Ebun was still on the rooftop, sitting on the bare, sandy floor. She knew that at the moment, she was supposed to be on her heels. She ought to be looking desperately for a way out. The people on the road were still murmuring, inhaling sharply and crying at the gory sight of the two dead bodies that were soaked in a river of blood. Some of their innards were out in the open. 

Ebun could hear some market women crying and lamenting on behalf of the women who must have birthed the two demised people. Somewhere in between the agonized wailing, she had overheard some young, vibrant voices angrily scheming and dividing themselves into groups that will take different routes into the building. She’d heard one of the youngsters yell with bitterness and determination in his voice saying, “I’ll go to ze rooftop end check.” 

Yet, she remained where was, staring at the lines of her palms that were stretched out in front of her. Her bloody, murderous hands; limbs that she’d used to annihilate a young, innocent man with a full life right ahead of him. All that was in her eyes was a vision of her slender fingers – each of them fully coated in crimson. Tears blurred her vision as they gathered on the base of her eyeballs. 

She’d just killed an innocent person. This was all that rang in her head and the legion of demons insider her that had been in hibernation for years started to whisper darkly into her ears. The vision of her fingers all covered with blood had dots of the liquid dripping to the ground. Every drop contributed to the round swamp of wasted human fluid that tainted the ground.

Look at you, Ebun, becoming just like the members of the Black Mafia, hurting and taking the life of innocent people just because of a stupid goal you’ve been dying to achieve. You are no good. You’re just an obnoxious, rugged thug! You’re also very stupid! 

You’ve always been terrible, Ebun. Right from the time that you allowed Sean kill Zinaida. Ever since then, you’ve become a total, irredeemable wreck!

The demons hurled all of these words at her one after the other – and they shouted it repeatedly. While she pressed her fingers deep into the holes in her ears, nodding vehemently as though she were under a convulsion, Ebun sniffed back her tears and stilled for a moment, wondering why she was trying to shut her demons up. All of the things they’d whispered into the walls of her mind were correct. 

She was just as evil now – as vicious, vile, nefarious and even as iniquitous as the gang of rapists that she’d loathed all her life. This unspeakable evil she’d just done had bridged whatever gap of difference that previously existed between her, the gang members, Mr. Saratov (the post-graduate man), Mr. Kojo, The alleyway guy from Novosibirsk, the men from the sex slave infirmary and every other assaulter she’d murdered in the past.

These people had now become a bunch of individuals that she shared a common, humiliating thing with – the fact that all of them, including her, were monsters who’d inflicted pain, suffering and death on undeserving people. 

The most despicable thing of it all was the additional fact that she’d done what most criminals would do – use a sin to cover up for another sin or a do a bad thing as a means of expressing their anger at a situation that didn’t turn out the way they planned. That was why she’d also killed Lizabeta.

Although, it had been a major part of Lizabeta’s actions that led to the disaster that occurred, it still didn’t change the fact that the young woman wasn’t connected to the gang from thirteen years ago. She’d embarked on this journey as an assassin with the sole objective to kill rapists – not other people NO MATTER their proximity to the offender. Provided that they themselves weren’t molesters or conspirators to a molestation incident, she had no right to murder them. 

But now, she’d just wasted two lives and she’d done it so effortlessly, so shamelessly – as though her heart was made of stone. As Ebun introspected deeply and affirmed how guilty she was, she decided she wasn’t going to move an inch from where she was. If the people below were going to catch her, then so be it. After all, Sean wasn’t here with her. She was all alone, all by herself. 

It wasn’t like a chopper would emerge from the clouds in the sky, with its fan making loud snappy sounds as it descends to pick her up from the rooftop. So then, what really was the point in trying to run away when the building was already surrounded with angry, well-meaning citizens who were on their way to avenge a despicable murder? 

This was the end for her. 

Or so she thought. 

Minutes later, as Ebun still remained seated on the floor, staring at her fingers while footsteps were pounding and thumping the ground below, signaling that the mob would find her soon, a man appeared on the rooftop from an origin that was indecipherable at a first glance. The dark skinned man was dressed in a black shirt, trousers and face-cap. His complexion blended so well with the hue of his clothes that he could have passed for a mere solidified shadow that dashed past in the late afternoon. Now, this shadow was walking quickly towards Ebun. 

