CAMPUS PAROL Episode 18 ☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ ★☆★☆★ We ran farther east ward and after five kilometers we headed north. I held Samuel by the wrist all the while we were running. We had no source of light, so we bumped into trees severally. I could hear Samuel breathing very loud, signaling that he was fatigued, so we paused, I groped my way to a nearby tree holding his hand, then we sat down. “I’m tired.” Samuel said. “Yes, I know.” I replied. “That’s why I decided we take a break before moving on.” “Where are we heading to?” He asked. “We have to get out of this forest before dawn.” I answered. “We have to get to the main road so I can take you home.” “Thank you so much, Banji.” I smiled. “You’re welcome.” The wind blew, hoisting whirls of dust in the air,which made us sneeze simultaneously. The rustling noise of leaves blowing all around added a topsy-turvy soundtrack to the scene and it felt like nature was talking to us. The forest was becoming cold after some minutes of relaxation under the tree. Samuel shifted closer to me, wrapped his hands around me and held unto me tightly like I was unbeatable. “What’s wrong Samuel?” “I’m scared.” He sluggishly said. “Sorry.” I consoled him. “Should we head on?” “I’m cold.” I pulled off my shirt and gave it to him, leaving me with just my singlet, he wore it and agreed to move on. We stood up and walked along the same axis. Samuel found it difficult to raise his feet,so he lousily dragged it on the ground, making a lot of unpleasant sounds. “Samuel, come on raise your legs.” I said, still walking. “Banji, I’m tired.” “So? Can’t you endure till you get away from this place.” “I just can’t.” He sturbbornly replied. “Ok.” I succumbed. Samuel kept dragging his feet on the ground. I was quite unhappy about his deliberate action and disobedience, so I decided to walk ahead of him. “Banji! Please wait, am sorry.” He called and ran to catch up with me. Thud! He fell flat on his face has he ran towards me. I rushed back to him, picked him up, and got him to rest on the floor. “Sorry.” I said. “How are you feeling?” “My chest.” I sat close to him, transfered the rifle to my laps and placed my hand on his chest. “Sorry, you will be fine.” I said. “Ok?” “Ok.” We both remained quiet, quiet enough to be disturbed by the chirping of the crickets. I tried igniting a conversation but it was too late to dent the scary sounds of the forest, so we remained mute. Samuel was restless all the while we were seated, his eyes wondered all around searching for the unknown. Suddenly, he shouted and got me frightened. “What’s it?” I asked, with my heart beating fast. “See!” He said, pointing to a distant in front but I couldn’t see what he alarmed about. I shifted closer to him. “I can’t see anything.” Samuel quickly stood up, I stood up. “See, it’s coming closer.” Though I had no clue about what was coming closer,but I prepared for it. I picked up the rifle on the floor, pointed it towards the direction Samuel indicated and placed my finger on the trigger. In a jiffy, I saw two green eyes moving slowly towards us and totally became more frightened. “Is that what you saw?” I asked Samuel, bringing his head closer to mine, directing his view to what I saw. “Jesus!” Samuel screamed, dragging his head from my grip, which I forcefully retained. “This is even bigger. We are dead, let’s run.” “What do you mean?” I quickly asked. Samuel directed my view to another pair of green eyes, but those were sure the eyes of a snake because they were too low to be any four-legged animal. I was shocked, I freed Samuel’s head and immediately pointed the gun to the unknown creature, then I pulled the trigger. The power of gunshot, the creatures fled immediately but we exposed our location to the foes. “This way. The sound came from here. No, it’s from here. It’s a command, go this way.” Foes argued loudly from afar. We took to our heels again but not too long, Samuel fell into a ditch. I was about jumping in to get him out,when a beam of light shone on my face. “That’s him!” A voice roared out loud. “Get him!” Hope they won’t get hold of Samuel? My mind worried as I scampered off. I threw the rifle away because its weight reduced my pace and I couldn’t afford to get caught. It was a race to hell. Beads of sweat formed quickly on my face, I wiped it off as I ran because some trickled into my eyes. I peeked behind me