₦airaland Forum

Quite true! The one that annoys me most is when I see people use abbreviations when writing, chatting or making comments on social media. I tell people whenever I have the opportunity to talk with them that it is a very bad habit. It is sheer laziness. Your spelling skills would definitely decline. And most times the ones that call themselves graduates indulge in such. It's no more a surprise to me when I see people make comments like, 'too long, can't read.' Like, what the hell?? Nigerian youths really need to CHANGE!

almadebe:
Nice one Dioxidane. More ideas to your brain. Stiill I read

Thanks, iAppreciate...

saxwizard:
coughs

Bros, you need codeine cough syrup?

Olatife:
pls dis story needs more updates.

Done!

Onemansquad:
not easy but u knw they are in danger if dy dnt fyt dy wil kill dem *jst keep reading i bet u even funmi wil knw to use ak47

LolzzZ... Bros, walahi you funny...

guntranno:
With accidental victim? One can always be peeping for update during service

Missmossy:
That intriguing moment,Damien will surely survive. Thumbs up Dioxidane, more wisdom to you.

LolzzZ... How is he supposed to survive that?

lumzybo:
@ dioxidane, why! Why! Why!!! That's a very wrong place to av stopped the update.
Haba!!!

No vex...

Contd.

Ophidiophobia. Damien was an ophidiophobe. He dreaded snakes. He was fazed! He froze on the spot. He watched with dread as a small rattle snake crawled on the palm he placed on a branch of the tree. He wanted to scream, but his voice was stuck.

He peeped and saw the leader of the group looking around. He looked back at his outstretched palm as the snake crawled on it gently and unperturbed. It was as if his palm was part of the bark of the tree.

He began sweating. The snake was taking ages to crawl away. He couldn't scream for fear of being noticed and eventually being caught. He had to be patient. He had to overcome his fear.

He remembered reading in the past that snakes are usually dangerous only when threatened. 'I'm not threatening you. Please just go in peace', he pleaded in his heart.

Then the snake paused. 'Please just continue moving', he pleaded silently. He was now sweating profusely, scared as hell. He didn't even notice when the other men came back to join the leader. He was watching the snake. Suddenly the snake turned to face him. He was shocked!

He abruptly lost his grip on the branch of the tree and went tumbling to the ground, his gun falling beside him.

Adrenaline coursed through his system. He didn't feel any pain as he fell. He didn't even think about it. He didn't think about the men either.

The snake. He had to get away from it. He impulsively picked up his gun and ran. Where he was running to, he had no idea. He just ran, tumbling through the bushes and shrubs.

The men had already left when they heard Damien fall. The leader stopped in his tracks and all his men stopped too. They turned and ran back.

Before they got there, Damien had already taken to his heels. They were in hot pursuit. The leader took an aim an fired, and the rest of the men shot sporadically in the direction they felt Damien ran.

Damien heard the shots and ducked as he ran. 'Shiiit', he muttered as he continued running. The men continued in pursuit while still firing wildly.

Damien knew he couldn't outrun them forever. They were diehards and he knew they would run to the ends of the earth till they caught him, or killed him unless he did something.

He knew he had an advantage over them. He was smarter, or so he thought. He just had to be smarter.

He ran faster and found a tree with a stem large enough to cover him, and he ducked behind it.

He looked behind through his night vision goggles and tried to analyze their exact positions, but the rays of their torches nearly blinded him. He looked away and took the goggles off.

He peeped again and quickly analyzed their formation. There were five torches, so there were definitely five men. Three ran ahead, while the remaining two ran some feet behind them. They were still running towards him.

He cocked his gun, took a deep breathe, and waited. The wait seemed to seemed to him like ages, but some seconds later, the men ran past him.

Immediately, he got up quietly, took an aim at their backs and fired.

Cliccck, clicccck, cliccck, were the sounds he heard. 'Fuuuck', he nearly screamed. His rifle jammed. It wouldn't fire. He quickly crouched and tried readjusting the magazine. But some moments later, he looked up and saw five beams of torches flashing on him...

T.B.C...

almadebe:
Nice one Dioxidane. More ideas to your brain. Stiill I read

guntranno:
Blood or Sweat!!!
#suspense

Bia, you gurls didn't go for service??

Chapter Thirteen

'What do you have for us?', Damien heard as he finally made the device work.

He had followed the description Mustapha gave him, but he still missed a few turns before he was finally able to locate the box with the aid of the map.

He opened the box and found the device. He was confused because he had never had to use such a device in his life. He had never seen it earlier either. Mustapha had not told him how to couple it. He quickly examined the device and realized it could take some time before he could make it work, and he was unprotected.

The gun. He remembered the gun. He had to get it first. He followed the description Mustapha gave him and found the man some distance away from where the box was, covered with some leaves.

Damien shook his head and covered his nose with his right hand. 'Fu*cking terrorists', he muttered.

He found the tip of the gun poking out from beneath the man. He tried to push off the man with his legs. He didn't want to touch him, but he had to eventually because the dead man seemed heavier. He lifted his cloth slightly with his right hand and drew out the gun from beneath him while holding his breathe.

