Chapter Four
Karma
(Episode 9)


I was sure Fiona must have been tempted to tell her it served her right but for the present situation. I hissed, and when I turned my attention back to the swamp, the don and Shola were on the abandoned raft, already sailing across the water. I squinted when I noticed a stealth movement in the water. I held my breath.

All of a sudden, two great jaws emerged from the water and grabbed Shola. I gasped. His shouts drew the attention of Biggie and the others who quickly turned to the swamp. It was horrific how the crocodile rolled him a couple of times in the water before pulling him underwater. His screams became muffled. Blood diffused over the water, turning it red. The smell of blood drew the other crocodiles towards the frail raft. The don's guts left him in an instant. He turned frantically in all directions firing sporadically into the water. The once-troubled water suddenly became calm.

He began to steer the raft back to shore. He did it as quietly as possible, even afraid to breathe. The look of terror hung over his face. He looked over his shoulders several times. The raft didn't look like it would hold for long. Just as he was about to get to the shore, the water began to ripple. A crocodile glided under the water towards the raft at an alarming speed with its scaly back barely visible above the water. The terrified don noticed the movement and intensified his effort to get to shore before the reptile caught up with him.

Unfortunately, his panic response rocked the raft too hard that it gave way. He fell into the water. The agitation stirred up the crocodile, and several others joined the pursuit as the don swam frantically to the shore. He got to the bank, but before he could climb ashore, one of the ferocious beasts bit his leg and tried to drag him into the water. He screamed and quickly turned around and pumped the remaining bullets into the crocodile's head. The predator grunted and sank to the bottom of the water with a piece of the don's leg—from the knee down—hanging in its mouth. He scampered to the shore, holding the limb from which blood gushed out. His scream travelled beyond the swamp far into the woods.

I felt the urge to run to him and help him up, but we were still tied up. While he was still struggling with the pain, another crocodile leapt out of the water and grabbed him with its powerful jaws. His eyes bulged, and blood gushed out of his mouth. He clutched to a stalk. He looked straight into my eyes, imploringly. The more he opened his mouth to beg for help, the more blood gushed out. There was nothing I could do. Finally, he lost his grip, and the croc dragged him into the water. My heart bled. Moments later, the water turned red, and its calm returned. I turned back and saw Fiona and the others in tears.


* * *

I kept praying to God for help in my head, and I was sure others were doing the same too. Sister Elizabeth was too distraught to shout her usual 'Blood of Jesus!’ or ‘Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus!’ Yet I knew she was praying in her mind too. So many things bothered me as we sat helplessly in the open. Apart from the elements, we had ferocious animals, dehydration and hunger to contend with and the emotional wreck of watching Amaka's lifeless body right in front of us. There it was curled like the letter ‘S’ with her hand tied behind her back and staring eyes that saw nothing. If God didn't answer us in time, any of these was sure to kill us.

We remained in that position for about forty-five minutes, having as companions the eerie sounds the forest produced. We could only hope for the best as the morning gradually crept along. My body ached, and my wrists burned with pain. My heart sank when I saw the pain in Amitabh's eyes. I cursed Shola a thousand times although he was now dead. I didn't know that Fiona too was paying attention to Amitabh until I heard her call his name.

“Amitabh ... Amitabh ... Stay with us, right? We will all be fine,” she encouraged him in a hushed tone, apparently being careful not to draw the attention of any wandering beast to us.

I held back tears when I saw him replying with a nod. His face was pale with pain and fear. The time should be about five o'clock by now. The leaves close by parted, and a figure emerged. We didn't see him coming or hear his footsteps until he emerged from the thick. He was armed with an AK-47 rifle and carried a rucksack on his back. Immediately he saw us, he charged towards us.



To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who don't want to wait for each episode to be released, get the book here:


1. BAMBOOKS: https://bambooks.io/Book/BookDetail/The-Last-Bus/12725

2. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/the_last_bus/33597

3. LITIRESO: https://litireso.com/library/B-530ykalgylh2

4. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1024020


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

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Lilly4endu was right after all.. The Stealth movement was that of crocodiles..