but didn’t see the faces of my foes, let alone know how many they were,all I could see was a beam of light that moved right in front of them. I knew they ran very fast to have covered the gap I created. The devil is liar, I almost said when I hit my leg against the root of a tree and got me to stumble. No, no, not now, thud! I fell flat on the ground hurting my left arm. I struggled to get back on my feet before the pharaohs get hold of me. I was about making a ninety degrees to the ground when the bad boys got hold of me. Swoop! I fell flat with my back hitting the ground hard. They forcefully kicked me at the heels and got me on the ground just as the soldiers do to anyone who crosses their part. My instinct made me realise that they were two of them with me because the effect of the kicks that landed on me were minimal. One of the guys shone the light on my face in order to prevent me from seeing properly. I angrily got hold of the leg of the guy with the touch, vigorously dragged it and got him on the ground. The touch dropped on the ground directing its ray to another direction. We struggled. I strived my way through to his neck bit it hard and deep. He screamed out loud like a candidate of hell, while the other fellow kicked and blew me continuously but it had no effect because I was already transformed. I felt his blood surging into my mouth like five-alive juice, I felt I was deep enough to pull out his neck so I did. I bit off part of his flesh which hung on my incisors. I stood up to face the dude that kicked me ceaselessly, he couldn’t see my dangerous face but he could picture it in his mind so he fled like a psychotic dog. I spat away the blood in my mouth, picked up the torch and forged back to get Samuel. After moving some steps away from the horor scene, I found a mine covered with light logs, I cleared the logs away and ran back to the horor scene. The guy was still groaning in pain, I grabbed his leg and dragged him to the mine. Oops! I threw him in. I dusted my hands, got hold of the touch and forged on. Hope Samuel is safe? I was worried. I walked as fast as I could, I saw the rifle I threw away which gave me a clue that Samuel was close by. I picked up the rifle and rushed to the ditch. Where is Samuel? He was nowhere to be found. I was almost dawn, I could see withouth the help of the touch so I threw the torch away and walked back towards the hut we escaped from. Is this a good idea, to go back to that same place? Is Samuel really captured? What will be my fate if I go back and they nab me? I paused and deliberated on those thought and concluded to let go Samuel and head back to school. I turned around, then I walked to the ditch Samuel fell in and paused. “Samuel, I tried all I could to get you safely home but my effort was prematurely aborted.” I said, with a saturated eyes. “Wherever you are, please be safe and remember I love you, little man.” I afterwards threw the rifle into the ditch to mark where I last saw him. I walked on. “Banji!” “Samuel?” I said, turned around and saw Samuel running towards me. I was so happy to see him. I ran towards him as he ran towards me, he jumped into my arms and I carried him with joy in my heart. “Where were you? How did you do it? When and how did you get out?” I bombarded him with questions. He kept smiling. “I bent down in the hole and disguised myself like a branch of tree.” Samuel said, still smiling. “How did you get out?” “I strided my legs apart against the edges and I hopped gently out.” He said, spreading his legs apart to elaborate his point. “That’s so smart of you.” I said, letting him to the ground. “I was so worried about you.” “I went to hide behind a tree, waiting for you to come for me.” He cut in. “And here I am for you.” I said, smiled and patted his head. “Let’s go home.” “Yes!” “Let’s go.” “Hurry! Hurry!! This way? Yes, move!” Voices from afar hits our eardrum. Even if we were tied down, we would break loose because we couldn’t afford to experience again all we went through some hours ago. “Hurry, follow me.” I muttered to Samuel as I ran quickly along the path. We ran uninterrupted. No ditch falling, no root stumbling, no stone kicking and no feet dragging, we were focused. We saw vehicles zoomed by from afar, which gladdened our heart to run the race to completion. We got to the main road, I turned around to gazed at the Egyptians while Samuel flagged down