"Sky run!!!" Ebuka's voice tore through the thick bush as rustling sounds of parting bushes washed out in all hastiness.
I was running at the highest speed i could muster, tall grasses and short tree branches slapping hard all over my body as i ran through them in the thick darkness not minding what lay ahead.
One narrowly missed my eyes as the hard twist slapped hard just below my eye lid leaving a sharp piercing pain that i didn't even pay mind to or dared to touch but had to keep my legs running.
I was panting hard and hard, bright lights struggled to pierce through the bush gaining ground by the minute and averagely loud gun shots tearing through the night with bright sparks.
My breathe was getting heavier and limbs becoming lighter, i had to keep breathing that was all i could do, keep breathing and keep running wishing i never got myself into this tonight.
The day started with a heavy air, the morning was gloomy but a ray of bountiful expectations shun in my mind.
The hall supervisors nearly caught me with my phone last night which was quite a scary play for me.
I was walking back to the Hall after dinner when my phone vibrated in my pocket signaling a newly received message, i looked around a bit making sure the hall way was without both students and supervisors alike, i could rarely trust any other student except one from Hall B.
It was from Miss Anita asking how i was doing, just as i was about typing a quick reply, loud footsteps sipped into my ears signaling a hall supervisor was approaching and from the sound of the thumping footstep it was unmistakably obvious to be very close.
I pensively but in a very fast manner slipped my hand back into my pocket with my phone on it.
"Stop right there!!!" He barked emerging from the hall-way that turned towards A and B.
I froze immediately watching as the dark figure approached me mustering every ferocity he could spare.
"Good evening sir" I greeted rocking a very shaky voice.
"Eheee.. what are you doing here by now, dinner is not over yet?" He queried looking straight to the hand inside my right side pocket.
"I don't like Beans and plantain sir, so i have eaten as much as i want" I replied still trying hard to get my wits together and stop this shaky voice.
"Eheeen so what is that you are hiding in your pocket?" he blew out pointing at the hand inside my pocket.
"Nothing sir!" Came an even more shaky voice than before, beads of sweat were already forming on my fore-head.
"Don't lie now before i slap thunder enter your eyes" He roared moving a couple of steps towards me with an even sterner look than he wore before.
"Uuuhm .. eehn it is…"
"Comot your hand from your pocket before i do it myself" He interrupted my stammer with another bark sending more chills down my spine as i felt the cold sleek phone resting heavily on my palms. Finding out a student had a phone is a big trouble, with the type of phone i had in my possession i'd literally kiss my scholarship good bye.
I slowly removed my hands from pocket clenching my fist tightly together.
"Oya open your fist, let me see what you are hiding" He commanded looking intently into my fist now.
I opened them and an unfinished small packet of cracker biscuit stared back at both of us. I was eating the cracker before bell for dinner so i slipped it into my pocket before heading to the refectory. Now i felt it in my pocket and decided to bring it out instead of the phone that was in the same pocket as the packet.
"Chai this children, so you left better food for refectory come deh chop biscuit" he blared out looking from my face to the cracker in my hand.
I looked towards the ground trying to feign an innocent naivete.
"Oya waka go your Hall and finish your biscuit" He commanded before walking right past me down the hall.
Ebuka told i and Dave that we had another delivery job tonight, showed us Miss Lola's message to him about the deal.
"She said this deal will pay more than any we have done before, the package is bigger than the first one we delivered" He intoned smiling.
"I will get a samsung s6 or an iphone6 after this one" Dave aired out licking his lips in happy anticipation of the gold nuggets to come after tonight.
The school session seamed boring to me, Princess kept looking and smiling while i mopped at the board without really seeing anything.
Agatha rarely turned to look at me and the biology teacher couldn't stop eyeing me through out her session.
Just after my little drama with the hall supervisor right after dinner, i went into my dormitory breathing heavily to relieve myself of the fear and tense air that battered me moments ago in the hall way.
Ebuka and Dave walked in several minutes later chattering like over-fed babies.
I wore my black chinos and a black shirt throwing a jacket over it in readiness for tonight, then lay on my bed with the blanket covering my whole frame to wait for the 'Go time'
Dave tapped me hard trice to signal it was time to go, the whether was quite chilly and crickets sang into the thick night just as we came out through the kitchen back door.
