PRROJECT LIVING-DEAD FINALE

Diya didn’t know what direction she was headed, all she knew was that, she had to put an end to the madness in her life. Stepping into the hallway, she walked through with out making any move to hide. She could sense them. There were quite a number of people in the lab.

“Her business wasn’t with them”…. She thought to herself.

 All she wanted was Dr Bayo. Just then, one of the doctors laughing, stepped out of a room and on seeing her, he screamed which drew the attention of everyone around.

“ You shouldn’t have done that”….. She said before she hit him hard with the butt of the gun which put him out in an instant.

 An alarm was already set off by one of the terrified doctors in the lab, alerting security.
The alarm alerted Dr Bayo, causing him to look at the CCTV footage he had in his office. His first move was to check on TYPE-C. On seeing the lifeless bodies and no sign of her, he began to frantically pack up files he felt were vital. He knew she was coming for him.

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PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 9 -HERE

Picking up the phone, she dialed her mother’s number.

“Hello who is on the line?”.

“Mummy it’s me…Diya said in a tone barely above a whisper”

“DiyaPreye!  How are you? What happened to your phone? I have been trying to reach you, your number hasn’t been going through"

“I’m fine mummy”

“Ehen I got a letter from your school o. It said you were selected to represent your school in a debate at China and that you would be traveling there to stay for some months. I was given a paper to sign that I consented to you traveling. Diya are you there?”

She opened her eyes in surprise and stared angrily at Dr Bayo.

“Yes mummy I am. Umm did you sign it?”……Diya asked partly hoping she didn’t.

“Of cos I did! That’s why I have been trying to reach you. You couldn’t even call me to tell me the good news before your school did”

“I am sorry mummy my phone is bad. I am still trying to fix it. That’s why I am calling now. I had to tell you. I didn’t know the school would send the letter that fast”

"It’s alright my dear. But umm you don’t sound too excited why?"

“Oh no I am! It’s just this phone issue that I am worried about”

“Ok if you say so. How about your job how will you sort that out?” Dr. Bayo made a move to retrieve the phone from her.

“I sorted that out already.

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 9

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 8 - HERE

Slowly, Diya regained consciousness. Without opening her eyes entirely, she moved her hands towards the side of her head to retrieve her phone from where she would usually keep it every time she was about to fall asleep, but then she didn’t find it. Opening her eyes to check properly for it, Diya realized that she wasn’t at all in her room. Jerking up fully awake, she wiped her eyes with the back of her palm to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. Opening her eyes this time, the thought hit her. Her attack by some strange looking men from the previous night, wasn’t a dream after all. She had been abducted.

 “But by who? and why?”.

Standing up from the bed, Diya looked around the room she was been placed in, everything  was covered in pure steel including the floor. There was a huge mirror at the corner of the room. Just beside the mirror, was a table with a jar of water and a plastic cup placed on it. Diya moved towards the mirror and caught a glimpse of herself. Her cloth had been changed into a white loose t-shirt and a grey trouser that looked more like a tracksuit. The  thought of someone undressing her in her unconscious state caused her to shiver in fear.

“ stay calm, don’t show your fear”…….she whispered to herself.

Returning back to to the bed, Diya hugged her knees so tight and began to sob.

“I want to go home”……she muttered . Placing her head on her knees, she continued to cry profusely, so much that she wasn’t aware that someone had stepped into the room.

 “I see you are awake?”…. said the voice. Causing Diya to turn around in a frantic state, only to see a man in his late thirties wearing a lab coat and pushing a medicine cart towards her.

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 8

  

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 7 -HERE

          
Counting the money for the umpteenth time that evening, Diya couldn’t believe they had actually been given the money as promised. At some point, she had begun thinking it was all a farce. But here she was with seventy thousand naira that had not broken a solitary sweat from her. Fate had smiled on her after all. Picking up her phone, she placed a call, through to her mother.

“Hello mummy, good evening.”

“Good evening Deedee, how are you and how is school?”

“Fine mum. Hope you are doing okay?”

“Yes I am, my dear. You sound excited; what’s going on with you?”

“Mummy I have a good news!”

“Wow. Ok, now you’ve got my attention,” Diya could almost hear the curiosity in her mother’s tiny voice.

“I got a job! With a very big company here in Gusau, too!”

“Wow. That’s good to know. Really good. But umm…wait a minute, how are you going to joggle that with your studies? Won’t it be too hectic?” her mother asked cautiously.

“It won’t be that difficult to handle, mummy. It is sort of, an internship program for students and its flexible. They even gave me a start-up allowance of seventy thousand naira today!”

“Really?! They must be a very big company then. Congratulations my dear. Don’t forget to pay your tithe oh! All that money isn’t for spending”.

“Yes ma, I know. I will pay in some of it to you tomorrow.”

“I have always said you’d make a good husband if you were a man,” her mother joked, with a tinge of laughter in her voice. It was one of their favourite jokes. “Alright my dear; take very good care of yourself oh.”

“I will, mummy. Good night.”

