The Surprise

As he shifted his sight away from the police car side mirror, John sniffled bitterly in his heart.

He took life for granted in his naivete, believing it to be an experience that needed to be explored.

He knew a lot of the actions he made were bad, yet he went ahead and did them anyhow.

What Mamila told him may be his punishment and God's retribution for everything he'd done and said.

He shifted his focus to the police officer behind the wheel. His demeanor is tense, his face is stiff, and one of his eyes moves more robotically than the other.

Every move he takes seems to be accompanied by the ticking of a clock in his thoughts; perhaps this is the countdown to his next explosion.

Rose was the one who caused this to him, and when he eventually gets himself out of the mess Charles made for him, Rose will hear about it.

"Look officers," John remarked from the rear seat, tilting his head forward towards the two officers in front of him, "that girl is lying, I didn't take her money."

Officer Martins yelled at him, "Shut your mouth up," and John yelled back, "Don't tell me to shut up."

"Why don't you listen to me, she's lying against me, I don't owe her a dine," he said, his wrath returning in full force.

Officer Martins shouted, "I said shut up!" John isn't ready to do this with them; he already has a lot on his plate without adding getting arrested to it.

He knew cops could be tough, but this was getting out of hand. "What's the matter with you guys, huh?" He enragedly inquired, "I'm telling the truth; I owe her no money; she's only retaliating for sleeping with her."

John was expecting a response, but all he received was a sidelong glance from the police behind the wheel.

He could never have predicted Rose would bring cops to arrest him, despite the fact that she knows Charles is the one who owes her money, not him.

He was ready to scream something further while venting his rage and fury on them, but he fell silent as he observed the cop drive off the expressway and into another road.

"This is not the path to the police station,". John yells out, realizing they've abruptly changed course.

"Can you tell me where you're taking me?" They didn't respond, instead driving farther into the woods.

John grew anxious, and all he wanted to do was shout, but he doubted that anyone would hear him. officer  Justin sped into the route through the woods.

John was not prepared for the surprise they had intended for him.

With one spark, he turned into a powder keg, and the yelling began.

spittle pouring from his lips, he started beating the backseat door in his state of wrath, but he ultimately stopped when the car came to a stop in the middle of nowhere.

John snarled at them and told them, "This is not the police station."

Both officers disregarded him and exited the police van simultaneously without a word. Officer Justin popped the trunk of the car open and pulled John out of the vehicle with his bare hands.

John lost his footing and fell to the ground, but he picked himself up immediately after recognizing that the two police officers were up to no good.

what exactly are they up to, he rapidly brooded over what Mamila had told him, she had told him that he is going to die from suicide not a gunshot in the middle of a goddamn bush, and he wondered what exactly are they doing.

"What is it that you desire from me, exactly?" John let out a hoot. "What, you're frightened, are you?" Officer Justin makes fun of him. "When you punched me in the face, you weren't shaking at all," he said. In a furious tone, John said, "Let's cut the bullshit."

"What do you want?, you want to kill me," John asked.  Officer Martin joins the conversation and says, "Wouldn't it be a fantastic idea?"

Even though Mamila's comments had a profound impact on John, he is aware that, on a deeper level, he does not want to pass away until he discovers a way to change his destiny. John's skin was embalmed by the cold waves.

"Did she instruct you to carry out these steps?" He queried. ”Who,?” Officer Justin provided a response. John despises everything about Officer Justin, including his guts, his ridiculous clothing, and the silly hair that is growing on top of his head.

He was under the impression that in order to join the military, one must shave their entire head.

He yelled "Rose" at the top of his lungs, "Did she want you to murder me because it would be extremely dumb," and then he continued, "because that will be very stupid."

Where can we find the money? Officer Martins inquired about it.

"I don't have her money," John retorted in an angry tone.

John shouted, "If you've been listening to me, you would have known I don't have her money." If you had been paying attention, you would have known this.

That means she's lying, right?" Officer Justin intervened, and John let out a gruff groan. " She is lying, someone else owes her money, she came to me imploring me to assist her collect it from the person, and that is all I know. " " She is lying, I do not owe her money, someone else does."

Officer Justin asked, "You admitted that you slept with her, right?" John blared out, "She slept with me," while simultaneously wondering where the topic was going to go from there.

Who is in possession of the funds? Officer Martins questioned, ." John responded with the word "someone." Officer Martin glared and muttered, "We need a name." they asked.  "He is  Charles by name.

He has had enough, and he is sick and weary of being dragged into Charles's chaos and punished for it. Officer Justin questioned, "What is his address," and the response was, "I don't know." "Are you telling me that you want me to shoot you?" The question was asked by Officer Justin as he made room for his pistol.

John is suddenly overcome with a chilling sense of anxiety. "How do I know that you won't shoot me even after I tell you where he stays?" John stated.

That's right, you don't know, so what the hell is the address?" John hesitated for a short while, but then he had a notion pop into his head, and with that thinking, together with the terror of what they may do to him, he gave them the address of Charles's house.

After Officer Justin had entered the location into his phone, John congratulated him and remarked, "You got the address."

"Can you take me back right now since it's very evident that you won't be taking me to the station."

John became uncomfortable as Officer Justin moved closer to them both. Officer Justin attacked him before he could even speak a word to him, he punched him in the face.

John was knocked off balance by the force, and before he could restore his footing, Officer Justin pounced on him. After John fell to the ground, Officer Justin's heavy boots delivered multiple kicks to his torso.

John experienced a sense of helplessness because he was restrained by handcuffs and had limited options for defending himself.

Officer Justin snarled at John before spitting on him, saying, "That's for lifting your filthy hand to my face."

