Map showing Nigeria Note: This is the forty-fourth post in Free Fiction Fridays.
These are short stories put up each Friday that you can read for free. By the next Friday the post will be taken down and a new one will go up. Enjoy!
These are short stories put up each Friday that you can read for free. By the next Friday the post will be taken down and a new one will go up. Enjoy!
President Jonathan Goodnight stared across the table at his leading generals and slammed his fist down.
“Possibly 2,000 people killed in Baga this morning and you’re telling me we can do nothing?”
General Godwin stared across the table at his president and frowned. God he was sick of the man, sick of his corpulence and greed and hypocrisy. And God how he wanted to tell the bastard how he felt.
“Sir, the area around Lake Chad has effectively been closed to us since last year when those schoolgirls were taken,” he said, opening and closing his hands as he spoke.
President Goodnight frowned. “We can’t have everything north of Maiduguri cut off from us. And besides, why aren’t your men moving?”
He looked over to General Benjamin for the answer to that, but the graying commander merely shrugged.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” the president asked, his ire growing by the second. He paid these men good money – well above what they were getting as salaries – and he expected results.
“It means that you’ve neglected the Nigerian military for so long, diverting our funds to your rich businessmen friends, that we don’t have the equipment, the manpower, or the will to move within even fifty miles of Boko Haram.”
“Damn it!” the president shouted, slamming his fist down on the table again. “This country runs on bribes and corruption. You men are paid and paid well and I expect–”
The double doors to the meeting room slammed open and President Goodnight’s eyes went wide. He was about to cry out when the masked figure raised a gun up and fired once.
BANG!
President Goodnight slumped back in his chair, a single black hole in his forehead just starting to drip a line of blood.
“Jesus!” General Benjamin shouted.
“Jesus is right,” General Godwin shouted next, turning to look over his shoulder at the masked figure just starting to move into the room, “what the hell took so long.”
General Godwin narrowed his eyes and looked over at General Benjamin.
“What the hell took so long?” he repeated, a strange look on his face.
The masked figure walked up behind the two generals and tore off the mask. A long stream of auburn hair came tumbling out, and General Benjamin’s eyes went wide.
“A woman! What’s going on here, Peter?”
The woman, Sheila Durand was her name, looked from the confused general to General Godwin. “What the hell is this?”
“He’s not one of us,” General Godwin said.
General Benjamin’s eyes went wide. “Not one of…Peter, I’m–”
BANG!
General Peter Godwin flinched despite himself and turned his head. When he looked back, the woman still had her arm extended and the gun pointed at where the general’s head had been. Now he was lying on the floor, dead.
“So the agency’s ready to move,” the general said when he’d gotten his bearings back.
Sheila nodded. “Nigeria just became another of America’s unofficial states.” She smiled. “I hope you’re ready for some blood, general, because we’re about to paint this country red.”
“Possibly 2,000 people killed in Baga this morning and you’re telling me we can do nothing?”
General Godwin stared across the table at his president and frowned. God he was sick of the man, sick of his corpulence and greed and hypocrisy. And God how he wanted to tell the bastard how he felt.
“Sir, the area around Lake Chad has effectively been closed to us since last year when those schoolgirls were taken,” he said, opening and closing his hands as he spoke.
President Goodnight frowned. “We can’t have everything north of Maiduguri cut off from us. And besides, why aren’t your men moving?”
He looked over to General Benjamin for the answer to that, but the graying commander merely shrugged.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” the president asked, his ire growing by the second. He paid these men good money – well above what they were getting as salaries – and he expected results.
“It means that you’ve neglected the Nigerian military for so long, diverting our funds to your rich businessmen friends, that we don’t have the equipment, the manpower, or the will to move within even fifty miles of Boko Haram.”
“Damn it!” the president shouted, slamming his fist down on the table again. “This country runs on bribes and corruption. You men are paid and paid well and I expect–”
The double doors to the meeting room slammed open and President Goodnight’s eyes went wide. He was about to cry out when the masked figure raised a gun up and fired once.
BANG!
President Goodnight slumped back in his chair, a single black hole in his forehead just starting to drip a line of blood.
“Jesus!” General Benjamin shouted.
“Jesus is right,” General Godwin shouted next, turning to look over his shoulder at the masked figure just starting to move into the room, “what the hell took so long.”
General Godwin narrowed his eyes and looked over at General Benjamin.
“What the hell took so long?” he repeated, a strange look on his face.
The masked figure walked up behind the two generals and tore off the mask. A long stream of auburn hair came tumbling out, and General Benjamin’s eyes went wide.
“A woman! What’s going on here, Peter?”
The woman, Sheila Durand was her name, looked from the confused general to General Godwin. “What the hell is this?”
“He’s not one of us,” General Godwin said.
General Benjamin’s eyes went wide. “Not one of…Peter, I’m–”
BANG!
General Peter Godwin flinched despite himself and turned his head. When he looked back, the woman still had her arm extended and the gun pointed at where the general’s head had been. Now he was lying on the floor, dead.
“So the agency’s ready to move,” the general said when he’d gotten his bearings back.
Sheila nodded. “Nigeria just became another of America’s unofficial states.” She smiled. “I hope you’re ready for some blood, general, because we’re about to paint this country red.”
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