Copyright(c) 2019 Inuwa Usman

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the writer. Short extracts may be used for review purposes, with permission.
The characters, names,places, and incidents in this story are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This novella is available on smashwords.com and Okadabooks.com

I will ensure to update as soon as I can. Please relax, follow the story and comment, thanks.

CHAPTER ONE
"A person who rides a bicycle or horse does not know that the ground is hot."

"Egbe iresi kana ooo" (boil the rice over a fire.) The loud voice of the groom's mother got the attention of the women cooking.She was on a Buba dress chanting with the expression of joy."Egbe apo elubo jade ooo (bring out the bag of yam flour.)", "Haaa! Omi ti ooo( the water is boiled.)”,”jowo ban gbe apoti yen (please help me with that stool.)”,"isu iyan nko (where are the yams for pounding?)", "haaa! Awon omoyi, won ti da ewedu nu ooo (This children have poured away the vegetable soup.)", "jowo ba'nra akara wa (please help me buy beans cake.)" the groom's mother proclaimed.
The shrilled voice of the women spread from one point to another. I laughed vehemently where I stood beside the gate watching a ‘Nollywood’ scene. That didn't bother me, because all I wanted was to feed my hungry tummy which I eventually did.

March 31st, 1999 was a blissful day to Adams family, a day of love and happiness. Noble men and searching young men were present at the groom's apartment all prepared for the five hours journey to lorelo town in kobiko state. Babajide, the groom to be was all smiles, lifting his agbada repeatedly.

"Oko iyawo, haba, this your agbada go tear ooo", Umar, his best friend, an ophthalmologist uttered as we all busted to laughter."Wetin, na my day be this, if the agbada tear I go wear another one",Babajide responded amusingly.

Some of the invitees were set, while some were scared to travel to the violated town. A wailing sound of jubilation spread to the whole street, whistle and lovely sound of the singing birds chanted a love song that caresses the heart. My late father once said "courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than once fear." Adams family is a noble household and I belonged there.

My name is Olawale Adams, a kid brother to the groom. My brother, Babajide was an epitome of integrity, a gentle man who I loved so much, just the way I cherished my mother. My mother runs her textile and shoe business from home, and because of her love for cooking, she also run a restaurant not far from the house.Our uncles refused to lead us to the traditional wedding ceremony, but the Almighty God in his infinite mercy gave us a gift of a humble, good heartened step-father who was an Engineer. My late father once said "A ripe fruit will not hang forever on a tree branch." we all set to leave for Lorelo town in kobiko state at exactly 7:30am, we took positions and drove off.

Our legs felt like a fried plantain after some hours of journey, it was a roller-coaster drive but we pulled ourselves. We headed to Tamara town, a place surrounded with high mountains. We were aware of every movement because our thighs felt tendered with a sensation of pain. We pushed on towards the final lane of Goza; in front of us was a monster mountain. Our eyes grew wide as we took a deep breath, not knowing there was a deadly hole right so close.

"Ye mogbe, na wetin be that?" I clamoured. Our jeep was too fast and lost control; it slipped into the hole and made us helpless.

"This driver sef, you no see the hole?" Shola, my elder cousin, a young politician vying for a chairmanship seat in our local government quarried the driver. The driver was speechless, and amazed at the giant mountain, just like we were.

"Babajide bo agbada re kati motoyi jade (Babajide remove your agbada, lets pull out the jeep.)", Shola uttered.

We used all the strength we had to pull out the jeep. Unfortunately, we all ended up exhausted. Shola called the driver all sort of names and threatened to fight him if he uttered any word. The scene expanded, and as we were trying to separate Shola and the driver, we saw a silver pilot jeep approaching us.

"Is that not your step-father?" Umar asked my brother.

"We are running out of time, you all know that we have to be there by 12 noon", my step-father said when he got down from the car.

He assisted us in pulling out the jeep with his friend which at the end we succeeded. “Is it that they are much stronger than us?" I solely asked myself. We looked at each other and after rounds of argument, we proceeded with the journey.

