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16

Ade kept turning to look at Jude but the gunmen urged him on until they entered another part of the camp. The gunmen directed them to a place to sleep, Lizzy chose a bed near him. He laid on the bed, facing the roof and imagining what would happen to Tunde. Why will they say he should not leave? They should have given them the right to choose if they wanted to stay back or not. Lizzy placed her hands on him after a long period of saying nothing. He shouldn’t have listened to her or her useless advice. They all would have looked for a way to pay Jude, not minding the pain they had to go through. Lizzy climbed down the bed and turned to the other side of the bed to face. She placed her hands on him and he flung it off.
'But I thought this what you wanted?' She said.
'What? What are you saying? I wanted this? How could I have wanted someone to hold my brother back? I thought...' He said and his voice faded as he tried to hold back his tears. He thought his brother would be returned. Now, he was the one leaving to Europe.
'You thought what?'
'I thought... He would be taken back. Deported. But here he is. God what have I done?' He mumbled and his voice began to break.
'So, you're saying it's my fault'.
'When did I say that?'
'You just did?'
'What? Me? When?'
'You flung my hands away'
'But I didn't even say anything when I did. Have I even said anything about you?'
'You transferred the aggression at me and that could only mean one thing'.
'That...?'
'I'm the cause'.
'No...'
'Leave me', she said and climbed back to her side of the bed.
'On a second thought', Ade said as he stared at her back that was turned to him. 'It's your fault. Your freaky fault. You should have allowed me pay the money'.
'And?'
'Pay for both us. What foolish 'and' are you adding to the sentence? What's 'and''
'And you too would have been there if we didn't betray your brother. You would have been among them. You're at fault'.
Ade stared at her as he panted horribly with the hope of not hurting her. 'It was your fault. It was your fault. You shouldn't have betrayed us', Ade shouted at her and didn't mind that people hissed or murmured.
'Me, betrayed you? You're drunk. You need to take fermented crayfish...'
He hissed and slumped on the bed. Cecilia refused to sit near them. Instead, she continued crying into her bed. She was probably crying because of Tunde too and he felt for her. He had been hoping for a chance with her since her brother refused her but now he needed to console himself first. He wondered why Tunde refused her offer too. She had been ready to give them all they needed.
The next morning, Cecilia cornered him on his way from the bathroom. He paused in his track at the sight of the ferocious look on her face, which was swolen and red at this time.
‘You’re not a brother. You are a snake’, she shouted.
His mind went to all the things Tunde had ever done for him and he could only stare at the floor.
‘I can never believe it’, she siad. ‘You...’
‘All of una, it’s time to talk’, Jude called at the other end of the passage. Cecilia stared at him for a while and the venom in her eyes made him feel like hiding under the rock for his transgressions. Tears streamed down her eyes.
‘You are not a brother’, she cried just the same time a slim lady walked by. Cecilia pushed the lady aside and walked off. Ade gestured for the lady to forget it.
When they all gathered in the big room, Jude had changed from his barely haggard look to a more sophisticated one. He greeted them and thanked them for their patience.
‘We will leave in the night’, Jude announced. ‘I have been able to create a connection. You will be pushed tonight'.
They all responded positively. Many of them were jubilant and they rushed off to prepare for the night. Ade couldn’t help but wish he hadn’t been the cause of the gloomy face Cecilia carried throughout the time he saw her. He refused to talk to Lizzy, who also looked angry most of the night. At night, they all filed out after Jude called out to them. Ade looked stunned at the number of people they met at the port. Many of them were talking rapidly and excitedly but some were just looking aloof and didn’t mingle with others. Cecilia was like that and she sneered at one of the men that tried to make an acquaintance of her. The sea itself looked calm and Ade wished he had such peace in his mind but that would never be the case again until Tunde probably forgave him. With the number of people waiting for them, he was sure they would be expecting close to four ships. Well, they would likely board five ships.
However, some people pulled three large boats towards them and that made his heart thump in fear. Nothing could have scared anyone like it did Ade that moment. There should have been a better way of dealing with the issue on ground. Now, the way things were, they all couldn’t stop shouting, making ludicrous claims, and threats that Ade wasn’t sure could have effect anymore.
'But...These are boats', Ade muttered at last.
One of the men in charge of the boats shot thrice into the air. Ade covered his head as he could feel the heat of fear in his mouth. Everything in him expanded as he looked about fearfully. No one was hurt. They all protected their head with their hands as if their hands were bulletproof vests.
'Listen, carefully, Jude yelled. 'This is the only boat we're pushing this month. We only have one of these boats. You have to know if you'll stay. If you'll stay with us, no talking to one another. No voice. If the authority hears your voice across the sea, we're all dead. So dead. So, climb in’.
People protested and called for his head but it was a fruitless effort. After much rants, the gunmen began to direct everyone towards the boats. They were filled in their numbers. Ade sat among women that had just their bags. The light from the big lamp the gunmen held did the job of helping him see clearly in the dark. Cecilia sat far from them and didn’t stop crying silently. Ade wondered why she took Tunde’s matter that serious. Although they didn’t connect for a long time, he understood the feeling she had. But what he couldn’t deal with was the continuous tears that flowed from her eyes.
One of the men beside her yelled and when he raised it into the light, a finger was sliced off. He wriggled and gasped for breath, pointing at her. Jude’s men became infuriated. They rushed towards them.
‘What happened’, Jude screamed at the side of the blood. The injured man kept wailing and calling her horrible names. She gave them an icy look.
‘Why?’ Jude yelled again as he covered the man’s mouth. They dragged him off the boat. Jude faced Cecilia, ‘what did you do?’
‘He had been grabbing my ass all these while’, she replied blandly. Jude swallowed hard and pointed a shaky finger at her. She pointed a knife at him and blood dripped from it. Jude withdrew from her, making Ade feel a dread in the spine. They dragged the maimed man off the boat despite his protest to be left in the boar. The men continually ordered people into the boat. By this time, the men around Cecilia had changed position with some other people. Even at that, people were too scared to sit near her.
After what seemed like hours, the engine roared to life. The men reduced the noise and the boats moved on at a great speed. However, as their jouney continued, someone kept fiddling with something in the engine that made its voice reduce intermittently. The worse thing to do in the world was to seat quietly. Ade felt horrible that he would keep quiet to stay safe. Despite their differences, Lizzy laid her head on his chest. He shoved it off. She pushed her head on his chest and he tried to tear it away.
'Leave me', she murmured and wrapped her hands around him. Cecilia stared at him with cold eyes and he could feel fear in his guts.
Their boat kept moving silently until they got to a point that a storm started rearing its ugly head. As if its wheel were engineered, the wind increased and circled them in such a way that would assume the Italian government built it to prevent people from entering their country.
They all screamed following the swaying of the boat. Ade feared it would capsize. Jude climbed through the stuffed passengers alongside his men. The night made his huge body look monstrous.
'Bags', someone shouted from the front. Jude turned and clasped his megaphone to the mouth.
‘Everybody, throw off your bag’.
Cecilia opened her bag and began to put things in different parts of her body. He couldn’t see the things well but his fear made him stare at her actions more than his need to keep something s to himself. She had been staring at him angrily. His fear at that moment was that she would attack him the way she did the man. When one of the gun men got near her, she threw the bag away. Ade couldn't shake the feeling about her. Yet, the boat kept swinging and people were trying hard to keep quiet. Ade could only grit as he held on to the edge of the boat with the weight of Lizzy on him.
'Boss. Now', one of the gunmen shouted.
'Now?'
'We're dying'.
Jude rubbed his face and picked a man. The man, perplexed, stared at him. Jude shook his head and pushed him into the sea, making the man, as well as the people around, shout.
‘Shut up’, the gunmen screamed.
Lizzy whimpered into the shaky body of Ade.
'Call Italy', Jude yelled at the men.
'More', shouted the person that initiated the idea of people being thrown off the boat. The same noise came from the other boats around. Jude began to look around and point at people. The gun men picked the people and jettisoned them.
Ade wished, at this point, that he hadn't left home. He wished he didn’t steal the money to escape. He could have done better. Everyone was definitely shaking. The ones that weren't showing their fear soon began to have themselves in the sea. Yet, the boat kept rocking from side to side.
'They said people are on the way, but Libya is near', someone called out to Jude.
'Libya? Don't call Libya. Italy'.
The night drew colder and darker yet the boisterousness of the sea kept nagging at them. Suddenly, they saw a ship heading their way from afar.
‘I see something’ the person at the front shouted.
'Get ready. Keep your gun. Don't do something stupid', Jude yelled at his men.
The men hid their gun and that gave the people a reason to shout for help. A boat became visible and sailed towards them. Then, the number of the boats increased. When they stopped near them, they also had gunmen, who looked ferocious. They had several very large halogen lamp that showed everyone's face.
'Thank you for heeding our call', Jude called and clambered towards the man that looked like their leader. The man slapped Jude’s hand away and smiled.
'We're not here to help you. We're not the Italy rescue. We're business men'.
Jude understood what the man meant and jumped into the sea, but if he had any hope of living again, it was soon disannulled by one of their invaders. The man shot into the water and Jude's men shouted in surprise. Some of them aimed for their guns but were either shot dead or injured by the people their invaders.
They climbed excitedly linked their boats to those of the fearful people. They did the same thing to the several boats surrounding them. The leaders of the invaders looked about and soon shouted, 'all the fine girls come out. You have work to do in Italy'.
Soon enough, their boats were linked to other boats. They barked orders at them and led the women and the children into their own boats. Lizzy screamed as one of the new gunmen dragged her out of the place she hid. Ade grabbed her arm even as she did the same. The gunman stopped pulling her and pointed the gun at Ade. Seeing this, they released each other. Cecilia looked about and jumped at the slim lady that passed their side the other time.
‘Leave me’, the slim lady shouted.
‘You can’t get me’, Cecilia shrieked and they fought hard. The gunmen were too stunned to react. She pushed the lady into the sea and held her there for a while. One of the gunmen reacted to the fight and clambered towards Cecilia to pull her back. He did so successfully after hitting her with the butt of the gun. That did the job because Cecilia became weak for a while. The slim lady fought her way out of the sea and rocked the boat trying to climb it. However, things changed for the worse, Cecilia recuperated very fast and she kicked the knee of the gunman. He yelled his horror but couldn’t fight back before she hit him on the chin with her elbow and long at the slim lady.
She pulled a knife from a part of her clothes and repeatedly stabbed the slim lady as she shouted, 'you're a woman and can't catch me'.
Another gunman was by her side in no minute and pulled her off the dead slim lady. With a final fight, she kicked the body into the sea. The man pulled her away. She shrieked but didn’t fight back even as he fell and stood up quickly. She rose hurriedly too, spun round and raised her hands with a big bright smile. ‘I’m okay. It’s okay. We’re okay’.
The gunmen dragged her away towards their own boat. Then, they removed the engine of the boat. Afterwards, they rowed away. The darkness was the only thing left to soothe them. Even the wind seemed to have hidden amidst the fading roars of the ship. Ade looked about as he became apprehensive. The truth had finally dawned on him- he was alone in the world. He would die alone, with the knowledge that he had betrayed his brother.
The boat rocked as the men in their various ships cried for help. They couldn’t go far because for some odd reason, the wind had begun to build momentum. Even the clouds had gathered to make the moon look jaded. Ade joined the men in the fruitless call for help. After a while, he realized the uselessness of their actions and slumped into the woods of the boat. He cried for a while and soon most of the men couldn’t help but join him in becoming silent. Many of the men looked about the boat for something to row the bow but they came out empty. Ade could only stare into the darkness. At least, the heavenly bodies should have been there to wish them goodbye. But the cloud over them couldn’t make him see them.
What would Tunde have done? He thought.
'Guys', Ade shouted. 'Get your shoes and begin to paddle. Till we die'
He couldn’t say if they heeded his call but he removed his own boots and used them to paddle. The boat waddled a bit and that geared the men into bidding his command. They hurried towards paddling but were too gruff to do so smoothly, which consequently made the boat tremble and shoved them to a side of the boat. The men in the other boats yelled and that aggravated the issue because Ade’s boat became unbalanced. Ade dragged the nearest thing to him, which was a man. They both fell into the coldness of the sea, making Ade cry and gargle from the salty taste of the sea. The touch of the sea water on his skin burnt into his pore. He gurgled in the water and fought his way back to the boat but the falling men made matter worse.
After splashing about in the water for a while, he finally got a hold of the boat. By this time, his body felt as if the sea water wanted to peel off his skin. He yelled and held onto the shaky boat. The wind shook through the water and sent ice into his eyes. They stung him into crying and shedding tears. Men wailed around him like babies but they held on.
Nothing else mattered at that point. The wish to get to Europe couldn’t be met and he should have read the signs and stayed back. Emeka’s death pointed him in the direction of death. Now, he couldn’t even enjoy the hardship of Nigeria. All that remained was death.
At that point, a ship blared its horn. They cried, ‘help’.
This little action made him slip off the only hold he had of the boat and plunged him into the sea. He fought his way back to the boat but others had gotten there first. He pulled at them but they were adamant, kicking wildly at him. In a few minute, he was losing his breathe.
The water grew on and on as he sank deeper. With his hands flying amidst the sea, he fought through the waves that had increased but it was a futile effort. He sank and lost consciousness.
He woke later in a boat of Italy officials and they asked for his paper. Though tired, he fished out his passport from his pocket. Wet and sticky, the paper flapped in the hand of the officer assigned to him, who shook his head.
‘This paper is fake’.
Ade swallowed hard. He couldn’t believe it. ‘They gave me for this travel’.
‘You are… These papers are fake’.