Ebun had notice his presence ever since the light from the sun dimmed. Still, she didn’t move – even at the thought that the movement was from someone who could potentially attack her. The nearer the shadow approached, the shadier it got and the coolness of the dark shielded her from the hot glow of the afternoon’s light. 

“We have to leave this place right now. Get up,” said the deep voice. 

Ebun looked up now upon hearing the instruction. When she saw a man with a lean face, smooth dark skin and a well-defined jaw line, she became confused. Who the hell was he? It was only Sean who said things like that to her – especially in situations like this. She was familiar with him saying that. So she questioned the man who was standing in front of her and stretching out his hand towards her. 

“You’re one of the people who saw the dead bodies on the road, right? Stop pretending and just say you are one of them. Take me downstairs so I can be lynched by the angry Russian mob that’s below me right—”

“I’m one of your sister’s men who were assigned to come to Russia and rescue you in times of danger. My name is Clement. Now, come on,” The man breathed with haste and moved even closer to cover up the closeness between them. His hand almost touched her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here. We don’t have time.” 

Ebun blinked in realization upon learning the man’s identity. She looked at him again; the sheer concern in his eyes and the sense of urgency that reflected in the way he’d stretched his hand. Then she became convinced that he was truly sent by Yemisi. Why else would someone like him care to come in this extremely dangerous situation and offer to save her? It was then that she remembered the conversation she’d had with her sister before leaving Nigeria. Yemisi had asked to follow her at first but she declined. So she offered to have some of her men accompany her. 

She was amazed by how serious her sister was when she promised to protect her. Her men were truly of great help right now. However, she felt undeserving of the rescue. This wasn’t the kind of situation Yemisi must have imagined when she vowed to protect her. Thus, how could she be okay with wanting to be shielded from the evil she’d done? She needed accountability instead. 

‘I’m sorry,” Ebun licked her dry lips and shook her head as tears dropped to her cheeks. She dodged his outstretched hand. “I can’t follow you.” 

“WHY?!” the man nearly screamed. 

“It’s because I killed two innocent people. The least thing I should be doing right now, as someone with the last bit of conscience left within her, is accepting protection. I deserve to be arrested instead.” 

“Come on. Your sister will kill me if she finds out that I left you all alone here. Do you think she didn’t know you were likely to make a mistake like this? Or…wait,” he exhaled sharply. “Do you believe she doesn’t have a clue of what you are really up to in this country? The instruction given to me was to rescue you no matter what the situation is and irrespective of what caused it.” 

Ebun bit her lower lip and closed her eyes for a while as more tears poured. As she sobbed, it became difficult for her to do it quietly, so she let the small, dragged groans escape her lips. Clement, on the other hand didn’t have the time to be a consoling ally especially when he could hear the doors from the apartments below opening and slamming shut loudly. 

The footsteps were also getting nearer. It was almost as though, the mob was right behind him. So he placed his hands on hers and pulled her up from the ground. Ebun didn’t object or try to wriggle away from his grip. Hence, Clement took her silence as consent to be taken away. 

Beyond them was a rope tied to the end of the wall of the rooftop where Ebun was standing and its cords extended to the edge of the rooftop of another building. The extension continued to a few other high buildings – at least, as far as she could see. Clement tightened his hold on her hand as they rushed to the edge of the wall where the cord started from. 

As he sprinted, he could feel more footsteps directly below him, thumping the floor. The people had gotten to the last floor. Within seconds, they’d get to the rooftop. They only had a few second left to jump on that rope. He just hoped that the people below could not hear their hurried footsteps. As he bit his lip with trepidation, he ran faster with Ebun, not letting go of her hand and this harmless act bothered Ebun a great deal.

“Can’t you see the blood on my hands? Why do you keep holding me?” 

