Provoked

It started with the nightmares

Sometimes he would see himself in the desert or in a creek, warding off blood monsters of all sizes

At other times he would see himself in a river of blood, standing there, crying

Sometimes he would wake up drenched in sweat, shaking all over

At other times he would scream and turn violent

Sometimes he would wake up to find himself in the middle of the road, far away from his house, running

The night terrors were the worst!

He would wake up in a blackout state, unable to control his own actions

His doctor said he had seen too much of the war, there was only so much the mind could take before it came undone!

‘Go home’ 

The hotel requested for the presence of a mobile police officer due to incessant armed robbery attacks.

 They were losing patronage and must respond in a manner that would boost the confidence of their host community and calm the nerves of their jittery customers.

He had done two tours with the Joint Task Force combating Boko Haram.

In his own words he had seen hell and more

Horror has a way of twisting the mind

Some veils were better left untorn

He was posted to the hotel.

His presence was all that was needed. 

The robbery attacks stopped

He patrolled the hotel premises three times a day and once in a while he would patrol the area.

The change of environment really helped him, he slept without snapping awake in terror, the nightmares reduced! The night terrors stopped totally

Every night, he would lift his AK-47 and shoot twice into the air.

He called it his warning shots, intended to discourage people planning to execute any crime from coming close to the hotel

Some customers complained about certain boys who sneak to the generator area in the hotel to smoke marijuana

He called the boys and warned them

He understood what youth was like and had gone through his own exuberance with aplomb, but his professionalism was being called to question and he would like them to be reasonable.

The young men didn’t get it.

The ‘soja’ man was being overbearing.

They had not committed any crime

They are decent law abiding citizens

Zombie cannot do anything to them!

He simply couldn’t reason with them

The manager called him, ‘Get rid of these guys or we will have to request that you be replaced”

He became scared

He was a trained soldier, He had killed and maimed and had seen his friends and compatriots killed and maimed for senseless reasons and yet, some local marijuana smoking buffoons will cost him his job?

He went to the head of the youth of the area, “Warn these boys, I don’t want to see them smoking marijuana in that establishment again. I have always owed myself a bullet to the head, warn them to stop coming if they don’t want to be part of my entourage to hell”

The nightmares returned!

He started blacking out again

He started drinking more, for sleep.

The boys stopped coming

Day 1, Day 12, Day 30

Peace…

The manager gave him some bonus for a job well done

Peace…

That day, he woke up happy, he had slept through the night for the first time in a long while.

He dressed up, hugged his wife and three children

Got to work on time

He was about to go into his office, when he perceived the smell of marijuana

What!

He went to the generator house, he saw them! They saw him!

He went into his office, took his AK-47

They ran

He pursued

He aimed, He shot!

He aimed again, He shot!

He aimed for the third time, He shot!

He looked down the street, people were running everywhere!

Three lifeless bodies!

He pointed the gun at himself! He shot!

The End

PS: This event was witnessed live by the writer, he was driving down the street when the shooting began. He had previously engaged the shooter in several conversations about his experience during his tour with the JTF

Two of the three boys he killed were a set of twins

The third was their friend

They were killed on their birthday

He left behind a wife and two children

NOTE:

His condition was diagnosed as Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.