BEWARE WHAT YOU WISH FOR: A TALE OF GOOD AND EVIL

If wishes were horses, men would ride. And if they were aeroplanes, men would fly. But what if they were dangerous creative powers capable of destroying our world or fixing it?

CHAPTER ONE: THE BOOK

James Khalifa leaned against the dusty windowsill of his new apartment, wiping sweat from his brow with a grimy hand. At thirty-five, the banker was no stranger to hard work, but cleaning out this dingy rental was testing even his endurance. He glanced over at his roommate, William Bobade, who was busy sorting through a pile of discarded items left behind by the previous tenants.
William, fresh-faced and brimming with optimism at twenty-eight, had just landed a new job at a prestigious computing firm. The contrast between the two men was stark. James, with his weathered face and calculating eyes hardened by years of cutthroat finance, and William, whose bright demeanor and infectious enthusiasm seemed to fill every corner of the room.
"Will, check this out," James called, his voice echoing in the half-empty space. His hand had brushed against something cold and solid in the corner, hidden beneath a stack of old newspapers. As he pulled it free, he revealed a massive book, bound in cracked, black leather. Its spine creaked with age as he lifted it, sending a small cloud of dust into the air.
William looked over, eyebrows raised. "What is that, a relic?"
On the front cover, a piece of yellowed paper was taped, with jagged, hastily scrawled letters in faded ink:

THIS BOOK CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. IT MUST NEVER BE OPENED BY THE FAINT OF HEART.

James and William exchanged glances, a mixture of skepticism and intrigue on their faces. They set the book on the floor and sat down beside it.
"It's probably a hoax," James declared after a brief silence, his banker's pragmatism kicking in.
"Some kind of gimmick," William replied, running a hand through his low cut hair, a habit he'd picked up during long hours of coding. "Maybe it's full of creepy stories. Or worse, accounting manuals."
James snorted, but he tapped the cover. "The note says it'll change the world. Must be one hell of a story."
"No book can change the world," William said with finality, dismissing the idea with a wave of his hand.
With a shrug, they set the book aside, determined to finish cleaning the apartment before indulging in their curiosity. The sun rose higher upon the Lagos skyline as they finished, their new home slowly taking shape.
The mysterious black book sat on the shelf, looming ominously in the background, its secrets waiting to be revealed.



CHAPTER TWO: THE WISH

After hours of cleaning, the two roommates collapsed onto the living room couch. With egg rolls on the table and cold cans of Coke in their hands, they finally turned their attention to the mysterious book.
"Time to crack this thing open," James said, picking up the hefty tome again. It felt heavier than before, almost as if something had shifted inside it.
"Here goes nothing." He opened the cover slowly.
To their surprise, the pages were blank. Completely empty, from front to back. They exchanged bewildered looks, flipping through the book's pristine white pages, searching for something, anything, to justify the ominous warning on the cover.
Just as they were about to give up, William spotted something. Hidden halfway through the book was a single line, written in neat, legible handwriting:

MAKE A WISH AND WRITE IT DOWN, BUT MAKE IT CAREFULLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE ONLY ONE CHANCE.

William let out a soft chuckle. "So, it's one of those make-a-wish-and-your-dream-comes-true deals?"
James scoffed. "It’s probably some kind of psychological experiment. But hey, if you want to waste a wish on something stupid, be my guest."
William leaned back, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "All right. I wish that good and evil become more than just abstract concepts. I want them personified, real beings, capable of saving and destroying the world."
James stared at him in disbelief. "That's your wish? You could've wished for a billion dollars, but you choose that?"
William shrugged. "It’s all nonsense, right? Might as well have fun with it." He took a pen from his breast pocket and wrote down on a blank page all he had jestingly wished for.
With a shake of his head, James closed the book and tossed it into a nearby closet. "You're insane, Will."
But neither of them noticed the faint shimmer that rippled across the book’s surface as it settled in the dark.

CHAPTER THREE: THE DRIVE

The Lagos sun beat down relentlessly as James and William drove back from their weekend errand in William’s BMW. The city, always teeming with life and chaos, felt particularly stifling under the heavy afternoon heat.
They sat in silence, stuck in the grinding gears of Lagos traffic. The familiar honking of horns and the shouting of vendors selling everything from bottled water to snacks filled the air. In front of them, an army vehicle with flashing lights and sirens was attempting to part the sea of vehicles, but even it was stuck in the same gridlock.
"This is ridiculous," James muttered, tapping his fingers on the dashboard. "We should’ve stayed home."
William remained quiet, eyes on the road, though his thoughts seemed far away. Suddenly, the sky darkened, faster than a storm could roll in. Within moments, what had been a clear afternoon turned into an inky black void.
"What the hell…?" James leaned forward, peering through the windshield. "This isn't normal."
William frowned. "There wasn’t any forecast for an eclipse, was there?"
"No," James said uneasily. "Nothing like this."
As the unnatural darkness enveloped the city, headlights flickered on in a sea of confusion. The army vehicle ahead blared its siren even louder, but the traffic remained frozen.
An unsettling silence descended over the highway. Even the persistent hawkers, the lifeblood of Lagos streets, vanished from view. James felt a knot tighten in his stomach as he glanced at William.
Something had changed.



