The Second Path

Chapter 33

Kaka tapped my shoulders and waved, gesturing that she was leaving for work and didn't have time for the news. I waved at her with my whole attention on the news.

After a few minutes of showing a video of the current situation of Maganda, some people on the street were interviewed by the news cast. The first was a woman with a baby on her back.

"I woke up to breast feed my baby. Then I hear people running and shouting and outside." The woman said on the NTA microphone, "I didn't even check what was happening and quickly ran to hide in my store. And as I hid, I hear my house door break and somebody was scattering everywhere. I was praying 'Jesus Jesus please protect me and my baby. Baba God I don't want to die today'. And it was at that moment my store door open. I look up and see one of the bokoharam member eye to ey-"

"How do you know it was a bokoharam member?" The NTA interviewer asked.

"Ah you sef you will know. He was looking very shabby. He wore this dirty kaftan," She demonstrated, "and wore this red and white scarf to cover his face and he for hold gun. He point his gun at me and my baby. I shouted and one soja (soldier) just kpa kpa at him and that that was how the man die in my front. We thank Baba God. I don't know where me and baby would have been by now."

Another man was interviewed in the hospital. He had an injury on his leg and as they were interviewing him, a nurse was plastering his leg. The man couldn't stay in one place which kept making the nurse angry.

"This thing happened like film. Live Africa Magic. I was running out of my house and I see fire everywhere. I even see one soja shooting this bokoharam guy and the guy didn't die oh! He was just standing there and receiving the bullets. Then before I know it, one bullet hit my leg. Now I'm in the hospital." He pointed around the hospital, "We thank God for the sojas that came. If these sojas didn't come, last last we won't see this hospital. See how our mothers are crying everywhere. Those bokoharam men are dangerous. Very very dangerous. They even carry some of our small small boys and girls. We don't know what they want to do with them now."

"I'm ready!" Zainab shouted from the room, cutting my attention from the TV.

I continue watching the news and I knew I didn't have all day so I just shouted, "Okay! Let's go!"

*****

"Zainab." I groaned for the 100th time while looking at the uniform on her, "I'm telling you it doesn't look that bad."

"I don't care. Just check if anybody is in the corridor." She argued.

I peeped from the side of the staircase of our block and the hallway was scanty with only a few students passing by. We were already late for our class attendance and Zainab has been hiding behind every corner because she was uncomfortable with how big my school uniform looked on her.

"Nobody is there." I lied.

She gently walked towards the hallway and the few students outside looked at her in confusion. Zainab glared at me for lying, knowing there was no way for her to turn back now.

"I will see you during break." I told her, while coming to stop in front of my form class which was the first one in the hallway.

"I'm joining you in class today."

I looked at her with wide eyes, "Didn't you drop Arts class for Science?"