Chapter Nine - The End

Okoro stood on the balcony of his fortress as he called it, surveying the surrounding view. Everything was working according to plan, maybe there were a few glitches, but the plan was still intact. Akpos had called him earlier. They had the girl and were on their way. They didn’t find Jide or the General, but he had expected that. Those two were probably on their quest to find Jide’s Mother, and once they got to the house and found out the girl was missing, they would come rushing here.

Everything seemed to be working for him. Jide would want to seek revenge for his dead mother while General Yakubu would want the girl, and he would be waiting for both of them. Two birds with a stone.

Two Birds…

One Stone…

He had the world in his hands. He was going to keep the girl alive, and use her as a pawn. He now had the only hope the world had- the only living being, the only none zombie. That alone was intriguing. He was always a step ahead of the world…always.

He would wait for them, both General Yakubu and Jide, and kill them. How can two cockroaches thwart his plan? Never!

He looked at his guards below, and the various units of defense positioned strategically around the settlement. Others had joined him. Other visionaries had bought into his vision of a stronger society… a more unified world, were every zombie could stand up straight with pride and say, ‘I am alive.’

He had never felt more alive. Enough jargon of a dead gloomy world and a hope of life in the future. They had immortality and strength now, and he wasn’t trading it for anything. People were tired of the fairy tales of hope; they wanted something new, something fresh…something powerful. He took a deep breath in, even he, Okoro, was awed by himself.

Okoro the visionary…

Okoro the conqueror…

He would thwart his enemies, and get rid of all the flesh eating beasts that roamed the earth. A new dawn would arise, where the undead would rule with pride and dignity, and he would rule supreme in that new world. There was no going back.

He thought of killing Nneka to destroy any vestige of hope, but then he could use her to persuade certain people and get more allies.

He was the hope, not her. He was the light in the darkness, not her. He was the staff raised in the wilderness that everybody would look up to and be saved, not her. He hated her with a passion, and would kill her slowly when he had the chance but right now he needed her. He would use her till she had no more use, then he would kill her and devour her soul.

He was the hope.

He was the light.

He was the ruler, supreme, of the new earth, and nobody will get in the way of that dream.

He looked at the distant horizon. If Jide and General Yakubu were still alive, they would be on their way.

He would wait for them, and then he would kill them.

Z

‘This Okoro will finally get what he has been looking for,’ General Yakubu picked up some weapons in a hidden armory behind the wardrobe of his room. The main armory had been ransacked- Okoro’s men. He was not short of guns and gadgets and launchers and grenades, this armory was equally stocked.

Jide stood behind him not saying anything, just staring into thin air. He was finally going back to the settlement where he spent a large part of his life after the transition. It was sad he wasn’t going back to pay pleasantries but for war.

General Yakubu looked back at him, ‘Do you want to do this? You’ve found your mother.’

Jide stayed quiet for a few seconds as if thinking about what decision he should take. ‘Yes I want to do it…For Nneka, and for a good friend who stood by me when I needed him, and to finally put a stop to the menace Okoro’.

General Yakubu smiled. He saw the look in Jide’s eyes when he mentioned Nneka. He could see Jide had feelings for her, but he wondered what place such feelings had in a world like this. Was there hope that such feelings could grow into something greater? He wondered.

Okoro wouldn’t know what hit him.

He knew of the dangers they were going to face. He was sure Okoro would be waiting for them- he would be waiting for them if he was Okoro, but he had a plan. He was going to take everyone by surprise.

He loaded his favorite gun, the AK 47. Sweet…sweet…AK47, today you would conquer your enemies.

Z

The last few hours had been insane. I had found my mother, seen her control flesh eaters, and was beginning to have feelings for the only living girl on earth. Where that would lead I wasn’t sure.

My mother and I had spoken a little about the old times, but were careful not to dig too deep, the pain of losing everything was just too much. I loved my mother so much, but now she felt distant, not that it was her fault, but more like mine. I had been taking care of her since the transition; she hadn’t been able to help herself until now. Before now I only spoke, but now she spoke back, and what she had become only brought memories of what she was before all of this, which brought a lot pain. She understood what I was going through.

‘Jide,’ she called me.

‘Yes mum’, my mother still had her grace and calm, she was the most amazing woman. Everything will be okay mother, I wanted to tell her, there was hope, and things would become normal again. I kept quiet instead and walked up to her, keeping my thoughts to myself.

She looked into my eyes as I walked towards her; she smiled at me as if she could read my mind. We both know that things can never be normal again; her eyes seemed to talk to me, even if Mankind was able to live again, things can never be normal again.

‘You are to get the captured girl?’ She held my hand, smiling.

‘Yes, mum. I have to help General Yakubu,’ I said.