"Time!It slips away as easily as grains of sand on a wind- swept beach but those grains only trade places." With the jeep, we changed the same way-new location in the passage of time. The steering was incidental like breathing, the mountains came and went, our legs felt so feeble and begged for freedom, with the wind blowing determination to our hearts. Yes! There was a transformation in a state of bliss, a place of my dream. As we kept on progressing and moving to our destination, we heard a loud sound as our jeep struggled to steady itself. We looked around trying to locate where we could fix our back tyres, but we found no help as we put heads together to fix the tyres on our own. 11:15am, and the distance between where we were and Lorelo town was something to reckon with. The groom grumbled time after time and was eager to set his eyes on his woman. It disturbed me too because I was also eager to have her in our midst. She was a typical example of an African queen.

"The purpose of life is to live it, to task it, to experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."It was a free-flow,hectic, and sophisticated journey, as we chatted and sang to the song we were playing. Sighting places at different location was totally fun. I couldn't control my happiness because I enjoyed every bit of what I saw.

As a photo journalist, taking pictures of nature and incidents was something I loved doing unlike my brother, a medical doctor who often spent his time with his patients in the hospital. As we were approaching the route to Mandala town, we saw some armed men not far from us, standing on the road, pointing their guns at us.

more update coming soon...

"Everybody come down!" the armed men clamoured. We were scared as we struggled to get our balance. The armed men pulled us out and ordered us to lie down. I was so scared because I knew we were in trouble. I had experienced an armed robbery attack before while I was on an assignment with my crew at Jagala state. We were attacked and beaten thoroughly, and they even took all we had and left us with nothing. My brother was uncomfortable. He did all he could to settle the armed men but all they requested for was our car and everything we had with us. We pleaded with them over and over again and at the end we managed to leave with our car. My step-father had already gone far before we were attacked, so he didn't know anything. We proceeded with the journey after the horrible incident, different strokes in different location in a passage of time. We sped up to beat the time, as we maintained absolute silence till we reached our destination.

"Awon ebi oko ti de ooo, emawo'ile (the groom's family is here, you are welcome.)" the alaga iduro (host) proclaimed.They all welcomed us with all smiles as we sat on the white plastic chairs. The ceremony began; we brought in the items requested according to the custom and tradition. There were excess food and drinks, there were prolific singers and dancers that entertained us, but all that didn't bother me. I was just half dead on my seat looking jaded and sick, listening to the scary voice of fear. I was lost that I didn't notice the coming of the bride.

"Olawale" my cousin yelled my name.
"Haha na when the bride comot?" I asked him.
"Ooh so you dey sleep?" my cousin teased.
"You see sleep for my eye?" I responded.
"Ok ooo, my own concern be sey make we comot for here quick quick because I fear here ooo." my cousin said in a low tone, sweating profusely. It was really funny seeing the frightening look on my cousin’s face. I didn't tell him I was scared too as I pulled myself together.

"Bros I be no no sey you fear pass bush meat", I teased him."Bro no be so joo, my children still dey small, and I love my wife so much", he said.
"You for no follow come naa”, I said laughing loudly, and hitting the white plastic chair I sat on.
"Na true you talk, and my wife warn me sey make I no follow ooo."I couldn't control my laughter, as I saw my cousin sweating, shivering, and stammering; even those that sat far from us noticed him and saw me laughing.
At the other side, my mother was already prepared for a grand party. The chairs and the canopies were arranged properly, the Elere (musicians) had already set their music instrument; the invitees were available waiting for us to return.
Favourably, the traditional wedding started well and ended with all smiles. My brother was so elated because he succeeded in tying the knot."But I was told she has beautiful sisters, where are they?” I asked myself. I tried to mingle with one of them but to no avail, I ended up packing gifts and bags.
"Fear! A distressing emotion lifted by impending danger, evil and pain." You can imagine how scared we were when we heard gun shots from nowhere.
"Yeye wetin be that? Shola screamed holding my right hand tightly, robbing his left palm on my shoulder. I pulled him closer, looking around, and gazing at faces of fear. We all gathered like alligators watching all angles to know those coming towards us. A wise man once said "Do not swim in shallow water if you do not want your back to show." We saw them running towards us like rugby players holding perilous object with the intention to kill. It was like a micky-licky scene, and all we did was to turn around and run for our lives. I didn't believe that I could run like Usain bolt. My cousin was a heck, running like a fat pig. We all ran to an apartment and locked ourselves for safety.

