President Lange. Another village was hit
by the black-death disease and the team
sent to the village to find out what the
cause of the disease was yet to get
lucky. Aweda, the crazy doctor had been
brought on board simply because he
proved right about a lot of things.
The sickness had broken out without
warning. Theis village was far away from
the village that was previously hit so the
chances of transmission by physical
contact was low. The doctors had taken
precautions against any form of
transmission by contact or air though
most of them believed the disease was
not communicable at all and they had a
point. The whole village seemed to have
contracted the disease at the same time
and it had not spread to nearby villages.
The meeting was holding in the Taraba
state government house. And it was the
sixth meeting he was sitting in since the
second outbreak. They were not making
any headway hence his decision to allow
Aweda in on the meeting.
“I know I’m stating the obvious here but
we need to know the cause of this
disease. If we don’t, we don’t find a
solution. If we don’t find a solution and
it hits another village or maybe a large
city this time, we are in even bigger
trouble.” Lange said.
“I think I have found the cause.” Aweda
said before any other person could talk.
“Let’s hear it.” Lange said ignoring the
looks of every other person at the table.
“There was something that happened in
both villages before they were attacked.
They both experienced what looked like
an eclipse. A darkess that did not exceed
the borders of each village. I don’t know
why no agency has noticed this.” Aweda
said, very pleased with himself.
“We have no record of this ‘eclipse’.”
Adigwe said.
“It was not reported in the news but you
can find this out from the villagers.”
“Okay, I’m sure you know what you are
talking about Doctor but what does this
have to do with the black death disease?”
Lange asked.
“I don’t know for sure but this is what we
know. A strange darkness that is seen in
only one village at a time and is then
followed by a disease we have never seen
before, that looks like too much of a
coincidence.”
“So how does this help the sick. We need
to help them get well.” Adigwe said.
“That is really important. We have about
five hundred and fifty people sick, we
can’t just leave them to die.” Lange said.
“The sickness is showing signs similar to
the…” Adigwe started but was cut off by
Aweda.
“No, that is not what it is. This is a
totally different disease and the only
thing to do is to watch it and know how
and where it strikes. That way we can
move people before it strikes.”
“So when should we allow it, wait for the
eclipse? Bury our dead and move on with
our lives?” Lange asked.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but
that is exactly what you are going to do.”
Aweda said.
Lange looked at him and his heart sank.
Despite his best effort not to, he believed
what he had just heard.
***
Damola looked at the men seating across
from him and balled his fingers into a
fist. The men would have scared anybody
but not him. He had been in the cell with
them for two days without incidence but
he knew it was only a matter of time.
Whenever they decided to attack he
would be ready, anyway he had other
things on his mind.
After Anne went missing he had almost
gone mad, looking frantically for her
everywhere. He searched the whole house
in case there was something he missed
and she had slipped out of the room
without him knowing. He found nothing.
After about an hour of going in and out
of rooms, calling desperately for her, he
had decided to check the office. She had
not been in the office for the four days
they had been together and everyone
eyed him strangely when he walked in.
He had rushed to her office and found it
empty. The secretary eyed him
suspiciously when he refused to tell her
why he was checking Anne’s office. After
confirming that Anne had truly not been
in the office since she disappeared from
the room, he went to her friends’ places.
They all did not like him and he did not
care but they hadn’t seen her too. His
panic grew to a unbearable level and he
spent the next fourteen hours driving to
every place he knew Anne liked to
frequent, going more than once to each
place. Until he was arrested.
He was not sure who but one of Anne’s
friends apparently had reported her
missing and he was the person last seen
with her. His case had not been helped
by the suspicions of gold-digging all
Anne’s friends had about him. He had
not responded to any of the questions
the policemen asked. He could not help
but wonder where Anne was and what
was happening to her.
“Oga, why you dey look me?”
He looked up and saw one of the men in
the cell standing next to him. The man
looked like the toughest among the men,
it was no wonder he was sent to start the
fight. Damola glanced at the man and
looked away. He really wanted to beat up
the man but he wanted to get out of jail
more.
“Na you I dey talk to, wetin be your
problem?” The man continued.
Damola continued to ignore the man.
Getting into a fight would seriously
reduce his chances of getting out on
time. What if he was worried for nothing?
What if Anne was home and safe? What
if…
Wham! The slap landed on his face. He
heard it before he felt it and was up on
his feet before his mind could catch up
with what was happening. It all
happened in a blur and one minute later,
he was standing over three unconscious
men. The other men had been smart
enough to move far away from him. He
looked at the bloody faces on the floor
and knew his chances of getting out the
cell on time was finished.
