ANDREA

"I won't tell a lie,Bida." Andrea muttered with a faint strength lingering on the top of his teeth. He was still in chains.
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Inside the prison cell were red letter designs of the names of past criminals who were too smart to write their names on the walls before their execution. But Andrea knew it was only four hours left before he'd have the big bang to eternity in hell. He just didn't know what to do. If getting a red letter design on the wall was really simple without a scratch on the skin, he would have done same. Yet, here he was, clouded by the fear of a single drop of blood.

"Won't you tell me this last time,Andrea?" Bida's voice was even more brutal to the cold bodied Andrea who by this time was littered in a seemingly fresh pool of tears. Vida hated to see men shed tears because he never felt that was the appropriate thing to do.

The distance between them was less than the stretch of a foot as the well built Bida with slightly curled beards and a really trimmed hair bent down like the slow cracking of a high statue to the left ear of Andrea. He wanted to be sober. He whispered sincerely into the chained Andrea's ear; "The time ain't too short,I'd go tell the commissioner that Nya died from a shock. Just tell me the truth that you know. "

Ashamed to lift up his already red face, Andrea's voice was a little lower than the yawn of a two year old. He was fair and tall... with a bit of round legs and a lovely accent to match the charisma in his speech. Very humble and quiet especially in the midst of uncultured young men according to the way his mother often spoke about them. But, Andrea had one ability which his father hated the most. He was always afraid to tell a lie which his father usually mistook for the truth. So, here was another moment to give him a feel of his father gnawing at him. "I told you before, Bida _I didn't kill Nya." It is okay... Bida shouted. He continued by telling him how he had had cases like this before. "Luther was killed, Mirian was bullet ridden, Adrian and Femi who even did worse than you were killed in the most brutal way. "

How else could Andrea be threatened? Perhaps one more word from Bida, Andrea would begin to hear the sound of the gun and then the direction of his heart. Then soon, he would see his blooded mother standing by his side in the new quarters of death. Eight minutes had gone like it was only two seconds. As Bida peeped on his wrist watch, he told Andrea that, he would be the one to accompany him to where the drums are in less than twenty minutes if he was not willing to comply.

"Room four, room five, room six,... eleven... where is he? " That was inspector Mark walking into the prison block with inspector Toro. They were ready to remove the demon in the body of Andrea and send him to six feet in the most pleasant way. As soon as Bida heard inspector Mark's voice, he jumped up, pointing his hand at Andrea's hopeless face, then added "Who knows, if you were the knife that stabbed your mother? You're a murderer! You will see me the last time in only three minutes from now. Out!!!"

It was the first time in three weeks when Andrea would walk in the blessedness of clean air and see the hardness on the smiles of people because he was only seeing wickedness and death in the smiles that the prisoners wore while in the prison. So, as commanded, he walked diligently behind the two inspectors who dragged his chains behind them. "Another delay by you, I'll burst your head. " Everyone knew that was inspector Toro's voice because he was a very proud man who never ceased to flaunt the mark of his position in the Nigeria Police Force. They were heading for the drums which was barely the stretch of eight steps from where they were.

"Here! " Andrea was halted in the front of a skinny black thief who was already tied to the drum waiting for his death. Next to him was Tolu, the notorious kidnapper with a pot belly and stoutly built who threatened the security of the Ididep community. The third person seemed dead before even the gun will be shot, and the fourth did not look like a saint all along. With his chains loosed, Andrea was pushed to the fifth drum. Bida was asked to tie him up in less than fifty seconds. Andrea cried out so loudly for the first time in his life.

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That moment, he saw his mother walking into his room and telling him that, they'll spend the next holiday in Atlanta as soon as his father gets stronger. He jumped up with full excitement to embrace his mother as usual and give her a peck... but just right there, Andrea's eyes were too gloomy to see the bullet coming. Screaming "nooo!" ,he was day dreaming. The"no" slowly came to an end as Andrea 's head was now dangling to the left of his shoulder. His navy blue prison dress was stained with blood in the same way his tongue was stained with his last prayer.

Nya arrived two hours later at the police station with a medical report that he was strong and fine. He had hoped to speak with the commissioner to tell him that Andrea is innocent and that he should be freed. But it was inspector Toro who met him when the commissioner just left his office. The inspector told Nya how Mr. Commissioner's administration is working to check every crime against the law of the land. Then he added, "...and that murderer, Andrea is dead. " He never knew that was Nya who was supposedly killed by Andrea.

Almost fainting, Nya drifted his hand into his bag and got hold on his pen. He wrote on the back of his medical report sheet; "Andrea was my brother. It was uncle Bida who poisoned my wine because he needed my father's money. He endured that the doctors would save my life and then, send Andrea to prison so the money would still get to him. But, I was too dumb to say a word. Good bye Andrea! "