Ten

They were reducing in numbers, some hiding, others fleeing home and the remnant fearful and in disguise. The outbreak of the war became the common fate of the generation. As for General Kofi, he armed to the teeth with a manageable number of efficient navy and strong air force to kill the power of his supposed opponent. Secretly, he saw and manned the birth of the new military arsenals and moved troops to the border watching and waiting until the crack of the first bullet at the dawn of that war history. He had prepared for those moments, a sort of.  Despite the blows inflicted by the small group who were still fighting for the right, interests and security of the entire country, the forces of General Kofi was besieging them successfully, trying to starve the country into submission.  Their leader Captain Taribo was himself a die-hard fellow who could choose to die than to see Kofi's men winning the war. He was callously fanning the fire and riding high on the emotions of his apparently wounded and high-spirited people who felt slighted and wanted to revenge for all the events of the war.  It took the division another six days to strike balance for another attack.

Within hours, just an hour to the darkness after his speech violence of horrifying proportions engulfed the country. The opposing group rejected every agreement, talk on peace and ultimatum to drop any weapon was unsuccessful. It was a sure truth. The worst unexpected would happen now. Many would soon be displaced and be sent to their early death. In a short time that evening, a huge number of family members, friends and business partners were left in all street-sides on a cold blood, knifes-cut and explosion. Corpses scattered in the waning sun like drops of fallen leaves.

The next day, it continued, going deep to other territories.  A rumor which was later confirmed true was that a bomb exploded in the skies above and they had all died before the plane finally crashed on a wall close to Bellgam University field unconsciously.  It caused many damages in the ground, many residents died, some in the hidings met their end and mostly were students of the six year old university, some homes completely destroyed as large bits of crashed plane fell on them, creating huge burning crate. The explosion was terrifyingly beautiful. People by the hundreds lay on the streets, in the fields, in wreckage, and screamed for water. Creatures that barely resembled human beings walked dazedly, skin hanging down in huge flaps, torsos blackened.

It was targeted by a regiment captained by one of General Kofi's men. In their mind, killing the old friends who were now enemies was the right thing to do. They killed and killed and killed them in a large number.

So it continued. Business, offices and schools were halted as his talk earlier the day before was greeted with jeers and catcalls. The armies were causing unwanted destruction in all corners of the city big gate. In little less than seven days, men, women and children had dropped dead in large unknown numbers. Many homes had been flattened.

         Before the next day which brought the unrest on its second day, the war which had been raging officially began and troops from both sides swung into action from their many quarters. International society were watching and picking on suggestions on how to send troupes. Africa was burning, men, women and children were dying in greater number and any delay in putting it to a stop will cause a great damage. No place was safe anymore. Any delay was pure death, death in the most cruelsome manner. Many others had to flee, seeking refuge in neighboring territories which the war had never reached, amid shouting and screaming. The media had belated response of the official report on the massacre. Some reported a disturbance as they had been made to say; others said it was a religious crisis. Seemed by the frenzy of the moment, some reporters seemed to have difficulty finding the balance between getting newsworthy stories ahead of others. Yet everything was done on the open and to the common sight of everyone.

         On the third day was a Friday. On that sunny afternoon, many Muslims who had thought that the war would be lighter or the religious unrest as some uniformed people called it though it dragged for few days and then ends. They did not know that the unrest would go as far as other territories. Far across the distance, a call was heard, so loud and clear. The Muizziem was summoning the faithful to the mosque for the first prayer of the afternoon.  They went on their normal Friday worship with their friend's and children. The prayer was brief. It did not last long as it used to and not many persons were in attendance. As they were coming out from the mighty mosque behind the Towers of the First African Stock Exchange House, then explosion followed. The worshipers who had filed on the entrance of the mosque, mostly men took cover, but it was late. They were seeking to keep their lives. This was not death for Allah to pay because of once achievement on earth, but pure massacre for reason they do no know why. They were looking at each other eyeball-to-eyeball and withdrawing without saying anything. They all lacked the power to say anything. At least they were innocent.