Jackson’s lavish and happy life is about to turn upside down before he even get’s the chance to taste adulthood. Will he survive?
“Paw Paw Paw, di-di-di-di booom, di-di-di boom,” “They are shooting at us, run, ruuun,” “Cover me, I am making a run for it!”. Soldiers are seen running towards the assassins, trying to take their camp, shooting at them with no remorse. Assassins keep trying to invade their camp, and they have been doing an excellent job of protecting it so far; they weren’t going to fail now. They have but only one mission: save the tower! They are the only line of defense against the Tower of Riches. Anyone who tries to take it is an enemy of the state and is to be met with extreme force. “This is a dawn of doom for sure, oh no! Look out!”. “dididididididi,” “boom! booom!”, “They have a rocket launcher,. Look out,” “BOOOM!”, GAME-OVER!
“Aaaah’ it’s not fair,” Jackson screams! I will never get past this mission. “Man, I know we can do it next time; we are the League of Deadly Three Brothers assassins; we will be the first ones to pass this mission,” Jackson’s online friend replies. “Hahaha,” Jackson and his online gaming friends laugh. “Where do you get these names, man? So absurd”, another friend asks while they continue laughing. “YEEEEEEES, I AM COMING, MOMMY!!” Jackson replies, “Guys, I have got to go now; mom is calling me; let’s talk later and take this camp for sure.” “Aye, captain,” they reply. Jackson takes off his headphones and switches off his gaming console and TV. It is dinner time, and every family member needs to be there. Jackson’s family is a happy one. His father and stepmother love him wholeheartedly. He always gets what he wants and more. In return, he gives them good grades and an undivided loyalty. He is an excellent teenage boy, unlike most of his peers.
“So, did you successfully pass level ten today?” his stepmom Lilian asks as she smiles at him, holding a big bowl and placing it on the dining table. “Noooo, aaah, I will never pass it; it’s just so hard, Mom!” Jackson replies with a frown face. “Don’t give up, son! Just try another way”, his father, John, replies while scrolling on his phone. “By the way, tomorrow you have your final exams, and yet here you are playing games all night,” he adds as he turns to look at Jackson, walking toward the dining table. “But, Dad! I am usually the first in my class and get A’s in all my exams”, Jackson replies as he sits at his table, looking at his mom, who is smiling back at him, shaking her head. “Well, you have a point, but it would be great to see if you can get a hundred percent in all your exams for once,” John says as he walks to the dining table, rubs his palm on top of Jackson’s head then sits down smiling back at his wife. “Hahaha,” they all laugh as they hold hands to pray for their dinner.
Jackson lives a vibrant life; his parents are both loving and hard-working. Although he is the only child, he always asks his parents for a baby sister. They haven’t told him yet that they are expecting a child. He needs to focus on passing his exams to get a scholarship to study abroad. Money for them is not a problem; they provide their son the best opportunities. Lucky for them, Jackson is a very grateful boy. He knows how to appreciate and thank the little things they do for him. They have raised him well. He knows the difference between a good life and a bad life. He constantly has to remember the trauma he experienced from his birth mother before she left. If his dad was late for only one minute, she would have strangled him to death just because he forgot to brush his teeth. That was all over now. Lilian was taking good care of him, and his father was happier. There is nothing more he could have asked for.
“Dad, Mom!” I have some great news: “Can I come in? Can I come in?” Jackson knocked in excitement, wanting to go into his parents’ room. “No, Jackson, we are coming out,” Jackson’s parents replied as they headed out of their room. “What is it? What is it?” his mom asked in excitement. “I got a scholarship to Trelios University.” “I am In,” Jackson replied, giving the paper to his parents. “Wow, CONGRATULATIONS,” his parents said, giving him a warm and tight hug. “You did it, son, you did it,” his father said in joy as he struggled to carry him up. “Ouch, aaah, I think I broke a rib, hahaha; when did you become so heavy, Jack!” his father said as he put him back on the floor. “We are so proud of you, Jack; you have made us really proud,” his mom added as she smiled at him and hugged him. Jack was finally accepted after many years of dreaming of attending Trelios University for his political studies. He had worked hard for so many years, since he was a little boy, looking forward to this moment when he would make his parents the proudest they have ever been.
