₦airaland Forum

"Patrick, man, what the hell are you doing?" The MD murmured to himself as he passed the bushes and entered between the trees.


As if it had not been foreboding enough, the atmosphere had grown more sinister as soon as he stepped into the thicket. It was as if he had passed through a dark veil into another world, an old world, prehistoric even. The air was colder, muskier, the air seemed to flow in an entirely different direction than it did outside, all his hair stood on end and for a moment he felt like he was about to lose control of his sphincters. He looked back , suddenly filled with an absurd notion that he would not see the hospital and the small crowd behind him but rather a vast forest or wasteland, like he had never been in a hospital, like he had never been a doctor, like he had never been a civilized human being. He almost ran back...

But there they were, the house officer's rep nodding encouragement, the security guards watching with keen interest, almost as if to see if he would chicken out and run, the young female doctor gazing at him with hope-filled eyes, a gaze that was already thanking him for finding her friend...It would be most embarrassing to turn back now.

Most embarrasing.

And with that thought in his mind, abandoning all primal instinct to turn tail and run, he surged forward into the trees.

Please, Don't judge me too harshly.

I may not have explained to you how I so desperately wanted to get off this planet. This Earth whose sunlight lasted barely twelve hours, abandoning me in darkness for the rest of the planet's rotation. This planet teeming with untrustworthy humans. A planet that was literally in the dark pages of the galaxy exploration manual. I couldn't wait to see the hundred day morning of my home planet again, or to drink its tasty waters and feed on juicy oranges. Coincidentally I found a species of orange on this planet as well but it was nothing compared to the gigantic mouth watering, muscle relaxing soul healing oranges of Moktar-5. I was getting really homesick and it was marring my judgement.

And so I followed this man, this obvious charlatan out to purchase diamonds, after all , a drowning man will clutch at a straw. I knew at the back of my head that he must be lying, surely... but hope made me clutch to the tiniest notion of truth in his words.

"A friend of mine is bringing the diamonds but he's afraid of thieves. We will have to meet in a secure location if you don't mind, you know how valuable diamonds are."

And so he led me around a corner, far away from onlookers and traffic. Bringing out his communication device from his pocket, he chatted with the person at the other end in another language, apparently arranging for the diamonds to be brought to us. We crossed from one street into another and another and finally settled in a back alley far away from prying eyes. I was too blinded by desperation to realize it was a trap and only started getting the hint when his 'friend' arrived. A scrawny creature with red, glazed looking eyes, obviously intoxicated with some sort of drug, he blocked the exit and brandished a knife.

"Oya bros, empty ya pocket, no time."

I sighed deeply. These people were vastly different from the ones I had encountered at Pereyei's village. I had made the wrong assumption that the entire planet was as welcoming and honest as those simple people. I sat down on the floor suddenly, a move that seemed to surprise my assailants. I looked up into the sky, in the direction of which my planet lay, and sighed again.

"Mhen, this guy thinks that we are playing here." Emmanuel produced a knife as well and flicked it expertly, his eyes fixed on me with a deathly look. "We go stab you o!"

"Hey!" a voice hollered from behind us. The men jumped and spun around, their knives at the ready. I stretched my neck to see who it was.

Amaefuna stood there at the entrance to the alleyway.

I should have known. It had all been a set-up. Amaefuna must have arranged me to be taken here to fleece me of whatever currency I had on me. And after I had saved his life too. I sighed again.

"Leave him alone!" Amaefuna shouted, balling his hands into fists and raising them in front of him like the gladiators in a human boxing tournament.

"Guy, you wan die! Leave this place before we injure you o!" The red eyed fellow hissed.

"Boss, are you alright? Them touch you?" he hollered at me anxiously.

So he wasn't with them?

"No, I'm fine. Just tired. Tired of the whole thing."

"Calm down boss, I'll get us out of this." He turned to the two men, "Guys, you don't know who you're dealing with. Remove those knives and go your way, make we forget this mata."

"You dey craze? Who you be?" The red-eyed one's voice was guttural as he spoke. "NA me dey run this street. You know how many people I don kill? You dey craze?!"

Amaefuna's only reaction was to settle himself firmly on his feet and wait for the oncoming onslaught.

"In fact...!" and the man charged, his knife glinting in the afternoon sun.

Amaefuna's long arms reached the man first. His fist smashed into his attacker's midsection with a resounding thud that filled the alleyway. He followed it swiftly with an uppercut to the man's jaw. There was a snap as the man's jawbone cracked and he hit the ground unconscious. Emmanuel yelled and wanted to run off but I had stood up when Amaefuna had distracted them and I grabbed him by the neck. Swinging his knife wildly, he slashed at the air where my hand had been a moment ago. Even though I was wearing a bio-suit and it was made of tough material it could still be slashed. I backed away, feeling stifled in the bio-suit, wishing I could free myself and attack properly. But Amaefuna took care of the problem. He struck from behind, hammering down on Emmanuel's knife-wielding hand and knocking the weapon away.

"Don't worry Boss, I got this!" he shouted at me to back off, as if he knew didnt want to get too involved. The twomen ducked and parried as they swung thier fists at each other. Emmanuel finally got a grab on Amaefuna's shirt and both began to struggle.

"Fool!" The red-eyed guy had regained consciousness and had rushed at Amaefuna, stabbing him in the back in the process. I gasped and ran forward, pulling at the biosuit so it would come off.

"Stop!" Amaefuna shouted at me, his voice so sudden and loud, I froze on the spot. His eyes turned blood-red, redder than the man behind him and he suddenly grabbed emmanuel's armed and pulled viscously.

Emmanuel screamed as his arms dislocated from their sockets. As he dropped to the ground in pain Amaefuna spun around and punched the red-eyed man in the chest. I could hear ribs breaking. The red-eyed man recoiled in pain and Amaefuna lurched forward, kicking him on the leg. That too immediately snapped. the man shrieked in pain and fell to the floor whimpering. Amaefuna walked up to him, knelt beside him and slapped him on the face.

"So, make I ask you, how many people you don kill?"

"Bros abeg..."

"How many? Make you tell me make I know whether I go release you or not. If you lie I go know." Amaefuna stared at him, a deep stare that semed to penetrate the man's soul.

"Five," he whimpered, his words coming out garbled form his broken jaw. "But bros na devil work..."

"Thank your stars say you talk true and my boss dey here, I for finish you now."

"Thanks bros, thanks, I no go do bad again, I swear..."

Amaefuna punched him hard on the face and he passed out.

Amaefuna got up and walked up to me as I stared at him in amazement.

"You have a knife in your back." I pointed at it.

"Oh?" Amaefuna felt behind and pulled the knife from his back. "Please don't mind them boss, not all humans on this planet are like this, though in the fifty years I've been here, I found that most of them are actually dubious."

"You're not from this planet, are you?"

Amaefuna cleaned his dirtied hands on his clothing and stretched them in an arc in the perfect galaxy universal greeting. "I'm a human from the nearest solar system, they call it Alpha Centauri here. Now tell me, What's a Thesbian doing in these parts of the galaxy?"

Royver:
I must have woken up just a few seconds later because a look of consternation and surprise flashed across the stockily built man's face. He quickly blew some more white power at me, muttering "This one go stubborn o". I wasn't quite what was going on, some kind of calming ritual for passengers? I didnt know. But my alien metabolism had already adapted to the sedative effect of the powdery substance and i knew no amount of powder he forced me to inhale would make me lose consciousness again. Not quite sure what to do, I decided to comply. I stared straight ahead like the passengers behind me were doing, slowed my breathing and didn't blink. This seemed to please my transporter and he chuckled and put the powder back into his sleeve.

"You were thinking it would be like that last guy abi?" The driver laughed as he turned a corner into the bushes.

"Fear catch me o. Abi baba's powder no dey work again?"

"E must work! This time we don hammer! We even find pregnant woman sef! Baba go happy for us no be small!"

Laughing wildly, the two men continued chatting with each other as the bus careened down the bush path deeper into the forest. I desperately wanted to ask questions, moreso as they were moving in the opposite direction from which Pereyei had pointed. But as the other passengers continued to stare ahead and raised no objections, I decided to hold my peace.

Maybe they were taking a detour.

The bus continued to move deeper into the forest until suddenly we were at a clearing. It was right dab in the middle of nowhere. The men parked the bus close to a makeshift tent that seemed to house an old man and some wooden statues. I stole a quick glance at my other passengers, they appeared blissfully unconcerned.

