Bullet 4 - Part 6

1800hr

"Father Seab, you drive me a hard bargain." I was negotiating with Father Seab for the use of his bus which is a run down forty seater coach mounted on a solid engine. It won't do eighty miles an hour but it will take us through some road blocks. On the side of the bus is the word; 'The Children of Hope Assembly'; which is well known among the common folks.

"You stole that bus from them and you are blackmailing me to drive it with your care on it. This is utter madness. What makes you think your bus can get me through the roads safely?"

"The same reasoning when you asked for my bus. I meant the bus I borrowed from the Assembly. Your army truck or your Rover will not make it pass most roadblock or be shot by the rebels. You know it and I do too. I will loan you the bus with my twelve children on it. You would be my bus driver and I would accompany you as their caretaker. Your companions can travel on it as part of my parish. The rebels and loyalist are men too, and most of them would not shoot at a bus load of my parish children; more so when they are orphans. That is the perfect cover for your to get safe passage. We will part company at the  town where you are headed. Trust me."

Father Seab made sense and as I needed a transport that travel safely, I agreed with his idea. But he asked we remove the excessive guns or have them kept at a safe place. We agreed and we placed them among the children for use in the case of emergency.

We left the slums at 2000hr headed for the river. I started the bus and drove it out of the slum units area. I made sure the bus is lighted inside so that the children can be seen. The Sarge and his men was bandaged and covered with chicken blood to make them looked like dying or wounded men. Dion sat with them dressed in a vest with the words "Nurse" on it. The children sat behind the men while Henry cover the rear seat with the luggage and our hidden guns. Father Seab dressed in his prayer frock sat in the front, while all of us have changed to clothes which made us look more like one from the slums. There are twelve children between five and eleven years of age; of which four are girls. They are all huddling in their seats as we move out. Our assumed destination is the Assembly School in the North near the river; a a five hours drive as anticipated. The night drive was because its cooler and the children can sleep during the drive.

We hit our first roadblock within the hour manned by rebels.

I pulled the bus to a stop before the road block, and I leaned down onto the steering wheel. I did that to have my right hand reached for my Colt Special tucked at my boots.I did not withdraw it as Father Seab alight from the bus to speak to the men manning the block. One of them walked up to the bus and board it. He is a fat man with a red scaff around his neck, and he is carrying a AK47 with him. He looked at the children and then at me.

"You are the driver, uh?" He sort of sounded like a hiss than a voice. Silly question, but I nodded to his reply. He looked at the children and then the 'wounded men'. We got them to wear the read scaff for this purpose.

"El-Revolution, eh? You taking them to be taken care. Good man." The fat rebel smiled at me, and then waved to the 'wounded men'. They waved weakly to him.

"You got a smoke?" I asked of him, to distract him and he smiled. The fat man took out a packet and passed it to me. He told me to keep it and he disembark from the bus. Father Seab had then boarded the bus and motioned to me to drive past the barriers.

I did as he told me; slowly driving the bus passed the scattered cars on the road. I counted like twenty rebels here and they are all armed with AK47. One of them shot his rifle into the air causing the children to cry.

"The Red Action Group. They are mostly from the slums and they cover this area. I spoke to the leader and he allowed us passage through. He will called the others to let us know we are coming. They attacked the airport today but they withdraw when reinforcements came." I was quite impressed with the Father on his ability to deal with them. "You are surprised. I been with them for eight years when I joined the Assembly. I was like you before, but I gave up on the armed struggle. I am now with God, and I would guide the children to safety."

"But why wait for me, Father Seab?" I was curious as he could had left with them.

"I did not leave earlier as I cannot drive alone. And more to it, the journey is not necessary all good men who would not harm the children. I can protect one or three but not all twelve. I saw in you some faith and God has sent you back to me on my prayers. So we are to be their caretakers." He is standing there looking out to the darkness of the city as most places are without power. There are some scenes of lighted fire burning some structures but they are not nearby us.

"Father Seab, would you had used the gun again like today?"

"Yes, if I have to. I may be a man of peace and faith but my children are mine to protect. I would do the needed to salvage their innocence. So do not test my virtue on that task as I am still a good shot."

We cleared three road blocks in the next hour and now we are leaving the 'Red Scaff' area. Father Seab told the 'wounded men' to changed into the army fatigues and re-bandaged themselves. The Sarge will step forward to tell any officer that he is sending the men for treatment at the flanks. The Sarge is now with a 'Medic' sign on his left forearm sleeve.

2100hr

"Father Seab, we have another one ahead." I pointed out to him as we turned the corner into a new road. Its a military unit this time manning it. On the right side of the road is an armored personnel vehicle with a gunner on the top manning a machine gun. On the left is a sand bag machine gun post and the middle of the road is a bullet riddled car. I counted six personnels including the two gunners.