She smiled, ‘I don’t know how long you’ve known him and the girl, but I can tell you are not going just for the general. This girl has a special place in your heart.’

Could my Mother read my mind? She was definitely my mother. Even before the Transition, she always seemed to get past the façade I put up sometimes and always gets to the exact thing I was thinking. It scared me then; it scared me more even now. Her eyes projected a power I still didn’t understand. I held her, hugging her tightly to myself.

‘I love you mother,’ I wanted to cry, but I could not.

‘I love you too,’ tears streamed down my mother’s eyes. ‘Love is good son, the love of a mother…the love of a woman.’ She pulled me back and held my face in her hands, smiling.

I felt like a baby again. I remembered those days, the happy days. I missed my Mother.

‘Love is good, in this crazy world. The world needs it now, more than ever before. It’s the only hope the world has now… Love,’ she spoke with so much conviction and understanding.

‘Mother, the world is dead,’ I wanted to cry, but I could not.

Dead people don’t cry. 

‘I know, but with love, it can live again,’ she smiled, ‘there’s hope.’

‘I don’t understand,’ I wondered where all she was saying was coming from, but I believed her, she was talking to my soul.

‘You will understand,’ she looked into my eyes. I believed every word she said.

‘The tears on your face,’ I had never seen any zombie cry.

She wiped the tears on her face with her hands, ‘I don’t know,’ she said, ‘it just pours. My soul cries for the world, and I’m sure the world wants to cry, but the darkness has blocked the tears, so it can’t cleanse itself.’

‘I really don’t understand mum,’ I couldn’t understand her words; they came from a deeper place, far deeper than the sound of her voice.

‘The earth needs to purge itself of the darkness, of the death, and life will come. There is hope Jide. Go and get your woman,’ my mother smiled.

I laughed, ‘she’s not mine.’

‘But you love her,’ my mother said.

‘I think I like her a lot. I’ve not known her for too long. Love is supposed to be much deeper,’ I did like Nneka, but love…maybe I did.

‘A tree grows from a tiny seed’, my mother seemed to have answers to everything.

‘But mum, I’m dead, and she’s alive, nothing can happen,’ I just didn’t see any thing happening between myself and Nneka.

‘Love conquers all, son,’ she smiled.

I smiled. There was something strong and powerful and comforting in my Mother. She had always been a loving caring mother, and even in death, she still loved,cared and was still comforting. The love shown from inside her soul like a bright light, she was different.

‘I love you mum,’ I held her close to myself and didn’t ever want to leave her comforting embrace.

‘I love you too son,’ my Mother said.

Z

They finally arrived their destination; a maximum security settlement. There were heavily guarded security personnel stationed all around the settlement, ready to strike. It must have been Jide’s former settlement; she had heard her kidnappers mention Jide, and an Okoro, who was probably in charge of the settlement. She had also deduced the name of the leader of her kidnappers, Akpos. The soldiers stationed at different posts looked as mean as Akpos, some of them even meaner.

Nneka prayed as she was led into the settlement.  Fear crawled around her causing her to gasp for breath. All of the guards she passed looked as if they would tear her apart. They led her through a gate that probably led to the headquarters, where all the affairs of the settlement was run, where she would probably meet  Okoro,  and where she would know her fate.

Akpos dragged her by the arm not caring whether she was hurt or not. He didn’t say a word, and neither did she.

To him, she was just a good to be delivered, and she was being delivered to his chagrin, in one piece.

She looked around and saw the gloom on the faces of the settlers.

Hopelessness…hate…death…this was the face of the new world…the sad new world.

Akpos led her to a large three story building, probably the secretariat.

She wondered what Okoro wanted with her. Would he kill her? If he wanted to kill her, why did he order Akpos not to kill her? Maybe he wanted information from her. Maybe he wanted to know about Jide or the General.

She hoped General Yakubu was safe. He had done so much for her. She knew he would try to save her. She hoped he would not be too late by the time he came.

From what she had seen, it would be a very difficult task. The settlement was well guarded and they were heavily armed. If she had her way, she’d try to tell the General to stay away. She wasn’t sure he’d make it.

Her eyes were becoming wet with tears. She remembered Jide too. She wondered if he would come with the General. From what she had learned, they had gone to find Jide’s Mother. She wondered if Jide would still come if they had found his mother.

It would be sad if she didn’t get to see him again. She was getting to like him. That in itself was odd because they had only met once. But why couldn’t she get him out of her mind?

General Yakubu…Jide…she prayed.

