The screen displayed the scene. Enemies all around, a carefully dug trench, a single man with a shovel. Well not exactly one. Samuel's character stood beside me as we faced the siege.
"Have you checked the West entrance?" I asked him as I forged the ammunition for the siege.
"Yes," he replied, "And I had some extra resources so I set up some extra traps near the North entrance. It's simple stuff, it won't handle all of them but at least it would give us time."
This was the latest installment in the Dig Raider franchise, Dig Raider 3: Falling Prey. We had both purchased it online and we were currently enjoying the new multiplayer feature.
I glanced at the time, a little bit past 12. We had jumped on the consoles at around a little bit past 1, in the morning, and I was beginning to feel the effect. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as my stomach grumbled.
"Are you sure you won't change your mind about joining me in the event?" Samuel asked.
I turned my character around to see him already emptying his guns into the South entrance tunnel. The siege had started. I carried the ammunition I had crafted and ran to help him.
"I decided to join Ekpe's group, and his team is almost full. I've been trying to keep a spot for you, but he's getting annoyed."
"Don't worry about it," I assured him while taking a sip of a soft drink nearby and firing at the approaching enemies. "If you win then we'll just share your share of the prize monies. And besides you know I don't work well in large groups."
"But that's literally the best way to win, they're marking us by sales volume, so the wider our reach the higher our chance to win. Quantity over quality."
"Just go ahead and join without me, I doubt I'll join." I checked the mini map and the North entrance began to glow. "Shit. Northside's in trouble."
"Already?" Samuel asked.
"Yeah, the traps weren't enough. I'm heading there now." I ran as quick as I could to the North entrance and began to mow down the enemies that approached. No traces remained of the traps that had been set.
The enemies came in hordes, but I was able to keep them at bay. Drinking a healing item, I checked the mini map and saw that Samuel had left South to take care of East. West, as our most fortified entrance remained solid.
"Bro are you not going to pick the call?"
"What?"
"There's a phone that has been ringing for the past few minutes, I thought you were going to answer it but now I'm not so sure."
I took off my headphones and the sound of the ringing assaulted me. "Oh I didn't hear it. Give me a moment."
I got up from the couch and began to look for where the ringing was coming from. It wasn't from my phone, it was beside me and I would have noticed if it was.
I checked me bedroom, nothing. Kitchen, nothing. Bedroom again. Still nothing. I began to open drawers and turn clothes. It couldn't have been in there. Not only was the sound not coming from the room, I didn't remember putting a phone in there.
I checked the kitchen a second time and i knew for sure it was coming from here. I looked around but no phone caught my eye. Then it occurred to me.
I looked down on the kitchen top besides the door and saw the ringing phone. it was an old land line my mother had given to me when I first moved in here. I stretched forth my hand to pick up the receiver and the phone stopped ringing.
Shrugging, I turned back to go and continue my game when the phone rang again. This time I was ready. I swiftly picked the call and placed the speaker to my ear.
"Hello. Who is this?"
"I'm, excuse me am I talking to Master Etim Bassey?" The voice on the other line asked. A woman's voice.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
"Are you the son of Mrs Agnes Bassey?" She asked and with a little trepidation I answered.
"Yes, what happened?"
"Well Master Bassey, your mother was just involved in an accident and is currently being treated at Portland Teaching Hospital."
She continued to talk but the words flowed over me. She described the wound and how she got the wound. How the cab she was in was driving over Fodio River and a portion of the bridge gave way. How the car fell from the sky and landed on the banks below, saying how lucky she was she didn't land in the river.
"When can you come down to the hospital for—"
"I am on my way," I said interrupting her and ending the call before she could say more.
I stood there for a while, trying to take in what had happened. My mother, my small and cautious mother, had been involved in an accident. Not only that, she was the only one who had been seriously injured in the accident everybody else got off with light scratches.
My mother! My fist slammed into the kitchen top. The only family I had was currently in the hospital dying whole everyone else could continue with their lives.
I never understood it before, when people say that God is wicked, but now I've seen it. With my own two naked eyes I have seen it. How could it be only my mother that was fatally affected? Why was it only my mother who had to be treated in the hospital?
How could God do this to one of his own? After all my mother went to church every week, she was a dedicated catholic, why would she have to suffer like this.
Tears welled up in my eyes as the sight of my mother in a coffin kept flashing before my eyes. I couldn't allow that to happen. Even if God doesn't want her to live, I, as her first son, would do all that I can to make sure that she survives.
I quickly put on some shoes and exited my apartment to go to the hospital.