Everywhere was dark, so gloomy, even with the full light on. I could only hear voices, voices of people clamouring. “Where is my brother, his bride, his friend and my step-father?” I asked myself with tears rolling down my cheeks. "Babajide" I called my brother's name with the expression of anxiety, but all I heard was the disturbing voice of my cousin.

"Bobo yi, Babajide wani alafia(Babajide is fine.)" Shola, my cousin said. My silence only lasted for five minutes. Deep inside of me was a heart killer that made me uncomfortable and scared of the unknown. My heart felt like a roasted fish when I heard a husky voice from behind.

"Matete fighters are deadly rebels, they are fighting for the land which doesn't belong to them, and they kill anyone they see in their territory because of the diamonds discovered recently. The government had warned them to stay off the land but they choose to disobey them and launch attack on government, and even kill anyone they see here.
"I was speechless, as I looked all directions with tears dropping like a tap water. All I thought of was my family; all I thought of was how to get out from the disturbing town. I struggled myself from the hands of my cousin and dashed out.I knew it was risky, but I took the bold step. Everywhere was silent and terrifying; all I could hear was the sensational voice of the birds. I was afraid seeing blood and human parts on the ground. I was shivering like a sick man, looking all angles if I would see my people. It was only me on that deadly way, walking helplessly, seeing vultures feeding from human flesh. Tears were all over my face, pleading with the Almighty God to save my people from the beasts. As I walked towards the junction, I heard triple gunshots that sounded so close and mean.
A part of me said I should wait and fight the demons, the other part of me pleaded with me to run for my life. My late father once said "When the bush is on fire, grasshoppers have no chance to bid each other goodbye." Running for my life was a necessity, and was a decision I eventually took.

I ran so fast and firmly without looking back until I got to a corner to rest. "Ooh what a day!" I said breathing fast. I sat gently on the ground, massaging my legs with my soft palms feeling every pain, tickling my toes with the tip of my fingers. As I stood up from where I sat to move further, I heard footsteps right so close behind me with the feel of a palm on my left shoulder.

More update coming soon.

Good morning dear readers, I hope you had a splendid night?

CHAPTER TWO
"There is no greater wealth in this world than peace of mind."
I was so scared and stunned, feeling every bit of the palm, shivering as if I had malaria. I had never felt that way before. As I was about to turn around, I felt another palm on my right shoulder.

" ye mogbe (I’m in trouble" I wailed.
"Fear na bastard." I solely said. I stood still, sweating profusely with the palms still glued to my shoulders, feeling the waves of heavy object swinging behind me. I was dead, so dead that I looked up the sky counting the stars at noon, thinking of my family as my eyes dazzled and my mouth saying the last prayer.As I turned back to know who it was, hmm! My hands shivered, my heart sank, and my innocent eyes soaked with tears. I saw an old woman drenched in blood, and bruises all over her body with swollen eyes. It was so hard to hold on to my emotion when she said "help me my son." At first I was afraid, but I later helped her. I carried her on my back like a baby and zoomed out searching for help. A wise man once said, "If a man is born in a stable, he does not become a horse, but if he lives long in the stable, he will behave like a horse." Everywhere was so silent and appeared like a burial ground. My plan was to find a help and drop the old woman so I could look for my people. I was exhausted, tired of walking on the deadly road quivering. The most annoying thing was that the old woman kept yelling at me "I don't want to die ooo, take me to the hospital." She said."

“Hmmm, there is no way I can trace a hospital here, I am not familiar with this environment", I replied her.
All I was able to do was to calm the old woman.My eyes appeared so red like a burning fire,and my hands and legs were so weak to move. I heard an alarming sound from a distance,the sound of baneful steps that wane my heart. Hmm! I saw them coming,running towards us, pointing and shooting at us. I was down, so tired, and all I wished for then were wings to fly high. I had already given up, but the weak voice of the old woman saying "please save me." got me stronger. I held her tightly to my back, running briskly without looking back.

