this is my story.. PRESENT DAY men took another subtle step away from him, fear was plainly written on their faces. There was something clearly written on his own face too; it was anger! He had done everything perfectly, he had set up the portal, connected to the right star but everything had been destroyed. The man he had just beaten to death had nothing to do with the soldiers taking over the portal, he was just the closest when he heard the news. He knew there was nothing the soldiers could do to the portal but it did not make less angry. Destroying Asaba was supposed to be the beginning of the end. It was supposed to drive the country and the president to their knees. Now, they would not surrender since they now believed once they stopped the hazard at Asaba, they could stop any other plan he has. He still could not understand it. There was no way the soldiers could have stopped the portal, nobody could! Except it was not a human. “You!” He called one of his men. “I need to find out who disabled that portal. Go and find me the person now!” “It was probably a soldier. How do I find who exactly?” The man trembled at what he was asked to do. “That is your business! You were once a soldier, do whatever you have to do. Or your family dies!” He saw anger flash through the face of the man. He smiled and walked away. Apart from fear, the second most common emotion his men showed was anger. He loved it. They needed fear to listen to his instructions and they needed the anger to carry them out. “Sarkin…” One of his called from behind. He turned around to face the man; Ayuba. “He just called with some news.” Ayuba said. “He? He has no name?” “I don’t…” “I know who you speak of, what did he say?” His men did not know the identity of his source and he wanted it that way. “The soldiers have the portal. They have not been able to remove it but there is heavy security around it. They have scientists on site trying to figure out how to disable it permanently.” Sarkin Aljan smiled. They could have all the scientists in the world working on it and none of them would figure out the portal. “Did he tell you how the portal was disabled in the first place?” He had to know. Ibilis had to know. With the failure of this mission, he had to meet with Ibilis again. His lips trembled at the thought. “No he did not say but there might be a way to get the portal back.” “If his suggestion is another slow process of planning and plotting, I have to say I do not have that time! We get that portal back in forty eight hours or I will kill every one of you! And he will not be spared!” “No, no, there is no delay. We will have the portal back in twenty four hours.” The man said with a confidence that suddenly gave Sarkin Aljan hope. “So what’s the plan?” “You will need to call the president again sir!” *** Lange walked quickly to the conference room. He had been held up in meetings for hours but there was only one place he wanted to be. He had already been told that his soldiers had secured the instrument the terrorist used and the darkness had lifted over Asaba. It was not time to celebrate yet; they had to wait to see if none of the residents were affected by the Black Death disease. But first, he needed a full report on what could turn out to be a big victory for him and his administration. He entered the room and the men in the room rose up. “I am sorry for keeping you waiting. I’m sure you know this is the most important thing right now but I had to attend to other affairs of the nation. So what is the situation in Asaba?” “Aganga actually, Mr. President.” General Kosoko, the defense minister said. “The terrorist was found in a small village close to Asaba; Aganga.” “The terrorist was found?!” Lange exclaimed. “I think you should start from the beginning.” Adigwe said. Lange listened as the minister explained how his soldiers found the site where the portal was hidden and they had apprehended the masked terrorist. He wanted to be happy but there were some things that had not been explained. “You mentioned that the portal had been disabled before the soldiers got there, how did that happen?” “We don’t know yet.” “That is strange.” There was something wrong. “Captain Ademola was supposed to be in charge of this mission, why is he not here?” Lange’s heart sank when he heard how the Captain had been attacked and the soldiers with him were killed. He was unconscious and in the hospital. Doctors said he would survive but he needed a few days. “So Ademola was attacked on the other side of town? There is something strange about this story, don’t you think?” “Well sir, we don’t know everything yet but I believe with the capture of the masked terrorist, we will get all the information we need in time. He is not saying anything now though.” Lange folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his seat. He had come into the room with ecstasy but now he was not sure what to feel. It was obvious he had drowned the enthusiasm of the men in the room