Mark and The Ghost
1126 Words
"What were you doing out in the bush?"
"Well, it seemed like the soldiers are after me for some unknown reasons and everyone is hiding. Was just running around for survival"
"Ok. You're welcome here. We are also striving to survive the war"
They walked back to their abode through the bushes, avoiding the open spaces.
Three kids were running towards the entrance; one was fleeing from the other two. They clashed with Joe.
"Hey! Told you not to come here", Joe scolded and carried the first one. "Snakes and lions can come out at anytime"
They dropped the meat with the women who began cooking.
"Where's Jerry?", Joe asked, looking around. Jerry soon showed up. He was coming from the bush; the same path which Joe and the others entered through.
"I went to get us some fruits", Jerry said and dropped bunches of bananas and plantains.
"Hope you avoided the open spaces? Hope no one walked through the front door?"
Jerry was getting nervous. There's a knocked out soldier, tied in one of the rooms and the body can't stay hidden.
"Something happened", Timmy's friend walked out, nervously. "We were playing and the ball got out. I'm sorry. I went to get the ball outside and a soldier caught me"
"Uhn?!", Joe exclaimed, anxiously waiting for the next words. "What happened?"
"Jerry saved me"
Joe calmed down. "You went outside. Didn't you, Jerry?"
"I'm sorry... but the soldier didn't see me", Jerry replied.
"That's not the point!... The point is you disobeyed.... and it must not happen again. Ok, you killed him or what? Did he just leave?"
"I knocked him out. He's in the room"
"What were you thinking? What if he wakes up?", Joe yelled and walked towards the room which Jerry was pointing at.
"We already tied him up", Jerry replied.
Joe touched the soldier who remained still. "We still have a problem. Do we kill him or do we dump him somewhere? knowing he already knows this place"
"We can dump him somewhere he'll get confused. He'll be lost"
"And how would you know if we are not dumping him in a place he's already familiar with.... besides, he'll find a way"
Joe shook his head, a few times, thinking of a way out. He felt a slight tap on his shoulder.
"I'm still here", Toby said.
"Who spoke?", the new man askes, silently. He perceived that Joe might have heard too while the others didn't. "Oh!"
Toby continued. "You know what to do, right? Ultra Instincts"
Joe stood up and touches the soldier's forehead. The soldier's eyes opened suddenly but he only stared, dumbly.
"Stand. Take him as far away as you can."
The soldier stood up, as if controlled, and walked out through the front door.
"What's happening?", Chuma asked.
"He's leaving us"
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
"My name is Mark. I was never captured so I was never in any of the camps. I was with two guys and a girl. We were moving about, hiding together... We got attacked by some soldiers. The girl died before our eyes. We fled but the other guys- they got caught. I was the only one that managed to escape.
"It was hard to have to survive alone. There was no good food. I was hoping to find people who probably also managed to escape.
"I actually met this set of people... just a few weeks ago. They were different. Something had happened to them. They were wild and hungry... and I wasn't the first to meet them. They literally ate people raw. It was insane.... I managed to escape and I met other civilians who thought it best to survive alone. I called them Savagers when I had to warn my acquaintances..."
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
"We've had to fight a lion, here. You sure you want to do this?", Alex said to him as they walked with their hunting tools, looking around, carefully.
"Uhn?"
"It's a lie, Mark", Chuma said.
"I thought so", Mark smiled. "I would have bet a million on it. "
"That's why you don't have a million", Alex replied.
Joe stopped suddenly, carefully listening to distinct sounds of movement in the bushes. A few seconds later, the others could hear also. Joe traced the sounds and found a rabbit. He threw his knife.
"He's never missed", Chuma said.
"Yea", Alex added. "He once threw the same knife and made it turn and find a soldier. Then, he made the knife return to his hand"
"Uhn? I don't believe that one", Mark doubted.
"It sounds like fantasy but it's true"
Seth carried the animal, put it in a sack and they continued hunting.
A few steps forward, They saw a deer, feeding on grasses. Joe sneezed. He threw the knife but the deer fled. The knife turned and moved after the prey while Joe got distracted.
His nostrils were filled with a familiar smell. It seemed dangerous but whatever the smell was, he had encountered something similar.
"They are progressing. You are slowing us down", a frightening voice broke into Mark's ears.
Mark froze for a second. He looked towards the tree where the invisible ghost stood.
"I have a plan", he whispered when no one was looking. "I know what to do. Give me enough time to earn their trust.... Then I'll give them to you"
"Mark!?", Joe turned and called his name. He saw the ghost for a second. "Who are you talking to?"
Seth ran to get the carcass of the deer while the others wondered why Joe was suddenly confronting Mark.
"No one. I wasn't talking"
"Shut the f**k up! I heard you. What plans do you have? Why are you helping them? What do you know?", Joe yelled. After a few seconds of silence, "Seems like you have a lot more to tell in your story".
They were heading back and Mark considered fleeing but it was unwise. He knew. If he fled successfully, the ghost would find him and take over his body. He needed their help.
'He's pretty powerful', he thought as he followed them, slowly.
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
"I met the ghost in a mall. It was going to possess me like many others. I had to make a deal with him."
"What kind of deal?", Chuma asked.
"Joe knows what they want. He knows what he's fighting against"
"No", Joe objected. "I only took a glimpse of what we are against.... but you know what you are talking about"
"Uhn?"
"You did not want to help the ghosts. You wanted to be free. I sensed it. You knew the risks of having a ghost in you so you cajoled him to stay out. You are coming with me"
- Writer
