Waiting to run 2

I slipped the rest of the money into my pocket and smiled. In to time at all, I had mixed feelings about keeping the money. He seemed very absent-minded. Maybe he didn't even know he had given so much money. There was only one way to clear my conscience. I rushed out the door to ask him. He couldn't have made it past the hotel lobby. I jogged there and saw him. Obviously I couldn't shout Mr. Strange! I rushed over and tapped his shoulder. "Sir. I think you overpaid." I said, still not sure why I was doing it. He stopped and turned to look at me. He was sweating. He looked at me with so much surprise it startled me.

I stretched out my hand with his change in my palm. "Keep, just keep it." He stuttered. I tried to smile but just when I was about to turn I saw something terrifying. It looked like wires. He saw that I had noticed it and quickly grabbed my hand. "Be calm." he whispered to me. My heart was racing! "If you move or shout I will press the button and we will all be blown into pieces Smile." He said. I did as he said. Then I thought aloud. "But if I'm quiet won't you still blow up the place?" It wasn't after I asked that I noticed I shouldn't even have been talking. I didn't want to die. At least not then and not as a waitress. He put his hand around my shoulder and I followed his eye view. He was looking outside. Just when a man came out of a black Toyota Camry he started to shiver.

 I was so close to him I could feel his vibration. I squinted to see the man properly. It was George Wilson the lawyer who was all over tv some weeks ago. He was known to be the best lawyer in the country. Why did this man want him dead and why like this? I tried to give a hero speech but I didn't know what to say. "Please let me go. I swear I won't say anything." I pleaded, still trying to keep a straight face. "If you want to live, do as I say." he said and started moving.

He was holding my hand like he knew me. He turned and smiled at me and I smiled back. We were just a few feet from Mr. Wilson and I could feel his sweaty palms. I'm going to push you out of the building. Run as fast as you can. Good luck." he said and without any warning he pushed me out the door. I didn't even turn around. I run down the road and in exactly 5 seconds I heard and felt the explosion behind me. The force pushed me down and my ears felt blocked. I was shaking with fear as I managed to get myself up and look around. There were car alarms blowing all over the place and people screaming. I managed to run to the bus stop and take a cab straight home.

I fidgeted when I tried to unlock the door with my keys. The keys fell down twice. When the door finally opened I rushed inside and shut the door behind me. I stood with my back against the door for 10 minutes, trying to calm myself down. My phone rang and I jumped.

To be continued...

The fight to live

It was raining very hard. The rain drops felt heavy. They fell on Marie hard. She struggled to see ahead of her as she dragged herself in pain. The main road shouldn't be far from where she was. Her left hand was pressing on the wound on her right arm. She had bled all over her white lace blouse. The pain was just unbearable but she knew if she stopped moving she would die. She turned around. She couldn't see much so she kept going. She slipped on a twig and fell straight into the mud. She cried as she forced herself up. Then she heard the sound of a car. She gained some energy all of a sudden and moved faster.

She got to the side of the road just in time to catch the car. She was just about to wave with her uninjured arm when she recognized the car. It was her father's Range Rover Evogue. She gasped and hid behind the bushes. The car stopped by the side of the road. She knew she was in trouble. What were her chances of survival now? She crawled around and headed back to her house. Maybe she wasn't thinking straight but she remembered the men were three. One got shot while wrestling with the guards in her house, the other followed her and the one driving the must have been the third one. There could be more she missed but she would take her chances. She heard the car door slam shut and increased her speed. The mud had blackened her blouse and with her black jeans it was hard to see her. The rain helped too.

As she moved towards her father's house she thought about a week ago. Her father suggested they go to Ghana for a holiday. She didn't like the idea because she had really gotten used to Abuja. They traveled so often that making and keeping friends was a problem. "Holiday? Dad, we travel enough. Last year we were in Singapore for 6 months oh and Germany before?" She complained. They still came anyway. She now realized why her father was in such a rush to leave Nigeria. He probably messed with the wrong people but they obviously caught up with him.

Marie was almost at the house when she heard the sound of a car behind her. She was doomed. With the headlights they would spot her! She gathered all the energy she could find and run. If she could make it to the trees on the side of the house she could hide. The speed of the car kept increasing. There were tears pouring harder than the rain as she run for her life. She pictured the last time she saw her father lying on the floor in a pool of blood with three bullets in his chest. She didn't see her mother die though. She just heard her pleading and after a gun shot her mothers voice was gone.

She fell flat when she got to the trees and watched the car lights pass by seconds later. The fact that the house was alone on a hill was the only thing that thrilled Marie when they first got here but now she wished they had neighbours. She was stuck at the top of the hill at night with 3 killers with guns! Then it hit her. Her father had 2 guns in almost every house they lived in. He would hide one in his room and the other in the garage. That was her only chance to protect herself. Marie waited till the men went into the house before she made her move. They were arguing and looking around.

Once they were gone she rushed to the garage. The men had left the door empty when they took out her father's car. She slipped in and looked around. She couldn't find it. "I'm going to die." She said to herself. Then she heard a sound. She cried and turned around. She saw a little boy. It was the cook's son. "What are you doing here?!" Marie asked shivering. The boy was shaking even more than her. "My, father send me. Say I bring bread. It start rain so I wait for rain stop at back of house. I hear gun I come hide here." He said. "Poor child." Marie thought. He was too young to be exposed to this but then again so was she. The boy went on crying. Marie felt the need to be strong. "Look we will be fine ok?" She whispered to him. Then she saw a long wooden box behind him. She moved him aside and opened it. It was a riffle.

