Chapter 14. Goodbye's the saddest

Akwa didn't stopped looking, she scoured the city for him, combed everywhere restless, all in vain. Suddenly, a bright feeling came to her and she headed for the prison still that night. 

It was a few minutes to midnight, raining cats and dogs, Jason was slowly shuffling his way towards the prison gate with his prison uniform on, hands were in the pockets, his head down and a small black leather which carried his books tied to the neck. Akwa had just reached the location, from where she stood was a bit distance from Jason's, he too was already close to the gate. She viewed and instantly yelled his name, but the rain swallowed it. Just as she made a step she heard loud noise which was not of the thunder alone, as it continued for a short while even after the thunder roar, for indeed it was of gunshots. Jason fell to the ground from a three gunshots to his upper body, fired by the army at watch. 

The sound of Akwa's scream pierced it's way through the raging rain and was heard at large. She ran desperately to and reluctantly fell on her knees beside him. The rain partly washed away the blood gushing out his mouth and from where he was shot, his body temporary vibrating, his breath high and fast.

"No, no, no!" She screamed continuously. "Olie! Please stay awake, stay with me."

She cried, yet no tears as the rain did a good job washing them off. She was scared, terrified. She used her hands to suppress his wounds but she was shorts of hands, she cried out to the military personnel who probably came to confirm his kill for help. Yet, himself was traumatized from the sight of Jason's body and how irresponsible he shot at an innocent person. 

"Why, why did you shot him?" she cried to him. "He was coming back to surrender."

"I'm so sorry, Olie," she turned to Jason. "Please forgive me, Please. . . I beg of you."

He urged to speak but coughed more blood instead. 

"Please don't go," her voice cracked, probably from sore throat due to long time cry. "Don't leave me alone. I'm here now, please hang in there, this is not it, this not the end, it can't be."

"Get medic!" she yelled at the securities standing above her. 

"Belle. . ." Jason weakly called. 

"Yes, yes I'm here," she responded vigorously. 

"M-my d-dance," he forced a speech. 

She chuckled slightly in her tears. 

"Just stay awake a little much longer and we'll have that dance, I promise," she busted in another pack of tears. 

He weakly managed to hold her hand and mutter, struggling to hold his last breath long enough to pass his pending words. 

"Com, complete our story. . . I-I love you, Bel. . ." He left his breath out. 

She bent and felt the touch of his lips with hers one last time, then held his cold body in her arms. Then the rain had stopped and tears had taken back display on her face, running down to meet under her chin and to his head. She cried and soon lost her voice, tears as well. 

The securities held their guns down to the ground, heads bowed, dissapointed in their rapid action. In times like that, places like Jos, filled with insecurities and terrorist attacks, and at that unholy hour of the night, with a prison inmate uniform, the securities mistook his intentions especially from the leather hung round his neck which in their sight, portrayed him a suicide bomber.

It has been a week since the funeral of Jason, all who knew him still had the shock following them like shadows, especially how he died. Akwa on the other hand never left her house since the last time she walked in over a week ago. The house within smelled like a brewery industry, alcohol at every turn. She barely ate, she looked paled, eyes sore, deep like a lock away vampire, her hair scattered like a bird nest, lips dried and cracked. She was a lucid description of miserable. She pushed everyone away, her family, friends who wanted to help, even Nanklin she kept on hold. She kept to her misery till she couldn't take anymore. 

On a visit from Nathan and Fwangmun, the door was locked within and no one seemed to respond from their durable stay on the door. Fwangmun had to go round the back where he peeped from the window and saw her laying on the steps to the dinning room, covered in her swamp of blood. He raised an alarm and they made forceful break in. They got to her and beside was a knife, probably used to cut her wrist with. She was barely breathing, and with hast they rushed her to a hospital. 

"Where am I?" Akwa softly asked, waking up from her coma. 

She stared, struggled to get a proper look as she only viewed blur. She wiped her eyes and was able to get a better look soon, looking around she was able to comprehend Nanklin's face and she stretched her eyes for even a better more. 

"How could you do this to yourself," Nanklin asked dejectedly, with lines of dried tears on her cheeks. 

"Welcome back," Nathan interrupted from another angle standing with Fwangmun. 

"Who are you?" Akwa weakly asked. 

Nathan and Fwangmun stepped closer. 

"I'm Nathan, beside me is my friend Fwangmun."

"We where friends of Jason," Fwangmun took on. "In prison, actually."

"They brought you here," Nanklin interjected in bitterness. "You almost died, if not for them you would've died, Akwa. That's so ridiculous of you."

Tears rushed down Akwa's cheeks and she began to sob. 

"Why, why did you saved me?" she bemoaned. "I'm better off dead, at least I can be with him, with Olie."

"What the hell were you even doing in my house?" Akwa further asked. 

"Actually," Nathan began. "We broke out from prison with Jason to help clear his name and bring the real culprits down, we promised him and with or without him we are bond to our promise."

"It doesn't matter now," Akwa said. "His gone, I don't have a purpose, so it doesn't matter."

