Fiction Stories: Dairy of a campus episode 21

EPISODE 21

I found it very difficult to believe who I was

gazing at, Strike. Strike sat on the floor of the

guardroom, cuffed both hands and legs. I

became so relaxed seeing he’s handicapped; I

will so beat him if he tries to fight. His face

was still scary though but he acted friendly. I

comfortably sat close to him.

“What brought you here?” Strike asked.

“Bayo landed me here o.” I said.

“Yesterday things?”

“Yes O. Na yesterday shooting o.” I explained.

“The student reported the case to the security

office yesterday night. The security sef don

know before they even complain sef.”

“Ehn, sure na. Shebi na them see us that time

wey we face them with AK-47 and his

brothers.” He added and giggled.

“Abi o. So na this morning wey police dey

parade around looking for the evidence o.” I

continued. “I wan come settle the whole thing

with the chief security officer, na there I enter

wahala o.”

“How na?”

“CSO talk sey I dey involved in the killing.”

“Ehn Ehn, shey you no dey involved ni?” Strike

sounded implicative.

I was shocked with his reply so I angrily

replied, “You dey mad ni? I help una carry

gun? Oga Ade abeg give yourself brain o.”

He smiled and said, “D’Banj, I dey joke na. No

vex.”

“Abeg no joke that kind joke with me o.” I

said, now relaxed and asked, “So what brought

you here and how did you get here?”

“O boy na long story jare.” He replied, feeling

reluctant to discuss it.

“We dey here together and we no dey commot

yet so talk I dey hear you.”

“I was arrested early this morning by the

police, around 3:30 a.m. Some hours after you

escaped, the police raided that area and

arrested me.”

“How come? I thought you had a charm?” I

interrogated.

He laughed and said, “I do but it wasn’t on

me when they arrived the scene.”

“Please, explain better. How was it not on

you?”

“The charm is attached to my footwear but am

not suppose to wear it when am urinating. I

went to urinate, leaving my shoe some distant

away from me. I never expected the police to

come around so I was not conscious of them.”

“Aww, I now understand.” I said.

“How come they brought you here and not

their station?” I asked.

“I have a case with the school and they have

requested for the help of the police to arrest

me.” He explained. “All efforts made by the

school security to get me failed.”

“Are you a student of this school?”

He laughed out loud and said, “I have been on

campus for eight years now.”

“Oh, I get. You are studying advanced

medicine or what?” I inquisitively asked and

added, “or you’re doing your masters?”

“Advanced medicine?” He laughed again,

“masters?”

“What? Ok, fine. Tell me what you’re up to for

eight years.”

“I have been rusticated since my year three in

this school.” He said with a squeezed face.

“Since then, I have been on campus

anonymously.”

“Doing what?”

“Making money and spreading the virus.”

“How do you do that?”

“I dupe students, especially freshers.”

“How do you then spread the virus?”

“I make sure I send many students back home

just as they did to me.” He replied. “I initiate

students into the cult and command them to

initiate others. Virus keeps spreading.”

I was scared with the horror movie he was

narrating but not as scared to stop asking

him more questions.

“How did you join the cult?” I happily asked,

shifting closer to him.

He coughed, paused for some seconds and

explained, “It all started when I was admitted

into this school. I was not the jovial type, am

always quiet and easy going. In fact, I was an

introvert. That gave lot of students the

advantage to bully me around. I so bullied to

the extent of washing my friends clothes and

fetch them bathing water.”

“Aww. That’s unfair.”

“I kept soaking my bed with tears always

because of this. One day, Akinwale Cole, then

a four hundred level student, walked into my

room to see me crying. He asked me what was

wrong, I explained everything to him and he

asked me not to worry that he would find a

solution to it.”

“So nice of him.” I ignorantly commended.

“Cole invited me to a night club and thereafter

I was initiated.”

“He initiated you? Ha! Was that the solution

to the persistent bullying?” I surprisingly said.

“Yes o, that was the help o.” Strike affirmed

and explained further, “it actually did help me.

I faced the bullies. I beat some of them sef.

The ones I can’t beat was handle by the gang.

I became so fierce and feared. My story was

becoming loud, so that gave the school an

eye on me. There are a lot to talk about but

let’s leave it for some other time because am

actually very sick and I need to rest.”

“Aww. I feel for you. It’s well.” I said.

I was already falling asleep while Strike

snoozed off some minutes after he paused his

story. I was so fatigued after all the stress I

went through some hours back. I thought to

sleep so I would wake up to a miracle of

freedom. I ruminated on Strike’s story which

helped transit me to the dreamland.

“Wake up! Criminals wake up.” Mr Okanlawon

shouted, with a kick at my back.

I stretched so wide, yawned so loud and

quickly regained my consciousness when Mr

Okanlawon kicked me again. I looked at Strike,

who was still lying down comfortably. Mr

Okanlawon moved closer to Strike and kicked

him but he didn’t budge a bit. He kicked

harder but he still didn’t move. I stood up and

stared at Mr Okanlawon bending closer to

Strike’s chest. He placed his right ear on his

chest to perceive if Strike was still breathing.

He stood up, gazed at me and shook his head.

TO BE CONTINUED…