Opportunistic Shola and Obnoxious Don both died in a gruesome manner, such a pity but they deserve it..

So Akin and the rest would have been the victims of the crocodiles attack if they went to drink from the water, well, am glad that wasn't their fate..

Another gun wheeling fellow shows up, who could he/she be.. I can only hope he/she has good intentions..

BRAVO JAMESKUDOOSKI...

Maggots!!!!! Rest in peace.The figure is another trouble that emerged. God help the helpless.

JamesKudooski:


Macro231101,

Okadabooks accepts airtime. I will advise you use 9mobile though.

Thanks.

if I use mtn they won't accept??

Macro231101:
if I use mtn they won't accept??

Why not? They do only that I've had the best results with 9mobile.

Good riddance to Shola and Don

Thanks for the update boss

OK that serves the duo right. op pls i need some clarification, if all these happened at night how come was it possible that Akin saw clearly what was happening in d swap or was there a sort of light there? great work u have here

Kaycee9242:
OK that serves the duo right. op pls i need some clarification, if all these happened at night how come was it possible that Akin saw clearly what was happening in d swap or was there a sort of light there? great work u have here

Good question, Kaycee.

Remember there was a full moon which illuminated everything. More so, the day was already breaking.

And thanks for the compliments.

Ann2012:
Good riddance to Shola and Don

Thanks for the update boss

I thought

EkopSparoAyara:
Lilly4endu was right after all.. The Stealth movement was that of crocodiles..

Opportunistic Shola and Obnoxious Don both died in a gruesome manner, such a pity but they deserve it..

So Akin and the rest would have been the victims of the crocodiles attack if they went to drink from the water, well, am glad that wasn't their fate..

Another gun wheeling fellow shows up, who could he/she be.. I can only hope he/she has good intentions..

BRAVO JAMESKUDOOSKI...

EkopSparoAyara,

I sure can't have enough of your commentary and analysis.

Great job!

Lilly4endu:
Maggots!!!!! Rest in peace.The figure is another trouble that emerged. God help the helpless.

Lilly4endu,

They sure need that prayer!

JamesKudooski:

EkopSparoAyara,
I sure can't have enough of your commentary analysis.
Great job!

And for sure am enjoying your piece of art..

EkopSparoAyara:


And for sure am enjoying your piece of art..

Thanks, bro.

Chapter Five
The Bridge
(Episode 10)


The person was John Doe. Oh! Did I say charged towards us? Sorry I meant to say he ran towards us. On getting to us, he dropped his gun and brought out a dagger to cut us loose.

Surprised, Lilian, the fair-complexioned lady with full lips, asked John Doe, “why are you helping us?”

“Well, I've not always wanted to be part of this. I am only a victim of circumstance...” He paused as he cut Ubong loose. “Anyway, that does not matter now. What matters now is that we get out of here before Baba God sends down the rain.” He pointed skyward.

We all watched him open his rucksack and brought out his water bottle and handed it over to Amitabh. Amitabh collected it and gulped down the water; he didn't remove the container from his mouth until it was empty. He heaved and thanked John Doe. We were all happy to see the glow in his eyes return. John Doe smiled and tossed Amitabh a loaf of bread.

“That will give you some strength, boy.” He bent low and rubbed Amitabh's cheeks. “Boy, when next death stares you in the face, look straight into his eyes and tell him, ‘not today!’ Can you do that?” He held out his knuckles.

Amitabh hit the knuckles with his, smiled and nodded.

“I love this boy!” John Doe picked up his rifle and got up. “Guys, we've got to move.”

Minutes later, we were on our feet again. Biggie carried Amitabh this time. I saw Fiona looking at her wrists and biting her lips. It reminded me of mine that were now red with blisters and were still burning with pain. John Doe was in front with his gun at the ready. We got close to the swamp and saw Shola's shoes and the don's boots and strips of his camouflage trousers floating on the water. What a sad souvenir of the horrible death that consumed them! We discovered a faint path along the swamp. The track must lead somewhere and could be our map to getting out of this jungle.