The driver came down from the vehicle and approached the tent and the old man came out. They exchanged pleasantries and the old man was apparently happy with the driver because he clapped him hard on the shoulder with a large approving smile on his face. The driver nodded and walked back to the bus.

"Bring them out." He said.

Immediately the stockily built man dragged my hand and hauled me out of the bus. I stood there, not quite sure what to do next. He let me go and hauled the other passengers out one by one until we were all standing quietly under the sun. The stockily built man got behind the wheel of the bus and drove it to a safe spot. Then he too came and joined us under the sun.

"You people did well," the old man nodded with an evil glint in his eye. "You even got a pregnant woman! This harvest will be great."

He motioned with his hand and the men bound our wrists with rope and led us to the edge of the clearing. Confused, I wondered what kind of strange journeying ritual this was as none of the other passengers complained. In fact the more I looked at them, the more it began to look like these people had been drugged or placed under some kind of hypnosis. Not sure of what was going to happen next I allowed them lead us to...

It was then i smelled it. The smell of death. My biosuit immediately Increased energy outputs to defensive mode. I looked at where we were going and saw a huge stone slab stained brown with stale blood. I saw bones in a corner, human bones, broken, fragmented, chopped up.

Chopped up?!

My face must have registered the horror I was feeling because one of the men stopped and looked at me.

"This one...I no sure, this one be like say e dey wake up again o."

"What do you mean, 'wake up again'?" The old man approached us.

"That time for the bus when we dey catch these people, I blow am powder for face, e no reach two seconds the guy recover." He stuttered nervously as he saw the horror on my face turn to rage even though I still hadn't said anything. "Be like say we go harvest am first..."

"Lepaica!" I spat out the words bitterly. It was a rotten word, an abomination in my world, an abomination in all seventeen federations spread throughout the known galaxy. I turned around and looked more closely at my fellow captives, realizing for the first time what was really going on. I emitted a high pitched sonic wave that immediately pierced through their minds, slashing them out of their sedative hypnosis. From the corner of my eye I saw the old man shouting at the stockily built man who rushed at me with a crudely shaped machete. In that same instant the pregnant woman, realizing where she was, uttered a shrill scream. The other passengers tried running but because we had all been bound by the same rope they ended up pulling themselves in different directions with some tripping and collapsing on the floor. I broke the ropes binding me to them effortlessly; It was a small feat for my alien strength. I grabbed the hand of the man wielding the machete as he tried bringing it down on my head. A sharp twist and his shoulder snapped at the elbow. He screamed in pain but I showed no remorse. I knew what these people did and the kind of plague they brought wherever they went. Without another word I went for his neck and snapped it. He shuddered temporarily and then was still.

The old man watched me with growing agitation. He was muttering some things under his breath and trying to give orders to the driver who was hesitating, wondering whether to make a run for it or not. Some of the men among the captors were barking orders at the others in a bid to try and get them to work together as they tried to run in a general direction into the bushes. The old man shouted some words and then threw a feathered stick at me. I wasn't quite sure what its function was supposed to serve as a weapon but i caught it and my nanobots hyperdegraded it until it turned to dust in my hands. The old man was petrified. He took some steps back.

"Where you carry this one from?!" he screamed, but the driver had made up his mind and bolted into the nearby bushes. The old man saw he was alone and quickly ran off as well.

I turned to the passengers, all in various degrees of emotional upheaval. I turned to the the most rational-looking of the lot, a middle aged man who was desperately trying to free himself from the rope.

"Don't worry. You are all safe." I said to him in my most calming voice. "Please stay here and wait for me, I cannot allow this evil to escape else it will keep spreading. I will be back."

He nodded his understanding and I left him with his people and ran into the bush as well.

As soon as I was out of sight, I swiftly pulled off my human suit. It would be much easier hunting for my prey in my natural state. I stretched out my four arms and legs, sighing in sweet relief before letting out a wild thesbian roar as I began my hunt.

I went for the driver first. I could still hear the old man stumbling clumsily through the forest. I guessed he hadn't had to run this fast in a very long time and I could hear his labored breathing as he delved deeper into the forest. The driver on the other hand was more of a youth and faster, and he seemed to be running in the direction of the main road. I went after him, making sure not to be seen by the passengers still in the clearing. I was upon him in less than a minute, crashing through the bushes and tearing apart saplings and branches in exhilarated rage. For a species to prey on its own kind for financial gain, this was the worst kind of sin. Even the malevolent humans in all the galaxies were against it. I intended for these men to get their adequate punishment.

I saw him as he ran, a machete in his hand, clearing the foliage before him wildly. Sweat had soaked his shirt, making it stick to his back and his hair was covered in leaves. I caught up to him from behind and cleaved a huge mound of flesh from that back. He screamed and fell, kicking and swinging wildly as he turned to see what had attacked him. As his eyes fell on me I saw them grow big with astonishment. He screamed louder, a harsh, guttural cry that rent the air around us. He swung once with his machete but I quickly overpowered him, twisting his own arm backwards until the bones broke, then ran him through with his own weapon. Blood spurted from his mouth and he too was still. Then I headed back for the old man.

I found him hiding in a hole in the ground, muttering some words, trying to be as quiet as possible. When he saw me in my true form he gasped and retreated deeper into the hole. I looked at him with my four eyes for a moment.

"Abomination." I said. "The earth shall have you."

I covered the hole with dirt, filled it up and patted it down firmly and sat there waiting until I felt his life force expire. Then I said some prayer and went back to where I had dropped my human suit. I dressed up again and went to join the passengers.

They had managed to keep themselves together. The man I had spoken to hailed me as he saw me coming out of the bushes. The pregnant woman had stopped crying and was praying fervently, I smiled reassuringly at her and helped them to undo their bonds.

"Where are they? Where are those evil people?" The man asked.

"Gone," I said simply. "And we should be going too. Does anyone know how to drive this vehicle?"

Several of the men raised their hands. We got everybody on the bus and one of the men drove the car back through the path we had come. I sat in front and showed them the way since I had been awake and aware throughout the journey to this place.

This was my darkest experience on this planet, It is sad what man can do to another man in the name of profit. The man I had spoken to initally introduced himself as Amaefuna and offered to take me into the city to a business centre where I could get access to a computer. Once or twice he would steal a glance at me and I wasn't quite sure what I saw on his face, whether it was awe or fear, admiration or dread. I decided to leave the matter alone. I was quite sure he hadn't seen me in my true form.

"How long will you be in the city?" Amaefuna asked as he walked beside me towards the business centre.

"As soon as I get what I want I'll head back." I replied.

We had dropped off at the bus park at the entrance to the city. I thought the first thing the people would do would be to report to the police what had happened but instead they were more interested in getting to thier destinations as quickly as possible. I was most perplexed and asked Amaefuna if it wasn't customary to have security personnel like the military, knights or keplars to report these incidents to. He looked at me funny and said no, it might complicate things for everyone; moreso for me since I had been the one to 'take care' of thier abductors. He said 'take care' with such foreboding that I gave him a double look but he changed the topic and asked me where I was actually going. I told him what I was looking for and he offered to take me to a good place.

"Do you have where to stay for the night, in case you don't get what you're looking for today."


"No, this is my first time to the city." I confessed.

"Ah, I thought as much." He pointed ahead towards some tall buildings. "My shop is in there. I rented the entire second floor. I am a merchant in vehicle spare parts. Ask for me if you need a place to stay." He turned to the building beside us "There is a good business center here. Let me take you inside."

We climbed a flight of narrow stairs up the side of a building until we came to a passageway. Following the passageway, we got to a wooden door which Amaefuna opened.

The door opened up into a rectangular room , brightly lit, containing small square algorithm boxes. Each box had a human in front of it tapping away at a control panel.

"Here we go." Amaefuna hailed the manager at the far end of the room and asked for a code which the manager printed out. He paid and gave the code to me.

"You have 2hours." He pointed at where I should type in the code even though to me it was fairly obvious. "I believe that is more than enough to get what you want? Come and have lunch when you're done. Do you have a phone?"

"Erm, no." I replied.

"No problem....When you're done from your research just come around to that building. Don't leave without letting me know oh!" And with that he was gone. I didn't even have time to thank him for his kindness.

I sat beside one the algorithm machines...

"... Oga no siddon for there, that computer too slow." The guy beside me muttered under his breath. "Give me like 20 minutes, I'll be done with my own."