Akpos dragged her through the main door of the secretariat. They took her to the third floor, which was the highest floor in the building. Akpos dragged her into a large room, fully furnished- there were paintings on the wall, pictures of past world leaders Okoro admired- Hitler, Sadam Hussein, Barrack Obama, Olusegun Obasanjo, Goerge W Bush, Nelson Mandela, she wondered what all of those leaders had in common, except they were all leaders of their countries at some point.

At another side of the room, there were pictures of fighter planes. There were pictures of world war two fighter planes like the F4F Wildcat, to the more recent F4 phantom. Somehow the pictures explained the kind of person Okoro was. He loved power, he wanted power, and the type of power he wanted could not be restricted to the walls of the settlement.

The room opened up to a large balcony where a man stood facing away. That must be Okoro, she thought. He didn’t budge, even when Akpos shut the door behind him, he just stood there, totally oblivious to Apkos’ entry. Either he hadn’t noticed or he didn’t care to be distracted from his thoughts. 

Akpos stood by her; the two guards had stayed outside the door. Akpos led her towards the balcony.

Akpos stood a short distance from the man as he finally spoke, ‘I have the girl.’

‘Bring her to me,’ the man said without moving. Akpos dragged her forward. ‘You can excuse us,’ he didn’t even look back. Nneka thought that was really creepy, she could feel the hair on her skin rise. Akpos bowed slightly and headed out. She wondered who this man was. From her short experience with akpos, she knew how strong headed and violent he could be, but the way he held this man in reverence said a lot about who the man Okoro was.

‘Nneka…come,’ he said, still not budging. She hesitated not wanting to be commanded like that, but she eventually walked up to the man though keeping a slight distance.

He finally turned, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you, I am Okoro, I’m sure you already know that,’ he formed a smile on his face.

She kept a stern face.

‘Take a look at the chaos out there,’ Okoro said looking at the landscape from the balcony, ‘There needs to be order.’

She stayed quiet.

‘We have become a bunch of lowlifes, no better than the flesh eaters roaming the streets, when we could embrace our glory, our immortality. Every day we hear stories of hope, some magic mantra that will make us all human again. When will people understand that this is the way we are now, and rather than reject it we should embrace it,’ Okoro now raised both hands in a state of self-exaltation.

The man was crazy, and dangerous. He already had a settlement in his control, but he wanted the whole world. The man in front of her had a resolve that projected from him so much that she could feel it from where she stood. He looked like someone that would do whatever it takes to get what he wanted. His face was stern and determined.

She wondered if he was right. Maybe mankind should embrace its present existence rather than wish for a life that would never come. What if Jide and the General were wrong?

‘Why should we dream dreams that will never come true instead of making what we have into a dream, a world where we walk as gods, living for eternity,’ Okoro turned to look at her. ‘I am a noble man Nneka, but your Jide and General Yakubu have misjudged me. I only want what is best for all of us.’

The man had his point, but why did he want to kill Jide and General Yakubu, ‘Why don’t you talk to them and make them see your point of view,’ Nneka said. She saw his eyes, his passion, and the length he would go to have what he wanted. He was going to kill Jide and the General and anybody that came in his way. She was yet to know her fate. Why did he keep her alive?

Okoro laughed, ‘You are still young and immature. You can’t bargain with enemies. One thing I have learnt is that people will stick to their beliefs no matter what, except through force and violent convincing can their beliefs be changed. In war you can either have people on your side, or force them to your side.’

She wasn’t going to change his mind; she knew she couldn’t even get close, she saw it in his eyes already ‘You can also kill me then.’

Okoro smiled, and then looked at her. His eyes pored deep into hers, instilling fear. She had never seen eyes darker and more intense than Okoro’s. The man was crazy. ‘I will, but not just yet. I still need you.’

She didn’t want to shiver, but she did. She wasn’t afraid to die, but something about Okoro made her hands tremble.

‘I don’t want people spreading false ideas. I’ve been able to win allies far and wide through much effort; I will not let two cockroaches thwart my plan. The General and Jide will come for you, and I will kill them.’ Okoro told her, smiling.

Nneka thought of picking up something and driving it into the monsters chest, but she knew that wouldn’t kill him, and she also knew that would end her life…there and then.

‘Akpos!’ he called and Akpos came rushing in immediately. It still amazed her how someone as strong as Akpos would grovel at Okoro’s feet. ‘Take our guest somewhere comfortable, and make sure she’s as comfortable as possible.’

Akpos held her by the arm and signaled for her to follow him.

‘We’ll talk later Miss Nneka,’ she looked back, and Okoro was looking out the balcony, the same way he had when she first came in. As Akpos led her out of the room, she prayed for Jide and The General. She prayed for their safety…and for their lives.

Z

We were in general Yakubu’s Hummer Jeep driving at the highest speed the Jeep could manage. I drove while the General cleaned his AK 47; he held it as if he held a baby.