John Doe told us his story as we moved on. His name was Michael and had taken to armed robbery as a result of misplaced loyalty. The don had taken him and his sister, Matilda, in when they had nothing and no roof over their heads and no one to turn to for help. They had become orphans when stray bullets killed their parents. The don had seen to their needs ever since and even sent Matilda to school to become a lawyer. When the don eventually introduced him to the underworld, he felt too indebted to him to turn him down. He had always looked for the best opportunity to pull out, but none presented itself until now.

“Hey, look!” Amitabh squealed with delight, pointing to a wooden bridge some distance away.

The sight brought us deep relief and great joy. It meant we were on the right path. We heard a mild rumble in the sky. That wasn't a good sign, so we quickened our steps.


To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who don't want to wait for each episode to be released, get the book here:


1. BAMBOOKS: https://bambooks.io/Book/BookDetail/The-Last-Bus/12725

2. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/the_last_bus/33597

3. LITIRESO: https://litireso.com/library/B-530ykalgylh2

4. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1024020


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

Like my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adukestories/

Chapter Five
The Bridge
(Episode 11)


The old bridge was suspended across the crocodile-infested swamp with ropes that were entwined with climbing plants. Just like the path that led to it, the bridge didn't appear like it was used frequently. The wind started to pick up momentum. Though we needed to hurry up, we all couldn't rush over the bridge at once for fear it might cave in. Hence, we decided that Biggie went first so that he could hold the rope in place on the other side. After that, the women were to follow and then the guys. Michael was to be on guard ready with his rifle.

The day had gradually started to break, but dark clouds shrouded the light. No sooner than Biggie stepped on the bridge that the wind began to blow at the bridge. It swung left and right as Biggie cautiously walked over. Immediately the crocodiles below sensed movements on the deck; they started swimming from different parts of the swamp to converge under the bridge. They opened their strong jaws wide and bared their sharp teeth in anticipation of a possible meal.
Their bellows sent cold chills down my spine.

Biggie successfully crossed to the other side. His biceps bulged as he held down the rope. The real drama started when it was the women's turn to cross. But none could compare with the show Sister Elizabeth put up. She took the first few steps with courage, but all her courage and strength departed from her the moment she made a mistake to look down. She was crying and shaking like jellyfish all through the way. When she got to the middle of the bridge, she stopped and began to scream, “Chai! Holy Mary, Mother of God, please come and safe your daughter. Come and safe your daughter ooo.” All of a sudden, she held her buttocks and continued, “I want to poo-poo. I want to poo-poo ooo, Mother of God!”

She could no longer take even a single step. We urged her to continue, but the elements were not as patient. The wind howled as it rushed through the woods, carrying leaves along with it. Fiona had to run back mid-way on the bridge to pull Sister Elizabeth. The wooden floor began to squeak because of the added weight. Oh, thanks to God, they both made it back to the other side to join Biggie, Lilian, and Fatima that were already there.

Michael went next to provide cover for those who had already crossed just in case of any possible danger. I asked Ubong to go next with Amitabh. However, after taking three steps, he began to tremble. I knew it wasn't safe for him to carry the boy in that state, so I asked him to leave Amitabh with me. He too made it. The crocodiles below became more agitated because the bridge was yet to send down any food. I picked up Amitabh and flung him across my shoulder and hastened along the bridge. At this time, crossing the bridge had become very difficult. Thunder was rumbling in the sky with streaks of lightning lending their support. Grasses rustled as the animals scurried for cover.

The wind was getting more aggressive. The women's hair danced in the air, and clothes were flying as if they wanted to desert our bodies. My ears buzzed continuously as the wind slapped my face. I could hardly see now. The wind rushed at the bridge and flung it to and fro in a wide arc. I staggered. Amitabh clung to me. I squinched up my face and ground my teeth as I struggled to maintain balance and move ahead. Sweats fought for space on my skin, but the wind dried them up as soon as they appeared. Seeing what was happening, the others feared the bridge would snap, so they joined Biggie in holding down the rope and urging me to come on. I sensed heightened fear in Fiona's voice, especially. Biggie grunted; his biceps grew bigger.