"Thank you, but I think I can work it out." I said as I tapped the keyboard with my fingers, letting oof a few hundred nanobots into the kaypad surreptitiously. This computer was essentially an analog, archaiec, ancient even. But it's parts could be efficiently utilized to help me with my search. I typed the code into the program as a formality while my nanobots did thier magic. The computer screen began to glitch and freeze.

"You see? I told you that computer get problem. Pause your time o if not e go waste. " The man beside said, a smirk on his face.

There was a whirring, clicking sound as the computer before me gained sentience. The screen went blank.

"JJC!" The man beside me laughed. "Abeg make I face my work..."

Good Wayfare Lotar Don. How may I be of service? The computer chirped.

The man beside me almost jumped out of his chair in shock.

"Access this planer's database please." I replied.

"Is the computer talking ? Are you talking to the computer? What game did u download?!" The man gasped.

I ignored him , but noticed how the other people were beginning to looking my direction. Was it possible they hadn't even gotten sentient AI yet? I whispered to the computer:

"Activate screen functions. Mute voice communications for now."

"Which game be dat?" The man shouted as the screen came on and instantly gained access to the planets artificial intelligence, something they were calling The Internet".

"Crash course level 1." I replied. He seemed very relieved and sat down. "I thought....for a moment I thought the computer and you were talking. " He laughed to himself. I chuckled alongside him. Information began to appear on the screen and I glanced through them at them as quickly as I could.

"What are you looking for?"

"Come, Emmanuel, leave that guy alone and face your work na, haba!" The business centre manager finally intervened as the man beside me called 'Emmanuel' smiled again and faxed his computer, even though I caught him staring at my screen a few times.

None of the information I received pointed towards a diamond deposit in the close vicinity. At least none that the humans had found. The closest diamond deposits, the types I wanted, seemed to be in a faraway land called South Africa. It was what I needed to power up my ships engines. I sighed as I looked at the distance. It would take me more than a few days going there on foot. Via thier transport system it would take longer. I would need something called a visa and other forms of identification. And that on its own could spell trouble.

How was I going to do this?

"You want diamonds?" Emma asked me. "I can get you diamonds."

"Really?" I turned to him, astounded.

"Yes, the moment you stepped in here, o knew there was something about u, I felt that I would be able to help you. How much diamonds do u want?"

"About 100grams worth. It would be really helpful if you can get it."

"And can you pay for it?"

"Yes I can". I wasn't quite sure of the cost but I could easily duplicate the money pereyei had given me.

Emmanuel smiled. It was a genuine, friendly smile and I felt genuinely relieved that the Great Ones has brought this man across my path.

"Come with me. I'll get the diamonds for you now now."

Foreboding.

If ever there was a definition for the word, that was precisely what the little forest looked like in the eyes of the MD. Sticking out like a sore thumb, it was a sharp contrast to the immediate surroundings. On the left was an administrative block of ten offices. The secretaries and clerks could be seen moving about inside, carrying files and documents, typing on desktops and whatnot. On the right was the laboratory building. And smack dab right in the middle of it, with at least fifty meters of bush on either side, was the clump of trees and bushes. It was roughly 100 by 80 meters, its furthermost part obscuring the hospital fence. The fence itself separated the hospital from the thick forest beyond it. For all he knew there might be a hole in the fence somewhere in there and a wild animal might have crawled it. He swallowed saliva in a bid to lubricate his throat which had suddenly gone dry.

"This is rubbish," he muttered to himself. He turned to the small crowd that had gathered behind him. "This is total rubbish. What if i get bitten by a snake?"

"Oga we dey put carbide, I mean, snake repellant every month for this place." The security man said. "E no get as snake wan dey here..."

"Will you shut up!" The MD barked, finally losing his cool. The security guard pursed his lips together. He seemed particularly eager to see the MD enter the forest and he smiled at his colleague who hissed at him rudely.

The MD approached the entrance to the forest. It was eerily quiet. He stood at the very edge of the bushes and shouted at the top pf his lungs:

"Awele! This is the Medical Director! Come out of there right now or you forfeit your job!!!"

There was no response. Not even a single rustle from the bushes.

He turned back and faced the House officer's rep.

"If this is some kind of generation zee prank I'm assuring you that you will definitely lose your job."

"Its not a prank sir." The young doctor said, raising his hands into the air to gesticulate his innocence.

The Medical director sighed and shook his head. "Alright, bring my boots. I swear I don't even know why I'm...all this rubbish...nonsense superstitions..."

The annoying security guard rushed to the storehouse. He was soon back with a pair of clean black rubber boots. The medical director yanked the boots from him and put it on, taking off his well polished shoes in the process.

"Rubbish" he muttered one more time before venturing into the bushes.

There was silence for a moment. The annoying security guard turned to his superior.

"Should we have tied a rope to his waist in case we need to pull him out? That was our saving grace for the last MD o..."

His superior shushed him.

Royver:
"This is as far as I go," Pereyei said as he led me out of the forest. "I believe you can find you way from here."

It was early in the morning. The journey through the creeks had been silent save for the buzzing of mosquitoes and other irritating insects. Pereyei had used his canoe to take us three quarters of the way until the ground beneath us turned from water and muddy slush to hard sturdy white sand. He had anchored the vessel to the stump of a large tree and we had hopped unto solid earth where a well beaten path lay hidden within the bushes. An hour's walk and we were finally at the side of a large carriageway made smooth with tar. A few vehicles passed by, all crudely hydrocarbon based and exuding fumes of toxic waste. I noted that there were no levitating vehicles, they had yet to discover the power of anti-magnetism, these crop of humans, and I considered teaching it to them before I left...but then humans rarely used advanced technology for good as history had shown many times before. I decided to leave as little of a print of my sojourn as possible.

"Thnk you Pereyei, You have done more than enough."

"I wish I could do more." Pereyei sighed, "but I have to return to my family, these town people, I do not like them. Too tricky." He pointed. "This road will lead into the nearest town. Sell the meat if you need money. Or perhaps use your magic on them to get what you want."

"I may have to do both," I sighed.

"Farewell then, Abosimagha. Return soon."

I smiled and nodded, and he took it as his cue to depart. I watched him disappear back into the bushes and then scanned the carriageway ahead. There seemed no vehicle in sight. I sat down by the side of the road and brought out the dried meat Pereyei had given me as a gift. I should have asked him how much it would get me if I sold it. I didn't even know what they took for currency here, at the village they still operated trade by barter and even at that Pereyei had taken care of all of my needs.

A sharp noise in the distance caught my attention. It was a distant blaring, now getting louder as the coming driver tried to get my attention. I stood up and waited for the vehicle to slow down and pull alongside the road beside me. A large male with sweat-soaked clothing and a protruding abdomen leaned over to my side.

"Na antelope be dat?"

My bioscanner whirred as it converted to this new language. It only took three seconds but my customer was an impatient fellow. "Young man, don't you speak English?"

" Yes" I replied, my first English word.

"So is that antelope or not?"

"It is."

"How much?"

"How much to the city?"

"What? It is N1500, why?"

"I'll sell it to you N1500"

"The meat?"

"Yes"

"All of it?"

"Yes."

The man's eyes widened in disbelief. He turned off his engine and motioned for me to bring the meat closer so that he could inspect it. I gave him some of it and he turned it over in his hands, examined it and sniffed it. He met my eyes and I could see cunning plain as day in his gaze.

"This meat is not good. I'll give you N500."

"Sir, If I may, I'm very certain that by your change in demeanor that this is a windfall for you. I know that you were not expecting to get such a good price for so much. I am offering the meat to you at this price because I need to get where I am going quickly and I need money to get there, money that I do not have at the moment. I only need you to give me the exact amount you mentioned and I will be fine. You will have the meat in exchange and you will be fine. Don not try to be smart with me."

His hesitated for a moment, taken aback it seemed by my speech. He looked at the meat again, turned it over and looked at me. I sighed and made to take the meat back but he humphed and put the meat beside him, motioning for me to bring the rest which i did. He payed me in two notes, one with a 1000 bill and the other with a 500 bill."

"I would have dropped you at the entrance to town but i don't carry strangers." He smiled, "who knows, you might be a spirit"

I watched him pat the packaged meat with satisfaction as he zoomed off, grinning from ear to ear.