Clement spared a quick glance and looked down at Ebun’s hand. Then he frowned, wondering what on earth she was talking about when all he could see was the bare, dark skin of her palm. “No. Your hands are void of any red fluid. Now, we are going to hop on this rope, swing to the older building and climb to its rooftop. Can you hop?” 

“I…I’m not sure I can,” Ebun answered with reluctance. It was as though the response had been pulled out of her mouth by force. She was disappointed that Clement couldn’t see something that was so clear.  

“I’ll help you then,” he promised. ‘”Now on the count of three, we’ll hop on this rope and jump. We have just five seconds to get on because in that exact time frame, the people downstairs will get here.” 

“But what if some people in the apartments below see us? Two strange people flying in the bright afternoon sky is definitely a strange and suspicious sight.” 

“Don’t worry about it. Don’t forget that this building has not been completed by the constructors. There are no windows on this side of the building. That’s why I tied the rope here. Now are you ready to hop?” 

Ebun nodded with a sad look in her eyes. 

“Okay,” Clement breathed in and out. He tightened his hold on Ebun's hand, pressing his fingers into her skin. 

“Three…” 

Ebun closed her eyes when the anxiety was beginning to have on a chokehold.

“Two…” 

The breeze from the vast air above fanned her face, making her blood boil all the more. Goosebumps erupted from her skin pores of her hand.

“One!”

They descended. 

*** 

Clement found a discreet motel which was situated in the outskirts of an ancient, remote town, Kolomna which was in the northern region of Moscow. The motel had such unattractive, mundane exteriors and was in the middle of practically nowhere. There were no neighboring buildings, or constructed roads nearby. All that surrounded the small establishment were trees of several kinds, some with leaves so large, that they rested permanently on the railing of the motel’s balcony. It was the perfect habitat for people like them who were running from danger. 

The living conditions in the hospitality home were fairly manageable. It was sustainable for them to lay their heads to rest at night in a small spaced bedroom and have a plate of croissants in the morning for a fair price. So Ebun, Clement and the rest of Yemisi’s men lay low and remained in the small establishment for several days. 

While they stayed, Clement did not only carry out his functions as a bodyguard whom Yemisi had assigned. He’d also made considerable efforts to cheer Ebun up. Little did he know however, that if Ebun chose to close her walls, no one could break into it. He could ask Nurse Zoya for confirmation. 

Day in, day out, Ebun remained in the stuffy, dingy bedroom that had been provided for her and she stared constantly at her hands which never ceased to release drops of blood to the ground. As the vision got stronger, she began to see miniature versions of faces appear in her palms amid the crimson blood that coated it. The face of the innocent man she’d killed, Lizabeta, the gang and Mr. Kojo. The faces of the non-molesters were always sad with tears in their eyes as they always hurled curses at her for being wicked. Then the faces of the bad people on the other hand were sinisterly happy faces. They constantly mocked her for being just like them. 

Every time they yelled at her and called her a murderer, they’d cackle nefariously and the loud bouts of laughter were a tormenting cacophony to her ears. Thus, from hour to hour, Ebun wept, screamed and wailed. She begged for mercy every night as her tears filled the foams of her pillow.

Then her eyes began to hurt, swell and found it difficult to produce more forlorn, salty fluids. Still, whenever, Clement knocked at her door to deliver her dinner, he always made use of the opportunity to say something encouraging or do something silly to make her smile even a little. 

Despite everything he did, none worked. Ebun was still in her own schizophrenic bubble, losing her mind gradually as the days sped by. Then one day, Ebun had no choice but to step out of her room and have breakfast at the balcony (since the motel keepers had forgotten to clean her room the previous night). So while Ebun sat by the table outside with nature’s view picturesque enough for her to behold and the feel of divine breeze, Clement sat on the other end of the table to have his meal. Again, he saw this as the perfect chance to make another attempt. 

“Mistakes like this can occur, Miss, especially when you make up your mind to do brave things like this. Please, don’t beat yourself up over it,” he said before he shoved a small piece of croissant bread into his mouth. 

“Beat myself up?” Ebun repeated his last words with widened eyes and a shaky voice. Then she picked up the fork from the laid out serviette paper. She raised the cutlery in mid air, making it seem like she wanted to slice her throat with the item. Then she went on to lament. 

