He paused.
"Until one day."
"We had just returned from an operation. We were drinking and discussing other jobs when something was said that changed everything."
His expression darkened.
"I discovered that the men I had joined were the very men my uncle had hired to assassinate my parents."
The crowd gasped.
"They spoke about it casually. They were proud of the job."
"They said it had been one of their easiest assignments."
"They didn't even know my parents' names. They didn't know they had a son. To them, my parents were simply targets."
His voice became heavy with emotion.
"They had been given information, money, and instructions. They carried out the killing and collected an additional payment for doing it cleanly."
He swallowed.
"That was when I decided they would pay."
His eyes remained fixed on nothing.
"I knew they had given me shelter when the whole world rejected me. I knew they had accepted me when nobody else would."
"But none of that mattered anymore."
"They had taken my parents from me."
"So I began planning my revenge."
He paused.
"And when I finished with them…"
A cold smile returned to his face.
"My uncle would be next."
"Not long after that confession, the opportunity I had been waiting for finally presented itself.
"We received information about a wealthy trader who was going to be robbed. The person who hired us provided everything we needed—the man's name, the layout of his compound, the number of people living there, and even the exact entrance and exit we were supposed to use.
"The robbery was scheduled for five nights later.
"Two nights before the operation, I went into the village alone. I entered the compound through the same route we had been instructed to use and quietly made my way to the master's hut.
"The trader was asleep beside one of his wives.
"I walked to the head of the bed and covered his mouth before he could wake up and raise an alarm."
Ndubisi paused.
"I whispered to him that a gang of armed robbers would come to attack his home two nights later. I told him they would enter through the same place I had used.
"I warned him to be prepared.
"I told him not to allow any of them to leave alive. If even one escaped, I said, they would return with more men and greater ruthlessness."
He smiled faintly.
"I reminded him how easily I had entered his compound alone. Then I told him to imagine what a gang of armed men would do if he wasn't prepared."
"What did he do?" Okemmiri asked.
"Nothing."
Ndubisi chuckled.
"He was too frightened to move or speak."
"I left him there that night, trembling beneath his blanket."
"The appointed night eventually arrived."
"All of us went to the compound as planned. I was positioned at the entrance, supposedly to keep watch while the others entered through the designated route."
He paused.
"As soon as they were all inside, I abandoned them."
"I ran."
The crowd murmured.
"They all died."
His smile returned.
"Justice was served. They deserved it."
Okemmiri stared at him.
"And your uncle?"
Ndubisi's expression changed.
"After they were gone, I returned to the forest. I lived off whatever we had stolen. I ate what I could and sold the rest whenever I needed something."
"For a while, I enjoyed the solitude."
"Then, several market weeks later, I decided to return to my village."
"I stayed hidden and watched my uncle living comfortably in my father's compound."
"My stepmother was beside him."
"They had everything."
"My father's wealth."
"My father's home."
"My father's life."
"And they were happy."
His jaw tightened.
"I was consumed by rage."
"How could they live so peacefully after destroying my family and practically destroying my own life?"
"That night, I decided they would die."
"The plan was simple."
"I would enter their hut while they slept and cut them both down with my machete."
He paused.
"When midnight came, I climbed down from the treetop where I had been watching them."
"I entered through the backyard and quietly approached their bedroom."
"I opened the door."
"My stepmother was asleep."
"I raised my machete."
"But something stopped me."
"I don't know what it was."
"For some reason, I couldn't strike her."
"Then she woke up."
"She saw me."
"She screamed."
"Her husband appeared at the doorway shouting, 'What is it?'"
Ndubisi's eyes hardened.
"I struck him."
"I don't remember exactly where the machete landed."
"I didn't care."
"He deserved it."
"And more."
"My stepmother screamed even louder."
"People began rushing toward the room."
"I knew I had to leave."
"I ran."
"On my way out, I collided with my uncle's eldest son and fell."
"He grabbed me."
"We fought."
"I beat him badly."
"He recognized me."
"Then he began shouting my name and pointing toward me."
"Everyone knew who I was."
"The entire village came after me."
"They chased me for days."
"I kept running until I finally lost them in the evil forest."
"I climbed a treetop and stayed there."
"The following morning…"
His eyes shifted toward Ego.
"That was when I saw her."
He paused.
"I saw Ego."
Okemmiri took a deep breath.
"There is nothing the ears can hear that will make them bleed."
The elders and villagers answered together:
"Yes oh!"
Okemmiri turned toward Ndubisi.
"So you saw Ego from the treetop."
Ndubisi nodded.
"Continue. What happened next?"