DEVOTED
Insurmountable were the odds that we were likely to survive, seeing as Sammy’s car was at least fifteen feet up in the air and about to crash into the hard ground with destructive force. It felt like the world had stood still, giving the both of us some time to grasp the severity of our impending accident. I could feel my heart beating faster than jungle drums, threatening to burst out of my chest if not for my seatbelt holding it back inside and I was so afraid for what was to happen next. With my side eye, I noticed that Sammy wasn’t wearing his seatbelt – I always warned him about that habit but he never listened. When the car would touch the ground, I was certain that he would suffer more injuries than I would and it scared me even more.
In that short moment when it seemed like the world had been paused, I said a quick prayer in my head. I asked God for mercy and his protection. I asked him to spare our lives for we did not deserve death, not yet at least! I didn’t want to lose my brother for he was the only family I had left and he had so many dreams that he was yet to accomplish – as did I.
The idea of dying on that road did not sit well with me. I was not ready to go, although I knew that if I were to die there, I was sure to make it to heaven for I had lived a righteous life in my twenty-seven years. There’s no one alive who can claim to be completely in line with God’s ten commandments but I fully was, except maybe for the “Thou Shalt Not Lie” part.
I was good! I was pure! My body remained a temple! I believed and I obeyed! My brother on the other hand was more free-spirited than I was and despite how much I tried to pull him towards God, he never seemed to want to do it. And in that moment before the touchdown, I wondered what was going through his mind as we braced for impact. I wanted to know, I wanted to hear his voice, I wanted to see his eyes, I wanted to hold his hand..,but I couldn’t.
Sammy was in the driver’s seat and was probably just as scared as I was. He wasn’t exactly the slowest or most responsible driver but he had never been in an accident before, but for some reason, he wasn’t so lucky today. He had been speeding on the free road as usual, immaculately excited to get to his girlfriend Jane’s house to celebrate her birthday with her. I wasn’t even supposed to be there but he insisted that I come so I could finally meet her, and so I caved! He was driving and then from out of nowhere, another car just drove in front of us. Sammy reacted as quickly as he could and stepped on the brakes but it was not enough time. He drove into that car and his car just took off like a rocket and now, it was crashing back down as gravity could hold it up no longer.
When the car kissed the ground, I felt a wave of pain reverberate through my entire body. The continuous force of the crash as the car bounced on the asphalt was…indescribable. I felt the glass shattered against my face, I felt the metal bend against my legs and I felt my blood spill out of me before the cuts were even done. And then, I felt nothing. My body had gone to sleep as I hung upside down, held in place by the seat belt, and my eyes threatened to follow but I needed to see that my brother was okay before I let them. I turned my head and looked over at where Sammy was supposed to be but he wasn’t there. All I saw was blood but no sign of my brother.
“Sam...my? Sam?!” I called out in a whisper because that was all I could manage.
He did not respond and my eyes lost their will to stay open. I went under, enveloped in the darkness of my own mind; unable to think, see, hear or feel anything. Everything went dark and there was this moment of peace and silence that seemed to last an eternity. I felt dead…but since I had never died before, I wasn't sure if I actually was. It was a strange feeling because my mind was still racing with abstract thoughts. I couldn't piece anything of meaning together but it was clear to me that I was still alive in whatever way. Maybe it was my spirit stirring, ready to awaken and cross over to the other side – Maybe it was my soul removing itself from my lifeless earthly body – Maybe it was my mind floating in the corners of its endless nexus; Whatever it was, I wasn't dead yet. I still existed and I was aware of it. Still, everywhere was blank and nothing was in sight…until something was.
Faster than the blink of an eyelid or the snap of a finger, I found myself in a corridor, standing in between the entrances to two different rooms. I looked around, trying to discern where I was or what was even happening to me but my mind was foggier than the Amazon jungle at the break of dawn. The accident was a thought that was irrelevant at that moment and I couldn't focus on anything else except trying to figure out where I was. I looked around, still rooted to the spot at which I stood, observing my surroundings until I realized where I was.
"I'm back at my University?" I asked myself in confusion.
I was at my Alma mater, right in the halls that led to various lecture halls in the great faculty of Education of the University of Benin, the place I called home seven years ago when I was still an undergrad. But, why was I back here? Why were the paths in front of and behind me so dark that I felt too scared to go in any direction and where did these two doors by my sides lead to? Questions to which I had no answer.
