LarrySun:
THE JOURNEY TO A THOUSAND FLASH

Flash 25: Kingdom

Specially dedicated to a wonderful friend - Gabriel Eigbe.

Many years ago, a certain family was massacred, but the child survived. He was taken in by a lineage of slaves.

***

A long standing rift had existed between two royal families for generations. Nobody could really tell which family was next to ascend the throne of Kachi Kingdom - the Akenzuas had claimed to be the next in line, the Gazis insisted that it was their turn to climb the throne. These two royal families were desperate to wear the crown, and they were determined to do anything to win the royal race.

Chief Alooma, however, was not only the kingmaker, he was also the town's peacemaker - and he was also the richest man in the whole of Kachiland; he had donated a fortune to medical research in the land. His job was to mend the rift between the two families; but all his effort to restore peace was disavailed - neither of the families was willing to compromise. Because of the disagreement going on between the Akenzua Family and the Gazi Family, Kachiland had no king for a long time after the death of the last king.

And so when it was clear that neither family would ascend the throne except one gave in to another, the two families started plotting attacks against each other.

The Ghazis, realising that the first to take the offensive would most likely ascend the throne, threw the first stone. While the family was still deciding on a way to attack, the heir of the Gazi family, Rilwan Gazi, hired an assassin to kill the heir of the Akenzuas - Fifi Akenzua.

"Kill him and get rid of his body," Idris had told Ekong, the killer.

The killer had nodded in understanding.

"If they don't have an heir," Rilwan had explained further, "they won't lay claim to the throne. When I become the king, you'll be my chief of security."

Ekong had been flattered. He had always been fascinated by royalty but he was from the lineage of slaves - he knew he would never become king even though he knew about the history of his existence. The closest he could get to the throne was to become the bodyguard of the king. He was also a eunuch; he would never father a child. He decided that if he couldn't bring a soul to the world, then it was only right for him to take as many away from the world as possible - so he became a killer.

Early the following morning, Ekong sought out Prince Fifi Akenzua. Keeping his gun close by his side, Ekong had located the target. The prince was just driving out of his family compound when Ekong appeared in his own car. The killer decided to tail the target to a better location.

After about thirty minutes of following behind the target, he suddenly overtook the car and stepped out with his gun drawn. The road was quiet. It was the perfect spot. Ekong quickly got out of the car, walked over to Fifi who was still behind the wheel, and shot him squarely in the face. Fifi died immediately.

Ekong was meticulous. He calmly lifted the corpse from the driver's seat and placed him in the booth of the car. The killer parked his car at the side of the road and drove the victim's car away - the owner of the car was lying dead in the booth.

The killer had his plan. He would throw the corpse over the city bridge into the river below and then drive back to where he parked his own car. He would leave the victim's car there at the roadside and drive off in his own car. It would be perfect. The corpse would never be discovered; the fishes would devour it.

Everything worked according to how Ekong planned it. He had thrown the corpse into the river and was driving back to his car when a truck suddenly appeared. It was too late for him to react as he drove head-on towards the truck. There was a loud crash. The car Ekong drove somersaulted three times before it rested on its side.

The truck, apparently undamaged, was driven away as Ekong struggled for his life. He was trying to get out of the car but was trapped by the seatbelt. He was uninjured save for the deep gash on his right temple. The fuel tank had been punctured and petrol was beginning to leak out.

For over ten minutes, Ekong was still trying to free himself. Petrol was now all around him and a little spark was beginning to ignite. While Ekong was struggling to break free, one vehicle drove by since the accident happened.

It was Chief Alooma - the peacemaker. Just as he stepped out of his car, the spark caught the petrol and caused a great fire. At this moment, Ekong had broken free of his entrapment but he was not very lucky. His clothes had been soaked with the petrol. As he tried to run off, the fire engulfed him.

Chief Alooma saw someone on fire. The person was screaming and running around blindly. The peacemaker quite took of his coat and covered up the burning man with it, dousing the fire in the process. But the damage had already been done. The fire had burned off Ekong's skin; he was barely alive.

The chief quickly carried the victim into his own car. As he was about to get behind the wheel, he noticed a driver's licence on the floor. On picking it up, he saw that it belonged to Prince Fifi Akenzua. It was the prince's car that was burning.

