Mission Impossible
1135 Words
"Kill Soko".
"What!!", Joe exclaimed. "I can't do that! I've done enough of that, all my life".
"One last kill and you get free", Toby tried to convince him.
"I... I made a promise to them- to you!"
"And you'll be breaking that promise for them... for us"
Joe was confused. He made the promise, just a few minutes earlier, and he was going to break it. "You may haunt me to death but I won't kill anyone... never again".
"You don't know what I'm offering, do you?", Toby walked to his back. "You want to save this people, right?", he added, in a whisper.
Joe remained silent. He wanted to do something selfless, for the first time ever, but he didn't want to make a mistake while trying to be good.
"Look! Just take a look", Toby whispered in his ear, pointing at an empty space.
Joe stared into the thick darkness, trying to see whatever Toby was pointing at. Slowly, ghosts appeared; countless ghosts.
"That's a million soldiers for the war ahead"
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
There was still mourning in the air but everyone was trying to get over it. Joe was brooding over the mission he had been given and forgot his obligation to comfort Ada.
The soldiers could be seen, walking down and up and right and left, on the other side of the gate. Everyone looked with contempt and if they got the same contract given to Joe, they'd probably take it.
Don walked to Joe. "He's gone. We agreed to get over it".
"What do you want?".
"I've been a jerk and I know it", Don said, honestly. "I'm sorry".
"I'm not angry with you. It's something else".
"I know. The ghosts"
Joe sighed. "It's a little deeper than that".
"They gave you a mission and you have to do it"
"uhn?!', Joe looked at him, surprised.
"I know", Don replied. "Odogwu said it and I happened to be listening"
"And you believe it?"
"No, you proved it", Don said. "I saw your reaction when I mentioned 'mission' and that means something".
"Hey!", A soldier shouted. "Get out! All of you! You haven't cleansed and you're not complaining"
It was time for them to bath. No new clothes, this time.
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
"What's going to happen now?", Ada asked Joe. She couldn't the food she was given.
"We are going to eat", Joe replied.
"Really?... We'll just forget it like he never existed?"
"Look at me, Ada. We had an agreement, yesterday; an agreement to stay strong for him. Right now, we're going to eat and laugh... and we'll wait for vengeance"
Ada wasn't sure of how to feel. She didn't feel any better with the talk but she wanted things to be alright.
"The thing is, I can't find my spoon", Joe said. "So we'll share yours".
"Hmm! That was your plan", Ada smiled. "Just use mine. I'm not hungry".
"No, we'll eat together... one spoon each, okay?"
"Okay", she replied and they began eating and chatting.
"First time I'll get actually satisfied", Chuma said while he still had half of his original portion in his plate.
"What!!", Alex exclaimed. "I'm f*****g hungry, man! I'll take yours". He added Chuma's portion to his. "I eat more when I'm scared".
"I eat less when I'm scared", Chuma replied, taking one last spoon from the food.
"We are meant to be together, then"
"We have no choice", Chuma said and threw his spoon.
"What did you just do? You won't get another one!"
"Oh! I'm outta my mind", he stood up and went to get the spoon.
He picked up the spoon, rubbed it clean on his cloth, and looked up. He saw Don giving food to another person.
"Whaaa!!!", he smiled, widely. "Hey!", he called Alex. "Don's giving out his food! I think he's drunk."
Don just smiled back. Joe and Ada were still eating.
"The food's nice", Joe said
"Yes. I wonder who does the cooking"
"The soldiers definitely can't", Joe replied.
"Stanley would have said, 'we may never find out'", Ada said, with a fake smile on her face and eyes laced with tears.
He pulled her to his arms. "It'll be alright... He's in a better place now"
"I hope", she said, when Joe released her. "There are probably people who work for them".
"There's definitely some of is who are forced to work for them".
"Only God knows what they are going through..."
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
The other side was not a very interesting place. The President and other military officials were still deliberating on how to stay comfortable while keeping every citizen as a subject.
"Romeo!", One of the leading soldiers, guarding the camp, called a younger soldier. "Check the women doing the laundry. These people have to change clothes before we make new ones."
"Ok, sir", Romeo replied, respectfully and went ahead to do as told.
On the other side, the soldiers had houses and stores, and almost all they desired. There was no actual peace in them. They feared the war, which would inevitably get to them. There was also fear of having unsatisfied desires if the world war ended and the citizens were still locked in camps.
Romeo walked between walls of buildings. On his left, there is an office for one of the leading soldiers. On his right, there are civilians and sewing machines. They are compelled to sew a thousand clothes, monthly, till the captives have enough clothes to wear and switch.
He turned left and kept moving. He walked past a door. Through the window, one could see a soldier forcing himself on a female civilians. He didn't see it, though. Even if he did, it would change nothing.
He got to a field. There were a large number of people who sat down, washing clothes for the soldiers and the civilians. Ninety percent of them were women. They had been there for a pretty long time so they were already used to the work.
"The people will need to change clothes soon", Romeo addressed them. "Speed up the washing... okay?"
They nodded and kept chatting while washing. Only a few soldiers would tolerate them making a sound. When some soldiers showed up, they would shut their mouths and even their thoughts.
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
"You don't want to do it, do you?", Don asked, sensing hesitation. "I've done a lot of horrible things... Adding one more to it won't be a problem".
"No! We're not doing that"
"Joe! You made a promise to us all"
"- and you are just earning the trust of these people. Doing such will only make them believe you are desperate"
"So you are going to do it?"
"I guess I have to.... I will", Joe said as Toby approached him.
- Writer