He held the gun and examined it. It was an AK-47 assault rifle. He clicked off the magazine and realized that the rounds were less than 30. The gun had been used previously, so it was relatively reliable. He took an aim with the rifle, and some seconds later he went back to the box containing the device.

After so many trials and errors, he was finally able to connect the device and he heard a voice.

'What do you have for us?', the voice said.

Damien was silent. He didn't know if it was a code or something else.

'Mustapha, are you there?', the voice said again.

'This is not Mustapha', Damien replied.

'Who the hell is this?', the voice asked.

'This is Damien Abbah', he replied.

Damien heard some whispers in the background. Then the voice came on again, this time though, a different voice.

"Damien Abbah? How is that possible? Where is Mustapha?"

'Who am I speaking with?', Damien asked.

"Mr Abbah, this is Col. Coker of the State Security Services. We know all about you. It's good to know that you are fine. Is Funmi there with you?"

"I'm sorry, she's still held up."

"And you escaped?"

"I did. We were held in separate cells and I couldn't reach her on time."

"Is she fine?"

"She was the last time I saw her."

"How about Mustapha?"

"He's back at the camp. His cover is still intact."

"Ok, that's good. Right now we have your present location. I want you to stay put. At first light tomorrow morning we are coming for you guys."

"But..."

Damien was about asking him about the details of the operation when he heard a beep on the phone.

'Hello... Hello...', he called out into the phone. No response. The phone was dead. 'Fu*ck!', he muttered.

He crouched and placed the phone back into the box, covering it with the dry leaves just as he met it.

As he was getting up, he saw a brief flash of light through his night vision goggles. He crouched back and concentrated his gaze into the distance.

What he saw shocked him. Coming towards him was a group comprising of five men with beaming torches. He could see them in the distance but they couldn't see him, yet. He quickly picked up his rifle and slid away, climbing a tree close by.

Damien watched as the leader of the group froze and held up his hand indicating that the others stop too. They stopped in their tracks and the leader crouched. He concentrated the beam of the torch on the ground and found footprints. He traced the tracks of the footprints and found that it went different ways.

He gave commands to each of the men to check out the tracks. The men spread out and one of them went beneath the tree Damien was, pointing the beaming torch onto the tree, but Damien hid himself well in between the branches of the tree and the man didn't see him.

The leader looked around and noticed an object carefully hidden beneath some dry leaves. He got to the box, and he opened his mouth in surprise.

At that same moment, one of the men called out to the leader. The body of the terrorist killed by Mustapha had been found. The leader cursed as he examined the man. He knew him.

'He should be close by', one of the men said. The leader went back and studied the tracks once more.

'You, you, go towards this direction', he pointed, commanding two of his men. 'And both of you, go towards this direction', he commanded the remaining two men with him.

They moved immediately, leaving him alone there. He picked up the device, and tried to make it work.

Damien watched from the tree as the man tried to make the device work to no avail, then he felt something crawling on his palm...

T.B.C

Good night guys, ladies...

stellytwinkle:
First, MY ADVICE: They always say,'a "'patient" reader reads to the latest and last updates. Your impatience might lead u abandoning the topic.Secondly, MY WARNING: Don't even dare pressurize my darling Dioxidane *winks* because your payment worth which is your MB is nt even up to the price of a good novel in the bookshop!!!

Thanks dear...

Carinaflo:
Patiently waiting for an update

Just did...

preciousnobel:
Update fast abeg, I dey feel you...

Missmossy:
Sharp guy @ Damien
This is really enchanting!!
Well done Dioxidane.

real86:
You too good guy. I like how I feel reading your story. Pls more update o.

Thanks y'all, iAppreciate...

Updates would come later in the evening, hopefully...

Contd.

Damien was astonished!

Mustapha was stunned!

'What are you doing here? How did the hell did you escape?', he nearly screamed at Damien.

Damien didn't respond. He brought down the knife and touched his face with his other hand. The turban covering his face had fallen off during the scuffle. 'No wonder he recognized me', he thought.

'You plan on getting yourself killed?', Mustapha asked again since he got no response from Damien, 'because that's exactly what's going to happen. I told you there was a rescue operation being planned.'

'When is it?', Damien asked.

'It's going to be tomorrow morning. Now you've complicated issues. If you are caught, you would definitely be killed', Mustapha replied. 'Then let's make sure I'm not caught', Damien shot back.

'What's that supposed to mean?', Mustapha asked, 'I can't be found with you. It would blow my cover.'

'Ok, I understand', Damien replied, 'but since you know the terrain, I would need your help in getting out of this forest.'

'Are you crazy? You want to get out of this forest on foot? You'll be dead in six hours!', Mustapha replied.

'So what do you suggest we do?', Damien asked again.

'We? Dude, you are on your own on this! You should have thought about this when you left your cell', Mustapha replied angrily.

'The dumbass should have remained in his cell', Mustapha thought.

This complicated issues for him. He knew there was no way he could allow himself be found with Damien. They would definitely be killed. Al-Zawari had no mercy for traitors, as he had proved earlier. He couldn't leave Damien on his own either, he wouldn't stand a chance against the horde of terrorists looking for him.