He moved to another corner of the cell
and sat down, it was only a matter of
time before the policemen would come
and lock him up in a worse cell, alone.
“Which one of you is Adedamola?” He
heard the voice come through the door.
He kept quiet. His body still trembled
from whatever had come upon him to
make him beat up his crazy cellmates.
“I said which one of you is Adedamola.”
The voice came again. “Come now or you
are on your own?”
Something about the voice of the guard
suggested he did not know about the
unconscious men. Damola stood and
moved to the door. The guard looked him
over through the door screen before
opening it.
“Your bail has been settled, you are free
to go.” The guard said.
Anne had come to bail him? Thank God
she was okay. He hurried towards the
counter where a constable was waiting to
clear him. He looked over the counter as
he approached it, he did not see her.
“Sir?” He called the guard. “Where is she,
the lady who came to bail me out?”
“Which lady? It was one old man who
posted your bail but he seemed to be in
a hurry to go. Weird old man.” The
policeman replied.
His heart sank. If Anne was not the one
who posted his bail then there was a
chance she was not okay. Or maybe she
sent the old man.
He collected his belongings from the
guard and walked out of the station. He
stopped a taxi and gave the driver
directions to Anne’s house. If she was
safe, he wanted to know. If only he had
not dozed off, he would have heard the
noise earlier, then maybe he could have
done something.
He looked out of the window and looked
at the driver in surprise. He was not on
the way to Anne’s house. The car was
heading in the direction of his house.
***
Eric could hardly do anything since he
had the dream. He had left mails unread
and not replied, calls unanswered and
not returned, he had to do something
about it. The dream came back to him
everytime as vividly as when he first had
it. His mind could not stay on anything,
his work had suffered and he could not
allow that to happen. He had decided
that they would begin shooting Genesis
in six weeks and for that to happen, he
had to clear up a lot of paperwork.
The files on his table ranged from
financial reports and projections to
personal letters sent to him by actors
trying to get on his radar. He disliked
replying mails that were not official but
he had a not-so-common practice of
acknowledging every mail he received.
Immediately people found this out his
office started receiving several letters.
He hated the part of his job that dealt
with numbers so he skipped all files
about the company’s finances and went
to those that dealt specifically with the
production of Genesis.
A knock on the door stopped him just as
he opened the first file. The door opened
before he could answer, it was Pearl.
“What is it?” He said, going back to the
file.
“You have a visitor.”
“I told you to cancel all my appointments
for the day, you know I have a lot to do
today.” He said without looking up.
“It is Toni Adedoyin.”
“The journalist?” He said, raising his
head to look at her.
“Hmm, I knew you had a thing for her. I
could send her away if you want me to
though.”
“No, no, let her come in.” He said as he
unconsciously began to brush his hair
with his hand.
“I thought you said you had a lot to do.”
She said with a chuckle and walked out
of the office.
He had not seen Toni since the day she
came to interview him. He had thought
about her a couple of times but he had
not done anything about it. He probably
would have called her if he had not been
distracted by his dream.
The door opened and she entered. He
stood from his chair and walked around
his table to her.
“When you said you were going to stop
by again, I didn’t know you meant it.”
Eric said as he shook her hand.
“I never say things I don’t mean.” She
replied with a broad smile.
“It’s good to see you.”
It really was good to see her. He had no
idea it would be this good.
“Before I get too excited, are you here to
visit me? Or you were in the
neighbourhood and you decided to drop
by?”
“I came to see you, but maybe not for
what you are thinking.” She said, all the
while keeping her smile.
“Oh oh, I knew it. This is official isn’t it?”
“Before I tell you why I’m here, I promise
you a date for whenever you choose.
Whenever!”
“Okay, that is comforting.” He said,
smiling. “I’ll be using that date soon,
very soon but I have a feeling what you
are about to tell me is very important.”
“I’m not here to tell you something, I’m
here to ask you something.”
“Oh, alright, shoot.”
“How do you plan to deal with the
lawsuit? It’s a major one and it could…”
“Wait! What lawsuit?” Eric asked, eyebrow
raised.
“Morayo Adebisi, she was on …”
“I know who she is. She is suing us?” Eric
asked. He was truly shocked, not at the
lawsuit but that he had to hear it from a
journalist.
