26/08/2025
So I laid low inside the bush that night, hiding from my pusherrs.
I had crawled on both knees into the bush after stumbling at the course of running.
I was in great pains, but couldn't cry out.
The experience of that night was so traumatic -- It left my heart beating on an endless temple run.
"Why where this people so focused on capturing me?? " My heart echoed bitterly, luring tears out from my eyes.
I thought things were forever changing for the better.
Hours ago, life was looking so meaningful.
I was becoming ambitious, dreaming of a glorious future. But just within a seconds everything was ruined, leaving me on the run again.
"How long was i going to keep running helter shelter? When was my life ever going to experience a lasting happiness???" Questions upon questions arose in my heart.
Unavoidably, a thought had repeatedly frightened me with a feeling that I'll be caught in no time.
There was no way i was going to risk blinking an eye, let alone sleeping inside that bush.
The illusive imagination of getting bitten or even devour'ed by a strange animal, scared daylight out of me.
I had no slight idea where i was, let alone finding a way out.
Confused. I lay silently awake inside the bush, relying on my ears to give me alerting feedbacks.
Amidst that stillness, I suddenly felt a strong urge to come out from my hiding, and surrender.
Come to think of it, this should be the only way to en'd everything.
I was tired of running.
Indeed, everything was over.
"What was the essence of running and hiding? If i eventually escaped, how do I even start life again with no family?" My heart grieved, burdened with loads of thoughts.
I was still in the bush hiding when I saw flashes of torchlights again, followed by a heavy footsteps of people running.
"Let's take this other route, i am very sure he is somewhere around " I heard voices chattering away, as they ran along. And when I was sure they were farther away, i sprang to my heels, entering fully into the bush.
I thronged into the bush, not bothered I could step into trouble. I was just moving, leaping on one foot without visuals. It was total darkness.
In less than five minutes, i unexpectedly bumped into an unfinished building, my hands touching the rough walls skeptically.
I was faced with the back of the building, and following the building blocks, i walked slowly to the other side.
Alas, I found myself facing the front of the building, while behind me was a road; a path leading to an unknown destination.
Confined in a dilemma, I stood there in the dark pondering and debating within myself; i needed to make a decisions out of two alluring choices.
Instinctively, I desired to journey on the road behind me, but a countering thought kept coaxing me to camp the night inside the unfinished building.
"What if this road leads back to the people you're running away from?" A thought highlighted, reminding me I was unfamiliar with the environment.
I might actually be walking round in circles at the end of the day.
Sighing heavily, i took a bold step forward, courageously entering into the building.
Unarguably, it can only take one who had a heartt of stone to walk into such building without a torchlight. But indeed, according to the popular saying "there was never courage without fear".
I myself had thought about all frightening possibilities that could happen entering into such a place at night.
Nonetheless, I had entered quietly, and sat down on the bare floor with my back relaxed to the wall.
Within the intervals of a seconds after i had settled down, a figure run into the building, and fe'll to the ground with a thud.
Terrified. I je**ed, grasping to my feet immediately.
I was at the verge of running out when I heard a triumphant voice.
"I am still alive" The voice had cried out, chuckling in pain.
I paused, curious at the sound of that exclamation.
The entire room was very dark, so i couldn't even tell who was in there with me. You know that kind of darkness where you can't even see the clothes you're wearing, let alone seeing your own self.
Unmoved, i stood where I was silently, and suddenly rays of light appeared.
A not so bright light.
This light had reflected from the screen of a smartphone, aiding me to see a man who was lying on the ground, with a bag next to him.
"Yes Kelvin, i managed to escape with the moneyy" The man responded, speaking to someone over the phone.
"Boss, where are you now? Let's come and get youu" The person on the other end echoed.
"That won't be necessary because I am still on the run. But don't worry, You and the others can go back to Abuja tomorrow morning" The man responded, rebuffingly.
" Alright sir " and with this response, the call abruptly ended.
After the call had ended, the man slowly turned his head, inspecting his surrounding. And as he turned, our eyes met, and he je**ed with shock, pulling out a gvn with his left hand immediately.
"Who are you??" The man asked faintly, he couldn't even raise the gvn, let alone moving his bodyy.
Feigning not to be frightened, i stared at him without a response.
He had returned my stare with a glare, and for closely five minutes, none of us said a word to the other.
"Hey! Do you know what? Can you help me up from the ground?" His faint voice resonated, helplessly requesting for assistance.
Adamantly, I remained where i was unmoved.
"C'mon, just help me up" He persuasively pleaded. And after a few seconds of hesitation, i walked up to him. But before I could help him up, he handed me a piece of towel, and asked me to stuckk it into his mou'th.
I couldn't comprehend why, but I did anyways.
At the point of helping him up, he screamed with all his might, and surprisingly, his voice could not be heard beyond a muffle.
He was blee'ding.
It dawned on me a little late that the essence of the towel was to confine his voice from shouting out loud.
However, i assisted him, leading him to a comfortable area to sit, and he sat down with his back relaxing on the wall.
He had further requested for me to bring his bag over, and I obliged, carrying the heavy bag and dropping it right next to him.
"Thank you" He mumbled, while I walked away in silence to go and sit down.
Adjacently, we were both seated some distance apart.
The man had occasionally glanced at me in the passing minutes that followed, while I feigned not to notice. My gaze was fixed on the ground.
"My name is Jude. What about you??" He suddenly introduced himself, requesting to know mine, but I remained mute.
"You must be a brave young boy to be seated here all alone. It takes some gu'ts " Jude commended, hoping to gain my attention.
"Are you in a cultt or something??" He thought aloud, prompting me to look at him.
"No" I responded.
"So what are you doing here? Do you do my kind of job??" Jude questioned, wondering if the pol!ce had chased me down here just like him.
"No" I retorted.
"So you know my kind of job?? What do i do??" He was puzzled.
I went mute.
" I don't know what brought you here. I just hope the risk puts food on your table, but if it doesn't, then you should consider quitting. Don't exhaust your energy on irrelevant things " He advised, sighing tiredly.
This was all he said before silence swept through the room.
His smartphone was source the of light in the room, although not so bright.
Again, after a couple of hours into the night, he called out to my attention again.
"I admire your fearlessness and the aura of anonymity around you. A talent like yours can be useful to me" He affirmed to himself, looking at me satisfactorily.
"Just in case you want a safer place to hide, I'll give you the platform of following me back to Abuja tomorrow" Jude offered. He must've probably analysed my predicament.
