Chereads / Red Eagle / Chapter 2 - Caged Bird

Chapter 2 - Caged Bird

Sequence 1

A young boy about nine years old sits down just outside the verandah of his small village house leaning on a stick. 

As he looks out into the distance someone calls his name, "Akin come here!". 

Akin drops the stick and runs into the corridor replying, "I am coming".

Akin runs in to meet his older brother who tells him, "Baba wants to see us".

They both enter their father's room to see him seated on a thatch chair, inspecting a locally made rifle and bow to greet him, "Ekabo baba".

Their Father responds, "Ekabo, Abiola fun mi nylon to wa ni corner" pointing to a bag on the floor. 

Abiola goes to pick up the bag as their father speaks to Akin, "Akin tonight you are going hunting with us, you are already at that age".

Akin responds meekly "Yes sir". 

Abiola gives the father the bag as their father continues to advise him  "Please you are just there to watch so pay attention to what we say, and don't stray far without telling us". He opens the bag to look inside and hands it over to Akin, "Wear these clothes and meet us outside". 

Akin prostrates and thanks his father "Yes sir, thank you sir" runs out jumping in celebration. 

A while later in the evening Akin, Abiola and their father are standing with a group of twelve hunters and one older man who is praying for them.

The elder says, "May Oshosi guide your shots this night, you will shoot antelope and grass cutter but no shot will come near you". 

Everyone responds, "Ashe!". 

The elder pours a shot of alcoholic spirit over kolanut in his hands. 

The elder throws the kolanut down next to the guns, looks at it for a moment jumps up  exclaiming "Haaa!". 

The hunters ask in surprise "Baba what is wrong!?". 

The elder raises his hands to the sky and shouts "This will be a great hunt and you will bring down a mighty beast!". 

They jump in celebration while chanting.

They continue their jubilation as they pick up their guns leaving just a bow and arrow quiver on the ground that Akin stares at anxiously. He picks up the bow and quiver and wraps the strap around his neck as his brother shouts, "Akin let's go!". 

Abiola and Akin are walking through the bush with Abiola holding a long gun and a cutlass. Akin walks behind Abiola sheepishly holding his weapons and asks, "When are we going  to see animals to hunt?". 

Abiola looks down at him and says, "When they come out".

Akin asks, "Can I shoot one when I see?". 

They both crouch down as Abiola answers "No, father said you are just here to watch, I don't know why you brought that thing along" pointing to his bow.

Akin asks nervously, "What if something attacks me?".

Annoyed by his brother's constant questions Abiola says, "Just keep quiet and watch me,there are many traps and dangerous animals in this bush". 

Sequence 2 

Smoke rises from the treetops not far from where the hunters are as Micheal stumbles through the thick bush. His claw-like hands burning the sides of trees and leaving glowing red markings wherever he goes. 

Michel looks ahead to see a stream and staggers forward to it. He looks down and sees his disfigured face with red feathers protruding haphazardly around his body and malformed wings. 

He sheds a small tear looking at the monster he has become and lets out a deafening screech. 

The shot pierces Micheal's right side as he cries with a grunt. He crouches down on one knee and looks to his right to see what hit him, while clutching his bleeding wound. 

He sees two figures in the bush with his now red tinted vision and lunges at them with his claws screeching as he does so. 

The hunters panic and one of them takes a shot at Michael which misses as he deflects the barrel upwards. 

Michel forces his claw through the chest of the hunter who shot and rips out his heart causing blood to spray everywhere. 

The hunter falls dead on the floor with Michael holding his beating heart. The second hunter looks on in shock as Michael glares back at him. 

The frightened man throws his gun to the floor and runs away screaming, "Yeee, evil spirit!". 

Michael lunges at the hunter with his claw like feet pinning him into a tree then puts his hands around the neck of the hunter and snaps it as he begs, "Please, ejo, don't kill mppph!". 

Michael screams angrily as birds fly from the tree canopy. 

Akin and Abiola turn their necks in shock as Akin asks, "Biola what was that?". 

Abiola looks back at him and says, "I don't know, just stay close to me".

Akin sheepishly holds his bow as Abiola cranes his neck looking for the source of the sound. 

Smoke fills the forest around them as another shot goes out and a familiar scream can be heard. 

Akin runs towards the direction of the gunshots in the forest as Abiola reaches out trying to stop him, "Akin will you come back here!" .

Akin stands staring in shock as he sees Micheal hold up their father by his neck and strangling him. 

Abiola suddenly pulls Akin back into the bushes Abiola scolds him "Akin are you mad!?". 

Akin screams back at him as he kneels with tears in his eyes "That thing has baba, we have to save him!". 

Abiola continues to scold him "You are not going anywhere, let's get out of here now!" 

Akin pulls out an arrow and stabs his brother in the thigh with it then runs through the smoky bushes as his brother tries to call him back, "Yeeeeeee, Come back here you fool!". 

