in the rise of the dark

quicksand

We stayed another day on the side of the road, and another day, feeding on the fruits found around the pawpaw tree. Our biggest party, was when we crossed over to the bush staring at us. And before us was a plantain plantation, so ripe that one can eat it ordinarily like a banana, they were so yellowish that for sure, if not that the owner, or owners are dead, then they could not make it to where their plantation is. It feels like a partying when we found it. It was on the third day of our staying there, that we found the plantation, actually Emeka just curiously decided to check what was there. From the outside, nothing whatsoever will encourage you to enter it, but that morning as we were seated, he said he was going to check the place out, that he feel challenged that me and Ebere found the place of the fruit that we now dependently feed on. We tried to scare him discouragingly, by telling him of what could happen to him venturing into the place. Ebere started it.
- don't be surprise that, you'll enter and receive a sweet bite from a sweet starved snake -
He fidgeted, then mock her by flapping his tongue making a mockery sound.
- what if you open that place, and releases a battalion of scathed on us -
- oh! that will be a congratulations, then finally we'll become a live suya -
We laughed to his answer, but that is a scary truth. I do not think any of us still have the wherewithal stand any scathed, the fruit worked wonders in reviving us, but the lack of solid inside, can spell doom if this guys should found us out.
When day broke on our first day on the side of the road, scores of ten scathed was arriving from the right hand side of the road, Lotanna wanted to attack, I know if the attack should go on, we will be wasting the strength garnered from the pawpaw, on what could be avoided. I asked them to trust me and and hide under the leaves, that I used in covering us up. We watched as they passed us by, this movement from various group of scathed continued.
Emeka entered the bush, and what we heard from outside was his joyful cry of victory, but we ignored him, telling ourselves that he wanted to sell a dumber to us. After that cry, he became silent and at the same time, a group of about twenty scathed was passing and to us he'd seen them, and kept quiet, but bubble was blown, when, few meters away from us, maybe ten meters or so, Emeka jumped out from the bush carrying on his shoulders, a fully ripe tubers of plantain, did I say tubers? Okay, tubers of plantain, screaming on the top of his voice.
- I made it -
At once the scathed turned back, agitated, Emeka did not even know they were around and are coming at him. We really would want to help, but no one was ready to stand up to this things, we were like a very sick old man just recovering from a bad ailment. Emeka continued to make noise inviting us to his catch, somehow he got the information, the bad news we are trying to pass to him. He became silent and still, searching with his eyeballs what the cause of the silence from us might be all about. Amaka was beside me, and her action laying helplessly spurred me, to getting up. She was vibrating, and you could see it that she wants to help, but couldn't move, not even a hand. They were so close to Emeka, and he doesn't even know it. I got up at once, same time as Uche and Lotanna. Unlike before, this time as if choreographed, we went the same time for the heads, while I and Lotanna speared the head, Uche cuts the head off, the head of the scathed fell away from the body. Emeka did not throw the plantain away, but crossed the road with it. It was a smooth slaughtering of the scathed, but was funny when, after slaughtering them, very tired we found others carelessly eating the plantain, not giving a damn about what we are doing. Not even Emeka does, Ebere was quick to tell us that we are welcome to the party. They didn't even pay attention to us, but threw one each at us.
- that's your portions -
- tar! -
We rushed the plantain, and got more, it was just surplus and will end damaged if nothing is done to distributing it, in the soonest of time. We covered up our bodies and slept off, to wake up very strongly some minutes pass 2pm.
It was Lotanna who woke up before any other person, and made a fire. It was the smoke from the fire that woke us all.
- what are you doing? -
- fire to roast the plantain. We cannot be eating it raw, when we can set up fire to roast it. -
Uche was quick to remind us of the fruits, demanding if no one else is interested in them.
I went with Emeka to get plantains, why Uche and Ebere went for the fruits, and Lotanna is to make sure, that the fire doesn't go off.
Few minutes later, we returned with some bunch of plantains, and climbed up a bit to where Lotanna is making the fire, and dropped the plantain. Seeing how red hot the fire was, we started to roast some of the plantains. After roasting some, it occurred to me that Uche and Ebere are not back yet.
- what about Uche and Ebere? -
Lotanna looked up and saw them coming.
- there they are -
Then I heard a grunt like that of the scathed, it was just passing, walking away the opposite direction. Uche and Ebere dropped to our surprise what they were carrying, and was running toward us shouting in dismay. The three of us I, Lotanna and Emeka stood asking them what the heck was wrong. Then I looked down at where Amaka was suppose to be laying, the sight was bad, we left our roasted plantain, and ran to her. Part of her neck was gone, and lots of her chest including the left breast. This guy must have been sitting for a long time with her to really have this much. I ran after it, and standing before it, I pushed it to the floor, it groaned and struggled to get up. I broke the two hands from the shoulders, pulling them out of it sockets. It was just grunting aloud. I left it there and was coming at others, then Lotanna picked his spear to stab it.
- you did not kill it -
- leave it -
I tore out branches of trees, joined them together, and tied it on it legs. I pulled it to where others are.