 "Dad, what where you into?" She whispered to herself as she held the gun. The boy moved back. "Don't worry we will get out of here." She said to him again. He nodded. She loaded the riffle with bullets. She had never shot a real gun before but she would do anything to save her life and that of the cook's boy. After she fixed the last bullet she accidentally pulled the trigger. The boy screamed as the gun fired. This was bad. The men came rushing in. She held the gun up with her shaking hands and fired when she saw them. Her arm still hurt. She missed and they laughed. "Foolish girl!" One yelled. Marie fired again. She missed again but the bullet hit the hinge that held one side of the metallic garage gate back. The hinge broke and the door flung open hitting one of the men and knocking him unconscious. The other man looked at his partner in disbelief. Marie shot again. This time she didn't miss. She got him in the hip and he fell down in pain. She stood in silence for a few seconds and run out. The gun strapped around her and holding the hand of the boy. She saw her father's car keys and grabbed it. The second man was trying to get his gun but she pushed it away and kicked him in the side. She took his gun and shot holes in their tryes and the petrol tank. She opened the car and they both got in. She sparked the car and drove off leaving the terror behind them on a lonely hill.

Where were you?

This was taking longer than I ever thought

People just kept coming, even more than a lot

Old faces, young faces, familiar faces and new faces

All dressed in black trousers, shirts, kaba and dresses

I looked around and saw some particular ones crying

All I could think in my casket was where were you when I was dying?



All I needed was 500 Cedis for an operation

No necessarily in full, could have even been a little donation

But all I heard was 'I don't have money, ask this person or that person'

I must say learning about the cruelty of man is the hardest lesson

A lady cried out and said, "We know his soul is going to heaven"

I wish I could ask her, where were you when I was dying?



When I looked at my little brother I wished I could talk

To tell him not to be like these hypocrites but to be strong as a rock

To care for people when they truly needed a hand


And trust in the Lord way more than the people all around

If you meet my brother, please tell him that I'm trying

To give him this message and that I'm happy he was beside me when i was dying

The transformed 1

Dean tried sparking the car again but it wouldn’t budge. He walked out and checked the engine one more time. “What’s your problem?” He said to himself. “We are already late for this show!” Fiona thundered. She opened the door and stepped out of the car. “I thought you had enough fuel.” She said. He looked up at her. “It’s not a fuel problem.” He replied. She murmured to herself and took out her phone. “Oh Fiona, I can fix it. Don’t worry we won’t miss the show.” He reassured. She shook her head and took a few steps away. He could hear her chatting on the phone. He reached for his own phone and called Greg. “Hello, chale your car no dey want move oh.” He whispered so she won’t hear. He took instructions from Greg on how to have it fixed and rushed off when he heard Fiona approaching. 

“Dean, I can’t miss this show. I’ve called some friends and they are coming to pick me up. They’ll be here soon.” Fiona said grabbing her clutch from the car. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll be done with this in no time. Just give me 5 minutes.” Dean said taking out a tool box from the boot. She giggled when she saw him. “Your car is old; you should get a new one and be free.” She said rudely. Just then a sleek Benz pulled over and she walked to it. “See you later Dean.” She waved and walked off. “Fiona wait, don’t do this.” He called but she didn’t even turn around. 

“Ah Dean are you leaving work already?” Afua asked. He stopped and smiled. “Yes oh, I need to meet somebody for something before I head home. I’m still going with Greg though.” He replied and rushed out of the office. He got to the bus stop sweating and looked around for his friend but couldn’t find him. Just when he was about to call him he noticed him get off a bus. “Chale I have to rush so let’s make it quick.” He said stretching out his hand. His friend dropped a used Blackberry in his hand. “Ok, so everything dey job right?” Dean asked examining the phone. His friend nodded and he handed the money to him. Dean didn’t waste any time. He quickly took out his SIM card from his old phone and slotted into his new one. 

When Dean got back to the office Greg had left. Apparently he tried calling when he was switching phones. He had no option now but to take a bus. The bus that would change his life forever. He rushed into a bus that was heading his way. Immediately he sat down he took out his new old phone and sent a text to Fiona. “Hi, I’m sorry about the other night. I’ve sent my car to have it fixed. I just went to pick up my bb. What’s your pin?” He typed and sent it to her. He smiled broadly and made himself comfortable. Almost instantly she replied. “Oh it’s ok. You finally picked your bb from the repairers eh? I want to get a new one for myself. A white one. You should take me to see a movie this weekend. Will your car be fixed by then?” She replied. Dean smiled but the smile faded when he realized he didn’t have enough money for a movie. “Why God, why am I so unlucky. Is having a girl like Fiona it too much to ask?” He said to himself. It was when he was replying that something went terribly wrong. There was a loud bang and the bus skid off the road ruthlessly. There were screams everywhere and bus run straight into a big tree. The impact was so great it threw some of the passengers out of the bus. 

To be continued...