too. “Adigwe, can we confirm yet that there are no residents of Asaba positive with the BDD?” “No sir. We don’t have the half-life of the disease yet. We have decided to seal off Asaba for two more weeks.” Adigwe said. “Two weeks is a long time especially as the disease is not contagious.” Lange said. “Better safe than sorry sir.” “You will need to address the nation this evening. People need to know what happened in Asaba.” Mrs. Martins, the information minister said. “The opposition is already saying a lot to upset the people, we need to calm them. Nothing calms them more than news that the masked terrorist has been captured.” Lange sighed. “Set it up Martins. Don’t tell anybody about the capture just yet. We need to be sure.” His phone vibrated on the table and he peeked at it; it was an unknown number but it looked familiar. The masked Terrorist! “Please I need everyone to leave the room, I have to take this call alone.” Lange said. He smiled as they all walked out of the room, they could not see his fear. Whatever the man wanted to say, he had to hear it alone. By the time the room was empty, the call had ended. He tried to call back but the number was switched off. If the masked terrorist was the one calling, who was the man the soldiers had in custody? What did he have to do with the Darkness in Asaba? He stood from his seat and paced. Bola and her son Segun were still in Asaba. The stupid son was not going to call anybody, he had made sure his phones were confiscated and he was locked up alone in a room. As soon as he got confirmation that Asaba was safe he would have them both flown to Abuja, he needed to have a serious talk with Segun. The phone vibrated again and he grabbed it immediately. He placed his finger on the ‘answer’ button then he hesitated. Whatever the man was going to tell him would not be good news. He sighed. It was better to know than to assume. He pushed the button. “Mr. President, how are you today?” It was him! “What do you want?” “That was not polite. I am the one who should be grim, after all you disturbed my plans in Asaba. Although I know you did not do it on your own, whoever or whatever it was that helped you won’t be able to help you next time.” “Next time? You have to be kidding, we have your device.” Lange said not too confidently. “Yeah, about that; I think you might have a change of mind when you hear what I have to say. I happen to have a certain woman with me – very pretty I must add. Her name is Bola, you know her?” Lange sank into his chair and stifled a gasp. Oh my God! “Oh, no more talking? Well, I have her son too, although I doubt you care much for him, he clearly doesn’t care much for you. The woman on the other hand, I believe….” “What do you want?” Lange asked. “Straight to business, that is wonderful. I would have voted you for president if I was around during the elections. I’d vote you for second term but I can’t promise there will be any elections then. You understand what I’m saying?” “What do you want?!” Lange shouted. “Okay, calm down. I want the device back!” “You have got to be kidding me.” Lange said and laughed. “Just withdraw your soldiers and I will come get it myself.” “No way am I doing that! That device will destroy my country and who knows where else.” “Okay, hold on please…” The masked terrorist said and Lange heard some noise in the background. He wondered what the terrorist was doing. Suddenly he heard a gunshot. “What did you do?!” He shouted, jumping off his chair. “I just killed the son. In case you don’t believe, the mother will confirm. Alright madam, speak up please.” Lange held his breath and covered his mouth with one of his palms. “Johnson, they killed him.” Bola’s voice was barely audible. “They killed Segun. He did not do anything, he did not do anything Johnson… He has a knife, please, please…no please. Aaaaaarghh.” Her voice went off as she began to scream. “Okay, Mr. President, what do you say?” “The soldiers will be out of Aganga in twenty four hours!” Lange said. “That’s kind of too long, you have twelve hours or she is dead!” “Okay. But you have to let her go with the soldiers.” “You have my word Mr. President. I should let you go now, you have eleven hours and fifty eight minutes to rescue your concubine.” The call ended. He always suspected Bola would be the end of him; it looked like the end had come faster than he expected. *** Damola looked at the soldier with hate. He had tried his best to explain to them that he had just come to help but they did not listen. He had tried to fight them but he could not stand the pain in his hand when he tried to bring out any fire from it. “Where did you say your camp is again?” The soldier asked, his very painful metallic instrument of torture swinging from his side. “I have told you and every other fool that has asked that question, I am not the one you want! It’s no wonder you fools keep losing to him.” “Well, I guess we have to go through another round then.” The soldier moved behind