He knew Al-Zawari's MO. By now he would have instructed a group of terrorists to comb all the nooks and crannies of the camp and if not found, their search would be extended into the forest till he was found, and killed. He couldn't let that happen.

He turned back towards Damien and heard the last statement he made. 'Are you even listening to me?', Damien asked.

'What were you saying?', Mustapha asked back.

'You said you have a device used in communication right?', Damien asked. Mustapha nodded. 'When last did you use it?', Damien asked again. 'About an hour ago', Mustapha replied. 'And who do you communicate with?', Damien asked. 'My handler. But the last time, it was with his boss and he mentioned something about coordinating with the SSS during the incursion tomorrow. They were supposed to send in a covert team to rescue you guys before the main strike force comes in', Mustapha replied.

'Then I guess they'll just have to worry about the lady now, not me', Damien shot back at him. 'Where is the device?', Damien asked.

Mustapha shook his head. 'I possibly can't take you to where it is. There's no time for that. I have to go back. But I can describe it's location to you', Mustapha replied.

'How well do you describe things?', Damien asked with a sly smile on his face. Mustapha smiled back. 'Don't worry, I'll give you a perfect description', he replied.

Mustapha quickly gave Damien a description of the location of the box containing the device in the forest, describing the marks he made on trees and tiny pieces of clothing he tied on shrubs marking the footpath. Damien nodded, indicating that he understood.

'Would your guys be able to detect my exact location with the device?', Damien asked. 'They should', Mustapha replied.

Damien nodded again and asked, 'you know the terrain of the forest right?' 'Of course', Mustapha replied. 'Where would be their possible point of entry? I mean the area that are most vulnerable', Damien asked.

Mustapha sighed. He dipped his hand into the pouch underneath his dress and brought out a folded sheet of paper. He dipped his hand again into the pouch and brought out something. 'Take this', he said to Damien, 'you'll need it.'

Damien took it from him and examined it. He realized it was a night vision wraparound goggles. He cleaned the glasses and wore it.

'Perfect!', he exclaimed. He was now able to see in the dark with clarity and distinct optical definition. He saw Mustapha's facial features clearly now. 'Thanks', he said to him.

Mustapha spread out the sheet of paper and Damien saw a miniaturized sketched map of the area. He was amazed at the details embedded in it.

'This is our present location', Damien heard Mustapha say, pointing at a spot on the map. Damien looked through the night vision goggles and saw the spot Mustapha was pointing at. He looked around and nodded.

'This is where the main camp is located', Mustapha said as he pointed at another spot on the map. 'Here, here, here and here are the main point of entry', he said as he pointed at four different tiny spots. 'There are few guards usually posted here', he said, pointing at the third spot, 'so this should be their main point of entry.'

Damien nodded as Mustapha pointed at landmarks noted on the map and gave descriptions between each of them. 'Thanks for this', Damien said, satisfied with the descriptions Mustapha gave him.

'I have to go now, take care of yourself and don't get yourself killed', Mustapha said to Damien.

He turned his back on Damien and was about leaving when Damien touched him on his shoulders.

'One more thing', Damien said. 'What is it?', Mustapha asked. 'I'll need your gun. I have no weapon on me', Damien said. Mustapha shook his head. 'That wouldn't do', he said, 'I have just one, and I can't afford not to have it on me.'

Then he remembered something. The man he killed earlier had a gun, and he covered the man with his gun.

He gave the description of where the man was to Damien.

'Be careful', he said to Damien. 'You too', Damien replied as he snaked back into the forest.

T.B.C

Wishing y'all a lovely weekend...

WHIZKIDEFE:
Nice one bro.. The update is short though.

Thanks bro... I'm fatigued. I'm trying to see if it would be possible to drop updates everyday, that's why I didn't want to keep it till it was longer... Apologies.

zimoni:
Welcome back online Bawse.
Still, I follow.

Thanks bros...

Winterc8:
I absolutely hate this story. I think of it a little too much and I absolutely hate that I have to wait for updates
The most annoying part is that I'm enjoying it too much to ignore it.
Nice one bro, you write really well

LolzzZ... Thanks.

saxwizard:
this is what I call seasonal film ....nice one bro

Boss... I sight you...

tunde1200:
weldon bro...

willyboss:
Nice writeup @dioxidane

YoungestMuller:
First Porn-free story am reading on NL nd it really make sense...

Thanks guys et al, iAppreciate...

Contd.

He looked around and noticed that there were no guards around. He didn't wait around to find out where they were as he took the nearest path into the forest.

Damien avoided the already established footpaths he saw. He kept to the trees. He was walking swiftly, stumping on shrubs and grasses as quietly as he could, without knowing exactly where he was going to. He wasn't worried about wild animals, because he knew they would have been scared away a long time ago. He had ophidiophobia, but that was the least of his worries. He just didn't want anyone to find him no matter what.

Damien had walked deep into the forest for several minutes without any headway. The sun was gradually setting but some rays of sunlight still penetrated through the trees.

