The Alex Box: A Tale of Loss and Legacy

Plans Go South

Ryker Neil Hartley, stood by the door to his room, dazed with terror. 

This is a 'Do or Die!' 

Nothing more, nothing less. No means of evasion, if he would not accept the deal, then he is accepting the worse! 

His fine boy physiques meant nothing if a bullet would violate his manliness, his cute diamond-faced shape distorted by the Glocks and pistols threatening his sanity in the comfort of his home. 

The perspiration is becoming real embarrassing, 

"This has to stop now, he wants co-operation and I'll give it." He said in his mind, as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

Hesitantly, 

"Okay. Deal."  He said with closed teeth, forcing a smile to make Jude feel relaxed... 

That is him. The typical tyrannical Jude.

Do not argue with his point of view, and never! He never entertains questions about his choices of action. 

Ryk, Ryker, Rye. 

Call him whichever you fancy, he dislike it when people sever his dearest name but he's learned to cope with it.

He very much knew who he was dealing with, this is no time to prove kahuna, so he'd chosen to concur without further drama, at least, to regain his space. 

Dramas like this should be outdoors in his own understanding, on the streets, in a restaurant maybe, anywhere but here. 

No one else at home, and even if there is, these guys are armed! For Christ's sake!

He beheld a lenient look on his face as he kept on nodding, though a bit slow but as steadily as he could to maintain his glance fixated on Ryker's, like he was searching for doubt in his perturbed, yet relaxed eyeballs. 

Because what Ryker is going to do is relaxed in his mind too. 

If there's one thing he is a whiz at; 

   It is  Reticence. 

   Of course, no one will be demonstrative of it, 

If they have a hostile motive, but then, this is nothing connected with hostility this time because it is not going to be in respect of his safety either. But relatively speaking, it sure entails treachery.

 

                       ** Hours ago **

After several slaps concession from Ali; Mallam Kyari and his ruthless overbearing son in their religious attires, just reverted from the mosque,

"Alright, you stand up now but don't do it again". 

"And you Ryker, when are you going to turn a new leaf, getting into trouble every time and now this? He insinuated, standing with his hands akimbo. 

 You know your mother should never hear about this... Huh!"

Mallam threatened, his right gnarly index finger pointed to the ground.

Ryker stood up and dusted his knees, containing his feeling of exasperation. 

"Of course, I knew that." He murmured.

(I just hope Mom never realizes this incident, as it will surely sadden her and she would probably scream out her lungs: 

"You're growing worse each day Ryker, why would you choose to leap from the frying pan into the fire? C'mon your father will never be proud of this oozing corrupted confidence of yours. Think! Ryker, think! And set a good example for your younger ones.") Ryker mused.

Those words his ears have grown accustomed to within the period of the last six years.

Even so, she will come to understand what transpired this time around.

Nonetheless, a lot is bound to happen before then.

The last thing he would hope for is the opening of new chasms that would rekindle his terrific pasts, as much as he'd love to keep the memories and retain the energy. 

He never wanted to be that awful pugnacious bully he'd switched to, in the course of masking a broken boy, fortifying himself with uncalled-for toughness. 

Unfortunately, it turns out he was causing his mom to grieve, and the world hates him but not only for that, generally, Ryker is a rascal! 

Or at least, that is the derogatory term designed for him in the neighborhood.

Now, the whole scene, the whole involvement is proving incomprehensible. 

He wore a sinless look, 

"I am really sorry Mallam" He mumbled, holding his palms together, hoping his expressions convey his contrite message to the nonjudgmental and tolerant side of Mallam's heart, 

"I have never done this before, and never will. Theft? Over my dead body."

"My friend tricked me into it. 

He said he already talked to you about it and you permitted him," He piped up, 

stretching his hands sideways in a manner that should portray his innocence.

His eyes shot up in bewilderment.

"Look at you, kid, if I had; wouldn't my gate be opened in expectation of your... delinquent visit?" He queried with a tone of dismay. 

"Well, I never give it a thought. Guess nobody does head out of their home, with no reliable form of security. Perhaps a closed door at least..." 

Ryker replied nonchalantly, like he wasn't the one pleading to be pardoned seconds ago.

"As you can see, I'm too old for incessant rants. But with a fatherly reproach I shall tell you this; know well who you associate yourself with for this will be your last warning next time I will deal with you personally," Mallam scolded.  

  Smiling, and he smiled back, 

The truth is Mallam wouldn't want to smile right back if he knew what was playing through Ryker's mind for those words sounded like funny whining to him: 

'And what is this grumpy old man gonna do to me?' he mocked at heart.

But in an instant the smile vanquished as Mallam continued, 

"I will be setting traps on my farm onward, and anyone caught on my property in this act will be dealt with accordingly. Be warned, lest you fall." 

They stood up, 

Kyle and Ryker had failed to escape when Mallam Kyari and his son had busted the intruders in their compound attempting to comb through his orchard with their sacks. 

They are going to take them down to the market and sell it off for some cool cash... 