him with his metallic whip outstretched. Damola shut his eyes and bowed his head. “Stop!” Damola opened his eyes and looked up. The president stood in front of him. “Who are you?” The president asked. He looked troubled. “Not who your soldiers think I am.” “Who are you then?” Damola considered telling him who he was but he doubted he would be believed. But he had no idea what else to say. “My name is Adedamola.” He said and stopped. The president kept quiet and waited. “What do you want to know?” “Look here Adedamola, you may not be the Masked Terrorist but you are one of his men for all I care. Why were you at the scene?” The soldiers looked at one another, they looked surprised the President was actually questioning him. He was too. There had to be something going on. If he was to tell the President the truth, he could not tell him in the presence of the soldiers. “Sir, can they leave us alone please?” “Are you crazy? No way are we leaving the president alone with you!” One of the soldiers said and moved closer to the president. “Leave us please.” The president said. The soldiers did not move. “You can stay just outside the door, I won’t get close to him, alright? Give us five minutes.” Slowly the soldiers went out. They were probably more interested in what he wanted to say than protecting the president. “Okay, we are alone. Who are you?” “I was at the scene with a colleague of mine to stop the portal…” He started. “You stopped the device? How did you even know about it?” “It is a very long story sir. Let’s just say, I have some history with the masked terrorist.” “You know him?” The president said and started to pace. There was obviously something on his mind. “Is there something going on Mr. President?” “Everything you are saying could all be a big lie but something about you makes me want to trust you. Or maybe I’m just desperate. I’m about to do something stupid, but I have no choice.” “Why are you telling me this?” Damola asked. “You say you are not a terrorist, right? Well, I will give you a chance to prove it.” What is he talking about? “You could lose your life doing this, but you will die fighting for your country and not as a terrorist. What do you say; would you take my offer?” *** Eric sat alone in the darkness and waited for Pearl to come. He had not been in his office in a long time and even now he did not know why he was there. He had not appeared in court in a while and his lawyer had left him several messages but he was not going to reply any of them. Not just yet. His experience in Aganga was all he could think about. He had left Sango to face the soldiers alone. He had no choice, if he was arrested he could not escape, Sango could. At least he expected him to. That was what worried him the now, it looked like Sango did not escape. If he was still held by the soldiers, he was in a lot of trouble. They had stopped the darkness, which should count for something. He had to wait for Orunmila to show up. There was a knock on the door and he opened his eyes. He looked at his watch; he had been asleep for almost two hours. He walked to the door and opened it. Pearl walked in. “Are you alright Eric? You look like hell.” She said looking him over. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He said and returned to his seat. “Where have you been? I have called and called. You usually tell me when you won’t be available. And remember we are in court?” “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I just had to deal with a few personal matters.” “When did you start having personal matters?” She knew something was up, she always knew. “I’m here now, okay? Let’s move on.” She opened her mouth then paused and nodded. Eric knew she was going to come back with her questions and it was only a matter of time before he told her the truth. “Morayo called.” She said. “What did she want? She hasn’t done enough to ruin my life?” “That’s the thing Eric, I don’t know if she’s the one trying to ruin your life.” Eric looked up at her. “How do you mean?” “She said somebody paid her to sue you and they will kill her for calling…something like that. I think you should call her.” “She was paid to sue me? You believe that crap? And why will I care if someone is going to kill her, it is none of my business.” “Come on Eric, I think there’s something going on here that we don’t know about.” “Is that all that happened? I thought you would have a lot of things waiting for me.” “Your girlfriend has been asking a lot of questions about you!” “My who?” “Your girlfriend…the pretty reporter. She has been here a couple of times subtly asking me questions about you.” Eric stood and walked to the large window looking down at the highway in front of his office building. He knew Toni could be trouble for him, especially now he knew the truth about himself. If she pressed hard, she would know all about him very soon. *** Toni Adedoyin walked into the X-Media building for the third time in a couple of weeks. Some men would call