He had walked a considerable distance away from the clearing, when he felt a sharp object poking at his side. He stopped and dug his hand into the dress of the man he incapacitated and he found a small knife.

He felt the tip and found that it was very sharp. He looked ahead and saw two trees. They were about ten meters in front of him. He looked at the knife and hefted it. In one swift move, he took an aim at one of the trees and flung the knife. About two seconds later, the knife struck the tree he aimed for and it's tip stuck to it. Damien smiled inwardly. 'I guess I still have it in me', he thought.

He walked towards the tree, drew the knife out and looked at it. He wished he had a better weapon, but the knife would have to do for now.

He continued his walk deep into the forest, but after a while, he stopped in his tracks and crouched immediately. He heard something.

He looked around and found nothing, but he had a strong feeling there was danger lurking around. 'Where am I even going to?', he wondered.

He decided he needed a plan. But what plan? He had no idea. He just decided he would make up things as he went along.

He was about continuing when a thought occurred to him. He had no idea how vast the forest was. He had no food supplies with him. He had no good weapons either to ward off any danger. He had no idea how long it would take him to get out of the forest, if he would ever get out of it. Besides it was already getting dark. He concluded it was a futile endeavor.

Funmi. His heart went out to her. He wondered how she must be feeling now. He couldn't just leave her at the mercy of the terrorists. He couldn't trust that they wouldn't harm her, that's if they've not already done so. 'But when I saw her earlier, she wasn't doing too bad', he thought. He wished he could see her and talk to her and hold her and... The thoughts trailed off.

Mustapha. The undercover police officer. 'He mentioned there was a rescue plan', he thought. He knew he needed to talk with Mustapha. But how he was going to go about it, he had no idea.

He took some time to rearrange the turban on his head, covering part of his face with it. He looked down at his attire and realized that he now looked like one of the terrorists. 'Perfect disguise', he thought.

Damien began tracing his way back to the camp. It was already dark. He was having difficulty finding his way back and doing so soundlessly.

Lights were already put on in the camp. He was seeing glimmers of it far into the distance. He had already lost his way one too many times, but he focused on the light far ahead of him to guide him back.

He had gotten closer to the clearing than he was several minutes past when he suddenly froze in his tracks and crouched immediately. He heard a loud siren blaring in the distance. He wasn't imagining it this time around. It was real.

'What is happening?', he wondered. He knew the only time a siren would be blown at this time could be if something was amiss. 'Perhaps they've found out I escaped', he thought, 'I have to be more careful.'

He was still crouching, with a shrub covering him, trying to think about getting into the camp without being detected when he saw a man quietly walk past him.

He was shocked! He was sure the man didn't see him. He couldn't detect the man's facial feature either. He looked behind and realized there was no one following the man. He was alone. 'It's now or never', he thought.

He got up abruptly and dashed at the man, placing the blade of the knife in his hand over the man's throat. The man acted like he expected it, jabbing Damien with his right elbow. Damien felt it and he staggered back a little bit.

He didn't relent. He dabbed forward with the blade pointed at the man, but the man dodged. Damien had already missed his target which was the man's throat, but he recoiled, hitting the man heavily at the back of his head with his elbow.

The man cursed. He turned around facing Damien. Damien was facing him now, still with the knife in his hand. The man was about lunging forward when he stopped suddenly. 'Damien??', he whispered.

Damien was astonished!

T.B.C

P.S: As usual, guys, ladies, lemme know what you think...

Chapter Twelve

Damien sat on the floor in his dark cell with the stench of urine from the bucket at the corner oozing in his nose. He was thinking about all the events that led to him being in the Taliban camp. 'If only I had minded my own business and not lusted after a beautiful lady', he thought, 'I might have still been in my house.' He also thought about his mum and his siblings, how worried they would be. The thought made him determine in his heart that he must survive the ordeal no matter what.

'How am I supposed to escape from this place?', he wondered.

He knew that two armed guards were posted outside his cell, besides the cell was close to the edge of the forest. 'There's no where to run to', he thought.

'Or are there paths out of the forest?', he wondered.

He had not studied any map of the forest, but he slightly understood the topography of the area. It was fairly standard.

He began imagining possible scenarios and obstacles in the forest and how he was going to overcome them.

The voices of the guards posted outside his cell could not make Damien concentrate his thoughts as much as he wanted to. He always favored serene environments when brainstorming like he was trying to do at that moment.

The guards were discussing and they had loud voices that penetrated even the thick walls of the cell.

Damien was listening to them, trying to understand what they were saying, but he realized that they were speaking a dialect he had never heard in his life.

He just ignored them and tried to think of possible ways of escape. All the ways he thought of resulted in one thing - death.

The guards outside were engaged in a heated argument. Damien wondered what they were arguing about because the noise was beginning to disturb him.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of the footsteps of two different persons walking towards the cell and he heard one of them convey an instruction to them. Some seconds later, he heard several footsteps walk away from the cell.

He quickly got up and went towards the iron door. He placed his ear on the door, trying to listen for sound outside the cell, but it was all quiet. It was obvious the men had left and he was unguarded. 'But where could they have gone to?', he wondered.