skubido:
Front page tinz,

Yesooo

Rockyrascal:
Wow every piece of this story, every line, every chapter was/is worth reading. I love the attributes you constantly reminded your readers about the main characters.

From tunde's persistent coughing, Ade's love for Tuface being his favourite artiste to emeka's wise quotes!

The robbery scene created quite an emotional moment for me while reading, and I love every humour that made your readers relate to this interesting story "my people say... Please forget what your people say" tunde retorted! I can totally relate to this line

Divepen you are a genius! I hope you would be posting more chapters here, or is there any alternative source where I can read the full story?

Wow.. wow.. Thanks. Yes, there's an update...Now

westernized:
Divepen1 Good one boss, I av finally become a retired ghost reader on nairaland after 1 and half days, I must applaud you for your style of writing. It feels so real and quite enchanting too. More ink to your pen boss.

. Thanks a lot. .

jaydave226:
The story line is captivating right from the beginning,your choice of words are good-very insightful... Good job

Thank you, graciasss...

Ann2012:
Hmmmmm, it's well
Thanks for the update

You're welcome...

Rockyrascal:
saved for offline reading....story seems interesting

Drop your comment when you're done.

MichaelBlake40:
Interesting story

Thanks...

skubido:
Chai, nawa ooo

Tanks for the update

You're so welcome...

dimssy:
Dear Divepen1,

Sure this mail meets you well.

On behalf of friends, well-wishers, readers, commenters, ghost readers, farmzers, family, colleagues, haters, nairalanders, Uites and others, I humbly request you start the second part of this great story.

However, if you hae started or completed already, kindly send the link to the story here.

Much regards,
Me.

Cc: queenitee
Bcc: IRALIFE

Patience sir. I fear for the next mysteries to be told from it.

germaphobe:
divepen, one day i will surely sue you for being such a good writter, how can someone be this good and hide behind nairaland all this time.

Wawu. I'm short of words. Thanks a lot for the kind words...

germaphobe:
why won't i cry, call it a novel, a fiction or what ever you want, but tell me, just tell me why won't i cry when it feels so real. Tunde!!!

Well, that's really what many of those still in Libya face.

