INKED: Doomed

Chapter 15

May 31, 2081

Today we got the news. Chief was now reduced to an inky puddle. He was dead. It wasn't too long that we heard that his wife had hung herself on a tree. Two deaths in one day. It hit us all hard. People moved around with long faces and sadness in their eyes. The source of strength for the village was gone. My mind went to the nightmare I had, it felt so real. I was still shaken up about it. I had a heavy feeling in my heart. Helplessness, desperation, sadness, anger, all swirled in the depths of my stomach, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. I could feel the hope I had shaking and slowly dissolving. I didn't want to accept death. I didn't.

I rushed to our hut, grabbed my bag and ran to my secret spot. I went to my favorite tree and looked up, trying to see if I could catch a glance of the shirt I tied at the top of it. I had been hoping it would catch Angela Cassey's attention but nothing had happened which left me disappointed. I was sure it was no longer white because of the ink rain that had fallen that day. I sat on the inky root of the tree, feeling the ink soak into my dress.

I sent a short prayer to heaven, even though I wondered if it was necessary. Most people had lost faith in God. A few people like Mrs. Abimbola still believed despite everything. Tobi had joked that God couldn't see us because earth now had an inky covering. He got a glare from his mum for that. I looked at the time on the wrist watch Tobi had given me, it was a few minutes after one. Pulling the phone out of my bag, I raised it. It had been a few days since I tried to reach Angela Cassey and I felt uneasy. I always tried to call her at least four times a week but recently, the disappointment of not being able to reach her and every other thing that had been happening had made me stop trying to reach out. I hoped this time I would get to her. I didn't think I could handle disappointment along with every other I was feeling right then.

I raised the phone to my mouth. "Angela Cassey, my name is Ivy. I don't know if you are hearing me but we need your help. We are a group of uninfected people and you can find us by tracing this line. I have the location on."

I listened to the dial tone, tears welling in my eyes. A noise to my right distracted me and I turned to see Tobi coming out from behind a tree. His eyes moved from my face to the phone in my hand and then his eyes flashed.

"You selfish, ungrateful..." he spluttered, seeming not to find the right words to say.

I opened my mouth to explain but he cut me off. He seemed too angry to care about my explanation.

"You couldn't stay away from your toys even though you know the damage they can do? I knew you were up to something when I saw you trying to hide. I was sent to call you and saw you sneaking away so I decided to follow you and I'm glad I did. Despite knowing that those devices are banned from the village, you still hid one. Why?"

I opened my mouth once again to talk but he shut me off. I didn't even know what I was going to tell him. Was he going to believe my explanation about trying to get Angela Cassey?

His eyes narrowed. "You are working with RICCO CORP." My eyes widened and I shook my head but he continued, "They aren't satisfied with what they have done. They wouldn't be until we are all dead. Did they send you to finish us off? How many of you are there?"

I was too shocked to say anything. Tobi and I had just agreed on a truce a few days ago, I couldn't believe it was falling apart so soon. The hatred and raw emotion I heard in his voice scared me, it was like nothing I have ever heard before. Some people believed Erik Coal was a wicked, sick man who had done all this purposely to wipe out earth. They believed he was like those people we watched in movies who thought the world was too corrupt and had to be cleaned for a new, purer generation to emerge. I felt hurt that Tobi believed I could be working with RICCO CORP. I blamed Erik for our predicament just as others did.

"You don't understand," I said quietly, hurt laced in my voice.

"I think I do. I understand perfectly."

In one swift motion, he snatched my bag up from the floor where I kept it and emptied the contents on the ground. I gasped. The bag contained a few things that were important to me, from the time I lived with my parents. The framed picture of me with my parents on an island we had visited dropped and I heard the glass break. My eyes widened as I bent to pick it up but I stood right back as Tobi snatched the phone from my hand.

"No! Tobi, Stop," I cried but he didn't answer me.

He turned and walked away with the phone in his hand. I tried to rush after him but even that was no match for his determined long strides. My desperation to stop him and explain to him didn't help matters because I kept on tripping over twigs and tree roots. I called after him but he refused to stop or even acknowledge me. When I finally caught up with him and grabbed him arm, it was too late. He was standing at the edge of the village square and eyes had turned towards us. Unluckily for me, people were gathered around as if a meeting was going on. I almost face palmed when I remembered it was the last day of the month when we usually met to celebrate those of us still alive. With my mind on Angela Cassey, I had forgotten. That must have been why Tobi came to call me, I thought.

Tobi raised his hand and like bees drawn to honey, all eyes fixed on the phone in his hand. People gasped and shrank back as if he was carrying a deadly device. I suppose it could be called one. At that moment, the phone chose to emit an inky thread like substance into the air. I winced.

"I found it with her." Tobi pointed at me and all eyes turned to me.

I froze. When I lived in wealth I was used to stares, I even reveled in it but now, with all eyes staring at me, every sensible thought flew out from my head. I knew how bad my supposed crime was. People had been beaten or stoned to death by angry crowds because they had been suspected of being involved with RICCO CORP. After a while, I broke out of my frozen state. "I wasn't doing anything wrong. I just..." I trailed off as shadowy figures started emerging from the trees.

As they got closer, I saw they were covered from head to toe in black clothing with only their eyes and nose showing, but I couldn't miss the name stitched on their clothes. It read: RICCO CORP. Eyes moved from them to me and I realized no one was going to believe my explanation. I was doomed.

©Jesutofunmi Fekoya

AUTHOR'S NOTE
Today is definitely not a good day. The nightmare, the chief and his wife's death and now this?

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