He still remained in that position for several minutes, but there was still no sound coming from outside the cell.

He tried ramming the door severally, but it was to no avail. The door was heavily bolted and could only be opened from outside.

He just sat behind the door and waited. After what seemed to Damien like hours, but in reality just a few minutes, he had already begun drifting into sleep when he heard a voice. He thought he was dreaming about it, but when he opened his eyes, he heard the voice again. This time, clearer than the first.

'Salam alaikum', the voice called out. Damien was quiet. No one responded outside either. Damien tried deciphering who the voice belonged to. 'Salam alaikum', the voice called out again. Still no one responded. This time around though, the voice said some words that Damien didn't understand, but one word that stood out was 'Abinchi'. 'Food', Damien thought.

Damien got up and knocked on the iron door, thrice. He waited. Everywhere was silent. He listened for sounds outside the cell and didn't hear any footsteps receding, so definitely the person was still standing there. 'Please open this door', Damien thought silently.

After several seconds, Damien heard a sound outside the cell. He heard the sound of a tray being gently placed on the floor.

He smiled inwardly. Suddenly, he heard the sound of bolts of the iron door coming off. Some seconds later the door was thrown open and a young man walked in with a tray with food on it.

Damien was standing behind the door. Some rays of light shone in through the door. The young man didn't see Damien, so he dropped the tray quietly.

The man was about turning around when Damien swiftly came behind him and encircled his arm around his neck, with the man's trachea at the crook of his elbow. His left hand then grasped his own upper right arm, gradually choking the man. The man thrashed and bucked, but Damien did not relent. He held on.

After several seconds, the man was still. Damien set him on the floor and checked for his pulse. He felt it faintly. The man was not dead. He quickly took off the man's attire together with his turban and put it on. He tied the man's hands and legs with his clothes and gagged him.

After positioning the turban properly around his head, he opened the door, walked out of the cell and bolted it back.

He looked around and noticed that there were no guards around. He didn't wait around to find out where they were as he took the nearest path into the forest....

T.B.C

P.S: Ladies, guys, your 'comments', 'likes' or 'shares' are highly appreciated...

Lest I forget, lemme say big thanks to those that dropped their comments, clicked 'like' or 'share' on updates. And to new readers, you are highly welcomed. Time would fail me if I start mentioning names, but trust me, you guys are noticed.

Merikims, if I catch you ehn...

Contd.

Mustapha and the two other men wasted no time in burying the man. By the time they got back, it was already getting dark. Mustapha was on sentry duty and he remembered he was already late in giving back information to his superiors.

He had to scout the entire area and note their vulnerable points, but it wasn't going to be easy. He knew he had to be careful because he didn't know how far Al-Zawari's rein held. He had to make sure that the information he passed out couldn't be traced back to him. He suspected Superintendent Ridwan. 'No one knew I was in this camp till I spoke with him. How is that even possible?', he thought.

He made a mental note not to speak with anyone else except his original handler who he trusted.

He went to the dining stall and had his meal before reporting for duty.

The Taliban camp had various security details. Some of them were placed in stationary positions while some roamed and Mustapha made sure he was placed on the roaming detail because he needed to go around that night.

About an hour later, he had completed a round and gotten all the information he needed.

He walked into the dark forest and after taking all necessary precautions, he got to the point where he placed his box. He looked ahead and imagined seeing the man he killed earlier lying under the leaves he used in covering him.

He later cleared the grasses covering the box and brought out the phone. He connected the device and after waiting for some seconds, he heard two beeps and a voice came on.

"You are late..."

He noticed it was Supt. Ridwan's voice.

"I want to speak with Inspector Ajala..."

"He isn't around at the moment. What's happening?"

"I'm sorry sir, but it appears this operation has been compromised..."

"Compromised how?"

"There's a mole giving information to Al-Zawari... My name was mentioned..."

"This is ludicrous! How's that even possible?"

"I should be asking you sir... I narrowly escaped it."

"Hope you are fine..."

"I am sir..."

Mustapha went on to give him details of the feasibility studies he carried out and Supt. Ridwan promised to find out how Al-Zawari was getting his information. He informed Mustapha that the incursion into the camp was going to be by 0600hrs the next day.

He ended the call and was about placing the device back into the box when he heard the alarm blaring. 'What is it this time?', he wondered.

T.B.C later guys, ladies...

Dedicated to oghenekome51

Contd.

The door was opened and Mustapha walked out into the sunlight. He walked to the dining stall and requested for food to eat. He had just began eating when two of Al-Zawari's lieutenants walked up to the table and stood before him. 'Al-Zawari wants to see you now', one of them said. 'I'll go to him when I'm through', Mustapha replied. 'He said now!, the second lieutenant said. Mustapha looked up at them and was shocked. He washed his hands, got up, and went with them.

On the way to the command centre, Mustapha looked at the faces of the two men walking beside him, trying to decipher what could be wrong, but their faces didn't betray any emotions. 'That's how they always look', he muttered and shrugged.

After walking for some minutes, they got to the command centre. Mustapha walked in, and the two men walked in with him.