- let's go -
- go, to where? -
- we are breaking camp -
- what is wrong with here? -
- we can't stay here, not where we lost one of us -
- what about the foods -
- you can stay and have them all to yourself, as for me and who ever is coming with me, we are out of here -
Lotanna is serious, and doesn't joke with food this days. He packed up all the roasted plantain, and asked us to wait for, so that he could go and cut some more plantains. We stood with our weapon, and kind of confused at what to do with him. His decision to go get some more plantains, was that of a reason for us to take off. He pulled aside the branches of trees that hid the plantain plantation, and as he was taking the first step into the plantation, a head dropped on his chest to take a bite, and really took a bite, he pushed it away, then stabbed the chest of the scathed that took the bite. Running out he screamed, crying on the top of his voice.
- it bit me, it bit me -
We shifted away from him, and was backing away, but Uche then walked up to him and slapped the back of his head.
- that is for liking food enough, to the point of almost ruining your life, and jeopardizing our friendship. You are lucky today, its your bag. -
He pointed out to the bag. We were relieved to know that, but are sad that Amaka is no longer with us.
. . . . .
We picked the fruits Ebere and Uche dropped.
How bad this places are, not even to meet a living soul for a whole three days. We'd have left the place disheartened to not to have met a soul, at least an attention to Amaka by a doctor would have been a compensation, but how can that be if not a soul could be found.
After the path that led to the fruity bush, we have not taken a pole walk, after the turn by the immediate right when, we saw a lady with a bag on her back entering a corner. We ran after her beckoning on her to wait.
- good evening ma'am please, w -
- so what do you want from my daughter Mr? -
A man showed up from there, smiling at us.
- wow! Interesting, so people lives here, what a pleasant and sad surprise -
The man did not say a thing again, but signals us to follow him, Uche offered to help the lady carry her bag.
After about two minutes walk, we got to a street gate, where some dudes came to open it.
- the only place we met a people was at the old port county, since .......... -
At the mention of the old port county, the man was almost becoming livid. And his discontentment was obvious. It was getting dark and he told us, that we will have to continue with our journey tomorrow, and we will not have to remain at a place for more than two days, until we leave the town, and failure to do that, one after another we will all die. His assertion was bad news to us, Amaka just died.
- okay, let me tell you guys. -
He came back to his seat.
- I am doctor Akatugba -
We looked at ourselves in awe. This life lesson is just too much to bear. You never can tell how close you are to your destination, to your target, until you're there. If only we know that doctor Akatugba is just by the corner, I would have took another dip to carrying Amaka with a last gasp energy.
- sir! You are the doctor Akatugba that we have been told about, without a proper description. -
He nodded his head.
- if truly you guys were asked to find me, and there was no proper description to get here, then you guys must be grateful that you are still alive. You guys must be a good people then, and don't have to see evil, but fear for your lives if you ever have betrayed, or would have betrayed at any point each other.
- we lost a friend this afternoon, she has been sick from the old port county, at first we believed she was pregnant, then later as we exit the county a doctor -
He cut in to my lines and completed it.
- he said he is doctor Akatugba, and announced that she has fibroid -
I was devastatingly shocked at how he got to know this. He then again revealed a nightmare to us.
- there is no old port county -
- what do you mean sir? -
- exactly what you heard -
. . . . .
The next day we left the doctor's place, he directed us the route to crossing over to Cameroon.
Cameroon is the opposite direction, we have to pass where Amaka laid, and continued to the direction all the scathed that have been passing us took. The side where we camped for three days is Nigeria, whereas the other side where we found plantain is Cameroon. But on this Cameroon, according to doctor Akatugba, the Cameroonians sees it as the back of Cameroon and don't enter the road, every of their activities ends on the edge of the road.
We got to where the remains of Amaka was suppose to be, I couldn't look. I don't know for others if they did, but we continued after we reached there.
Doctor Akatugba told us that the place we called a old port county was a cemetery, and abandoned when strange things started happening there, like some people would die and some seriously injured after visiting the place or came to bury their people. Though some they allowed to be buried, but others would be found exhumed and dripped on the roadside. The one that broke the camels back, was the day the owner of the cemetery was brought for burial, and on arrival to the place, the vehicle that brought the family, alongside their maid Ema, his wife was driving, was gutted by fire and they all died.
Ema Akatugba, was doctor Akatugba's first daughter, she was staying with the Lawrence as at then. Mr Lawrence was the owner of the cemetery. The pain of losing his daughter prompted doctor Akatugba to go find out what the problem of the cemetery was.
He said he was told that a group of bodies was brought and buried in the cemetery from a missionary hospital, that made a point of duty that any wicked soul brought there would be kicked out. Ema was a good girl, but died with the Lawrence, because she later was sleeping with Mr Lawrence, and somehow the sons got to find out, but refused to say it, they don't want their parents to have issues. Mr Lawrence was a very bad drug lord, he never knew. He was killed by the cartel. He said we lived on real foods because with time people stopped going there nor work there, because they were dying, and so all manner of foods and fruits grew there. Little wonder, a time frame was strictly mapped out for to enter house and to coming out. John was always alone now made sense, he must be an angel to have made us leave there. When I told him how Amaka killed the Lawrence boys, he heaved a sigh of relief, and said to us that he was surprise that the Lawrence boys ghosts stopped disturbing his peace, Amaka's action must have done that. He then confirmed to us, that Amaka had died long before we left the county. That he was told that only a fellow dead person can stop the Lawrence boys from troubling him. Mr Lawrence was his older brother, who spent fifteen years of his life in Mexico. He took over his brother's property, and the sons decided to always come around.
We were stunned and when we were leaving, it felt like we are standing on a slippery floor, a flooding floor, as if we are falling into a quicksand.