it stalking, but she was so desperate to have answers to her question. She had not met Eric the previous two times she came and his secretary was not the most open person you could meet. She was not sure if she was curious from a professional point of view or if it was personal. She hated being the dark, it was probably what made her a great journalist. And there was a lot of darkness about Eric, she had to know. She climbed a staircase and got to his door. Her hand was on the door to knock when she heard some voices from below. She glanced and saw two men in suit, she knew them; they were detectives. She wondered why they were in X-media. She knocked on the door and entered. “Toni!” Eric said, he looked surprised to see her. “Where have you been, I have come here a few times.” She said. “I’m sorry, I was just…” A knock on the door interrupted him. The door opened and the two detectives she had seen earlier entered. “Good afternoon. Are you Mr. Eric Adesesan?” One of the men – Detective Thomas asked. “Who are you?” Eric asked, eyeing them carefully. “I am Detective Thomas and this is Detective Omotosho. Are you Mr. Adesesan, please?” “Yes, I am. Is there any problem?” “Detectives, what’s the problem?” Toni asked, trying to get their attention. They ignored her. “You have to come with us sir, you are under arrest.” Under arrest? Toni looked at Eric, he looked agitated. What was going on? “We didn’t do anything wrong, the whole country would be in trouble if not for us. We were just trying to help.” Eric said. “Trying to help?” Detective Omotosho brought out a pair of handcuffs and walked towards him. “You were trying to help by killing the poor lady?” “Wait a minute!” Eric said and started to move backwards, away from the detective. “Kill what lady?” “I suggest you do not resist arrest Mr. Adesesan. She was going to ruin your career and you killed her, we get it but don’t make this worse than it already is.” Toni looked from the detectives to Eric in confusion. What were they talking about? Eric killed the lady that sued him? “What are you talking about? I did not kill anybody!” Eric said and stopped and his face became rigid. “You will not arrest me for a sin I did not commit.” Toni moved towards the detectives but stopped. She looked at where Eric had stood just a few seconds before she moved, he was no longer there. She looked around the room, he was gone. She felt a hand in her pocket and she jumped. She dipped her hand in her pocket and brought out a folded piece of paper. “Where did he go?” “What just happened?” The detectives looked at each other in confusion. Toni turned away from them and unwrapped the paper. There was a note scribbled on it. Meet me in your house, I’ll explain everything. Damola opened his eyes and for a few seconds he did not know where he was. He looked around and then he remembered. He was on a tree outside of Sarkin Aljan’s compound. It was getting dark and quiet and he could not see through the leaves so he slowly dropped down. He stood still and as close as possible to the tree and looked around; he saw no one. Something was wrong. After his escape from Sarkin Aljan’s public execution, he had helped the soldiers to point where they could hopefully make it to town but he had returned to the house. He came for a purpose – save Anne and he was yet to fulfil it. To his surprise Sarkin Aljan did not send dozens of men after him, just a couple and they soon gave up the chase. If Sarkin Aljan was not after him, he must have something more important going on. He peeked at the house from behind the tree and saw three men come out with heavy guns. They looked around the compound, walked several metres across the open space in front of the compound. Two of them walked back in and the other started to pace in front of the gate. Damola crept a little closer to the house. Something was happening and it was better that he knew what it was. He got closer to the house and he heard the sound of car engines revving in the compound. Then a huge truck came out of the house. The truck was filled with men, they all carried big guns. Where were they going? Close behind the truck, a Toyota Tundra followed. He sighted Sarkin Aljan in the car and he dropped low on his belly. Wherever they were going, he needed to be there. As the car pulled out of the compound, another truck followed it. This one was almost empty. There was only one man seated at the back. Damola crept out and hurried towards the truck while trying to stay out of sight. He got close to the truck, jumped and hung to a chain hanging on the side of the truck. The man in the truck turned and looked in his direction. He must have heard the sound the chain made. He stood and walked towards where Damola hung. He removed his gun from his belt and pointed it forward. Damola hung as still as he could and waited. The man got close and saw him. “Hey, who are…?” Damola punched him in the throat before he could finish. The man fell and crashed into a