KOLLUPIA EPISODE 7

It  felt like it lasted for a millenium.

All through,he had struggled and screamed(or at least attempted to).

All through,the men chuckled,made jokes as his ordeal continued.

The pain was like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

The feeling of being "invaded" repulsed his very soul.But there was nothing he could do,but just lay there ..and cry......And cry as Chiefo grunted on top of him...and more laughter filled the room.

And then it stopped.

For a long time,Opuwari just lay there.
...Crying.

And not just from the pain
Or  the fact that he had "soiled" himself and  his  stench filled the room.

Or even the fact that Chiefo's "fluids" still oozed out of him.

No!

It was as if his very essence had been violated.

He closed his eyes,trying to shut out the sounds of their voices,...the room,...the pain he'd just endured.

This wasn't happening to him.He thought.

Not him.

How long he lay there,he couldn't tell.

It still hurt to move.

He knew he was bleeding.

He knew he could never be the same man(if he could still call himself that) after this.

"Get up"Came the voice of one of the men.

He felt a savage kick to the ribs.

"Get up!!!" Now it was Chiefo's voice.

Another vicious kick.

Slowly....he tried to pick himself up.

It was difficult..his arms and legs hurt from where they'd been pinned down by the men.

One thing was certain.He thought as his trembling limbs gave way and  he collapsed to floor again.

He was going to kill Chiefo.

....He was going to kill them all.

One way or the other.

"Let's move out" Chiefo's voice said.

.......One way or the other.

He just had to bide his time.





LOUD BANGING!!!

Nse held her breath as another section of the steel panel caved in under the impact of the Fifth or Sixth  brutal blow from what sounded like the butt of a Rifle.

MORE BANGING!!!

"There's someone inside"She heard   the First Man say.

She could see into her room now,as more of the metal gave way.

The warm air from outside was a fusion of Familiar smells and the stale odours of the men.

Some one peeked inside.

Nse shuddered.

She moved in as far away from the metal door as possible.But how far could she go really?

It was a small  space...there was no place to go.

"..it's a woman....I saw her"The Second Man Said with excitement in his voice.

The other man chuckled and in very graphic terms described what he was going to do to her once he had his hands on her.

They were more than half way through now..

MORE BANGING!!!

She tightened her grip around the gun.

"Control your breathing....always control your breathing"Micheal  used to say.

The gun in her hand was trembling.

Everything Micheal had taught her came to bare.

"....be as cold as steel."Micheal told her
"....drown out everything else"she whispered to herself  just as the last section of the metal panel BLASTED open.

The First Man scrambled into the compartment she could smell the stink of his armpits.

"...sweet girl..."he said lustfully.

Nse took a deep breath,... raised the gun,....aimed...
"..be one with the Steel..."she whispered to herself and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

 She'd forgotten to take the safety off.

The gun was knocked out of her grip and she was savagely dragged by her legs out of her hiding place.

Her head Banged against the side of the wall.

She saw stars instantly,black spots appeared in the corners of her vision.

But she forced herself to maintain consciousness.

"Chai! fine girl...see body"she heard the second Man's voice as they dragged her to the bed.

She cursed herself for still wearing this flimsy nightgown.

"I want to DO first!!!" She head one of them say as fabric was ripped from her body.
She had to think of something......FAST!!






They found a small store that hadn't  been thoroughly looted yet.

Damiete recognized the shop.

"NKEM'S",it was called.

He'd past it a couple of times before.Though he'd never bought anything from there he knew they sold gas cylinders and a few food provisions.

Micheal had been silent since he'd shown them the print out photo.

As always,he'd taken them for a  sprint through the streets.

Occasionally,he'd   stop suddenly to listen for sounds,then they'd start running again.

This went on for another half an hour or so until they'd arrived at this shop.

Except for Micheal of course,everybody else was exhausted and thirsty.

"We need water"Micheal said.

He told them to wait outside while he  checked the place out first.

"Stay down"Micheal commanded as he stealthily entered the shop.

They crouched low in front of the store.
The wind was slowly picking up pace as evening drew close.

"It's going to rain"Simon said a little out of breath as he stared at the heavens.
Their eyes followed his.
"So am I the only one who wants to know what's going on?....." Simon asked suddenly.

They all  gazed at him oddly.He'd been the least talkative person since all the craziness began.

