Story from the serpent's mouth.

The scepter gang journeyed uneventfully and entered inside Ikangusi town.
They walked towards the location where the warm and cold water met and the whole gang marveled at the serene environment and walked through the water that many believed possessed healing power.
Far off, a zoo that is no longer functioning was erected.
"Wait here," Akira told their guards.
She hold her sister's hand, and they climbed the hill and walked towards the confluence.
"This was once a great tourist, but was poorly managed, and the knockdown was the last straw that broke the camel's back." One of the gang members explained.
"What of the animals inside?" One fat man with a vicious look asked back.
"Most are killed, why others still roamed inside the forest beside us." The man replied.
Kira and Akira soon joined the awaiting warriors on guard and the whole column journeyed back to Gujarat town.
Reagan scurried along the way back to where he had last seen Maria killed.
The sudden emerging of the aliens and their people had rubbed him his duty of laying his heartthrob in her final resting place.
Now that he had fulfilled his task by taking the aliens to the town where the scepter is located, he immediately sneaked off their back and raced back to where he last saw her lying in her pool of blood.
"I won't be happy until am sure she is buried and not thrown off to be eaten by dogs!" Reagan shouted alone and raced non-stop towards his destination.
He walked through the night and emerged in the village the following morning.
The first couple he met had no idea who Maria was as they just relocated into the village.
Luckily, Elenu was discussing with some elders how to build a tall wall to protect the villagers when Reagan walked to him and join their discussion.
"Are you from this village?" One of the elders inquired from the newcomers.
"No," Reagan replied. "Am from a faraway land and I came in search of information about a lady that was killed when this place was attacked two days ago."
"Lots of ladies were killed," Elenu answered back.
"Why searching for information about the dead?" One of the men standing asked.
"Those killed were buried in a mass grave in a primary school closed by." Another aged man with grey hair added.
"Her name is Maria," Reagan explained. "I just want to be sure she was buried and not left to be eaten by dogs and vultures."
"Which Maria are you referring to?" Elenu asked Reagan. "The one abducted by the aliens?"
"I have no idea if she was abducted or not.
She was my lover since childhood and was coming from her school when the knockout happened." Reagan paused, clean some tears gathering in his eyes with his clothing, and resumed." The last time I saw her, she was been shot with arrows by Big Tiger's men."
Reagan burst into uncontrollable tears at the memory of Maria lying dead in his hand. "I just want to be sure she was at least buried, now that I have satisfied my curiosity, kindly excuse me."
"Wait," Elenu shouted after the departing young man. "Is she the same Maria from Guara town?"
"Yes," Reagan replied.
"She is not dead but alive. Elenu announced.
" Impossible!" Reagan cried back.
"She just miraculously got healed of all her wounds and walked down here with her legs, a few moments after those invaders retreated," Elenu said.
"Where is she now?" Reagan asked with an incredulity look.
"Unfortunately, she just left yesterday without informing anyone of her destination," Elenu answered back.
Reagan stood speechless, why is fate playing tricks on him and sudden things keep getting him away from the one he desired. The happiness of the discovery of her survival is now replaced by the tremendous sadness of her sudden disappearance.
"Where to search for her?" He asked aloud.
Brenda, Bobby, and Zuma entered the inner side of the rock and were amazed to see Zuri pacing to and fro.
On the left side of the rock, four Hoorays laid unconsciously on the ground and were attended to by the alien's physician.
"Have sent my warrior to search for you," Zuri told Brenda as they came nearer to him.
"We met no one." She replied.
"Command one of your people to bring me the scepter," Zuri announced.
"Brenda looks at Bobby who stares back at her, then at Zuma who whistle softly with his fixed smile.
"That serpent won't allow my species near it," Zuri added.
"What happened to them?" Zuma inquired.
"They were bitten by the serpent," Zuri responded, then point at Zuma and ordered.
" Bring me the scepter!"
Zuma looked puzzled for a while, then at Brenda. He walked some steps towards the scepter and paused as Brenda cried after him.
"Wait." Brenda walked towards the serpent, ignoring the nervous stare of Bobby.
Some feet away from the scepter, the serpent curled off the scepter's body and dragged towards her.
"Halt." It cried out.
"My name is Enoch and am under command to bite to death any man, woman, or alien that come near this scepter.
The silence that followed immediately is absolute as Brenda and her teams stood stunned.
"Have never seen a serpent talking." Zuma cried out and flee to the far side of the rock.
"This is unbelievable," Bobby added.
"Thought your animals can talk," Zuri mumbled. "Now am surprised it's only this serpent that talks."
"My name is Enoch and am not a serpent." The snake, now excited stood on its tail and resumed.
"If you are not in haste, perhaps I can entertain you with the story of who I am, and why I have my soul imprisoned in a serpent body."
"We have some time to spare, "Zuri replied.
A long time ago in the land of Dahomey. The slave traders came and settled down in most of the villages close to the sea.
They equipped the ignorant settlers with European weapons and send them to capture their fellow men as slaves to be transported into foreign lands as unpaid laborers.
Those equipped travel far and wide to capture their slaves, they put them in the chain and brought them to the slaver buyers, who paid them with wines, gins, mirrors, and more guns.
Enoch was a slaver catcher like his father. He had led many huntings and can be termed successful in his career.
Soon, his fame had traveled far and wide and many settlers had fled into other far villages, while those at far places dread Enoch's fame and always pray never to fall among the villagers on the invader's agenda.
It was generally agreed upon that wherever Enoch and his gang plodded become desolate as every one of the villages will be chained along with their gods and wealth, to be carried away through seas and oceans for many moons, into the white man's land.
When the hunted became scarce, the hunter become more aggressive and keep expanding his zone to meet up to demand.
This is exactly the case of Enoch and his slave catchers who need to travel far distance distances to search for slaves to meet the ever-increasing demands of the slave buyers.
The slave catchers soon entered Nigeria and started raiding all the villages along their way until they reached Olumo village.
For the first time In Enoch's career, he spends three days inside the town without a single slave.
All the inhabitants of the town had mysteriously disappeared at the news of the incoming slave catchers.
The frustrating teams search everywhere and for long, then decided to leave the desolate town and look for greener pastures.
Yet, the mystery around the teeming town which suddenly dried off at the news of Enoch and his men keep disturbing him, and he vowed to unravel it by all means.
Months later, Enoch arranged some of his strongest and bravest warriors and embarked on slave-hunting.
He ignored all the smaller villages along his way, saving his warriors energy for his mission; enslaving the whole Olumo inhabitants.
After months of a tough journey, they entered Olumo town, and as usual, met it desolate.
This time, Enoch was fully prepared. He stationed all his warriors in all the routes in and out of the town, with the hope of catching just only one inhabitant who can divulge where others were hidden.
After weeks of fruitless searching, some kids who had got tired of the hidden place decided to sneak home for reasons best known to them were caught and interrogated.
And at last, the secret tunnel beneath the rock in the middle of the village was exposed.
Enoch and his men gallantly marched into the tunnel beneath the rock, and behold, hundreds of defenseless villagers crouched together in fear.
"The shrine priestess turned me into a serpent, and the curse will be lifted when Kira and Akira return." Enoch paused, fixed his stationary eyeball on Zuri, and continued. "This is the reason why I have to guard this scepter with all my life."