Must Read: Shadows

7 years ago

Must Read: Shadows

5:42am

The 3 of them walked way slowly now. There wasn’t much strength to walk faster, they trudged along the bush. The ground was quite muddy and slippery, it slowed down their moments and wore them out the more.

The sky was much brighter too, not perfectly clear but they didn’t need the lamp anymore.

It’s been more than 10 hours of running around in the forest and that has taken a toll on them.

They breathe harder and faster with opened mouths. The weather was chilly too but they still had sweats running down their faces.

Clothes torn and dirty from falling to the ground and running into tree branches all night .

They had swollen and reddish patches on their hands where they had been attacked by the birds earlier.

But their mind stayed strong, they have made it thus far and it’s just a few minutes left until the day breaks finally and then they’ll find their way back to the highway, get a form of transportation and get out of the Godforsaking hell of a place.

It’s an experience they’ll live to remember for the rest of their lives but that’s if and only if, they make it out alive.

Mary: Lanre… Look …. (pointing)

Lanre: Oh my God, is that the…. that’s our camp.

Mary: Yes….yess… Thank God! We know the way out from here now .

Lanre: Yessss! We’re going home! Emma we’re going home…..Emma? ….Emma?

Lanre looked back and few feet away was Emma lying down in the mud facing up. They both ran to him, he was barely conscious and his eyes were half opened. His breathing was faint and with each minute that pass by, he gets closer to dying.

He had watched a program on TV, where the step by by procedure of giving CPR in case of emergency was described. Lanre had never performed it on anyone before but here he was, a great chance of losing his friend, Emma,.excerpt he does it expertly.

Lanre: C’mon Emma! Don’t you dare die on me okay? We’re so close brother.

Mary cried, holding Emma hands but given Lanre enough space to try and save his best friend.

He pushed hard and fast in the middle of Emma’s chest. Going fast with at least 100 compressions per minute.

He had his head tilted back slightly and the chin lifted, he pinched the nose shut and place his mouth to make a ete seal. Blowing into his mouth to make the chest rise. Delivering two rescue breaths, then continuing compressions.

After a few horrifying seconds, Emma coughed back.

Emma: (coughs )…. please…..(coughs) …Tell me….Tell me… (coughs ).. Tell me you didn’t place your lips on mine abeg…(coughs)

Lanre: (faces Mary) hahaha…. well… looks like he’s back!

Mary: Come quick… let’s get you rested.

They both lifted him up, supporting him on their shoulders as they moved into the camp the students had earlier settled and built tents in.
It looked just like they had left it, obviously no one had been able to make it back since. They tent were still up and the mattresses were still very much la!d
Luckily, they found a pack of biscuits and bottled water someone had left behind, they shared and silently waited for the day to finally break.

Emma still felt quite weak, he didn’t eat from the jollof rice the previous and neither did he drank anything , he’s lost lot of energies from running all night too.

5:49am

At first it sounded like nothing really but then it got louder until they felt the floor vibrating to the rhythm.

Footsteps outside their tents, lot and lot of it but no one was talking. The footsteps just roamed round and round the tent they were in.

Mary: (whispering ) Who are those? Looks like people, the rest of the class…

Lanre: Yea…but why is no one saying a word? I mean there should be nothing less than 19 or 20 of our classmates out there, it’s impossible for them to be this quiet.

Emma: By the way… why are they just roaming round the tent. Something is wrong, let me check?

Lanre: (whispers) No..no.. You rest. I’ll check.