the vehicles to help. The villians stopped and gazed at us from afar, I opened my palms wide, pointing it at them and blew my tongue to them. “God pass una!” I screamed out loud. “God will punish you all. I promise to be back for you all. Bastards!” I lost focus on Samuel, while I was busy abusing the bad guys. Screeeeeeeech! A car suddenly stopped. I looked back, only to see Samuel in the middle of the road standing like a cross in front of the car. I ran quickly to get him out of the road but he remained stiff. The driver of the car remained in the car with his wife gazing at the both of us. “Banji, just let me complete this.” He muttered to me. “Sure you know what you’re doing?” “Sure.” Samuel walked to the driver of the car while I stood wondering what they were discussing. After some seconds, Samuel signalled me to enter the car as he did also. The driver offered help to get us to a garage to board another bus to our destination. The driver made a U- turn and headed on to the nearest garage. “Thank you Sir.” I said as we alighted from the car. “Thank you ma. God bless you.” “Be careful and stop travelling at night, it’s dangerous.” The driver adviced me. “Even you,Jesus Christ, next time don’t stand on the road like that and also wait for your dad to come pick you from school else you pull a call through to him. Ok?” “Ok Sir.” Samuel said and smiled. “Thank you Sir.” “Take.” The driver said, stretching some money to me through the window. I collected it and they zoomed off, I looked at Samuel and he hugged me. I sighed in relief as we walked inside the garage. “Ella Avenue! Ella Ella Ooooooo!” The bus conductor screamed at the top of his voice. “Enter with your change o. One thousand, five hundred no enter o.” I followed Samuel’s lead, we entered the bus and sat. “Banji, I can’t thank you enough.” “Shush.” I sounded. “You don’t have to thank me.” “Am so happy you’re following me home.” He said and smiled. “You will see my mum and dad.” “Ok, it would be my pleasure.” The bus got filled up in no time and we took off. It was a smooth ride. I looked so messed up, I had on me a very dirty singlet, a torn trouser and a leg of my sandal, the other leg was on exile. “Conductor, please we are dropping at the next busstop.” “Maestrob?” “Yes, Maestrob.” Samuel confirmed. Like flash, the bus stopped at our designated busstop and we alighted. I followed Samuel gently as he hopped for joy along the street to his house. The street was well tiled, neat and shining. No doubt, only the rich lived in that area. “Samuel, wait!” I shouted. “Come on Banji, this is my house.” He said, pointing to a mansion. I hastened my steps to him. “This?” I asked, surprised. “Yes, this.” He said. “This is my little home.” You call this little? Then I have no home, I almost said. Samuel pressed the intercom, spoke to it and the gate fled open. “Come in, Banji.” Samuel said as he stepped through the gate. I reluctantly entered. “Good morning Sir.” I greeted the man behind the gate. “Good morning.” The man replied. “Banji, come on. Leave Jibril alone, let’s go in.” I was so scared because the paradise, sorry,the compound looked so big. I sampled the building from afar and I could imagine what the interior would look like. We were almost stepping into the house when we heard the gate open. An hummer three zoomed speedily to the door step of the house, parking right in front of me. I almost freezed because that was the second time I saw an hummer so close to me. “Daaaaaaddddddd yyyy!” Samuel shouted, running quickly to meet his dad,who alighted from the back door of the jeep. He jumped on him, he cared less about the white apparel his dad put on which came in contact with his muddy clothing. “My munchkin!” He shouted. “Oh my God! I missed you.” “I missed you too dad.” Samuel said, holding tightly to his dad as he carried him. The dad didn’t even notice my presence, he carried happy Samuel in leaving me outside. The hummer zoomed off to the parking lot just about twelve meters away from where I was standing. I looked like a chump, I bit my fingernails one after the other, scanned through myself again, shook my head and wept. If only I was born with a silver spoon. ☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆ ★☆★☆★ Episode 19 Next TO BE CONTINUED...
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 13:58:58 +0000
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