CHRONICLES OF THE SHENANIGANGS 1: IN THE BEGINNING...

stood observing the tumult, I could see the security pacing around the store scanning the environ for a likely el

and they just zoomed past me though at a safe radius to crash on the river bed, then the leader gave an inaudible order and they all retreated back to the ghetto. I hurried out of the freezing water and lied on the river bank, struggling to catch my breath. Tears flowed from my eyes; the whole brotherhood was gone, my only known family was killed by crazy gunmen in khaki. There was no going back, I crossed the river and made my way up an untarred road that led to a fenced guarded estate that had no entry shortcuts except a drainage system that emptied into the river that just saved my life. I crawled into the canal and when I came out on the other side, I found myself in heaven!, I had never seen an environment so tidy as this place blessed with beautifully designed houses and structures with tarred roads and functioning streetlights, it was really heaven!. I found my way with bare feet to large building with the name 'United For Christ Orphanage' and knowing what orphanage homes do, I knocked the iron gate and after a while a young woman opened it, looked down at me and smiled. That was how I became a member of the UFC. Over ten years now, I have done a dozen of successful harmless breaking in and out, adventurous lone missions most of which were unnecessary but due to my restless nature, I did it anyways and I have learnt a lot about this estate than most of those with permanent residences here and honestly, I'm proud of it!. The basement had been one of those places that caught my attention when I first moved here. I was sent by Mrs Elizabeth to get groceries for the orphanage and after I was done with the purchase, I decided to use the toilet located inside the supermarket and what I found shocked me. I saw uniformed men from the keyhole of the fancy toilet door carry huge wooden crates past. I then waited for them to walk past again and this time, they were empty-handed. I walked away from the toilet and went straight ahead beginning one of my crazy adventures. I saw a door with a warning in red and white colour pasted on it 'do not enter, high voltage, restricted access, instructed personnels only'. Funny, I thought. The door had a padlock,..... that made me laugh, if you want to restrict access, why not use a swipe lock or a digital lock?, padlock..., so primitive!. In a minute, the padlock came off and behind the door wasn't anything that has to do with high voltage or even electricity, it was a flight of stairs that led downwards into a basement guarded by metal door left open. There was nothing special about the underground basement to sustain my interest, just those crates I had seen earlier littered the floor space, so I retraced my step back up and escaped without being noticed.....as usual. When I got here this time, nothing's changed much, in fact, nothing changed about the other entrance that led to the basement. Same warning poster, same padlock, same flight of stairs, same vault door and even same odour emanating from the underground. The light here seemed to be on perpetually which was quite contrasting. The door leading to the basement was slightly ajar so I could see what was happening down there; from where I peeked, I saw the man with the unrecognized voice and now, I could see his weird dressing!, he had such a horrible taste and sense of style...... I mean who still dresses like that?!. His boys were scouring the basement; they were probably looking for Nisi and I would be lucky if I could sight him first. Alright, a plan: sneaking in was not an option.... no it sure wasn't, if I even get to sneak in, sneaking out might just be impossible especially now when you are two!, what if I create a diversion?.....that might just work with lesser consequences I guess. Imma try it out. I slid into the basement and hid behind a crate, I could see Malik and his partner heading towards where I hid.....perfect. As they got near, just a few centimetres separated us, they made to turn, that wasn't good, I needed them to see me not walk away from me!. I let out a mild cough, I knew their sharp senses would react. It was Malik who smelt a rat first! "I found him sire", his bright touch blinded my eyes that had been used to the darkness around before he grabbed me by my arm and shoved me right in front of their strange boss. Their boss sure wasn't a fan of Blackout and he made it so obvious that he wasn't "What's your name....you spoilt sneaky brat" He shouted, his face flushed with anger. "Tony...Anthony's the name!" I said, using all the effontery I could garner. I waited for a reaction from the dark; if