I could see Ifakolade was losing so much blood… I was also losing blood, I needed to get Ifakolade and I out of there, but “HOW?” was the question….
“Ifakolade, please let us get out…Of… Here” I managed to say with my shaky voice…
” ooo.. samu.. Yiwa.. I can’t make it… The bullet is a poisonous one, Jawegbona had soaked it in a deadly concoction for days… Just take this…” Ifakolade placed a charm in my hand…
“This will get you out of here, just hold on tight to it, and think of where you want to be… It will transport you there… Go on…. “Ifakolade said, though it was obvious he was using his last strength…
“I can’t leave you here” I told him…
My heart was tearing apart, the pain I was feeling in my heart was more than the pain in my stomach…
It dawned on me that a lot of people were dying and were probably on their way to hell because of me… I needed to do something right, i needed to lead Ifakolade to Christ before he died…
“Hmmm”… I thought to myself, ” I wasn’t saved either, yet i wanted to show someone else the way to Heaven. Of a truth, a lot of people will be like this on the last day, they will go to hell, while their converts will go to heaven… like a signpost who showing the way , but never gets there…”
But right now was not the right time to reconcile with God, I still had more time than Ifakolade….IFAKOLADE COULD DIE ANY SECOND FROM NOW!
I held Ifakolade and with the little strength I had I said…
“Ifakolade please… If there is anything you will do for me right now is for you to please give your life to Christ…. Please just say this… “
“Oosa.mu..yiwa I have .. Killed…. three… People today… Can God forgive and accept me?” He said with regret in his voice… “I never knew death will come this early for me”
“Yes… God can forgive and accept you, one of the criminals at the side of Jesus on the Cross, made heaven at the last minute… Please Ifakolade… Catch the last bus to heaven… Please…” Prior to that day, I had never been that passionate about evangelism like that… I was crying and begging Ifakolade….
“OK…pray for me.”…He also broke into tears, while groaning in pain…
“Just say this after ME, Lord Jesus, I accept you as my Lord and personal savior… Forgive me of my sins…”
That was all Ifakolade could say before he dropped dead… I wept like a baby… Suddenly, heaven and hell became real, I rushed to Larry, to see if he still had breath in him, I wanted to lead him to Christ too, but he was gone…
“Who have I become?” was a big question that dropped in my heart, I was doing exactly the opposite of my destiny… I was meant to be a life giver, but here I was taking life through my actions…
People were already trooping into the compound as a result of the scream from Larry’s wife, but no one could see Ifakolade and I.
Fear suddenly gripped me… How was I going to come out of this “Invisible state?”…It was Ifakolade that knew the incantations and unfortunately he was dead. I bowed my head on Ifakolade, sobbing and all I wanted to do at that moment was to see Pastor James… I had gotten to my wit’s end… I wanted to go back to God… I didn’t realize the disappearing charm was still in my hand, so as I thought of how I could see Pastor James at that moment, to lead me back to Christ…
Something happened at exactly the same time I was hearing the approaching siren of the police van….. I found IFAKOLADE’s dead body AND MYSELF in Igbonla just in front of Pastor James’s house…We had reappeared in Igbonla. I heaved a sigh of relief, as I knew Pastor James was going to help me…MAYBE, just maybe, IFAKOLADE could be resurrected back to life …
BUT!
Unfortunately for me, Pastor James was gone too!
Gone? Gone to where?
Find out in the next part….
To be continued
© Opeyemi Ojerinde Akintunde