Streetmade:
chai,divepen you are too good thanks for the update

Thanks. I hope you give the next Novel a better rating than this...

skubido:
Tanks for the update

You're welcome boss...

germaphobe:
"agreed with himself that he had been among pretenders all these while". I'm feeling for tunde, that his thought is so so real to me.

We all do bro...

15

Ade, Lizzy and Cecilia joked despite being tired on the way. They spent the rest of the night on the way, with most of them exhausting the water with them. By the middle of the next day, the boy whose mother had been making him suck her breast began to cry for water. Everyone relayed how piteous the situation was. They wished they could help her. Tunde grabbed his bottle of water and Cecilia edged nearer.
'You don't want to save that boy's life at the expense of your brother. We have one bottle left and I can't let you go when I still need you and well… Still love you'.
Tunde gritted and held himself. The woman with the child kept pleading for water for her child. But everyone had drained their water. Normally, Tunde shouldn’t be afraid of her, but the thought of the fact that she had killed six people without batting an eyelid made him know she was to be feared.
When no gave the woman water, she banged the side of the van. They were all bereft of food and water, which was glaring. She got no response and that made her bang the door erratically. Jude and Leo stormed out of the van to talk some senses into the head of the person that banged the van. When they saw her and heard her plight, Jude understood her plight, 'we will reach there soon. Leo, give him small water from the carburetor'.
Some people exclaimed. Jude was infuriated by their noises.
'Which should I give him? Your urine or water from the carburetor'.
'Carburetor', the woman shouted and ran after Jude with a bottle she grabbed from the van. Tunde wished he could warn Ade before he and Lizzy fell into her trap. At least, Lizzy was clingy and loved sex. She would have a reason to hold Ade down from trying to flirt with Cecilia.
He saw many men staring at her and wished for their sakes that they were looking away. One of them kept staring at her and he smiled at Tunde, after he caught him looking at her.
'She is taken', Tunde shouted at him and gave him a look that showed that he would do anything to make sure she didn't get a chance to even talk to him. She waved at the man and moved near Tunde.
'What are you trying to do? You're putting Ade's life at risk. Don't you dare pursue these evil men away from me. I'm their nemesis'.
He refused to answer her even after they got to the gate that bordered the Sahara Desert from Libya. Jude bribed his way into the country and in a short while, they were in the country. They were driven to a camp. There, they met a lot of people. They all rested there and were given sumptuous meals. Tunde sat aloof and didn't try to move near of them. Ade didn't care about him as he snuggled away with Lizzy. Tunde was disappointed in Cecilia and tried to sit away from her as far as possible. It was better to be with people he didn't know than to with the ones that he assumed were his people.
Ade too had become exceptionally silent. Probably from tiredness, but Tunde could help relating that reactions the others he had seen in people. He only saw that reaction in people when they have done something bad. Even if he had done something that Ade felt he should guilty of, they were there in Libya already and that proved that they were free from any trouble on the way. The only trouble they should be wary of was Cecilia.
After a while, Jude came and directed them towards a compound. They all gathered at a large room that would have fit a modern day sitting room. When a young rotund lady, wearing her skinny blue jeans and a red top, served them food alongside a thin one with a glaring waist bead, Tunde watched Ade from the corner of his eyes while Cecilia stood between he and Ade.
'Tunde, can we talk?' Ade said. 'It's important'.
Cecilia looked from Ade to Tunde, smiled and moved back. She carried her food and walked on with her hand now dipped into the bag. Tunde rubbed his nose, looking at anything or anyone that could stop them but she was at a vantage point. The slim lady edged towards her. Tunde seized the moment.
'Ade, you need to be careful. C…'
At that moment, Cecilia walked past the slim lady and threw her food away. She moved off to another side with her bag in her hand. The slim lady stared at her for a while and seemed to have come off short of words. Tunde knew Ade's life was in danger because of him.
'I'm tired. Can we make it another time?' Tunde said and walked away, leaving Ade confused. They were given some flat worn-out foams to sleep and like before, they were to sleep two-two in a room. As much as he tried, she wouldn't leave his side until Jude called her away. But she ensured he was within her view. Not minding her threats, Tunde picked a foam and entered the room that was opposite the one they carried the foams from, seeing that it was empty. A guy dragged one into the room but went out immediately. Cecilia came in a while later, dragging hers and placing it on the bed.
Tunde used some of his clothes as bedsheet and slumped into the bed. She smiled at him and made tongue at him.
The guy that brought his foam the other time entered, went near her and tapped her. 'That bed is taken'.
'You should have brought your family's bed here. When there are other beds around, get a life and get out'.
He wanted to say more but she shouted him down. 'Are you gay? Don't you see this is my man?' The guy looked about, sighed, took his leave, fuming but making no audible comments. Tunde could only stare at the ceiling as others left the room for them. The place Jude brought them was massive. The compound could contain thousands of people and if they decide to pick a room each, they will all get one. After a while, she tried to touch him, he smacked her hands away.
She was relentless. Searching for a major weak spot, she caressed him but he flung her hands away and hissed. She rose and went off to lock the door of the room and sat on him.
He grumbled as he said between clenched teeth. 'Don't you dare'.
'You have no choice. You'll obey me come hell or high waters and to be clear I'm the hell and high waters'.
Tunde turned from her and she left her bed and rammed herself in front of him. She held him and did all sort of things to him. She kissed him and when he raised his hands, she shook her head. 'Your brother'.
'Get a life. Get another man'.
He refused to heed to her cravings and that made her burst into tears but he looked away. He wasn't one that would be blackmailed by someone's emotion. He had read a lot of books and knew silence was the only thing that could work.
She sniffed and whispered. ' I love you. I still do. My father was the worse of men. I had no choice than to kill him because he always wanted to rape me. I had no choice. The sweetest part was that watching those men die gives me joy. I know one less evil is gone. I don't kill random men. I kill men that are known to be rapist or perverts'.
That got to Tunde. 'You'll kill all the men in the world because they were pervert at one point or the other. I don't love you. I never did. I can never love any woman in my life. I'm gay'.
She stared at him, sniffed and laughed loudly. 'You, gay? Stop deceiving yourself. I've seen the way the brother under always rises whenever you see me. It means you're attracted to me but had learnt to hold yourself even the day I was drunk'.
He nodded and swallowed hard. Maybe he loved her. Maybe he didn't. But he came to realize that she knew just how to make him talk and that was something he would avoid hence. He felt bad for all the things he had lost because of going to Europe.
He had lost his family, almost lost Ade, lost his respect by exchanging words with Lizzy, lost his freedom by being loved by a serial killer. He was lost.
She began to battle with his belt but he wrestled it out of her hand.

'This is your last chance, I'll go out, kill Ade, Lizzy, and that slim lady and leave this camp'.
Tunde stared at her. They showed how resolute she was. He didn't want to play to chance so he rested back in the bed. She unloosed his bed and used it to tie him to the bed. He gritted when she used clothes from the bed to tie him there.
'Want me', she murmured as she played with his trousers but he wasn't ready to look at her. She stopped and stared at him and burst into tears.
'What's wrong with you, Tunde', she wept. 'Do you want me to rape you?'
'It's the only style you understand. Go on with it'.
This statement rattled her that she cried the more and move to the other bed. She cried for a long while then tied him well, then returned to bed. They slept off. When she woke, she woke him and took him wherever she went. It was glaring that she was sad because she too like Tunde made no jokes.
Ade also was too quiet for Tunde. Only Lizzy was chatty as she kept provoking wry smiles from Ade. They were there for another three days and that got most people worried, especially Tunde because he felt he would get the chance to lose Cecilia once they got to Italy. However, the fourth day, things happened beyond his reasoning. It started with the blaring of a horn. Then, a husky voice shouted into a mega phone,' everybody, come out'.
Some men with guns came into the rooms and led people to a large room. They surrounded the room and Tunde swallowed hard as he could feel fear in his mouth.
'Stand up', a hefty man shouted. 'All of you. This is Jude's connection house. Here, no one. I mean no one, not even Jude, has a say over who and who will cross the border. I'm the general in charge and what I say, happens. That's why many of you should have made proper deal with him'.
He brought out a piece of paper and despite the light that hanged above them, he asked someone to point a torchlight. They began to call names.