I hoped our plans would work. Okoro knew we were coming, and I was so sure he would have a not so pleasant welcome for us.

We had to get past three posts before we get to the main settlement; I had gotten reliable information from my sources inside the settlement.

Our plan was to park the jeep somewhere and go through the rubbles. I knew my way around the settlement. We would appear too obvious if we took the road. Our only hope was to get in by surprise. Though Okoro would have men scanning the rubbles, they won’t be as many as those manned on the streets. We would use stealth to attack any one that noticed us- no heavy artillery; silencers and knives, and a secret weapon that was new in this part of the world, were the weapon of choice for the operation.

It was sad what the world had turned into. We now roamed the earth like beasts, killing each other. It was a sad world indeed.

We got to where we were to park the jeep. It was an abandoned ware house where we could conceal it until we got back. We would go in, get Nneka, get Okoro, and escape.

I still didn’t know if we would succeed, but someone had to stop Okoro. It might be the price I have to pay.

We parked the Jeep in the warehouse and concealed it with a cloth we had in the Jeep and some rubbles. We didn’t want any surprises at this point.

I had info on were Nneka was kept, my sources had given me the exact location, and since I knew the settlement like the back of my palm, I knew exactly where I was going.

She was in one of the secretariat rooms. She was comfortable at least which I didn’t expect. I wondered what Okoro was planning. I had expected him to have Nneka thrown in one of the cells. I was even surprised he still left her alive, but it must be part of his whole grand plan. He must be trying to get the allegiance of some progressionists who still believed that the earth could come back to life. Maybe Okoro was going to promise tell them he had Nneka the only hope of the world, seek their allegiance, then make them believe he was working at unifying the various mind sets, and then she would die by some unknown cause. I might be wrong, but if I was Okoro and wanted to win the allegiance of all the living dead, that’s what I would do.

We went through the back of the warehouse. I knew how we could find our way through the rubbles, some abandoned buildings, a dried up canal, coming out at the back of the settlement, and coming in from there.

If we encountered any resistance, we would deal with it silently. The General and I had a weapon he just acquired that would deal with the undead very silently, but the problem was that it was limited so we had to use it only if absolutely necessary. It was our surprise.

I took the General through a few abandoned buildings. The world had become a mostly empty place, so there were a lot of empty buildings that could act as cover for us. I just hoped we didn’t run into any flesh eaters, that would be a problem, and we didn’t want to waste any of our rounds. Flesh eaters were noisy and unbalanced, and they might give us off if we encountered them.

We got to a large expanse of almost leveled land. Most of the buildings had been reduced to rubbles. In the early days the military had used everything they had to fight flesh eaters, bombs, grenades, rocket launchers, all the arsenal power they could muster was put into fighting the flesh eaters, until there was no Government, then no military. Everyone scattered, Governments, families, the earth itself was in a state of chaos- it became an ‘all man for himself situation’, until settlements started forming much later.

There had even been cases were nuclear arsenal was used in some countries to decimate specific areas infested by flesh eaters.

Those days were confusing and people dealt with the situation the best way they could. People didn’t know what was happening to them. Nobody had seen a plague as widespread and deadly as the one that now gripped humanity. Everybody died at some point. Some woke still retaining their human faculties, but where actually dead- no blood flow, no heartbeat, no pulse, no breadth, they were the undead, like me, some still preferred to call themselves human, but all were dead…All except one…Nneka, and she was now with a mad man, and we had to save her.

Lots of people had lost their lost loved ones; some had killed their loved ones by their own hands. The earth has never been the same since. We were all dead.

The strangest thing was the death of the earth itself. Animals had turned into flesh eating beasts- goats, flies, rats, dogs. Trees had withered leaving skeletal remains of what was once plant life. The seas turned black and the skies turned dusty red. The earth itself had died.

The world had lost hope, but some of us hadn’t. We hoped for hope and worked towards it. Hope became a cause to fight for. Scientists all over the world came together to carry out researches and the hopefuls worldwide communicated latest findings. They were the progressives- they believed the earth could come back to life. A living plant recently was a sign. Nneka was a sign…The brightest sign so far. Hope had never been closer to mankind since the Transition.

Now I and the General were going to find mankind’s hope, and set her free.

Okoro wasn’t going to stand in our way.

A thousand Undead weren’t going to stand in our way.

Even death won’t stand in our way; I would make sure of that to my last undead cell.

From the ruins, we got to the edge of the canal. What used to be water logged was now a dry pit with puddles of muddy water in a few places.

