The Second Path

Chapter 4

The surrounding was filled with bushes and long grasses. I stood in front of where the river was flowing, right in between the bushes. I knew I had to be fast before I get my own bad luck in this side. I opened my bag and brought out the red cloth and held it in my hand. I sighed and was about to make my throw when suddenly,

"What are you doing here?" A voice behind me asked.

This caused me to jump and the cloth dropped the moment I turned around. Fortunately for me, the cloth still covered the knife on the ground.

I couldn't even pick it up again once I looked up to see an unexpected man. It could not be Mallam maitama or even a police man but it had to be.... a military man.

Looking at him few meters ahead of me, it looked like a man-boy in a military uniform. He was quite tall, skinny and dark. The military uniform seemed quite big for him as he was swimming inside it. He also wore the military boonie hat which shadowed his eyes and half of his face but that didn't stop me from seeing his big nose.

I could have been very frightened by his presence, but what scared me more was that the knife cloth was lying in between me and this military man-boy.

"You know you're not supposed to be here." He said again.

"I'm sorry, sir." I said fearfully, bending my knees like I was greeting him.

One thing I've always been taught; was to respect soldiers, especially the ones in Mansur. According to my classmates, they were not ordinary soldiers, they were "soldiers of death".

"You look very familiar," He said while studying me before he smiled, "I think I know you."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. This was my first time seeing him and never have I been around a military man... boy before.

"You... You're a regular customer at my mother's stand in the market square." He said in recognition while pointing his fingers at me, "Mama Abdul."

I snapped my fingers, knowing who Mama Abdul was. She sold tomatoes and pepper at the market square. But I barely recognize this boy's face, although his mother used to tell me that her son and husband were both in the military.

"And you're the girl that her sister died." He added.

Of course, I thought to myself sarcastically. I was kind of popular among the market women because they all knew about me and Mama's stealing activity and they knew it led to her death. Most times, parents use our story as 'moral lesson' to teacher to teach heir children how to stop stealing.

"Ohh." I mumbled and still tried my best to stop the fear in me.

"What have you come to do?" He asked, "you know you're not supposed to be around here. Someone got killed here yesterday and this isn't a safe area."

"I-I uhmm." I stuttered glancing down at the knife.

His eyes traced my eye direction as he glanced down at the cloth in front of me before he moved forward and said, "This must have fallen from your hand. I can help you-"

I was about trying to pick it up but he was quick enough to bend and pick it up and unfortunately, the knife head popped out of the cloth and there was clearly blood on it.