PTSDs

However, Caleb was still processing the scene he just saw Kolade did. He just freaking shot a woman with a baby! Could it be that he was oblivious of his cruelty? He always had a smile on his face!

Kolade saw his shocked expression and laughed lightly. "Don't worry. She was destined to die anyway. You saw her running towards that roadblock right?" Kolade said and collected the keys from Caleb's hand.

"But that shouldn't give you the right to kill her!" Caleb almost screamed. "Those kids were going to kill me if I didn't prove to them that I was on their side, and you're worried about a woman from the past?" Kolade asked with a frown.

"So this is your mindset towards these people from this timeline?" Caleb didn't believe what he was hearing. He maintained his stare, looking at Kolade like he was seeing death himself. "Caleb, I don't want to tell you this, but saving these people's lives does not change a thing, not in this timeline, not in your timeline", Kolade sighed and drove the car ahead.

"So what if that was my mother back there? Would you have known that and shot her? Wouldn't that kill me?"

"Again, that theory is a half-truth. You cannot kill yourself by killing your father before you were born", Kolade replied. "Don't change the subject Kolade!" Caleb interrupted him.

Caleb's mindset towards Kolade changed instantly. He no longer saw him as the half-jovial person that he was before. However, what he didn't realize was the PTSDs he just newly acquired from seeing blood spill from a human's body.

The Peugeot kept driving for ten minutes until they arrived at the roadblock. Caleb saw three soldiers guarding the blockage. From their facial expressions, they weren't joking around. "Oh god", Caleb shrunk on his seat. "Stay calm Caleb", Kolade muttered.

As soon as Kolade pulled over, one of the soldiers quickly came over to his window. "Which tribe are you based on?" The soldier asked with a virgin Yoruba. Caleb's forehead began producing beads of sweat. He was toast if that same question was thrown at him.

"Ijaw tribe. I was just seeing a family", Kolade replied effortlessly. The soldier looked at him for a long time, before nodding. Then he looked at Caleb, who was silently freaking out from his seat.

"And this is your child?" He asked. "Yes sir, but he's deaf", Kolade said it in English for him to understand and play along. Caleb was quick to understand and subtly pretended not to hear their conversation.

After a back and forth conversation, they were allowed to drive past the roadblock. Kolade thanked them and drove past the newly created pave-way. However, the trauma of blood was slowly affecting Caleb's mental fortitude.

There were so many questions he needed to ask Kolade, but it appeared he had lost the desire to say anything. He kept staring at the empty road ahead of him, lost in his thoughts.

He was beginning to believe that these people won't let him off easily if he finally was able to go back to his timeline. If those people at the bunker were as cruel as Kolade, then he was toast.

It was amazing how the Peugeot was able to drive for this long given that the tank hasn't been topped yet. It was on its third hour, and the vehicle still kept going.

Hours later, they arrived at a settlement. Most of the dwellers ran away, leaving the area lonely. It was two hours after noon. "Before we head back to HQ, you can take your time to learn more about this war. I'll wait till you're done", Kolade said and pulled over to a small bungalow.

"I think I'm fine. We can head back", Caleb said with a low voice. "No, it's an order. It's a protocol to let juniors spend a bit of time after missions", Kolade said and alighted.

Caleb couldn't argue, so he simply walked out of the car and walked across the road. "Don't venture far. There's a chance that these people might come back", Kolade said and flashed a smile. Something felt different about this one, Caleb thought as he went along.

He decided to go inside of a random house, and he chose a standard mini-house with corrugated roofing. The door was left ajar, so Caleb had no trouble getting in.

Inside the house, there was scattered furniture and clothes scattered around. The black and white TV was lying on the floor, and the sofas were facing random locations.

It was apparent that the family living here left in a rush. From the photos hanging on the wall above, he deduced a parent with three children, a boy and two girls.

Caleb felt complicated in his heart. He felt really bad for them. They didn't deserve a life like this. They were simply victims of circumstances.

F**k life.

* * * * * * * * * *

Kolade had realized that that wormhole won't simply stay unprotected. That was the reason he chose this road, but apparently, they've caught up with him.

"Caleb", Kolade said breathlessly. "You know how to use a gun abi?" He asked. This time, Caleb turned to look at him. "You know that black figure that was sent to kill you for jumping into a wormhole?"

"Ehen?" Caleb asked with apprehensiveness. "Well they're here", Kayode suddenly slammed on the brakes, causing the two to jerk forward. Thanks to the seatbelt, Caleb would have broken his nose on the dashboard.

"What the hell!" Caleb asked angrily. "Take this Desert Eagle and try to distract them.

The area they stopped was inside of a community. Although it was abandoned by the fleeing civilians, there were still people lingering about it. Unlike the previous community they pulled over too, this one still had some life in it.

Kolade chose a spot to hide, then he checked his magazine and zapped them back. Meanwhile, Caleb was fiddling with the Desert Eagle in his hand. He has never touched a gun in his life.

Maybe because it was his religious beliefs, but the appearance of the gun makes him terrified. At least his hoplophobia wasn't that severe. "What are you doing? Find a hiding place and hide!" Kolade screeched.

Caleb quickly found a good hole and hid behind it. But there was no one following them. "Where are they?" Caleb asked. However, Kolade was about to reply when the Peugeot exploded, causing a shock wave that decimated objects at a one-meter radius.

Kolade emboldened his face with determination and gripped the gun tightly. Then, two black figures came walked away from the wreckage and approached Kolade's hideout.

Kolade, who was waiting for them to make the first move, gave Caleb the signal to stay alert. From Caleb's position, he could see the figures. Their clothing was very black like darkness.

Caleb didn't know there was such a material that can absorb almost a hundred per cent of light! They almost looked like death themselves. Who were these people anyway, and why were they trying to kill him?

Without warning, Kolade jumped up from his hideout and pulled the AK-47 and shot at them. However, they were no longer there. Caleb on the other hand, saw them disappear before his eyes.

"Come on, run!" Kolade said and ran in the opposite direction. Caleb immediately followed him and run as his legs could carry him. "What was that?" He asked.

"They jumped forward in time. I don't know when, but you don't want to stay and find out!" Kolade explained as he kept running. To Kolade's relief, he saw another car just parked up ahead of him.

It was a Beetle, another common vehicle in the 60s. However, just as their victory was near, the two black figures appeared in front of them, causing the two to screech to a halt.

"F**k", Kolade, being professional at his work immediately rolled over and shot at the figures, but the figure disappeared and appeared in front of him. One of the figures held his throat and raised him, putting him in a chokehold.

His pitiful attempt to raise his gun at the figure's body only aggravated his situation. The other figure, however, walked towards Caleb.

Without thinking, Caleb turned around to run, but he was faced yet another dilemma. There were a mob of mixed-age groups with cutlass raised over their heads and heading towards them.