Broken Idols - Season 1

Episode 33

The men pushed Adjetey through the door into a dark room with only a single bulb at the end of the wall. A short man sat in an armchair before a table smoking a cigarette while wiping his knuckles with tissue. Adjetey was pushed towards the empty chair before the short man and was forced to sit in it. He bowed his head slowly to avoid the man’s gaze.

The man was almost four feet tall, bald and heavily bearded. There was a scar that ran from his right eyebrow, over his eye and down to his right cheek, sustained from a slash injury that discoloured his eye, giving him a cold and cat-like look anytime he stared. The rugged shorty’s physique appeared admirable in his white polo shirt revealing stout hairy arms over black trousers and heavily polished black loafers. He smirked at Adjetey and puffed a cloud of smoke.

Adjetey glanced at his left and saw the mangled body of a young man whose face was covered in blood lying in a corner. The shorty cracked his knuckles, checked to ensure the blood on it was gone and chucked the soiled tissue into a waste paper bin beside him.

“Can someone reduce the height of this fool so that I can teach him a few things?” the shorty said in a hoarse voice and Nigerian accent and jumped off his chair, walking quickly around the table on the balls of his feet to stand behind Adjetey. One of the men fetched Adjetey and forced him to his knees before the shorty.

“What’s my name?” he asked Adjetey and sucked on his cigarette.

Adjetey exhaled loudly and bowed his head. “Sir, I am sorry for – “

WHACK! Adjetey took a slap in the face that forced him to land on both arms. He groaned and knelt upright, massaging his aching jaw. “What’s – my – name?” the shorty asked sharply.

“Balogun,” Adjetey muttered. The shorty cocked his head and stepped closer to hear him better, and Adjetey repeated louder, “Balogun!"

Balogun nodded his head and smirked again. “Do you know what it means?” Adjetey shook his head and watched him circling around him. “’Warlord’. I am the wrong person to play games with. Your debt is overdue, son. You either pay or be killed. All your colleagues who have sought for what you wanted have paid their debts.” He nodded at the corpse lying in the corner. “That is an example of the fate that can befall you for refusing to satisfy the terms. The clan head is furious, and he needs to be appeased before full moon, which falls on the night of your live concert.” Adjetey furrowed his eyebrows, making Balogun shrug. “The more time you waste, the more trouble you ask for. Is it too much for you to kill someone living under your roof?”

Adjetey looked up and replied slowly, “He’s my blood. He’s the only person closest to the description you gave me. I have dear ones, but I don’t think none of them matter like he does. I fear making a mistake by choosing the wrong person – “

“But you know who you must bring, don’t you?”

Adjetey bit his lip. “Yes, boss, but –“, he stammered slightly and exhaled. “I don’t know if I can harm him. It’s too much for me.”

Balogun kicked him in the ribs and slapped him twice, and then he seized the collar of his hoodie. “What nonsense is this? After making so much money, you think you can get away with it? I killed my mother. The rapper Yaro killed his wife. His rival Typhoon killed his girlfriend. Fashion and movie maestro Oh-Bee killed his father and the list goes on and on. All these people have become ten times richer than they started in their first two years as famous celebrities. Do you want your fame to be short-lived?”

Adjetey shook his head slowly. Balogun kicked him hard in the groin, making him double and cry out in pain. “Then do it! Kill that boy. Give me your word.”
Adjetey clenched a fist and managed to straighten up again, massaging his groin. “Errm – by twelve midnight on Saturday – before the show. I promise. I’ll – I’ll find a way. I promise.”
Balogun narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. He walked back to the table and picked up a small box, which he brought closer to Adjetey. He slowly opened it to reveal a small pointed object and a vial. Adjetey recognized the items and ogled at Balogun. “Let’s make the rules more binding than first. You will make a blood pact with the clan head to pay your debt, or lose your life if you fail. Do you accept? It’s a one-way trip. If you refuse to do this – “, one of his men pressed the barrel of his gun against his temple. “You will die here.”
Adjetey sighed and slowly reached for the pointed object and the vial. He uncapped the vial, slowly pushed the edge of the pointed object into his left wrist and allowed the blood to drop into the vial. As soon as it was full, he capped the vial, returned the pointed object and applied pressure on the injury to stop the bleeding. Balogun made a waving motion above his head with the vial of blood with his eyes closed and muttered an incantation, and then he held it before Adjetey, who reluctantly whispered a vow in the same strange language Balogun spoke before returning it to the box and returned to his armchair. Balogun pointed to the door and two of the men seized Adjetey by the arms to carry him out.

*****

Adjetey returned to his car few minutes later where LJ, Teddy and Mununkum were waiting for him.

“What happened?” LJ asked. The others gazed at Adjetey’s pale sweaty worried face.

Adjetey sighed and took of his hoodie. “It’s fine. We’ll go to X-stacy for the dancer tonight.” He started the car and drove off. LJ glimpsed blood on Adjetey’s left wrist, but Adjetey quickly pulled down his sleeve to hide it.
He knew the gravity of what he had signed up for with Balogun, but losing his brother was too much for him. He silently resolved the matter without conferring with his crew.