Chapter Thirty five
Taiwo stood some distance away watching as the large Apache helicopter came in for landing. One of the few gifts they had left from the US military.
Hundreds of men were in the process of rebuilding a large wall around the compound. They were almost done. The part that collapsed was almost done and they were adding an extra six feet to the height.
Other men were weaving a mesh of barbwire on top of the completed portions. A grim look came on his face. Hundreds of military and civilian personnel had poured in over the last few weeks. This was as a result of their continued radio broadcasts on certain popular radio frequencies indicating safety and protection.
For once they were not plagued by dissention and disunity. Everyone was united for one thing; and that was mutual survival. Even now as he looked at their motley group he didn’t hold out much hope for their collective survival. That wall wouldn’t hold up against the might of a Higuan giant. But they had to do what they could.
“WE HAVE SOLDIERS COMING!!”
He spun around walking briskly to the gate. “Are they ours??”
“Yes sir __”
“Open the gates __”
The ten foot tall gates were flung open. And a convoy of twenty trucks, two tanks and almost six hundred men flooded the compound.
At this rate they were liable to be over run if this inflow kept up. A stern looking man leaped out from the lead truck swinging his assault rifle out of the way.
“Taiwo Betiku??” He barked.
“Yes __” Taiwo said reaching out for a handshake. They shook hands. The man’s grip was hard and firm; his gaze grim and forbidding.
“So what’s the plan?”
“We survive __ that’s as good a plan as any.”
A sad look flitted through the man’s eyes. He nodded slowly and walked off to direct his men on how they unpacked and set their gear. Taiwo watched them for a few moments before he set off towards one of the largest buildings about five hundred meters to his left.
Pushing the door open when he reached it, he stepped into the gloomy interior his eyes struggling to adjust to the gloom. Catherine sat some distance away watching over a figure lying on a large bed.
“How is leadership treating you?” His voice sounded weak but it was a relief to see he was on the mend.
“Not good __ I can’t wait for you to get back on your feet so you can take over.”
Olatunji gave a loud chuckle. “I thank you both for all you did. I couldn’t have survived without both of you __ you especially.” He finished facing Taiwo.
“Thank God for that __ I had little or nothing to do with it. It was a miracle we got off that base at all.”
A long silence followed his words.
“So what happens now?” It was Catherine who asked this time.
Deep sighs burst from both men.
“We do all to survive. We know the vaccine worked __ it remains to be seen what we can do about the darklings and the Higuan giants. We know the darklings can be killed __ but I can’t say the same about the giants. Only time will tell how we fare.”
A cold silence greeted Taiwo’s words.
Wole sighed looking down at the beautiful view from the top of the large hill, Baba Adora and Collins stood. The view was breathtaking; they could see miles in every direction. Looking at the picturesque vision beneath you’d been hard pressed to believe the instruments of destructions lurking in the quiet stillness beneath.
“We made it __” Collins said in a breathless whisper.
“Yes __ it remains to be seen if we’ll survive.”
Looking northwards they saw the head of a Higuan giant rise out of the thick forest. They all stepped back taking deep breaths.
“We best get back to the women.”
Collins and Wole nodded slowly and set off towards the cluster of interconnecting hills.
Epilogue
Seventy years later
It’s getting much harder to breathe __ there is no word. Everything is dark. Communication is zero. I am alone. My body is on the verge of shutting down. If I had imagined a million and one ways my death would come, this wouldn’t have been it. I put these words on paper not knowing whether any will eventually read it. This is a frantic soul fighting to preserve posterity. Alas posterity might just be an elusive dream which might never become reality.
The pen dropped from his hands as the coughing spasms came upon him again. The blood he didn’t cough out dribbled from both sides of his mouth. He was done. He knew these were his last few seconds. He slid the book into a transparent cellophane bag, folded it into a small tube like tin can and dropped it into a crack in the rock face.
His eyes drifted around the cave with fondness. It had been seventy years he’d lived here. Seventy years of fear, danger and the constant battle for survival. Well all good things ended. Idowu Owolabi was eventually kissing the world goodbye. And with a deep sigh he gave up the ghost and died. The musty smelling cave echoed with grim silence.
Nephilim (150 years later)
The mutated camel like creatures approached what remained of the hill like structure. The eyes of the men hidden behind large gas masks dimmed with disappointment. They’d hoped it would provide shelter. But that hope was dashed and with the Higuan giants prowling, one couldn’t be too careful.
“What do we do?” The shorter men asked the taller one who was their leader.
“Let’s make camp. We have no other choice. The animals are weakened from our travels. They must rest.”
His men reluctantly agreed. He removed a large box from his robes and set it on the floor depressing the button in the centre and it instantly became a large tent structure. The surface of the tent glimmered as they watched and slowly became invisible blending with the environment. The adaptive camouflage had kicked in.
They entered the tent and sank down on the hard rocky ground finding spaces between the large rocks riddling the landscape. This was the life of a nomad. The constant travelling, the regular encounters with dangers, the list went on.
The leader placed his head close to a small slit in the rock. Something tickled him on the back of his head. He sat up giving the rock a closer examination. There was something there. He poked his fingers in and brought out the shredded remains of a cellophane bag.
It looked like it had been there for years. The lack of air and absence of insects seemed to have contributed to its survival. There was something in the cellophane bag, paper, of a strange feel and texture. He pulled it out. It looked like writing, a journal of some kind.
He started to read, most of the words were illegible. He could barely make out the story. The little he did make out read like this
I got a radio and was able to listen in on the Nigerian army communication. They rallied and started waging war on the darkness’s forces guerrilla style. Most were destroyed in the following years by the darklings, giants, dríegons and other forces.
The few that survived were for the most part eradicated by radiation poisoning. Before communication died out completely, I heard tales of the US military finishing construction on something they called our salvation. We were encouraged to make our ways towards it. But how do I get there. I can barely get five miles away from my cave without encountering danger.
The country I loved and grew up in is gone. I am alone __ these are my final seconds. May God have mercy on my soul; I pray we all wake up in a better world___
The nomad stopped reading and glanced at the wasteland that surrounded him. The walls of the tent were transparent. You could see what lay outside, but those outside couldn’t see what lay within. A sadness greater than anything he’d ever felt surged through him. The poor devil’s hopes were dashed. The better world he died hoping for had turned into a worse one.
He looked at his companions and slid the remains of the diary into the folds of his robes. He would share his find with his companions eventually. But for now he wanted n
othing more than to digest it __ alone.
The End
Authors note
This rounds up my work on the event series. I know those unfamiliar with the series might be confused about the references. For better clarity I’d advise you get the books Amnesiacs, Might’s Odyssey, Absolution, Virus, Plague and read. Once you do, the events in Holocaust will make much more sense to you.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Recommend this book to a friend and spread the love and the good Lord will bless you exceedingly.
Akintomide Ifedayo Adigwe
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