“I swear, I wish I could beat myself up in the way that I wish to but my hands are stained with blood,” she looked at her other hand which was resting on the table. More fresh blood was still dripping away from it. “I’m looking for someone who can beat me up right now because that is exactly what I freaking deserve for being such an evil person.” 

Clement shook his head, took a deep breath and then moisturized his lips with his saliva. “No, you don’t deserve any of those based on the story you told me,” he said in a calm tone. “As a bodyguard who’s been at work for seventeen years, I’ve made similar mistakes. I’ve captured the wrong person, beat up and tortured who I wasn’t supposed to —”

“But have you ever killed the wrong person?” Ebun interrupted, raising an eyebrow. 

“N-no I haven’t,” the guard resigned. 

“End of discussion,” Ebun dropped the fork on the plate. Then she clasped her hands together and rested her head on them. “Please, Mr. Clement, you don’t have to try so hard to make me feel better. Save yourself the stress. It’s already enough that you rescued and brought me here. You don’t have to cheer me up because she instructs you to do so.” 

“She didn’t order me to cheer you up.” His voice was a bit stern. He was annoyed by her assumption and the fact that she’d looked down on him. 

“If that’s the case,” Ebun saw the hurt in his eyes. She considered it briefly by wearing a thin smile on her face and acknowledging his efforts. “I appreciate your genuine show of concern. Still, from now on, refrain from trying so hard to put a smile on my face.” 

His eyes dropped all the more with vivid disappointment. 

“There’s one thing you can do for me right now though — but it won't make me smile,” she said, ignoring his feelings. 

“Oh, what’s that? What can I do for you?” he dropped his fork, swallowed what he was chewing and dabbed his lips with the tip of the napkin. This countenance became very serious as he clasped his hands together. He even cleared his throat. 

Ebun scoffed. Did he just chose to only hear the part where she said there was something he could do for her? Why was he so eager to help? 

“Take me to the city. I need to see my boyfriend.” 

“I’m sorry, you can’t. It’s still dangerous for you out there,” Clement said with a tone of authority as he picked up his fork and resumed eating – as though to say that his response was a non-negotiable. 

“Miss me with that crap,” Ebun challenged him. Who did he think he was? Her sister was his freaking boss. “We are no longer in Kamchatsky. I’m sure my sister didn’t order you to try and stop me from doing what I want, right?” 

“No, she didn’t. Still, by stopping you from doing things like this, you are also being protected in the process.” 

“You were assigned to rescue me not detain me and you’ve already done that. Take me to the city, Clement.”

“Alright, I will,” Clement surrendered to her authority. 

***

When Ebun got to the psycho barracks with Clement’s help, she looked at the large spacious field. The grasses on the field had turned brown. She stared at the buildings on the large piece of land – properties that were constructed for the initial purpose of medical administration. 

She wore a wry smile as she soaked in the view of this crazy place. She could remember like it was yesterday when she saw the barracks for the first time – the glee, anticipation, eagerness all rushed through her veins like adrenaline. She was always so happy to go to the barracks that she’d even gone there alone once despite the riskiness of doing so.

She loved how confident it made her feel whenever she stepped into the premises. It was defining for her to be part of a league of badasses who trained and worked tirelessly to punish bad people. 

Now, this was going to be her last time of ever seeing the barracks and it was her last because she’d decided so. She never imagined that her intriguing journey of adventure was going to end so tragically but now that it was so, she couldn’t have felt more awful than she currently did.

After a small moment of reflection, Ebun pulled herself back to reality and walked into the main building of the barracks which was at the center of the subsidiary buildings. She saw Sean immediately she stepped into the living room. She wasn't going to make her presence known to him until her breath was taken away from what she could see. His back was turned to her. Again, just like the day she’d walked into the barracks all alone, Sean wasn’t wearing a shirt. 

So she was graced with the view of the hard muscles of his back. The way his biceps flexed occasionally as he loaded his gun was a sight to behold and the smoothness of his dark skin while his muscles contracted and flexed made his body something to hunger for. Ebun longed to run her fingers through the skin of his back. 