As he sat behind the wheel and turned the ignition, he said to himself:

"That's Prince Fifi in the backseat. I must save him. He must not die."

As he drove away, Ekong lost consciousness in the backseat.

***

On getting to the hospital, Chief Alooma thought the accident victim was dead but the doctor confirmed that he was still alive. Ekong was quickly rushed to ICU.

“Doctor, you must save him,” Alooma told the doctor, “He must not die – he’s Prince Fifi Akenzua.”

“He’s badly burnt,” replied the doctor, “His skin is totally peeled off.”

“Can you restore his body back to its original state?”

The doctor thought deeply about the question before replying. “To be able to do that, I’d need a picture of him.”

The chief quickly produced the driver’s license he had found at the crash site. “Can this do?” he asked anxiously.

“It’s a start but I’ll need a complete picture of him.”

And so while the doctors began to work on restoring the victim’s body, Chief Alooma visited the Akenzuas and related the bad news. Prince Fifi had been in a ghastly accident and was being treated by the doctors. He requested for the prince’s sharper picture and took it to the doctors.

The surgery spanned three months; and when Ekong was released from the hospital, he had the body of Fifi.

“He suffered amnesia due to the impact of the accident,” the presiding doctor informed the family, “He doesn’t remember anything. His memory is totally blank. It will take a while before his memory returns. You have a lot of work to do in helping him through this recovery process.

The family took Ekong home and shared details about Fifi to him.

You are the heir of the throne of Kachiland.

You have a pregnant wife. She’ll soon put to bed.

You must fight for what’s rightly yours.

It was another three months before Ekong learnt everything he needed to know. In the absence of Fifi, Rilwan Gazi had been elected as the next king of the land, and his coronation was getting close.

Two weeks before the ceremony, Ekong, now Fifi Akenzua, invaded the Gazi home and killed everyone, including Rilwan – the man who had sent him to kill the prince of the rival family.
No one suspected Ekong of carrying out the killings. And since the Gazi family had been wiped out, Ekong was crowned the king of Kachiland a fortnight later.

But as soon as Ekong was crowned king by the kingmaker, he secretly ordered the execution of all Akenzuas. He didn't suffer any amnesia after all. He was out for revenge. The two families, the Akenzuas and the Gazis, had been responsible for the massacre of his family when he was a child.

However, because he knew he would never father a child, he spared Fifi’s pregnant wife and made her his queen in the palace.

Nobody knew who he truly was.

Thanks bro

Azubike felt a wave of dizziness and fell asleep. He woke up staring at his body lay unconscious by the river. He wondered how he was outside of his own body. He ran to the bank of the river and stared at his reflection. Even in the dark he understood what had happened.

He had woken up in his father's body. It was the strangest that had ever happened to him, perhaps anybody. He couldn't make sense of what had happened completely, but something ominous in him made him feel relaxed. He sat on the floor and just like he had concocted the story about his father killing his mother, he had made one up already.

He was blessed by the gods. No, this was more than that, he was a god. Only a god could kill a person and posses their body. Like most people, he had always felt since he was special in some way, and now the universe had showed him.

He laughed and pushed his old body into the river and dragged it on and on till he was satisfied.


He walked back to his family compound with his shoulders high. He knew for sure that he was special. His plans had now shifted and he wanted more things out of life.

First thing he did was locate the hut his father had given to Ezine as it was his style to have each of his wives take a hut to themselves. He too had a hut similar to his fathers.

He walked into Ezine's hut with only one thing on his mind.

"What happened at the river ?" she asked

He was stunned by her question. " What river?"

" I saw you talking to Azubike, you left with him in a sour mood" Ezine asked her husband. She was sleepy, but aware of her husband's presence.


" Never mind about that boy." he replied seeming uninterested. He sat on the bed where she laid.

He was once again in deep thoughts. So when he kills a person, he would take over their body? He needed to try this theory again. But he wasn't going to do it with a nobody. If he was going to take the life of someone, it had to be someone important. He had someone in mind already; Chidiebere, chief Onhagbajis son.

