THE LAST INSURGENT

Twenty-two

From the comments, I noticed that the house is divided. We have Team Adam and Team Mufty . Well, I am for Team…….
**********

Mufty sat at a table with his face resting on his chin in the living-room of his new two-room apartment. It has a kitchenette and toilet.
It was poorly furnished. The bedroom had just a big mattress on the carpet, while the living-room had just carpet laid on the floor and two plastic chairs.

Jahl was alive and had come out as planned. Mufty was supposed the man behind him. He was lucky they did not start making the videos before he left.
Something else worried him. Captain Kamal reported saving a man who was nearly killed. The man was Alarama Saheed.

Mufty frowed.
Alarama Saheed!
That was the reciter of the slain Sheikh. Now he could see the picture more vividly. Alaramma Saheed was always with the sheikh anytime he was preaching.

The day he was supposed to kill the sheikh. Alaramma Saheed was there.
It added up. He had seen that face before. That face had been to the camp once even though Jahl tried to hide him.

There was double it was him that killed the Sheikh. He was working with the insurgents.
The attempted murder was a charade. Now the ATOF see him as a victim.
Mufty clenched his fist. Jahl has come into the open and that means the grand plan was in place. The insurgents were infiltrating everywhere.
Alaramma Saheed!
**********

Khamil walked into General Dambutu’s office and saluted.
“Captain.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I ordered Colonel Mike to replace the men of TRF Troop with immediate effect. I need you to deploy sixty men from your place.”

“Yes, Sir.” Kamal said but wondering at the back of his mind why this sudden change.
The General studied him.
“The replaced soldiers have been arrested and would be tried in the military court. They absconded their duty post by saying they had no weapons. Imagine scoundrels in the name of soldiers. I am sure they will all be sentenced to death.”

“Yes, sir.”
This kept resonating with Kamal. It was true that the insurgents had more sophisticated weapons than the soldiers. Was this a fair judgement?
But he could not say this aloud. He knew the men would be sentenced to death.
********

Haneefa had been uncomfortable. She was sitting on  a chair in Leena’s room.
“When last did you see Adam?” She asked.
Leena raised her face.
“He was here last night and I guess he would be around today. Why?”

“It’s nothing.”
“Talk to me baby.”
Haneefa thought about it. If she hid it from Leena and she found out, it may be misunderstood yet she did not want to reveal such a ridiculous thing.
“I think Adam needs help.” Haneefa said.
“How?”

“You said everything is cool between you guys. He said the same thing but….he has been acting strange these days. I have stopped picking his calls.”
“Why ? I mean how strange has he been acting?”
“He- he is crazy. I never knew he could do such a thing. I always saw him as a trustworthy guy…”
“Please tell me what he did.”

“He has been asking me out. Not just asking me out but…he wants to marry me. He said he loves me. Can you imagine that?”
Leena moved her head back and rested on the bed. She was now facing the ceiling.
“Hmmmm….” She sighed.
“What?”

“I knew this day would come.”
“What day?”
“Okay, Haneefa, let me tell you something. It happened last week……”
**********

On that day, Leena had called Mufty. He asked her to meet him at Maidaribe Junction because he did not like her coming to his place.
She had met him waiting for her. He had produced that smile that lightened her up.
She noticed that he was changing physically. That hard expression was no more even though he seemed a bit nervous when in public.