The terrorists
knew that I was the brainchild behind the Kenya Defence Forces’
state-of-the-art missile guided system. If the terrorists got hold of it the
implications would be catastrophic. Anywhere could be targeted. Suicide bombers
did not need to die anymore. The terrorists could as well demand Allah give
them their seventy-two virgins on earth.
Africa at large
was under threat: Boko Haram had already established a caliphate in the West
and Central Africa, they were now terrorizing the xenophobic South. Islamic
State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had caliphated the North, and the ISIS-Shabaab alliance in
Eastern Africa was fast gaining momentum.
Terror. Violence. Death everywhere. Their
main aim was not just to create caliphates all over the world. It was to make
the whole world Islamic.
A tic ran through my face. A moment
later I heard the code: The Prince is
delivering the eggs where the Queen wants them. I knew the rescue was on
the way.
I was among the very few High Value
Persons (HVPs) in the KDF with a microchip in my brain. The chip was activated
if I went off the radar for more than three hours to give my location. Special
Forces would be send in for rescue regardless.
A’shadieeyah steadied the gun in her
frail-looking hands. She was dead serious she wouldn’t think twice to kill me.
There was no vestige of the sister I knew in her eyes.
“So, dear brother, you are going to
redeem yourself,” she said. “Second chances are hard to come by these days.”
“What did they do to you…”
“Looks could deceive, Mubaraq. I am
well trained….”
I moved my hands behind my back. In my
mind I was in a movie, trying to untie myself.
“…and don’t you dare try that, brother.
Trust me, I won’t hesitate to shoot…”
“You don’t need to threaten me,
A’shadieeyah. Smart soldiers know better than to argue with an AK47…”
“Believe me, brother. You won’t be the
first…”
The buzzing in my head increased. The stealth
KV2050 attack helicopter was near, or perhaps it was hovering on the rooftop.
And then it happened, in slow motion. I
saw the first soldier rappelling in my peripheral vision an instant before
three of them burst through the windows. They took the mujahedeen security
guards first.
That’s when A’shadieeyah knew what was
happening. She swung her gun towards the intruders, squeezed the trigger, and
then… click! She pulled the trigger again. Nothing. Her hands shook as she
fumbled with the cocking handle and the safety catch of the gun. Then she gave
up.
She threw the gun down and reached for
a pistol hidden somewhere inside her burqa. She was fast. The soldiers never
saw it coming. Headshots. Bull’s eye. The three soldiers went down successfully
as she fired the shots. Three good men, mashujaa,
killed by my mujahedeen sister.
“Don’t worry bro, not all missions go
as planned…”
I was shocked of my sister’s mastery.
Al-Shabaab-trained. Well trained.
Plan B: I hopped backwards and smashed
myself into the wall, shattering the chair and loosening the ropes. Before she
reached where I was, I freed myself and stumbled up to my knees.
“The love I still have for you is the
reason you are still breathing, Mubaraq,” my sister said, pointing the gun on
my head. “And we need you…”
She came closer to where I was. She
ordered me with the gun to stand up, my hands raised and keep them where she
could see them.
And then she made a mistake—she
blinked.
Within a fraction of a nanosecond I
grabbed the gun and pointed it at an astonished A’shadieeyah.
Outside, an explosion plummeted down
from the sky. My ride back home was gone, but that was the least of my worries
at that moment.
“Are you going to kill me then,
brother?”
“You won’t be the first to kill,
sister…”
I heard cacophonous chants of Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! outside and
then made the decision.
I put a single bullet in my sister’s forehead.
The last thing I saw as she fell down was her shocked beautiful face and
almond-shaped eyes zooming the world out, life snuffed out in an instant.
My wow! Now this is vintage Vincent. One of the best fast paced flash fiction I've read in a while. The plot is so action packed and film-like that I had to read through without blinking a wink so I wouldn't miss any of the intrigues written in cinematic flashes. If you ask me I think you've found your niche and writing voice in Sci-Fi action thrillers. Stick to it! Like fine wine, you keep getting better at it with with each new piece. Well done Vin.
ReplyDeleteNow, that's an endorsement, Nduka. I hope to never bore you. I will try to hold it together.
DeleteThanks for reading, and your coming back always.