They kept on shooting and running after us like rugby players. I looked at different angles but there was nowhere to hide. "Are you okay ma?" I asked her. But all what she said was they are getting closer, keep moving. I kept on running not minding if I fall. I ran swiftly till I got to a corner where we hide in a cave. My late father once said "A twisted hand cannot grip well." The old woman was so weak pleading with me to get her water to drink,with blood gushing out from her nose." Oh God what should I do? This old woman is asking for a risky favour, I pray I find a safe place to drop her so I can search for my family." I solely said. It wasn't too long that I saw a flying bird.I looked at her, trying to know the kind of bird because I love birds and animals generally.I moved my eyes straight,looking at her as she flies from one point to another." This bird no go land here?” I pondered. The bird kept flying until she landed on a big table in a silent shop not too far from the cave. Fortunately, below the table were bags of pure water and biscuits. I was elated and all smiles knowing well that we'd have something to eat. The old woman was happy too, for the first time, I saw her smile. A wise man once said "Do not ambush a crocodile when you are near a river." As I was about to move out from the cave, I saw two hefty men with sharp cutlasses and knives close to us. "Ooh my God, they are here." I told the old woman in a low voice. She was scared, begging me to protect her, she held me tightly, sobbing like an infant. I was devastated seeing her cry again, looking mad and mean, ready to kill anyone who moved close to her. They were so close to the cave, gazing at every angle. I overheard their discussions...

"E bi like sey person dey around here." One of them said.
"Me self dey smell blood ooo."
"Bros make we check inside that cave, people fit dey inside."

Good morning dear readers, I hope you slept well?

As they got nearer to where we were, I held still to a long fat nail ready to fight without any fear. My veins were opened, my hands formed like the fist of jet Lee. As they were about entering the cave, I didn't know what happened, all I saw were athletes, running as fast as Usain bolt.

"Oh my God! They were scared of me." I boasted.I laughed loudly and didn't even notice that the old woman had been praying. Vividly, I set for the task, looking at different angles with caution. I took all what I needed and zoomed back. "Ooh God forgive me if I did the wrong thing." I prayed after eating some biscuits and drank two sachets of pure water.

It was like an action movie scene, seeing myself as a hero that passed through many huddles. I was contented with what I did, seeing the old woman eating was my joy,though, I didn't forget my family. I was optimistic as I looked up to the sky praying to Almighty God for the safety of my family as tears rolled down to my cheek.

"Are you okay my son? The old woman asked, placing her soft weak hand on my lap.

"Hmm!honestly ma,right now I'm sad", I responded crying.

"What do you mean my son,and besides, what's your name? She asked.

"I'm Olawale Adams and I'm searching for my people. I can't find them, it's disturbing me so much ma", I said still crying.

"Don't worry my son you'll find them." She said to me.
"But I'm scared ma.I'm so scared right now", I said.
"Calm down my son. My people do say that “He who fears the sun will not become chief.” I know you are strong my son.I'm also searching for my 16yrs old granddaughter, her name is Jessica, and please, I beg you in the name of God, find and protect her for me. Here is her picture, you can leave me here, and just go I'll be fine." she stated. I couldn't stop gazing at the picture she gave to me, because the girl in the picture looked so pretty and tall.However, she also looked much bigger than 16 years-old girl.

"Oh no grandma, leaving you here is dangerous. I will help you to a safer place and search for your granddaughter”, I promised her.

"Hmm! You have a good heart my son. Continue to spread the love in you wherever you go to, for love and patience is the greatest gift a human being can have. May Almighty God bless you and your family, and may he give you the wisdom and strength to find them", she prayed.

"Amen", I replied.

My eyes dazzled and my mouth chanted for help. I came out from where we hide and carried her like a baby. I walked with my resurrected legs and looked with my loyal eyes. Everywhere was full with human parts and blood. I saw fresh bodies lying dreadfully on the ground with their blood flowing like a stream. I stock-still looking at the faces of the dead if any was familiar. Just like a jimmy-jam walk, stepping on dead bodies like a beast." Are you okay grandma?" I asked the old woman.She couldn't raise her head up to see the dead ones because she was scared.It wasn't too long that I saw them running towards us again, screeching (Catch them, kill them).