metallic object. Damola jumped into the truck and caught the man before he recovered. He punched him in the head and he passed out. He dragged the man to a side of the truck and tied him with his belt. He sat and hoped no one had heard the noise. Whatever Sarkin Aljan had planned and he knew he had something planned, he hoped he would be able to stop it. *** They had driven for hours before arriving at their destination. It was the early hours of the morning and it was still dark. He hid the gagged man underneath some debris and jumped off the truck. He ran away from the vehicles and hid himself. They were parked in front of a small building. He could not tell for sure but it looked newly built. There were too many men marching around for such a small building. He was yet to see it but he was sure the portal was in the building. Whatever the town they were in was, it was the next target for Sarkin Aljan. Sarkin Aljan came down from the Tundra and headed into the house immediately. The other men came down from the truck and huddled together, one of them was addressing the others. Damola counted, the men were seven. There were five men already on ground and he had no idea how many were in the building. He could maybe try and take them on but he had to know what was in the building first. He watched and noticed the pattern of the men who paced in front of the house. He had a small window of time when one corner of the building was not covered. He crept towards the building and waited. The men moved and he ran towards the house. He tiptoed around the house and got to a window. He peeped in; he was right, the portal was in the building. Sarkin Aljan was talking to a man; they were the only two in the building. He looked around the building. There was a metal barricade surrounding the portal, Sarkin Aljan was obviously fortifying his gadget this time. He looked around the building and saw there was another door behind the building but it was bolted from inside. He knew he could attempt to fight all the men and break into the building but it was dangerous. If he could get the other door open, he could sneak in. He doubted he could but he knew someone who could – Esu! *** Oya opened her eyes and shook her head to clear her drowsiness. She looked up and looked around her. Something was happening. She usually had at least two armed men in the room with her at all hours of the day. Sarkin Aljan did not trust her and he had no reason to. She had already killed four of his men and had tried to escape twice. He knew she would try again and truthfully if she could, she would. He had been smart enough to keep her hands covered and tied all the time and to keep water away from her. She knew it was only a matter of time before he slipped or one of his men made a mistake. And then, she would make her escape. She wondered why there were no men in her room at the moment. She heard a creak and the door to the room opened. A man stuck his head inside, looked at her and looked around the room. Through the door opening she saw some men loading some bags and moving out of the house. Were they going somewhere? The man closed the door and left. If Sarkin Aljan was moving, it meant his threat to take over the nation had started. She tried to move her hand but it was stuck, she could not. She heard footsteps outside the door and she stopped moving. The door opened and a young man entered. She had never seen him and with the way he looked at her, he had never seen her. He quietly closed the door without taking his eyes off her. She had seen the look on several men, she knew what it was – lust. She had that effect on men and it could be what would help her escape Sarkin Aljan’s captivity. “Where is everybody going?” She asked, trying to sound as uninterested as possible. “It’s none of your business.” He answered without taking his eyes off her body. “It’s okay if they all leave. None of them was man enough to satisfy me anyway.” She said and he looked up at her face. She had his attention. “You tie up a woman for months, the least you can do is get her a man who can satisfy her desires.” She looked away from him but she could feel his gaze. His lust for her had increased. If he was as naïve as he was beginning to look, she could have her escape very soon then. “Could you please help me remove my shirt please? Those fools know how hot it is, yet they won’t even open a window.” She said casually. He looked at her and hesitated. She laughed and said. “You are scared of me too? My hands are tied, what will I do, set you on fire with my breath?” He did not smile like she wanted but he moved closer to her and started to unbutton her shirt. She looked down at his trouser, she saw the growing bulge. She had him already. He removed her shirt, all the while staring at her cleavage. “Thank you dear. Could you please help me removed these leather gloves off my hands too? My hands are boiling from the heat.” He swallowed and started to remove the gloves. She