chapter 4

The search 

The principal was quite lost in deep thoughts.

"Mr Jaye?" one of his colleagues tapped him, making him come out of his deep thoughts.

"Hmmm" he exclaimed and didn't say a word .

What's your say on this Mr Jaye you aren't saying anything here what wrong.

He stared at the boys for some minutes, then he finally said.

"Been working for this institution for over 25 years now", and I can vividly tell you that a lot of students had lost their lives in this school's bushes years ago. Something was killing them mysteriously but we couldn't place our hands on it, but it stopped after it nearly took the life of a final year student then, but she survived and escaped it but her life hasn't been the same from that day onwards.  And after some few months she passed away. She couldn't survive the trauma for long, and since then no students have ever gone into the school bush again. And that's why a restriction was made for no one to go there but you guys broke the rules.

 And according to your story, you said you guys have been going there before now, and whatsoever that was killing students then in the Bush would have been what James saw.

I thought that horrible creature had left this school years ago. It seems I was still wrong. Just that nobody has been going there so it stayed quiet, but you guys had finally gone to wake it,and I still hope it is not what I am still thinking about.

Everyone was silent and looking at each other now you could tell  the  terror written all over their faces.

"The.. the…there has been a creature that kills students in the school bush and we didn't know about it"? and to think we've been  going in there's all this while?" Ken asked, stuttering with his eyes wide and mouth agape.

"Yes ken" the principal replied, and that is why the school goes by rules that will guild and protect all of you, but you broke it and it is the result you see.

We will have to send some group of security men into that bush to find Emmanuel, if we're going to see a trace or parts of him, cause I know he won't survive whatever happened to him in there.  We are hundred percent accountable to his parents about his safety, We can't leave him there. 

Then he looked at the students in front of him and said " As for you boys your punishment would be dished out to you after we have found him, and have gotten to the bottom of this whole scenario .

"Dismiss" he finally said and they all walked out of the hall into their classrooms reluctantly.

The principal turned to his assistant and said keep an eye on them to get any other information which they didn't give here, and try your best to get some information from James. We really need him right now, because he is the eye witness that can actually tell us what happened inside that bush with Emmanuel.

" Ok sir " the assistant responded and moved out of the hall to carry out her duties.

The principal got lost in his thoughts again, and after some few minutes he gave an order for them to get hefty men as security to go into the bush at night.

Later that night, the security men equipped with tools were all assembled in front of the school dorm. Then the principal, Dorm captain and some other few staff all assembled too. James was now discharged from the hospital and was brought out too, but he still couldn't get himself to talk. He was just there staring into thin air like someone that gradually lost his sense, so he was still left under inspection and care for him to gradually recover from whatever happened to him. 

" We are all ready and set sir" one of the hefty looking security men among them said. 

Ok you can now proceed into the bush the principal replied.

The man looked at the principal and said, 

"Are we the only one's embarking on this journey?" We will need at least one of you to come along to identify the boy if you see him.  I personally would have wanted this boy over here to join us too, he pointed at James cause he's the one that was with the victim the very night he went missing. But it seems he's not mentally fit for this journey, so we need someone from the school that knows the victim to come with us. It will make our work easier too, he said and stepped aside for whoever is willing to step forward.

Everywhere went quiet immediately, everyone became tense, nobody was willing to go into the bush with them, not at this kind of time. Everyone became afraid,no one was willing to go and die, cause they all believed there was something in there that was killing students.

''Is no one willing to do this with us ?"

Pls it will make our work easier. We don't know this victim, we need someone that will at least recognize him if we eventually see anything about him in there. The security man said again looking at the staff in front of him.

"Th…th..the principal is the oldest in the school and he's the second in command here too. So I think he should lead this quest, or what do you all think ?One of the staff stammered looking away from the direct stare of the principal himself .