Despite their efforts, the wind was bent on providing a free meal for the crocodiles below. The wood beneath my feet began to squeak louder and louder. Ah! I, Akin—food for crocs? God forbid bad thing! I focused all my power to my feet and began to run against the enemy that fought to slow me down. Amitabh bounced up and down my shoulder. The wind rocked the bridge harder. One of the planks gave way beneath my foot, and I slipped. Amitabh fell off my shoulder and rolled a few times before sliding off the bridge.

Sister Elizabeth's squeal travelled far into the forest.


To be continued ... Watch Out for the Next Episode!

NB: The book is NOW AVAILABLE on online stores. For those who can't hold the suspense, get the book here:


1. BAMBOOKS: https://bambooks.io/Book/BookDetail/The-Last-Bus/12725

2. OKADABOOKS: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/the_last_bus/33597

3. LITIRESO: https://litireso.com/library/B-530ykalgylh2

4. SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1024020


Àdùkẹ́!
...My Story, My World.

Like my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adukestories/

Yeah, it was Micheal and he had good intentions.. A victim of circumstance, we all are and have been victim of circumstances, I feel for him.. He doesn't deserve to die, he has a good heart..

That bridge crossing part got me tensed, my fear increased when Ambitah fell off Akin's shoulder..
Will he survive the fall? That's one question I am yet to know the answer..

Damn, the suspense is capable of giving someone migraine..


BRAVO JAMESKUDOOSKI...

Kia!!!!! Oga James you have finished me oooh. Tell nurse that I'm coming to check my BP.

Hmmmmmm, tanks for the update


Chimo, Michael oooo

Thanks for the update Boss

EkopSparoAyara:
Yeah, it was Micheal and he had good intentions.. A victim of circumstance, we all are and have been victim of circumstances, I feel for him.. He doesn't deserve to die, he has a good heart..

That bridge crossing part got me tensed, my fear increased when Ambitah fell off Akin's shoulder..
Will he survive the fall? That's one question I am yet to know the answer..

Damn, the suspense is capable of giving someone migraine..


BRAVO JAMESKUDOOSKI...

Wonderful commentary as usual!

Would Amitabh survive?! Hmmmm...That's a serious question! Even me, I cannot answer that question.

Remember the Game of Thrones? Anybody can die at anytime and even resurrect at anytime. It doesn't matter if they are good people or not.

As for little Amitabh, we can only hope, pray, and wait.

Lilly4endu:
Kia!!!!! Oga James you have finished me oooh. Tell nurse that I'm coming to check my BP.

Awwwwwwww!!! BP ke? Abeg small small oooo.

skubido:
Hmmmmmm, tanks for the update


Chimo, Michael oooo

Skuuuuuuuuuubidooooo! It's been a while. We no even see your brake light at all at all.

Hope you're good?

JamesKudooski:


Wonderful commentary as usual!

Would Amitabh survive?! Hmmmm...That's a serious question! Even me, I cannot answer that question.

Remember the Game of Thrones? Anybody can die at anytime and even resurrect at anytime. It doesn't matter if they are good people or not.

As for little Amitabh, we can only hope, pray, and wait.

Rightly said.. We can only hold on to the thin rope of hope..

Ann2012:
Thanks for the update Boss

You are welcome dear

EkopSparoAyara:


Rightly said.. We can only hold on to the thin rope of hope..

Yes, my brother.

The suspense in the air can only be slice with a newly sharpened cutlass.... Dope work JamesKudooski

ohhhhhhhhhh the little boy must survive pls kudos author

cassbeat:
The suspense in the air can only be slice with a newly sharpened cutlass.... Dope work JamesKudooski

Thank you, cassbeat. And you are welcome to My Story, My World.

damis28crown:
ohhhhhhhhhh the little boy must survive pls kudos author

Damis28crown,

Let's pray he does oooooo. Anyway, you will soon find out.

And you are welcome to My world too.