*part one*
It was the
25th of December, but there seemed to be no sign of Christmas in Mubi town. The
tension hit a new zenith, the dreaded insurgents now pledged allegiance to the
internationally more notorious and sophisticated 'Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria’. Suicide bombing became more prevalent. The cold was bizarre, and so was
the atmosphere within the military camp in Dodonkodi. The dusty air was
agonizingly bereft of moisture, the fierce Sahara wind seemed to have
ruthlessly robbed the neem, kukah and sheabutter trees sparsely littered within
the camp of their green confidence, the tranquility in Mubi also seemed to have
dissipated and fizzled out into the dry air. Sergeant Hassan's imposing
physique stooped abet as he starred hard on the dusty Terrazzo floor of Major
Gindinshanu's makeshift office ''Hassan you're such a Bastard, kai wawa ne
wallahi'' screamed the Major ''Yes sir!'' exclaimed Hassan ''Wallahi kooh, if
you weren’t my nephew I would have sent your file to Brigadier Iheanacho's table,
I hope you understand what that means'' said the major in a calmer tone ''I'm
sorry sir'' replied Hassan ''Don Allah, how can I recommend you for an
assignment as prestigious and as crucial as 'Operation Flush' and you still had
time to chase after Malo babes'' ''I'd deal with this indiscipline my own way,ai
ka san ni'' Screamed Major Gindinshanu “In fact you will have to…”The violent
stutter of an LMG suddenly interrupted the major. A few Bullets whizzed past
Hassan's ears, shattering enamel
plates, champagne glasses and window panes. “Allah hu akbar'' screamed a high pitched female voice, succeeded immediately by a deafening explosion, the second female suicide bomber was shot point blank in the head by the infantry squad as she attempted to dash towards the entrance. Two pickup trucks filled with Insurgents chanting ''Allah Hu Akbar'' arrived after the explosion, brazenly wielding bofors, RPGs and Light Machine guns. Consequently, the mechanical laughter of machine guns, hissing sound of RPGs and clatter of rifles tore through the once peaceful atmosphere punctuated by the mooing of cows at intervals. Hassan
ducked expertly and crawled craftily into the nest of a ground base Browning M2 Heavy machine gun and replied the insurgents with a rapid succession of violent shots. The carrot sized copper bullets ruthlessly tore through about a dozen insurgents killing them instantly’ ‘Secure the perimeter '' wailed Major Gindinshanu repeatedly. An RPG flew into the Major's office, and within a split second, the roof came crashing down on Sergeant Hassan. Suddenly there was silence, evil silence. A thick fog of gloomy black smoke curled skywards, the discordant mooing of cows persisted a little longer. The battered remains of insurgents littered the barracks like monkey carcasses while others retreated swiftly. A military Ambulance appeared out of the blues, the charred remains of Major Gindinshanu was wrapped in an immaculate white cloth while an unconscious Sergeant Hassan was carefully stretchered into the waiting ambulance and driven to the teaching hospital in Yola a few Kilometres from Mubi...
**To be continued**
plates, champagne glasses and window panes. “Allah hu akbar'' screamed a high pitched female voice, succeeded immediately by a deafening explosion, the second female suicide bomber was shot point blank in the head by the infantry squad as she attempted to dash towards the entrance. Two pickup trucks filled with Insurgents chanting ''Allah Hu Akbar'' arrived after the explosion, brazenly wielding bofors, RPGs and Light Machine guns. Consequently, the mechanical laughter of machine guns, hissing sound of RPGs and clatter of rifles tore through the once peaceful atmosphere punctuated by the mooing of cows at intervals. Hassan
ducked expertly and crawled craftily into the nest of a ground base Browning M2 Heavy machine gun and replied the insurgents with a rapid succession of violent shots. The carrot sized copper bullets ruthlessly tore through about a dozen insurgents killing them instantly’ ‘Secure the perimeter '' wailed Major Gindinshanu repeatedly. An RPG flew into the Major's office, and within a split second, the roof came crashing down on Sergeant Hassan. Suddenly there was silence, evil silence. A thick fog of gloomy black smoke curled skywards, the discordant mooing of cows persisted a little longer. The battered remains of insurgents littered the barracks like monkey carcasses while others retreated swiftly. A military Ambulance appeared out of the blues, the charred remains of Major Gindinshanu was wrapped in an immaculate white cloth while an unconscious Sergeant Hassan was carefully stretchered into the waiting ambulance and driven to the teaching hospital in Yola a few Kilometres from Mubi...
**To be continued**
Edoziem has great Love for fictional writing and portrays an efficient use of
personification, he had his primary and secondary education in the north,
Kaduna state precisely. He holds a B.Sc. in Physic from IMSU, Owerri and a
Masters degree from University of Lagos. He is Influenced by the literatures of
the renowned author; Chinua Achebe and the exceptional Chimamanda Adichie.
Contact:
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Edozien Sley Tha-element
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