I no fit save am…"

Musa’s heart sank as the full weight of Demola’s confession hit him. He turned back to Kayode, understanding dawning on his face. "Oga Kayode," Musa said, his voice thick with emotion. "I know say you don lose everything, and this boy don make big mistake, but killing him no go bring Morayo back. You go only destroy yourself more. You be police before, abi? You sabi wetin be justice. This no be justice, oga. This na revenge. And revenge no dey ever solve anything."

For a moment, something flickered in Kayode’s eyes—doubt, maybe even regret—but it was quickly buried under the overwhelming tide of anger and sorrow. "This boy don ruin my life," Kayode said, his voice trembling with emotion. "I no go let am live. I no fit."

Musa, sensing that words alone wouldn’t be enough, took a step closer, his tone urgent. "Oga, if you do this, you no go fit take am back. You go live with this for the rest of your life. And Morayo no go rest. Abeg, leave am for God. Leave am for law. No let this anger finish you."

But Kayode was beyond reason. All he could see was the face of his daughter, lifeless on that cold table, the light gone from her eyes forever. The world had taken everything from him, and he was going to make sure it felt his wrath. "I say move!" he barked, pushing the barrel of the gun forward.

In one fluid motion, Kayode pushed past Musa, aiming the gun directly at Demola. The world seemed to tilt as Kayode’s finger pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang out, loud and final, echoing in the small workshop.

Time, which had felt so slow before, suddenly sped up. Musa’s body jerked violently as he threw himself in front of Demola, the bullet meant for the young man tearing through Musa’s chest instead. The force of the impact sent Musa crashing to the ground, his eyes wide with shock.

Demola screamed, his voice breaking as he fell to his knees beside Musa. "No! No, Oga! Stay with me!" he pleaded, his hands frantically pressing against the wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding.

Musa gasped for breath, his vision dimming as the pain finally registered. "Demola… run… commot now…" he wheezed, his voice barely more than a whisper. The light in his eyes flickered, and with one final, shuddering breath, he was gone.

Kayode stood rooted to the spot, the gun slipping from his grasp as the reality of what he had just done hit him like a ton of bricks. He had killed an innocent man—a man who had only been trying to save Demola's life. The weight of his actions hit him like a ton of bricks, and for the first time in weeks, the rage that had consumed him began to subside, leaving behind a crushing sense of guilt.

As Demola looked up at Kayode, his face twisted in grief and horror, something in Kayode’s heart broke. He had lost everything—his wife, his children, and now, the last shred of humanity he had left.

Demola knew that this was his only chance. With Musa’s blood still on his hands, he got to his feet and bolted for the door, his legs finally carrying him away from the nightmare that had unfolded before him. He didn’t look back as he ran into the night, desperate to escape the man who had once been his girlfriend’s father, now turned into his worst nightmare.

Kayode didn’t move to stop him. He simply stood there, the gun slipping from his grasp and clattering to the floor. As the reality of what he had done settled over him, Kayode sank to his knees beside Musa’s lifeless body, his own tears finally beginning to fall.

The deadly encounter was over, but the consequences of Kayode’s actions would haunt him for the rest of his days.