Hourglass

Darkness.

Alarm bells had begun in my head as I blinked rapidly, struggling to adjust to the darkness.

They were coming.

Confused murmurs and exasperated whispers had already broken out across Floor 87, but it was less about concern and more frustration: Although this was Eko City, the third most technologically advanced city in Africa, it was still Nigeria. Power outages were still expected, albeit rarely.

A high-pitched shriek cut across the floor. My eyes adjusted to the darkness well enough to see the office clown, Ade Bashorun, lace his fingers on his head.

“My phone don die o!” He exclaimed, gesticulating wildly.

Many people dismissed his strange remark, but curios ones like me brought out our phones to check. I had charged my phone to a 100 percent just a few minutes before.

Dead.

The voices grew louder as everyone came to tge same realization: cut off from the Internet, we were now truly in darkness.

What ensued was total chaos as everyone dashed towards the elevators, stampeding each other to get out of the office. I got up from my seat to run as well when I felt it: a sudden, deafening silence.

They were here.

Although it was dark, the moonlight shining through the glass windows illuminated my assailant: a fully armed Agent, number XII etched on his chest. He was dressed in the usual turtleneck, trench coat, skinny jeans, boots and an ornate helmet with a visor. His gloved fists were clenched, and lights flickered around them.

“Agent XII. They sent you to kill me?” I asked, taking a fighting stance.

“You should be held accountable for what you’ve done.” He replied monotonously, still standing stiffly.

“For what?” I said, blinking my contact lenses off my irises. “Because I’ve done a lot of things. If it about XI, im sorry but I don’t like being followed.”

That seemed to set him off. He surged forward, prepared to strike.

My reflexes heightened and my eyesight became incredibly clear. I saw his fist about to connect to my face with so much force the air rippled around it.

I sidestepped.

He stumbled forward, shocked. “A new technique.” I smirked, kicking him hard in the gut with my black Oxford. The impact sent him flying, crashing into a cubicle and sending papers flying. I raced into the cubicle, grabbing hold of the only thing that glinted in the moonlight- a ballpoint pen, no doubt. The Agent raised his hand an it shone, but before he could release the blast, I grabbed his wrist, drawing him forward before stabbing the pen into his helmet, right through the visor.

He shrieked, tackling me to the floor. As I fell, I yanked the ballpoint pen from his visor and stabbed his neck, twisting his wrist till it made a sickening cracking sound.

Colors burst in my sight as my head connected with the tiles. The Agent fell backward on the desk behind him, blood trickling from the burst vein in his neck. I felt drained, my lungs felt like they were full of sand and my vision dizzied, then went dark.

* * *

“Nonso.” The voice crackled.

I grunted, blinking rapidly. The moonlight had dimmed, which only meant hours had passed. Forcing myself to a sitting position, I felt my throbbing temple and came away with blood. Looks like he did a number on me, I thought, massaging my temples. My phone shone brightly, and I picked it up to inspect. Tijanni’s name was on the screen.

“Tijanni?”

“Guy, where you dey since?” He asked impatiently, but I caught a hint of worry in his voice.

“Work.” I replied. “I had a few”-I glanced at the dead Agent, dried blood in a pool around him- “things to handle at work.”

“Better go home guy. One unknown number call me tell me say make you show.”

Who was looking for me? Unless…

“Dammit.” I sprung to my feet, headed for the elevator. “Tijanni, where are-”

The line went dead.

Beads of sweat bult up on my forehead and neck, and I ripped my tie off my collar. Breathing deeply, I tried to envision my home: the bright lights, the white tiles, the lavender scent in the living room…

I blinked and found myself in my apartment. The building was still dark, but the lamps hanging from the ceiling illuminated the room, somewhat dimly.

An applause drew my attention. In the dim light I could make out Anita’s shocked expression. She was wearing an apron. She’d been baking. Her eyes were red, cheeks puffy. She’d been crying.

Shit.