"Okay,I'll say it ..." He whispered  after a long silence.

They could feel a drizzle  as the wind's tempo accelerated.

There was a distant rumble from above.

"First off,...who's this Micheal guy and how do we know we can trust him?"Simon began


They nervously looked over their shoulders at the entrance of the store.

Micheal wasn't there.

Their gazes returned to Simon again.

"I mean,he's supposed to be a soldier right?" Simon continued maintaining his  low tone.

"So why's he killing other soldiers...and why the hell do they have your photo??" He said the last five words with a lot of urgency in his voice

Heavy raindrops were coming  down now.

 Simon stared at Damiete as rain soaked their faces.

".....Micheal saved our lives... If not for him..."Damiete began.

"My brother is dead....our country is at war.....!!!" Simon cut in.

He stared at them with intensity,as he went on.

"......'Kill-Groups' roam the streets....And the Federal troops are searching for one of us...."Simon's eyes were on Damiete again.

The rain was heavier now,but none of them seemed to notice.

"......and if that wasn't bad enough,......we're following a killer."

Simon nervously  looked towards the  door of the shop again.

"....and coming from that fabled  land known as 'Common Sense',...this isn't a very smart place  for us to be".Simon concluded.

".....He's taking us towards the border..we'll be safe there!!"Kadilo's drenched face said.

long pause.

"....I know nothing can bring my brother back...."Simon  said in a gentler voice.

More  Rumbling in the Heavens.

"But I...just think we'd be better off on our own"Simon went on.


"We wouldn't last Ten Minutes out there with out Micheal."Damiete whispered.

"....'We'...doesn't include ....you"Simon said cautiously.

Long Pause.


"He's been gone for a long time." Big Joe said as he rose to his feet.

"Get down,...he said we should stay down..." Kadilo said with urgency in her voice.

"My knees hurt"Big Joe said wiping away raindrops from his brow.

"Has  anyone even been listening to me?"Simon had a stunned look on his face.

"We're being followed"Came Micheal's voice from behind.

He was standing just inside the shop and  seemed like he was listening for something.

Save for the rain and thunder,all was still around them.

Long pause.

"What is it?"Damiete whispered from the their crouched position by the shop.

Micheal didn't seem to hear him.His eyes scanned the surrounding area,as the rain grew heavier.

"Get inside,NOW!!!"Micheal said unslinging his rifle.

They heard a gun shot and a split-second later,Big Joe was thrown backwards...his body bashing into a wall .

He'd been shot in the head.

"MOVE!!!"Came Micheal's loud voice .

Without thinking,they dashed into the store just as bullets tore through the air.

Glass Shattered,wood splintered and debris flew in all directions as hot metal exploded through the air.

They all threw themselves on the floor as wood splinters and glass fragments rained on them.

Suddenly the shooting stopped.

For a long time,they just lay there.....waiting...no more rounds tore through the air.

"Get up!!!"Micheal ordered.

They all scuttled to their feet and ran with him to the back of the shop.




Major Kuro tore out the dagger from the dead sniper's head.

He watched the rain wash the young soldier's  blood.

"I didn't even know the Man's name"The Major said  to the horrified Captain Dumo.

They were on the roof top of a building adjacent NKEM'S.

"He was one of us sir!!!."The shocked Captain said  as he stared at the Soldier.

Lightening flashed above them.

"He gave our position away when he pulled the trigger...and that made your stupid men open fire for no reason."The Major said angrily.

"But....?The Captain began with a face doused in rain water.

".....I will not tolerate such Tardiness....send your men into the Shop...kill the others...but Micheal is mine....!!!"The Major said as heavens roared again.

Long Pause.

"....All the men...?"The Captain asked skeptically as he continued staring at the dead soldier.

"Yes....all of them."The Major said simply.

The soldiers (all seven of them)approached the Shop .....cautiously.The people they were after were either all dead....or deathly silent.......Or  so Seargent Tonbari felt as he led his  team into the shop.

Despite the Heavy boots they wore,the seven men entered the  building...quietly.

Gun shot.

Then the place exploded.

In an instant wild  flames engulfed  the interior of the store,blowing out the roof,windows and doors in a loud blast of conflagration.

In a split second the small store became an untamed inferno of death and Debris  flung in all directions.