There were still a few cars coming from either side of the road, most of them at high velocities. I gathered this was not a regularly used road. Soon a commercial vehicle came up. I waved and it stopped beside me.

"I'm going to town"

"Enter." The stockily built man said.

I entered and saw that the bus had four other passengers, all quiet, not one looking in my direction, all looking ahead. I ignored them and sat in the first row beside the driver as it seemed to be completely vacant save for the man who had opened the door for me. He closed the door and we zoomed off.

"How far is it to town?" I asked after a while. The other passengers hadn't so much as coughed during the journey, it was making me uneasy. "Will we soon get there?"

In response the stockily built man turned to me and deftly blew a white powder in my face.

I must have woken up just a few seconds later because a look of consternation and surprise flashed across the stockily built man's face. He quickly blew some more white power at me, muttering "This one go stubborn o". I wasn't quite what was going on, some kind of calming ritual for passengers? I didnt know. But my alien metabolism had already adapted to the sedative effect of the powdery substance and i knew no amount of powder he forced me to inhale would make me lose consciousness again. Not quite sure what to do, I decided to comply. I stared straight ahead like the passengers behind me were doing, slowed my breathing and didn't blink. This seemed to please my transporter and he chuckled and put the powder back into his sleeve.

"You were thinking it would be like that last guy abi?" The driver laughed as he turned a corner into the bushes.

"Fear catch me o. Abi baba's powder no dey work again?"

"E must work! This time we don hammer! We even find pregnant woman sef! Baba go happy for us no be small!"

Laughing wildly, the two men continued chatting with each other as the bus careened down the bush path deeper into the forest. I desperately wanted to ask questions, moreso as they were moving in the opposite direction from which Pereyei had pointed. But as the other passengers continued to stare ahead and raised no objections, I decided to hold my peace.

Maybe they were taking a detour.

The bus continued to move deeper into the forest until suddenly we were at a clearing. It was right dab in the middle of nowhere. The men parked the bus close to a makeshift tent that seemed to house an old man and some wooden statues. I stole a quick glance at my other passengers, they appeared blissfully unconcerned.

The driver came down from the vehicle and approached the tent and the old man came out. They exchanged pleasantries and the old man was apparently happy with the driver because he clapped him hard on the shoulder with a large approving smile on his face. The driver nodded and walked back to the bus.

"Bring them out." He said.

Immediately the stockily built man dragged my hand and hauled me out of the bus. I stood there, not quite sure what to do next. He let me go and hauled the other passengers out one by one until we were all standing quietly under the sun. The stockily built man got behind the wheel of the bus and drove it to a safe spot. Then he too came and joined us under the sun.

"You people did well," the old man nodded with an evil glint in his eye. "You even got a pregnant woman! This harvest will be great."

He motioned with his hand and the men bound our wrists with rope and led us to the edge of the clearing. Confused, I wondered what kind of strange journeying ritual this was as none of the other passengers complained. In fact the more I looked at them, the more it began to look like these people had been drugged or placed under some kind of hypnosis. Not sure of what was going to happen next I allowed them lead us to...

It was then i smelled it. The smell of death. My biosuit immediately Increased energy outputs to defensive mode. I looked at where we were going and saw a huge stone slab stained brown with stale blood. I saw bones in a corner, human bones, broken, fragmented, chopped up.

Chopped up?!

My face must have registered the horror I was feeling because one of the men stopped and looked at me.

"This one...I no sure, this one be like say e dey wake up again o."

"What do you mean, 'wake up again'?" The old man approached us.

"That time for the bus when we dey catch these people, I blow am powder for face, e no reach two seconds the guy recover." He stuttered nervously as he saw the horror on my face turn to rage even though I still hadn't said anything. "Be like say we go harvest am first..."

"Lepaica!" I spat out the words bitterly. It was a rotten word, an abomination in my world, an abomination in all seventeen federations spread throughout the known galaxy. I turned around and looked more closely at my fellow captives, realizing for the first time what was really going on. I emitted a high pitched sonic wave that immediately pierced through their minds, slashing them out of their sedative hypnosis. From the corner of my eye I saw the old man shouting at the stockily built man who rushed at me with a crudely shaped machete. In that same instant the pregnant woman, realizing where she was, uttered a shrill scream. The other passengers tried running but because we had all been bound by the same rope they ended up pulling themselves in different directions with some tripping and collapsing on the floor. I broke the ropes binding me to them effortlessly; It was a small feat for my alien strength. I grabbed the hand of the man wielding the machete as he tried bringing it down on my head. A sharp twist and his shoulder snapped at the elbow. He screamed in pain but I showed no remorse. I knew what these people did and the kind of plague they brought wherever they went. Without another word I went for his neck and snapped it. He shuddered temporarily and then was still.

The old man watched me with growing agitation. He was muttering some things under his breath and trying to give orders to the driver who was hesitating, wondering whether to make a run for it or not. Some of the men among the captors were barking orders at the others in a bid to try and get them to work together as they tried to run in a general direction into the bushes. The old man shouted some words and then threw a feathered stick at me. I wasn't quite sure what its function was supposed to serve as a weapon but i caught it and my nanobots hyperdegraded it until it turned to dust in my hands. The old man was petrified. He took some steps back.

"Where you carry this one from?!" he screamed, but the driver had made up his mind and bolted into the nearby bushes. The old man saw he was alone and quickly ran off as well.

I turned to the passengers, all in various degrees of emotional upheaval. I turned to the the most rational-looking of the lot, a middle aged man who was desperately trying to free himself from the rope.

"Don't worry. You are all safe." I said to him in my most calming voice. "Please stay here and wait for me, I cannot allow this evil to escape else it will keep spreading. I will be back."

He nodded his understanding and I left him with his people and ran into the bush as well.

As soon as I was out of sight, I swiftly pulled off my human suit. It would be much easier hunting for my prey in my natural state. I stretched out my four arms and legs, sighing in sweet relief before letting out a wild thesbian roar as I began my hunt.

I went for the driver first. I could still hear the old man stumbling clumsily through the forest. I guessed he hadn't had to run this fast in a very long time and I could hear his labored breathing as he delved deeper into the forest. The driver on the other hand was more of a youth and faster, and he seemed to be running in the direction of the main road. I went after him, making sure not to be seen by the passengers still in the clearing. I was upon him in less than a minute, crashing through the bushes and tearing apart saplings and branches in exhilarated rage. For a species to prey on its own kind for financial gain, this was the worst kind of sin. Even the malevolent humans in all the galaxies were against it. I intended for these men to get their adequate punishment.

I saw him as he ran, a machete in his hand, clearing the foliage before him wildly. Sweat had soaked his shirt, making it stick to his back and his hair was covered in leaves. I caught up to him from behind and cleaved a huge mound of flesh from that back. He screamed and fell, kicking and swinging wildly as he turned to see what had attacked him. As his eyes fell on me I saw them grow big with astonishment. He screamed louder, a harsh, guttural cry that rent the air around us. He swung once with his machete but I quickly overpowered him, twisting his own arm backwards until the bones broke, then ran him through with his own weapon. Blood spurted from his mouth and he too was still. Then I headed back for the old man.

I found him hiding in a hole in the ground, muttering some words, trying to be as quiet as possible. When he saw me in my true form he gasped and retreated deeper into the hole. I looked at him with my four eyes for a moment.

"Abomination." I said. "The earth shall have you."

I covered the hole with dirt, filled it up and patted it down firmly and sat there waiting until I felt his life force expire. Then I said some prayer and went back to where I had dropped my human suit. I dressed up again and went to join the passengers.

They had managed to keep themselves together. The man I had spoken to hailed me as he saw me coming out of the bushes. The pregnant woman had stopped crying and was praying fervently, I smiled reassuringly at her and helped them to undo their bonds.

"Where are they? Where are those evil people?" The man asked.

"Gone," I said simply. "And we should be going too. Does anyone know how to drive this vehicle?"

Several of the men raised their hands. We got everybody on the bus and one of the men drove the car back through the path we had come. I sat in front and showed them the way since I had been awake and aware throughout the journey to this place.

This was my darkest experience on this planet, It is sad what man can do to another man in the name of profit. The man I had spoken to initally introduced himself as Amaefuna and offered to take me into the city to a business centre where I could get access to a computer. Once or twice he would steal a glance at me and I wasn't quite sure what I saw on his face, whether it was awe or fear, admiration or dread. I decided to leave the matter alone. I was quite sure he hadn't seen me in my true form.