We crawled through the night dodging Bulldog just before the fence where he was peeing.
We crawled out through the fence and hitched a taxi to Miss Lola's place, Ebuka as always on the phone making calls that you can regard to be very unnecessary.
The house wore are eerie cold look this time, the crisp lights that bathed many parts of it were all off leaving only the red lights throwing off some ominous bloody cast over the surrounding.
We walked straight to the lounge where we were met by Lola just before we got past the door, heavy stench of cigarette and weed plus alcohol filled the air.
Men on flowing Agbada and heavy pregnant potbellies were all carrying one or two girls clad only bikinis puffing out heavy smokes and downing large quantity of alcohol.
Miss Lola took us through the corridor and into the room we met with skull the first time and we passed it to enter another room inside it.
Yet again the room was dark and shadowy, the ominous figure who was wearing an all white suit with an all white hat had a large ciga dangling at the side of his mouth and a girl seating on one of his lap with her hands around his shoulder.
"Ahaaa my good boys are here again" He croaked making a clapping gesture.
"You boys have been exceptionally wonderful in the last two deals after the first one, am impressed and i will get you a raise this time" He said .
"Thank you sir" we sang out eyeing each other through the corners of our eyes and smiling.
A new pack pack was dropped on the table by a midget who was barely 3ft tall wearing a dirty smirk.
Ebuka grabbed the pack and handed it over to me and i strapped it over my back as we went through the routine for the delivery.
The usual driver of the missionary Bus stood outside with a stone cold looking man with bald sparkling head standing next to him.
We all boarded the bus and it roared into the silent night in full speed.
Shiny flash lights where seen up ahead and we could make out some figures in the darkness.
"Ehee police deh there oo make una maintain and hol una side tight tight" the driver threw at us making everybody adjust their clothes, straightened faces and made the bibles in our hands visible.
The car slowly shuddered to a halt as the light of the police touch danced up and down.
We weren't expecting a police check point this far into the journey, the police check points were always near the Oscar junction 15minutes driver from where we are now.
"Oya where una deh go" A stout man in mobile police uniform spoke into the bus through the drivers side with the muzzle of his rifle pointing out.
"Oga we are going to a sick call, na student pastors i carry" the driver replied pointing backwards at us seating on the second row where i and dave sat and third row seat where ebuka sat.
We adjusted again and held our bible tightly shifting it into the light to ensure it's visibility.
"Aaaah una deh go pray for somebody weh sick?" He spoke calmly into my own window to which i nodded in affirmative smiling at him.
He went around the bus flashing his touch all around it including the hatch and our faces.
"Oya make una paas" he waved his light forward gesturing us to move on.
The bus started again and slowly taxied through the check point of police men in duos standing few yards from each other.
The last duo in the line of police men stopped us again..
"Oya make una come down, here na stop and search" One of them blurted.
"Search kwa?" I whispered into Dave's ears who already froze.
"Officer these are student pastors going for a sick call" the man with bald head said from the passengers side of the front seat.
"Eheen them no deh search pastors?" The dark figure came again.
"Sir they are almost late we need to hurry" he replied looking at us.
"Shut up joor, the commissioner said anybody passing through here must be searched and that includes even the pope" He yelled as the other police man peeled the side door of the bus open for us to step down, i still had the back pack on my back and the bible held tight steadily.
"oya you come down" the police man commanded the bald man and the driver.
"Raise your hands!!!" the command came again as the bald man raised his hands his eyes bulged like a fearful rat, looking at every corner of the night.
"What is this?" The police man queried bringing out a small transparent pack of white powder from his pocket beaming his touch into the packet ..
"Hey stop there!!!" The police men roared as the bald man broke and ran with gun shots thundering out towards him.
Ebuka yanked my hand and we delve into the nearby bush immediately with dave right behind us and the driver too running and tearing through the bush.
More gun shots are heard and a shout that i was sure came from the bald man.
"We have shut this one down, These are drug dealers. now all of you go after the ones that ran into the bush, they must be caught dead or alive!!!" came a commanding voice that sounded faint through the night and a sense of horror gripped us.
It has become a race for life and death knowing fully well we had many police men ready to kill at sight chasing after us.