The boy had always been an arrogant fellow. He knew Chidiebere was leaving for the city the next day. He needed to find him and kill him before he leaves the village.

He knew all the routes in the village. Perks of being the village loner. He was going to catch him at his home in the morning before leaving for the city.

He had conceived all these thoughts while on his father's bed. Just like when he had planned his father's murder, his brain was working fast once again, except this time he felt more invincible. The universe was indeed smiling on him.

He stared at Ezine on the bed with her wrapper laying loosely on her. Now he remembered his intentions of coming to to her hut. He smirked his lips. He tried to wake her up but she was in deep sleep. Furiously, he took her wrapper off her and mounted her.

For the first time he was inside a woman. Not just any woman, the prettiest woman he had ever seen. She slowly woke up and allowed him finish his business, but some reason he started to hate Ezine as he went in and out of her.

How did she allow herself to be touched by his slimy old father? They must have talked about him and mocked him. He wrapped his palm around her neck and watch her fight, but he was stronger than her.

Slowly he felt light headed and woken up feeling different. He was in Ezine's body.

"He is marrying Ezine o" His friend had said as he hurried off. There was only one Ezine in the village. It was a very small village and everyone knew everyone.

It felt like a lightening bolt ran from his head down his chest and to his limbs. Just like that, Ezine had become his step mother.

It took two weeks longer than expected, but his father had given him the money he promised, but had stolen his dream. The man surely wanted him to leave the village, but indeed his hatred ran very deep for the boy and he was more than satisfied that he had crushed his soul.


Azubike had had a long time to thinking to make sense of what his father had done. He had now formulated a theory of his own.

A theory that his father had killed his mother at the river and dumped her body where the currents could take it far away. No one had told him this, for he had come to this story and method of execution on his own and the one thing he would do before leaving the village is to kill the man .

He envied some of his friends when they talked about moving to Lagos and now he had the means to, but he wasn't so excited about it. It felt like an incomplete dream. He was going to kill the man, the same way he had done to his mother.

He knew his father had a piece of land by the river. That was enough material to script his well thought out plan.

He tried to find some part of him that did not want to kill his old man, something to stop him from moving on with the plan. His heart raced as he checked through his stack of memories to find one good time with his old man, but non! He scrapped the bottom of his soul and all his essence was driven at killing the man. If for anything, he should have done this earlier. The man who killed his mother and stole his dream. He had to die.


He had spent so much time at the river that he knew when people would walk by and when it was usually quiet. He knew all the angles to it and he was sure of his plan. His mind was working the angles in seconds as he walked home. He was so lost in his thoughts that he couldn't have noticed those greeting him on the street.

Once he found his way into his family compound, he scanned his surrounding for his old man, and alas! He found him sitting on his favorite chair outside the house talking to one of his wives. He turned to avoid his old man's gaze and waited behind a tree. He approached his father when he observed the man was alone and far from anyone who could hear them talk.

"Papa, I saw Chief Agomoh's sons clearing your land. The one by the river. I just wanted to know if you had sold it to them, or leased it for money"

"What!" He said springing up in rage.

"Idiot! And you couldn't tell them to stop! When did you see this?" his father asked in a raging tone.

Azubike was scared his father was going to draw attention. That was not his intention.

" Papa just now. If we leave right now, we can still meet them there. " if there was anytime to leave, the time was now, he thought to himself. No one went to the river at this time of the day.

His father wore his sandals and followed him immediately. Azubike was glad. He had the fool where he wanted him.

Now he needed to be slick. He planed on hitting the man on the head with a stick. He knew he needed to hit him very hard to bring the man down. His old man was still very athletic and strong, perhaps even stronger than him, and he regarded himself as far from weak.

He did not want to leave any marks on his father's body. He wanted people to find his body intact.

"Where are they?" His father roared.
Azubike had picked up a firm branch and before the man would turn in his direction, he struck him from the back and his father dropped unconscious.

He needed to be sure the man was dead, so he dragged him to the river and places his head in the water. Soon the body shook in its last attempt to fight for life, and then, the strangest thing happened.

"Yes, in that car right across the road." I said looking in the direction of the car.

The driver must have noticed I have sighted him/her and drove away.

