Freedom
1348 Words
"Oh! The rain has stopped. Where are you going? We have a car!", Toby said as Joe got out of the car.
"Fuel, remember?" "Oh, that's true", Toby joined him. "I wonder how the soldiers get fuel to power their vehicles and move about".
"Well, we had a lot before all these, I guess", Joe replied. "Very soon, they'll run out of necessary things and they'll need civilians again."
"If only someone could just get them to think with their brains"
"They may not even be in control of what they think about. We don't even know what's happening now".
The sun was already up in the sky. There was a sudden but short wind. Slowly, countless ghosts appeared around them. They were Joe's supernatural aides.
"We are about to start a war", Joe addressed them. "We don't know what we are dealing with, yet, but they don't know this, either. We are going to keep ourselves strange. We'll creep up on them and it'll be our force against theirs..."
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
"How do you feel about this place?", Kenny asked Idris as they both walked around.
"I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about it", Idris replied and looked at him. "I remember living in a comfortable environment and then, in captivity... not in a place like this"
"Yea, it's strange", Kenny said. "I stayed here for a while when I was posted before I arrived at your camp. There are many productive trees at the backyard. They'll make life easier for you"
Kenny sat on one of the dusty wooden chairs in the middle of the room. Idris was already thinking of ways to settle. Just looking past Kenny, he saw two rats, running across the room.
"Do I hear rats?", Kenny asked, rhetorically.
"They are definitely rats", Idris replied. "When was the last time you were here, again?"
"Pretty long time, I guess", Kenny stood up. "Come with me"
He walked past Idris and led him to another room where he had left some things. They were greeted by annoyingly wide cobwebs. "f**k!", Kenny yelled, as he felt some part of the webs on his tongue. "Bad idea! f**k!".
Idris laughed. "What a nice place!"
They took a stick and waved it, wherever they walked to in the house. The room was more like a kitchen and a store.
There was an half empty gas cylinder, kegs of palm oil and vegetable oil. Also, Food items that already expired or got eaten by rats.
"Ok, it's not so bad", Idris said. "I'll just clean up".
"I shouldn't stay too long and I should be cooking up an excuse for Akeem's absence", Kenny said. "Hope you won't mind if I stayed back for a while?"
"I wouldn't mind if you chose to stay forever"
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
"It's time" Joe said as he stood a few metres away from the camp. "Let's show them ultra Instincts"
Joe walked in and the ghosts walked out of his body. They ran into the soldiers, eagerly.
"Hey, Soldier!"
"Good day, boss", the soldier replied, saluting him. He was under the control of a ghost, just like the other soldiers. They all stood and watched.
"You know what daydreaming is?", Tanna asked, rhetorically.
"yea?", Chuma replied.
"Just thinking. My Kenny could run in through those gates and say I'm the next to get out of here"
"The last guy that left here came back with a demon", Alex replied her.
"Uhn?!", Tanna exclaimed, confused.
"She doesn't know?"
"Did you tell her?", Chuma replied, sarcastically. "Only Joe's coming back to do that... And he'll take all of us with him"
"Who? The mad guy?", Tanna asked.
"No", Chuma stood up, dramatically. "The chosen king of dead warriors with a supernatural army of ghosts. Born to save his wretched folks from an impending doom looming over our poor heads... and someday, he'll break through those gates with fire in his eyes and soldiers beneath his feet"
Don and Kalu started clapping loudly. "Hollywood!", they yelled.
Ada was laughing, uncontrollably.
The gates suddenly opened, widely and noisily. Everyone was alarmed. They stared, confused and wondering what had happened.
"Joe?", Chuma said, taking a step closer. The others stood up as Joe was walking towards them. The wind seemed to be following him. He looked fierce and controlled, like a possessed being.
"Oh my God! He's here!", Alex shouted. "Joe is here to save us!"
Ada said nothing. Her face brightened up, smiling widely. She ran to him and jumped on him. Joe caught her in his arms and they held each other, tightly.
"Wow!", Tanna commented. "What's gonna happen, now?"
"I guess we're leaving now", Chuma replied and giggled. "We are free".
After a pretty long time, the lovebirds stopped hugging. Joe held her hand and they walked to the others. Chuma and Alex gave him a hug.
"Idris?"
Alex shook his head, with a mournful look on his face. Chuma hit the back of his head.
"Nothing's wrong with Idris", Chuma replied. "He's alright. Just not here with us".
Joe cleared his throat. "Never actually Imagined this yet but looks like we're getting out of here. As soon as we get out, you have to get shelter, stick together and watch one another's backs. The war is still on... till I find a way out for us"
Everyone was whispering. Many, already daydreaming. They were already having thoughts of how things would be on the outside.
"Is that clear?"
A positive and loud response followed. Joe led them out, through the gate and they walked by the hypnotized soldiers who had become ignorant of what was happening.
"Hey, Friend of mine", Joe smiled at Uthman.
"Hey, Boss", the soldier replied and gave all the keys to Joe.
He suddenly remembered the civilians who were separated as work slaves. "I'll be right back. Chuma! You lead them. The professional drivers should handle the wheels. I have to get the others".
While Chuma led them to the cars, Joe ran to the kitchen and the offices to lead the civilians out. They were reluctant, at first.
"I'll only ask you once. Everyone on the outside is leaving. You can choose to stay back and face the aftermath of this or you can come with us and start a new life"
That was all the speech and no one stayed behind. They all followed Joe and found spaces to sit in the vehicles. Joe joined Chuma's van.
"What did I miss?", Joe asked after a deep sigh.
"One of us got released by Kenny", Chuma replied. "He returned a few days later, possessed by a dark ghost called Neron. Kenny took him somewhere and has probably put a bullet in his head, already."
"How did you know he was possessed? and how did you know Neron?"
"There's this guy who claims to know a lot about Neron... it's a pretty scary story. I'm sure Kenny's going to handle him, wisely"
"This guy, where is he?"
"Oh! I put him in the blue bus"
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
Breathing heavily and uncomfortably, Kenny drove the car, heading back to the camp.
'There gotta be other civilians, somewhere out here', He thought. 'Hope they find him'.
The car radio was on, to disturb an eerie silence. He pressed on the gas pedals, frequently. The speed and the wind helped him feel better for a short while.
"Don't have an accident, Kenny", he said to himself and stepped on the gas pedal again.
He could see a speed bump ahead so he slowed down. "Now you killed the flow", he whispered.
Gently driving over the speed bump, the window on his opposite side broke, suddenly. "What The f**k!", it was a gunshot.
He quickly bent his head as a rain of bullets succeeded the first one. 'who could be out there? I'm a soldier", he thought.
He was about to yell when he remembered, 'I'm in a soldier van... unless it's a civilian'.
Still keeping his head low, he pressed on the gas pedals and zoomed off.
- Writer