We descended into the canal, which was going to lead us straight to the back of the settlement. So far we hadn’t encountered any resistance. We walked a few minutes, coming out at the back of a long barbed wired fence. The fence was definitely electrocuted. I brought out two thick gloves, and pliers. We were able to cut our way through. We were finally there, right inside the settlement. If everything worked according to plan, it will be a smooth noiseless operation, and in no time we would be out with Nneka.

We sneaked through the back of the first building we encountered. We had to be careful that nobody was watching. Anybody in the buildings could sight us and that would be it- alarms raised, plan disrupted, we’d then have to do it the old fashioned way which would be harder.

As we approached the end of the building I sighted an undead soldier walking our way. We both stood straight to avoid suspicion. He walked past us greeting, ‘Comrade.’

We both replied, ‘Comrade’. That was a close call, the soldier hadn’t recognized me.

He suddenly stopped, then turned.

‘Both of you,’ the soldier took a close look at myself and the General. ‘I haven’t seen both of you around here before. Where are you stationed?’

Okoro had probably given him an important position.

‘We were just surveying the backyards making sure there were no breaches,’ I replied. The General kept quiet, staring at the soldier.

The soldier looked at the General, but kept staring at me. ‘You look very familiar.’

‘I’m from the outer gates,’ I replied. I didn’t want any shoot out, not just yet. The secret weapon- we could use every round preserved.

‘No you are not,’ he walked closer to me, a look of sudden recognition on his face.

The General had his hands on the trigger of his AK47.

The soldier had raised his weapon half way and was about saying something, ‘raise your-’.

He could not finish his worlds as he jerked back into a convoluted ball of electrocuted flesh.

The weapon worked perfectly. I had quickly drawn the stun gun and shot him before he could raise his gun.

He was down on the ground, frozen in stasis. He was going to remain that way for a few hours. He would be unconscious of his environment; the electromagnetic pulse would halt the neurotransmissions from his body to his brain, which would keep him out of our way for some time.

‘Were you going to use your AK47,’ I had seen the General’s finger on the trigger of his gun.

‘You know I like it old school,’ the General smiled, ‘I really don’t like all this new gadgets.’

‘Stealth General, stealth…’ we could not risk being exposed, not just yet.

Since nobody knew the General, he could easily blend with the rest if he had the Soldiers clothes on. We placed the naked undead under a heap of rubbles covering him well, we didn’t have to worry about him for the next few hours.

The plan was for the general to find his way into the Secretariat and rescue Nneka. I had given him directions to the place. He should be able to blend with the other soldiers and should be able to get to her without incidence. Getting her out might be the only problem.

I was going to find Okoro and deal with him once and for all. How I would do that, I wasn’t sure. My sources had told me he was always in the Secretariat. They had given me the specifics. I knew the where, but I wasn’t sure of the how. I still had several rounds of the stunner. I wanted to kill him for everything he had done, and for the things he would do if we didn’t stop him.

My Mother didn’t think we should. ‘Death cannot bring life, only more death,’ she had said. ‘Hatred cannot bring Peace, only more hatred,’ I wondered where my mother had gotten all these sayings from, she had the aura of a sage around her, unexplainable, spiritual, but certainly present. ‘Love and Peace is the only way…’ she had concluded.

Everything she said was deep and had truth in it, but we were in a world of chaos and the only way to peace was to fight for it. If Okoro got the chance, he would destroy us all. We had to destroy him first. My mother’s words were deep, but they were not practical. There was no way we could sneak Okoro out quietly from the settlement without getting noticed, he would only disrupt our plan.

There was a strange thing about my Mother since she woke up. She spoke with a strange wisdom, and she had a certain power I didn’t understand and she didn’t understand herself. She had controlled a whole herd of flesh eaters and bended their hunger for flesh to her will, I only wondered what other things she could do.

I felt we should just wipe out his existence; he could get dangerous if left undestroyed.

Death can never bring peace, only more death…my mother’s words rang in my mind.

Okoro! I hated him. I would be happy to tear him into tiny pieces.

‘Best of Luck Jide,’ I shook hands with the general. I needed all the luck. I wanted to see Nneka again. I wanted to see my Mother. I wanted to see the world change for the better.

‘Take care of Nneka,’ I said.

The General smiled, ‘I’ll be around. We are going back together.’

We parted ways and I wondered if this was the last time I would see the General. Nothing was sure, but we only hoped for the best.

I was going to sneak through the buildings into the Secretariat and get Okoro, hopefully the general would have gotten to Nneka by then.

Z

General Yakubu was dressed like one of the Settlement’s guards.

So far he hadn’t been noticed. A nod here and a nod here, but nobody suspected him yet. He had already reached the Settlement’s Secretariat without incidence. Jide had described where Nneka was, so his plan was to go in, get her, and get out. He would wait for Jide at the warehouse, and if he didn’t get back on time, he was going to come back for him.