Mustapha was surprised when he walked into the command centre. The command centre was usually busy with activities of men in different groups. But this time around, everywhere was relatively quiet. Some of the desks and the chairs had been cleared, and most of the men were standing on opposite sides of the wall. Right at the head of the file was Al-Zawari. He sat on a chair behind a desk right in the front of the entrance to his office. Mustapha saw a man kneeling in front of the desk.

He was still wondering what was happening when Al-Zawari nodded towards his two lieutenants and they went to stand behind him. He took a position beside a man standing close to where the man knelt down.

'Welcome', Al-Zawari said while standing up from the chair and spreading his palm towards all his men.

Mustapha looked around trying to understand what was happening. All the men around him wore a frown on their faces. No one said a word.

'Some of you know why we are here' Al-Zawari began, 'but for those that don't know, it's quite sad to know that there is a traitor among us.'

Some of the men began murmuring and looking at each other and at the man that knelt down before them.

'Quiet!', Al-Zawari screamed, and the room was quiet once again.

'We infiltrate others! No one, I repeat, no one infiltrates us!!', he boomed.

'And if anyone has that guts to try it, that person must have known the consequences beforehand.'

All the men stood in awe as Al-Zawari continued speaking.

'I just got the information that we have an undercover police officer among us...'

The men in the room began murmuring words to each other and looking towards the man on the floor.

'This man', Al-Zawari said pointing at the man on his knees, 'is a traitor.'

'And what do we do to traitors??', Al-Zawari boomed.

'Kashe! Kashe!! Kashe!!!', some men chanted.

The men continued chanting, but Al-Zawari spread his palms once again, indicating that they calm down. Everywhere was quiet once again.

Mustapha looked at the man that knelt down on the floor. His face was bruised and swollen from obvious beating. He knew him. He even knew his name. He wondered if he was really an undercover police officer. He never knew anyone one else would have the guts to infiltrate the Taliban camp. Then it struck him. He was shocked as he thought about it.

The man on the floor was his namesake. He knew that, but no one else knew. Everyone in the camp was known by just one name and he was known by his other name, Danladi. No one knew him as Mustapha. But the man on his knees was known as Mustapha.

This was a case of mistaken identity. 'How did Al-Zawari get this information?!', he wondered. He was getting angry. 'There must be a mole supplying Al-Zawari with information', he thought. 'Why now?!', he wondered. He nearly screamed out in anger, but he controlled himself. He looked at the man and pitied him. He was sobbing now, trying to explain to Al-Zawari that he knew nothing of what he was accused of. His pleas fell on deaf ears.

He had been trying to tell them he wasn't a police officer, but no one listened. He had been tortured to reveal information he obviously didn't have, but he didn't bulge. He maintained he wasn't an undercover police officer.

'He is a terrorist', Mustapha said to himself, 'one less man to worry about', as he thought about the fate that awaited the man.

'You have one last chance to confess', Mustapha heard Al-Zawari say, 'else you would die.' The sobbing and pleading started once more.

So many thoughts were running through Mustapha's head.

"How the hell did Al-Zawari know about this?"

"Who would have told him??"

"Where could the leak possibly have come from??"

"I can't trust anyone anymore..."

"But I'll need backup..."

"How am I going to handle this?"

Mustapha was so lost in thought that he was oblivious to happenings around him.

The loud bang of a gun shot brought him back to his senses. He heard another bang. And another. Three shots all together.

Mustapha was shocked. He looked towards the man that was once on his knees, but he was now sprawled on the floor. Dead, with blood flowing down from his head.

'Danladi!', Al-Zawari called out. Mustapha responded as he heard Al-Zawari call two other persons. They were instructed to take the body out to be buried...

**Clears throat**
Hi ladies, guys... I'm back. So sorry for my unavoidable absence. Would update soon, still typing...

oghenekome51:
Bros weldone wella! Nice updates! More grease to ur elbow as well as strength to ur arm!

Ade vex for u sha, uno de acknowledge ur new guest!

Btwn, aunty merikims, y did u quote d whole update naw?

Awww... So sowie dear, no vex for me abeg... I just updated earlier and ran off to do other stuffs. I just even woke up now and read all this... Don't worry, the next update would be specially dedicated to you...

GoldenBelle:
Woah!!!!
Your writing technique is super!
no detail is ignored.
Your descriptive and narrative prose is just too good.
You are simply good and rare.
Am glad i came across these.

Wow! Thanks a bunch... iAppreciate!!

Missmossy:
Such an enthralling piece,kudos.

Thanks... iAppreciate!!

Blossom023:
Been following since day 1 but never read... So damn lazy.. Can someone please summarize it?

Erhhmm, lemme try... Mustapha killed Al-Zawari, Damien killed Mustapha (can't really remember why), Funmi killed Damien (for killing Musty)... Lemme know if you need this summarized too...

