The Litany of Death

Chapter 2

2

"The mystery of faith" The priest called out behind the altar.

'When we eat this Bread, and drink this cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again" Emmanuella recited with the congregation absent-mindedly.

Her eyes roved around the chapel for her bunkmate and friend. Samiat. She wondered where she was. Samiat usually sat beside her in the chapel but now her seat was vacant. Emmanuella did't see her on her bed that morning either. Samiat always borrowed Emmanuella's hair cream but today she didn't. Emmanuella was concerned.

She looked over to the left wing of the chapel which was the boys' section. She looked over to Desmond who was tired of the mass. She felt Desmond had a hand in Samiat's absence. She had been seeing Samiat with Desmond lately and felt that he was oppressing Samiat. She wondered what eh must have done to her.

Several people in the congregation trooped and lined themselves up on the aisle to receive the Holy Communion. Emmanuella was too disturbed to join them so she knelt on the knee cushion with her elbows on the pew before her. Her hands held her head as she bowed down and prayed to His Lordship.

"Father Lord, please have a bad omen that something must have happened to Samiat. Protect and guide her back to me, Don't let even a single hair on her be harmed".

***

She followed their trail. They walked swiftly and silently through the narrow paths. Emmanuella followed them shrewdly. She went thick into the bushes with them. She was bent on finding out where they were hiding her.Emmanuella turned deaf years to her instincts that told her that the gang was innocent of the crimes she was accusing them of.

***

Desmond halted abruptly. The rest of the gang had to halt. Desmond looked at his gang suspiciously. His cynical gaze left the his gag and roved about in the bush behind them. He listened closely. Then,he returned his gaze to his gang. The gang got the message. They heard it too: the quick scuffling of feminine feet. Desmond nodded to the gang and they knew just what to do.

***

Emmanuella had lost trail of them. They were no where to be found. She stained her ears to hear their silent footsteps which guided her. Nothing. Did they pass another route? She wondered. She decided to walk a few merters back perhaps she will be able to locate them.

"What do you want?" Desmond asked in his husky voice appearing behind her.

Emmanuella shrieked. She turned to see the six- feet Desmond staring inimically at her. Desmond had broad shoulders with muscular arms. A horizontal scar ran across his left cheek. Emmanuella recoiled in fear. She had never seen Desmond up close. They were not in the same class although they were in the same set of Year five students. She had never ad an encounter with the school's most-feared student, Desmond.

Before Emmanuella could blink, five other students appeared from the bushes within and they formed a semi-circle around her. She found it difficult to look at Desmond in the face. She kept shifting her gaze from Desmond to the rest of the gang.

"I... I... I need to... kn... know... what happened to.. my friend?" Emmanuealla stuttered.

"Your friend? Do I even know you?" Desmond retorted in a noxious voice. He seemed to be enjoying the effect his gaze is having on her.

"I'm Emmanuella. Samiat's friend" Emmanuella replied growing confident.

"Samiat?" Desmond tried to remember who that was. "Ah! The fat busty girl?"

Emmanuella's heart churned at Desmond's description of Samiat. She wondere again if Desmond knows anything about Samiat's disappearance.

"Sowhta's wrong with her?" Desmond asked her.

"I don't know. i was hoping that you.. you.. mi... might know something about her whereabouts" Emmanuella replied.

"Do I look like a babysitter to you? Or have you forgotten how your friend's father look like?" Desmond felt insulted.

" I... I...I" Emmanuella lost her confidence.

"Cat's got your tongue?" Chukwudi, a member of the gang asked sarcastically.

"I know you were involved with Samiat" Emmanuella retorted with all the confidence she could muster.

Desmond was shocked. The gang went silent for a moment. Suddenly, the gang bursted into a menacing laughter. Their laughter got Emmanuella confused and shaken. She didn't know what to make out of this puzzling laughter. Whta she said wasn't funny, was it? She wondered.

The laughter came to an abrupt end. Desmond walked closer to Emmanuella causing her to walk backward. He looked at her intently. His eyes made her feel claustrophobic. She felt confined and restricted. She wanted to leave immediately.

"My phone charger was charging her phone" Desmond told her lewdly.

Emmanuella was puzzled. She couln't comprehend Desnond's sultry reply. After all, Samiat doesn't have a phone in the boarding house. Even if she does, will she be so desperate to borrow Desmond's phone charger. Her face was knotted in confusion and suspicion.

Desmond could see confusion written all over her face. He knew he shouldn't divulge his fling with Samiat to anyone. However, he will make exception of the naive lady in front of him. After all, she had come all the way here just to know what had happened to her friend.