She tore her gaze away with sadness and turned to the chairs in the living room. Another memory came to her. She could remember the time Mrs. Yekaterina had visited to report the case of her daughter. She, Sean and the loveable lecturer had sat on the armchairs to discuss the proceedings of Mr. Kojo’s killing and although, the day had ended rather badly with she and Sean jabbing each other with savage words, the recollection of that day still brought a small smile to her face. 

When Sean finished loading all his guns, he turned and their eyes met. Sean inhaled sharply. He was surprised and displeased that she was here and at the sight of how haggard his girlfriend looked. Why was her face so thin and her eyes so swollen?

Quickly, he grabbed his shirt from the chair and slipped it on. Then he walked up to her. When there was only a thin space left within them, he cupped her face tenderly in his hands and planted a soft, brief kiss on her forehead. A small shiver coursed through Ebun’s body from receiving his care and affection. 

“My love, where have you been for days? I tried calling you but your line was not reachable. I was loading those guns so I could set out with my men to scatter the whole of Kamchatsky just to find you,” he pulled her into a hug and patted her back with relief at the fact that she was now here and there was no need for him to worry anymore. “How are you? Why are your eyes swollen and sleep-deprived?” he asked after he pulled her out of the hug. His hands were still firm on her shoulders. 

“Sean,” Her voice was shaky. “Lizabeta’s bad memory became my Achilles’ heel. She pointed at the wrong man and confessed it to me after I’d already shot him. Then I killed her afterwards for making me kill someone that wasn’t guilty.” 

“What?!” Sean cried. His eyes became wide with horror. “Oh my love,” He pulled her in again and pressed her head against the hard lines of his chest. “I’m so sorry about this. It’s my fault that this happened. I didn’t know that Lizabeta’s memory was that bad. I’m so sorry, my love. I know that apologizing won’t do a thing because I also wronged you concerning the operation at Novosibirsk. Still, I sincerely apologize. I will take responsibility for whatever issues from this incident.” 

Ebun rested in his arms for what felt like forever as she wept some more. She’d been doing a lot of crying all her life and it was pretty pathetic that the only way in which she could ever be joyful was to do woeful things like this. She’d never truly lived. Even in the process of trying to attain a good life for herself by fighting, she’d only ended up becoming a monster and a menace to society. She didn’t need sympathy. She was simply fed up. 

“There’s no need to be sorry, Sean,” she lifted her head and looked at him. “You meant well so it was not your fault. You even gave me a photograph so it would be easier for me to find the person. It was Lizabeta who told me that the man in the photo was not the rapist. So I followed her leading as she described the features of another person to me. 

She even managed to convince me because she sounded very sure and it looked like she was finally getting her memory back together. I didn’t know that by listening to her, I was going to murder the wrong person,” she sniffed. Sean used his thumb to wipe off the tears on her face.  

“Anyway, I came to tell you that I’m going back home and this is my last murder operation. Please, don’t convince me to stay, Sean. I’m putting a full stop to everything and I’ve come here to inform you as your girlfriend.” 

“Ebun,” Sean caressed her cheeks with the gentle stroking of his fingers. He looked at her with a compassion that was so profound that she could almost see it personified in his hazel orbs. “I understand that you are so hurt right now but please, do not be in a haste to make a serious decision. You’ve come this far and—”

“I’ve realized that it’s not a befitting pathway for me. I swear, I’m one hundred percent for real as I tell you right now that I’m no longer interested in finding the leader of the gang. I’ve spent days and nights thinking about it and have decided to give up, Sean. Believe me. I’ve wasted seven whole years of my life which is already piteous enough but I won’t go any further from here.”

“So… are you really okay with the fact that right now, he’s somewhere on earth, roaming around scot-free?” Sean’s eyes were full of expectation. He hoped that this question would taunt her and make her take back what she said. 

“Of course I’m not okay with it,” Ebun breathed out. “But on the flipside, I’ll be okay whenever I imagine him getting murdered by someone else. He will get punished for his evil deeds one day, that’s for sure. I’ve just come to realize that perhaps, I’m not the one who has been fated to carry out the punishment and at this point, I accept it. I’m done with chasing him,” Ebun said. 

