All Chapters of The EXIT Interview: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10
16 chapters
The Interview
Inside a fast moving train, Mr. Zero stood in front of a mirror. He gazed at his reflection that was clad in a pristine black suit, white shirt and a black necktie. His fairly well- built body stemmed from a pair of mintly polished shoes.His hands trembled lightly. In them, was a small picture of his wife kneeling by a wheelchair on which his lame son sat.A gentle knock was heard and the door slid open to the room opened. A man dressed in the same colors as Mr. Zero walked in and announced, "She is ready for you." Mr. Zero nodded his head andtook in a deep breath before taking another look at himself in the mirror. And with that ritual done, he walked out of the room after the man. After a short walk along the isle of the fast, yet smooth, moving train, the Man stopped at a room. He opened the door and beckoned, with a nod, to Mr. Zero to enter. Mr. Zero entered the room and the door was closed behind. Two men wearing black suits stood in either corner of the room. Their faces
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Loose end
Silence swept through the black SUV as The driver cruised on the highway to the airport.Mr. Zero held on to the small box in his hands. Clearly, he was lost in thought. Ahead of him was a future that was punctuated with uncertainty and fear. And behind him, stood memories of his involvements with his wife, Martin and Step son, Chris, and the program.The driver kept on tossing his eyes between the road and the rear mirror. His lot was to keep a keen eye on Mr. Zero.Another black SUV emerged from nowhere and rocketed behind the automobile where Mr. Zero rode. When the SUVs were at par, the chasing automobile rammed into Mr. Zero's SUV. The latter veered to the opposition lane and violently slammed into an oncoming truck. A great explosion of dust engulfed the collided vehicles. A faint continuous honk was heard from the SUV that was badly minced as a result of the collision. Both drivers drivers died on the spot. Their bloody bodies were trapped behind the wheels in their respective
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The New President
The Presidential jet soared high above the clouds.In the jet's Presidential Office stood The Security chiefs, Speaker of the house of Representatives, The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, A few top- ranked Government officials and Presidential aides. A few minutes later, April Gardens, the Vice President of the Republic walked in and took her place in front of the small delegation. The Chief Justice remarked, "Madam Vice President, I apologise for cutting your holiday short. As you may know we have a crisis on our hands. The President was assassinated yesterday. It is for this reason that I must swear you into office as President in this extraordinary manner. This, of course, is as per provisions of our constitution."Ms. Gardens gave in to a single nod.An Aide gave her the Bible and the Vice President raised it in one hand. In the other hand, she received the oath of the office of President.The Chief Justice beckoned her to take oath."I, April Gardens," The Vice President sw
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Operation 'Mrs. Zero'
In the cool of the evening, a gentle knock was heard on the door to Mr. Zero's home.It had been eight hours since Mr. Zero, the once beloved ICT wiz, had turned villain. And despite the heavy police presence, he was still at large.Martina opened the door. Alexis stood by the entrance dressed in her usual formal and up- town attire. "You must be Martina," She quickly acknowledged. "I'm Alexis. I worked with your husband."Martina was taken aback and an inquiry rang out, "Is he okay?""I need to talk to you," Alexis veered straight to business in a serious tone. "May I come in?"Martina hesitantly opened the door without saying a word. Alexis walked in and sat on a chair by the dining table. Martina sat at the opposite end. Her facial expression was screaming with caution and uneasiness. The mood was rather tense. The kind that one would kill to see it vanish as the dew of the morning under the rising sun."Am sure sure you are aware that the President was killed," Alexis took out a
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"The Sun Takes Three Steps Back Everyday"
His eyes blinked a couple of times before Mr. Zero finally managed to keep them open. He laid on a small old matt in a small grass thatched hut. He had no clue where he was.While he assessed the wellness of his body amid groans of pain and exhaustion, an old man wearing dirty clothes walked in with a small steaming bowl."Soup?" The old man extended the bowl to Mr. Zero who struggled to sit.Receiving the soup, he wondered, "Where am I? Who are you?!"He sniffed the soup and cast his searching gaze at the old man. The old stranger smiled and sat besides him."You're the guy the Police are looking for. Your face is all over the TV and newspapers." The old man broke the expected news. "Drink the soup, you need all the strength you can get."Mr. Zero's face waxed cold with fear. He mumbled for answers and certainty, "You... you called the Police?"The man shook his head and insisted, "Please, drink up."Mr. Zero nodded his head and drunk the warm soup, all at once. He was famished."Pho
