Purified Tomorrow: The Mad Awakening - Episode 6

 

Carl was silent throughout their walk through the stampede from the glass box to a big hall labeled 'Conference Room'.  Some of the soldiers wearing yellow uniforms opened the door, and stood by the door as if nothing could move them. The Peacelearners spread across the hall. Despite their naivety, and fear, some of them began to pick their seat at different positions in the hall. The hall was so big that it could contain the population of the present world . It was draped with those banners, which he had considered beautiful at the beginning, but now considered one of the instruments of destruction. The hall was a good example of lovely halls and Coliseums used by the Romans, who believed in public executions and battles. He wished he had a better history about the Romans, the Greeks, the Asians, the previous world. All they gave them in history classes were crumbs of these people. The hall was beautifully adorned with theatrical lamps that danced from one end of the hall to the other. Cool air soaked the hall.
Carl carefully walked with Regina and Fred; the two geeks moved towards the beginning of the hall - prepared to grab anything if the ground opened. They kept rambling and whispering. He would have found it amusing or wouldn't have been concerned about them at all, if they didn't keep asking for his opinion on many things such as what formula could possibly help in the creation of the hall

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/purified-tomorrow-the-mad-awakening

. How was he to know such details, when the only thing he cared about was his health, and ability to be an alpha male?
He glanced at them from time to time, wondering what he was chosen for. Many of the people there were more of geeks. He was nothing and would be of no use to this cause, which he was sure he was beginning to hate. He sat and took the details of the room in. Cool air brushed the part of his body that was opened. He rubbed his hands together. The white girl beside him rubbed her hands also, wheezed, and looked ahead like a statue. He wondered what was running in her mind and hoped to have the opportunity to sit like that for months undisturbed. Then, she sniffed.
'Are you alright?' He asked.
She nodded and sniffed again. Despite not knowing her, he rubbed her arm and smiled assuredly at her beautiful face. 
'Calm down. It will be fine. That means crying shouldn't be part of our way here'.
The girl nodded severally as tears streamed down her eyes.
 'What will happen to our parents? What will happen to those that were thrown into that horrible hole? What if I don't meet their standards? What will happen to me?'
'You are working yourself up. See, our parents are worried about us already. And we will not do them any good by crying or worrying about to them too. And for that hole, I'm also afraid. But I told myself, if I can make it to this hall without any fear then I can make it through anything they might want to bring'.
'You seems so confident', the girl said coyly as she rubbed away her tears.
 He winked. 'I'm pretending to be confident. You should see me when we were running. You would think my tail was on fire. That means all these are for show'.
 The girl smiled. 'Me too. Oh God! I thought I wouldn't make it'.
'Same here, as I was beside two geeks. By the way, if that fat guy over there could make it, I see no reason a beautiful, slim girl like you shouldn't make it. That means you're swift and beautiful'.
She smiled. 'I'm Iris'.
'I'm Carl'.
 'You're the Carl. There's been rumor about you. We heard one of the Instructors or whoever they are took a liking to you'.
'Don't mind her. She just made me an object of attack', Carl said and pointed to the front. 'That's her. She is...'
'She is what, hot?' Iris said and winked. 
Carl gave her fake frown. She laughed.
'Please, let silence be a part of this place', Diana said into a microphone. 'Today, we welcome a new set of Peacekeepers into our world, to our home Etyes. At this point, you will have many questions, but they won't be answered just yet. You would only be given such liberty when you would be made to go through a medical test. And by that time, there won't be room for much questions because you won't have need for any question. Some of you would want to run away. Don't try it. This is home now. However, I must tell you that people chosen to this place are those who got the highest in different exams. Some of you got the highest in their normal exams. While some of you got more than five of the hidden questions in your exams. This test required having the best attitude'.
Carl looked around to see curiosity staining the faces of most of the Peacelearners. But nobody dared mumble any question. 
'All right then, proceed to the dining room, where you will meet your handlers. Remember, orderliness'.
