Two Captain One Ship

"My brother, he said as he hung his hand over Takpo's shoulder. It's difficult to point out what makes them related. I mean, a white boy and a black boy claiming to be brothers is something to debate about. Jack is his brother in arms. Like a twin-gun, they aim and shoot at their targets. Driven by ego and greed, they sabotage these streets. Reaping all its nutrients from it. They are kings without thrones and a legislature that opposes their laws without mercy. They are popular on these streets. They are in control of the drugs, water, and gun supply. Some call them Lords, mostly those that are last in the food chain. The city is full of crooks, thieves, and scavengers. These streets bleed from the crimes perpetuated day and night in it. Everyday here is a day survive. A day to prove that your miserable self deserves to live. It has no room for weak and no chance of the soft hearted. The other side outside town is like a crapy yard full of the spoils of war. "Will any good thing come out of Ibi ife?" some would say. The taxes are strict and any failure to comply with orders from above means cutting you out of the Tree of Life. The big boys stay at the heart of the city. This is the only beautiful place here. The only place that still has a splice of what the town once looked like.You need to own a fortune to live here. Different gangs hang out here. A center for dark business. Drugs, guns, and human trafficking are lucking in the shadows. In these streets, you are either a master or a servant. Jack had become a citizen of Ibi Ife and a brother of Takpo, since Takpo`s father took him in. He found Jack at the bridge that links Ibi Ife with The Great City of Giza. 'The alien child' some would say, but he would resist anyone that say such. "He is one of us. The innocent one was left to die. This is his home now. This is his fate. Perhaps one the day the war would end through him." "Oh king reing forever" said the queen after clearing her throat in as interrupting matter. "You would hand over this great throne to this stranger with no royal blood". "I never said that my dear. He would rule alongside Takpo my son and together they would rebuild this city to the city we remembered. A city Where dreams were free and a blessed with both human and natural resources". Giza used to be a neighboring town, but since the bridge broke, the people of Giza built a great wall at the border of the city. Since the war, all that was left at Ibi Ife was the spoils of war. But a shadow of what the city looks like was resurrected from the scraps. It was King father's dying wish that the queen and Takpo should take Jack as one of the royal family. "Together you will build back Ibe Ife and return it to the land of love and peace it used to be". General Shanga had ruled for 30 years before giving up the ghost. Takpo is a dark-skinned, tall, and handsome man. He had his Dad's height and his mother`s long nose with innocent brown eyes. Takpo and Jack grow up together in the heart of the city called Ile Alafia, meaning home of peace. Takpo is calm and always focused. A man of few words. He is known to be straightforward and a man with vision like his father. Jack, on the other hand, is the noisy one. He is a con man and has a reputation for being harsh in his judgment, but he listens to Takpo sometimes. They are both the apples of their mother's eyes and the love they have for her is priceless and they belt it in their heart with pride. Since the end of the war, things have not been easy for them. The need to survive has created a sense of desperation in everyone's heart. They have all gone savage. I mean, won't they? Gone are the days where they farmed for food and had plenty to sell to the neighboring towns. A city once known for being the best in grain production, is now nothing, but a ground of scavengers. "Our water supply will soon be cut off. The water level is going down every day. We might only have a five-month guarantee on the city reservoir tank". Said Mrs. Dalina, as she walked into the chambers of discussion and delegation, where the two brothers sat with their wives. Mrs. Dalina is the queen, and Takpo's mother. There was no response to the question she threw on the table. They all stood up to acknowledge her presence. "Your majesty", they said coresponsively. After she took her seat, there was now room for their opinions and suggestions.