smiled at him and nodded her encouragement. She was not sure how much she could do with her hands tied, but at least she had a chance. The gloves came off and her fingers tingled as the air touched them. She bent her head towards him and kissed him lightly on the lips. He closed his eyes and held his breath. “Thank you my love. Maybe, just maybe you are the man who will finally satisfy me in this god forsaken dungeon. All I need is for you to do me on big favour.” “What do you want?” He said. “I need a bucket of water. Those b------s would not let me have my bath everyday even though I promised they could watch me bathe. Can you get it for me please love?” He looked at her face and she winked. He turned around and walked out of the room. With the bucket of water, she had all she needed to destroy the place and make her escape. Her only fear was how she would escape Sarkin Aljan and his dog Manzo. If she could get out of the room, she had a great chance of escaping. The door opened and the young man came in with a bucket of water. “I have not asked for your name love. What is it?” She asked. “Umar.” He said bringing out a long knife. She stiffened at the sight of the knife. What was he doing? He moved closer to her and began to cut the ropes that tied her. “Just so you know, I have a gun with me. If you try anything stupid, I will shoot you.” Umar said. “Oh, come on love, I just want to have my bath and that’s it.” He nodded and cut the rope off both of her hands. She rubbed the rope marks and smiled again at Umar. “You are my hero today Umar, you have made me so happy. But I have a question though, how many people are left in the building and where were those others going?” “I don’t know where the others went but it’s just me and my three brother left in the building.” He said, eagerly waiting for her to start removing her clothes. Anne dipped her hands into the bucket of water and she felt the energy of the water enter into her. She turned around and faced Umar. He saw her face and stepped back in fear. She raised her hands and a whirlwind started to blow in the room. It started slowly but it began to gain speed. Umar looked at her and started to run towards the door. She threw her hands forward and the whirlwind ran in front of him and knocked him down. She picked her shirt and walked towards Umar. She waved her hands in the air and threw it backwards. The wind picked up Umar and threw him across the room. She got to the door and waited. She had no idea if Umar had told her the truth about the number of men in the building, but it did not matter. She had waited for too long for an opportunity to escape. Now, she had it! *** Eric drifted through the street towards his house. He had stayed in Toni’s house for a few hours. But he knew he could not stay in hiding forever. He had to prove his innocence. The morning was cold and breezy, one of those mornings when he loved to cuddle with one of his girlfriends. Of course he had no girlfriends now. He looked at the people who walked past him; they did not see him of course but he felt just as exposed. He sighed and turned towards his house. He looked around to see if there were no police men hanging around. They might not see him but they would sure see the door opening. He was satisfied, there were no policemen around. He turned to his door and stopped! There was a woman at his door. He moved closer and looked; she was familiar. And then he remembered; she was a model, he had seen her around at events. What was she doing at his house though? He went around the house and came to his backdoor. He looked around to make sure there was nobody watching, he did not see any. He opened the door and entered the house. He paused at the door and looked around as far as he could see, nothing seemed to have changed. He closed his eyes and became visible. He walked to the front door and looked through the peep-hole, the lady was still there. He turned the knob and opened the door slightly without showing his face. “Who are you and what do you want?” He asked. “Hi, is Damola here? I was told he was here the last time he was seen.” “Who are you?” He wondered why the model was interested in Sango. “I’m his girlfriend! Is he here? Open the door please!” He opened the door without saying anything and she entered and started looking around the house. He waited in the living room with his hands in his pockets. After a few minutes she came back. “You are definitely not a shy person.” Eric said. “Where is he?” She asked. He shook his head. He had to get her out, he had other things to do, he also did not know if she knew how Sango really was. “Where is he?” She asked again. “Who are you by the way and why was he at your house?” He sighed and sank into a chair. “My name is Eric, I…” “Eric? You are Esu aren’t you?” She asked very excitedly. She knew who he was? It meant she would know who Sango was too. “Yes I am. How do you know that?” “I just escaped from Sarkin Aljan’s dungeon. I heard…” “Wait