@ Hawlahscho, Zimoni, Geoxpress, Tijehi, Mekky05, Guntranno, Labaski, Merikims, Nawtiblayse, BeeBeeOoh, SexySapphire, Rich4god, virtuedagirl, abrahamsom, Ipheyemmy01, eunisam, Joenyam, Daholiest, Bidexmat, Nceedaga, kwencypresh, Ademoladeji, Naturehybrid, Saxwizard, lumzybo, Hfinest1 et al... You guys are awesome... I really appreciate y'all...

Your likes, shares and thoughts as the story unfolds would also be appreciated... Goodnight ladies, guys...

Contd.

Suddenly Mustapha heard a rustle of leaves behind him. He looked back and he was shocked.

Standing behind him was one of the men he saw earlier walking past him. The man's rifle was pointed at him. 'How the hell did he get here?', Mustapha thought.

'What are you doing there?', the man asked with a suspicious look on his face. Mustapha was silent. 'What do you have there with you?', the man asked again. Mustapha still kept mute.

Mustapha scanned around to see if there was any other person around. He didn't see anyone. He looked around carefully once more, but he still didn't see anyone. The man was alone. He wondered if he was trailed by the man or he was just there by happenstance.

Mustapha quickly figured out that the man might not have seen or heard him on the phone, else he would have raised an alarm. They had a particular way of whistling to attract attention or give signal of impending danger. He knew the man must have been trying to figure out what was happening because the phone was still with him and he caught the man taking short glances at the box which was slightly obscured by the dry grasses. He couldn't let the man leave the forest alive, else his cover would be blown.

The man was still staring at Mustapha while obviously waiting for the response to his questions. Mustapha knew that the best form of defense was to attack, but he couldn't attack him while his weapon was still pointed at him. He couldn't risk the sound of a gun going off as that could draw attention to him and all hell would be let loose.

'So you now trail someone when he wants to respond to the call of nature?', Mustapha asked with a frown on his face. 'Call of nature, huh?', the man asked with a scowl on his face. 'And what is that in your hand', he asked again while still waving his rifle toward the direction of Mustapha's hand.

'Oh, this?', Mustapha asked while withdrawing his hand from his back where he hid it, 'I just found this in a box here while I wanted to take a leak, and I was wondering who put it there. Is it for you?'

'Huh? Me? I have no idea what it is', the man replied with confusion written on his face.

'You are sure you didn't put it here? Then what are you doing out here?', Mustapha asked.

'I swear, I have no idea what this is. I didn't place it there', the man replied, his voice gradually rising.

'You placed this box here! This looks like a communication device. Who are you communicating with? Al-Zawari must hear this!', Mustapha shot back at him with a tone matching his.

The man mellowed. 'You say this looks like a communication device?', the man asked.

'It definitely is. Al-Zawari must see this', Mustapha responded.

The man lowered his rifle and crouched slightly to inspect the box.

Mustapha smiled inwardly. Reverse psychology was working. The man cleared the dry grasses on the top of the box and opened it. 'What the hell is this?', the man asked raising a component of the device.

Mustapha kept mute. He silently dipped his hand into the deep pockets of his danchiki and felt for his switch blade. He found it and clicked on a button, releasing it's blade.

The man still crouched beside the box while examining it's contents. Mustapha briskly went behind the man and bent over him with his right hand holding the switch blade across his throat and his left hand over his mouth. In one swift motion, he slit the man's throat, severing his cartoroid and jugular veins. The man tried letting out an outcry, but Mustapha's left hand over his mouth muted him.

Mustapha dropped him and watched as the man bucked and thrashed as blood gutted out of his throat to the ground. After a while the man went stiff. He was dead.

Mustapha looked around to see if anyone was lurking around. He didn't see anyone. He dragged the man some distance away from where he hid the box and covered him with some leaves. He erased the trail he left as he walked back to where the box was.

He placed the phone back into the box and place the box back in it's original position, after which he covered the box with some dry grasses.

He was about picking up his rifle which he dropped on the ground earlier when he discovered that his palms were stained with blood. He took sand from the ground and scrubbed his hands with it. His palms were no more bloodied, but they looked dirty.

He made a mental note to wash his hands immediately he got out of the forest.

As he walked out of the forest, he realized he was hungry. He lost his appetite earlier while eating, but now since he knew something was about to happen he knew he had to eat to gain strength. He was about going back to the dining stall when a thought occurred to him.

He remembered that he had been tasked to protect the hostages no matter what. He couldn't protect both of them at the same time. At least he saw Damien as one who could take care of himself. He had to look over the other one. Funmi.

Damien lay down on the mat in his cell when he heard someone talking to the guards outside the iron door. The voice sounded like one he had heard before. He had an exceptional memory and that allowed him recall images, sounds or objects in great detail after only brief exposure to them. He remembered the voice belonged to Mustapha, the undercover police officer.

'What he is here for by this time?', he thought. Suddenly the iron door opened and Mustapha walked in. Damien squinted briefly as rays of sunlight shone into the cell. Some seconds later the door was shut.

'How are you holding up?', Mustapha asked him in whispers as he crouched in front of him. 'Just there', Damien replied. 'Are there any plans for rescue?', he asked Mustapha. 'Plans are in motion and this would end soon', Mustapha replied.

