KOLLUPIA s2 E05

Micheal hated hospital gowns. They were loose, short and made him feel old and exposed. He sat on the bed staring at Doctor Ngi. The cast on his left hand weighed a ton. He still felt a dull ache in his head. Each time he moved, the pain in his head went up a notch.

Dr Ngi stared into a writing pad for a long time. Then she sighed.

"Have you spent alot of time around explosions, loud artillery concussive blasts, Mr Black?"

Micheal said nothing.

"I'll be honest with you, Mr Black" She said taking off her glasses. "Your condition is a bit more serious than I'd previously anticipated."

From the Corner of his eye, he could see Dhamiete hold his breath.

"Tell me" Micheal said softly.



"Is he going to be okay?" Kadilo asked.

 "There's an amyloid plaque build up around your brain"

There was a sharp intake of breath from either Nse or Dhamiete. Micheal wasn't sure.

"Amyloid...?" Micheal Winced. " What does...... that even mean?"

Long silence.

"You're in the early stages of Alzheimer's" She said flatly.

Micheal adjusted his seating position.

"You've suffered significant accumulative head injuries.....which....."

"Just give me the bottom line" Micheal said looking away.

Dr Ngi stared at the three of them for a long time.

"There are no drugs for your condition" She began. "You will most likely suffer blackouts, dizziness, memory loss, coordination and balance issues....I strongly recommend  that you stir clear...loud explosions, or any 'activities' that might lead....."

Micheal was already struggling to his feet.

"...Please Mr Black," she said trying to steady him back to the bed. "...You're not in any position to be on your feet, the injury to your hand alone....."

"How long before I can leave?" He said. The Doctor's expression was a cross between shock and concern.

"....I can't force you to stay" she started awkwardly. "Your hand will take at least a month to....."

"Get me out of here" Micheal said to Dhamiete before she could finish.







A WEEK LATER.

Micheal sat up on the bed and flexed the fingers on his left hand. The pain was exquisite, it tore through him like a violent shockwave.


 He was still wearing his suit. It had been a small funeral. Like him, Nse didn't have many friends. A handful of people had stood with him over her casket.

"...Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust..."

The words ate tore through him like bullets from a high velocity rifle. All he could see was the look on her face before Sokha pulled the trigger. He clenched his fist and bashed it into the bed post. The wood splintered, and the pain was deep. But the rage he felt was deeper.


 It fueled the blackness inside him. It sickened and strengthened him. He was going to kill them all. One way on the other.

"Bro, are you okay?" Came Dhamiete's voice.


 He hadn't even heard him come in.

"I'm fine" he replied, under waves of pain.

"You can at least take your suit off" Dhamiete said, trying to make light of the fact that they'd just returned from Nse's funeral. Micheal was thankful to Dhamiete and Kadilo for letting him stay with them while he recovered.

"Kadilo wants to know if you're hungry"

Micheal was silent. He stared at his bleeding fist as if just seeing it for the first time.

"Are you ever going to tell us what happened?"

Long silence.

"You're going after them....aren't you?"

Micheal said nothing.

From outside came the sound of thunder.

Dhamiete sighed and walked towards the bed.

"When I first met you," Dhamiete sat on the bed. " You were like something out of an action movie....you were a god. You just seemed Unkillable"

He paused for a few seconds as the sound of rain intensified.

"But you're not that Micheal anymore...you're not in any shape for revenge.....if you do what I think you're about to do, you'll die, Micheal. I can help you find Lucious.....Nse wouldn't want you to....."

"Don't say her name again" Micheal said in a tone Dhamiete hadn't heard since Kollupia.

Dhamiete was silent.

Outside, the rain poured as the heavens rumbled.

Dhamiete sighed and rose from the bed, he walked towards the door and paused.

" My house and friendship will always be yours.......and so is my help if you ever need it, Micheal." Then he exited the room.

Micheal didn't even look up when he closed the door.







THREE WEEKS LATER.

Micheal snuck out of the house early. It wasn't unusual, he'd done so every morning since the funeral. Despite the pain and the occasional dizziness he'd managed to push his body farther than any normal man under the circumstances. His hand still hurt, but at least his fingers could hold a weapon. He'd spent hours running and bashing his fists against a punching bag, but he knew he was facing an uphill task. Sokha was strong...stronger than any man he'd ever fought and fast. Coupled with his extensive training, Micheal knew he could never take him head on. He walked past the guards... Part of Dhamiete's security detail and nodded  a greeting at the men. They responded in kind. The last thing he desired was to involve Dhamiete and Kadilo in this mess.