Placing the phone on her chest, Diya could only but smile. Finally, she would be a relief to her

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PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 6 - HERE

              
Getting off the taxi, Diya brought out her phone to check the address again. Something about the location didn’t sit well with her. Why would a multinational company set up their base in a location such as this? The building sat on the outskirts of town and behind the famous but eerie Kotorkoshi rock, somewhere no one would ever think of coming to – perhaps on a hunting expedition, maybe? It certainly looked like some wild life could be lurking around. She felt a shiver course it’s way down her spine. Looking at the address again, she read it out loud to be sure she hadn’t made a mistake. It read: EVON CORPORATION, BEHIND SABON-GWAZURU, KOTOROKOSHI, GUSAU.           
               
She was about turning back when she saw a young man like herself alight from a taxi. He looked like he was there for the screening as well. Diya walked up to him.

 

“Hi, my name is Diya; are you here for the student internship opening?”

 

“Yes, I am. My name is Emeka. Are you also here for the job?”

 

“Yes, I am,” Diya replied with a smile.

 

“Alright, I guess we better go in, then.”

 

The building was surrounded a with barb-wired fence and guarded by armed, mean-faced men. Diya couldn’t shake the feeling of having entered into an army base. She felt a little shaky and suddenly, felt a lump in her throat which refused to go down no matter how hard she swallowed. Finding her voice, she moved closer to Emeka and whispered into his ear;

 

“Doesn’t this place look a little too armed for a tech company?”

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 6

“Ahan, wetin do her?” (What happened to her?), the police officer asked his colleague who appeared to be older than him.

“How I wan take know now eh, sergeant Bala? Sometimes you go dey ask stupid questions. Abeg go find water make we pour her first” (How am I supposed to know, sergeant Bala? Sometimes, you ask stupid questions. You had better go get some water so we can pour on her), the older officer said, looking obviously irritated and confused.

“Person no fit ask you simple question again? Na so so to insult person you sabi sergeant Frayo” (You can’t be asked simple questions anymore? You only know how to insult people, sergeant Frayo), the younger officer said sulkily as he walked away to go get water.

 People had started to gather around the officers to see what was happening. They made unsuccessful attempts at sending the onlookers away as they tried to revive her. Several splashes of water later, they still hadn’t revived her, causing the officers to enter into a state of frenzy.  

Flagging down a vehicle, the officers with the assistance of one of the onlookers, carried Diya into the vehicle, with one of them taking a seat at the back while the other officer sat at the front.  The driver of the vehicle being a little curious, asked them as he drove, “What happened to her?”

“Won’t you mind your business and just drive this rickety car of yours to the hospital!” Sergeant Bala answered angrily.

“Ahan! Officer, don’t insult my car o! After all, I’m just helping you out and I can decide not to help again!” the driver said angrily.

“Are you talking back at an officer of the law? You will be arrested on the grounds of emmm….emmm….count of contempt and insult on the personality of an active officer!” Sergeant Frayo said, in a bid to scare the driver.

“I didn’t do anything! You can’t arrest me o!”

The men argued while being oblivious to

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 5

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 4 HERE

“You incompetent fool! You made a mess of the whole thing! Your lust for power and recognition might have ruined this project! That’s if it hasn’t already! What do I tell the General? ‘Cos I’m damn sure he knows already. Infact, we are screwed!” Dr. Bayo screamed, as he frantically moved around the lab while throwing dart-like stares at his assistant, Tunde, who looked terrified and remorseful.

He had always known Tunde was ambitious and yes, of a truth, the idea for the project had been his. But, that didn’t mean anything in the real world! He modified the experiments, expanded it, got people to volunteer as lab rats and more importantly, he had got the funding, something Tunde could never have been able to achieve. Now, his stupidity might have just ruined the whole thing. The General would certainly be pissed and worse of all, TYPE-C was coming for them. That alone terrified him shitless.

“Umm…your phone, sir.”

 “Will you get that thing off my face!” Dr. Bayo barked.

“But sir, it’s the General,” Tunde whimpered. 

Turning abruptly, he lunged at the phone, being careful not to let it slip through his hands. “Hello sir,” he said, clearing his throat.

“Do you know how much mess you’ve made, Bayo? This whole project was supposed to be under wraps but what do I get? Headline news on national TV talking about seven special ops team members, being found dead in the apartment of a student! This project is over! Wrap up everything you seem to be doing there because, project TYPE-C or whatever it is you call it, has been called off!”

“But General, we only

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 4

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 3  HERE

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 2  HERE

PROJECT LIVING-DEAD 1  HERE

“Remember! She must be brought back alive!” the man in charge of the team barked his orders into the radio-scanner. Taking a few steps further to the front porch, he made the countdown signal and then charged towards the door, knocking it open with his foot. He stepped into the apartment cautiously as he signaled his men who were behind him to follow after him.

Diya stood still, waiting for the right moment to strike. As soon as the first man moved in and was about stepping a little farther from the door which would make her visible to him, she lunged at him, burying the kitchen knife in his neck, immediately severing an artery and causing him to collapse and bleed profusely.

The other men were taken aback by the swiftness of the attack and began to shoot sporadically, forgetting their orders to bring her back alive. Diya took cover under her reading table beside the exit door at the back, allowing the armed men to rain bullets on her apartment till they were satisfied.

As soon as they were done, the men barged in together, including those who had earlier gone to guard the back door. “You have nowhere to hide, TYPE-C. just surrender yourself and come with us,” one of the men said. Diya however, remained calm and watched as they all searched for her.