All hospitals have it, that one, foreboding place steeped in the mysterious and paranormal. It is to be expected after all, a hospital is one of the places people go to die. To live yes, to get better, but also to die and their bodies kept for the final destination to their ultimate disposal. There's the ubiquitous mortuary with its attendants and strange rituals before entering so as not to awaken the spirits. There's the ward with the bed that claims lives, that unlucky mattress that defies all logic until one day a superstitious person "accidentally" sets it ablaze to the relief of all and sundry. For OptiHealth Clinic it was that little tuft of forest that lay on the North East side. The hospital itself had developed with the times. Despite being thirty years old, its owners had ensured that it was kept up to date, the building structure was well maintained, the equipment were as functional as any good Modern Nigerian hospital was expected to be; the halls and wards were clean and welcoming, the staff were relatively friendly. The hospital had become an icon of health in the peaceful town of Igharrega in Delta State. It was the place to go for your health concerns when you had nowhere else to go. It boasted the highest number of specialist doctors than any other private hospital in the state. It had even been accredited for internship by the Nigerian Medical Association, ten years running now and never once slipping up in its duties.

The current medical director was a well built handsome man in his mid-fifties. Dr. Patrick had taken good care of his body in his youth and it had reflected on him in his middle age. A naturally fair skinned man, he sported a thick growth of hair on his head and a luscious beard, much like the boys in their twenties trended with now, which made him look all the more younger. His abdomen was flat, he viewed a protruding abdomen as the ultimate sin and made sure to exercise daily to keep his trim figure. He was tall, he had good taste in clothes and shoes and knew how to make his audience fall in love with him. Forget ladies, Dr. Patrick was a man's man. He stood as a mentor for many of the doctors who had come to the hospital seeking employment. Of course, he was very popular with the female folk and slept with a good number of them, managing to disengage himself from them when their tenure was up, none of them ever left feeling hurt or vengeful, they knew better than to think they could keep such a man to themselves. As for the males, he threw down just the right amount of authority to keep them in line without appearing to be an absolute jerk.

Many suspected that his wife knew about his philanderings but that she was just too much in awe of him to care. She had borne him three children, two girls and a boy, and he made sure that they lacked nothing. She worked as a pharmacist in another hospital, surprise surprise, but when asked, she always said that it was her idea, She didn't want to work in the same nvironment as him, it would be too...stifling. She visited the hospital once in a while and each time was treated with such public displays of love and attention by her husband that it made the women at Optihealth knees' buckle in delight and the men sigh in amused exasperation, smiling at each other and asking why they couldn't be the same with their wives. Dr. Patrick ensured that his hospital ran like a well oiled machine and that everything was always as it should be.

The only problem was that tuft of trees.

He had no control over that. He it was, who was the last person who had gotten the bulldozers to bring the bushes down when he had first been made the MD, He had been thinking of building a new Orthopedic ward there, expanding the hospital to provide more service. But the bulldozer operators had simply refused cutting the bush down. There were whispers of "Evil forest" and other such superstitious nonsense and Dr. Patrick wasn't a great fan of superstition. He barely went to church as it was. His wife on the other hand was a devour catholic, taking the children to church every Sunday and doing her best to ensure that the kids were being brought up in the ways of Christianity. Dr Patrick had tried coaxing the drivers with more money but to his utmost suprise they had blatantly refused. Even as the economy was biting hard on everyone , they had refused double the pay. So he had delayed the uprooting of that forest for the time being and somehow had gotten to forget about it all together.

The problem now was that one of the newly employed house-officers had gone missing. And there were rumors that she had ventured into the forest last night for goodness knows whatever reason. He had tried to reason with her friends, other house officers and staff that she had probably left the hospital premises that night but one of the new girls, one of the female house officers, had insisted with trembling lips and shaky voice that she had gone into the forest on a stupid dare. And was yet to come back out.

Had there been a scream?

No.

Any sounds of a struggle?

No.

Did they call her name?

Several times throughout the night but there had been no answer.

So why hadn't anyone gone in to get her? The forest was only a hundred feet deep at the most, surely one of the security guards could have gone in and brought her out in case she had fallen to some misfortune...epileptic maybe? Or a faint from hypoglycemia?

The other girl, the one that had instigated the dare, had looked at the security guards and started sobbing. The security men in turn had told Dr. Patrick that they couldn't go in there. He was the only one who could, being the MD. That was the rules.

"Whose rules?!" He had barked irritatingly, but they had only looked away, muttering to themselves. Threats to have them fired hadn't worked either. It was ridiculous.

"So you people really want me to wear this my suit and tie and enter into the forest alone to find a grown woman because of some stupid supersitition?"

"You can remove your suit sir," One of the security guards suggested. He backed off from Dr. Patrick's icy glare.

"Please Sir," The house officer's representative, a young man in his mid twenties came forward. "I tried going my self but they stopped me." He pointed at the security guards. "They warned me that dire consequences awaited me if I entered and I wasn't the MD."

"But this is ridiculous! There is nothing there! Maybe snakes or rats but that's it! surely she must have sneaked out some other way and is playing a prank on you guys."

"She didn't come for ward round sir. Awele is a very dedicated and conscientious house officer. This is not like her at all." The house officer Rep sighed. "Just humor us and come find her. We will accept whatever punishment you have for her once she's found."

"I don't even remember this girl sef, do you have a picture of her?" He asked.

Awele's friend quickly brought out her phone and scanned through her picture gallery. She handed the phone to the MD. "This is her sir," she said.

Dr. Patrick looked at the picture of the missing house-officer. She was extremely voluptuous. how had he missed noticing her when she came for induction? Fair smooth skin with exceedingly large breasts and a proportionate waist to go with it, not to mention her beautiful face, made him wonder for a moment if the staff were playing a prank on him.

"Is this really the girl?" He asked to which the others nodded. "I must have been more busy at work than I thought," he murmured to himself.

"Please sir, I can go with you if you're afraid, the house-officer's rep began, and quickly bit his tongue as the MD's intense gaze focused on him.

"You think I'm afraid?"

"Sir, no sir!" The House-officer's rep stammered. "It wasn't my intention to...I'm sorry sir!"

"Even sef, you no fit follow am enter, you no go come out alive. Na only MD fit go, come out." One of the security guards said with an air of authority.

"Shut up, just shut up!" The MD barked and the security man fell silent.

He sighed again and looked at the picture. Damn, those were huge breasts.

"All right," He said. "Let's go,"

Royver:
I stayed with the couple for another week. During that time I learnt a lot more about their culture and habits. Pereyei was an eager teacher and an excellent host, as far as he was concerned he couldn't do enough for me. I found out that he was almost 50 years of age and the child i had saved was his first. His wife was a little less old, in her thirties. They had been living together for the past fifteen years now and were unable to have offspring. Their first miracle child turned out to be an abbherent...a sickler, they called it. After the first transfusion at a hospital and following the payment of apparently exorbitant bills, Pereyei had decided to seek herbal treatment from his native fathers. From the look of things, he would have failed woefully if I had not happened to come along.

Pereyei refused to listen to any explanation concerning my advanced technology, what he called my "powers". He felt it would be bad luck to find out exactly how the spirits worked. He assured me that he was very content catering to my every need for as long as I stayed under his roof. Apart from clothing, food and shelter, I didn't really need anything else from him. My plan was to move further inland to the city and blend with the locals more, maybe look for a means of employment until I could find a way to fix my ship and return to my home planet. My skin suit was all I was waiting for, as soon as it was fully charged I would be on my way.

I used the opportunity to take a look round Pereyei's village. It was a very small one, about twenty people living some meters apart on the swamp's edge. They made their living from catching and selling fish from the rivers and also from selling some produce from their small farms. Some of them were hunters as well. It was a very rural setting, much like the methane swamp dwellers of Gorlac-1. As with those species, these people also had trouble with pollution. Their swamps were filled with spilled oil and chemical waste. Very dangerous for them, but a bonus for me. I gave the excuse of wanting to look around the village in the evenings. Pereyei easily agreed although from the look in his eyes he knew i was up to something much more.

And he was right. Every night I would seek out areas of toxic waste, collect samples and analyse them to see if they were useful for bio-degradation. I found a very rich source of carbonaceous material in every sample I collected. I went back to my buried pod in the area where I originally crash-landed and activated it. As soon as it came out of the mud, I placed the samples in its palate and programmed it to siphon as much waste as possible from the area for refining and storage. I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible while doing it and was very successful.