Iris glanced at him and he shrugged as they rose.  Everyone followed the person near the door she pointed to. Although the hall wasn't like the one they just left, it was massive and was fashioned in a way that one would know that it was a dining table. The only peculiar thing about their tables was that they had glass demarcations. Each of them had side demarcations too.
Carl opened his mouth in awe as he saw the large hall. It was very big and would house a great number of people. Light glowed from the big balls of tiny lights that had many colors. Their light raced from one end of the room to the other. Different chandeliers hung from the roof. The room was divided into six parts by barricades, and each section was labelled with different names. Carl could only see three of them- Peacelearners, Troublefinders and Mouths. 
They followed Diana into the room labelled 'Peacelearners'.
Diana spoke into the P.A System, 'Find your names and seats. Oh! The last name first. Search for your last name.' Everyone moved about silently as they searched for their names. The hall was wrapped with in the serenity of a musical. A tiny guy ran into him and steadied himself. The boy shouldn't have been there, especially with blind eyes as his. He mumbled, 'Sorry', and ran off.
Carl stared at him as he stumbled away, and at his own silver cloth. The cloth made them look like a sort of experiment. If Carl was given the chance to pay back at the boy for being so stupid, he would have shown him the back of his head with a suitable slap. With the stature of the boy, he might begin to have a great hatred for lanky people; being around them meant trouble. He brushed dirt off his clothe.
'We look like an experiment in these things', he muttered to Iris as they both searched for their names.
'On the brighter side, we look like divers'.
'Drivers?'
'You heard me', she said and hit his shoulders. 'I'm looking for Cole'.
'Oh! That's cool. Coals are always cool. But when set on fire they can be hot like the beauty in front of me'.
Iris looked at him quizzically. Then, her face brightened as she realized he was playing on the words. She laughed. 'You're funny, cow'.
They searched for a few seconds and found their names beside themselves. The table was as wide as a table tennis board. However, it was very long.
'Hey, Carl. I found my seat', Fred shouted from the opposite side. He smiled at Carl. Everyone looked at Carl, some for too long. Regina was beside him. Carl looked at her quickly. The two seemed to get along easily and seemed not to care about what might happen next, as though they had no fear. Their countenances, unlike that of every other person around them, were different and incomprehensible. Carl smiled. They've given him hope, and he would wallow in that. A little hope was surely good for making the best plan in the world.
'Thank you', Iris said, making him come out of his fear.
'For?'
'For making me laugh. With you, I think I have no fear, as though you're a fear trashcan'.
'You shouldn't be afraid. That means that where fear treads, problem gets attracted to such place'.
 Iris nodded. 'How do we get food?'
'I've been wondering too except they want us to eat the table'.
'Oh! Why didn't I think of that', Iris said and smiled. She sniffed again and smiled brighter as she shook her head. 
 'Have you seen your seat?' Diana asked.
 Carl looked about and saw the lanky guy, who ran into him the other time, raising his hand. 'Yes, what's your name?'
The boy replied inaudibly.
'I can't hear you. You will have to do better'.
'Jonathan Zane', the boy screamed as if he had been stung by a bee. Fear played in his voice.
 'With that name, you should know that your name should be at the end of everything'.
 The boy throttled off. Carl watched him and smiled warily. He shouldn't be too hard on the boy. He must still be afraid, they all were. But if anyone could make it into the conference room, he was sure they were brave and strong enough to endure anything.
 'Now, press the button in front of your table. It will take you through a tutorial of what to eat. But today, you're lucky. Your handlers have been informed of your arrival and they've been waiting for you', Diana said and pointed to the door. 
A large number of young people filed into the room. Many of them would be around eighteen to twenty years old, Carl thought, since he was just 17 years old, and many of those he came with were within the same age bracket. He didn't expect anyone to be younger than that. Their uniforms were different- black, grey, white, and blue. These one had been there before them and he hoped to be with one that also had plans on escaping from that place. No matter how much he would have enjoyed the competition of this place, he wouldn't want to end up where the others ended.
