Chapter 17

It was late at night and the full moon was shining in the sky. Deep in the woods, some men on long similar clocks had gathering around. The men were also masks of different animal’s skulls. Round the gathering, a flaming torch lighted that was giving the crowed light.

Suddenly two men on clock walked in the middle while pulling a man that was tied heavily. After the two men forced the tied man to kneel at the center of the gathering, they moved back joining the circle standing beside each other.

In the circle there were two men chatting on a low voice,

“Have you ever had a second thought about this?”

“Why?”

“Yesterday I think I saw a demon.”

“That’s good because it was there to protect you.”

“No, I don’t think it was there to protect me.”

“If you see it just give in to its power and it will do what you ask it to do.”

“It looks you do not believe me.”

Suddenly a man who had worn a clock with a different color from others joined the circle as he noticed the two men that were talking. The man with a different colored clock from the others faced the two men and said, “You can also join us in the conversation.”

This rose attention to others where they faced the two men silently. The man who was the beginner of the conversation broke the silence monotony by saying to the head of the cult,

“I was suggesting that it good for performing this craft in our area we should at least try another land.”

“Why?”

“People are losing their lives in my land due to this.”

The other man who was being conversed to added, “That was not what he was talking about.” Missing up or betraying the cult would lead to death of once whole family including himself. The head of the cult faced him and calmly asked,

“What are you saying?”

“He wanted to move out of the cult.”

It was not allowed for the members to know each other in the cut for cases of loose ends one will have to go in grave alone. The head of the cult then turned to the man that he was recently conversing with and still calmly said to him, “Can you please remove off your mask.” The man reacted by slowly taking off his mask to whom it was Fante one of the Akan elders.

Immediately everybody saw the identity of Fante the head of the cult asked Fante,

“Did you say that?”

“Yesterday I was hunted by an unknown human-like creature and I think it is all because of this ritual we have been performing.”

“I only asked did you said you want to leave this cult.”

“No I did not say but I think continuing to be in all this is a risk to my life.”

“Hand over the mask to your neighbor.”

Fante faced his neighbor handed over the mask looking lonely then faced back the head of the cult. Then the head of the cult added,

“You know well what we are doing here is for our generations to come.”

“I know but what about us?”

“We will find your replacement.”

Fante with no word he turned and left away leaving the other men in the circle silent. The head of the cult broke the silent monotony by saying, “For our generations to come.” The others in the cult shouted back, “For our generations to come.”

Then the head took a dagger out of his pocket and pointed to where the kneeling man at the center. One of the people in the circle moved quickly to the head while holding a bow. The head of the cult turned to the man gave the man the dagger and said, “We are not doing this because of my benefit. You know what should be done.”

Immediately the man who was holding the bow took the dagger the head of the cult walked back to the circle. The man slowly walked closer to the man who was kneeling and stopped beside him. The man first faced all around where the other members of the clan were silently looking at him. Then the man faced to where the head of the cult was standing and the head of the cult nodded his head once.

The man then turned to the kneeling man and ruthlessly he sliced off his neck and using the bowl that he was holding he collected blood in it. When the bowl was full, of blood, the man raised the bow where the other members knelt.

Suddenly a cloud passed by the moon, giving rise to darkness all over the land. When the cloud passed by the moon giving light back to the land, the man who was holding the bow of blood noticed at a distance a man was standing watching them. The man paused facing the man at a distance still as the other members were kneeling. The head of the cult who was also not kneeling he saw the distant man.

The head of the cult stood facing the man at a distance and exclaimed, “Hail to you the son of the darkness.” This attracted the attention of other members’ where they raised facing the direction at which the head was facing and they all saw a man at a distance facing them.

The man holding the bow pointing the bow of blood to hand it over to the Ofori who they called him son of darkness. Slowly and majestically, Ofori walked to the center of the circle where everybody gazed at him in silence. He paused before the man who was giving him the bowl of blood.

Before he took the bowl of blood he turned to face the man who was sliced lying dead on the ground. Not in controlled of his thirst of blood he took the bow of blood and drunk the blood in it all.

Suddenly a man behind Ofori sprung and using his elbow, he tightly held his neck. he immediately stretch his hand to pull the man off his neck another man sprung with a chain, chained his hand, and firmly held the chain. On the other hand, another man sprung and chained it to monitor his movement.

Ofori try to pull off but the men were firmly and straining to pull his hands apart. Then another man walked from him back holding a rod that he used to hit the back of his knee making him kneel.

Immediately Ofori was contained the head of the head slowly walked to Ofori while holding a head chamber. Reaching on to him, he paused faced him to have a clear look of the beast of the night. The beast calmly faced her back as if it was waiting for him to act first. The broke there weird eye interlock by saying, “This is a chamber that will prevent you from feeding on our blood.”