“Wait, it says here you have only two weeks remaining before admission; you will leave us soon!” Lilian said as her happiness turned bittersweet. “He will be okay! We will be okay! Mr.President, huh, how does that sound, or President Jackson John. I like the sound of that!” Jackson’s father replied, trying to lighten the mood unsuccessfully. “Oh, my boy,” “We will miss you a lot,” Lilian said as she hugged Jackson. “Come on, Mom, I will be coming over every holiday to visit you and Dad; you won’t be alone too long,” Jack replied, trying to soothe his mom. This moment was a moment they had all been waiting for for years, and to treasure it, they decided to do an in-house, family-only party for the three of them to say goodbye.
“It’s late, let’s rest, but tomorrow, I will surely take you and your mom out for a great dinner in a five-star hotel. You really des_____”, “Shwiiiiiiiiiii Poooow,” “___what was that?” John said as they all crouched and looked at the ceiling. “Ngongongongo,” “Open up, it’s Adiba,” one of their guards knocks on the door. “Quick, get in the room,” John says as he runs to open for Adiba. “What is it?” John asks as Adiba rushes in, closes the door behind him, clocks his gun, and peeps out the window through the heavy curtains. “We are under attack, sir; we need to get your family to safety NOW!” Adiba replies as he continues to ignore John and peeps on other windows. “Shwiiiiiii poooow, shwiiiiiiii poooooow, ta-ta-ta-ta, di-di-di-di,” rounds of machine guns are heard pouring outside as John’s guards try their best to hold off the attackers and to give enough time for the Johns to escape.
This was not the first time people had tried to attack John and take his life. John is a development minister in the government. He is responsible for ensuring how the money is distributed in the country to support development projects in the urban and rural areas. This is a job that comes with many hardships and hard calls. Because of this, he has been facing opposition from those who think he is unfair due to not receiving their funds in time or not receiving funds altogether. He is considered one of the most hated ministers in his country. Sadly, his family has to bear the price of this hate daily, in school and at work. Some years ago, when he was heading home from work, some people tried to attack him with eggs and tomatoes. Still, thanks to the effectiveness of his security team, he evaded the attack and safely returned home. He did not think that it would escalate to bullets. All he has ever done was be fair and true in his mission of making his country the greatest country on the continent.
“Di Di Di Di Di Di, di-di-di-di-di,” “Get down,” Adiba shouts at John as the culprits rain bullets on the house from another angle of the house, where the guards are already gunned down. “Go back to the room,” John shouts at Lilian, who tries to peep out the door of their room. “Titititititititi, tatatatata!” guns start pouring at the house from all angles. The bulletproof walls and windows start showing signs of weakening, and Adiba instructs the family to all go to the vault. Jackson and his mom run out of the room while John and Adiba follow them to the vault. “Pbuuuuu, pbuuuuuu,” a loud thud is heard as the attackers swing a heavy item on the door to break it down. “Pbuuuu, Pbuuuu, Pbuuuuuu”.
“tip, tap, tip, tip, taaaaaaap, titip[keypad], Clack, clock, jwiiiiiiip.” The vault door opens as the family enters. The attackers run while shooting at the vault as Adiba uses all his strength to close the door behind him. “Clock Clack,” the vault door closes just seconds before the attackers arrive. “tap, tip, tap, tip, tiiiip, tap, tap, tip, tap, tiiiip, tap, tap, tap, tap, tiiiip,” “DGOOOM,” a loud thud is hard by an angry attacker who fails to input the right keypad to get into the vault. “Tatatatataatatata,” he angrily rains bullets at the vault door that repels them with no problem and lets them fall on the floor. No bullet, bomb, gas, or liquid can penetrate the vault. It is one of the most secure vaults in the world, and it is worth its price. The attacker looks up to the security camera, his eyes fiery and hungry for blood, his nose and mouth covered with a dark green cloth showing he is in the army, and the burnt marks creating a scarred tattoo on his arm showing he is a commando.
Adiba stands holding his gun, looking at the screen, studying the attackers, then presses the communication button to speak to them while John and Lilian look at each other for a second before they both turn and start looking around in panic! “Where is Jackson??” they both ask each other in fear. Adiba quickly releases his hand to mute the sound from the room, but it’s too late. “FIND THE BOY!” the lead attacker instructs, and his men spread around the house to find Jackson. The attacker takes down his mask, looks at the camera, and smiles as Adiba, John, and Lilian look back at him through the screen in fear…
