Citadel of Hope

By Joseph Revolg

Sunday arrives at Hope of St. John College,after several hours of journey by road.This is his first time leaving home for boarding school. He is with his uncle, Eke who is an ex military personnel, and along with a hired driver.The school premise is pristine and picturesque like garden. It is late in the evening and a weekend.
The Administrative block is a minute drive from the school gate.The block and other structures surrounding it are built by Colonial masters many years ago. Sunday likes the environment although he begins to feel homesick. Eke looks out for his friend and former colleague, Wilcox who is now a senior staff of the school.
As the night progresses, Sunday and the driver fall asleep. Wilcox is not happy with Eke so he calls him aside. Wilcox asks Eke his reason for choosing the school for his nephew. When Wilcox questions Eke’s loyalty to his brother, Sunday’s father, it almost leads to a fisticuff. In a sudden moment, they hear a shriek which startles Sunday and the driver from sleep. Eke makes a sharp turn and sees a two-winged and fangs bearing monster. The door is broken down and the creature is about to attack him. Wilcox intervenes and tames it. He leads the monster to its room.
After the incidence, the guests decide to leave. Wilcox warns them of the danger walking late outside. They spend the night in affliction and wake up the next day tired. Wilcox introduces his scrawny little son, Douglas to the guests. Douglas is also the monster they encountered the night before. Sunday gets to learn firsthand the rules governing the school. Exorcism is highly prohibited, the practices of any religious activity are criminal offence and attacking animals leads to severe punishment.
Douglas reveals to Sunday a lot about the school. All the academic staffs belong to a bloody cult with the principal as the highest authority. Wilcox and the principal are part of an evil trinity as referred to by the students. They invoke the spirit of the dead and use them to cause havoc.After the death of some students, the school authority claims they committed suicide and they recommend all students to undergo psychiatric evaluation. One fateful night, Sunday decides to escape from school. He is not alone in this adventure; he forms an alliance with his two friends in the same house as him. With their cooperation, they overpower the porter and break out of the hostel.
When they think they are making progress, the winged beast appears in front them. Sunday’s companions are terrified. Sunday knows it is Douglas behind it. He looks at the creature and exorcizes its demons. The beast goes into frenzy and falls to the ground to turns back Douglas.
Douglas is grateful for the intervention. He tells them the best escape route to take. As they walk along the field, they unwittingly fall into a trap. Massive roots like tentacles entangle them and suck them in. They wake up and find themselves in a metaphysical world. It is day time over there and they are in the middle of a graveyard, with several thousand graves. A ghost walks out of his grave in white. When they look closer, they find out it is the student who died in place of Sunday. He doesn’t hear them when they call his name.
They are more curious and decide to follow the ghost. They are surprise to see the name of students on each tombstone and the date they will die. Sunday also sees his name and that of his friends. The ghost leads them into a hall where they see multitude of dead men and women working feverishly. Sunday is surprised to see his uncle and the driver amongst the dead. Douglas also appears in shackles with his father and the senior staffs holding knives.Sunday cannot be seen or heard and same as his colleagues. They are in a different form of existence which makes them undetectable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joseph Revolg
• Release date: Jul 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310626463

Joseph Revolg

Joseph Revolg has nine lives-- two already gone, leaving seven. He was not conceived, but came to be at the strike of lightening. At the end of his lives, he'll gain immortality. In contrast to his weird sense of humor, he explores ways of defeating evil.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The almost endless journey came to an end. Part of the sun disappeared behind the horizon and birds began to birds began to migrate in droves. Sunday Bassey fell asleep in the back seat of the vehicle after enduring a nine and a half hour journey.

The vehicle was a relic which refused to break down. The air conditioning system packed up long ago although the engine still remained as good as new. This used to be his father’s favorite property before luck smiled on him and he purchased two luxury cars.

Sunday was travelling for the first time in his life. He was born into an extended family, and grew up in Lagos. His uncle, Eke, a burly man sat in the front seat with the driver. When they drew closer to their destination, he turned to tap Sunday hard on his hand. Sunday jerked as if woken from a nightmare. His uncle gave him a stern look which spoke more than words. Eke was twelve years younger than Sunday’s father. Sunday’s father was also responsible for Eke’s upkeep when their parents could not go any further.