" One of your many gifts is to spot someone of higher qualities like us. Don't worry, I will take care of it. " she said smiling at the car as it drove off.



1917

Azubike was born in a small village in the south eastern part of Nigeria . Two days after he was born, his mother was said to have taken a walk to the river and never came back. Villagers had searched the river and road paths leading to it for days but found nothing.

On the third day of the search, a messaged had come from a neighboring village that her body had found its way and washed down their river bank.

A month would follow and his father had taken up another wife. His father and his step mother had tried to have another child year after year, but all efforts failed.

By the time Azubikes was 10 years old, his father had taken up another wife, and tried to have children with her, but the same result. It seemed like he was shooting blanks, and soon the real problem became clear.

Rumours had it that his father was impotent and Azubike was for a fact not his. The Rumours had spurred in many versions.

Some said his mother had an affair with a younger man from the neighboring village where her dead body was found, but no one knew who the strange man was.

Azubike's father had come to resent him and made it clear to him from time to time that he was a bastard.

When Azubike was 17 years old, all he dreamt about leaving the village and starting another life somewhere else. He spent most of his time fishing at the river, and he was darn good at it. In fact, great at it. But he had no intentions of doing that all his life. No matter what he accomplished in his village, he was always going to be a bastard in their eyes.

Like most men, Azubike had fallen in love, and with a certain girl, Ezine . He had built his dreams around moving to Lagos, making a fortune and returning to take her hand in marriage. But he had no plans nor means and he was sure his father was not going to help him in anyway. He knew his mother had a brother living in the city. Perhaps if he found the man...

One of his days of solitude fishing, he had thought hard and hard and decided he was going to ask his father for some money. He had saved up some, but he had herd about how things were very expensive in the city and how the money he had saved up was nothing. He was going to take a step for once in his life. Enough of overthinking. He was getting older already and what was the worst thing his father would do? Tell him no.

He met with his father that evening and discussed his plans to find his mother's brother in Lagos; and from there, see where things go. He also told his father about his plans to marry Ezine in the future.

Azubike's father after hearing all the young man had to say smiled gladly at his son's ambition. He promised to give him all the money he required in a weeks time and his uncles home address in Lagos.

Azubike for the first time in his life was genuinely happy. He sprang up and thanked his father.

He barely slept that night. He spent the night packing ahead and taking care of his affairs. He had thought about the lorry that would transport him from the village to the city. He had thought about sitting proudly with his box on his lap, waving at the villagers.

Two days after his discussion with his father he was back at the river, about to set his boat into the water when he heard his friend approach. His friend had asked him if he heard about his father's new wife.

He had not heard and was not bothered. His father was sort of a wealthy man and already had two wives. News of his father taking up another wife was definitely not going to surprise him.

Then he heard something that felt worst than a cut through the chest.

I stood at the center of the expressway with no clothes on. Perspiration ran down my naked body with drops and my eyes twitched, for there was blood on my face and some had found their way ruining towards my eyes. It wasn't my blood. She tossed me a bar of soap that landed by my feet. I knew what I needed to do.

















Arc II
Chapter 1 ( People like me)


Rita was taking a bath and I had some alone time with Lola. Since I agreed she could come with us, she had been in a great mood. I watched her sway her waist left and right as she worked in the tiny kitchen. It could barely fit three people.

She had begged to make breakfast before we hit the road, and promised it would be quick. It was about 6 o'clock in the morning, and everywhere was still very quiet. she was danced around the kitchen and made low, steady sounds like that of a humming bird.

She must have noticed I was observing her, but she did not seem bothered by it. She was clearly in a world of her own wrapped around the music she was humming.

"I asked you those questions so I could decided if you could come with us. We would be spending sometime together and I need to know more about you."

"Sure"

That's was all she said, not turning in my direction.

"I know you don't trust me completely, but you will eventually, I promise. " she said as she stirred the pot. She hit the spoon gently on the edge of the pot and placed the spoon on her palm to taste from her cooking.

She was done cooking and signaled me to help set the food to the table. She had staked all the money from the bag on the table.

"Want to start by telling me where this money came from?"

"Can I tell you on our way? We have all the time in the world."