He went past two guards at the secretariat entrance, still no incidence, just nods.

Second floor, last room to the right, was where Nneka was being kept according to Jide, information Jide had gotten from his informants in the settlement. Two guards were stationed at the entrance of the room.

‘The room is restricted,’ one of the guards stopped him, ‘strict orders.’

He laughed at himself. Did he think he was just going to walk in get Nneka like that and get out?

‘Oh sorry, I didn’t know. I was just checking. The boss’s orders,’ he wore a stern look. The guards seemed confused.

‘We didn’t get any such orders. Commander Akpos has been here and he didn’t tell us anything,’ the guard was beginning to cast a suspicious look at General Yakubu.

He could decide to keep the banter going, but he knew that would only waste time, and the more time he wasted, the more possibility of him getting exposed.

‘Ok, I’ll just tell the commander in Chief that the security is intact,’ he turned back. He knew the suspicion of the guards had increased. Had he used the wrong term for Okoro? He wasn’t sure.

He knew if he didn’t act fast and quick, he would have a more difficult time getting Nneka out. He loved his Ak47, but this wasn’t the time to use it- it was loud, it attracted attention, and it would get all the guards in the settlement running towards it like an army of ants attracted to sugar.

The stunner would work better- stealth was essential. He turned round sharply sending two shots to the two guards. They fell immediately to the ground, two stiff heaps of electrocuted zombies. They wouldn’t be a problem for the next few hours.

He opened the door.

She stood by a window at the other side of the room. On hearing the door open Nneka quickly turned back.

‘It’s me Nneka,’ the General was so happy to see Nneka. She hadn’t being touched. Nneka ran to the General and hugged him.

‘I’m afraid…I admit it. I’m afraid,’ she said, tears streaming down her eyes.

‘Everything will be okay. I’ll get us out of here,’ the General held Nneka in his arms. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. He wasn’t going to lose her too. He had lost his family, and Nneka was now family to him. He was going to protect her, he promised himself.

‘Impressive,’ the General turned, and Okoro stood behind them clapping his hands.

Okoro smiled, pointing an electromagnetic gun at them. ‘You people think you are smart,’ Okoro laughed.

The General wanted to empty his AK47 into Okoro, but Nneka could get hurt in the process. Two other guards stood at the door, pointing their weapons at them. He stood there his gun also pointed at Okoro, Nneka standing behind them.

‘You people think you can walk in here, take the girl and walk out. You must have overestimated yourselves,’ okoro said, walking closer to the General, not shifting his aim, ‘Now drop your gun, or I blast both of you to the beyond.’

The General restrained himself from pulling the trigger. If he was alone he could try to escape, since he might be able to survive several shots and try to avoid the electromagnetic gun…He was a Zombie, and Zombies don’t die easily. But Nneka would never make it.

He had no choice; he wouldn’t want Nneka to get hurt. He was ready to die, but Dying now would mean she would also die. The only hope now was Jide. He hoped he would be able to pull something off.

‘General Yakubu, I won’t repeat myself. Drop your gun,’ Okoro moved closer.

The General stared into Okoro’s eyes…Okoro stared back.

Time seemed to slow down for the General in the next few moments.

He wondered if they were his last moments, maybe…or maybe not.

He turned and hit Nneka at the back of her head, knocking her out, that way she wouldn’t try any heroics. She fell to the floor, unconscious.

Okoro hadn’t expected that, he pulled the trigger blasting the general on his left arm.

The General spun around sending several bullets of his dear AK47 into Okoro.

They were both zombies and were not going to die so easily.

The two guards charged into the room, shooting at the General.  He was able to dodge some bullets. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, Okoro…the guards.

He charged into Okoro, knocking him to the floor. Okoro’s gun fell, sliding a short distance away from him.

Okoro, sent a punch into his jaw, and then pushed him to the left with a kick, leaving him exposed to the aim of the guards.

Okoro quickly scrambled for his gun.

One of the Guards’ shot caught him in his chest sending him slamming into the adjacent wall before he could regain his balance. He felt his lungs Tear, dead remnant air rushing out.

He was dead, and Zombies don’t die so easily…they were already dead. A gaping hole was now in his chest. He felt weaker, as his movements got slower from the damage he had sustained.

He quickly regained his balance and sent a rain of bullets into one of the undead Guard’s head, scattering it into many tiny bits. The guard ran frantically around, searching for the head that was never there. He ran through the window, plunging down the building three stories down.

Almost immediately, before he could shift his aim at Okoro, Okoro sent a hard head butt into his head, he heard a crack. He wasn’t sure if the sound came from Okoro or him. He held on to Okoro as Okoro tried to push him away.

