Canaan Is Empty! - #Kiitypens

   I woke up to an empty house, an empty street. Ours had suddenly become a world devoid of people, of any soul. The atmosphere was gloomy, the air saturated with stench and an odor that smelled like gas wafted into my nostrils. Owls were hooting, vultures feasting on what seemed like meat, flesh. Where did they come from? we had no vultures in the city. I screamed, they stopped, fixed their ugly gaze on me; they made funny noises that sounded like they were mocking me and then went about their business. "Fucking bald creatures mocking me, rude and ugly animals" I muttered in frustration.
    "But where is everyone?"I thought.
    The odor became stronger; there was something awkward about it. A thought came to mind. Suddenly I could see flashes, my memory was returning.
    The Nuclear attack the night before! A strange phenomenon, a nuclear attack, one similar to that which cleared out Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been announced on TV the night before. Just then the lights had blown out, oxygen had started thinning drastically, everyone had begun to drop, it was weird, strange was the perfect word. Just then, it hit me, it was fast, I held on to my chest, clutched it hard. I staggered into a room, a dark room to take refuge, my vision became blurry, and breathing became difficult. Did I pass out on the long run? Maybe I did. I guess I'm lucky but then how did I survive? Everyone is gone, why am I the only one here! How can I possibly handle being alone? The world is a harsh place to live in without loved ones..."Hello! Somebody here? Anybody? Is there any soul left in this frigg’n world aside me?"
I ran back into the house, entering. Was easy, it was like I practically passed through the door..."Just my imagination,” I thought.
Just then I saw my boyfriend, Fred, sitting on a couch, a smug grin plastered on this face. I ran to hug him, he felt cold just like everywhere.
"Why is everywhere cold now? I mean you are also cold which is unusual. Isn't the harmattan period over? Strange” I said without stopping to get a reply.
"Are your parents dead too Fred?"I asked
"Yes baby, they are dead. Uncle Timothy and Grandpa Lewis too. Everyone is gone. “He said.
"I'm sorry, I know how much you love them."I said with exaggerated sympathy as I moved closer to kiss him.
    "I'm sorry too, I know how close the bond you all shared was."He said as he evaded my kiss.
Strange I thought, he would never prevent me from kissing him.  We have always had barriers, parents and all and now that we are all alone, I wondered why he didn't allow me kiss him.  I decided to caution myself, we should be mourning not making out I thought and bowed my head in shame. But then I needed to be held, I needed to be comforted. It was just too much to bear, everything had happened so fast.
"We need to talk Letisha." He suddenly said.
"Talk? About what?"I asked in feigned annoyance.
"About us, about this."He replied.
"Are you breaking up with me?"I asked stifling a sob.
"This isn't about breaking up!"He screamed.
    I jumped back but recovered from my shock almost immediately. He had never raised his voice at me; it was strange seeing him do that. "So we ain't breaking up? Cool. I guess we are the only survivors in the country? How do we live? How do we manage this responsibility? This is too much to take in! We are going to have to rebuild the ruins, we have to reproduce and start afresh! We are still so young, who will teach us? I don't want to be the Eve of the new era..I really..."
    "We are dead Letisha." He suddenly cut in
I looked at him immediately, I saw pain, gried and concern in his eyes and for the first time, I noticed they looked glassy and lifeless.
    "No we can't be! I survived, its obvious! I am here, you are also! Is this so hard to bear that you won't just accept the truth that we are the only ones left here? Can’t you just be grateful?"I screamed at him.
    He moved towards me and shook me till I leaned against him.."Why won't you just accept the truth? You so much want to stay alive but it is impossible! Why won't you just accept that all is lost, our Nation has been destroyed! Do you ever stop to wonder how you managed to pass through a closed door?"
"A closed door? Liar!" I screamed as I looked towards the entrance and noticed that the door was indeed closed.
"I closed it myself when I got in Fred so quit messing around."
"Go..go..go on..try it again." He said as he led me towards the door. We passed through easily.
I let out a cry, he had just confirmed my worst fear! I was really dead! A ghost!
"But how? I didn't die; I took refuge in a dark room, why? Why? Why did they hurt us this way? What did we do? So we are all ghosts? Where are the rest? Where are the elders? What are they saying about this?"I asked.
    "The elders say it was the election. There was so much hatred, bad blood that led to bloodshed. They say the leaders or supposed leaders turned against each other, they bribed the citizens. The elders keep chanting "we sold our lives and children's future to the monsters". They think they are at fault. The youths are biting their fingers, they won't stop screaming "had I known!" It is all a mess in the town's hall. It is the new ghosts' convention ground. We have nowhere to go, our souls are stuck here because we have no body."
"But this is our body? What do you mean by we have no body?"I asked.
"This is not your body, this isn't mine either. It is just what our minds have been programmed to imagine. All we have left are our charred souls."He replied
"Where are the so called leaders?"I asked in annoyance.
    He scoffed,” they are out of the country. They all fled as soon as the killings started. One of the opposition party leaders ran to the country of the white man to seek for help to destroy another party but the white man saw it as an opportunity to clear the nation out! History repeated itself again."
    I let out a cynical laughter, one so sad and cold, "they blamed the government the whole while, change lied with the government, they thought, when in fact the change lied in our midst. They called the government corrupt leaders when they themselves were as rotten as maggots. They relegated themselves as servants and ate from the crumbles of the fat politicians' plates yet they were the leaders. Democracy they called it, it was supposed to be a government by the people, but indecision and greed cost them their lives and our future.     Democracy became Grey suitocracy, politics of grey headed men in suits! We the youths watched the whole while, we refused to fight for our rights, we didn't grab the bull by the horn in time and it has turned against us! It hit us hard! Cowardice has cost us our future, our lives, and yet we are stuck here, and they are over there. Slaves to the white man but still alive. Whose loss is it now? The land of milk and honey is no more, our inheritance is gone! Canaan is empty!

Election is fast approaching! Vote wisely! Choose well! Save your life and ours, give us a future.

                                               #Kittypens#