Akin pulls an arrow out of his quiver as he shouts "Look here you ugly monster!". 

Michael turns to him as Akin fires an arrow at his face which he dodges.

Michael flings Akins father aside then rushes angrily towards the boy. 

Akin shouts "Yes follow me you ugly fool!" as he runs deep into the bush. 

Akin hides behind a tree, takes a deep breath and prays "I hope it's not today I join my ancestors". He arms his bow and turns to shoot Micheal in the knee in an attempt to slow him down. 

Michael simply rips the arrow out and shoots back a fiery blast which barely misses Akin's head. He chases Akin through the bushes and is about to grab him when he's suddenly pulled back by a snare which tightly wraps around his right foot. 

The other hunters rush in and flood Micheal's body with bullets as he claws at the ground, struggling to get free. After a moment of struggling he stops moving and the flames emitted from his body die down.

The forest is silent for a moment with the only noise being the crackling of burning wood. Akin sits in shock staring at the monster in front of him, Abiola rushes forward to grab him and cries "Akin don't ever do that again!".

The hunters call out to each other as Akin asks "Where is baba?". Upon hearing his father answer the call he runs to see him. His father has to be carried by two other men but still alive.  

They move him to see Micheal's body and remarks, "What kind of beast is this?". 

The hunters are scared to approach but Akin moves over to inspect Micheal and says "I don't think it is still alive". 

They tie him up and drag him back to their village, once there they lock him in a cage inside a mud house. Many of the residents gather to watch what is going on but they are chased away. 

Akin goes to wash off the dirt and clean his wounds when his mother asks him "Akin what happened?". 

Akin simply responds "I don't want to hunt anymore" then goes to sleep inside their house. 

Sequence 3

Morning arrives and Akin is woken up by a commotion going on outside. He looks out the window to see several armed men in strange uniforms led by a man in a suit asking for the community leaders to come out. 

Akin's father limps out to meet them and explains "My name is Pa Sodipo Odetoye, please what are you looking for?". 

The man in the suit explains "My name is Inspector Tunji Bakare and I'm with the Oyo state police command, we are receiving reports about several kidnappings and in the area". 

Pa Odetoye tells him "Please we are just a small community of hunters we don't know about any kidnappings please". 

Tunji asks, "So what about the mangled bodies inside the forest?".

Pa Odetoye pauses for a moment then explains "We were hunting yesterday… and one animal attacked us, killed many good friends, we captured it and brought it here. We have it here, come and see if you don't believe me". 

He directs Tunji to the building where Michael is being kept. Tunji pulls out a small device which scans the cage, as he does this Michael springs back to life and violently thrashes around. 

Pa Odetoye jumps back and screams "Ah Olorun, it's still alive! " while Tunji looks at him unfazed. 

Both men step out and Tunji walks away to make a call, "The main target escaped, we did however find another notable specimen, probably one of his failed attempts". 

The voice responds, "Excellent, bring it back for further testing, alive". 

Tunji asks, "I need HQ to bring the swiper there's too many people who saw it". 

The voice responds, "She is on another assignment, eliminate whoever saw it and public relations will handle the rest".

The line cuts and Tunji walks back to where his men are, reaches into his jacket, pulls out a pistol and shoots Pa Odetoye dead. 

Akin watches in horror as the men gun down the villagers one by one and set fire to the community. He runs away and hides in the bush before they can find him. 

The men extract Micheal from the building and load him into a truck. They inject him with a tranquilliser causing him to slowly lose consciousness as he stares back at these strange men watching over him. 

Sequence 4

Michael wakes up screaming, and grabbing his face. He is relieved to see his hands are normal and thinks to himself, "Was that all a dream?". 

He looks around and notices he's wearing a blue jumpsuit and is in a bright, white, windowless room. A voice from a hidden speaker calls out to him "Good, you're awake". 

He falls, frightened, out of the bed onto the floor when he sees a small, fair woman taking notes behind a transparent wall at the opposite side of the room. Michael crawls to the wall and asks "Who are you, what is this place?". 

She bends down and tells him excitedly, "Unfortunately I'm not allowed to tell you but don't worry we'll get to know each other soon enough. In the meantime try to walk around and tap the red button if you need anything" then walks away. 

Michael thinks to himself "But I can't walk, can I?". He slowly tries to pick himself up by grabbing onto the bed frame and gasps "It works, he actually did it!". 

He lies down and thinks to himself "So that wasn't a dream after all, but why am I not a still monster? What happened to David and the wizard? So many things to think about, I hope mom is alright". 

Meanwhile back in Lagos, David wakes up and thinks to himself "What the hell just happened?". He picks up his phone and checks the time "Ah it is already Saturday, we've missed the meeting!". 

Someone knocks on his room door he opens it to see Micheal's mother who asks him angrily "David… In the name of God… Where is my son?". 

The End?