The guard stood there trying to get a good aim, but couldn’t because Okoro was in the way. The General held on to him, using him as body armor.

The other guards would have seen the fallen guard and would be on their way in no time.

He pushed okoro to the guard, knocking him down, but the guard and Okoro quickly gained their balance aiming both their guns at him.

Two guns were pointed at him, okoro’s and the guard. He had only one gun and two targets.

Bullets were exchange at close range as Okoro and the guard fired at him, which he returned generously.

Surges of Electricity suddenly jerked his body as okoro sent shot after shot from the Electromagnetic gun at him.

He stood, returning each shot.

Okoro quickly rolled to the side, giving him the opportunity to take a leap out of the room.

The guard almost followed except that he left the room headless, his head mixing with his upper chest in a mesh of tattered flesh.

He dashed after Okoro, his whole body a mangle of torn flesh.

He got to the door, and Okoro was there, waiting for him. The electromagnetic gun was aimed at the space between his eyes. The General didn’t have time to shoot.

A sudden darkness enveloped him, and okoro was the last thing he remembered seeing.

Z

Okoro staggered down the corridor. He felt weak and his movement slowed with each passing moment.

He had chosen the electromagnetic gun because of the effect it had on the undead, the electrical surge from the gun paralyzes any zombie. He had wanted an instant noiseless incapacitation, but the General had just kept on going.

He looked at his arm that was now torn at several places, bullets from the General’s AK47. Several holes were on his chest, but he still moved. Zombies were already dead, so it would take extra effort to kill them a second time, usually a hit on the head.

He looked down at the General’s lifeless body. The upper body was charred from several shots from the electromagnetic gun.

He hadn’t expected the general to attack. He knew the general would want to protect the girl, and he had envisaged he would give up his gun to prevent any arm to the girl. The General was tough and it had taken a lot of effort to defeat him. It had also caused him a lot of body damage.

The girl was still in the room unconscious. He had to get himself back in one piece; he dragged himself down the corridor. He could see some of his guards running down the corridor towards him. He stayed where he was, waiting for his loyal soldiers to get to him. He needed to recover. Stitches and a lot of patches and skin grafts, his body was never going to remain the same, but that wouldn’t stop the vision. He was still going to conquer the world, and nobody was going to stop him.

The guards were about seven feet from him, when he saw the flash. The sound was a low toned buzz, which followed with a bright blue light wave.

The blast sent him and the guards scattered at different directions in the corridor. An electro Bomb had gone off. The force of it almost tore him apart. The bomb sent electrical waves that paralyzed any moving matter within a range, living or dead.

The guards were scattered at different parts of the corridor, all motionless. He tried to move, but he couldn’t, neither could he say a word. The effect would last several hours, so he was powerless for another several hours.

He tried to fight the paralysis with his will. He couldn’t afford to lie around helpless.

Then he saw him. His worst enemy…

Jide had defeated him. He wanted to jump up and rip his jugular out of his head, but he couldn’t move.

Everything was now in a blur. Jide stood over him, and he hated it.

I’ll get you Jide. I will end you once and for all this time.

He was sucked into darkness.

Only for a moment, Jide…

Only for a moment…

Except you cut me into tiny bits and scatter my body in different ends of the earth, I’ll get you.

Z

I was already in the Secretariat building when I had heard the gun shots. I knew it must have been the General, which meant things hadn’t gone as planned. Some of the settlement guards had run into the building, also attracted to the sound of the shots. There was no need for discretion anymore, so I used all the weapons at my disposal to keep them away. A grenade sealed the entrance, and I was able to take down the few guards that had been able to get in.

I had heard several footsteps on the top floors, probably from guards stationed in the building and those who had been able to find their way in.

At the top floor where Nneka was kept, I had seen several guards run towards the room where I knew she was kept. They hadn’t seen me.

I had to act fast. Nneka or the General might be in grave danger. I chose to use the electromagnetic bomb; it would take everyone on the floor out. Including the General and Nneka if they were in range, but the good thing was that it only demobilized its targets for several hours. If I had attacked any other way, Nneka and the General would have been harmed before I got to them.

I threw the Electromagnetic bomb, the shock wave sent some of the guards ramming into the walls of the corridor. I waited at the corner for the blue electro-shock waves to revert.

I quickly rushed into the corridor. The guards were scattered in different places in the corridor. Then I saw Okoro.

He had several holes in his chest and lower torso. He seemed to still be unconscious as he stared at me. Then he lost consciousness slowly as I stood over him. I recognized the holes on Okoro’s body-they had come from shots from the General’s AK47.

I rushed to the end of the corridor where I saw the General’s body. There was a large hole in his chest. There must have been a serious face off between him and Okoro, his face was chared.