'By the way, I'll like to welcome the youngest, and brightest among them. I would have told you her age but most of you might want to tackle her because of that and she might break your heads. She is in her second year. She was last year's best Peacelearner and had even beaten the ranks of a TroubleFinder. She was involved in the operation that brought many of you from Africa to this place', Diana said beaming. 'Fortunately she has been assigned to be the handler of the freshman, who had proven to be a great Peacekeeper. He also got the highest in our aptitude test. What's that his name again? Carl...Carl Cokers.’ 
Carl's eyes roamed to Fred, who gave him a thumbs-up with excitement glowing on his fat cheeks. Murmuring crept into the midst of the Peacelearners and it took a bit of cough from Diana to send calm into the hall again. Iris winked and flashed him a bright smile. By this time his heart was thumping. What if this handler decided to be a strict follower of rules? Those best students are mostly always upholding the rules of any organization. His handler might give him a tough time, and he hated the fact that his handler might top the list of those he hated, sending Diana to the second place.  
'Her name is Sonia Banks. Please, come up here. Let the Peacelearners see you'.
 Carl held his breathe as she walked past him. He glanced at Fred, who seemed to have stopped breathing too. His smile froze, and his mouth agape. 
                         *** 
Richard checked the pad in his hand again as he fiddled with his pen. That was the third day, and he hadn't gotten a confirmation of Joyce's entry into whatever place they were. Such thing pointed to something: they were killing the children. Joyce was right and he had just led to her death. He bit his lower lips. No one must even hear of it. How would any of his superiors hear that he had done something as reckless as that? None of them gave him the go-ahead to do what he did. He knew what their reply would have been, so he didn't even bother to tell them what had happened because they would disprove it; instead, they would have wanted him to send in someone with enough training, which might take years that weren't available.
From what he could say, the kidnapping was for a big purpose. The problem was that no one could see the links between these kidnapping. They claimed they were random and he was angry at them for their shortsightedness. While they were having their regular secret meeting, some of them claimed that not only students from college were disappearing and that if they were really focused on children, they wouldn't have gone to the extent of kidnapping other people. He claimed that wasn't their Mode of Operation. They were meticulously picking college students from each country. They were being taken for a reason.  But the others disproved his theory, saying that blood stains were found on some of the place of disappearance. Moreover, three people were taken out of Nigerian that year. How would he link those together?
 Richard wore his glasses and pressed a button on the side. They resorted to using that method for communication after the world government began to tap their messages and calls etc.
 'Get me the director', Richard said to the computer.
'The director has refused to see you until you start raking in money by finding missing people for the firm'.
Richard was perplexed. He had never known the director to treat him in such manner. 
'Tell him I need his authorization for something'.
'I'm sorry Agent Richard', the computer said. 'I'll have to take you off the system unless you will like to talk to someone else in the organization'.
Richard stood from his seat as he made his conclusion. They needed to use a clog-effect. They would catch one of the kidnappers, then they would surely interrogate him till he gave them the necessary answer. The problem now was that they don't know who these kidnappers were, and what they wanted, and how to catch any of them. He picked his phone and called Tina, the only lady that believed him.
'Thin, I need to talk to the director'.
 'You know what you have to do', she said coyly. He removed the phone and stared at it.
'C'mon. Give me something else. Another favor. I'll repay you'.
'That's what you've always promised. I need this favor. If you're ready, meet me at my place'.
 Richard stared at the door. What does he have to lose? He was in a make-believe marriage. The law of the world was that everyone must be married and must bear children. But since he wasn't ready to have such lifestyle, he married a woman who didn't really believe in such too. They have lived happily after.  And he wouldn't break his celibacy just yet. He dropped the glasses on the table, wore a polo shirt, picked his small car key and got out of the room.