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The Sell- Out
By the strict observance of time, it was five minutes after 3pm. Martina sat at the reserved table number two. Mr. Zero was nowhere to be seen at the famed local two- star hotel. The dining area was lightly patronized with men and women who indulged in the food, wine and hearty conversations. The majority of which were Police officers disguised as ordinary customers. Of course, they were armed but their weapons were concealed from an unsuspecting eye. Ten minutes past 3pm, a waiter Carrying a beautiful bouquet of roses and bottle of wine walked to Martina and announced, “Someone brought you this.” Receiving the items, Martina quickly opened the note that was attached. It read: You look beautiful. Am happy to see you. - Wayne “Who gave you this?” Martina sprung to her feet. She looked around, but Mr. Zero was nowhere to be seen. The waiter, startled, responded, “Some old dirty dude.” “Which way did he go?” Martina demanded desperately. “I don’t know,” the waiter retorted, “h
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Nothing but a Zero
Chris sat on the wheelchair in front of a computer screen that displayed posche car images from the Internet. A pair of earphones supplied piece after piece of Rock music.Outside Chris' Rock- music comfy zone, the world was relatively quiet and evolving around peace.Mr. Zero, unnoticed by Chris, tiptoed stealthily in the room and stood by him. He was clad in the same dirty white shirt and a pair of the black trousers. And, he only had half a pair of shoes on.Looking at Chris, Mr. Zero was overpowered by emotions. He could not hold back his tears within the eye brims. Also, he was a captive of hesitation. He could not summon the the courage to speak to the lad. This was chiefly because of the dirty clothes that covered his body.Chris felt his presence. He took off his earphones but kept his gaze on the computer.Mr. Zero stood behind him and spoke softly, "hey buddy.""You're not my father," Chris snobbed.Mr. Zero was taken aback. He, however, motioned forward and knelt by Chris.
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The Law Never Blinks
The next day was buzzing with the apprehension of the President's killer. Mr. Zero was the talk of the day. Both print and digital media outlets cashed in. It was a good day for business. But, not so good for Mr. Zero.At a secret Government location, he marched at considerable pace behind an armed special force officer. Besides him and behind, high ranking seals walked with a cautious eye cast squarely at Mr. Zero. Of course, they too were armed with guns. The chain that was employed to fetter his lower limbs rattled with every step he took. His arms were equally not free. They were cuffed. With a few more steady steps, Mr. Zero was standing before a big double- door entrance. Two armed Police Officers were stationed there. The duo in uniform opened the doors and Mr. Zero was ushered in.A group of top ranked security and police personnel made a well arrayed decorum. Alexis had a place amid the invited to the solemn hearing. The Speaker of the house of Representatives, The Attorne
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The Agreement
As the sun was setting after Mr. Zero's preliminary hearing, Alexis stood by the window smoking a cigaratte at the secret Presidential lodge.The door opened and Ms. Gardens, the President walked in. She made herself comforted on one one of the two chairs that were stationed adjacent to the bed. "We agreed April," Alexis spoke while exhaling the smoke. "I made you President. Now It's time you lived up to your end of the deal." The President allowed a moment of silence before waging her response, "The deal was to get rid of the President, find a scapegoat and shut him up. Forever. But as far as I know, Zero is still alive and is talking." "That's besides the point," Alexis contended. The President retorted almost immediately, "That is the whole point. Some may buy Zero's story. If they do, you will be answerable and it may spill over to me." Alexis turned and threw the cigaratte on the ash tray that perched on the side table. "Don't worry about him?" Alexis assured as she sat on
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Pawns on the Chess board
Early in the morning - Ruti, perplexed and fast sinking in disbelief, stood in the small living quarters of the garage. In front of her was the television. A picture of Mr. Zero was displayed on the TV as the newscaster announced, "Now, in our developing story: the police have confirmed that the man who shot the late President has been identified as Gilbert Zero. The assailant was shot dead as he tried to escape from Police custody." It had been three days since Mr. Zero was shot. Ruti turned the television off and stealthily reached for the medium shifting spanner. She tip-toed to the small wooden bed where Mr. Zero laid. He groaned and stretched, as his eyes blinked at fast intervals. Ruti had towered over his wounded body that was only covered in a boxer short and bandages that ran around his abdomen. Ruti raised her hand, ready to hit Mr. Zero. "You're the bastard that killed the President. You robbed the woman of her husband. You orphaned those kids. It's either I kill you o
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