The child was doing much better than I had expected. Within that one week it had gained not only in weight but in height. I hadn't had time to configure my bio-scan for human mode before carrying out the healing process and I worried a little that I had given it too much engineered DNA. The side effects wouldn't be too noticeable, or so I hoped. He would grow up bigger and stronger than most of his peers and his immune system would be a tad more efficient than average. He would be able to go days without food or water. And whenever the opportunity arose he would have an almost insatiable desire for meat. I watched him smile and run across to me as I returned to the hut. Each time he would stretch out his arms and I would carry him and marvel at his increased weight. His mother had lost all of her fear for me; that feeling had been replaced instead with the utmost respect and gratitude. She let the boy follow me anywhere, and for a three year old he was highly inquisitive. Sometimes when the parents were outside, I would tell him tales from my planet, the ongoing politics in the intergalactic federation, my fallen comrades and my plans to take them all back home. Of course at his age he wouldn't remember any of it, but it was nice to have someone to talk to.


They named me Abosimagha. I accepted the name in good faith. I was introduced to one or two neighbors but that was it; apparently Pereyei instinctively knew I wanted my presence to be as inconspicuous as possible. Pereyei was a hunter and on some occasions I followed him on his hunting trips. The wildlife on the swamp were bountiful and in abundance although pereyei complained that they had been much more in the previous years. A few of the animals i recognized; snakes, rodents, fish, and the armoured lizards, what Pereyei called crocodiles. Earth was not so far different genetically than the other known planets in the civilized intergalactic federation. They had no dinosaurs though, no grass giants, and no chipouri or flying goats. I tried drawing them for him once, but he didn't recognise any of those speices at all.

Another thing I noticed was that none of these animals could talk. The snakes, the armoured lizards, I could not communicate with a single one from the many that we came across. In my planet, animals like these had elders, members of their species that had lived for so long and acquired so much wisdom that they possessed the gift of speech. It was strange to me, but then again I reasoned that man may have destroyed them all. I was yet to gain access to the planet's central database where I could download a history of man's sojourn on this planet. My bioscanners could pick traces of intelligent computer systems but they were still too far away for me to connect with them. If I had access to their database, then maybe I could find the things I needed to repair my ship on Mars.

And that was part of the reason I decided to leave as soon as possible. On the seventh day, when I saw that I was fully rested and my human suit had recharged completely, I called Pereyei aside.


"I want to thank you so much for your hospitality." I began.


He looked up at me sharply and the smile on his face which had grown more genuine over the days vanished.


"You want to go?" He asked.


"Yes. I have so much to do. I require some things to get back to my people..."


"I could help you get them!" Pereyei interrupted, but I continued


"...which I will not be able to find here. I have scoured this place during my stay. You have some of the things I need, the toxic waste that you showed me in the swamps. I have programmed my pod to collect as much of it as possible at intervals for processing but i still need other chemicals, substances, refined hydrocarbons..."

I could see I was losing him fast so I paused for a moment. Pereyei looked genuinely sad. At that moment his wife and son came into the hut. He turned to them.

"My boy has grown big and strong in this past seven days. My wife has never been happier. and since you have been around I have had good luck in my hunting. You have given us so much and we have reciprocated with so little."

I put my hand on his shoulder. He turned back to me.

"You gave me a place to rest my head and collect my thoughts. That is more than enough repayment."


The boy left his mother's side and walked up to me. He starred at me for some time and I smiled and carried him in my arms. His mother seemed to have caught on to what we were saying and began to shed tears softly. The hut filled with an awkward silence.

"Humph! Enough of this!" Pereyei exclaimed suddenly. "You have done well for us Abosimagha. Know that you will always have a roof over your head here! Let me package some dried meat for you for your journey. You can sell some for money, you will need it where you are going. Take whatever else you need. As soon as you are ready I will escort you to the city.


I nodded in appreciation.

"This is as far as I go," Pereyei said as he led me out of the forest. "I believe you can find you way from here."

It was early in the morning. The journey through the creeks had been silent save for the buzzing of mosquitoes and other irritating insects. Pereyei had used his canoe to take us three quarters of the way until the ground beneath us turned from water and muddy slush to hard sturdy white sand. He had anchored the vessel to the stump of a large tree and we had hopped unto solid earth where a well beaten path lay hidden within the bushes. An hour's walk and we were finally at the side of a large carriageway made smooth with tar. A few vehicles passed by, all crudely hydrocarbon based and exuding fumes of toxic waste. I noted that there were no levitating vehicles, they had yet to discover the power of anti-magnetism, these crop of humans, and I considered teaching it to them before I left...but then humans rarely used advanced technology for good as history had shown many times before. I decided to leave as little of a print of my sojourn as possible.

"Thnk you Pereyei, You have done more than enough."

"I wish I could do more." Pereyei sighed, "but I have to return to my family, these town people, I do not like them. Too tricky." He pointed. "This road will lead into the nearest town. Sell the meat if you need money. Or perhaps use your magic on them to get what you want."

"I may have to do both," I sighed.

"Farewell then, Abosimagha. Return soon."

I smiled and nodded, and he took it as his cue to depart. I watched him disappear back into the bushes and then scanned the carriageway ahead. There seemed no vehicle in sight. I sat down by the side of the road and brought out the dried meat Pereyei had given me as a gift. I should have asked him how much it would get me if I sold it. I didn't even know what they took for currency here, at the village they still operated trade by barter and even at that Pereyei had taken care of all of my needs.

A sharp noise in the distance caught my attention. It was a distant blaring, now getting louder as the coming driver tried to get my attention. I stood up and waited for the vehicle to slow down and pull alongside the road beside me. A large male with sweat-soaked clothing and a protruding abdomen leaned over to my side.

"Na antelope be dat?"

My bioscanner whirred as it converted to this new language. It only took three seconds but my customer was an impatient fellow. "Young man, don't you speak English?"

" Yes" I replied, my first English word.

"So is that antelope or not?"

"It is."

"How much?"

"How much to the city?"

"What? It is N1500, why?"

"I'll sell it to you N1500"

"The meat?"

"Yes"

"All of it?"

"Yes."

The man's eyes widened in disbelief. He turned off his engine and motioned for me to bring the meat closer so that he could inspect it. I gave him some of it and he turned it over in his hands, examined it and sniffed it. He met my eyes and I could see cunning plain as day in his gaze.

"This meat is not good. I'll give you N500."

"Sir, If I may, I'm very certain that by your change in demeanor that this is a windfall for you. I know that you were not expecting to get such a good price for so much. I am offering the meat to you at this price because I need to get where I am going quickly and I need money to get there, money that I do not have at the moment. I only need you to give me the exact amount you mentioned and I will be fine. You will have the meat in exchange and you will be fine. Don not try to be smart with me."

His hesitated for a moment, taken aback it seemed by my speech. He looked at the meat again, turned it over and looked at me. I sighed and made to take the meat back but he humphed and put the meat beside him, motioning for me to bring the rest which i did. He payed me in two notes, one with a 1000 bill and the other with a 500 bill."

"I would have dropped you at the entrance to town but i don't carry strangers." He smiled, "who knows, you might be a spirit"

I watched him pat the packaged meat with satisfaction as he zoomed off, grinning from ear to ear.

There were still a few cars coming from either side of the road, most of them at high velocities. I gathered this was not a regularly used road. Soon a commercial vehicle came up. I waved and it stopped beside me.

"I'm going to town"

"Enter." The stockily built man said.

I entered and saw that the bus had four other passengers, all quiet, not one looking in my direction, all looking ahead. I ignored them and sat in the first row beside the driver as it seemed to be completely vacant save for the man who had opened the door for me. He closed the door and we zoomed off.

"How far is it to town?" I asked after a while. The other passengers hadn't so much as coughed during the journey, it was making me uneasy. "Will we soon get there?"

In response the stockily built man turned to me and deftly blew a white powder in my face.

kmaxx:
I understand there's part 2 of this story, where can I read it?

You can find it all on amazon or okadabooks

PraisesPblaze:
Hello Sir Royver..
I'll be traveling for Nysc next week. I've read this your story since last year while under treatment from a fractured leg in an accident and i can't find a better time than now to share this story with my kids in church as I'll be missing them soon.

Permission to share with my kids in church? It's a very inspiring story. That will be my sermon for my last Sunday with them before traveling.