Tunde anticipated the call of his name. And when they got to Ade, and skipped him he glanced at
Ade. But Ade wasn't looking at him; instead, he was staring at the ground. Cecilia hobbled on to
him, but he brushed her hands away.
When General finished calling their names, it dawned on Tunde that he had just witnessed a foul
play.
He spun towards Ade. 'Ade, what happened to the money?'
Ade sighed and looked at him like someone that was failing at being strong. 'You'll be given the
remaining one hundred and ninety thousand and you'll return home. It will help you'.
'Return home?' Tunde and Jude exclaimed.
Tunde's mind quickly raced through the journey and trouble he would face. He placed his hands
on his head and slumped to the ground. General and Jude rushed to his side and poured water on
him.
'I'm alive. I'm just...I've been betrayed'.
'Sorry, he will get revenged', Jude said with a mocking smile.
'Yes. But please don't let me return'.
'Of course, you're not returning. The remaining one of you are being...Erm...Transported to a point that you would work until you have the money. Europe is the goal'.
'That seems good', Tunde said and that made General laughed
'This boy is a fool. You're in for trouble. Work that will make you wish you never came to Libya without completing your money. Works that will make you wish death was on your speed dial', Jude said. 'That's what you Nigerians did to my wife too. And my sister. At least, I'm better than the people who brought them'.
'That wasn't the plan', Ade shouted.
'Will you like to join them?' Jude said and gestured for his men to lead them away.
'A minute', Cecilia said and she ran to Tunde. One of the gun men tried to pull her off, but she slapped his hand away.
'Let her be', Jude said.
'Let me help you', Cecilia said. 'I'm rich. I have a lot of wealth'.
'No. I'd rather die'.
She heaved as if she had suddenly become possessed by Leviathan himself. 'I'd be with Ade'.
Tunde shrugged and shook his head. 'Be with him. Sleep with him. Kill him. If you even do, I'll love to watch it. Try to send his heart to me. You can do anything you want'.
'Tunde, don't do this', Cecilia and tears flooded down her face.
'Come and take her away', Tunde shouted as he drew away. He returned a corner of the room and stared at the empty space until the men were gone. Then, he burst into tears. He never believed Ade could betray him in such a way.

14


The next day met them expectant of a vehicle like the previous day, till the night. And Tunde wished he could die before the day ended to avoid looking at Cecilia. At some point, she pulled him back till everyone had gone ahead of them. Sticking her gun in his back, she made him drink the remaining half bottle of the one she drank. Ade trudged back to see if all was alright and Tunde had to adjust.
Yet, he felt bad when he watched the remaining people falling weakly and he had to pretend to be weak to avoid suspicions and losing Ade's life. However, their adrenaline made them feel strengthened when they saw the headlights of a van. With much joy, they all set to work especially as the moon refused to shine its light over them.
The person that was chosen for the part of delaying the van, removed his cloth and began to wave. Apparently, they were weak themselves so it was easy to deceive this people. They heard a lot of noise from on-coming as the driver seemed desperate to increase his speed. The passengers made noises that showed that he couldn't possibly leave the weak people behind. When the car slowed down in front of them, someone was shouting 'we don't have anything left'.
Another person argued fiercely. 'To save two people. You're callous. Wicked and from the end of the world'.
The driver and some people jumped down. They were still arguing and tried to help the fallen men.
'Everyone, get on the ground', Pastor screamed and shot into the air. Many of them jumped down from the van and laid flat on the floor. Jude had told them how he couldn't show his face in case the driver lived.
Following the queue, those among Jude's team with the guns shot into the air and shouted instructions.
'Everyone enter the van', Pastor shouted. Every of their team members ran into the van. Soon, they were on their way. As they drove off, they searched the bags for anything to drink. The water bottle in the bags weren’t much, but Pastor was able to share it among them. Pastor encouraged them to throw the bags out so that the people too would get enough comfort.
Tunde felt he was somewhere else but Cecilia held him as she had been doing before his discovery, making it look as if all was alright. Once-in-a-while, she would look down at him and wink. He would glare at her then glance at the slim lady. Then, he looked at Pastor and agreed with himself that he had been among pretenders all these while. At least, Ade wouldn’t betray him. That was the only hope that rang in his mind as their van drove off.

queenitee:
It is
B....b.... bu.......but I thought Cecilia is a gentle girl

So it seems.

dammyd46:
wow...... short of words..

Happy it has that effect...

moseph:
nice one divepen

Thanks. ...

germaphobe:
bloody malachy, i thought she was actually an emotional person, not knowing she can kill and unkill. Tunde don finally enter. I used to hate that tunde character but he's now my main man

Me too oo. Until it happened Let's pray for Tunde...

skubido:
Tanks for the update

You're so welcome...


Hope you weren't crushing over Cecilia

Ann2012:
Thanks for the update

Thanks too..

