A Tale Of Five Bandits

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 13

The bandits camped in the village for two more days, basking in the praises, special treatment, food and drinks that the villagers supplied them. They were like kings and queens in their own little kingdom.

“We should be leaving for Aleshinloye soon. We’ve spent too much time here”, Duro announced on the second day.

“Brother, you don’t like good things. Aleshinloye is not far from here

. It’s just a day or two ride from here. For now, enjoy being served like royalty before we journey out again on those bumpy roads”, Goke said as he sat relaxed on a chair with a maiden messaging his shoulders.

“Duro is right. We should leave. The royal cavalry might arrive at any second while we are wasting time here”, Monifa said.

“I agree with Goke, we should rest for a bit and enjoy what we have here while it lasts. Who knows how long it will be before we can relax this way again”, Leke added, “Besides the herbalist is still attending to the villagers. It’s rare to meet a generous herbalist willing to share his medicine for free so let them benefit from this peculiar opportunity. They deserve it after all they’ve done for us”.

Duro shook his head, “Let’s vote then”.

“But the medicine man isn’t here yet”, Goke said, “Shouldn’t we wait till he is done?”

“No! We are the ones on a mission

. His role is just to accompany us, if he wishes to stay then that is his choice. He doesn’t count”, Monifa bawled.

She glared at the other bandits, daring any of them to counter her. When none of them replied, she continued “Those in favour of resuming our journey, extend a fist and those that think we should stay a few more days, extend your palm”.

She and Duro made a fist while Leke and Goke stretched forth their palms. When they discovered it was a tie, they shifted their attention to Sewa.

Sewa extended a fist, “We have spent too much time here. We are making up excuses to mess around”.

Monifa jolted up with a smile on her face, “It’s decided then, we leave at sunset”.

Goke grumbled and ordered for more food, eagerly shoving what he could swallow into his mouth and packing the rest into a bag.

. He looked up to see his comrades watching him in amusement, “What? I’m a big man, I need to eat and keep my strength”.

“No-one said anything”, Monifa stifled a laugh.

“No one said anything”, Goke mimicked her jestingly, “Nobody should ask me to share because I won’t” he said pointing a loaf of bread threateningly at them.

“I’m going to pack my things for when we would leave” Sewa said as she stood up and walked to Adebowale’s house.

On her way, she was approached by a little girl not more than eight years of age. The girl reminded her of the innocent girl she once was before she was plunged into the kind of life she now lived. Sewa stared at the approaching figure, she couldn’t help but feel pity for the girl; unfortunate to be born in this time when a mad man wore the royal crown.

The little girl looked up at her shyly, tugging the hem of her dress, “Emm, aunty, I need your help”.

Sewa fell to one knee, bringing herself face to face with the girl and placed a hand above the girl’s shoulder, “What is it?” she asked.

The girl looked back at her with tears in her eyes, stuttering as she narrated her problem, “I…we…I was walking with my sister in the forest. We just wanted to pluck some bananas from a tree back there”, she said, turning to point in the direction of the forest, “and so, two big men came out and took our fruits. They told me to run away but my elder sister is still there with them”.

Anger flashed in Sewa’s eyes as she stood up, “take me to where they are!” she ordered.

The little girl smiled as her eyes glittered with hope. Without a moment to spare, the girl gestured at Sewa to follow her as she dashed towards the direction of the forest. Sewa ran after the girl, anger slowly building up within her. To the naive child, her sister was being bullied by those men but Sewa knew that there could only be one reason why they still held her sister captive. Memories of the impassive look on her own sister’s face while she was raped flashed through her mind, intensifying her rage.

As they entered the forest, Sewa calculated four different ways of granting the men a slow excruciatingly painful death. Sewa clenched the dagger tightly in hand smiling with the sadistic thought of mutilating her foes. She ran deep into the forest behind the girl, not minding the itchy tingle on her cheeks left behind by the leaves as she drove headfirst through them.

The girl suddenly stopped and Sewa came to a halt, her eyes roaming the forest searching for the souls she was about to send to the afterlife.

The girl turned around slowly, her little fingers playing with the hem of her dress as she stared at the feet nervously.

“I’m sorry, aunty”, she muttered.

Behind the girl, a man came into view clutching a machete in his hand grinning with delight as his other hand wrapped around the girl’s neck. He whistled and four men appeared from their hiding spot, smiling to themselves and licking their lips as they drew closer.