“See? I told you he wasn’t who you thought he was.” A baritone voice boomed. The voice sounded awfully familiar.

“Okon Bassey, Agent L.” I spat.

“Ah, Nonso how far?” He inquired cheerfully.

If looks could kill, a scyth would’ve cleaved his head in two. “Let her go,” I growled, “or else-”

A loud click, followed by the cold metal if a gun’s muzzle nudging the back of me neck silenced me. It seemed like the second Agent had been in hiding. Now I reall was caught with my pants down.

“Or else what?” He laughed, a sick, twisted laugh. Suddenly, his expression was serious. “You don’t make the rules, Lawson. Your days if running are over. Now, you have a decision to make.”

Perspiration had intensified; I felt as though I was in a heater. “What decision?”

In the dim light, I could see his gun pressed to Anita’s neck. “Turn yourself in, or she dies.”

Shit.

The entire building was silent, save for the clock ticking with my heartbeat as Anita sobbed softly.

Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick…

I weighed my options. I wouldn’t be able to do much with the Agent behind me, (as my reflexes could only help focus on what was in front of me) and they were both armed.

If I die, would it be worth it? CHRONOS would only wipe her off the timeline to cover their tracks.

I decided to take the gamble.

“I have no intention of surrender, Okon.” I stated matter-of-factly. I tried my best to avoid Anita’s gaze, but I could tell from the louder sobs that she was heartbroken.

Okon hissed. “Wrong choice.”

As soon as the gunshot rang, I sprung into action. In one swift movement I wrestled the gun from my captor’s grasp (good thing he/she was a novice) and delivered a point blank shot to their neck. CHRONOS Agents wore reinforced attire, so although messy the carotid artery ensured a direct kill.

“Deola!” Okon wailed.

Oh well.

I barely had time to aim the gun before a juggernaut barrelled into me, sending me flying into the glass table in the middle of the living room. Pain reverberated across my body as shrapnel pierced my skin. Rolling away to avoid a lethal strike, I gripped a glass shard and blinked, focusing on Okon. However, even my heightened reflexes couldn’t prevent me from recieving a lethal blow to the face as my face connected with his kneecap. Yelling, I stabbed his chest with the glass shard in my hand.

He recoiled in shock but was soon onto me again, knocking the win out of me with a blow to the chest. I kicked his exposed ribcage and he stumbled backwards. Taking the advantage, I grabbed hold of a steel leg from the broken table and struck his helmet with it.

He blocked it.

In a blur he took hold of the steel rod and whacked me across the chest with it. I groaned, crumpling to the floor as he jumped in me, punching me repeatedly.

“You monster!” He yelled between hits. Quite ironically, giving my bloodied face. “This is why your kind shouldn’t exist!”

My left hand stretched out in the dimness, searching for the gun I’d dropped.

“…kill you! I will kill you all!”

All?

I made a mental note to worry about that later as my fingers curled around the trigger of the pistol.

My vision was bloodied, but I blinked and saw it all happen in slow motion: Okon, about to bring his laced fingers on my face, a hit that would no doubt kill me; the gun pressing into his neck as I pulled the trigger, blasting his body towards the side as blood splattered about.

His head flew off in the darkness and a thud confirmed it.

Agent L was dead.

My ears rang as I crawled away from the fight scene, barely alive. My bones were broken in multiple places, and I felt warmth in my gut, which meant more injuries.

I knew my grip on consciousness was slipping. Somehow, I also knew I wouldn’t wake up if I fell unconscious.

If I could go back, however…

Memories of Anita flooded my mind in that moment, almost like a recap of my life. As the thoughts faded, I held on to one solitary memory: the tulip flower by the fountain, 15th April, 2016.

The day my life changed.

Anita, my love. Just give me… one last chance…

The electricity seemed to be flickering back on around the city. CHRONOS’ time loop over the city would soon be broken. My gaze darkened.

Anita.

I blinked.