‘General!’ He had been shot with an Electromagnetic gun, straight in the head. It must have fried all his senses. I pulled his body up to a sitting position. His body had suffered so much damage. His hands, were torn at several places, he had been a great man. It was sad he had to die…Dying a second time.

The General was probably the only true friend I had since the transition, though we had only known ourselves in a very short period, the man had been a totally honest and trustworthy man who had stood by me, even till death. That was true friendship...and he was a truly great man.

I wasn’t going to leave him here, dead or alive. I dragged his body into the room at the end of the corridor, the room where Nneka was supposed to be. I placed the Generals body in a corner in the room.

Where was Nneka? I hoped she was okay.

I looked around the room, but I couldn’t see her anywhere.

I heard a low groan at the back of the bed. I was sure it was her.

I quickly ran to the back of the bed and I saw her there. She seemed to have been unconscious and was just regaining her consciousness as she groaned in pain, holding her head.

I lifted her up. She was untouched.

‘Nneka,’ I called her as she came into consciousness.

‘General,’ she said in a mumble.

‘It’s me, Jide,’ I told her, I was glad she was alive. She had been untouched, and unscarred. Relief swept through me.

I wondered how I was going to tell her what had happened to the general.

‘Jide,’ she said. Her eyes had opened, ‘Jide…where’s General Yakubu.’

‘What happened,’ I said. I wanted to distract her from asking about the General until she was totally alert, and I also wanted to find out what had happened before I got here.

‘Okoro came in, and the General knocked me out,’ she said shifting in pain as she sat up.

The General had saved her life, and he had lost his.

‘I’m glad you are ok. We have to get out of here now,’ I said. I was sure that more guards would get there in no time.

‘Where’s the general?’ she asked again.

‘He’s…,’ I couldn’t get myself to say anything.

Then she saw the General.

‘General!’ she screamed, running to where the General lay, ‘Oh my God,’ she said, tears streaming down her face.

I stood there watching her. She held the General to herself crying out loudly.

‘It’s my entire fault, he tried to save me…look at him,’ Nneka held the General’s charred face up, kissing it. Her tears kept flowing, and mine flowed in my heart.

I heard footsteps running down the corridor. I had to get Nneka out. The General would want me to do that. Nneka had to be saved at all cost.

‘We have to leave now,’ I aimed my gun at the door; I could hear the footsteps getting closer.

‘I can’t,’ Nneka said, holding on to the General Yakubu, ‘I can’t…’

‘We have to. It’s what he would want,’ I slowly pulled her up, one hand still holding a steady aim at the door.

Three guards rushed in, but they went down as fast as they came in. The stun gun had immediate effect.

I dashed out of the corridor, guard after guard came at us and they went down one after the other. I knew it was only a matter of time till we got captured. We were able to get to the second floor. There, I knew for sure we had gotten to the end.

Close to Ten guards kept a steady aim at me in front and several had been able to get through to my back.

I could get Nneka killed if I had tried to go through all the guards.

Then a familiar undead came out of the guards that pointed their guns at me, I knew him from my days at the settlement. It was Okoro’s right hand man, Akpos. I knew him from my days at the settlement. He was always with Okoro, but he never said much. Sometimes he just stood and watched. There was something sinister about him; I remembered his eyes…deep and dark.

‘The game is over Jide,’ Akpos said walking towards me, ‘Your game is over. The General is down, and I have you and the girl.’ Akpos walked closer to me and stood at a short distance, ‘and then Okoro is also down. I guess that leaves me as the last man standing. The new man in charge,’ a smile formed on his crooked face.

I held Nneka to my back. She didn’t say a word; she just stared at the guards, tears streaming down her face.

Nneka suddenly freed herself from me and darted towards Apkos. In a second she was held up by the neck, her two feet dangling in thin air. Akpos had her by the neck before she could hit him, and he looked as if he could snap it with little or no effort.

I quickly drew my gun and aimed it at him and almost immediately over twenty guards also aimed their guns at me. ‘Let her go now.’ I said.

I was at a disadvantage, it was me against Akpos and over twenty guards, but I still kept my aim- right in the middle of his temple…waiting. I saw Nneka had started gasping for breadth, ‘Let her go now.’

Akpos smiled before he flung Nneka at a nearby wall.

Nneka tried to get up, staggering, gasping for breadth, while I quickly rushed towards her.

‘Everything will be fine,’ I whispered into her ears.

‘No it won’t be,’ she said. I could feel the pain in her voice as she barely got out the words.

‘I will make a spectacle out of the both of you,’ Akpos said, laughing out in a heavily accented tone. ‘Take them away.’

This was the end, and there was nothing I could do about it.