                        ***
There are some things that shouldn't be done or tried if you haven't done your calculations well. An example of that was what Joyce was about to do. She placed her feet down and someone screamed, 'who is that?'
She jumped and hit someone behind her. This person screamed. The whole place was so dark that even the eyes couldn't adjust to it.
 'It's okay', Joyce shouted as she ran into someone else.
 Someone else was shouting for calm as people began to mumble and fidget. The lady kept shouting for calm until everyone kept quiet. The ladys voice was strong and authoritative like someone that used to be Senior girl” in her school. Joyce stood her ground. What could she have done better? When she saw the wall, she should have run as if her mind depended on it. And yes, she did. But, she was just too late.
'Is anyone near a wall?' The lady shouted. Nobody answered. 'Are you telling me this place is an open space? Someone must be near something'.
'If it's of any of help, I am holding a sort of rail', a male voice shouted.
'That's good. I think since we are not dead they must have a reason for keeping us. So we need to be calm about what is coming', the lady said.
'But I didn't ask for this', a lady shouted.
 'Yes...' Another affirmed.
'They brought us against our will. It should have been voluntary. At least, they would have gotten people dedicated to whatever training they were giving here'.
'Shut up your mouths, you rats, and new comers. You're disturbing us', someone shouted. 'If you need advice on how to endure here, you better come near. No one can ever leave this place, but I can tell you how to survive'.
 'If we find our way around this thing, we can find a way out, at least to a place out of the dark', the first girl shouted.
'You will only waste your lives if you believe her. We've been here for how long? You'll all suffer, if you don't come near', the opposing voice said.
'I prefer to die, waiting in the dark than try something that is not real', someone else shouted.
'You're wise. If you don't want to die the same way many have died, stay here. We've been here for long, but it was better than anything you've ever known. It opens the mind to some philosophical truth that men can't fathom'.
'Whoever spoke last should shut up that nasty mouth. Cowards', the girl with the authoritative voice said. 'Now, I am near the rail. Anyone that isn't ready to die down here should follow me by signifying with a loud noise'.
'I', Joyce shouted before she could stop herself. She preferred to die than remain in the darkness. They've been there for long expecting redemption, but it wasn't coming. They had to find it themselves or die trying. She wanted to activate the tracker immediately they got down, but she knew how wise she was for not pressing it. If she died someone else would take the glory. She was the one that made the discovery, and she would be the one to get it. All she needed was to work with the right people and she would get all the access she needed.
 'Come towards the rail', the lady said,' towards my voice'.
 'I', a male voice came also in reply, and about three other people joined the cause. 
Joyce heaved as she hoped she was doing the right thing. A good PI should have a hunger for danger. And that was the reason she agreed to do this in the first place. If not, she would have kept running till someone found out about those kidnapping.

Read " Lost But Satisfied " by the same author ( Akíntayo Akinjide )

. She was good at running and would have done anything to avoid them.
People complained and yelped as she tried to find her way to the rail, but she was undeterred. The darkness was comparable to blindness.
 'Any other person? The lady shouted near her. 'And if you are not for us, move aside.’
'Where should we move to?' A frail male voice asked.
'You ask my hand when it starts moving. I will count to fifty. Anyone coming should do so and anyone not with us should move away'.
'Why?' Asked the guy with the frail voice again.
'Because I build hope in the heart of those that have fear and I would not allow anyone take that hope from them'.
 'I'm here', Joyce said. The lady seemed rattled. 
 'Oh! Let me start my counting'.
 Joyce weighed her option as the lady counted the numbers, slowly and loudly. She wouldn't make any impact by staying back in that place.
'Right now, we want to see how we can get out of this stupid thing', the lady said after she had made sure they were alone. 'I plan to go first'.
'Don't you think we should wait for them', someone asked.
The lady was quiet for some time.
'Why are you here in the first place?' Joyce asked. 
'That's the spirit', the lady said.
Joyce beamed. Yet, she wouldn't revel in the little achievement. They still had to leave the place.