GO TO HELL, CAPTAIN (Preview)

2: ZAYD AHMAD AL-HAFIZ

ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA.

"It's going to be a tough competition between you and Munzil, you know that right?" Faizan questioned, his eyes staring at Zayd prudently.

Zayd have a shrug of his wide shoulders, twirled around with the pen between his fingers as he also gazed directly ahead of him at the main part of their conversation, Munzil Muhammad Kudu, eating with his own circle of friends without a care for the world. He's seen that nonchalant air around him ever since they've met as recruits years ago. Both of them anxious to get through the first training so they will be admitted in the Nigerian Defense Academy and voila, the both of them are here.

He's never given a thought about the guy, never tried befriending him after what he's said to him when they got admitted. Zayd was accompanied by his entire family to the barrack as though he is going to a boarding school and not military. He was so embarrassed at the many flashy cars and attention his family were getting. They are very much well known after all, there is nothing he could've done to take down the attention but that doesn't mean he wasn't disconcerted. He couldn't raise his head to look at the other recruits that are there all alone. But he won't change that, his family is his pride.

Munzil came to him after his family had left and stood with his hands tucked inside his pockets. Zayd was meek then, a bit jumpy and skittish so he couldn't even stand as straight as Munzil did just after their first training. Munzil was taller than him even back then, his body built for what he is trying to achieve, the army unlike Zayd's lean figure.

"Mama's pet, what are you doing here with big lions? Want to be throttled?" Munzil had sneered, made a scary face before rolling his eyes seeing as Zayd was not about to answer him and his malleability then was disgusting, he shuddered at the thought.

Since then, Zayd made Munzil his role model but few months later he realized that he is much better than Munzil. The guy couldn't handle that fact, he started pushing forward too and they became rivals but never exchanged words between them if not related to work or an assignment. Zayd liked it that way, the rivalry is just within them but never uttered out to one another, they alone know how they feel about one another. In a way, they are pushing each other forward without trying but they aren't friends in the least.

"It's going to be really hard but they both deserve to be captains. If only they can bend the rule a bit and give them both the title." Kareem chirped, nibbling on the fura and nono he bought from a Fulani woman outside the barrack.

The only friends Zayd permitted himself to have —Kareem, Faizan and Qadir. It was hard befriending them with his dread for people and immense love for his personal space. It just happened seeing as you cannot be away from home and not have anyone to turn to just in case of emergency. And they prove to be more trustworthy than his friends back in high school. He abandoned all the ones he went to high school with and replaced them with these three amazing guys. They are not with him for his name, his family's wealth or anything as such, he knew that much and that's all he wants.

Qadir and Faizan are both from nice prosperous background but that can't be said to Kareem whose luck struck when he applied and they gave him. Kareem wouldn't believe he is there, he kept on working harder than everyone else there knowing he could be yanked off at any moment if he doesn't prove that the place is for plebeians like him. He lived with the fear of being dismissed if he makes a slight mistake, he couldn't afford that. His parents won't be able to take care of his university tuition and everything when he has younger siblings.

It is said that even the Nigeria Defense Academy works with connection —but what doesn't in Nigeria?— Zayd isn't too sure about that but maybe that is because both his paternal and maternal family are quite authoritative and they get what they want without even asking most of the times. All he knew was, he applied for it without talking to his parents about it and received an email accepting him. He should be there the next day, that was when he decided to tell his parents.