Sunday arrived at his new school, Hope of St. John’s College in Rivers State. The journey took longer than necessary because of the inexperienced driver and the rough terrain. Most times Eke scolded the driver at the slightest mistake or he resolved into cursing and swearing. Apart from the state of the car, the bad road and the weather, Eke made the journey longer than twenty four hours. Whenever he did not swear, scold or curse, he took booze of alcohol.

Sunday felt great relief when the journey came to an end. On the school gate was inscribed, Hope of St. John’s College 1894. One of the three security men stationed at the gate came out from his post and inspected the vehicle. He saw Sunday dressed in green check shirt and green shorts. He gave the driver a gate pass and ushered them in.

They drove down, along a paved road canopied with large trees all the way to the Administrative Block. They saw bats flying along the trees and heard the hooting owls and chirping crickets. The cloud became moisture laden and the leaves of the trees made rustling sounds. It appeared the trees spoke to each other. They were more than a hundred years old and may be they had been around during the Continental drift. They had grown roots reaching the core of the earth.

Sunday began to feel like a lost soul, more like a stranger in another man’s territory. He didn’t know how to explain what he felt. It wasn’t a pleasant emotion but a despondent feeling. His heart raced hard. He tried to close his eyes to dispel his fear.

After a minute of driving, they came to a final stop at the Admin Block. For the short period they drove, not a soul was seen on their way. The Admin Block, built similarly to a Cathedral had a modern car park by its side. The driver parked in the parking lot and they alighted. They did a little bit of stretching and snapping of joints. Eke brought out a lighter and a cigar and then saw a notice on the wall, DO NOT SMOKE. He swore and returned his lighter and cigar.

You have to wait here let me see what can be done, he said.

Sunday nodded. Eke stood up and walked into the Admin building. Sunday sat close to his luggage in deep thought while the driver sat next to him.

You are beginning to feel homesick, the driver said.

Is that what it’s called?

Yes. I use to experience it before, but now everywhere is like home to me.

Lucky you, Sunday said but he turned away from him and went into thinking. Sunday learnt to find solace in himself. He understood his disposition better than anyone else. His detachment often offended close friends.

His uncle came out in the company of a middle age man with protruding stomach who chewed bitter kola on his way. He wore slippers and dragged his feet as if they were too heavy to move.

Hey, Eke said in a brusque tone, there’s someone important you should meet

Sunday stood up and bowed to greet the man.

Young boy, how are you today? the man said revealing sets of discolored teeth as he smiled.

Fine, thank you sir, Sunday said but his expression betrayed his words. He didn’t want to look at the man’s fat oily face.

You have no choice than to be fine, his uncle said. He’s going to be your house master. I’m sure you don’t know what that is….

Eke, you have not changed that much. You are still the same old guy I knew back in the days, the man said and chuckled. Why are we standing here…let’s have a sit inside, he said. He showed them the way into the Admin block. Most of the doors were locked. A few sturdy looking security men patrolled the corridor. They sat on a long pew along the hallway.

Young boy, lest I forget I don’t even know ya name. You can call me Mr. Wilcox, I am a friend to this man you call ya uncle, Wilcox spoke in a thick accent characteristic of the Easterners. He and Eke had known themselves for more than twenty years, way back in secondary school. They enrolled at the Defense Academy the same year before conscripted into the Army. Eke was a bright and diligent soldier until he got involved in a row with a superior officer which led to a fisticuff. Although Eke won the fight, he got court-martialed and was dismissed just after five years service which also included a stint in the Liberian Civil war. Wilcox resigned to serve his community.

I am Sunday, sir.

A very interesting name, Wilcox said. He brought a piece of kola and threw into his mouth. You mind some, he said offering to his guests.

You know I’m not a kola person, Eke, Sunday’s uncle said. If you don’t have whisky, then forget it.

You know I have stopped drinking a long time ago, even though I still have other vices. He chuckled. A man must have at least one of the three vices: alcohols, smoking and…. He looked at Sunday and the driver and hesitated. There are some things I am not permitted to say, but I’m sure you know what I’m passing across.

"Of course