13
Tunde couldn't take his mind off what just happened even as they rested.
'We will die', Pastor shouted. 'But what will be our end? Where will we spend the rest of our lives?
We need God. Where do you want to spend eternity? I want to spend it in the kingdom of God. Where will you spend yours?'
'Guy', Ade shouted. 'Ask Google'.
‘Leave him’, Lizzy said and turned to Pastor.’ You're calling us sinners'.
'No. I d....'
'Forget it. You're the worst of all sinners. Hypocrite. He is going to the place with us. If you're not aware, Pastor Heaven, we've paid bribe on the way and we will pay more. We will be smuggled into the river and smuggled to Europe. We are sinners’, Lizzy shouted.
'For God so...'
'Forget all these and conserve your energy’, Jude advised but Pastor didn’t stop.
When the night came, everyone rose to leave again. On their way, they got to a stream of dirty water. How the water got there they couldn’t tell, but Ade was the first to bend over the stream and begin to suck water. Many of them filled their bottles with the hope that the sands would settle and leave them with clean bottle of water. One of them, whom many called Jaguar, rose and wailed.
They rushed to him and tried to help him, while he pointed to a scorpion that raised its sting as if
it was ready for the others. Some of the men among them, who had been looking for someone to lash out, went after the scorpion and trashed it as if it was its fault that their van broke down on the way. Although Jaguar didn't dead, he was feverish. One of the ladies kept tending to his wound as he kept crying like a baby.
'We have to go', Jude said
'Ah!'
'Yes. We have to go or we will be in trouble. We will die soon'.
Jaguar kept crying like a baby. Everyone was too weak to help him. Jude stopped near him and sighed despondently. Jaguar got his message and wailed. Some people hugged him and left some clothes, as that was the only thing they could leave with him. They spent another day on the road, with Tunde trying to get over the death of the people he had encountered on the way and the evil he had seen on the way.
He wondered how the other guy could have fallen without him being aware alongside the other lady, how the other guy could have strangled his friend to death and they all could have been callous to leave the Jaguar. They were taught from childhood that people were evil and good. Now, he was thinking otherwise. Everyone was surviving.
As they began the next day’s journey, Tunde refused to eat because he had no water to quell his thirst. However, Ade cried that he couldn’t take it anymore. He searched his bag, brought out the last piece of bread with him. The bread looked drained of anything liquid that could have been in it. Lizzy nodded tiredly and rested on him, watching him munch the bread.
He heaved heavily and sat in the sun, relieved. He felt compelled to eat more and the way he did it attracted Tunde but he held his calm. Nothing would make him eat without water. They kept at their journey. The woman with the blood became forced to breastfeed her son, despite the pain it caused her and that he was old. Some hours into the night, Ade began to choke. He grabbed his neck and screamed for help. Tired though, Tunde, Lizzy and Cecilia ran to help him.
Not knowing where the energy came from, Tunde rushed under him and placed Ade's head on his laps. The ladies were saying all sort of things to calm him down. Lizzy was fretful and kept running to meet people for help, but everyone had finished their bottles of water.
'Help him', the woman with child said. Her son was beside him looking hungry. Tunde cuddled Ade and cried as he realized he was about to lose Ade too. Everything became hazy, even his voice and all he could do was to croak like Ade.
Tunde yelled. ‘Somebody do something. Any liquid. You shouldn’t have eaten the bread. Gather spit or anything’.
'Bring bottles out', Jude shouted and people began to run to him with the bottle. Ade kept choking, his eyes bulging in the torchlight. Lizzy was crying as if she was the one dying.
Somebody get me help. You shouldn't have eaten that bread'.
After gathering the bottles, Jude rushed to a side and urinated in it. Most of the men too began to force themselves to urinate into the bottle. Jude hurried back with it and Tunde couldn't even fight him because he was only trying to help. The stench drowned them but they had no choice.
'Take it', Jude said and pushed it towards Ade’s mouth. Tunde felt like vomiting despite holding his breath. Ade grabbed it and gulped it down. Meanwhile, Lizzy and Cecilia were crying as if it
was the end of the world.
Stretching with everything in him, Ade swallowed the urine and exhale at each gulp. Then, he raised his hands to let them know he could take no more. Tunde closed his eyes, realizing that Ade wouldn’t die from choking, happy that he wouldn’t have to be the one to tell his parents how Ade died on their way to the greener pasture.
Lizzy hugged Ade and cried into his chest. After Ade managed to release himself from Lizzy’s clutch, he turned to Ade and hugged him. Tunde was so tired that he couldn't help but fall as they hugged each other. Tunde rose and turned to everyone, especially Jude.
'Thank you very much, everyone. Thank you'.
By this time, his voice was hoarse but he kept thanking every one of them.
'How was the taste of the urine?' Cecilia said.
'It was...Yuck. It feels worse. The taste but I feel fine'.
Jude turned and shouted. 'Hey everyone, don't throw away your bottle of urine'.
They murmured their agreement. The next day met them dropping some people behind with Jude encouraging and telling them they will get to the end. Tunde wanted to complain about all these being Jude's fault. He left his group and now they were in trouble. But he kept calm because he was weak and wouldn’t dare taste that horrendous urine. The slim lady and the guy that chose her as a partner were still holding on to themselves, whispering encouragement to themselves.
They stopped to rest and finally slept off. Tunde couldn't tell how much he had slept but when he turned, he saw Cecilia leaving the side of the slim lady's partner. He closed his eyes and opened them but couldn't make out her features again. He guessed he was beginning to hallucinate. He closed his eyes and dozed off. When he woke in the morning, Cecilia was still asleep, clutching her bag as if it meant the world to her than any other thing.
However, it was another case for the guy. He shouted that he could find his bottle of urine. As ridiculous as it sounded, everyone felt bad for him. The slim lady rose to help search for it. Tunde wished he could help too but he was too weak to lift a finger. Later, they found the bottle in the sand to everyone's relief. Tuned shook his head that they had been degraded to taking urine as precious.
They spent the greater part of the day crawling to keep themselves active. When the night came again, they were ready to move. However, they didn't move very far before slim lady's partner wailed, holding his stomach. Before long, he was vomiting and the slim lady tried to help. She called on Leo and Jude for assistance but they told they had no help to render. Tunde could only shake his head in pity. She cried that he hadn't drank the urine when everyone was doing so. People rallied round him again. The lady tried to help as she did everything to make sure he survived. Tunde watched the whole event and burst into tears. He didn't know where the tears flowed from but he couldn't stop crying. Cecilia hugged him and kept mumbling comforting words into his ear. In a little while, the guy that was choking for breath and then he took a last deep breath and exhaled. At that point, everyone became silent even the slim lady. She wheezed and tried not to cry into the night. Many of them stared into the night while others could only sniff. Jude tried talking on the body of the guy and told the slim lady to say something about him. She talked about how they met and how he had been the only confidant she had.
Tunde stared at the guy for a while and closed his eyes. The sand on his body made him look more like a skeleton. His hands were in the sky as if he was holding somebody for support.
After the lady returned to her seat, Jude said. 'Tonight, we miss another soul from among us. And our numbers have dwindled drastically This alone is the reason we have to keep going. We are hungry and this is it. The next bus we see; we will hijack it.'
'Hijack', Pastor said.
'Yes. Hijack. We will take any van we meet on the way'.
'What will we use'.
Jude looked around and called Pastor, Leo and the slim lady with the glasses to a corner. They were talking in silence for a while but Jude escalated the matter by shouting, 'what stupid cover. Let your cover be blown or you'll die with us. You Pastor, you were formerly a soldier. Leo can shoot. You too can shoot. Period'.
They whispered for a while and Jude led them back.
'We have these men. Pastor was …'
'I'm not a Pastor'.
'That's your own concern. He was formerly a soldier and he's agreed to help us. Leo can shoot. And this lady, I know she can use any gun'.
'Gun?'
'I have guns in my backpack', Leo said and revealed guns.
'Hey!' Tunde yelled and jumped back. Despite his weakness, he couldn't help the force with which he jumped back. Oher people around him too had their mouth agape.
'We will do the hijacking', Leo said, while Pastor looked away as if he didn't want to look at their eyes.
'And one of you would do the job of getting them to slow down'
'Rather, two...'
They agreed after a bit of disagreement from others. But there was a difference in making plan and actualizing it. No vehicle passed them that day. When the evening approached and they got set to leave, another person decided to urinate into the plastic but was soon emitting blood. People exclaimed their wonder and horror. Many began to hope and pray aloud that a van would happen. They called on different gods and God himself but it was a worthless effort. Tunde wasn't sure God would want to intervene since they all did something wrong.
Some of the weak ones were helped but, after a while, were left behind.
Tunde was one of the weak one. He reduced his pace and was urged on by Ade and Cecilia. Lizzy whispered something to Ade and he shouted with hoarse voice, 'what's wrong with you? Why are you callous? I thought he used to be your friend. Has that flame of friendship died? Even if it was dead, what about your human feelings? What's join them... In fact, that's a brilliant idea. You go. Follow them at a pace. Keep flashing your torchlight to the back. I'll also keep up with you from a distance and that will make us not lose them. With that, Tunde will catch up with me and we will catch up with you and all of us will catch up with everyone. Go'
'No'.
Yes. Baby, now. Cecilia will help Tunde and we will catch up. All of us will'.
Lizzy cried as her slipped away from Ade's hand. She ran up to a place she could still meet the others. Ade moved forward and kept crashing into the sand as he was too exhausted. Cecilia was crying, and supporting Tunde, and didn't stop until Ade was at a distance.