I turned around, and ran to save our lives. It was a straight narrow road with no bend, I kept on running as they were shooting and screaming, catch them, kill them. I ran so fast and steadily until luckily after some minutes, I found a safe place close to the bush.

My late father once said that "Death is a scar that never heals." I heard the anguish voice of death penetrating the territory of our hidden place. The groan of pain resulted to death of the innocent. All I promised was the safety of her granddaughter, all I said was 'adieu grandma'.I closed her eyes with my right palm and cried like a hungry child."If the mind of man can believe, the mind of man can achieve", she said before she kissed the dust.

I prepared myself for the journey of promise I had made. I looked around with all eyes open if the demons were nearby, as I left my hidden place. I didn't know what to do at that moment, all I heard and felt was a hard knock on my head.I was shocked and furious, seeing part of human meat on my head dropped by a vulture.

"This meat be like person edo (liver)." I said as I assessed the meat without any fear. I was not afraid because my eyes had seen a lot already, even the obscene ones.

A wise man once said "you do not learn to use your left hand in old age.” Vividly,I walked all alone like a mad man crying and chanting " oluwa ooo jowo yo emi ati ebi mi kuro ninu idamuyi (Ooh God please lead me and my family out from this trouble)." I kept on walking, moving and pushing myself forward with my weak legs till I got to an uncompleted building located inside the bush where I rested for sometime. The thought of the old woman kept ringing in my head; it hurt me so much that she didn't see her granddaughter before she died. I was helpless and exhausted because there was no one to talk to;it was just me, only me and some innocent dead bodies." Oh my God it’s getting dark and about to rain, please save me and make me find my people and Jessica in good health." I prayed.

I proceeded with the journey in search of my people with an empty stomach. I was so hungry and thirsty that I even heard the sound of my tummy crying for food. I was so weak that I couldn't even lift my legs properly. It wasn't that long when I left the uncompleted building that I heard a loud horn like the one of a trailer from a distance.

"What is that?" I asked myself as I groaned and my heart bleeding in fear. I kept on walking down the road, looking all angles repeatedly. On getting to a mini bridge that separated the streets, I saw a van moving towards me. I was scared, looking up at the sky, pleading for God's protection with tears in my eyes. Seemingly, right in front of me were three hefty soldiers.

"Ooh ooh ooh", I clamoured on seeing strong and scaring faces.

"Are you okay? Come with us." one of the soldiers said. I was happy, but something in me held me back. I was sceptical, but at the end, I followed them to the van and we drove off.

"Please I need your help. I can't find my people. We came here for a wedding and those bastards attacked us”, I narrated.

"Don't worry we'll search for them,you are safe.”

"Hmm! Fear na bastard. Why am I even scared? This people are good, they are real soldiers?" I solely said.They gave me a bottle of Pepsi to drink which I drank. I was elated knowing well that I was safe and that I would safely search for my people with the help of the soldiers. I rested my back in excitement and slept off.

More update coming soon...

Good morning dear readers...

CHAPTER THREE
"Not all flowers of a tree produce fruit."

I woke up woozy in a dim spooky hallway, terrified, hearing the sound of trouble buzzing in my head. It was as if I was already dead, staying in the midst of the dead in a closed door.

I was so scared in the dark, crying repeatedly." I thought these people were soldiers? Oh my God! I'm trapped", I said looking like a miffed madman locked in a cage. As I stood up to see where those sounds were coming from, I heard a husky voice from behind.
"Hey you, na where you dey go?" one of the rebels exclaimed.

"Abeg help me nah, let me go, I need to find my people, I think sey una be soldier”, I said pleading on my knees.
"You dey find your people, na wetin carry you come this land?” the rebel asked.

"Abeg na wedding oooo, na wedding carry me and my people come here”, I said still on my knees.

"Hey scooter, put on that light, if e bi sey na him people we just kill now." The leader of the rebels pronounced. When he put on the light, I was shocked at what I saw that I fainted twice before I regained myself. I saw human heads on the ground and their legs cut into pieces. At the other side, I saw hundreds of people locked in a cage, looking so weak and sick.