"Henry, get Minnie ready." We named the FN with a nickname of Minnie. I can see Dion taking out her SIG 226 and loading it. She would hide one of those guns between the seats. Some of the children were asleep but the older ones are watching the roadblock.

"Stop at the front of them and do not do anything without my orders." I looked at the priest as he buttoned up his frock to get ready to go down when I stopped the bus. I did as he told me and left the engine running. The priest and the Sarge went down and spoke to the commander of the road block. The Sarge was explaining to the commander of the roadblock and pointing to Priest.

Meanwhile a soldier climbed up the bus and I motioned to him to be silent indicating the children are sleeping. He is a young man and armed with his M16 rifle, he paused at the stair before stepping up lighter. I nodded my approval and he smiled at me. He looked at the rows of children and some of them were looking afraid. He glanced towards the wounded men who asleep and also at Henry at the rear who is pretending to be asleep. Then he looked back at me, and turned away to go off the bus. He walked to his commander who was talking to the priest. He must be briefing the commander now, and there seem to be a heated discussion. I saw the priest and the Sarge walking back to the bus.

"What happened, Father?" He was soon to stand next to me.

"The Sargeant there insisted that we travel with some proper paper. He wants us to stay here until his Lieutenant arrives tomorrow morning. The young soldier tried to explain for us that there are wounded men who needs treatment but his commander told him off. So we have to wait it out. If we leave, we would be shot at."

Father Seab then indicated me to park some distance to the right of the sandbags. I shut off the engine when I parked there and raised the bonnet. I checked the engine and make sure everything is fine. The young soldier joined me and introduced himself. Miguel is his name, and was a part time mechanic before he joined the soldier. He was tinkering the connections. But he was called away by the Sargeant and I am left to my engine alone. Soon Henry joined me and passed me a military dagger. He said to put it in my jacket. I did and thanked him.

It was then we saw the oncoming trucks without their lights on. I know what is going to happen.

"Henry, get back into the bus. Tell the men and Dion to get ready too. I am starting the bus."

But the damned bus won't start. Somehow Miguel tinkering may had disconnected something or the engine is dead. I got up from my seat and reached for the top of the console where the lighted signs are displayed. I had kept the SIG 226 there.

I got off the bus and opened the bonnet.

It was then the shots came in. Three truck loads of rebels are alighting from the trucks and now exchanging fires. I can see Henry and the men shooting from the rear of the bus and Dion trying to guide the children off the bus. I had my torchlight with me and I was flashing it in the engine to see where the issue could be. The days of tinkering with stolen cars gave me skills to repair car engines. Or even bus engines. I saw the nothing displaced or disconnected. It was Father Seab who came to my rescue. He told me to get back to the bus and start it. I did as I was told and after several tries, the engine spurted to live again.

"Henry, we are leaving. Dion get the children in the bus. We got to go." Dion had the children taking cover on the side of the bus are now boarding back again.

But I can't find Father Seab. I looked out my window and I see him running towards the sandbag barricade. The gunner there is not shooting and the priest is running over there,. I got off my seat and ran towards the sandbags.

"Priest, we are leaving. Can we go?" But the priest is over at the sandbags and he is taking over to the machine gun. The gunner on it was shot dead and the Priest is now using it to shoot the rebels. I joined him and grabbed the available rifle to shoot at the rebels. I saw the Sargeant at the barrier getting shot and then the armored car exploded. But I saw the man who tossed the grenade down the machine gun turret into the armored vehicle.

"Miguel, you bastard."

I shot him in the head and then I dropped the rifle. I grabbed the Priest to run and he agreed this time. I ran back to the bus and jumped into the driver seat. The Priest is in too and so are the children. The children are screaming as I moved the bus into gear. I passed by the barricade which is now bullet riddled and a burning armored vehicle. I drove off with us shooting at the rebels but the rebels are not giving up, and one of their trucks is on my tail.

"Henry, take that truck." He did and the truck is careening off the road now. But I saw Dion running to me from the rows of seat.

"One of the kid is shot. He is bleeding and we need to get to a medical facility." Dion's hand is bloody and I can see the kids at the rows crying. My issue never ends. I drove on and I am not sure where to go.

"Take left and follow my instructions." That was the Priest and he seemed to know where he is going.

Half an hour later, I turned up at some alley. I parked the bus there while the Priest carried the boy down. He ran to a nearby door and knocked on it hard. Dion is keeping the children calm while I ran down to join the priest. The door was opened by a lady and on seeing the child in pain, she allowed us to go in to the unit. She led us into a room which had a medical cot. Then we were asked to wait outside.

"Who's she, Priest?"

"She is a healer. I used to go to her with the people from the slums. She never leaves the place and has not been for the last twenty years since I knew her."I heard of such healers. In our line of works, sometimes we used them.