Ryker is too smart to be not so amateurish when it comes to fleeing overpowering spiteful movements, but the meteoric change of the events and its scope caught him unaware, the hullabaloo came in handy with instinctive fear.

He is not afraid at first, 

(Since Mallam permitted me, he permitted us all). 

He counted on Jude's words with which he had persuaded him so that he'd come with him.

Ready to leave Mallam Kyari's Compound. They headed out, "Hey you", he called out to Kyle, damn his discreet attitude. "Did you know about that too?" 

"About what?" He questioned back, a bit unmannerly.

"Okay, can you tell me what just happened back there..." He demanded. Trying to meet up with Kyle's pace. 

"We're busted bruh! Is that what you wanna hear?" He blurted. 

"Of course, I knew that." He countered, "tell me something; what I want to hear, Kyle." He demanded. 

He was demanding the cognizable from Kyle, 

Ryker's provoking acerbity can render him foolish sometimes. 

"Look, Rye, I owe you no explanation, okay? You're the one who needed persuasion to do what should have been a benefit to you." 

"Huh?! 

Are you shitting me??!" 

"And in what way has this turned out to be a benefit?"

He fired back at him.

"Every day ain't Christmas bruh..." Hissing and facing him this time, 

"It never ceases to amaze me, your intractable yet credulous mind. You know what? Rye, you look like an idiot blabbering. I haven't witnessed a sixteen-year-old brain, so daft cannot read between the lines."

"Anyways, Rye save your questions for Jude, Do you get me?"

With that, he strode faster.

He halted on his track, "you are not at fault, maybe I was an idiot, pea-brained; but you never had a friend like Jude, who always had you on his hook." He soliloquized.

Staring at the back of his head half-consciously, as he moved farther into the streets, and at the end of his soliloquy, he thought about what was to be his next move. 

"Oh my– I am more than a bit famished right now, do I go home straight away or…?" He asked himself but then, gave up the thought of food, hunting Jude down will soothe his ache. 

His nimble mind has concluded and he opted for the confrontation, perhaps a seemingly impulsive decision at the moment but never knew what to expect on getting home too. 

"Mom at work, siblings at school, the neighborhood is dry." Ryker reminds himself. 

He is one who enjoys being around activities and liveliness, unfortunately for him though, he's chosen the wrong type of involvements and he's dealing with the implications but won't accept facts.

"Hmph....! Jude you are going to give me a good reason for taking me through this!" He seethed under his breath. 

He turned, and headed towards their hideout, he took a shortcut through the alley that leads to the street straight-down out of the town, he saw some street-smarts gathered in pairs along the alley sharing cigarettes and some substances, spitting gibberish and obscenities. 

"Assholes!" He murmured, they dared not cross the lines with him, most of them had gotten their ass kicked many times over by him in the past and know to not penetrate in his personal space.

He saw some of the emperor's boys on the street and met a few of them on getting there too, while most of them were gathered probably playing some sort of games- gambling, doing his thing. 

 Their hideout was quite an insular from the Balltown eastwards, in the woods a couple miles away from Rings estate. 

Just across the lake was a beautiful field blessed by nature, on the far left was a thick forest, as usual, he endeavored to walk through it some meters away and found myself amidst these beautiful trees with endearing serenity. 

Even the chirping of birds makes it more fantastic and the natural air flooding the woods is good enough to relax you and spur on an exhilarating sensation, making you relieve some nerves you've strain and cheer up delightfully.

Not him! Perhaps, not the time, he was quite worked up, set high by fury on a matter that could be addressed without necessarily getting all worked up. 

Stomping his way through, he saw him sitting on a stool beside a Teak, a few boys hanging around too.

  "Bunch of idiots!" He thought as he approached, they had deliberately chosen the site to escape to when they committed their goddamn crimes, hang on till the tension died down, silly souls, 

they really took their time to build a home down there,

living like vagabonds! 

And they've got a considerable, perhaps good reason for that.

Whenever they were hunted down to this spot, they would disperse farther into the woods, which makes it unfeasible for people to track them down.

  "Jude! What the hell just happened?"

He yelled at a seventeen-years-old Jude, who looks way older than he had claimed to be, with the body of a bodybuilder (looks like it though, a lot is going on at their hideout) he measured about 6ft 3' in his straight fit jean and the sleeveless zip-up hoodie, with a cute gallas haircut.

 He sat in a  relaxed position like nothing had happened, stretched out his legs, he stole a look at him,

and squeeze vigorously on the orange he was sucking. 

"Jude, what did you tell me before we set out to pluck fruits in that old man's garden?"

Trying to sound casual, remembering Jude is too big and gallant to chicken out on threats from people like him, regardless if they are eruptive or not. 

"Huh?!" He demanded from his friend furiously... 

Because that was never the plan, and he knew for sure Jude was not always an honest pal. 

But as avaricious as Jude could be; it never crossed his mind that he could try to fool him into his own foolery as he was too dumb to think everyone would be like his dad.