Officer Martins instantly removed his hold on John and followed Officer Justin to the police van. In a split second, they started the car and sped away, leaving John defenseless and bloodied in their wake. . . . .

**************

Charles rocked his body from one side of the chair to the other as the sound of car tires sung into the empty roadways of the rural countryside.

He is terrified, particularly of what may occur in the immediate future, and he has no plan for how he will proceed. It's sad how a person's wonderful existence may turn into a nightmare in the space of a single day. He reflected on John and what Mamila had said to him earlier in the conversation.

Could it be that he will wind up losing everything and committing suicide at the end of the terrible race that will change his life?

When the taxi driver had to slow down due to the traffic up ahead, he sneezed and leaned back in the backseat of the vehicle. He was uncomfortable.

"I can't believe this traffic is still here,"   The cab man said. "What took place, and why is there so much traffic?" Charles inquired while making a concerted effort to divert his attention away from the situation at hand and place it instead on potential ways to get rid of her.

"What, you haven't heard of it?" "Have you heard what?" Charles inquired, not that he is concerned in the least.

The death of Senator Alisha's wife has been reported. Charles's limbs began to move in a jerky manner, as if they were being remotely controlled by an incompetent individual, and his eyes widened in shock as he stared directly at the cab driver, but not really.

People are suggesting that she was driving under the influence of alcohol, and it's been reported in the news. The person driving the taxi chimes in.

That was hard for Charles to accept it, but now he understands why she wasn't picking up the phone after they had their last discussion. Mamila, the solution to the riddle is so simple that even a child could figure it out.

The manner in which Zuba passed away was one of the most heinous acts ever committed, and just a few hours later, Mr. Alisha passed away as well.

When he couldn't find his phone, his head stutters for a second, and his eyes take in more light than he anticipated. His shoulders hunched before he touched his pocket in search of his phone. His eyes took in more light than he expected.

There is no way that he could have forgotten his phone at home; it would be suicidal for him to walk back there to collect it now. Every part of him pauses while his thoughts catch up to the present moment.

It's possible that Mamila is there right now, and even if the idea of being near to her once more gives him the willies, he won't take the chance until he finds a solution to his issues that is both permanent and strong.

____________________________________

****************

Officer Justin averted his sight from the ringing of his phone to heave a sigh and turn in a different direction before picking up his phone to answer the call.

"Did he tell you,?" When the call was finally connected, Rose could be heard speaking on the other end.

After looking at Officer Martin for a while before responding, Officer Justin said, "Yes, we're on our way there."  "In all seriousness, this is very encouraging news." Rose said

Officer Justin cringed as he responded to Officer Martin, "It is," as he stated, "As long as you don't forget our agreement." Officer Martin said.

Rose advised, "Just get the money first, I will keep my own part of the agreement" She said.    "I will." "And if he tells you he doesn't have it, arrest that son of a bitch," she continued.

A groan came from Officer Justin, and he looked over at Officer Martin and said, "I will." "Looking forward to having it back in my possession," she said. After taking a few bites, Officer Justin said, "Okay, I'll call you back, we're at the address."

After the call was disconnected, in a split second, Officer Justin pulled over and stopped the car in front of the gate.

Both officers stepped out of the truck with their weapons drawn and wondered aloud why the gate was open and why there were vehicles parked outside.

***************.

When Mamila looked everywhere for Charles but came up empty, she felt her entire being filled with rage.

She went back to the parlor once she had examined the place from every conceivable vantage point.

Her focus moved to Charles's phone as soon as she heard its familiar ringtone; she picked it up almost immediately and stared at the person who was on the other end of the line.

She could be heard murmuring the caller's name.

Her thoughts finally catch up with her, and she realizes very quickly that she had both heard the name and been to the woman's house, the house that she was unable to enter earlier that evening.

She was seething with rage at the prospect that Charles might have returned to that location.

She dug her nails into her palm with her nails right before she disappeared from view.

****************

"What are your thoughts on what took place here?" Officer Martin inquired of Justin as to when they had entered the building.

Officer Justin's response came as he walked over the ashes and made his way toward the exit. "Well, it seems somebody burned some things," he said as he reached the door.

Officer Martin said that "something doesn't seem to be right." "First the automobiles, then the open gate, and last the ashes left over from the burned stuff." Officer Justin let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

He did not utter a single word before knocking on the door... When there was another knock on the door, the black Mamba snake threw its head forward and the rest of its body followed shortly after. It was inside the home at the time.

While it presses forward with the others and her eyes search the area for any conceivable spot to hide, the large scales on its belly grip the earth.

Officer Justin, infuriated, pushed the door knob inward, which caused the door to swing open.

Before drawing his weapon and entering the room, he turned to look at Officer Martin, and before taking further step, he stopped and inspected the surroundings in case there were any surprises.

"Did they get into a fight,?" Officer Martin questioned while he looked down at the shattered bottles and the drop of blood that was on the ground.

Officer Justin responded by taking a step forward and said, "Obviously." Officer Martin was heard saying, "I don't think there is anyone at home."

She flicked her tongue and the instant she felt one of the cops was edging closer, she slithered backwards and folded herself under the couch.

The snake hid herself and watched them with the eyes of a predator as she waited for an opportunity to strike.

Officer Justin let out a long sigh upon coming to the conclusion that there was nobody else in the house. Officer Martins told the individual, "Something occurred right here man." Officer Justin nodded his head in assent to the statement. "I think we'll make another trip."

Martin seemed to be staring into space as if he was seeing something that wasn't there when Officer Justin walked toward the door. When he turned back to look at Martin, Martin appeared to be seeing something that wasn't there.