THIRST IN HELL

CHAPTER 5

What do you know that is more venomous than a jealous neighbor, particularly if the jealousy is triggered by you making an evidently rapid progress?

They kept following me, looking for the slightest chance to do me in. Sniffing and salivating like wolves just because I had befriended an ordinary harlot. On realizing it, I started avoiding them like poisoned arrows. My caution helped me avoid knives directed at my berry, twice.

When one of the foes called Squealer realized that it was very hard to reach me and he could not stand seeing me anymore, he employed a new tactic. Despite being a trusted citizen in the territory, he betrayed the secrets of the entire society to the enemies of the tribe.

The raid happened one afternoon.

We were in the teaching cave with some other teachers. They were listening to an old dusty wireless receiver that hung on the wall of the cave. I deliberately used the word 'they' because I was not interested in it. They loved it and even preferred  listening to it to attending their teaching sessions. I figured out that they were motivated to listen by the fact that it praised them, or better said, it worshiped them anytime high grades were scored in exams and the teachers had already devised a secret shortcut method to always see to that.

Other than that, the wireless tirelessly repeated regular messages, like persuading beings to participate in the 'good' gambling... by 'good, I mean the one that is somehow taxable.

Moreover, encouraging beings to take more and more of the not too harmful drugs, I mean the drugs that are for some oblivious reasons legalized for abusing to those over the age of majority.

This messages were always followed by a ridiculous short rushed message that warned beings against the very two.

There was also a lot of vulgar music played to entertain. They called it modern era music, Not to mention the comical but openly obscene adult discussion programs presented by some qualified counsellors. I noted that beings of all ages liked them and actively participated in them day after day.

Then there was a news update. Long detailed news that never missed a report on rape, abduction, accident, and death from either murder, suicide or infanticide. Well, if you did not expect underground news to have any good report, you are terribly wrong.

There were good news too, like that of a one-in-a-million gambling winner while taking care not to emphasis on the million losers and laughter as crowd share potions of meat from a shot straying wildlife. Also, merry of a free bounty resulting from possessing goods belonging to those involved in road accidents and the drama of the endless hide and seek games played by the busted corrupt leaders.

That day the wireless was broadcasting of the strong prevailing peace and understanding among all the tribes of the underground land.

Afterwards, a quarrel broke between me and the other tutor beings. I had observed that some teachers were not being a good role model to their immediate learners. How can an ever absent teacher possibly curb truancy?

On the other hand, how can a teacher who always address the learners in vernacular expect them to respond to him fluently using the officially taught national language?

Some teachers also lied to their learners on sections they did not have adequate depth of content, misleading them.

Others could not be trusted because they had a questionable character. A very dubious character they possibly go and fetch from a hyena, closely resembling offsprings devour.

The old wisdom have it that you should let the sleeping dog lie. The heat grew when I mentioned those things to them.

They joined in solidarity against my nonsense and me. One of them even had the nerve to abuse me, saying that if I am the noble teacher I pretend to be, I should first go and train a beetle to change its diet from dung to maize meal.

As you know, when very many minds join to arise against one, the loner is left doubting the integrity of his stand.

Maybe I was the problem, for not viewing things from the hellish perspective. I was in that state of aligning my thoughts when the raid took place. A swift ruthless attack.

Seven armed beings invaded the learning cave. In a nick of time, thuds, swords, loud screams and smell of fresh blood filled the whole land.

One of the teacher was killed instantly. The wireless receiver was silenced by getting smashed. It exploded like a time bomb and shattered into tiny pieces that scattered all over. Its audience hid their heads in their arms to avoid getting bruised by the flying pieces. The rest of the teachers and I were dragged outside, some badly injured. Our hands were tied behind our backs.

The outside was no better. The whole compound was full of revenging invaders, assembling tied beings to one place and killing anyone who dared to resist. Some women and children were found hiding and praying in pastor Wacko's religious cave. They were mercilessly burnt alive. My Goodness! It is so pathetic to witness an old malevolent blood shedding young innocent blood.

The jury tried to buy his way out but was unlucky, too unlucky. The inside of his big berry was soon exposed by the sword, nothing else but firth, a lot of it.

I jumped to the side to avoid being buried in it, but as swift as I did it, one of the invaders immediately sunk his blade into my left shoulder. Pain... Blood gushing out, not too much blood, but owing to my current life of malnutrition, my body grew weak very fast.

Blackness crept over me as I wondered where our enemies possibly got such a great invading power from. I later learnt that their weapons had been donated, by the kind and friendly nations.

Everything became very dark.