Chapter Eight

Alex was awakened by constant knocks on his bedroom door.

"I'm awake already." he cried, annoyed that he was woken up, when he slept just some hours ago. 

He had the spooky dream, which he has been having since some months ago and was afraid of sleeping back when he woke up from the dream, because he feared that he would have the same dream again, if he slept. 

“Oh!” he yelled, slamming the bed in frustration.

"Are you good?" his mother asked him, from the room she shared with his father. 

"Yes, I am," he calmly replied.

He checked the time on the wall clock in his room and took out his phone that was on the table, to verify if the time on the wall clock was correct, or if it was stuck.

To his surprise, he found the time on both his wall clock and his phone accurate. 

"Why am I woken up at this hour? It's just past 6am. " He wondered. 

He reluctantly got up from his bed, straightened his sheets and went into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and bathed in the bathroom.

"I think the place we are traveling to is very far, for them to wake me up at this hour. If so, are we going to travel by road or by other means?" He wondered, because he was really curious about their journey. 

He got dressed, left the room, and met his parents in the living room.

His father sat on one of the couches in the sitting room, while his mother was busy serving breakfast consisting of bread and tea.

"Good morning dad, good morning mum." he greeted his parents and sat down on one of the dining room's chair.

"Good morning, son." They answered simultaneously. 

"So did we get up early because of the trip?" He asked.

"Yes, it's because where we are headed to is very far, in fact, we are running late already." His mother replied. 

"Really?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes son. Let's hurry up and eat breakfast. We have a long journey ahead of us." His father said, as he walked to the dining room, to join them.

"Have you packed all the necessary things, you think you would need?" His father asked him while they were eating.

"Yes, Dad. How long are we going to spend there? So as to know the quantity of things I am to carry along." He asked.

"Actually, you are -" his mother paused, as she made an eye contact with his father, before she  continued speaking. 

"we are going to use there is not certain yet, just pack what you think are necessary." His mother cautioned herself. 

"Okay ma," he replied.

He wondered why his mother uttered "you" instead of "we" in the first place, but concluded that it was probably because her tongue slipped.

Alex washed the dishes as soon as they finished eating. He had no appetite, so he ate very little of the few loaves of bread that was provided for him. 

Alex and his parents went to pick up their travelling bags in their respective rooms. 

Alex wondered why his parents didn't use travelling bag to store their belongings.They used small bags instead of travelling bags, which they instructed him to use. 

They left the house and stored the bags in his father's car booth.

"Mum, are we traveling by road?" He whispered to his mother as his father got into the car.

"Yes, of course." she replied with a smile.

"All will be well, son. You will enjoy the journey, trust me." She tried to comfort him when she realised that he was displeased for traveling by road.

His mother locked the trunk and then went to lock the front door of the house. She joined his father in the car, while Alex waited outside, for his dad to drive out of the compound, so that he could close the gate.

He locked the gate, after his father had driven out of the compound. He joined them in the car afterwards. 

"Are we set?" His father asked no one in particular.

"Yes." Alex and his mother answered simultaneously. 

"Hope no one forgot anything?" He asked again.

"No, I don't think so," only Alex's mother replied. 

"Alex?" his mother asked him.

"Same here," he answered curtly.

"I guess we are set to embark on our journey then." His father said, igniting the car's engine and zoomed off. 

His father did not like people talking in the car, because he believed that in-car conversations  distract the person driving.

The only exception to it, was when he is the person that initiates the conversation. The few minutes into the journey was like been in a graveyard, due to the silence in the car.

Alex decided to send his best friend, Brian, a message on W******p.

"You're there?" Alex texted him.

Brian did not reply instantly, because he was not online, when he sent the message. So Alex took the opportunity to play a football game on his phone.

"Yes, I am. What's up?" Brian finally replied.

"I am really worried about this trip." Alex told him.

"Why are you? This isn't your first trip, so you should not be." Brian replied.

"You do not understand. I have a bad feeling about this trip, to be honest" He explained.

"Don't worry. It happens sometimes, you will be good eventually. Have you left yet? Brian asked. 

"Yes, we've left since over half an hour." Alex replied.

"Wow! Why the rush?😂" He asked Alex.

"Honestly, I don't know. I was really pissed off when they woke me up, very early in the morning. I was woken up around 6:10. Just  imagine that!" Alex explained. 

"Bro! 😂 I think your parents have something planned for you, because why wake up so early for a journey which will either be within this state or another state." 

"I do not even know if it's within Lagos State or another state. I can't ask them because they've been acting somehow about this journey." He disclosed his observations to Brian. 

"Man! Honestly, I do not even know what to say anymore. I wish you the best bro. Do not be pessimistic about the journey, if not, you won't enjoy the journey." Brian adviced him.

"Okay, I will try. Thank you." He replied him.

"Which stage are you now with your illusional girlfriend?" Alex asked.

" I do not want to talk about it please." Brian replied.

"Why?😂" He asked, trying to trigger Brian to tell him what happened between them.

"Goodbye. Have a safe journey." Brian replied.

Alex knew he did not want to talk about it, because the outcome of their conversation was unimpressive.

He sent Brian a laughing emoji, to reply to his previous message and closed the W******p app.

When his father realised he was done with his phone, he looked at him through the rear-view mirror of the car. 

"So, do you still have the dream?" His father asked him.

"Yes, I have it almost every day." He replied.

He wondered why his father asked him out of the blue, because they had not brought up the topic, since he last spoke to them about the dream.

The question changed his mood, so he searched for his earphone, in a cross bag containing several items.

He connected his earphone to his cell phone, so he could listen to songs and cool his mind off.

He dozed off after listening to songs, for some minutes.