The Degenerates --- Contributed by @warpedpoetic
Swirling mud and gurgling with baby rivers.
Tell me of the drooping leaves heavy with dew
And trees pregnant with fruits.
Tell me of the birds that surf the wind;
The hawk in its turret,
The pigeon cooing love songs on cracked window sills,
The hen clucking warnings to chicks picking worms
From the lips of the warm, wet, soft earth.
Tell me a story.
SCENE ONE
The girl lit the cigarette and sucked the smoke in with her red lips wrapped around its slender length. The smoke curled out of her lips on slow feet as if reluctant to meet the air. She flicked the filter and ash fell into the ashtray that sat on the table before her. She turned around on her seat and watched the bar.
The bar had few customers. It was not the weekend and it was not yet closing hours, so many of the regulars had not showed up yet. She sighed and was turning away when she saw him. She paused and stared at him, wrapped in the shadows of the poorly lit table that perched at the end of the bar room. The light in that part of the room had gone bad some months before, and the bar owner had placed a tiny red bulb as a replacement instead of a proper bulb.
She placed her cigarette on her lips and sucked in some more smoke, her cheek sucked in with the force of her need. She blew the smoke out and turned back to the bartender. She tapped the cigarette on the ashtray then she beckoned to the bartender. Jones came to her, with a glass cup in one hand and a rag in the other hand.
“Do you know that guy hiding in the darkness over there; I have never seen him before?” She asked, jerking her chin to the left.
Jones looked over the girl’s shoulder at the semi-dark spot she had directed his gaze to with the jerk. He squinted at the person but he could not make his features.
“That is weird. I didn’t see him come in.” he said.
The girl turned to look at the man again then she turned as the bar entrance opened and two men walked in with the rain roaring and nipping at their heels. The soft buzz of low conversation stuttered to a stop as every gaze turned on the two men. One was short, with a clean shaven skull, slim body wrapped in a turtle neck sweater and faded blue jeans and the other was a big man with a head like dough that had been molded by a kid. He had no neck and his broad chest and broader stomach were encased in a short sleeve shirt which was tucked into corduroy trousers. Both of them carried Ak-47 rifles. Both of them were policemen.
The two of them surveyed the scene with bright eyes then they walked towards an unoccupied table, dripping moisture on the tiles like the cold beer on a table top. As soon as the two policemen drew their seat out and sat down, the soft buzz returned and the tense atmosphere relaxed. The girl removed her eyes from the policemen and sought the stranger in the shadow but she could not find him. His seat was empty.
He watched the policemen through the half opened restroom door. He had not expected the police to come to a bar like this. He had expected them to be at a more local and cheaper drinking spot where they can get cheap liquor and cigarettes as well as credit facility, but definitely not a bar like this one.
What the fuck! He looked at his injured hand. The blood had soaked through the cloth he had used to wrap the wound.
"Curse this stupid rain. Why did it have to pick today of all days to begin the rainy season? It had been sunny and hot all month. Damn! I hope those fools separated and found a place to hide?" he thought to himself.
He looked out again and saw the pretty prostitute searching for him with her eyes. He studied her for some minutes. In another place, another time, he would have been by her side, concluding on price and time but today he could not afford to be distracted. He cursed under his breath and turned to look at the policemen. The short one was getting up. He held his breath, and then he gasped as the bartender pointed in his general direction. Why would you hold back your fucking need to piss until you get to a bar? Could you not have done it anywhere else? Jesus Christ what a day! It is obvious that you guys in heaven simply do not want me to make it home alive.
He watched as the policeman walked towards where he stood. He turned to look at the windows, they were barred. There was no escape there. He weighed his options, he shrugged his shoulders and he smiled.
Her voice soothes the demons within
And makes my soul stir in the tides
Of depression and reach for hope.
Let her give us some of her gifts,
So we can go home to our wives
And find beauty between the wrinkles
And their dowdy breasts that stare
At the surprised floor nowadays.
Give us a verse of something beautiful.
Tell us of love and lust,
Strong men and beautiful women;
Of big cities and money,
Yes tell us of money.
Sergeant Kito hissed as the burning sensation hit the tip of his penis. Curse you Rosie, you wretched whore! You have given me staph again. Gosh, this thing hurts. He tried to walk straight so as not to draw attention to his suffering but he could barely bring his two legs to move on a straight line. As soon as he got out of sight of the bar, he stopped and let the pain ease a bit then he waddled gently to the restroom.
As he moved to push the door open, a tall dark-skinned stranger stepped out and smiled at him. He tried to smile but the pain made the smile hurt his face. He tried to move passed the man but the sudden movement jolted his penis and the sore tip hit his laps. He hissed in pain.
“You need to get that treated, man.” The stranger said, smiling.
He turned on the man, ready to curse him then he realized that the man was right and he could be of help. After all, they were strangers. There was a slim chance of them ever meeting again.
“Do you know of any cures for it, I have tried everything?”
“I know a thing or two. I am no stranger to STD. In my line of work, we meet all sorts.” The stranger replied as he washed his hands in the washstand.Kito noticed the wound. It was a deep cut possibly made by a machete. He looked closely at the man, suddenly suspicious.
“What sort of job do you do?”
“I am a truck driver. I transport animals and farm produce from the North to the Southern part of the country.” The stranger replied.
Kito rushed to the toilet bowl as the pressure to urinate increased. He hissed as a trickle of urine dropped into the bowl. The pain was unbelievable and his legs shook. He breathed through his mouth, gritted his teeth and tried again. Slowly, the foul smelling urine and some yellowish puss came out. He urinated between hisses, curses on Rosie, prayers to God and groans. The stranger stood calmly by and watched him. When he was finally done, he turned to the stranger, his face slippery with sweat.
“Please, help me.” He said.
The stranger nodded and together they walked out of the restroom.
The girl watched the policeman and the stranger walk back to the bar like old friends. Her eyes widened in surprise on seeing the stranger’s face. What is he doing here?
She had seen him some hours ago at the bank, holding a shot gun and telling all the persons in the bank to behave themselves and not try to be heroes. She had been in the bank restroom and had watched the robbery from the safety of the toilet. What was he doing with policemen? Do they not know that he is a thief?
“Can you believe it?” Kito’s partner was saying.
“Believe what?” Kito asked, trying to enjoy his fresh fish peppersoup despite the dull throb between his laps.
“There was a robbery at the bank by Market Junction; 20 million naira was stolen. Not one of the robbers was caught.”
The stranger coughed as pepper passed into the wrong passage. He poured some Guinness stout down his throat to clear it and blinked his eyes to remove the tears that dangled there. He turned to see the girl watching him. She had a knowing smile on her face. He winked at her, smiled and turned to the policemen,
“20 million naira! Wow! That is something. How did they manage it?” He asked; his eyes wide with innocent curiosity.
Nice... @warpedpoetic have write again. Nice edits and format @stach.pay. Thanks for the opportunity to express.
That was a wonderful story, totally unexpected second part. Saved by a cop with a STD. Who would have thought, you are just full of all kinds of surprises in your stories.
😂 yeah @bashadow. I didn't really know where the story was going to until I got to the end. I am glad you liked it.
Great work bro @warpedpoetic thanks to @stach.pay for featuring this post
Thanks boss @willywealth. What to do if not to write?
I am glad you liked the story. Thank you.
@warpedpoetic I've always liked your articles
Really? That's so sweet of you @sussan. I read you posts on stach a lot. Nice to meet you.
Well written @warpedpoetic, thanks for adding more value to @stach.pay. See you at the top!
Thank you for reading @oghie. Without people like you, there will be no people like me. Stay safe.