"O ya, come show me your people here", Scooter said. He held my hand tight, and pushed me inside the cage. I looked around but couldn't see anyone I know.

"If you no see person wey you know, your own don finish", Scooter said angrily as he grabbed my neck.

"Abeg dem too many, I no fit see them at once", I said crying like a hungry child. The leader of the rebels ordered to open the cage as I looked inside for the second time. As I was busy looking at different direction, I heard the voice of my cousin, Shola.

"kilonse ni bi? (What are you doing here?).I was devastated seeing him with bruises all over his body.
"Egbon mi ati iyawo won ko?( how about my brother and his wife?)”, I asked curiously.

"Bobo, mo’mo ibiti won gbe won lo oo? (I don't know where they took them to?).

"Baba mi nko? (What about my step father?)”, I asked Shola again.

"won gbe won lo si ibo mi(they took him somewhere else.) won pa ore Baba re ni iseju melokan sieyin, won tu fi eran won se pepper soup. (They killed your step daddy's friend some minutes ago and even used his meat to prepare pepper soup.)

"Hey, make una stop dey speak that language here, oya go meet am", Scooter said. He pushed me inside the cage and locked us in like slaves. I had never dreamt of experiencing such an incident before. It was like a storm that stroke once in a while. I could remember I watched a movie like that before we travelled, where the actor was kidnapped with his family but he managed to fight the villain and escaped with his people. I did remember the movie but forgot the title. It was then I remembered that I had a smart watch hidden in my socks that I could use to call my mother.

more update coming soon

oooooooops I hope people are reading.....

Good morning dear readers

"Shola,look here, I have a smart watch hidden in my socks, remove it gently so that they won’t notice", I said in a low tone. It wasn't easy though, because we were already tied up with a rope. Shola managed to bring out the smart watch, unfortunately, there was no network.

"Ye, no network", I exclaimed loudly.

"Wetin, why you dey shout, you wan make them see us?” Shola said angrily.

Another doleful incident occurred that night when the leader of the rebels brought out three girls and raped them to death, right in front of us. It was pathetic that I could not even do anything to stop them. I cried a lot, looking around to see if I could escape from the cage and fight the demons. I didn't mind losing my life in the process, as long as the people in the cage with me get their freedom. I was still deep in thought when the head of the rebels came in front of the cage shaking his big genital."I still need one more girl. Scooter, go in and get me another girl." On hearing that, I was furious trying to free myself and stop him from picking another girl.

"Where you dey go?" Shola asked me.

"I'll not allow them to take another girl", I said.

"You dey craze, who you be? You be jet lee or van-dam wey wan rescue am?" Shola asked.

Scooter went in to the far end of the cage and picked a young innocent girl who I remembered at second glance.

"Shola, I know this girl ooo",I said in a sharp tone.

"E bi like sey dem dey follow you from village, abeg stay where you dey", Shola said angrily.

"I'm serious, I promised an old woman that I'll find and rescue her granddaughter before she gave up the ghost. She is the one, her name is Jessica." I said.
As scooter was about to take her out from the cage, I freed myself and stood on his way.

"You are not going anywhere with her because she's my sister", I yelled.

"You well? Boss, see this guy dey tell me sey I no fit carry her comot", Scooter uttered.

"Who be that? Make I see him face... so na you, I be don know sey you go stubborn, me sef go show you sey I dey stubborn pass you. He ordered to replace Jessica with me, and I was pushed outside. Seeing a very sharp cutlass in the boss’ hand was scary. At first, I thought he was going to cut off my head as he did to some people before. Instead, he said I should be tied up to a table where I was bitten severely. I cried a lot, I was seriously in pain. I thought I was going to die but the loud voice of my cousin and Jessica kept me back. They sliced my back with a knife and put red pepper so I could feel more pain.I was stripped naked and they fed me with their faeces and urine. They laughed at me and wanted to cut off my genital but their boss stopped them. After that thorough beating, they poured water on me and beat me over and over again.
Afterward,they ordered me to wear my cloth and walk on my own. I managed to walk even though I was very weak. They took me to a place where they slay and cut human meat. They actually did that to scare me, but I already know who they were. I managed to pick two small knives without them knowing and hide them in my trouser. They hit me again and warned me not to repeat the same again, that if I tried it again, they'd use my meat for pepper soup. Their threat didn't bother me anymore because I was already planning on how to escape with others. They took me back and pushed me inside the cage.

