HX: Chapter 14

 

Chapter 14


Dede's heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Inspector Hassan's message, a single, chilling sentence delivered by a breathless boy, hung heavy in the air: "They're coming."  The carefully crafted plan, the element of surprise they counted on, lay in ruins.


Fear threatened to paralyze them, but Dede, fueled by a potent mix of defiance and desperation, slammed her fist on the rickety table.  "We fight," she declared, her voice ringing with steely resolve.


Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room. The Egungun, their faces grim but resolute, adjusted their makeshift weapons – rusty machetes, dented pipes, anything that could be used as a defense.  Hope, once bright, flickered uncertainly, but the will to fight burned strong.


Suddenly, the sound of approaching vehicles shattered the tense silence. Headlights sliced through the darkness, growing closer with each passing second. Dede's breath hitched. They were here. Asukwo's men had arrived.


The back door splintered with a deafening crash. Asukwo's voice, dripping with cruel amusement, boomed into the room. "Dede, this little game of hide-and-seek is over."


Dede, her gaze sweeping over the room, took in the grim tableau – The Egungun, outnumbered and outgunned, but standing their ground.  A spark of defiance ignited within her.  They wouldn't go down without a fight.


"You can't win, Dede," Asukwo taunted, stepping into the room, his men fanning out behind him.  Their faces were grim, their hands tight on their weapons.


Dede met his gaze, her voice unwavering. "We'll see about that, Asukwo."


A tense standoff ensued. The air crackled with anticipation, the weight of impending violence hanging heavy.  Dede's muscles tensed, her grip tightening around the makeshift spear she held. In the corner of her eye, she saw Inspector Hassan, his face a mask of conflicting emotions – fear, guilt, and a flicker of something that might have been defiance.


A deafening gunshot shattered the silence.  A scream pierced the air.  Dede flinched, momentarily blinded by the flash.  The world seemed to slow down, the scene before her a tableau of shock and confusion.


Who had fired? Who had been hit?  Dede's gaze darted around the room, searching for the source of the gunshot, for the fallen body.  A tide of fear and dread washed over her.  The fight had begun, but at what terrible cost?


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