Under Attack – Episode 2

Under Attack – Episode 2

© Brian Ngoma

K.B and the gunshot and the scared girl

With his feet closely reaching the edge, K.B had never felt this good. He lifted his right leg over a pipe closing his eyes. He took a long deep breath. He could feel his leg reaching the end of the building. All he needed to do was let go. As he was letting out a breath, he heard a gunshot downstairs causing him to abruptly lose his balance and tripped. He felt his whole body going helpless as he hit his back on the edge of the building slipping through. He miraculously managed to grab the pipe with his left hand. His legs and whole body was hanging on the edge of the building. He had never felt this scared before. He wanted death and now that it was right in his face, he loathed it. He never wanted to die this way, scared and alone. This was not a good idea.

The pipe moved shaking him. His right hand was hurt due to the fall. Regardless, he managed to lift it and grabbed the pipe together with his left hand. He pulled himself up. As his whole body was on the building, the pipe was cut off from its source. He breathed relief as he sat down leaning on one of the pillars on the roof. Could anyone have seen him? He asked himself as he looked at the nearing buildings. There was nothing extraordinary.

The gunshot? He couldn’t remember where he had heard it from. Thinking clearly, it was from within the building. But why? HQ had no record of any confrontation that involved gunshots within the premises. With his breathing calm, he decided to stand up. He walked to the chair and picked up his things. By now, the newbie must have left the office. He opened the door to the building and entered. As he walked downstairs, he heard voices he had never heard before. The voices sounded angry. He stopped walking, bent over and peeped through between the rail of the stairs.

“Everybody out of the offices!” A man shouted.

K.B saw two men holding guns. They were also wearing vests with bombs strapped on them. What the hell was happening? He stepped back.

“Now!” The man shouted again.

Stepping back, KB saw two officers and other staff who worked on his floor stepping out of the offices. He saw the other man checking his office and closing it. The newbie was not there, she must have left as he thought.

“Hey.”

K.B heard a whisper behind him. He was startled. When turning, he almost slipped dropping his bag. When he looked up, he saw Emma with a finger on her mouth motioning him to stay quiet. He slowly picked up his bag and walked up towards her. She extended her arm, he didn’t hold it but just walked up.

“I hear a noise,” one of the men pointing a gun at the officers told his mate.

“It’s nothing,” the other one said.

“I know what i heard. Those were footsteps.”

“Come on, lets go to downstairs. Everyone must be rounded downstairs.”

“Boss said no loose ends. What if what i heard are people?”

“Okay go and check.”

The man walked upstairs with his gun firmly gripped in his hands. He reached a door that led to the rooftop. He opened it, got out and stood at the door. He looked around and saw nothing but a chair. He turned around and locked the door.

In the corner was K.B and Emma hiding holding their breaths. As soon as the door was closed, they let out their breaths. K.B stepped away from Emma.

“What’s happening?” Emma asked K.B

K.B walked to his chair and sat down.

“Hey i am asking you. I heard a gunshot. When those two men came up, i ran upstairs to hide. Is this a drill?”

K.B didn’t answer.

Emma walked back and forth. “This is my first day. I hope this is a joke. Call someone please! She yelled at K.B

Reaching for his pocket, he got his phone and handed it over to her.

She grabbed it. “No network. What’s happening? This must be a drill. Like a fire drill, right? Tell me we are not in danger please!” She knelt before him and shook him.

Fourth suicide attempt, failed. He could have been dead now. There would have been paramedics checking his mince body on the ground. Some strangers would have been crying wondering why an old man had jumped from the roof. The officers at the station would have known that it was suicide. They wouldn’t even have opened an investigation because they knew that he was suicidal. Death would have been better than facing this scared young girl who was asking a lot of questions. He wanted to be anywhere but here, with Emma. She was a bother. She should have been taken by those men. Whoever they are, K.B thought.

“Your name is K.B, right?” Emma stood up.

K.B looked up at her and nodded. He looked away.

“What’s wrong with you?” She yelled at him. “What’s your deal?” She was becoming irritated.

“It’s not a drill,” he finally said something.

Emma felt weak in her knees. All along since the gunshot, she had been trying so hard to convince herself that it was a drill. She had watched movies and read books about drills. Hearing K.B say that it wasn’t a drill confirmed her worst fears. She slowly walked round K.B and stood behind him.

“So what do we do?” She asked looking at his temple.

***

On the second floor, Acting I.G Daniel hid under his table. He had been hearing voices commanding and ordering people to get out of their offices. Some minutes ago, he had tried to use the landlines and his mobile phone but nothing worked. The lines were jammed. He heard footsteps coming to his office. He didn’t have his gun with him. The new policy prohibited any officer to have a gun with them whilst in the premises of the HQ.

The door opened and from underneath, Daniel saw two boots. They started moving towards the table.

“Is he in?” A voice from the corridor asked.

There was silence. Daniel felt his heart pounding so fast that it could come out of his mouth. Without realizing, he was grabbed from the back and pulled out of the table. He tried to fight but was knocked out by the barrel of the gun.

The man picked him up and threw him on his shoulder. He joined his friend and together with the other hostages walked downstairs to the reception where everyone was rounded up and being tied up. The I.G was thrown on the floor. When his body hit the floor, he became conscious. He woke up to people crying and sobbing. Looking at the reception desk, he saw a lifeless body of an officer and two other officers mourning him.

“Nankonde!” A woman screamed being pushed out of the elevator.

Behind her were other hostages being led to the reception.

“Shut up!” A man behind her shouted.

“Where is my little girl?” She shouted crying. “My baby girl, where is my Nana?”

She was the mother of the little girl who came to the HQ every Thursday. The littel girl was not among the people at the reception. The woman was pushed till she joined the others. She couldn’t stop screaming and shouting her daughter’s name.

“Place the bombs at all the entrances now!” The man in charge shouted orders to the other men whilst walking to the acting chief.

A big bag was put on the floor. Three men walked to it and grabbed bombs from them and each went separate ways. One went to the reception big doors, opened it and placed the bomb behind it. He then came back in.

“All done,” he said.

“Go and check on the others,” the man in charge commanded him. “Acting I.G,” he reached where Daniel was.

Daniel gulped.

“You and i need to talk,” the man in charge said.

“Who are you people?” Daniel asked raising his voice.

Everyone at the reception looked at Daniel and the man in charge.

The man in charge answered, “You will know in due time but right now i will be asking the questions.”

“My baby!” The woman screamed again.

“Someone shut her up right now,” the man in charge yelled. “And go look for that child!” He looked at the man who had brought in the acting chief.

“3rd floor,” another man said.

“3rd floor will be dealt with later, we have everyone here, right?”

“Yes except for 3rd floor.”

“Okay, go and look for that child but skip 3rd floor.”

“Don’t hurt my Nana pleas……” before she could finish her sentence, she was hit from the back and instantly fainted.

Everyone held their mouths in shock.

To be continued

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