Holocaust
Page 39
Taiwo stood from distance away from the mobile lab with his men milling around him and talking in loud voices. Most were demanding what they do now. Many offered suggestions and counter suggestions but none seemed viable or even practical. The worst part was they still weren’t sure whether the vaccine had been effective. There was simply no way of knowing.
A scream from the mobile lab made him turn towards it. His eyes grew grimmer. Olatunji was being operated on in there. The doctor was trying to put the bone back into his leg. They’d been fortunate __ Catherine was able to get them in touch with an orthopaedic surgeon and he’d been flown here to perform the operation.
The mobile lab wasn’t the best place for such an operation but they were fresh out of options. He could only pray Olatunji would survive. They needed soldiers and leaders like him if they were to get through this in one piece; men who could lead them through whatever else was coming.
A cold thrill ran through him. Something else was coming, something big; he could feel it. The screams grew louder. He grimaced. That was another reason it was debatable he survived. The doctor didn’t have the required anaesthetic for an operation like this. What he had was __ for lack of a better term __ more like a sedative. It wasn’t powerful to keep the patient under and out through the pain of the operation. He stayed under for a few minutes top and then come to. He’d probably come to again.
“Sir??” A soldier barked. He looked up snapping out of his reverie. The man was hurrying his way carrying what looked like a two way radio.
“You have to listen to this __”
His face grew grimmer as he took the receiver and raised it to his lips. “Who is this?”
“This is Colonel Adamu. I am from the 86th battalion; northern regiment.”
Taiwo released a big sigh of relief. “Thank God! You are the second regiment we’ve been able to get in touch with in the last week__” he was about to continue when Adamu’s grim words cut him off.
“I wouldn’t thank God just yet __ we have another big problem.”
Taiwo swallowed. It took him almost five seconds to summon up the courage to ask “What’s the problem?”
“There are giant creatures marching through our borders from Borno. There are rumours these creatures have gotten to the south. A few companies have engaged them with crippling losses. We have no weapons capable of destroying them.”
“What are you saying?”
“I am saying we have no way of defeating this new breed of enemy. One of the north eastern battalions engaged with tanks, planes and helicopters. All were destroyed __ and in a matter of minutes I was told.”
“But __ how many of these giants did they engage?”
“If what am told can be believed, they engaged only two __”
“Two???”
“Yes __”
“You’re telling me two of those creatures destroyed an entire battalion of soldiers and artillery?”
“I am afraid so __”
A long silence drew out between them.
“You still there?” Adamu barked after almost two minutes of silence.
“I am here __” His eyes drifted to the mobile lab. There was a cold silence coming from it. His heart started to race. He prayed Olatunji was still alive.
“What do we do?”
Irritation rippled through him. Why did they keep asking him that? They were the soldiers. Let them devise the solutions.
“We might have to regroup __”
“Regroup?”
“Yes regroup __ gather our scattered forces into one cohesive unit.”
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“Why not?”
“Because if we are scattered there is less chance of us being wiped out at once.”
“Yes __ but what about communication? For that plan of action to be effective we have to be able to communicate, network. Once I hang up this radio I have no way of knowing when I’ll be able to get in touch with you again. You see the problem??”
“Yes __”
“So let’s gather everyone we can get hold of and tell them to meet up. We find a safe haven and get all forces to meet up there. Once most are gathered we can begin to make plans and deploy soldiers to hotspots to help people out there who are under attack by these __ things; attack and evade is the army’s watchword for now.”
There was a long silence from the other end and then __ “Sounds like a good plan.”
“Good __ my men and I are about eighty miles from Abuja. It’s a small village, miles from anywhere. It’s a good place to set up HQ. I’ll send you coordinates; get your men here as fast as you can. And as you’re coming gather all the weapons, ordinance and food you can find. Something tells me we are going to need them.”
“Very well ___ send the coordinates.”
“Will do that now __”
Taiwo was on the verge of signing off when the man spoke again.
“There is something else __ I told your sergeant when we first got in touch. The infected seem to be recovering.”
Taiwo’s heart skipped a couple of beats. So it worked___ it actually worked! Wow!
“How do you know this?”
“We saw it __ their skin tones returned to normal and they began to speak coherently.”
“Really??”
“Yes really __ I don’t know how it happened but it appears something is healing the infected. God hasn’t completely forgotten about us it appears.”
Taiwo exchanged glances with the soldier who handed him the radio. They locked gazes for a few seconds before he handed the radio back. He turned without another word and headed towards the mobile lab with the soldier looking at him with an incredulous look on his face.
The walk to the lab seemed to take years; he was so lost in his thoughts. He was a second away from bashing his head into the lab before he stopped and put his hand on the handle. Pausing for a bit he put his ear to the door and listened. There was little sound, save the faint clatter of instruments being washed.
Taking a deep breath he knocked.
“Who is it?” Catherine’s impatient voice barked from within.
“It’s me __”
“You can’t come in __”
“I know __ how is he?”
“It’s too early to tell __ but for now he’s stable.”
“Thank God!”
“Yeah ___ anything else?”
“Yes __ I thought you’d like to know that the vaccine worked.”
“It did!!! How did you find that out?”
“We were able to get in contact with part of the northern regiment deployed to fight Boko Haram. They said they witnessed it first hand.”
“Wow! So I really succeeded in making it work.”
“Yeah __ apparently you did. Just thought you’d like to know.”
“Thank you Taiwo __ I don’t know what to say.”
“I can think of several things but __ you could say thank God.”
“Yeah I could __ thank God.”
Smiling sadly Taiwo slowly walked away from the mobile lab.