Must Read: Shadows

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Shadows

They found a spot near a tree where they all sat. Since the Class rep died, they felt they were all safe. But somehow they still watched their backs and over their shoulders.

Mary sat by Lanre, her head on his shoulder as he held her close. The night had been a long and gruesome one and they both are glad they still have eachother.

Lanre rested his head on the tree behind them.

It was a few minutes before he heard footsteps around him, he opened his eyes to see everyone holding themselves and standing in front of him.

Mary: Lanre! It’s here again. The shadow is here.

Lanre looked up and right on top of him was the shadow, he couldn’t move, it felt like his hands and legs had been tied down by something he couldn’t see. All he saw was Mary as she cried in the distance.

Lanre: Please….let my friends go.. please… you can have me but spare my friends.

The Shadow quickly changed into the image of the man whose cat they had accidentally killed on their way coming.

Cat guy: I’m sorry Lanre but i can’t do that
Lanre: All these because we hit your Cat? This is unfair, it was an accident and you know it.

Cat guy: You didn’t hit my Cat Lanre. I am the cat and yes, i intentionally ran into the bus

Lanre: Why would you do that?

Cat guy: No reason, i just did! It could have been any body but you were chosen

Lanre: Chosen ? Chosen for what?

Cat man: Chosen to die. You see everybody will die eventually, it’s my job to choose who dies next. Sometimes i run into cars that way, they’ll hit me and go but they won’t reach their destination because i will cause them to have an accident. I decide who dies and who doesn’t.

Lanre: Then why all these huh? Why didn’t you just cause us to get into an accident, let us die and just stop all these theatrics?

Cat Man: I saw you people like to have fun. you laughed and enjoyed the show so I decided to have fun with you.

Lanre: And all these was yo ur idea of fun? Who the hell are you?

Cat man: Call me the link between life and death. That’s why I’m a shadow, it’s like not being alive and not being dead…I’m real enough to be seen and so unreal that i can’t be held . I am Shadows. Prayers can’t stop me because death is inevitable…. you pray? You die…. you don’t pray? You still die. You and your colleagues have been chosen. You can’t run away from death…i will kill all of them and you Lanre would be my last, I’ll let you watch everyone die before i finally take you too.

Lanre: (crying ) This is so unfair! What the hell did we do to deserve this!!?

Cat man: You still don’t get this Lanre!

Everyone gets to die eventually… no one needs to deserve it, no one is too good to die… people die because people are meant to die. That’s it! I didn’t make the rules, I’m just the link that decide how people would die. If you think it’s unfair, then take it to the God or Allah you people believe in so much.

Lanre: Tell me, is there a way we can survive this night and go home? Maybe postpone the time we going to die…let us live and leave to die another day…is there a way to do that?

Cat man: Smart boy… of course, there is, we can always bend the rules and protocols…. that’s why you see someone survive a plan crash….someone shot but didn’t die…an accident happened and only one person survive it. You people call it a miracle but that they didn’t die that day does not mean they wouldn’t get to die eventually…. their death was just postponed to a later day.

Lanre: How can the rest of us get our dying day postponed? How can we survive this night. We just can’t vanish into thin air…20 plus of us just left school and came here….at least someone needs to tell people what happened here in this forest.

Cat man: You can postpone your dying day but what needs to be done is left to you Lanre. You have to figure it out… If you want to save your friends… if you want to save your girlfriend, you have to figure it out Lanre….. figure it out!
Lanre: No! Tell me what needs to be done…..you bastard… tell me now…..tell me now…….Tell me….Tell me now… ..

*******************

Mary: Lanre….Lanre wake up…..wake up!

Lanre opened his eyes to see everyone standing in the same way he had seen in the dream….it was all a dream. He jumped up on his feet started looking around.

Emma: Well…it took a long time before someone run mad eventually.

Uche: What’s up man! What’s wrong with you?

Lanre: I saw him, he came to me… told me we’re all going to die except i figure out a way to postpone out deaths.

Emma: Good… you’re the smartest person i know and i know alot of people. So figure it out man.

Lanre: I don’t know what to think, I’ve done everything i possibly could, i don’t know what else to say or do.

Temmy: So whether we live or die depends on how long you figure this out.

Uche: So we all just need to work together… rub minds….use our brains… rub our brains together and think this through…

Emma: Hahaha… what brains are you talking about? Daniel and Temmy for example, have no or little brains… And you Uche, i always see your test scores man , I’ll rather have two d!cks than have the kinda brain you have. So please..

let’s not rub any brains together abeg, i prefer to die in this bush than have you rub your brains with mine…. Oh…Mary! Sorry i didn’t mention you… don’t take it personally but it’s not like you have a brain too.

Temmy: Honestly… i pray the Shadow takes you next Emma.

Emma: Lanre… what are you doing over there .?

Lanre: I’m urinating… so?

Emma: you’re Urina-what? Our freaking lives are in your hands and you are f@#king taking a piss?….. Dammit… we’re all going to die on this trip jare!

No one said a word as they kept moving they needed to go back to the route the hunter was taking them before they lost Halimat and before the class rep met them. Daniel moved closer to Lanre to start a conversation

Daniel: So… how is the thinking going?

Lanre: I don’t know man.

Daniel: Just relax ok? I’m sure it will come to you.

Lanre: Thanks bro. I appreciate that

Daniel: Anytime… so tell me, you and Mary..

your love seems like that of Romeo and Juliet…

how did you get to do that… She’s very rich, i mean her dad is, how come you got her attention?

Lanre: Hahaha… we just clicked in a way. I guess our love was bigger than the complications.

Daniel: I was in love once too. Gave her all i could, loved her with everything, i was a playboy but i gave it up for her but still one day, she felt i wasn’t good enough for her and she walked away.

Lanre: Sorry about that, what can i say?

Daniel: It’s alright… Ladies, if you don’t change for them, they say you’re immature and if you change for them, they say you’re not the guy they used to know. What really do they want?

Lanre: Hahaha…. There’s no answer to the question “What do ladies want” because even they, don’t know what they want.

Daniel: Hahaha… you would think that….

Emma: (cuts in) Seriously? I mean like are you both f@#king kidding me? You’re giving each other relationship advice in this critical moment? It’s very romantic… you look like a couple in love, both of you. Tell me, which one of you is going to wear the dress on your wedding day? Is it you Lanre or will it be Daniel? Don’t worry, I’ll help you with the bouquet.

Daniel: Emma just shut up.

Emma: Toh… Mogbo o
Lanre was about to say something when they all heard Uche screamed on top of his voice…….