To be discreet.
I'm an Anglican Children Ministry teacher.



If you find this message later than 13th of March,2022, kindly know I've shared your story with them.

Lol, go ahead and share

Bam17:
Hmmm. I'm done with all my stories. Even udene. I've been writing the story ever since. It's just that I was having double mind publishing.


Even the ones I'm yet to publish on nairaland. The audience just scares me, you know. Sometimes I just leave my manuscripts in a box and hope someday I'll get to publish them.


And... thank you. I'm really grateful, dear

Why do you write, if not to be read?

Leaving your manuscripts in the box is like giving birth to children and hiding them in the basement.

Let them out.

Let them breathe.

Let them live.

Only then can you grow as a writer.

Royver:
segun544 pls send me a message on facebook messenger, Royver stories. It's easier. Thanks.

Joyberry joyberry pls send me message on facebook messenger. Thanks thanks

segun544 pls send me a message on facebook messenger, Royver stories. It's easier. Thanks.

Jaylynn:
Awe You said 'some reasons'. Hope it's not what's making me feel the same way too?

Maybe

IZUKWU:
Will you still finiSh the story here

Far doubt.

My latest published work is out. Chat me up on Facebook @royver stories to get your copy.
Cheers.

MightyFortress:
Royver... Is everything ok with you, Bro?

Yes fine thanks for asking.
I'm not so much on this platform again for certain reasons. I still visit once in a while though
But you can always reach me on Facebook.
Cheers and compliments of the season.

BrainEya:
Boss man.
I'll like to share your story to FB group.
Your reply sir.

Pls go ahead but credit the original writer.

chatinent:
What do you actually want, oga?

Can't people just commend you, make you feel happy, have your number in case, and follow you silently?

Have my number in case of what?

I'm genuinely in the dark here. Not chasing clout. Just wondering.
And Bleep it man, I'm not an Oga and I don't want anything, except maybe to entertain with my stories.

Modifed.

You ask for my WhatsApp number but don't give yours in return and yet you don't contact me. I don't get it at all.

There's something I don't understand sha. There are some people that after reading my stories for a while thy send me a mail.asking for my number on whatsapp. As soon as I give it to them I don't hear from them again


Abeg what does that mean? What do.you guys want to do.with my number? Abi am I missing something?

The bush-path was eerily silent and isolated. There was no sign it had been used recently. The plants seemed to reach out and grab us in a vain effort to keep us from moving forward as we forged deeper into the bush.

After a while the path divided into two. Without hesitation, Zeke took the left path. We continued until the path divided into two again and once more Zeke took the left. We walked for more than thirty minutes when we suddenly came to a wide clearing.


“No guards huh?” Jeffery sneered.


In front of us, standing watch outside a makeshift hut made of wooden planks was a man. He was dark-skinned, thick set and bald-headed just like Zeke. On his chest and arms were various amulets. Hanging on his right shoulder was an old AK-47 rifle.


“No guards most of the time,” Zeke whispered with a shrug as we quickly took cover in the bushes.


“Friend of yours?” I asked


“I don’t recognize him.” Zeke replied, spying through the thicket. “Maybe he’s new.”


“Doesn’t matter.” Jeffery said, bringing out his gun and cocking it as quietly as he could. Then he took aim.


“If you shoot you might alert others.” I cautioned.


Jeffery thought about it and sighed, holstering his weapon. “So what do we do? Can we go around him?”


“No, this is the only way in or out." Zeke said. "We will make too much noise if we cut our way through the dense bush. We have to find a way to neutralize him without alerting anyone else, though I doubt there will be anyone else close by.”


Jeffery sniggered but kept quiet.


“Let me go to him.” Zeke offered. “If I can get close enough, I should be able to get the gun from him.”


“No way. No way!” Jeffery whispered harshly and turned to me, “He’ll simply alert him of our presence. They are in cahoots together and this is his opportunity to get help!”


Zeke sighed.


“Why don’t you blast him with fire or something?” Jeffery urged. “Use your heebie jeebies or whatever magic you call it and knock him down. I’ll guard this one.” He jerked his chin at Zeke who remained silent.


“I don’t throw fireballs, Jeffery! It doesn’t work like that!”


“Well then sneak up on him! I would have gone myself but I don’t trust you and this guy alone, you’re too relaxed around him.”


“There’s too much clearing between us, he’s bound to see someone sneaking up on him.” I said, racking my brain for a solution. “Maybe if we…”


Zeke moved so fast it was like a cobra striking. In one swift motion he spun around and buried his fist deep into Jeffery’s gut. Jeffery gasped and doubled over as Zeke pulled out his gun and pointed it at us.


“Ba…Bastard,” Jeffery coughed in pain as Zeke stood to his feet.


“Hey, Hey you!” He shouted at the guard who became alert immediately, pointing his AK-47 at us and cocking it.


“Oya come and help me with these two! They have been holding me captive since. Is Oga Egbegradudu around? This is the seer he was talking about.”


I was shocked and that was putting it mildly. Zeke kept the gun trained on us both, standing a good distance from me in particular, apparently he saw me as the worse threat. Inside of me I felt Chukwudi the Stronger growl angrily but I calmed him.


Nothing rash now, I thought.


“Identify yourself!” the guard said, approaching us menacingly.


“I was one of the guys who brought the girl we kidnapped from Lagos a few days ago. The one Oga himself followed us na. My name na Zeke.”


The guard lowered his weapon. “Okay, na una do that stuff? Oga has been expecting you. He said you were on your way here.”


“Let’s take them to the house. Oga will be happy to see them.”


“You’re making a big mistake Zeke…” I began


“Shut up!” Zeke snarled. “I told you this was not going to be child’s play but you weren’t listening. You don’t even have a plan! And this bastard here…” He kicked Jeffery, who had finally managed to stand up, in the stomach again and Jeffery went back down on his knees. “I can’t wait to deal with you!”


The guard came and shoved the nozzle of his gun on our faces. “Oya, move!”


I helped Jeffery to his feet and then we raised out hands. We proceeding through the clearing to another path. The guard followed close behind us and Zeke took up the rear. We had not moved more than a few feet when we heard Zeke’s calm voice.


“Drop it brother. Drop it or die.”


We turned around, our hands still in the air and saw Zeke pointing his gun at the guard’s occiput.


“Did you hear me?” Zeke said, his voice still calm but deadly. “I said drop your weapon.”


The guard smiled, didn’t look back. “You’re going against Oga? You’re already dead.”


“I know. Still, this Seer here saved my life. Maybe he can do it again, even though unwittingly. Now drop it brother. I will not ask again.”


The guard sniggered and dropped his weapon.


Jeffery quickly lunged forward and grabbed it, pointing it at both of them.


“That went well, yes?” Zeke asked.


I nodded. “Thanks man, for a moment there…”


“I swore allegiance to you sir. I’m a man of my word.”


“Says the bloody kidnapper!” Jeffery snarled, still pointing the assault rifle at the two of them. “Did you have to kick me in the stomach? Twice?!”


Zeke grinned for the first time. “You have no idea how pleasurable that was. But it was necessary to maintain the deceit.” He spun the guard to face him, ignoring a now grumbling Jeffery. “How many of you are there?”


The guard laughed. “You expect me to give you information?”


“Yes.” Zeke said. “Give me information and I will do you the favour of shooting you in the leg so you can have a reason to tell Egbegradudu how we passed you.”


“You know this place.” The guard said. “You know there is no need for guards. Egbegradudu placed me here and said I should keep watch and expect visitors, that I would be performing a service to him. I told you before, he is expecting you.”


“So you will lead us to him?”


“Not at all brother,” the man said, “I am to fight you to the death.”


He suddenly grabbed one of the charms on his neck, blowing into it.


Time suddenly slowed down. It was like we were in a dream state, none of us could move. Our limbs became heavy and our eyes drooped in sleep. From my hazy vision I could see the man laughing and collecting the guns from Zeke and Jeffery who were helpless to stop him. I looked up and saw a thick black cloud just above our heads. It was rumbling and emitted intermittent sparks, like it was housing lightening. I looked back down and the man was approaching Jeffery, gun in hand. His words came in slow motion.


“I no know why oga say this thing go hard.” He seemed to drawl. I watched as he slowly raised the gun to Jeffery’s temple.


Id… I thought.