"Hello," I called out and like a trigger, just after I spoke, the doors slowly creaked open and I could see what was happening inside them. On the left side, that door led to a hall filled with several students who all looked like they were studying. The hall was filled with bright lights that illuminated the entire place, it was lively and I could hear the indistinct sounds of their mutters as some of them read aloud while others conversed amongst themselves.
But on the right side, that door led to a much darker room which was the opposite of the one on my left. This hall also had students in it but they didn't have a major light source and were all reading in the dark. They had electric lamps, torches and flashlights from their phones and that was what they were using to read their study materials. I looked back over to the brighter room and realized that there were a lot of empty seats available and it made me wonder; Why are these kids reading in the dark, wasting the batteries of their light sources when they could go to the bright room and read more conveniently?
At this junction, it seemed like I had to go into one of these halls if I was to get out of wherever it was I had been teleported to. The choice was an obvious one; I would go into the bright room! As I faced that direction and was about to take a step, I paused and decided to really think about it before making any move. Something wasn't right! This wasn't normal and whatever I did could determine what happens to me in the grand scheme of things. Maybe this was a test from God, a way for him to test my faith and trust in him and it made me remember that with God by your side, no mountain is too high for you to climb and no river is too wide to cross. I remembered the Lord's prayer – a particular part of it at least.
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…
Those words rang in my ears louder than the strike of thunder on a stormy night and it was a sign that I needed to trust in God and not take the easy route. Maybe the students in the dark room needed someone to help them, to save them from being consumed by darkness and brought into the light. Maybe that was what I was meant to do and I couldn't let fear deter me from doing my job as the Lord had ordained me. I faced the entrance to the dark room and took several steps closer to it until I needed just one more step to cross into the void of the unknown, into the hall of darkness. I was afraid, that much was certain…but I wasn't afraid enough to turn back or give up. I felt a weird energy emanating out of that room, I felt my entire being getting corrupted by its toxic wave of evil, I could hear whispers of what sounded like ghosts and their eerie voice tormented my soul and I was frozen still.
I was aware that I was taking a huge risk but my faith in the Prince of Peace caused my spirit to remain unwavering and with the sign of the cross and the recitation of a quick prayer, I took that final step and crossed over into the unknown…ready to face my task head on and do whatever it was God had charged me with.
As I crossed over into the dark hall, I felt something change within and around me. Not only that, I morphed into my 20-year-old self; the way I was seven years ago when I was still a student here. I don't know why that happened, why I needed to be in my younger form but I trusted that it was for a good reason...maybe it was a disguise, a way for me to blend in with the crowd of young adults in there and not draw attention to myself, at least not in the beginning.
I was surely walking into the valley of the shadow of death, and if I was to make it out alive with my purpose fulfilled, I needed to be smart, cautious and careful.
I walked into the hall and following the aisle, I moved to the front of the class. As I did this, I looked around and noticed some people sleeping at the back of the class and there was just something really strange about the way they were spread out on chairs and tables, it didn't feel...human!
In the middle of the lecture hall, everyone else was awake and was either reading their study materials, using their cell phones or pushing keys on their laptops. The more I watched them, the less strange they seemed... The only thing that remained strange was the fact that they were reading in the dark when they could have been reading in a brightly lit room.
I found an empty seat at the front with no one sitting ahead of me. Suddenly, I felt a weight on my back and reached my hand to find out that I was wearing a backpack. I took it off, placed it on the table and just as I sat on the chair, it gave way and I almost fell but was able to catch myself in a split second. I felt my heart rise into my throat at that moment...It was scary, those two seconds when I almost fell and although I would have been fine had I hit the ground, something in me let me know that I had just avoided a literal death.
I got a hold of myself and remained unfazed, at least I acted so. It turned out that the spring holding up the seat was broken in that particular chair which made me begin to check the others and many were broken as well. Eventually, I found one that wasn't broken and sat in it. I picked up the backpack and checked inside for boons which I found and I opened them and stared at them like I was reading. After a minute passed, something changed again inside the hall. Everywhere began to get quieter and since everyone in there was behind me, I had to turn around to see what was the cause of such silence.
Lo and behold, when I turned around to look, I found all their eyes directly on me. I couldn't make out their expressions quite clearly but it was apparent that they were staring at me. I had drawn attention to myself and now, they suspected that I didn't belong there. I turned back around and could feel my heart pounding. I was afraid that I didn't know what I would do if they all decided to attack me. I said a silent prayer and hoped for a way out. silent prayer and hoped for a way out.
