NOTHING FOREVER

Chapter3:The decks of never-return

I slowly regained consciousness, my head pounding and my body aching all over. I tried to move, but a sharp pain shot through my arms and legs, reminding me of the brutal beating I had endured. As I struggled to sit up, I realized that I was not alone.

Buike's POV:

"Mama!! Mama!!!" I shrieked, my voice shattering the air as my captors ruthlessly ripped me from my mother's grasp. I struggled with every fiber of my being, my body contorting in a desperate bid for freedom. I kicked, I punched, I thrashed about in their grip, but it was no use. They were too strong, too relentless. I was trapped, helpless to escape the horror that was unfolding before me. My mother's anguished cries echoed through my mind, a haunting reminder of the love and security I was being torn away from.

As I finally succumbed to the unyielding grip of my captors, I witnessed my mother's fragile form crumple to the ground, her body overcome by the sheer weight of her anguish. Her eyes, once filled with a desperate hope, glazed over as she lost consciousness, her limp figure a heart-wrenching testament to the unbearable pain of our separation.

"Oh, God, is this the end for me? For my family?" I thought, despair washing over me like a dark tide. As I was tossed into the truck with the other youths, a wave of revulsion swept through me. I gazed out at the ravaged village, where the survivors - widows, elderly couples, and young children - wandered, shell-shocked, amidst the c*****e. The lifeless bodies scattered across the ground seemed to stretch on forever, their twisted forms a grim testament to the brutality that had been unleashed upon us. The stench of blood, sweat, and earth hung heavy in the air, a noxious cloud that choked the breath from my lungs.

I looked up at the sun, its scorching rays beating down upon us like a malevolent force. What was once a symbol of warmth and life now felt like the fiery gates of hell, opened wide to consume us all.

As the truck lurched forward, I scurried to a corner, curling myself into a ball as memories of Mom and Dad flooded my mind. The pain, the fear, and the exhaustion proved too much to bear. In what felt like an instant, I succumbed to the darkness, my consciousness slipping away into the abyss.

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All around me, I saw the familiar faces of my fellow villagers, the young men who had been taken captive alongside me. We were all bound together, our wrists and ankles tied with rough ropes. The reality of our situation hit me like a ton of bricks: we were slaves, taken from our homes and families to be traded and sold to the highest bidder.

I looked around, trying to take in our surroundings. We were in a dense forest, surrounded by tall trees that blocked out most of the sunlight. The air was thick with the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind. But amidst the tranquility of nature, I could sense the ominous presence of our captors, the men who had brought us to this place.

One of them, a burly man with a cruel grin, walked over to us, his eyes scanning our faces with a mixture of contempt and curiosity. "Welcome, my friends," he sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "You are now the properties of the British Empire. You will be taken to England, where you will be sold to the highest bidder."

My heart and hopes sank to this reality.

Before long, two Caucasian men, whom we referred to as "Oyibo," arrived on the scene. They exchanged pleasantries with our captors, their deep, peculiar accents making it difficult for me to decipher their words. I managed to catch their names, Royce and Bruce, but the unfamiliar sounds grated on my ears. "Strange names," I thought to myself, but such trivialities were quickly eclipsed by the gravity of my situation.

"Blimey, that one, eh?" Royce said, his finger pointin' straight at me. "That feisty little devil would make a crackin' good slave for the House of Lord Haughslow, don't you agree, Bruce?" His words sent a shiver down me spine, and i retaliated with a cold fiery stare at Royce.

"Of course," Bruce chuckled, "we shall reserve him especially for the House of Haughslow. He'll fetch a handsome price, I dare say."

"See to it that that one," Bruce instructed one of the captors pointing towards me, "is kept in prime condition. We wouldn't want him damaged before delivery, yea?"

Buike's POV:

As the darkness of the night deepened, I felt a sense of foreboding wash over me. I was led on a seemingly endless path, my footsteps echoing through the desolate landscape alongside the young boys who shared my fate. The air grew thick with an eerie silence, and the ground beneath my feet began to feel damp and soggy. The sensation was unmistakable - we were approaching a body of water.

As I emerged from the darkness, the faint outline of a vast expanse of sand and sea came into view. The sound of waves crashing against the shore filled the air, and the salty scent of the ocean hung heavy over me. I had arrived at a beach, but it was far from a haven.

I was marshaled into a line, my captors barking orders as they loaded me onto the deck of a waiting ship. The vessel loomed above me, its mast and sails towering like skeletal fingers, reaching for the sky. The sound of chains clanking, and the creaking of wooden planks beneath my feet, filled the air as I was secured in place.

As the ship set sail, the shore receded into the distance, a fading memory of a life left behind. I was bound for a destination unknown, my fate a dark and sinister secret. The journey of no return had begun, and I was powerless to alter its course.

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