"Are you okay? Thank you for saving me, I owe you my life. If I survive I'll tell everyone about you. I'll tell my grandmother", Jessica said sobbing.

"I swear you dey craze, you wan kill yourself because of babe. See wetin you do yourself, thank God sey dem no use your meat do pepper soup." Shola said as he cuddled me.

"Stop it Shola, stop it. I had to do what I did, it was necessary. If she is your sister, will you allow them to rape her? Stop it please", I said with my weak voice.

"I'm sorry for been the reason you are hurt, I'm sorry",Jessica said.

"It's not your fault Jessica. I promised your grandma that I'll look for you and protect you from any harm", I said to her.

"You know my name, you even know my grandma." She pondered.

"Yes I met your grandma, and she told me your name. She even gave me your picture and that is the reason I was able to recognize you. Unfortunately, she's not here, may her gentle soul rest in peace", I narrated.

"What do you mean, where is my grandma? No, she can't be dead", Jessica said, crying like a child and held my weak hands tightly. It was really a bad feeling knowing that her grandma died a painful death. I knew how it feels to lose someone so dear; the same way I lost my noble father some years ago. Even with the fresh bruises in my body, I still managed to hold and console her. I couldn't let go of the thought of my brother, his bride,my step father,and even my brother's friend, Umar. I was disturbed because I didn't know where to find them.

"Shola, Jessica, we have to escape from this place", I said as I held their hands.

"How? You don dey craze again. You no see these guys with big chest and guns, even cutlass. Me no fit ooo", Shola uttered.

"Keep quiet you coward, you have to be strong, we have to escape from here. If not, they'll kill us and use our meat for barbecue", I said in a low voice.

"You are right, but we need the cooperation of others. For God’s sake, we are many in here, we can escape", Jessica said.

"Hmm!Olawale I pity you oo,You wan escape with this your dead body, body wey dem don design with knife and cutlass." Shola said. I quietly passed the information to others without the rebels knowing. I also showed them the knives I took from the rebels. We agreed that we'd lure the guy with the keys in the cage with girls. Some of the girls volunteered and agreed to play the role. So when the rebel with the keys walked in to the cage, we pretended as if we were sleeping,except for the girls who volunteered.We hijacked his gun,killed him, and got the keys. We had made sure that scooter and the head of the rebels were not around, they left for 'kurepe'. kurepe was another place where they kept other people in hostage. I heard them talking about the place before leaving. We left the cage gently; I held the gun and gave out the knives. As we were approaching the gate, we heard the sounds of footsteps approaching us. I instructed others to hide while I go to open the big gate. I moved gently and cautiously so that they won't notice anything. The big gate was old that with any slight of a touch, it would make a sound that could alarm the rebels, and that was what happened when I was opening the padlock. I tried severally but it didn't open until I pushed one side of the gate forward. The blaring sound that emanated from the gate could wake up the neighbour if there was one.I knew we were in trouble as I hurriedly open the big gate for others to escape. As they were rushing outside, we heard gun shots.

"Run, run for your life”, I announced. Everyone ran out as I covered them with the gun, shooting back at them repeatedly making sure everyone was safe, until I managed to lock the rebels inside with the key.
Everyone was at bliss, thanking God for their freedom, I was happy too.I was cheerful because everyone was free.

"You're bleeding." Jessica mentioned fearfully. I didn't realize that I was shot twice in my left hand because I was overwhelmed with joy. I felt so weak immediately I realized I was shot. As we were walking down the lonely dark road of that deadly land, we heard another gun shot from afar.

"Catch them, catch them, kill them, kill them", they yelled. We composed ourselves and ran for our safety.

more update coming soon

Good morning dear readers...