Desperate roads

A car sped by Joseph overtaking him as he swerved to avoid the car. "Calm tf down" he muttered angrily. At this rate he'd take forever to reach the school. "Worried parents" he mutters while looking ahead at the impending road traffic.

"Hey Siri bring up a shortcut to Eko university" He said activating his phone's artificial intelligence, "Alright Joe" a robotic voice came up as his phone screen lit up with a detailed map bringing up a 1ht shortcut to the school. "Sweet" Joseph muttered elated as he rounded a corner off the road in a empty street

Joseph drove steadily through the eerily deserted streets as he took a shortcut leading to Mira's school. Where the hell is everyone? He thought. You'd think with an attack like this on a school, the road would be flooded with worried parents who were as smart as he was taking a shortcut. Something wasn't adding up and his instincts were warning him something was wrong with the road he took.

He slowed down and approached a checkpoint where a battered cas was parked in the middle of the road. A youth stood next to it, waving frantically.

"Help! My car broke down! Can you help me push it so I can quick-start it?" the youth called out, desperation in his tone as he flagged Joseph down.

Joseph frowned but pulled over, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of trouble. He really didn't trust the situation, but the kid's frantic gestures made him pause. Just help him and move on, Joseph told himself.

He stepped out if the car, cracking his neck as he approached the stalled vehicle. "Alright, let's make this quick", he said gruffly moving to the back of the car.

As be positioned himself to push, his instincts kicked in. Something was off.

The youth's gaze darted nervously, and Joseph's gut twisted in alarm. He shifted his hand instinctively towards his hip- where his gun holster should have been-only to curse under his breath. "Shit" he muttered. He left the gun in the car!

The sounds of footsteps snapped him back. Four men emerged from a roadside shop, armed with clubs and planks. One if them smirked, swinging his plank lazily. None of them is with a gun, Joseph signed inwardly.

"My guy afar, just stay there o", the youth who served as bait said, his tone smug now. "No move if you love your brains. We just want check wetin dey your car", he continued in pidgin.

Joseph's jaw tightened as he quickly assessed the situation. Five against one. They were armed, and he wasn't. But they're just kids-unskilled, cocky, and very stupid.

One of them, the plank-wielder, tightened his grip on the wooden weapon, swinging it lazily as if testing its weight. He chuckled darkly "Make we run this one fast before another mugu show face"

His smirk widened as he sauntered toward Joseph, clearly confident.

"First mistake" Joseph muttered under his breath.

The plank-wielder stepped closer, raising his weapon. Joseph didn't wait for the swing. He lunged forward, grabbing the plank with one hand while driving his knee into the boy's stomach. The youth doubled over, gasping for air as Joseph yanked the plank free and swung it in a wide arc, catching another boy in the side of the head.

The youth hesitated clearly not expecting resistance.

"Get him!" one of them shouted, but their confidence had already faltered.

Another boy charged with a club, swinging clumsly. Joseph sidestepped, gripping the attacker wrist and twisting until the club dropped to the ground. He delivered a swift punch to the guy's jaw, sending him sprawling.

The remaining three tried acting smarter by trying to surround him, but Joseph kept moving, using the plank as both shield and the weapon. One swung his club, but Joseph blocked it with his plank before smashing it against the youth's knew. The boy screamed, collapsing to the ground.

The last two hesitated their bravado gone. Joseph took a menacing step towards them his expression dark. "You want to try your luck or are we done here?"

The youth who served as bait tried running but Joseph grabbed him by the collar, hauling him back. "Not so fast" he growled, slamming the boy against the car.

"Please bro abeg! We no mean am like that!" The youth stammered, his earlier bravado completely gone.

Joseph shoved him back, watching as he stumbled and fell to the ground. "Fucking idiots, you picked the wrong person to mess with," he spat angrily. "Get out of here before I change my mind."

The group scrambled to their feet, dragging their injured along as they fled into the distance.

Joseph stood there for a moment breathing heavily as his adrenaline ebbed. His eyes fell on the plank in his hand, and he tossed it aside shaking his head with a disgusted snort.

"Fucking idiots," he muttered, heading back to his car.

Sliding into the driver's seat, he grabbed his gun from the dashboard and holstered it securely.

"Stupid," he said to himself angrily, his frustration coming up. "You know better than to leave your weapon behind."

He slammed the door, gripping the steering wheel tightly as a restarted the car. Every second wasted felt like an eternity.

"God fucking help anyone else who gets in my way," he muttered frustratedly, the worry for his sister gnawing at him.

He drove off, the deserted streets stretching out behind him sinisterly. The school was close now, and whatever awaited him there, he was ready.

Hang in, Mira. I am coming!