Fwangmun stepped forward and replied vigorously. "It's too late now, because we've uncovered everything as we planned before escaping. We got them, we went to your house to tell you before we finally expose them."

"Them, who and who, how?" Akwa asked rising from her bed. 

Nathan headed with the briefing. "We hacked and were able to gain access to the security footage of that day, the officer who approached your bus was called and given order by a detective, Jang."

"The detective that was all rugged over persecuting me," she chipped. 

"Yes," he continued. "We then paid him a visit, placed a fake bomb under his seat where he sat and also threatened to kill his nuclear family. Fwang here was outside and had red, sharp, laser light that pointed on his chest like a sniper, which of course I made it clear it wasn't for him but his wife and children who were in bed. He confessed everything and I recorded. He was all along working with them as an inside man, helping to keep the security away from their tale. He however exposed every joint, unit and warehouse that deal drugs, and your girl was in too, Vanessa."

She was quiet, staring at no specific area exactly. Fwangmun placed a hand on her shoulder and consoled. 

"Sorry for everything, Jason was a real good man," he said. 

"We'll pull this off after here," Nathan added. "And then we live town, we're wanted. But please, stay strong. Jason always said you're the most strongest person he'd ever met, please don't prove him wrong."

The two friends proceeded leaving the ward. Nanklin roused and embraced Akwa. 

"I was missing Olie when I hit the bar," Akwa raised softly. 

"What?" Nanklin asked raising her body a bit from her to look her in the face. 

"The night before Olie arrived," she proceeded. "I just wanted to drink so I would be free from thoughts of him, especially realizing how long I'd stayed away from visiting. Then Alex, this guy that I've been courting me for over months came along, must've followed me. He joined me, we drank all through that I was too dizzy to return home all alone, so he helped me back. I've no excuse, I was conscious, I knew everything, my left and right, I just was too weak to resist. I slept with him, Nan, I did, and I made him call me Belle to make it feel like it was Olie."

She paused and made a sudden cry. 

"And that morning we still stayed," She went further. "I thought it was just going to be once and Olie wouldn't know except I tell him, which I hadn't decided yet. Then Olie happened, h-he was there to propose to me," she exploded into uncontrollable tears, wetting her entire pectoral area of her shirt.

"It's okay, don't punish yourself further, please. I'm sure he must've forgiven you cus he loved you no matter what, you just have to forgive yourself too." Nanklin consoled tapping her back.

"Please, you don't go, I need you here. The two of you can't just leave me, please Belle, please. Don't ever try to kill yourself again, ever again," she joined up in tears.

After a short while of head to head moan, Akwa removed herself from Nanklin's arms, wiping dry her face.

"Please, I need a favor," she demanded and Nanklin rapidly nodded. 

"Olie told me to complete his story, can you please stop by and get my journal and the book for me? They're on the TV stand."

"Stay put till am back, I won't be long," Nanklin said before heading out. 

"Roomie," Akwa called. 

Nanklin stopped and turned. 

"I love you," Akwa expressed with smile.

She smiled back and proceeded further, through the door. 

A few minutes as she left a nurse walked in and handed an SD card to Akwa, reporting it was from Chika and further he sent his regards. She immediately fixed the SD card in her mobile phone and it was a video, she played and marvelled as she watched it further on. She watched it with a twinkle in her eyes, one hand covered to her mouth. She couldn't tell when she was filled with laughter and a bit light of joy in her, for it was the song video of her and Jason at Chika's restaurant four years ago. She had totally forgotten about it and was so astonished seeing it, she couldn't be any happier especially in dark times like that. At the end of it, she placed the phone on her chest and slowly laid back peacefully. 

About forty minutes after, Nanklin returned to the ward and met it absent of Akwa. She was scared, wondered if she'd just went to the bathroom or anywhere within the hospital. Uncertain with her thoughts, she immediately in rush made to leave in search but mellowed, for she saw on the bed an arrow like shape of paper, neatly stood on the bed. She took it, opened, and it was a letter.

'Nanklin, I'm deeply sorry for this. I know you've always been there for me when I needed anything, company, assistance, advice and even a shoulder to cry on. You've been like a sister and the best friend to me, you always have been right about everything concerning me. Sorry to say, this time around you're wrong about me moving on, this time it's different, you were not around when he drew his last breath. I can't stay around, the memories are too thick to filter through, I hurt everyday, I moan in my heart everyday. I can't blame anyone for what happened to Olie, not Alex, Vanessa or the detective, I'm the only blame and shall carry the guilt alone, all the days of my life. Please, don't be mad at me for leaving, I'm not coming, don't look for me either, you or no one will find me because I don't want to be found. I only ask of two things, one, please go to the rocky mountain I told you about, carve my name next to his, 'Belle'. Second, I've completed the story, please keep the journal and book safe, for ever, it's now yours. Olie called it 'Belle's Journal'.

Bye for good, I love you.'

Nanklin sat back on the bed and wept bitterly. 

The End