After the words, he insert the head chamber to the beast’s head where at the moment they were all safe from their blood being sucked off. Then the head turned to the man who was beside him and asked for the dagger and immediately he got the dagger. If they had believe if they could obtained the beast’s blood they will attain its power. First, he wiped of the dead man’s blood.

Then he faced Ofori and said, “Ofori you are already dead you don’t need this kind of power.” Saying his name, it was sure it was a person who knew him but due to the mask it was not clear of who the head of the cult was. Before the head of the cult made his next move to stub him, Ofori with his super strength of thousand men he pulled his right hand and caught the neck of the head of the cult. He was in a capability to snap his heads off by one of his hand but he paused facing him.

Slowly he raised from the ground while holding the head’s neck. At this moment, the men who were trying to contain him were struggling to pull him back but he was too strong for them. In the other side, the other people of the cult paused in shock facing him. As he was staring at the head of the cult who was hanging on the air a man suddenly, appeared beside him knocked on Ofori’s head with a log.

Ofori feeling nothing due to the strong hit, he slowly turned to the man who was standing beside him in shock. Distracted by the man he threw the head of the cult who was in his hands a distance away and pounces on the man and sucked his blood. This cause tension in everybody else where they all started running up and down for their life.

Then Ofori changed to bats where he flew to a man who was running away changed back to a man suck of his blood and pounce to the next person. The head of the cult to where he landed after the throw saw how his cult members were killed and concern about his life he successfully managed to run away.

The people were mercilessly killed where what could be heard were screams of men in the woods.

Fante after being chased off the cult he went and stood on a rising ground to where he could see the village at a distance. Beside him, there was a flame that in it the lock cult clock was burning. To where he stood, he was waiting for the village lights to go off so that he can move in. moving from the woods at that time would cause suspense.

Suddenly he heard some movements in a bush where he quickly turned and took one of the woods flaming waiting to attack. Suddenly out of the bush a man walked out of the bush while saying, “Fante it’s me.” Slowly Boateng walked out of the bush. He was the head of the guards in the whole community so he had a name of respect. Fante lowerd the flaming touch and asked, “Boateng what are you doing late in the woods?”

As Boateng was moving closer to Fante he responded,

“I got late due to hunting for my family.”

“And what was your catch today.”

“Today it was my unlucky day.”

Boateng went and stopped beside Fante that where Fante kept back the burning wood in the fire and faced the fire. Boateng faced Fante and asked,

“And what about you what were you doing?”

“I was burning what is considered as my past.”

“Talking in proverbs?”

Fante held Boateng’s shoulder, faced him directly, and changed the topic by saying, “I have to go back to my family.” Boateng as he was giggling he responded, “I understand you are a family man.”

After these words, Fante moved a distance and stood to where he was standing having a good view of the village, and said, “If we cannot save this generation we cannot save the next.” This rang a bell onto Fante’s head where he quickly turned back only to find Boateng swinging a log towards him quickly Fante acted by bending missing the hit.

Fante then moved a distance away from Boateng faced him and asked,

“What's wrong?”

“You thought you were the only one on this?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You think the cult is like your home you can walk in and out the way you want.”

After the words, Boateng threw the log towards Fante where Fante missed again. As Fante concentrating on the log Boateng took advantage and jumped on Fante. Thudding him on the ground where he started punching him endless punches.

Breaking off the cult would cost one’s life where Fante had a hint on. After a few punches, Boateng took the log that was lying beside them and said to Fante, “We are men we always have cravings of power.” After the words, Boateng used the log to knock out Fante’s consciousness.

In the morning, a villager went rushed on Chief Ashanti’s door and Knocked roughly. Chief Ashanti walked out his hut as he was rubbing his eyes due to the long night to find the villager standing at his door footstep where he asked him,

“What’s wrong?”

“Come and see.”

“What?”

“I want you to come and see because I cannot explain.”

Chief Ashanti banged his door out and said to his soldiers, “Go and alert the other clan of elders and let’s meet at the scene.” After the words, Chief Ashanti followed the man as one some soldiers followed him as other soldiers went to call the others elders.

The strong sunlight rays struck Fante off from an unconscious state where he woke up finding himself at the middle the massacre scene. He stood from the ground to find himself with the full attire of the cult except for the facemask.

Immediately he rose, he noticed dead bodies were surrounding him. Before him five clan of elders stood facing him with guard beside them. The other clan of elders were victims of the massacre. The cult had many people of the community who were list expected.

Fante knowing he was at the wrong place at the wrong time he knelt, raised his hands, and exclaimed, “Oooh God!”