CHAPTER TEN — The Reckoning
The city seemed quieter that night.
The usual hum of Lagos — horns, shouting, the clatter of street life — had dimmed, as though the city itself held its breath. Tunde moved through the streets, silent, eyes sharp, heart steady.
Tonight, the reckoning would begin.
🌑 The Plan
Tunde had spent months preparing. Every route Sunkanmi's shipments took, every guard rotation, every weak point in warehouses and offices — it had been memorized, studied, and rehearsed.
His allies, the street boys and small-time mechanics who owed him loyalty, were in position. Distractions were set. Escape routes mapped.
He held the cowrie shell in his hand, a reminder of survival, of promise, of the fire that refused to die.
"Tonight," he whispered to himself, "I strike."
⚡ The First Move
The first target was the main warehouse at the Lagos lagoon. Tunde and his small team moved like shadows.
They disabled cameras, locked doors temporarily from the inside, and extracted crucial documents and ledgers — evidence of corruption, smuggling, and violent schemes.
It was precise. Efficient. Silent.
But Sunkanmi's men were not entirely blind. Oba's presence loomed, watching, waiting for a mistake.
🌤 Clash of Shadows
A crate tipped over — a slight misstep. A shout.
Oba lunged from the shadows, gun raised. Tunde reacted instinctively. Steel, fists, and quick thinking collided in a chaotic dance.
One of Tunde's allies tackled Oba, while he ducked, rolled, and struck the enforcer with a heavy pipe. Adrenaline and fury surged; Tunde was no longer just a boy fighting for survival — he was the storm.
Gunshots echoed, shouts rang out, crates splintered. Rain soaked the warehouse, mixing with sweat and fear.
When it ended, Tunde's team had survived, but not without cost — a loyal ally lay unconscious, and Oba had escaped with a warning.
🌑 Confronting the Enemy
Sunkanmi himself arrived moments later, flanked by trusted men. Calm, cold, authoritative.
"Tunde," he said, voice smooth as steel. "I wondered when you'd finally show yourself."
Tunde stood, soaked, bloodied, but unbroken. "This ends tonight, Sunkanmi."
Sunkanmi's smile widened. "It ends when I say it ends. And yet… I admire your persistence."
The first real confrontation was a battle of wits as much as strength. Words, threats, and calculated moves danced around them. Tunde's goal was not to kill yet — it was to expose, to challenge, to make Sunkanmi aware that the boy who refused to die had grown into a man who could dismantle his empire.
⚡ Sacrifice and Strategy
During the confrontation, Tunde realized that the cost of victory would be high. He had to retreat strategically to protect Aisha and his allies.
As they fled the warehouse, rain pouring and adrenaline screaming, Tunde glanced back. The fire in Sunkanmi's eyes matched his own.
This was not the end. Not yet.
But for the first time, Tunde felt the weight of destiny settling on his shoulders.
🌙 The Aftermath
Back at his hideout, Tunde tended to his team and counted his gains: the documents, the proof, the knowledge. He had struck the first blow — powerful, deliberate, impossible to ignore.
Aisha arrived quietly, her face pale with worry. "Tunde… what have you done?"
"I've begun the reckoning," he said softly, holding her hands. "It's dangerous. But it's necessary."
She nodded, understanding more than he had said. "Then we face it together."
Tunde pressed the cowrie shell to his chest, feeling the weight and promise of survival, vengeance, and love.
The storm had begun, but the boy who refused to die was no longer a boy.
He was the force Sunkanmi had underestimated, and Lagos — with all its shadows, chaos, and fire — was his arena.