It was his fight. He had to save his son. He got into the car and drove off. Dhamiete had handed him the keys when he returned from the hospital. He was a good man, Micheal thought. He didn't need to be pulled into another dangerous situation.

Micheal drove for another thirty minutes. It was almost sunrise. The air coming in through the windows was fresh. It reminded him of how Nse smelled....fresh, the way an angel ought to smell. He fought back the image of her lying on the ground with a gaping hole in her head.


 He was going to kill them all, he thought. One way on other.

He brought the car to a halt just outside what used to be his home. Images of Nse and Lucious came flooding through his mind. They were happy memories. He fought them back and got out of the car. The police had sealed off the place as part of an on going investigation.

'Ongoing investigation....." He thought as he approached the front of his home. It was a burnt up rubble pile . He'd lied to the police that it had been a gas explosion. Ofcourse, the two cops at the hospital had skeptically  arched their eyebrows at this.

Long silence.

He heard the sound of approaching vehicles.


He didn't bother turning around. He knew they had come for him. He stood there watching what once his home, letting the memories flood his mind. In a small part of his mind, he heard them get out of their vehicle, he heard the sounds of their boots against the ground.


His last thought before he felt the needle jab into his neck was; "I'm coming for you, Sokha" then he felt the sudden rush of a warm fluid into his blood stream. Then he lost consciousness.








"Wakey wakey" He heard Sokha's voice say.


Micheal's head felt like it weighed a ton. He opened his eyes and tried to focus, but there was a bright glare above his head. His eyes hurt and there was a metalic taste in his mouth.

"The old wolf awakes" Sokha's voice said. Even with his blurry vision, he knew he was in a small room. He could sense the presence of two more figures nearby.

Long pause.

His vision slowly cleared. There were two other people in the room. A tall thick muscled man and an attractive slender woman. Both were obviously military grade (if the way they carried themselves was anything to go by).

"Sit him up" Sokha ordered.  The thick muscled man picked him up with one hand and roughly placed him on a chair. The air in the rough was humid. There was a faint hint of gun powder in the air.

"Usually Sokha would offer coffee, tea or biscuits, but....employer wants results, Sokha must deliver" Sokha grinned.

"Where's my son?" Micheal said flatly.
Sokha smiled.

"The young wolf is well" he said leaning into Micheal's face. "He has fire like father. Which is good, no?"

"Before I do anything or go anywhere" Micheal said coldly. " I must see him"

Long silence.

Sokha stared at him incredulously.

"The old wolf gives Sokha orders?"

"Just let him see the boy, Sokha" The slender woman said. "The sooner we leave and get to the killing, the better I'll be"

Sokha threw her a humourless smile and shrugged.

"Kikah has point" Sokha continued smiling.








Lucious sat at in the corner staring at the area where Hardface had been killed. It had been weeks ago, but he could still see the blood oozing across the floor when he closed his eyes. He had decided to co-operate and eat the food. It was surprisingly tasty. He spent his days and nights listening to the sounds outside. They told him alot about his prison; there were at least a thousand soldiers in the camp, they had drills every six hours, supply trucks came in once a day, and there was a river nearby. But all this was useless to him unless he could figure out a way out of his confinement.

The door suddenly clicked and opened. A soldier stepped him, roughly took him by the arm and dragged him outside.

"Someone wants to see you" the man sneered.

Outside was just as he'd imagined: Soldier doing exercise drills, sentries guarding their posts, senior officers walking by, and a supply truck coming through. Lucious stared at the gate to the camp. The height width told him that it wasn't an option for escape.

"Move..!!!" The man spat, pulling him towards a small building at the southern region of the camp.

At the side of the building was a steep drop into a fast flowing river. Lucious gulped at the sheer depth as he was pulled towards the door to the building.








The room was silent.

Sokha and the other two hadn't said anything since the order had been given to fetch the boy.

Long silence.

Suddenly, the front door opened to reveal the confused Lucious standing in the doorway.

"Dad...!!!"

"Lucious...." Micheal tried to get up but was forced back into the chair by the thick Man's arm.

Lucious was pulled away from the doorway and the door was shut again.

"Lucious....!!!" Micheal screamed.

"As promised" Sokha sighed. "The boy is well"
Micheal glared at him.

"Before this is over, Sokha.....I will kill you"
Sokha leaned in again.

"Sokha can hardly wait for the old Wolf to try" he said delightfully.


.....to be continued


p.s....I haven't forgotten Jane doe and Kong....been a lil busy. But will update them soon( bear with me)




LIFE IS A CHOICE MY FRIEND
SO CHOOSE WISELY
ENOUGH SAID.