Damien sat up, with his eyes wide open. 'Really?? What plans?', he asked. 'Don't worry about that', Mustapha replied, 'I've been charged to protect both of you by my superiors. But I can't at the same time. I'm sure you can handle yourself, so that I'll be free to protect Funmi fully.'

'Don't worry about me', Damien replied, 'just make sure she's fine.' 'Have you seen her?', he asked.

Mustapha shook his head. 'Defend yourself', he said as he got up and walked to the door.

The door was opened and Mustapha walked out into the sunlight. He walked to the dining stall and requested for food to eat. He had just began eating when two of Al-Zawari's lieutenants walked up to the table and stood before him. 'Al-Zawari wants to see you now', one of them said. 'I'll go to him when I'm through', Mustapha replied. 'He said now!, the second lieutenant said. Mustapha looked up at them and was shocked. He washed his hands, got up, and went with them...

So sorry ladies, guys, something just came up... Wouldn't be able to drop more updates tonight. Would continue tomorrow...

Goodnight.

@Merikims, **clears throat** she's not my girl friend... I'm not even her friend, yet... Still hoping to be...

Chapter Eleven

Deep within the Taliban camp, Mustapha Danladi was worried. He sat in the dining stall but he lost his appetite due to the events he feared were about to occur. Several hours before, the video had been transmitted and he wondered the kind of uproar it would have generated. So many thoughts ran through his head as he slowly tried to munch the food in his mouth.

"What if the government doesn't bulge in releasing the prisoners?..."

"Would the hostages really be beheaded?..."

"They obviously must have seen the video..."

"What plans are they making?..."

"Would there be any rescue operation?..."

"The charade of these terrorists have continued for far too long..."

"It has to stop!"

'I need to know what they are doing about this!', he muttered as he stamped his fists on the table in front of him.

He was shocked at the noise it made and he looked around to see if anyone noticed. He saw some men clustered in groups, some eating, some laughing at jokes being told and some polishing their weapons. He was unnoticed. He was alone.

He got up, picked up the rifle he placed on the table earlier and went out of the stall into the sun. The sun was biting really hard, so he squinted his eyes and adjusted his turban to prevent the sun from touching some parts of his face.

He looked around and noticed everyone was going about their normal activities. No one noticed him. He saw some men passing by with their rifles slung around their shoulders and he greeted them. They responded and continued their way.

It was midday and it was time for a change in shift. The men who were on morning duty were being replaced by those on afternoon duty. He was on night duty so he was free to do whatever he liked till it was night, except of course if there was an attack or any other emergency arose.

Mustapha walked some paces towards the end of the northern part of the clearing in the forest. He stopped to look behind him several times to know if anyone was following him. No one noticed. No one even cared. At least not until they were ordered to.

When he got to the end of the clearing which led to the path where he hid his box, he looked behind him to check if anyone concentrated their gaze on him. No one did. But he didn't want to take chances, so he slung his rifle over his shoulder and made the act of loosing the rope of his trousers.

He looked behind him, but no one still cared so he went into the forest with the thought that anyone who caught sight of him might think he was going to respond to the call of nature.

The marks he made on the trees leading to his hideout were made more visible only to him by the penetrating rays of sunlight through the top of the trees into the forest and it made locating the point easier. But he still didn't want to take any chances. After walking several paces, he bent down behind some shrubs, pretending he was taking a leak, while still looking around to know if anyone was watching or following him. He didn't see anyone so he got up and continued on his way.

When he got to the tree, he scanned around to see if anyone followed. He was satisfied no one did, so he crouched and moved the dry leaves he used in covering the small box containing the device. He opened the box, connected the device to the phone and pressed a button. He waited for several seconds before he heard a voice.

'Mustapha Danladi', the voice said.

He was shocked! That was not his handler's voice and he had never spoken to anyone except him. 'What the hell is happening?', he thought.

'Who is this?', he asked with frown on his face.

"This is Superintendent Ridwan. I'm sure you must have heard about me..."

"Yes sir..."

"You are on with Col. Coker, the DG of the State Security Services... What's the situation over there?"

"The situation here is dicey sir. I'm sure you must have seen the video."

"Yes we have. In fact we are currently in Mangali prepping for an incursion before the deadline."

"You are in Mangali right now?"

"Yes we are. How's the security situation over there? Vulnerable?"

"Can't say for now sir. Would have to carry out feasibility studies of all security stations to determine exact points of vulnerability."

"Noted. How are the hostages?"

"They were still holding up the last time I saw them..."

"Did you identify with them?"

"I did with the male..."

"Ok. Do all you can to make sure they are safe no matter what."

"I understand sir..."

"When do we hope to get the report?"

"In two hours sir..."

"Two hours? Make it an hour thirty minutes..."

"I'll do my best sir..."

Suddenly Mustapha heard a rustle of leaves behind him. He looked back and he was shocked....

Hawlahscho:
Bro, am waiting

For

@dioxidane......i dont av any name in mind....ur d writer( talented one in dis aspect). I believe u can come up wit somtin suitable[/quote]Na wa o... So can't help me out... Tor, baa kwomi...