Must Read: Shadows

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Shadows

By the time they stopped running, the rain had stopped but Halimat wouldn’t stop crying and none of them bothered to quiet her up.

They were all occupied with their individual thoughts and were overwhelmed by fear. That was the first time they’ll be seeing the Shadow up and that close.

Halimat: (Faces Lanre) You said if were all together we’ll be save, now look at what just happened.

Mary: No, You shut up right there! If you had listen to a simple instruction, Timothy will still be alive.

Halima: (crying) No!..No! …. we don’t know if he’s dead….ma….maybe he got away…

Daniel: Yea….Would you like to go back and check? We’ll wait for you here.

Lanre: Guys stop! This is not the time to start throwing blames around…. we lost Timothy because we weren’t united, we couldn’t agree. This isn’t just about being together, we need to agree and make unanimous decisions. Please…..!!!

Temmy: (Sighed) I’m hungry…..!

Uche: Me too.

Moji: We ate few hours ago…

Uche: Well…. all that running had taken alot out of me….. By the way, if I’m going to die here tonight, i don’t wanna go hungry. Who knows, maybe that are fasting in heaven.

Daniel: You mean Hell!!
Temmy giggles….

Mary: We shouldn’t be making jokes about dying, OK?

Uche: Really? Why shouldn’t we? Look around you babygirl, there are deaths everywhere.

Everyone is dead! Here i am stuck with a freak and his girlfriend, the class talkative and a muslim girl who doesn’t shake guys’ hands …… and you want us to be united? Hell No!

Moji: Watch it! You think anyone wants to around you too? You go around acting like you can beat all of us because you know “Chapandoh”

Uche: It’s Taekwondo

Moji: Whatever!!

Lanre: Hey guys listen…. Do you hear that?

They all stopped and heard someone whistling a tune…..

Temmy: (Whispering ) Maybe that’s one of us…..

Emma: Or the thing that’s trying to kill us.

Lanre: Okay….okay… wait…. the whistling is getting closer. Quick! Let’s hide behind that tree, I’ll peep and check out who the person is.

They all hid behind a tree, bending to the ground. Lanre snuck up behind a tree too, hoping to get a glimpse of the view.

He saw nothing except an old lantern and a hand which held it. His heart skipped a beat, he took a deep breath and tried again, now he saw him.

A man, perhaps a little older than them, a local hand made gun in his other hand with a sack tied around his waist. He kept whistling his tune happily and shaking his head to the rhythm.

Lanre crawled back to the rest.

Lanre: (Whispering ) I think he’s a hunter in this bush, he has a local gun but i don’t think he’s a danger to us.

Daniel: If i heard you correctly, you said he has a gun!!

Lanre: Yes! A local gun.

Daniel: ….and that’s supposed to make me feel better? Like local guns don’t kill too…

Moji: I agree with Daniel. It’s too dangerous talking to anyone now.

Lanre: But guys, maybe he has seen the rest of our classmates, we could ask him….

Temmy: No Lanre! We are not putting ourselves out to be slaughtered.

Lanre: (sighed ) Okay then.

The whistling was very close now, they could hear his footsteps has it rustles the bushes around. It got even closer….. and closer….they all froze as the ray of light from the lantern got closer too.

And suddenly….. the whistling stops, the footsteps were not heard anymore, just the lights from the lantern…….

Hunter: Hellu! I see all of you, long long time.

Come out! I wee not do anything.

No one said a word, they were all to afraid to move an inch.