“The suit has not been filed yet but I
thought, if I knew about it, surely you
know about it too.”
“Well, I don’t but it shouldn’t be a big
deal. We will settle out of court, I’ll make
sure of it.”
“That might not be possible Eric, she has
some people backing her. It’s you they
are after.” She said.
“We are about to begin shooting
Genesis.”
“I know, and if this lawsuit is successful,
Genesis is dead in the water.”
***
“Hey! This is not the address I gave you!
Where are you going?” He shouted.
The driver ignored him and kept on
driving.
“Are you crazy? I’m talking to you!”
Damola shouted again, hitting the
driver’s seat with his fist.
The driver ignored him still. They were
close his house now and the driver
slowed the car and pulled over in front of
his house.
“Why did you bring me here?” Damola
asked, still angry. Then he paused,
looked at the driver and asked in a lower
tone. “How do you know where I live?”
The driver kept quiet and kept his face
forward. Now he was confused. A tap on
his window drew his attention. He looked
through the window an old man
beckoning for him to come out of the
car. Could It be the man who had bailed
him out of jail? He came out of the car
and it zoomed off.
He hurried after the man who already
was heading for his house. He caught up
with him just as he was about entering
the house.
“Who are you and what are you doing in
my house?” Damola said, careful not be
rude. It was possible this man had paid
his bail.
“Come in and I will answer your
question.” The man replied.
Damola opened his mouth to protest but
shook his head and followed the man in.
“My name is Orunmila.” The man said as
soon as they were in. “You know who I
am as you have been studying about us.”
Damola smiled. Was this a joke?
“You will soon find out who took your
wife, but you must be patient.”
My wife? Anne?
“You know who took Anne?” Damola
asked, moving closer to the man.
“Yes, I do and you will too, very soon.”
“Take me to them immediately!” He said.
“Your impetus has always been
legendary, you have no patience. This is
what brought you here in the first place.”
What was he talking about? Damola
could not concentrate on reasoning out
what the man was saying. He had to
rescue Anne.
“I said take me to Anne now!” His heart
was beating very fast now. Suddenly his
hand began to smoke. He looked down at
the hand and quickly hid it behind him
before the man could see it.
“I will take you to her as soon as you
explain the smoke coming off your
hands.”
The man had seen the smoke, there was
no point hiding it. He held out his hands
in front of him and the smoking
increased as he looked at them. The
smoke slowly became thicker and then it
burst into fire! He screamed and waved
his hand around in the air to stop the
burning but it only increased.
“If you have to learn to control your
anger, or you will never learn to control
the fire.” He heard the man speak from
behind him.
The man did not seem to be shocked by
his burning hand. Who was he?
Orunmila?
“Who are you old man? Why are you
doing this to me?” Damola said as he
watched the fire die down.
“I am not doing anything to you and I
already told you who I am. The question
is; do you know who you are?”
Damola looked at the man open-
mouthed. Whoever the man was, he
needed to listen to him.
“You are Sango! The god of thunder of
the heavens! Your wife, who was taken
away from you is Oya! You are here
because in your foolishness you engaged
in battle with another god.”
Damola could hear his heart beat as he
listened to the man. Was he saying the
truth? His hands smoked and burned
without him being hurt; was it because
he was truly a god? And Anne, was their
sudden and unusual attraction because
they were indeed a couple from another
world?
“Why are you here? Why are you telling
me all these? How do you know about
my hand?” Damola asked, his voice a
little louder than a whisper.
“There is an enemy, there is a battle! If
this world you now inhabit must survive,
it will need you.”
“Need me for what? I have no interest in
any battle.” Damola said and stood up.
“If I am who you say I am, then tell me
where Anne is, she is the only one that
needs me.”
“You are not ready to face the enemy!
You are yet to fully comprehend who you
are.”
“Tell me where she is old man! Or I swear
I will bring down all the thunder and fire
and whatever else I control on you.”
“As i said, Patience has never been one
of your virtues Sango but I must warn
you; going after Oya now is losing the
war before it has even started.”
“My war started the day Anne was
taken!”
“If you survive this, you will only have
regrets.” Orunmila implored him.
“I will survive this; gods do not die, do
they?”
“No they do not die, but you will. You
lost your immortality the day you
dropped into the earth.”
“Then I guess I have to live as I have all
my life that I can remember; as a
mortal.”
He looked around his house and deep
inside of him, he had a feeling it would
be the last time he would see it.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
To be continued