She held Tunde and whispered. 'Wait'
He couldn't disagree with her. She hurriedly brought out a bottle of clean water from her bag. She stared at it, shook her head, and gulped down a smaller part of it, looked away and handed it over to Tunde.
'Take'.
Not minding what would happen to them, Tunde gulped it and tried to remain some parts of it for the future.
'All...'
'No. For later. '
'I have more for later'.
Tunde stared at her for a while and shook his head. He would keep it for Ade. 'You had water all
this while. Ade was dying...You had water. People died. The guy at the other end died. You had water. God. What are you?'
'I don't know him. I don’t know them'.
Tunde stood straight at that sentence. 'Ade is my brother. You were getting close to me. Were we just friends for the event?'
'I would have given you. Anytime. We were getting close. I like you. I gave you'.
'My brother almost died'.
'And I'm sorry for all this. I'm sorry but every man had to fight for himself'.
Tunde blinked as he imagined how she had been fooling everyone that she was feeling faint.
'You've been deceiving us. All this while'.
'I had to… I had to. Everything that had happened to me wasn't my fault'.
'Like hiding water… I said that bag is something', Tunde said and shot at her bag. She did too but not before he got to it. She fell flat as he was faster. He turned the bag, pointed a flashlight at it and saw different things that made him fear for his life. Her bag contained a pistol that had a silencer on it, a knife, gloves, some galas, small bottles with pills in them, and several bottles of water. His assumption had always been that her bag was full of clothes. He was so surprised that he didn't know that she had gotten up. He bent over them, mystified. She kicked him in the groin, falling him.
He groaned and tried to stand up but she was faster this time. Like a pro, she pointed the torchlight at him, blinding him with the light. All he could was to cover his eyes from the ray of the torchlight.
'I like you. No. I love you. Although we've met for a few days, it wasn't easy not loving you. You
were the only man I've met that hadn't wanted to touch me or sleep with me. That's why that man
in the van had to die'.
'You killed him'.
She cried for a while and shouted. 'Yes. He had to die. Even that second guy'.
'But that other guy wasn't trying to touch or sleep with you'.
'No. He is with that lady. They are just pretending to meet here. They are detectives. I changed everything about me. Was it my fault that my father raped me from childhood and I decimated him and stuffed his mouth with his penis'.
'Oh God!' Tunde said and rose to run away, but she shot a place around him. The shot came like a pop and he yelled as he scrambled back to his original position. "You did that… Oh! God!"
'I can shoot you. But I don't want to'.
'So, you're a killer'.
She laughed. 'A killer? No. I'm a serial killer. At least, I've killed four men. Oh! If I add these two, six. But the ones that bore my mark of vengeance are just four'.
Tunde could feel his mouth shake as if the cold was internal. His pant was wet already.
'I've killed a lot of people'.
'Then, kill me already. Why are you telling me?'
'I love you. And I've noticed that you're not a snitch'.
'I am a snitch. Kill me. I want to die'.
'Not in this lifetime. Moreover, your death will look suspicious especially after I poisoned that guy. I know you saw me near his bag'.
Tunde sighed and placed his hands on his head.
'Let's make a pact. You might stop liking me, but I won't. Men like you are rare. Given such opportunity to touch this sexy body, but you refused even when you're not an S.U', she said and pointed the torchlight at her body. Then, quickly pointed it at him. 'I won't kill you, but any day, no matter when, you rat me out, I'll kill your brother'.
Tunde stared at the floor for a while and nodded. 'Agreed. Kill me. You won’t have to kill him'.
'To what end? I want you around me. Now, look up into the light and tell me you agree'.
He looked up with tears gathering in his eyes. 'I will keep your secret'.


'Good. Now, drink', she said and gave him the bottle of water he didn't finish. Tunde poured it into the ground.
' Your last chance of having a brother. Drink', she said and gave him another one. He collected it and gulped it down grudgingly. 'You will also be my hostage till I kill that woman and escape. So, no escape for you, bro. Move ahead', she said and waited till he rose and move on. 'You have to do better, we have to meet up with them'.
They met Ade, who was weak from pointing the torchlight. They helped him till they got to weak Lizzy. She had dropped on the way. Luckily for them, the group were also tired and were resting. It was easy for them to catch up with them.