Chukwudi the Stronger took over and with all our strength we tore through the mesmerizing charm. The guard turned to us, a look of surprise on his face but it was too late. Chukwudi the Stronger landed a blow on his jaw and he was thrown backwards. The cloud dispersed and everything came back to normal. Chukwudi the Stronger picked both guns and threw them deep into the bush.


“Hey!” Jeffery yelped and ran after the weapons.


Chukwudi the Stronger began to approach him but Zeke put a hand on his chest.


“Allow me, Master.” He said.


Chukwudi the Stronger grinned and promptly sat on the ground.


What…what are you doing? I gasped


He wants to help, let him help. Besides, I’m spoiling for some entertainment. Chukwudi the stronger smiled and gestured to Zeke like he was offering him food. “Please go ahead.”


“No be you I wan fight, Baba no talk say make I kill you, comot now before I tell baba say you betray am!” the guard shouted.


Zeke smiled grimly but said nothing. Muttering some words under his breath, he struck the ground with his open palm, covering it with sand, and approached the man, palm outstretched and facing his opponent. The guard was furious for some reason.


“Wetin be all this? Comot na, make I carry out oga assignment!”


“You will have to fight me first.” Zeke said calmly.


“Bastard!” the guard replied and ran forward yelling, grabbing another amulet from his waist and thrusting it at Zeke. Zeke deftly caught it in his sandied palm and closed his fist around it. The guard tugged and pulled but Zeke held on strongly. Eventually the man let go and took a few steps back. Zeke smiled and dropped the amulet on the ground like it was useless.


“Simple neutralization.” Chukwudi the Stronger observed out loud.


“It is the same charm we used on you at the club, Master.” Zeke replied, not taking his eyes off his opponent. “One hit from it and you won’t get up again.”


“But I did!” Chukwudi the Stronger said with a grin.


“Which is why you are a worthy master sir.” Zeke said


“Indeed I am.” Chukwudi the Stronger nodded in approval of the praise.


Show some humility why don’t you? I murmured to a chuckling Chukwudi the Stronger.


The guard bawled in frustration and picking something from the ground, rushed at Zeke again. Zeke responded by raising his sandied palm once more but it was a wrong move. The guard had simply picked up sand. He threw it into Zeke’s eyes and Zeke stumbled back, momentarily stunned. The guard pounced on him pushing him to the ground and sitting squarely on his chest, raising his hands up to deal blows to his face.


But Zeke showed his strength then. He grabbed the man by the neck and flung him to the side. Sill holding on to his neck he got to his feet, ignoring the blows being rained on him until the guard began to choke and claw at him. Zeke lifted the man off his feet and sent him crashing to the hard ground with a loud thud. The guard gasped and held the back of his head in pain even as Zeke tried to get the sand out of his eyes. The guard struggled to his feet and searched his waist for yet another amulet but Zeke was faster. Rushing at him, Zeke knocked him to the floor with an uppercut. The man promptly passed out.


Zeke stood up straight, brushed the sand from his eyes and approached Chukwudi the Stronger who shrugged and receded, making me in charge again.


“Nice work.” I said, getting to my feet.


“I apologise for the affront on your person.” Zeke said, “Usually there are no guards. This security post wasn’t even here the last time. He knows we are coming.”


“Yeah, I knew that already.” I replied. “Now where on Earth did Jeffery go?”


Suddenly there was a loud shout behind us and we turned around just in time to see the guard who had regained consciousness rushing at us with a dagger. Zeke jumped in front of me to protect me but there was a loud bang and the man was thrown back to the ground, blood spraying from his chest. He lay there dead and we turned to see Jeffery, coming out of the bushes, his gun still aimed at the assailant.


“Thank you” Zeke said. “I would have been killed for sure.”


Jeffery glared at him furiously. “You said no guards! You emphasized no guards! Maybe I should have let him run you through with the dagger! At least that would be one less person I have to look over my shoulder about!”


I stared at the dead man for a moment longer then averted my eyes. I had never seen a man killed in cold blood like that before. Even with the Leopard of Asaba, he had already been close to death. I had seen too many deaths in the past few days. It was beginning to get to me.


“What is the matter, Master?” Zeke asked with concern, seeing that I had suddenly become silent.


“Noth…nothing. Let’s keep moving before someone else is attracted by the noise of the gunshot.” I said and let the way further down the path.


“He is not accustomed to this kind of violence.” I heard Zeke whisper to Jeffery. “Perhaps we may need to be more protective of our master after all.”



And for the first time I could feel Jeffery and Zeke agree on the same thing.


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CHAPTER 12


“Ah, Elimbu!” Jeffery exclaimed, reading the name of the town we were passing through from a sign post. “We are almost there.”


We drove on a few more kilometers until we got to Trans-Amadi way. Zeke had woken up at the back seat and was watching the surroundings intently. He suddenly signaled for me to go right.
“Turn in here.” He said, his hand going round his throat reflexively for protection from the oath. Nothing happened and he relaxed.


“Trust me, it’s gone.” I said as I glanced at him from the rearview mirror.


“And once more I am appreciative.” He replied. “But do you have a plan once we get there?”


“Sure,” I said without taking my eyes off the road. “Walk in, grab her and get out.”


Zeke blinked and then stared at me for a long time.


“What?” I raised an eyebrow, “Not simple enough?”


“I mean Egbegradudu sir. How do you plan on defeating him?”


“Well honestly I was planning on playing it by ear.” I said determinedly.


“You still do not understand sir. I have the fullest confidence that if we meet Egbegradudu and you do not defeat him immediately, I will not make it out of there alive. And neither will your friend here. He is that ruthless. You’re our only hope.”


“Don’t worry asshole.” Jeffery patted the gun holster at his side. “I’m packing heat. Depending of course on how many body guards there are.”


“Egbegradudu does not keep bodyguards” Zeke said then added ominously. “He does not need them.”


“Oh I sincerely hope he believes that.” Jeffery said with a wide grin and winked at me. “This will be easy.”


“It’s been three days, We are a good two days early.” I replied. “Whatever he planned on doing he definitely hasn’t done it.”


“If she is hurt in any way, I’ll kill your former master.” Jeffery said, turning around to eye Zeke belligerently. Zeke simply rolled his eyes.


The road we had taken was a lonely one, with thick bushes on either side. It gradually narrowed into one lane and it became obvious that cars rarely plowed this route. Jeffery sat up straight, sleep completely gone from his eyes as he became alert.


“I don’t like this place bro.” He said, bringing out his gun. “It gives off a bad vibe.”


“Look who’s perceiving the supernatural.” I teased, but Jeffery wasn’t amused.


“I don’t need any super powers to tell we are in a bad place.” He jabbed an accusing finger at Zeke, “Your boy here could be leading us right into a trap.”


“I know you don’t trust me, Mister Jeffery.” Zeke responded biliously. “And you don’t have to. Trust Mr. Chukwudi, he’ll keep you safe.”


Jeffery snorted and turned his gaze back to the road, his gun at the ready.


I drove on for another half hour and then the road came to an abrupt end. Ahead of us was a narrow footpath. Around us were trees and bushes so high they almost blotted out the sunlight. I stopped the car.


“We continue from here on foot.” Zeke announced, and alighted from the vehicle.


Jeffery and I looked at each other for a moment, then followed suit.


“You think the car will be safe here?” I asked Zeke who shrugged.


“Maybe. Nobody comes here except people like me.”


Jeffery grunted in obvious disapproval and then went about locking the car doors after which he put the key in his trouser pocket.


“What kind of security does Egbegradudu have in this place?” I asked Zeke


“As I said before, none, usually. At the most two guards if he is around, to run errands for him. Where we are going is very isolated and the victims are usually well tied up so they cannot escape. We only come around once in a while to bring them food.”


“Bastard,” Jeffery muttered.


Zeke glared at him, “I never said I was a good man, far from it. But I am trying to help and your consistently snide remarks are beginning to irritate me…”


“It’s alright Zeke,” I tried calming him down. “What kind of place is it?


Zeke sighed. “It is a house, a strange house that we do not enter unless the master tells us to. That is where we kept the woman.”


“Was she…badly hurt?” I asked.


“She put up quite a fight at first but we were able to knock her out and tie her up tight…” He saw the look on my face and paused. “We did not hurt her.”


“Alright,” I said. “Lead the way.”


Without another word, Zeke entered the footpath.



I followed suit and Jeffery took up the rear, his gun in his hand.

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