Yards away,Micheal still had his rifle trained at the small window at the back of the of the shop.
The room had at least fifteen other cyclinders.

So all he had to do was force Damiete and the rest out of the window,turn on the gas,wait for the last soldier to enter the store,place the cylinder,make his exit,run as far away from the building as possible,take aim,and shoot.

The gas did the rest.

They watched as a thick cloud of smoke rose into the air from what used to be Nkem's.

Long pause.

Micheal's eyes were still focused on the burning building.

"Are they dead?"came Kadilo's voice said from behind him.


Micheal didn't respond.

He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him and  suddenly knew he'd miscalculated.

"You're getting sloppy in your old age,Micheal" came a voice from behind him he recognized too well.

Kuro.He thought.

The Major and the Captain ordered them to their feet.

The Captain took their weapons as the Major aimed his rifle at Micheal.

"Long time no see,Kuro" Micheal said calmly as the Captain took his rifle.

How had he  let himself get caught so foolishly?He thought.

"You look the same"The Major said.He almost sounded pleasant as still had his gun pointed at him.


The fear in Kadilo's eyes was as clear as day.Her expression mirrored Damiete's and Simon's.

"..So you're a Major now?...I thought you were sent to the Death Camps?"

Micheal said as his eyes scanned for possible escape routes as the rain poured on their bodies.

The Major Chuckled.

"To answer your first question,yes...I AM a Major now, ..."

The Captain forced the others to lay face down on the muddy ground.

Micheal caught Kadilo's frightened rain soaked  expression as she went down.

"....and to answer your second question,.....I SURVIVED the Death Camps.......like you."The Major said.

Long pause.

"So what happens now?"Micheal asked in his icy tone as the heavens rumbled again.

The Major unslung his rifle,and handed it to the shocked Captain.

"Now?...I fulfil a long time fantasy of killing you with my bare hands"the Major said as he unsheathed his dagger and threw it to the ground.

Damiete's eyes followed the blade as it landed a few feet from his head.

"But sir,....???"The Captain began.

"Silence!!!!!"The Major said sternly.

More sounds of thunder .

The Captain stood there,uncertain of what to do next.

Micheal and the Major moved  to a clearing nearby.

 "I know this is about your brother Kuro..."Micheal began.

The Major didn't seem to be listening.

"What I did was in self defence" Micheal said flatly.

The Major said nothing.

The two men stood facing each other   as the  rain drenched their bodies.

Long pause.

"You can still walk away from this,I know your angry because of ...Victor...."

"Do not dare say his name!!!"Kuro's voice echoed across the space between them.

"You killed him with the rest of them because you felt like it.....they were your  'War' Brothers micheal!!!!"The rage in The Major's voice was raw.

"He trusted you,....and you killed him....I have waited Nine Years for this.....one of us will die here today!!"The Major declared as another round of thunder filled the air.

Micheal knew  there was no reasoning with this man.

His mind was made up.

Kuro had trained in the Death Camps also,taking him down wouldn't be an easy feat.Micheal thought.

And then there were his companions to worry about.

This fight was happening one way or the other.Micheal concluded.

Kuro charged at him like a crazed bull covering the distance between them in seconds.

The Major Unleashed a rapid succession of blows that Micheal  swiftly deflected.The hellish hatred and rage in the Major's eyes was almost inhuman as he attacked Micheal with the viciousness of a Hurricane.
The movements of both men exploded into a blur of combos,blocks and counter strikes too fast for the naked eye to see.
The Major's foot shot into Micheal's  chest with the force of a Battering-Ram.The impact of the kick knocked  Micheal off his feet,slamming his back painfully into the side of a nearby car.

The Major charged again. With brute force crashing his knee into Micheal's Solar plexus sending a mass wave of agony into his body.Micheal heard the sound of glass  SHATTERING behind him as another brutal wave of blows came at him from all sides.

There was no time for pain.
He thought.A momentary miscalculation would mean death.

Micheal ducked under a vicious elbow strike and with all his might,smashed his foot into the side of the Major's knee.

The bone broke and shattered on impact releasing a loud Popping sound into the air that was accompanied by the Major's screams.

He fell to the Muddy ground,and continued screaming.


...to be continued

LIFE IS A CHOICE MY FRIEND
SO CHOOSE WISELY
ENOUGH SAID