12



'Where are we on the map?' Tunde asked as Cecilia grabbed it again and began to study it.
'It's not accurate. It says...' Cecilia said and began to trace the map. There wasn't anything on the
map that indicated where they were. She shook her head and threw it down again.
'Tie your cloth to mine', Cecilia said.
'Why?'
'In case I fall'.
'But you're the one in the van. You are safe'.
'You're safer. What if the bottom of the van removes?'
Tunde chuckled. He shouldn't laugh. Some people were still mourning their friends. He shouldn't be laughing in this heat. She stared at her bottle of water, shook it and gulped it; then, poured the
remaining on her head. She shook her head and rose to refill it.
'Let's watch the way we drink this water. This water will soon finish', Pastor complained.
'And who are you?' Tunde asked.
'Leave him he is the bouncer for the water' Ade said and hissed.
'I was just saying...'
'You don't know the meaning of shut up', Lizzy said and hissed.
'Please, stop entering this brother. He is only trying to guide his birthright'.
Tunde was shocked that he covered his mouth and released it to exclaim.
'That's savage', Lizzy said. She rose and fell again, but she wouldn't be perturbed by anything. She rose and steadied herself. The van rocked her from side to side, yet she held onto the side of the van and bent towards Cecilia.
'To the queen of the savages'.
Cecilia pretended to blush and she used her hand to fan herself.
'Oh! I'm smelling something', Cecilia said.
'What?'
'Deceit from you people'.
'Are you whining me?' Ade said
'When you're not cassette'.
'Eh', Ade shouted excitedly. 'That just it. That's the height of savagery for today'.
'She breaks her record per time'.
'Boss of Boss'.
'Tees Mar Khan'.
Ade, Lizzy and Tunde laughed hard. Cecilia stared at them. Lizzy threw a scornful look at Tunde, probably for laughing with them but at that point he was less concerned about what she was feeling. He was going to Europe and nothing would drain him of the joy.
'What does that mean?'
'You've not seen the Indian film, Tees Marr Khan...Argh...You need to be tutored in the ways of life'.
Ade laughed and brushed Lizzy's shoulder.
'I think I have it here on my phone. Let’s watch it together’, Lizzy said and proceeded to bring out her phone, her power bank and her earpieces.
'Good. Something to make me forget this heat'.
'What about the screen and the sun?' Tunde said before he realized he was talking to Lizzy.
'Is it your sun?'
'We can buy shades for it’, Cecilia said and they laughed.
Tunde wanted to hush them that some people were still moaning their friends but if that was a way for them to get over the pain everyone was experiencing at the moment, he wouldn't mind. At that point, he just needed to move about. His legs were terribly aching, but there was nothing he could do at this time.
Cecilia soon became engrossed with her film and he became deep in his thoughts again. He began to build castles for himself in his mind. Tunde tried not to think of Emeka, but he couldn’t resist it. They would have been in that journey together. Emeka would have been throwing some of his proverbs at them. The journey spanned into the night. Then, they got to the third day on the road. That was when the car started coughing, making the van come to a halt. Jude and Leo hurried out of the car and poured water from the last kegs available.
'What?'
'Will this water be enough?'
'What' happening'
People asked numerous questions but Jude and Leo were too engrossed in making the van work that they refused to reply. They all got down to join him when he couldn't bring van to work, but it was to no avail. Jude placed his hands on his mouths.
'It's all his fault. Simple thing. He should follow the place others were following', Tunde lamented and bit his lower lips. He never bargained for this type of trouble. It took him a great deal to even stand on the ground of the Sahara. It hurt him as if he was standing on fire itself. There was surely no way he could survive the pain that was in him, if he stood like that. At that point, he wondered what would happen to the guy that fell off. He grabbed his bottle of water and downed it. Jude stared at them for a while, shook his head, and sat on the hot floor, depressed. 'We're done'.
People edged towards him.
'We're so done', Jude said, rose and dusted off the back of his trouser. He folded his hands and gritted; then, blew air into the hand.
'Can we do anything to help?'
'Help? Yes. You can shut your mouth while I think'.
'Don't even try to go dramatic again', Tunde said. 'I said it that this drunk man would soon cause trouble for us and here we are, troubled.'
'Please', Lizzy said as she rolled her eyes.
'What's...'
'We're are walking', Jude shouted. ‘Everyone grab everything you can use to sustain yourself’.
'Who knows the way?'
'Leo...'
'We are safe then in the hot sand. So safe. So hot', Lizzy said as she clasped her head. Jude hissed and went to his side of the car and brought a water bottle and carried her bag.
'Gather all you can'.
Tunde, mumbling and grumbling, was soon dropping some of his cloths to make his load lighter. He would get better ones when he got to Italy. They all packed their loads and left. Leo stared at the van for a long time and kissed it. They left many things behind. Leo spun round to stare at the van again and did so until it went out of view.
According to Jude, they would soon stop walking. He just wanted them to be as far away from the vehicle as they could because thieves and kidnappers would soon come for it. They settled in a place, where Jude told them that they would proceed on the journey when it was dark. For the first time, Tunde was grateful for Jude’s wisdom, if not they would have spent another day on the road. And if they had done, he would have died of exhaustion.
They all kept quiet most of the time in the day. The sun was hot and they all had to stay put. Their water bottle was becoming empty. Pastor had tried to carry the last keg of water and had rationed it well among all of them, with everyone receiving a cup each, then a bit extra. Then, he threw the keg away. Tunde watched breeze run towards the keg and wondered if that was the way the keg would remain for the rest of its years on the sand.
As soon as the night peeped its head again, they were walking already again. The road, unfortunately, wasn't the regular expressway that one would expect to see a car driving by. Their only companions were the few stars in the sky. Many of them were tired.
Tired, exhausted, they kept going without any event. The tired ones were being helped by those not tired. Nothing happened until the evening of the second day, when Kenneth's friend said his head ached.
'No more water'., Jude declared and asked for anyone with water. Everyone shook their exasperatedly. He didn’t trust them and asked them to reveal their water bottles. Tunde showed the two bottles with him, while Cecilia showed the three bottles with her. All of their bottles were empty. By this time, they managed to stop beside a hole, which had of dead men. Most of the ladies scrambled from the smell. Some of the bones seemed older than the rest. Ade began to mumble some of his superstitions. Nevertheless, Tunde couldn’t help but notice that the place seemed to be a place many people died as if they were expecting death.
'Give him the medicine like that', Leo said.
'Are you for real?' A lady said. Her sweater made her look like she was dumped into it.
'I'm for real...There is no water. He is dying of headache'.
'Give him the tramadol'.
The guy collected it and seemed to be okay. They were still in the sun and couldn't move till night. Just about thirty minutes to the time they would leave, the guy that was given the tramadol began to wriggle and wail, struggling for breath.
'Oh God!’ His other friend cried and tried to hold him. 'Hold him'.
'He won't die', Leo as he tiredly laid on the floor.
'He would die. He would die. Help him'.
Kenneth's friend sprawled and began to convulse. Some people tried to help him but others, Cecilia included could stand up to help him. She sat in the hot sand and had her hands behind her as she stared at them. Tears dropped from her eyes intermittently. They tried to help Kenneth's friend but he was dead before anyone could think of a better way to save him.
'We're so done', Jude said
'Throw him into that hole’, Leo said and forced himself to stand up. ‘We can't leave him here. His spirit will haunt us'.
Jude nodded and they threw him into the hole and his friends sprinkled sand on him. The environment was tensed. Tunde wished the world would be different and he wouldn’t have been a partaker of what was happening. He couldn't himself to cry but he could feel the sting of it in his eyes. Suddenly, the fingers of Kenneth's friend moved. Tunde jumped back.
'His fingers moved', Tunde shouted. 'I saw it'.
He couldn't tell where he got the strength from. The others stared at the corpse.
'It's not...'
'It's moving....' His friend shouted and tried to jump into the hole but Leo held him back.
'What are you doing? He is dead already. Even if his hands move. He will still die. Don't you get me? I don't lie. He will die. The spirit has told me'.
'God will punish this spirit', his friend shouted and wriggled out of Leo's firm hand. Moso people were really tired and could only cover their head with clothes despite the cloud that was covering the sun. There, the sun seemed to have a field day. The cloud that crossed over it seemed to dissolve as soon as they came into its view.
The friend of the half-dead man proceeded to take him out of the hole.
'Logically, he will die. We can't help him. We will need to be faster today because all of our water is drained', Jude said.
'We can't leave him'.
'You know what? I'm tired. So tired. You...Bring him out and help him when to get going'.
The friend didn’t heed what he was saying and jumped into the hole.
'You'll just die here'.
'I know'.
'Shut up. Think with your brain and not your heart'.
'I'm thinking and my mind was telling me to go back for my friend'.
'And die with him'.
At this point, people began to pull away, sitting on the floor. The friend sat there in the grave and tried to pull off the sand off his friend, but he was so exhausted that he couldn't help but stare at him.
Tunde sat at the edge of the grave and wondered what would happen to them now that they were without water. They said that if one had witnessed the death of somebody, one would find it hard to feel bad when another person dies, but he found that theory to be fake because he felt really bad for the guy in the grave and everyone lying there. He wished he could return home. He never
booked for this.
The guy stared at his friend whose hand was still shaking. Then he began to cry. He sat there for a while and couldn't stop crying over his friend's body. Pastor crawled to the grave and said a prayer over them. His friend kept nodding to the prayers. After Pastor was gone, Tunde couldn't get himself to live his side. The friend of the dying man crawl over to his neck and strangled him to death. The body shook as it was deprived of oxygen and went still after a while. Still crying, his friend rose and saw the look of horror on Tunde’s face.
‘It was better he died than to be left dying’.
Tunde wished he could agree and wondered which type of death he would have preferred for Emeka- an instant death or a slow one.

