Chapter Four - Tears in the Midst of Blood
Samuel's knees pressed deeper into the blood-soaked ground, his Bible clutched against his chest. His tears fell like heavy rain, dripping onto Pablo's trembling hands.
"Pablo, please!" Samuel wept uncontrollably, his voice breaking with every word. "Don't die without Jesus! Don't let this blood be wasted! He loves you and He died for you! Even now, He is calling you!"
Pablo's chest heaved, his eyes half-closed, fighting the weight of death pulling him down. His lips trembled but no sound came out.
The Red Hats stood around them, their weapons raised, impatient and restless. The sound of distant sirens echoed faintly, but no one moved.
Danger, their ruthless leader, suddenly stepped forward in anger. His red bandana flapped as he snarled, lifting his machete.
"You no dey fear abi?!" he barked, smashing the flat side of the blade against Samuel's head.
The blow sent Samuel staggering, blood trickling down the side of his face. Yet he didn't rise. He simply bent lower, his arms tightening around Pablo, still weeping.
"Jesus loves you, Pablo! Don't leave this world without Him! Please, surrender now!"
Viper, hot-tempered and reckless, cocked his shotgun and shouted:
"Who be this one gan?! You dey craze? Make I finish am once! This boy dey find death!"
He raised the weapon, ready to strike Samuel with its tail.
But suddenly, a voice thundered.
"STOP!"
It was Damager.
The gang froze. Silence swept the street. Everyone turned to him in shock. For Damager, known as the most heartless man alive, had never before stopped violence.
Damager's voice shook, not with rage, but with something strange… something like conviction.
"Una no dey see?" he growled, his eyes fixed on Samuel. "See how this small boy dey cry… bitterly. Who else dey here weeping for Pablo? Who? Even we, his so-called brothers, no shed one tear. But this boy, knowing say standing among us fit be his death sentence, no even look our face. Him just dey cry for am."
The other cultists lowered their weapons slightly, confusion written on their faces.
Damager's hard eyes softened. He swallowed hard, fighting emotions he had buried for years. Slowly, he stepped forward, knelt down beside Samuel, and looked him in the eye.
"Who you be?" he whispered.
Samuel's tears blurred his vision, but he managed to smile faintly. "I am nothing… just a servant of Jesus."
At that moment, Pablo's eyes widened. With what strength he had left, he nodded eagerly, signaling his willingness. His lips parted, though only whispers came.
Samuel leaned closer, holding his trembling hand. His tears fell like rivers as joy and urgency filled his soul.
"Pablo… repeat after me."
"I, Pablo…"
"…I, Pablo…" (Pablo whispered)
"Accept Jesus… as my Lord and personal Savior."
"…Accept Jesus… as my Lord and personal Savior…"
"I accept the truth, which is Christ."
"…I accept the truth, which is Christ…"
"And I accept the light, which is Christ Jesus."
"…And I accept the light, which is Christ Jesus…"
"Amen."
"…Amen…"
The words left his lips like a dying flame struggling but refusing to die.
Samuel broke into a tearful smile. His heart soared even as his body shook. "Thank You, Jesus… even in his last breath, You saved him!"
But then, Pablo's body went limp. His head fell sideways. His eyes closed.
"Pablo!" Samuel shouted, shaking him. "Stay with me!"
Joy and pain wrestled inside him. He laughed and cried at the same time, tears streaming down his cheeks.
The Red Hats, stunned and silent, dropped their weapons. Even Danger looked shaken.
Samuel looked up, desperation in his eyes. "Please help me! We must take him to the hospital! Hurry!"
Without hesitation, the dreaded Red Hats killers feared across Lagos rushed together with Samuel. They lifted Pablo's battered body, their hands stained with his blood.
Side by side, they ran through Oshodi's deserted streets, no longer as cultists but as men racing against time.
For the first time in history, the Red Hats carried not weapons of death… but the fragile hope of a single soul who had just whispered his way into eternity.