She took a small portion of the money and placed it aside. She then pushed the rest of the money towards my direction.

"Consider it payment for bringing me back."

"I'm not having your money until you tell me where it came from".

Then something strange happened. Similar to when I was on the island. Just right before the ink pouring out of my eyes got triggered. My left eyes shut down and every image I could see through that eye was in negative, like a picture before it went through the dark room.

In a second it was gone. I touched every corner of my eyes, but no ink. That was strange.

I looked up and saw Lola counting a portion of the money. She seemed so good at it. Her fingers kept flipping through the notes smoothly.

Soon Rita had joined us and we all ate quietly.

"We need a car." Rita said turning to Lola. I too did.

" Yes, I figured. There is a car sales lot not too far from here. It would take about ten minutes if we walk fast to get there, or I could just jack one of the neighbors car. People park on the road all the time. "

Walking already seemed like a good idea to me and walking we did.

" I thought you said you're a good person, yet you have no problem jacking a persons car? " I asked Lola as we walked out of the house.

" I said I'm not a violent person. No one is a completely good person. "

She took one last look at the tiny house and smiled.

Soon we found ourselves across the car lot.

" Let me do the talking when we get there." Lola said taking a deep breath.

That was fine by me. I had no interest in talking nor choosing what car she was getting. I had already driven my favorite car and lost it in less than 48 hours, and lost all my taste of hedonism a car will bring.

I and Rita stood at the other side of the road, while Lola crossed the road to go and make the purchase.

Again, I felt that feeling in my eye. Everywhere went negative, but I could see a colorful line up ahead. It was coming from a car parked across the road. It was gone again and my eyes were back to normal.

"Rita, I have been having these flashes. My vision turns black and white for a brief moment, and then back to normal..."

" Did you see anything colorful anywhere?" she asked.

I returned to the couch and closed my eyes. We really needed money, definitely not that much money. I had lost all the money I grabbed from the apartment in the crazy altercation I had with the priests. I also lost my car.

"I have nowhere to go. I can't stay here."

Rita had returned to the single couch across the room.

"You say you have no where to go, but that's not true. You have money, you can travel anywhere in the world and be just fine, but no. Your dead grandmother had something to do with your death, and I'm sure she had help. You plan on going on a killing spree, and you think moving with powerful people would protect you. Its up to Chika to decide, but sleep over it Chika, and go to bed early. " she paused and finally concluded by saying. " if his answer is no, just don't get in our way, or you would live this new life you have disabled. "

With that... Lola had set the lantern at a corner of the room. I knew no one was asleep, there was so much to for everyone to think about, and what occupied my mind was what Rita had just said.

She never spoke so much, but anytime she did, I had to think. So I turned to Lola from the couch were I was and looked down at her on the mat. She seemed to have been lost In her thoughts, staring at the ceiling eyes wide open. She turned towards me when she noticed I was staring at her.

"Are you asleep"
We both whispered to each other. I looked up and Rita was also awake, but staring out the window.

"Your grandmother conspired to kill you?"

She nodded her head.

"Were you a violent person when you were alive?"

"I promise you I was not." she paused like she was thinking. " When we first met, I wasn't myself, I was scared, hysterical and I had this rage burning inside me. It's cause of how I died."

"still feel that way now that you're alive?"

"No, I don't, but I have scores to settle."

"Okay, goodnight." I said and I turned to the other side of the couch with my back now facing her. "

" Have you decided if I'm coming with you guys? "

" I would decided in the morning. Get some sleep."

By 6am in the morning, I felt a tap on my legs and Rita was standing over me.

" Get dressed, we need to get on the road."

It felt like I just closed my eyes and it was already morning. I needed rest. Lola was still asleep on the mat and the lantern had gone off, but I could still see around the room.

"Have you decided if you want the girl to join us or not?"

"Yeah, I decided, she can come" I said yawning.

" You can't stop pretending to be asleep now and stand up, he said you can come with us. "

Lola sprang up from where she laid and embraced me. For the first time she was genuinely happy. So happy, that she cried and smiled.

I stared at Lola and Rita across the table. It was a small wooden dining table. The kinds that came with four chairs.

