Once upon a time, this town was a heaven on earth, a gift God gave to his people, but then the people strayed, and paradise turned to slaughterhouse, and slaughterhouse turned to madhouse, a madhouse that I own.
I am sitting in front of abu naji, calmly sipping at my tea, watching him calmly sipping at his tea, while his free arm is tensed on his gun, though he knows i'd be crazy to try anything in his restaurant- what with all the bodyguards he has covering him- he does sense maddness in my veneer today.
though I am as calm as my tea.
"So tell me Abu Naji," looking at him over the hot tea " are you trying to kill me?"
He looked me up and down with a Scornful eye, "you shouldn’t be coming here for trouble boy! Take your toys and go play outside"
"Someone thinks they can take me down, I want to know who it is"
The tension subsides a bit, he understands I’ve come to ask questions this time "These are the new days my friend, everything is changing, the enemies of yesterday are the friends of today"
What he was saying worried me; this is the talk of someone who knows he's about to lose.
"Have you heard anything on the streets?" - "nothing, just the usual everyday crazy business, people robbing people, people killing people, do-gooders running around killing with their own agenda, it's becoming hard to stay afloat, other than the nothing else is of interest"
"What do-gooders"
"Oh it’s nothing really, just some Robin Hood wannabes, what I'm worried about is abu hizb, he's hard to kill, that bastard"
"Oh I wouldn’t be worried about him"
“Look Sami, The streets don’t belong to you any more! It’s chaos now, crime and corruption are eating this city alive, it’s too dirty even for us big timers.”
“My time here isn’t done abu naji, I’m just getting started”
“Go home little boy, your time is over, leave my restaurant before my bullies pick on you".
By some ironic coincidence we both finished our tea at the same time, he was quite relaxed now, I wasn't his enemy, he could drink.
I was also enjoying my tea, but in my head there was a countdown, the perfect time to strike, because you see my friend, before I started talking to abu naji, I had decided to kill him.
I drop my istikan to the floor as if by mistake, and apologising I pick it up, NOW ! with one quick motion of the hand, I push the broken shard of the istikan into his eye, he falls off his chair grappling for his eyes. Before he starts screaming I stand up and grab for my guns, aiming at the four guards I'd counted when I came in, I blast hot lead into thier chests, in the confusion only one of them reached for his pistol, though it did him little good.
thought all the ensuing screeming and yelling of the crowds in this 4 star retarant, I hear more people behind behind me, from the kitchen splirt out 4 more gurads, with more panic and confusion than some of the screeming diners around me, thier guns high but thier eyes all wild and scared, I shoot at them untill my gun clicks empty, there are many more of abu naji, but now that abu naji is dead, his army is no more.
That's when I hear his bloody breathing, he's still not dead ! I walk over to him while loading my gun, one bullet is enough for this swine.
"Were you trying to kill me? "
throughs his gurgling I make out a no.
"Do you know who wants to kill me? "
he just looks now, his whole body is still now, except for his eyes, beseeaching me to do something, to help him. So I help him, I lean over close to his face, and pull the trigger one last time.
The carpets are red with the blood of my enemies, the restauant is quiet, I leave.