11

The journey became dry, literarily. In a short while, they were gulping cups of water. Pastor called for perseverance as the kegs of water would soon be drained off with the way they longed for water. However, his advice fell on deaf ears because everything was hot. The only time they rested and had their bath was in the night or when Jude and Leo, the driver wanted to refill the tank or the carburetor. Tunde wished he could have more actions but he was lucky that he sat beside Cecilia because she kept acting naughty and taking his mind off the trouble ahead.
She cozied up to him the next morning, and whispered, 'I think your brother was touching me in my sleep'.
Tunde glanced about and saw a man that looked like a ruffian battling away with his phone. He shook his head. He had been on alert since they got into the van and would have noticed such. 'It's your imagination. I would have seen him'.
'In the dark?'
'In the dark. I was on the lookout for those that talked about you the other time'.
She nodded and placed her head on his shoulder. Scowling, he brushed her off but that made her hold him tightly and stick her head there. Since she wasn't any potential danger, he would let her be.
When their van started out, Tunde counted twenty vans, but now he couldn’t see some, some were at the front, while the remaining were at their back. Whenever Jude's van stopped, when they were refilling their tanks or the carburetor, the other pusher-men would only hail them and drive on. However, in their case, Jude would stop their van to ensure the driver wasn't encountering any problem. When he was sure they would cope on their own, he would order Leo to drive off.
Cecilia took numerous selfies and would want Tunde to featured but Tunde would object, making her turn to Lizzy, whom Ade couldn't get out of her clutch.
Ade shook her head in disgust. 'What do you ladies need the pictures for?'
'This is one-time experience', Cecilia said and pulled Tunde towards herself. He shrugged as he agreed with her logic. Later, he sent the pictures to his online drive.
After a while, he pulled her nearer and she met his look with a glowing smile. 'Are you on the lookout for the person.
'Daddy, nothing can happen? We’re not even sure it was me. From what you said, it could be someone else’, she said and glanced at the place the slim lady was seating. 'Can you see your blind sister is seated in a corner? We’re not even sure of anything. Nothing can happen?'
Tunde nodded and hoped he was only being skeptical about nothing. They kept travelling with dust trailing their paths until one of the vans at the back stopped. This time, other vans also stopped near it.
'That van has stopped', Lizzy said as if she was seeing the ninth wonder of the world.
'Yes'.
Cecilia glanced at the time and brought out a map.
'You had this all this while?’
‘Yes. I have so many things in my bag to help this adventure’.
‘I don’t think I want to see all the contents of that bag’.
‘You… Really don’t want to see it’, she said and concentrated on the map. ‘From where we're, are you sure we can get to Libya after tomorrow?'
'How will I know? But what I do know is that I don't trust anything about these people. They lie for a living'.
‘They should be ranked after lawyers’.
Their van kept moving in a mini zigzag format until they got to the van that stopped.
Jude jumped off the van and shouted, 'Everyone hold on. We need to see what happened to that van'.
Ade firmly held the rail as his legs dangled from the outer part of the van. Jude held on to the unresponsive van and kept looking back while barking instructions at the driver.
The driver and some others were already up, trying to fix something in the car. Their own driver as well as some drivers of other vans tried to rally round to help. Yet, the van refused to come to life. After ten minutes, most of the other drivers couldn’t stay a while longer. The ones that stayed behind were soon driving off, leaving only Jude.
‘Others are going’, Tunde said, ‘we will miss them’.
‘Keep quiet’, Jude shouted as he kept barking orders to the driver of the van that stopped.
But, after forty minutes, Jude's countenance showed they couldn't stay any longer. The other man with whom Leo was trying to fix the van nodded despondently. He wheezed as he drew nearer to Jude, who hugged him passionately and Tunde felt they hugged for a longer time.
'Why is your uncle hugging him like they won't see again?' Cecilia said and nudged Tunde.
Tunde nodded as he saw a sad look on their face. Jude faked a smile and waved at those in the van. They waved back cheerfully. They continued their journey and caught up with the others and regained their position at the middle of the convoy. Cecilia, despite seating in an awkward manner, rested her head on his back.
Some of the other vans began to go separate ways and that brought questions to the mind of Tunde. He glanced at the front and back at the vans that were raising dust as if that was what they were created to do. 'Are you sure this people are going in the right direction?'
'Where else can they be going? Your brother seems to know this place'.
'Stop calling him my brother'.
'But see, about six of them are going that way and we and those at the back are still going through this side'.
'Something is wrong...’ Ade muttered as he stretched to see the front.
Tunde banged the side of the van in such a way the Jude would be aware. When he first hit it, it looked like a mistake, but when it came erratically and repeatedly, their van stopped. Jude came out looking grim.
'Who is that?'
'I did. I don't know; don't you feel we are passing the wrong lane'.
'You have suddenly gotten the brain and ability to cross the desert by yourself'.
'See the others are...'
'Please, don't stop me for anything', he said and stormed to the car. The driver kept moving until
the night came when Tunde slept off. By this time, their water supply had dwindled to a keg. Jude came out to assure them that they were nearer than ever. Cecilia couldn’t give a right direction as the map wasn’t comprehensive enough.
After staring at it dejectedly for a while, she threw it aside and murmured, ‘one day, I’ll make sure I map out this desert. For people that are travelling’.
They slept off and were informed that the van would be moving off. Tunde slept off and was happy that the way he sat had helped him to survive not falling while sleeping. However, the person sitting beside him and Cecilia, the one Cecilia complained of touching her in her sleep, wasn't there anymore. Tunde was sure he saw the person before he slept off, after Cecilia gave the man a look that could have fried him for staring at her. Tunde looked about and glanced at Cecilia. Maybe the person had changed seat, he wasn't much concerned.
They kept travelling in silence and this time, the heat of the desert had suddenly increased so much that Tunde as well as other became squeamish as the seats became hotter. When it was time for Tunde to change position, he did so with all joy.
'Water', someone from the other end called.
'No water till ten', Pastor called.
'Is this one mad?’ the person that needed the water shouted. ‘I bought the water with my money.
Kenneth. Can you hear.... Kenneth?'
The person called again ' Kenneth? Bros'.
'Tunde', Ade said and tapped Tunde.
'Yes?’
‘That guy is calling you'.
Tunde's glanced at the direction of the man calling him.
'Bros. Sorry please, what of the guy that was sitting beside you?'
Tunde wasn't sure he could really remember the face of the person or that he wanted to give the guy the typical Nigerian question-like answer. So, he said, 'I don't know'.
'How can you say you don't know? Someone was beside you'.
'Yes, his father handed him over to me when we were coming? You should talk as if your senses are still intact because...'
'Guy, forget that rubbish’, the guy said. ‘Where is my friend?'
'When I woke up, he wasn't here anymore'.
'Eh!' The guy and someone else shouted. People that were drooling off were beginning to rouse out of their dullness.
'Kenneth....'His friends shouted repeatedly and banged the side of the van. This time, Jude came out as if he was a monster and the only thing, he knew how to do was to bear fangs.
'What is with you people? The things and water we have are not enough again. We have to reach that place today. When you people insisted on taking bath this morning I told you. Do you want to take another bath again today?'
'Someone...Kenneth is missing?'
'Kenneth... Kenneth... Who is he?'
One of the friends placed his hands on his head. 'Are you seriously asking me who Kenneth is? You collected money from him'.
'Is he as important as the president of Nigeria or other country?'
'He was beside that....' the guy began to say and Tunde decided to intervene.
'Beside me. I woke and didn't meet him there again', Tunde said and hoped that would solve the
issue.
'Oh! 'Jude said and looked away. 'Since when have you noticed this?'
'I woke and didn't meet him. I thought he changed position'.
'When we are not in a hotel', Kenneth's friend said. Tunde wanted to give him the necessary reply but Ade gestured for him to keep his cool.
'I just noticed'.
The Jude planted his nail between his teeth. 'Since when have you woken?'
'It's been long'.
'Any other person missing? Look around. Check your neighbors’.
People glanced at each other's faces and people's shaking head. The slim lady stared at Cecilia for a while until Cecilia glanced at her.
'There was this lady that was putting on a simple gown'.
'The fair one'.
'Yes. That has a scar on the top of her lips'.
'Yes. She was sitting on that edge'.
'And she is not here'
'She is missing'. Jude said the same time as the person talking. 'Okay, everyone go back to your
seats. Sit down'.
'Are you for real?'
'Sit down. What do you know?'
'That's none of my concern'.
'The truth is as hard as a ball of goat meat. You have to accept it. Your friend was so much asleep that he fell down on the way and might have woken to meet himself on the way. That lady too. You people don't know that there are ghosts here. Evil spirits are on the way, they will grab you. That's why we have to move fast'
'Fable', Tunde said and wished at that moment that people would wake up to realities of life.
'That's your own, Mr. Sabinous. For me, I'm leaving every one of them behind'.
'Without any supply?' his friend shouted.
'Yes. Just erase him from your mind'
'You have to go back'.
Jude glanced at Leo and laughed. Leo also giggled.
'You're laughing. The both of you can find the death of someone amusing and that is scary. He will die'.
'Yes.... And No'.
'You're confused as always'.
'Hey! Be careful. Be careful. I'm not one that you talk to anyhow'.
'Forget that one. What will happen to my friend?'
Jude returned to the van and turned when he got to the door.
'Probably dead. And if he is lucky, he will see people that will save him'.
'Like that? Let's go back'.
'They are cooking jollof rice in your brain'.
'But my friend is out there'.
'He is out! Dead!' The driver said. 'He is dead and if we're not careful enough to leave here now, we will soon go where he has gone'.
'No...'
'Leo, drive off' Jude called.
'No... I'll go and look for him'.
'Your funeral'.
There were several opinions. Some in support of him. Others against Kennett's friend. He began to carry his things to leave, but his own friends dragged him down. 'You are killing yourself'.
He tried to fight it but they held him down. The car revved to live and was soon humming off into the dusty road. By this time, they were sweating terribly.

queenitee:
You will become one of us, you'll be welcome to live in our city, have your own street and business in our city and lot more I will let our king (Divepen) do the rest of the intro.

Thanks....

Missmossy:
Thanks what is the Idcard for

Oh! It's for being a member of our own city, where you have the right to name properties in the story. By August, KT will be officially announced. But Queenitee has given you enough breakdown

dammyd46:
Nice story Divepen1... got me glued

You're really welcome...

germaphobe:
divepen the boss, at first the story was off to me but midway into it i realized that i was high for thinking it was off, so i had to start afresh again. Carry go oga divepen i go the push am for back if it ever get struck in the mud

Don't mind me. It's not my type of story but I just wanted to train for something with it last year. When I was done, I just dumped it. But I realise this year that I can post it for people to enjoy.

skubido:
Oboi, nawa ooo


Tanks for the update

You're so welcome. Na real wa ..