Holocaust by Ifedayo Adigwe Akintomide
*How are you feeling?”
“Mo wa ok mummy. Shey e wa pa?” *Am fine mum. Are you ok?
“I am fine__” She grunted looking haunted. “I never thought I would live to see a day like this. The bible sure knew what it was saying when it said we were in the last days.”
Jire rolled his eyes. He so wasn’t in the mood for his mum’s long tirades about God’s faithfulness and such. If God was indeed as faithful as everyone claimed he was how could he let Modupe die?
‘His ways are not our ways, neither are his thoughts our thoughts __’ his face grew even more thunderous when he recalled that verse of the bible. He felt tempted to swear at the Almighty God. Yeah you always have an answer to everything.
‘Mike check __ I wasn’t the one who killed her __ you did with your own hands.’
‘If I didn’t she would have killed me __ or at the very least infected me. How can you defend this? Why let her get infected in the first place?’
‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!’
He shook his head violently ending his silent debate with himself. An argument with God was something he wasn’t capacitated to win.
“What’s wrong son?” His father’s quiet voice broke through his troubled haze.
“Nothing!” He growled leaping to his feet and striding for the door.
“Don’t go too far from the entrance __” His mother called after him. “__ they’re usually on the prowl around this time.”
He didn’t even dignify her words with a response. He stepped out taking a deep breath of the cool night air.
His mother and father exchanged sad looks. She patted him on the arm and he rose striding after his son.
Jire sat on a large boulder not far from the entrance staring at the stars. He was so entrenched in his thoughts he didn’t hear his father come out. Not until he leaned on the black rock by his side.
“What’s wrong?”
The tears he’d been struggling to keep at bay filled his eyes and streaked down his cheeks.
“She died daddy __ she __ I had to __” he stammered gulping back sobs.
His father leaned forward patting him on the shoulder. “It’s alright __ it’s alright __”
“The world has been overrun with madness father __ I followed the news reports. They said the infection could only be passed through a bite. She wasn’t bitten. We never even left the house since we got there. But she suddenly turned ___ for no reason __ what is happening in this country?”
“It’s not just the country Jire. The world is in trouble. When the news was still on we saw the earth’s super powers engaging some sort of force. As at the last news report I heard they were no closer to subduing it. That gives me even more cause to fear __ than all this __” He said giving a sweeping motion with his hands.
“I heard that too. Word is they were contemplating nuclear weapons.”
“I hope that word turns out to be false. If it’s true __ we might be looking at the extinction of the human race.”
“Haba Daddy! Isn’t that some extreme thinking? Using nuclear weapons could kill the thing.”
“And what happens afterwards? What will be the effect on the earth’s ecosystem? Or worst case scenario __ what if it doesn’t kill it? What then?”
Jire’s heart grew cold at his father’s words. “What? No response? You’re speechless?”
His father asked chuckling.
“Am sure they’ve done their research. If they do decide to use them __ I am sure it will destroy whatever that thing is.”
“I sincerely hope you’re right. I really hope you’re right cos I hate to consider the implications if you’re wrong. We best go in __ its not safe out here, especially at night.”
Jire nodded slowly following his father into the cave. The two other men dragged a heavy log of wood across the entrance effectively sealing themselves in. What neither of them saw were the glowing pair of red eyes watching them from a hundred metres away.
Taiwo stirred scratching his stomach. He yawned peering through the blades of grass. The road ahead was empty devoid of any activity and movement.
Cars were scattered about, abandoned by their owners who turned. He swallowed taking a deep breath. The evonso virus had spiralled out of control. When the conversion process was done he’d hoped, he’d sincerely hoped they had finally gotten the upper hand over this thing. How wrong he’d been.
His eyes drifted to the battered radio and satellite phone lying on the grass beside him. A turned soldier had dropped it, flinging his bag into the bushes. He peered out of the grass again. There was no one in sight. Nothing that could hear him __ he hoped. That left behind __ he took a deep breath and rose striding deeper into the bushes. He scouted around for a two hundred meter radius in all directions before returning.
Satisfied he was alone he turned on the radio keeping it on a low volume. The screech of static greeted his ears. He scanned all frequencies but got nothing for his efforts. On the verge of switching it off he decided to try it one more time. This time he got something. It was a low warbling sound. Like a whisper of a voice clouded by a cacophony of noise.
He tuned it carefully struggling to get it clearer. After almost five minutes of trying he succeeded. His worried gaze drifted to the battery. It was about half full. He had to be careful, who knew when he’d get electricity to charge it.
“Is anyone out there? If you can hear this please respond __”
He paused considering whether or not to answer. He decided to wait and hear what the person had to say.
“If there are any military or police personnel out there listening to this broadcast please answer. We need your help. We are presently on the outskirts of Abuja with no way of getting back in. If you’re still in the metropolis, close to the presidential villa we need you to pick up some very important security personnel trapped in an office complex not far from Aso Rock.
“Saving them could mean the difference between the end of our country and its continued existence. Please respond __”
Well here goes nothing __ he thought grimly as he picked up the receiver to answer.
“Who are these important personnel and what is their station? State their relevance and importance.”
“Who is this?”
“My name is Taiwo Betiku. I am a former District Police Officer. I am not far from the presidential villa.”
There was a pause.
“Where did you get this radio?”
“A soldier turned __” He swallowed grimacing.
“You said former __ why aren’t you still a DPO?”
“Wait is this question time or do you want me to try and save our personnel?”
There was another pause.
“Alright __ they are in an office complex about five kilometres from the presidential villa. They took refuge there when the situation grew untenable. We need you to get to them and if possible get them out.”
“Who are they?”
“One is a doctor who worked on the virus conversion process in South Africa. She landed in Aso Rock as the virus became airborne__”
So it was airborne. That made sense. It explained the sudden madness.
“__ we need her alive to fine tune the conversion process. It’s our thinking that because of the haste Doctor Kemisola made an error with the cooking process. This doctor we believe can fine tune it.”
“Have you been in radio contact with them at all?”
“Yes we were. Contact ended about an hour and a half ago.”
A pause followed the man’s words. “When you last spoke to them what was their condition?”
“Condition?”
“I mean were they injured? Were there any hostiles? And if so how many; that sort of thing.
“The soldiers guarding her said they were minutes away from being overrun.”
“By the infected?”
“Do you have an exact figure __”
“They weren’t specific. They did mention something about them being in the hundreds.”
Taiwo’s face grew grim. This was beginning to look like a suicide mission with every second that passed.
“How many of you are in your unit?”
“I am the only one.”
The person on the other end gave a low whistle. “You haven’t a chance in hell of getting into that building.”
“Watch me __” Taiwo growled as he switched off the radio. He put the strap of his gun over one shoulder picking up the radio and satellite phone. When he was done he backtracked, heading towards the presidential villa and what he was sure was certain death.