Hushed Echoes

“Lydia! Lydia!” She called her eldest daughter.

“Yes Mom, Iam coming” the girl replied, and with five seconds she was in the kitchen.

“Go into the bedroom and get my handbag”

A minute later she returned with her mother’s handbag, the woman took the handbag from her, opened it and brought out a hundred cedis note, meanwhile the girl had returned to the sitting room and could be heard laughing with her younger sister over a funny orogramm that was being relayed on the television.

“Marco, where are you?”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“Iam coming ma’am” he replied from the back of the room where he had gone to pour away some water.

“Drop the bucket immediately and take this money, go across the road, you will see a small kiosk, buy me tin-tomatoes, hurry I need to add it to the Vegetable on fire”

“Alright ma’am” Marco replied looking around for his footwear, he did not find then, however he did not allow that to delay him as he ran bare footed out of the kitchen to do the woman’s bidding.

He got to the shop and bought the tomato paste, the shop keeper was trying to look for a small bag to help keep it, but Marco could not wait for that, as he dashd back home with great speed.

He was about to enter the building when he felt a sharp twist on his neck, he had no inkling as to what exactly was happening.

“Don’t make any sound, if you do I will kill you right here” a voice warned him.

Marco could not believe what was happening, it was like a dream.

His assailant turned and looked intently at him, he saw a tall dark and ugly looking young man spotting a trouser with a blazer, he became more afraid when the guy revealed a loaded double barrel riffle under his bazer.

“Have you seen this before?” The guy threatened.

“Y-yesss” Marco trembled like someone suffering from epilepsy.

“I say shut up, I don’t want to hear you make a noise” he quickly removed his mouth from Marco’s ear and looked around in a suspicious manner, ” Snake! Silence!” He called out.

Instantly two other guys emerged from the back of the fence and joined him, each with a pistol.

“Take us inside” the first guy ordered him.

It was then everything became clear that the house had been attacked by armed men, an idea flashed into his head.

“Please I don’t live here, I don’t live in this house” Marco cried out.

“You are joking with your life, do you want to die?” The first guy warned him, holding him tightly and shaking him fiercely.

“Man, let’s shoot this guy” the other guy cut in.

They moved backwards a bit and made as if he wanted to pull the trigger.

“Please don’t shoot me, I will take you inside”.

When the two guys heard him, they pulled back their guns while the third guy still pointed his at him.

“Then do that fast!” The first guy ordered.

Marco took some steps forward, the two guys walked behind him, while the first guy was still holding and walking at thesame level with him, as they walked towards the main entrance, Marco felt sharp pain under his left foot, he knew fgt a broken bottle had pierced him.

But that was not as painful as the gun pressed into his temple, the broken bottle could only hurt his foot, but the gun was capable of putting an end to his life his body suddenly became so hot, like a rubber melting away very easily.

His twinge of conscience prompted him to run away but he had assured himself that running away was as bad as death itself, if he had attempted it, he would not have remained remained alive.

Marco thought that the robbers were going to knock at the door on their own and then set him free, but when they got to the entrance, he realized that he was going to be used as a bait in the operation.

“Knock the door now, when they answer, you call your name” the first guy whispered into his ears once more, ” I say do it now or I will scatter your skull” he threatened.

Marco’s hand became as thick as wood, he had suddenly forgotten how to knock the door, instead he opened his palm and began to beat the door.

Whichever way he did it, the robbers did not care a hoot, what mattered to them most was a response from within.

“Who is there?” The woman responded from inside, but she didn’t hear any corresponding response from outside.

“Who is there?” She yelled aggressively once more.

Marco voice was so constricted that it only became eased when he saw the gun starring at his face, ” it-it-it is me” he drawled.

The woman upon the recognition of his voice went ahead to open the door, but before she could say Jack, the two other guys rushed at her, pointing their pistols at her forehead, at thesame time the first guy dragged Marco inside the house and shut the door, when the two daughters saw what was happening, they screamed with terror and made an attempt to run upstairs.

“Silence, get them, get them fast” the first guy shouted.