Rita seemed unconcerned about what Lola had just said, and everyone ate their dinner in silence .

After the meal, I had had joined Rita to clear the table and signalled her to meet me in the kitchen.

"I think this girl has a psychological problem. She might just kill us in our sleep. Once we help her burry her grand mother, we get out of here quickly." I said in hushed tones.


"I'm coming with you guys"

Lola had been eves dropping. I realised the house was too tiny for sounds not to travel around, or perhaps she was just standing at the jamb of the door and I did not notice her.

" No, you can't come with us."

I turned to Rita who was busy washing her plates.

It was about 1 am now and we were all whispering in the house, while the old ladies body still laid in the sitting room.

"if you're bothered about what I said early, perhaps if I told you my story you think otherwise of me."

"You can't come with us, and that's it"

"I can be of help." Lola spoke up again. She stared at me intensely, like she had stared at the fire.

"You just got your life back, dont you want to live it? Okay, let say you come with us, how can you possibly be of help?"

"Let's burry my grandma first and I would show you something."

I turned to Rita who was already done with the dishes. She smiled and turned to the body.

"she is right, we better get rid of that quietly, before the neighbors wake up. It's a close nit neighborhood."

I and Lola had moved the body to the grave Rita had quietly covered it. She was quite strong for her small body frame. She was slim and tall for a girl. Taking a first look at her, the first thing that comes to mind is 'beautiful and fragile", but here she was moving the now heavy corpse with me impressively. I was glad there was no power supply, and the darkness helped. Lola had cleaned the carpet and and I was set to sleep.

" We live very early in the morning Chika, so try not to sleep for too long." Rita had said after we buried the woman.

I took a spot on the three sitter couch and Rita took the single couch. I couldn't make much of that. I had never seen her sleep, so I just went with that.

Lola joined us in the sitting room with a mat. I would have thought she would take a room to herself.

" I can't sleep in any of those rooms by myself." No one answered her.

" I promised to show you people something." my eyes that were slowly closing opened. I was in some ways curious. She had stared at me intensely the other time. This had better be good.

I noticed besides the mat on her hand, she had a bag on her shoulder. She dropped the bag on the floor, and now I was wide awake.

Rita and I moved closer toward the bag and watched Lola roll the mat, sit on the floor and slowly unzipped the bag. Rita held the lantern above us

It was money. The bag was filled with more money than I had ever seen in my life.

"Plus I can cook, so I'm coming with you".

It was late into the night and Lola had made food and was now setting the table. I lost count of how long she cried, but she eventually stopped.

We had all taken turns to take a shower in a single bathroom the house had, and everyone was quite relaxed. Lola had prepared change of clothes for us, even though the clothes were not fit, but it felt nice to be in clean clothes.

I had dug a small grave in the backyard and we planned to move the body in the night's darkness. I had no moral issues with that, since it was purely an accident. Not like I was fit for any platform to lunch sanctimonious morals, but my conscience was clear.

Often times when it rains, the electric distribution company would shut down power, and it was at such time like this, we were.

Lola had set the table and a lantern on that illuminated the room. We sat around the table like perfectly normal people in the little dining room as the old lady's body, now wrapped in sheets laid behind us in the living room.

Everyone had a plate of yam porridge before them, and we all ate quietly.

I had destroyed the note Rita had told me to by flushing it down the toilet after a brief period of being one with nature. It was a long day and I needed to do something that felt normal and relaxing.

" I wish she didn't die like that" Lola broke the silence.

"Well, it was an accident. It wasn't your fault." I said.

"No, you don't get it. I wanted to kill her myself... Slowly." Lola said staring intensely at the flame of the lantern.

Rita ignored the dead lady on the floor and Lola and walked across the room towards the couch. The picked a note that seemed to have been left behind by the strange tall man and walked back to me.

"She was right when she said the motel had been trashed. Lakin has moved the mansion somewhere else. Somewhere safe and here is how we find it."

I did not understand a word of what she said, but I watched her memorize content of the paper. Afterward, she handed it over to me to destroy when I can.

" What do we do about the girl and her dead grandmother now?" I asked Rita.

" No idea... I'm sure we would come up with something."

We both stared at Lola cry into the night.