She had no choice but to be fine with it. She’d watched her sister kill Stephen and it had been very satisfying to watch. She would manage and try her best to move on with that single thought. 

“Okay,” Sean clenched his jaw. He let out a breathe of defeat and resignation. He rubbed her shoulders with his hands in a bid to console her and perhaps, console himself in the process. He was devastated by the fact that there was nothing he could do to change her mind or even pull her out of this woeful situation. “So…what’s going to happen to us now?” Sean asked when it occurred to him that Ebun’s decision was by extension, also going to affect their relationship. 

“It was your goal that brought us together and now we’ve become fond of each other. What will happen to what we have? I haven’t even gotten the chance to show you what it's like in my world.” 

Ebun closed her eyes and sighed. She hadn’t even considered that this was also going to be an effect of her choice until he mentioned it. She didn’t know what to do. Truthfully, there was no longer a need for her to remain in Russia since she had decided to give up. Khovrino Hospital, Nurse Zoya, the barracks, Sean… she had to leave them all behind. 

However, Sean wasn’t her past. She still loved him so much. He’d done so much on her behalf. He’d made efforts, made mistakes but all with the sincere intentions of helping her. She had to consider her relationship with him seriously. 

“We’ll have to reach a compromise with our relationship but for now, I need some time to be alone and Russia is not the environment where I can effectively have that time to myself. This country has not been good to me. I need to go home and think of how I want my life to go from here on. I hope you can truly understand and wait for me, Sean. I promise, I won’t give up on our love,” Ebun placed her hand on his face and played with some strands of his beard. 

“Okay, my love. Go home. I’ll wait for your answer.” 

“Thank you, Sean.” She stretched upwards and kissed him on the lips. 

Sean was going to seize the moment to continue the kiss and leaving a lasting mark on her lips as they were temporarily parting ways. Unfortunately, he couldn’t because one of his subordinates was knocking frantically at the door now. 

“What do you want?” Sean yelled. 

“Sir, zere ees breaking news!” the young lad cried from the other side of the door. 

Ebun motioned for Sean to attend to the person immediately. Sean did so reluctantly. When he walked to the door and opened it for his subordinate to step in, the young lad bowed on seeing his master’s face and then wasted no time in divulging the information he’d rushed over to deliver. Sean didn’t have to ask him what the matter was and this reduced his anger a little. 

“Sir, Zere ees a var between our country end Ukraine right now. Russia has inveded Ukraine end zeez has caused e serious refugee crisis. E lot of Ukrainian folks ahre running evey from their country right now.” 

“Are you serious?” Sean asked after some minutes of letting the news and the seriousness of it settle into his mind. Ebun, too was taken aback by the information that didn’t have much to do with her but at the same time, had a potential ability of affecting her. 

“I could not be more serious, sir. Russian soldiers ahre getting keelled at Ukraine. E Russian soldier even killed an unarmed Ukrainian civilian. It’s ahll e mess. I cennot ahnderstand zeez beef zat has been existing between both nations since 2014. I don’t get vhy Russia eez peecking e fight vith Ukraine.” 

“Damn,” Sean gritted his teeth. “Alright, thanks for letting me know. You are dismissed.” 

The young lad bowed and left. Sean closed the door. 

Then he turned to face Ebun who was now sitting on the couch with her face buried in her hands. She knew what this meant and she despised it so much. Why did this have to happen now? She’d never cared much about wars in other countries. She was a Nigerian after all and Nigeria had not been in a conflict with another region after the Biafran time.

Ever since she was born, she’d never witnessed or been under the effects of a war in Nigeria. Now, she didn’t think that she’d have to suffer from something that didn’t concern her. Sean, with a pitiful sigh, settled next to her and said what she already knew but didn’t want to admit.

“Although, Russia is the predator in this situation, it’s still unsafe for you to travel out of the country, Ebun. I cannot watch you go out there and get killed or raped. I’m afraid you will have to stay back.”