PRISONERS OF CITIZEN KWEKU (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 1

An urgent call had come in from one of his mercenaries on the monk situation, apparently two Jesuit priests undercover, penetrated camp Kwanzawali, parading themselves as representatives sent by the organization to supervise things in his absence. Kweku wonders how they even succeeded to gain access to the camp, with so many seasoned, vicious wolves and bulldogs in it! Luck was on his side and they were caught. Now, they wait for him to deliver their judgement. He has no time for stale matters, like this congo issue, but certain circumstances mandated his presence so as not to be seen as trivial, neither should his particular brand of leadership be taken for granted, especially when blood thirsty religious fanatics are involved. This is a threat he cannot ignore, even though, on his part he has since moved on. Its a pity that the two priests can't forgive his men for their recklessness in the congo last October; neither will they ever forget! They still seek his pound of flesh and the heads of his men. Kweku has learnt that dealing with extremists is never a simple matter. It is said that they can hunt a man even after death...

Hafeez ibrahim is whithin the camp also, a man who should make him ten million dollars richer any minute from now; this ought to make him happy but it does not... lately, things have been slipping from his fingers, so until the money enters his account he has nothing to smile about. Hafeez Ibrahim is currently America's most wanted man, he is one of the best kept secrets the world may never uncover; a botched scientific experiment turned premature whistleblower finally apprehended by his mercenaries in Eswatini.

Kweku reaches the tall iron gates of Camp Kwanzawali. He hurries inside and is greeted by a hoard of male and female voices. He goes into his camp office and is briefed on the events which occured during his absence, a period spanning the last three months, then, he's taken to a tent made with bamboo sticks where the monks are being watched over by a masculine woman, Ima; a no nonsense, fiery somalian. The hot midday sun beams brightly through spacial lines between the bamboo sticks into the tent. Kweku walks in-between the beams with his hench woman, he surveys his captives one after the other, the two priests have been beaten and flogged with horse whips, their hands, stretched apart, tied at the wrists, and their feet astride, tied at their ankles, are suspended in mid air, twin starfish spectacles pulled yet tethered by thick, biting ropes to the iron pole on either side, their backs bleeding bare with open gashed wounds from the flogging, their light cotton black trousers are torn in several places, they look at kweku through hard unflinching eyes, they should be out of breath and overwhelmed by the scorching of the sun's rays, but neither monk shows it, they glare instead at kweku with mockery in their eyes.

kweku is not amused by this, he stands at a corner deeply considering his captives,
"I thought men of God should know their place, which is in the house of God, but you two were sent to be amongst thieves, assassins, throwing money around to sway the hearts of my men away from me, trying to stir up a mutiny on my bounty, how ignoble, I've always admired men of the cloth but now what business do priests have with mercenaries except they be of the same cloth, or is there any honour amongst thieves? The woman you seek revenge for came to lay with my men, I train them to be weapons of destruction, not how to lay with the opposite sex! So, you blame me! I thought forgiveness is a pivotal center of sound doctrine, but your organization wants an eye for an eye with no room for a settlement, why then did God send His Son to die for us, monks? If I am guilty, if my men are guilty, if that woman is guilty of sin, so are you..."

The first monk speaks at last,
"Our cause is to execute judgement for the defenseless dead woman. So nay, you have it halfway, because to conclude the matter you should turn your other cheek for us to smite as well, this is the gospel of Christ. We did not come here only for you, but for all your lousy hoard of filthy devils,you should be grateful we didn't bomb the whole lot when we arrived as was planned! It is our only regret!"