a minute.” Eric said surprised. “He always talked about Oya, that’s you?” “Yeah, the one and only. Now that we are properly introduced, where is my man?” Eric explained all that happened to them and how he had seen Sango stop Sarkin Aljan’s execution. “Right now, I have no idea where he is. I’m assuming he escaped though, but he is yet to come here. I was in a little trouble myself. How did you escape from Sarkin Aljan’s place?” “That’s a long story but I think he is planning something big. He moved out almost all his men, something big is going on.” He started to talk but his phone rang. He considered not taking the call; it could be someone on the murder case. He shook his head and pushed the answer button without talking. “Esu, this is Damola.” He sat up and waved Oya over. “I need you to listen very carefully.” “Wait, your girlfriend is here!” Eric said. “What?” Oya snatched the phone from him. “Hello sweetheart, are you okay?” Oya asked. Eric watched her talk for a couple of minutes. Her face glowed as she talked, it was easy to believe they had loved each other for centuries. She put the phone on loudspeaker and placed it on the chair and sat next to it. “Esu, we have a big problem.” Sango said. “Sarkin Aljan is set to destroy the country totally all at once.” “What? How?” Eric asked. “I don’t know everything right now but I need you here. I need you both actually and I need you now!” “I am a wanted man now, I can’t go anywhere I want. And where are we going exactly?” “I’ll text you the location, I really have to go now.” Sango said and the call ended. Eric looked at Oya, she returned the look and nodded. He had his own problems but getting to Sango was priority. “I brought my car, we should head out immediately.” Anne said. “We don’t even know where we are going yet.” “We will get the address before we get out of town but we need to leave now.” He nodded and walked into his room. He had to take some things .They might be away for a while, he needed to be prepared. In five minutes he was back. They walked out of the house and he started to follow her to where her car was parked. Suddenly he felt a strong sting on his back and pain surged through his body. He turned around and looked; there were four uniformed policemen all pointing their Tasers at him. He fell to the ground the effect of the shock still heavy on him. He closed his eyes and attempted to get invisible, it did not work. He looked around, Oya was gone. “Mr. Adesesan, you under arrest for the murder of Miss Morayo Adebisi…” He looked away from the cops as they read him his rights. He could not afford to be arrested, not now when he was needed the most. *** Lange paced around his study mumbling to himself. He was not sure what he was saying but he knew he was frustrated. Since the Masked Terrorist’s call, his men had been watching the movement of the portal. It was the source of his frustration. The device had been moving around in a weird way. It looked like it was headed to Abuja alright but it had not gone through the straight route instead it kept going into villages, turning back and getting back on the road. Apart from the weird movement, it was going very slowly. It looked like the terrorists were not in a hurry, almost as if they were in charge. But then strangely the device started moving very fast. It was close to Abuja now. His men were already waiting for whatever vehicle was bringing the portal. His heartbeat was far from normal now as he waited. If he caught the terrorist now, he could probably still rescue his reputation. His phone rang and he grabbed it. “Talk to me Shina!” He said. “The tracker stopped sir and so we decided to go to it.” “Okay, and…?” He asked, wiping sweat off his brow. “Well sir, we found the tracker on the floor.” “What?!” He suddenly felt light-headed. “The terrorists must have found and disposed the tracker sir.” Oh my God!He could not afford to have terrorists in the Federal Capital Territory. It would be the end of him. There had to be another way. “When did the tracker stop moving?” Lange asked. “About thirty minutes ago, sir.” “Okay, do we have our men still searching every vehicle entering the FCT via all the roads?” “Yes sir, we do.” He nodded and ended the call. How did they discover the tracker? If they discovered the tracker, it meant they knew he was on to them. He still had hope, soldiers were searching every car entering the city. His phone rang again and he grabbed it. “Did you find them Shina?” He asked as soon as he answered the call. “Sir, this is not Shina but I’m afraid we have a problem.” “What is it?” Lange asked and held his breath. “The portal was not headed to Abuja, it appears to be somewhere in Minna. A strange form of darkness was reportedly sighted a few minutes ago, sir!” “Find that portal and destroy it!” Lange said, his voice and his body shaking furiously. Aaaaargh!!!He screamed and threw his phone against the wall. “Why Minna? It was not a very important… oh my God! Susan!” .