Boluwatife Salvation 6 months ago

@sozo 4 min read Write a comment #short-stories

The Last Bullet

To Hauwa, my child, the hero...The terrifying and sudden sound of gunshots woke us up. I took a glance at the blue wall clock by the left side of the bed; it was 4 am. Who could that be?

It became quiet, and while I tried resting my head on the pillow once more, I heard a louder "bang!" of gunshots. This time, it was near. I became alarmed. I remembered that Hauwa had slept alone in the living room last night, and I ran to check if she was awake. I met her, seated calmly on the chair and reciting the father's prayer. "Thy kingdom comes, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day..."With eyes tightly shot and hands clapped together closely, I watched her recite the mantra finish. "Deliver us from all evil; for thine is the Kingdom, forever and ever, amen." Amen", I repeated. "Hauwa, come." 

Even before she could come, I ran to meet her. I admired her faith and the courage with which she prayed. I hugged her tightly, and I could smell the fading fragrance of my husband's perfume on her body. "Naughty girl," I said to her. While I held her tight, we heard a loud thumping and banging on the door. I drew Hauwa closer to myself, and I closed her mouth with one hand."Shhhsh..." I signaled with my other hand. I motioned to Hauwa to tiptoe inside the room. 

The banging wouldn't stop, and I became more scared. What happened to Balie, my husband? While I tried peeping through the window, I suddenly heard the door fall, and life jumped out of me. My body shook vigorously, and I trembled at the sight I saw. It was my husband, badly beaten by these people. They were dangerously dressed and armed. They lined up and wore dark shades with masks. I took pity on my husband, and I began to sob quietly. I knelt and bowed my head to the ground after I received a slap for daring to look at their faces. 

"Where's the document?", The man with a sharp knife roared. He was the strangest of them all. He was short, but they called him "boss." He had no gun on him, but from the little I could see, he didn't have a leg. It looked like it was amputated and replaced by a mechanical one. My husband received another thud, and I cried out because he could no longer cry but wince and moan. The man who held the gun said he had one bullet left and he wouldn't hesitate to use it on me, now pointing the gun at me. I remembered the documents. My husband had worked tirelessly to get it. I didn't know it was this dangerous until a week ago. This document would set our nation free; my husband had told me four nights ago when I pestered him to tell me what was in it. I saw him keep it in his locker. Although I was scared, I was glad that my husband was going to do something for the country. Again, this document would cost us our lives.

None of us knew Hauwa was standing at the passage all the while until she sneezed. My head rang a bell, and I became terrified. Not my Hauwa, I told the God that Hauwa prayed to. But either I was too slow to ask, or the man was faster; what I remembered last was that there was a loud bang, and she was in a pool of blood.