For the Dream of 5 Years: Chapter Ten: The Dark City

Dave waited to see how the public would receive the outcome of the tally. He knew that if anyone were the first to react, they would be from the city, the aggrieved, the determined for a revolution, the Daves. He was surprised how people could steal so plainly and openly without hiding a thing. There was a lot of noise in the neighbourhood, almost deafening sounds of people chanting with excitement, hundreds of footsteps, maybe thousands, moving with joy, songs, and dancing. They seemed to have come from one side of the neighbourhood moving to the other, with vuvuzelas, drums, and singing to the name 'Freeman. They praised God’s appointment and his father for bringing forth a king. They were happy. Another group screamed, cursed, and hurled anything they could find on their way towards the Statehouse, towards those that seemed happy, throwing stones at the buildings, vehicles, and anyone. Another group was armed heavily, in uniform and helmets, holding shields and hurling tear gas canisters at the people on the roads, the happy and the aggrieved. They run from place to place, hitting people and shouting at some. There were teargas here and gunshots there. The dark was falling as though from heaven coming to the earth, but everyone was outside, even Dave. There were lights all over the city; people gathered to celebrate, and others to start a revolution. The 'security' was dispersing any form of gathering that sounded aggrieved, that looked violent, that marched wearing angry faces, that wore disappointed looks, anything but happy. Dave sounded aggrieved; he was on the receiving end of the security detail. He did not care; he would remove Freeman from Statehouse and place Amos on the throne if necessary. Dan would not endure another five years in a nonfunctional regime that had affected all aspects of his life. There were no jobs, bad and poisoned foods found their way into peoples' kitchens, and there was mercury in the sugar and lead in the water. There were quack doctors raping women under the influence of anaesthesia, poor roads and infrastructure, killer vaccines, counterfeit goods in the markets, extrajudicial killings, shameless corruption cases, and the list was endless. He would not let that play out for another five years unless he died. He would march, throw, and protest until Aljazeera, CNN, and New York Times interviewed him. He would let the world know and comfortably take the bullet after Amos took the throne. People were being killed left, right, and centre as the protests were intensifying all over the country. There were people burnt alive in a church somewhere in the country. Stray bullets killed some; others were pulled from moving vehicles and hacked. Some were cut and stabbed by people they knew, there were bodies dumped in a lake, and people were slaughtered all over the country, but most supported Amos. It was a significant loss. The following day, Dave decided to check on Shanice. He was still off; he wanted his phone off. He did not feel like talking to anyone, his mother, siblings, friends, and even his wife and son. He was angry. The security was tight, protesters were subdued, and people were retreating, making it hard to hold anything close to an insurgency protest. Dave was worn out and needed something to numb his pain. He needed to cry unjudged, not to shower without being reminded to shower. He needed to eat without being nagged because he wanted to kill himself. He needed to be left alone but taken care of, pampered and smothered with love without any talking; he needed not to be looked at, to be invisible. He was broken, shattered, and hated people for not joining the uprising. He hated people for only protesting online, and when it came to the physical task, they cowed down like sick pigs. He hated everyone for not standing up for the truth. He wanted to die, but of what use would have been of his death if no changes came out of it? He knocked on Shanice's door, and when no one answered, his heart sunk into his stomach. Before he could go berserk, he heard footsteps coming towards the door. When Shanice opened the door, trying to clear her eyes from her heavy sleep and to have a clear view of the person who showed up at her door, she recognized that look so well. A glimpse of defeat. Dave was broken, worn out, crushed to nothingness, reduced to the default setting of a simple human being. His hands were stretched out and held on to the door frame for support. His eyes were empty and teary. The expression on his face was blank; Shanice knew what to do, not to talk. She opened the door and ushered him in with a simple hand gesture. Dave locked the door behind him and walked behind Shanice. He grabbed her by the shoulders and gently turned her to face him. He studied her eyes and wanted to be lost in their beauty; they were so clear and big. It was like they called him to her. He cupped her face with his big hands, which fit perfectly. It felt so soft, like an exotic gem. He wanted to kiss her but bent a little to plant a kiss on her neck. When she slightly bent her head to allow him more room, he knew there would be no resistance. She would not disappoint him as the country did, the regime, the stupid protesters behind their screens, like the independent electoral and boundaries commission did as Michelle did. Michelle did not tell him her candidate; she left him alone in a dark city, knowing he would be broken. It was bound to happen; no regime gave way to a new one in the country. Michelle knew it was the norm; still, she packed and left. He kissed her neck gently, but his anger was immeasurable; not even seeing a beautiful woman and feeling her in his hands would numb him. Shanice touched his chest, trying to unbutton his shirt. He did not want to be touched, talk, or explain anything; he wanted to be invisible. In a violent shove, he turned Shanice to face the wall. He placed her palms against the wall; a little harder, he pressed them in a way to suggest he didn't want them off the wall. He hurriedly reached for her trouser and unzipped them. He was hard, reached for the lube on the drawer, and lubricated himself. Then in a violent thrust, he pushed in so hard, and he could tell he hurt her but didn't want to talk. After a few thrusts, he could tell Shanice was not enjoying it because she tightened and curled up her body, making all her muscles stiff from the discomfort. He pulled out, lifted her from the ground, and carried her in his arms, heading to the bedroom. He stood midway along the corridor, hinting that Shanice should direct him to the correct bedroom where Dickson was not sleeping. Shanice pointed to the first bedroom. He carried her there, made some sweet, gentle love, and rolled over for a night of deep sleep. He slept the entire day and night, and when he woke up the next morning, he found some food and drinks by the side of the bed. He ate, drank, and took a shower. He switched on his phone, and there were tens of missed calls and tens of messages; he didn't open any of them. He figured his mother, Michelle, family, and friends could be looking for him. He sent a message to Michelle and his Mother saying he was alright and would call soon, immediately after fixing his phone. Then he switched off his phone and went back to bed.