GUARD OF HONOUR CHAPTER 9
CRAIG’S POV CONTINUES…
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I could not believe my luck that I was still alive,how ruthless commander Barrow appeared as he held down the pistol who’s barrel emitted smoke, fresh from burying a bullet into Major Chilongo’s head…
‘Hahaha…. ‘
Uttered Commander Barrow, lowering his pistol back into the holder wrapped round his wai-st..
‘I will keep slaughtering cowards like him’
He continued, pointing at the major’s lifeless body… Took a snap look at me before finally whisking of heading towards the camp upon ordering his men to lead us along, I knew I was headed for nothing but the worst treatment at the hands of commander Barrow….
CLARE’S POV#
I could not believe my ears that all soldiers that had gone for the Banjul operation had been captured by the ruthless rebels, for once I froze in fear, engulfed in tremor as I eves dropped neighbours recount the unfortunate incident…despite all this, I still had a hu-ge feeling Craig could still make it!
I went back inside, knelt down,burst into tongues, declaring divine protection upon my Craig, my eyes were flooded in fear as I starred at the innocent soul I had since named Craig junior… I could not un-derstand the awesome feeling that suddenly encrypted my soul upon concluding my morning prayer,no matter what my husband would return home safe and sound!
I was busy with my cooking,singing a hymn of worship before a heavy knock landed of the door, sending me into total despair making me pause a bit before suddenly advancing to see who it was….
CRAIG’S POV#
that night was the worst ever! The inhumane conditions we were exp-osed to,the stinking quarters filled with human carcas-ses and the scam language the armed merciless rebels spat on us were just a few of the many evils we were exp-osed to…..
I watched three more soldiers from our group shot dead for fun, dropping tears in their camp was forbidden…Their level of brutality was nothing but the worst anyone could ever imagine of, totally beyond description!
I never saw sleep, the fear de-ep down inside of me kept swelling whenever flashes of my dead colleagues swept throu-ghmy mind… Commander Barrow had spoken, we nee-ded to exp-ose the location of our camp or risk loosing our lives just like Major Chilongo and others….
I wept in silence as I sat in the dark corner of the heavily guarded camp cells… Tears rolled down my cheek knowing that my dream of meeting a smiling Clare were slowly becoming impossible!
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04:30 am at the Rebels’ camp….
No sooner had the whistle been sounded than the rebels flock into the quarters we had been kept all night long…. All I could remember was being lifted off the corner like a light object by two tall, hu-ge men,rushed to the parade where we found commander barrow stand,ready to address us….. I could already smell trouble!
Barrow was such a beast, I could not believe that he had just pulled the trigger on Corporal Mwenya, claiming that his parade always nee-ded to be stained with blood… It de-eply pained me to see the young man’s lifeless body, such a heartless man nee-ded to be taught a lesson oneday!
The intimidation filled parade lasted for ba-rely an hour…. I could not count just how many times he pointed the pistol onto my head, threatening to blow off my head….I could not believe my lack that I had come off that parade alive!
We were busy working in the rice field, surrounded by heavily armed, fierce looking rebels before I was singled out by one of the seniors among the rebels after a long conversation over the radio message…. I wondered all the way as an armed rebel escorted me towards Commander Barrow’s gras-s thatched hut…praying that I return alive….
‘Hi team leader’
Greeted Barrow, in a teasing tone upon being ushered into his residence whose roof was the harven of all sorts of rifles… I could see the missile launcher I had been disarmed with the previous night lay on his table…. I was glad to learn that he nee-ded my guidance on how to operate the machine….
That was the first time I saw Commander Barrow appear so calm, his composure and compliance as I ran him throu-ghthe dynamics really seemed on point…
His cellphone suddenly rang, interrupting our session…. He walked out of his hut leaving me with a chance to sum up an idea that could trigger our rescue… I was amazed to learn that Barrow had bit his own tail… Time to act CRAIG!
GUARD OF HONOUR CHAPTER 10:
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CLARES POV#
I stood in despair , holding my sight in disbelief upon setting my eyes on someone I least expected..How did he gather the audacity to knock on my door….?
‘Hi Madam? ‘
Greeted General Banda, with a smile written all over his ugly face…
I took a de-ep breath, trying ha-rd to hold my rapid rising temper as my eyes scanned him from toe to head and vise versa… The rage that grew strong inside me nearly pushed me into pouncing on the ruthless idiot whose selfish desi-res and questionable fantasies about me had triggered him to exp-ose my husband to such a deadly operation…
‘well,I heard you finally gave birth… ‘
He continued upon clearing his throat, this time sounding even more teasy…as I looked on, furiously.
‘Can we get inside and talk? ‘
He uttered, making me question his persistence even when he had seen my resistant body language and scare some facial expressions… This man’s overconfidence was special in a foolish way!
‘What do you want from me?
I asked angrily, in a rather anger filled tone attached with potential to attra-ct attention from my neighbours…
‘Let’s get ins….’
‘Suit yourself shameless old man! ‘
I cut his utterance short, making his face glow in a blink of a second making him appear like a dog that had been soaked by heavy rains…
‘well, I will leave…. ‘
He finally responded upon clearing his throat..
‘But I can promise that your stay in this camp has finally come to and end! ‘
He continued, sending shocking waves of fear all over my body…
‘Moreover, Craig is no more so expect his corpse anyday from now’
Uttered the shameless General, turned round took another quick look at me before whisking off the yard leaving me with a thousand thoughts about what he had just said!
CRAIG’S POV#
I left all I was doing, studied the layout of Commander Barrow’s closet to see if there was any form of surveillance… Good! All seemed well…
I stood up, tiptoed my way to the dusty window just behind his chair,calculating my steps so neatly that I could not afford to produce any silly sound to arou-se the whole camp, that moment when you try ha-rd to be as quiet as possible not wishing to hear even your own heartbeat..
I overheard Commander Barrow still on phone before I finally reached for the small window, curtained by a dusty piece of cloth….
There strolled commander Barrow down the stairs heading to a beautiful chalets on the banks of River Chad, with a cigarette in his hands, he seemed so relaxed,taken by the conversation… Perhaps I could hit him fast!
I quickly turned round,grabbed the radio message device off his table, shivering in fear yet br@ve enough as I encoded our base code…
After few minutes, Colonel Mwango picked up much to my delight before I quickly though br@vely ran throu-ghour coordinates from the map spread on Commander Barrow’s table…This was slowly turning into a perfectly calculated move especially that Colonel Mwango had emplored some urgency judging from the way he reacted upon hearing that I and twenty four others were still alive!
CLARE’S POV#
That day was the saddest of my life… I could not believe news that swept throu-ghcamp that all soldiers in the Banjul operation had been captured and killed…
Craig’s mother called, how she wept bitterly over the phone really made me grow so emotional… Why had God allowed me to become a widow at such a young age?
Despite all the rumours about the group’s death, something de-ep inside of me kept whispering to me that my Craig was still alive… All my prayers had not been offered in vain…
Kala camp headquarters circulated a statement later that evening urging relatives to the Banjul operation Victims to remain calm and wait for the full statement on what had transpired to the involved parties…
CRAIGS POV#
wow wow!
I exclaimed to myself, smiling happily as I pushed the message transmitter back onto the table,before I received a double tap on my back,making my entire body develop goose bumps….
Tbc