I didn't choose this destiny. It was thrust on me by a series of events that were not initiated, nor facilitated by me. But now I have to fight to the death to fulfil it. My brother never understood it, not that I could tell him; he wouldn't believe it anyways. It has been twelve years since my father passed this burden to me and six years since my brother was released from prison. In that time, he has made several attempts to reclaim what he thinks is his destiny.
This wasn't going to be easy, but as I said, it was not an option, it was the option. I either get the relic of the midnight to the Ashu's altar by the stroke of midnight or God helps us all. As I made my way through the corridor of Testan Maximum security Storage, I could help to imagine the face of my brother smirking right now. In the two years that he had used all means possible to get the relic from me, I have had to use a new password on my safe every week, just in case my relentless brother decide to get his hand on the kind of information I have gone to lengths to keep from him.
Standing before my vault, I scanned in my retina and palm, the password prompt comes up and I key in what was to be my password, and beep, "incorrect password". After six attempts, the alarms were off, and when I turned around, over 18 automatic rifles were in my face, not to mention the rolling laser moving towards me.
As I tried to explain the situation, a man walked into the room. What the hell is going on?? Protocol reset, he said. I saw the laser roll back. After two hours of negotiations and investigation of identity, they agreed to override my vault with an admin password. As the vault door rolled back, I storm into the vault. I couldn't believe what I saw, which was nothing!! My wishbone relic was gone!! This can't be happening at all.
I stormed out to the clerk's desk. Why is my vault empty? Who the hell accessed my vault? I asked. "Are you sure you didn't collect what you are looking for when you stopped by yesterday? He said. I almost slumped. I didn't stop by yesterday. " But you did, at about 2 PM. Let me pull up the CCTV footage. As I watched the CCTV footage, it wasn't hard to make out who it was; it was my brother. I can't believe this is happening. He's probably halfway across the world by now. When I finally collect myself after half an hour, I made several calls, and soon got intel that all but confirmed my brother could be in any continent by now. Confused, I sat in the car and contemplated the consequences of failing in my mission. The world as we know it will pay for it.
While I sat there, it hit me. All the tickets and passports he would acquire were to mislead me. He would do this before when we were kids. He had stolen a gun from pops armoury, but we never could find it, not knowing he also hid it in the armoury. So, if he is supposed across the world, then he's probably nowhere but at the townhouse. Like a madman, I sped to the townhouse, and true to form, he was there. In utter fury, I didn't bother knocking. I kicked down the door to find him sitting and smiling at me.
In one quick motion, I pulled out my gun from my holster and aimed for his head. Hold it brother, he said. Where the hell is my relic?
Your relic? You forget yourself boy. Last I check, you are still the younger brother, he replied.
You have got 10 seconds to give me the relic or I will kill you. I said and started counting down. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Alright, alright! No need to kill anyone. Your relic is in the bag on the table.
I went over to the table and true it was in the bag. I turned around and looked at my brother, is everything a joke to you bro?? Such a pity this is what you've become. I used to look up to you. You used to be my hero. I said and left.
Thirty minutes later, I was in the air; the luxury of owning your heading to Ekpoma town. As the jet plied the clouds, I kept thinking if dad knew about this at all when he passed it to me. All he told me was that the relic had the power to block out misfortunes and cause us to prosper as long as I keep it safe. Lose it, and see your world burn, he had said. So, when I did come upon the scroll of sanctum in my research about it and read of how it is a key of doom if not sacrificed anew every 500years, I had doubted it until the signs came. First snakes everywhere, then water to blood, then hail.
As the plane taxied, on the runway. I picked these I was driving to the woods of Aegon. On getting there, I told my driver to go and return in 12hrs time. As I weaved my way through the thick network of pneumatophores, twines and shrubs, I knew I had to hurry, I was running out of time.
Finally, the temple was in view. In my hurry to get there, I forgot I was threading unfamiliar grounds and soon fell into a swamp. Oh no, no no no! Nooo!!! Where's the bag? Oh God no. I can't fail like this. I kept digging through the swamp. I looked at my watch and it had just 15mins. I finally found it and somehow dug myself out of the swamp. As soon as I got out, I sprinted towards the temple.
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Luckily for me, in my haste, I didn't fail to read the warning sign close to the temple area "warning. Beware of landmines" I immediately stop in my track. Then I heard it, the laughter and cackle of my big brother. There he was standing at the temple stair.
What the hell Jamie? What are you doing here?
I could ask you the same. Are you here to die? He replied.
No, I'm here to prevent the coming of the Midnight curse. Not that you will know what that is. I said
You don't know, do you? Always the optimist, huh? You know he wrote to me after he died. I got a package in prison.
Well, maybe he would have given it to you by himself if you didn't kill him. He died long before he stopped breathing. He died when you went to jail. I retorted
Yeah. Well, the only way to stop the coming of the Midnight curse is to do a sacrifice, not of the bone, r. So, are you ready to die? He asked. Truly, I wasn't and he knew it. That's what I thought, he quipped. "I have got five minutes left. I will go do the sacrifice, and after the moon recedes, you take the bone and you go home and live your life" he said sadly. As he made to walk away, I laughed.
Jamie, how do you intend to do that when I have the bone??
He laughed. And that's when it hit me. Of course, he wouldn't give up the bone so easily. What I had was a fake. "Jamie, don't do this, please".
Someone has to. He said. Any last words?
"I just want you to know, I never wanted any of it, dad made me swear. I never hated you for dad's death too. But most importantly, I love you, bro. Always and forever" I said.
He just looked at me, with a wry smile on his face and said, love you too bro. That was the last thing I heard from him and the last time I saw him. As Midnight struck, I heard his shrieking cry from within the temple, and to this day, I hear it every night. But the darkness was lost, the manifestation of the midnight curse was postponed and my family's guardianship of the wishbone continues.