"I was cultivating cucumber on her garden space" Desmond explained.

Emmanuella tried to reason his statement. She finally got the message. Her was...

"What!" Emmanuella couldn't believe her ears.

She was aware Samiat was sexually active. She also knew that Samiat had series of boyfriends. but never thought Samiat will stoop so low to have a fling with a notorious truant.

"That's not possible! Samiat will never do that" Emmanuella defended her friend.

"Did you r**e her?!" Emmmanuella asked with a courage driven by impulse.

WHAM!

"Are you mad?!" Desmond spoke fiercely and dangerously.

Emmanuella felt the impact of Desmond's slap with such fervour. The slap made her hit the ground with a impact. With tears in her eyes she scrambled up.

"She gave herself to me... no stress" Desmond informed calmly.

"She wanted love and I wanted pleasure" He added.

"No! It's a lie!" Emmanuella wailed with tears in her eyes.

"You r***d her, you monster?!" She added.

Her wild protests incensed the anger in him. The gang looked at one another in fear. They know what Desmond id capable of doing when he is extremely angry. Desmond felt insulted to be accused of r**e.

"Hold her!" Desmond ordered in a thunderous voice.

Richard and Kunle gripped Emmanuella on either arms. They laid her down on the bare ground. Emmanuella tried to resist and wriggle herself free from the gang. Desmond took ff his shirt exposing his bluer singlet. He went on to unbuckle his trousers. Rapidly, he got his trousers off him leaving only his multi-colored underwear on.

"You want to know what r**e really is?" Desmond asked extremely furious. "I'll show you"

***

Abdul-Rahmon was exhausted. The hot Sunday morning sun seared his skin from his sweat-smeared singlet. The white vest has now turned brownish-white from his sweat. He examined the portion of grass he has left to cut. It was still vast. It will take him another hour to cut the portion of the grass. He hissed in frustration.

He was fagged out of the school and its system. All because he head skipped the compulsory school masses and kept mute during the masses, he was punished to cut the thick tall elephant grasses of a five-metre arid land in the thick bush. That was so unfair, he thought. After all, he wasn't the only one who sleeps during masses. Desmond is a habitual sleeper and mass truant yet no one cares to apprehend him. It is so unfair, he lamented to himself.

He resumed his work. He cut the grasses off with a renewed vigour. He hoped he will have little time time to rest after thus excruciating task.

HELP!

It came in form of a faint scream. Abdul-Rahmon heard it alright but he decided to ignore it. After all, it was none of his business..

HELP!!

It was louder this time. Abdul-Rahmon curiosity was tinged. He dropped his cutlass and surveyed the bushes. Someone was in trouble. Serious trouble. But what was his business? He asked himself.

HELP!!!

He could not ignore it this time around. He picked up his cutlass and rushed to the place where the cry was coming from.

***

Desmond was stark naked. He crouched over Emmanuella who was still trying to overpower the strong arms of the gang. He cried for helplessly and screamed desperately.

Desmond ogled on Emmanuella's perfect shape. Hungrily, he took off her blouse from her body; revealing a feminine black singlet and white bumbershorts.

"Damn!" The gang whistled.

The gang was so engrossed in their business that they didn't hear the quick scuffling of feet and the disturbed movement of the grasses.

Desmond took off Emmanuella's singlet; revealing her red bra. Paying no heed to the helpless pleading Emmanuella, Desmond placed his hands on her breasts and squeezed them softly. He switched over to her bumbershorts. He pulled them off steadily revealing her black flower underpants.

***

Abdul-Rahmon could hear the scream louder now. He was almost there. He raced with his cutlass firmly in his right hand. He was short of breath already. His heart palpitated hard as he kept on sprinting.

He got to the place where the scream was coming from. He guessed right. It was Desmond's gang trying to r**e another girl. Nah, that's not going to happen, Abdul-Rahmon said to himself.

Desmond was petrified. He thought no one was in the bush except them. Before he could say Jack, the rest of the gang fled leaving him to his fate. He was on top of Emmanuella about to get rid of her underpants.

Abdul-Rahmon was enraged. He swung the machete up and landed it on Desmond's right leg.

YEHHH!

Desmond rolled away from Emmmanuella . He held his right leg as blood oozed out without control. He was in great pains.

Emmanuella thanked her stars. Nothing happened. She wept all over again. Amidst tears, she took her clothes and tried to put them on. Avoiding eye contact with her saviour, she muttered a quick "Thank you" and dressed up.