CHAPTER FOUR: CHAOS UNLEASHED

Time dragged on as they sat, immobilized by traffic and unease. Two hours passed, the tension mounting as cars barely moved. Tempers flared, and the city’s usual bustling energy had morphed into an undercurrent of panic.
The sky, now an oppressive void, crackled with electricity. Crimson lightning streaked across the heavens, casting a strange, hellish glow over the gridlocked cars. A loud, booming sound split the air, making William jerk in his seat.
Suddenly, a massive bolt of red lightning struck the road ahead, sending asphalt flying in all directions. The force of the impact shattered car windows, crumpled vehicles, and threw people off their feet. Amid the chaos, a gaping crater opened in the road, flames licking at its edges.
As the dust began to settle, something stirred within the flames.
James and William watched in horror as a colossal figure, at least thirteen feet tall, rose from the fiery pit. Clad in dark, gleaming armor, its body radiated an aura of malevolence. Strange, glowing symbols like hieroglyphs covered its armor, writhing and shifting as if alive.
Four massive arms extended from the creature's torso, two crossed menacingly, and two hung by its sides, each ending in clawed, talon-like fingers. Its face was a grotesque parody of human features, twisted and nightmarish, with three eyes glowing a sickly yellow.
One of the soldiers in the nearby patrol vehicle sprang into action. Automatic weapons fire erupted, the muzzle flashes lighting up the unnatural darkness. But the bullets had no effect, bouncing harmlessly off the creature's armor.
James’s heart pounded in his chest. "Will… is this…?"
William could only stare in disbelief. Had his casual wish, made in jest, somehow come to life?
The creature let out a deep, rumbling laugh that reverberated through the air like distant thunder. Its third eye, glowing with malevolent intelligence, fixed on the soldiers.
"I am Gall," it growled, its voice shaking the ground beneath them. "The embodiment of evil and cruelty. And I have come to claim what is rightfully mine."
The soldiers fired again, but Gall was unfazed. With a swift, powerful motion, the claws swept through the air as he grabbed the patrol vehicle. Soldiers jumped out, scampering for safety as he flipped it over as though it were a toy.
William's breath caught in his throat. "What have we done?" he whispered, the memory of his foolish wish crashing down on him.
As the first screams of terrified civilians filled the air, James turned to him, his face pale with terror. "This… this is your wish."
William's breath caught in his throat. "What have we done?" he whispered, the memory of his foolish wish crashing down on him.
James disagreed. "I didn't do it… you made the wish."


CHAPTER FIVE: THE DECISION

The chaos was complete. The air was thick with the sound of screams, the crackle of gunfire, and the crunch of metal as Gall, the embodiment of evil, rampaged through the highway. Cars crumpled like aluminum foil under his enormous strength, and soldiers flew into the air like rag dolls as he barreled into them. Motorists who had hesitated too long scrambled out of their vehicles and fled on foot, while others had already abandoned their cars, the freeway becoming a graveyard of stalled engines and wrecked bodies.
Amidst the confusion, some spectators stood at a distance, phones held high, capturing the unfolding terror like it was some Hollywood action movie. The absurdity of the situation didn't escape James, whose eyes locked onto a young boy, no older than eight, wide-eyed and grinning at the destruction.
"Cool! Just like the Incredible Hulk!" the boy exclaimed, oblivious to the danger.
His father, pale with terror, grabbed him roughly and half-carried him away from their Toyota Highlander, which moments later was crushed under Gall’s fist like a toy.
James and William watched in horror from behind their BMW, breathing hard from their attempt to remain unseen. The creature was not slowing down, and the soldiers' renewed gunfire only seemed to irritate him further. They would need a plan, and quickly.
"If this is my fault, I’ve got to undo it, right now!" William said, his face ashen, fear creeping into his voice as they ducked down further behind the car.
"Great idea, except for the part where the book specifically says you only get ONE wish," James reminded him, his sarcasm thinly veiling his panic.
William looked desperate, his face tightening as he realized what that meant. "Then you make a wish. We’ve got to get back to the house. You can wish this never happened!"
James ran a hand through his damp hair, glancing back at the freeway, which was now a wall of frozen traffic and abandoned cars. Their new house was five miles away. They would either have to walk through what was becoming a battlefield "or hope the traffic would start moving again. But looking at the carnage Gall was causing, it was clear no one was going anywhere soon.
Meanwhile, Gall continued his rampage, sweeping entire vehicles aside like they were cardboard cutouts. A massive explosion followed as a fuel tanker, trapped in the gridlock, went up in flames, sending thick black smoke into the dark sky, showering Gall with burning flames that clothed him from head to toe. Yet the creature was unaffected.
"This is insane," James muttered, looking up at the towering inferno. "We’re never getting back home in time."
But William was adamant. "We can’t just sit here and wait to die! We have to find a way back to the book, or this thing will tear the whole city apart!"
James stared at his friend, realizing the weight of the situation. They had unleashed something far beyond their understanding, and now it was on them to fix it. There was no one else to rely on. Just them, two men who had foolishly made a wish in a world that didn’t believe in wishes. And now, a living nightmare was loose.
"We need to find a way back," William repeated, his voice shaking with urgency. "If we don’t, this city’s finished!"
James thought for a moment, his mind racing. There had to be another way. Running back five miles through chaos wasn't just dangerous; it was almost impossible. He scanned the gridlocked cars, the overturned buses, the panicked people fleeing on foot. And then it hit him.
James' eyes darted to a motorcycle lying on its side between two crashed sedans. Its rider was long gone, but the bike appeared intact. He bolted toward it, motioning for William to follow. "This is our shot!" he shouted, lifting the bike upright.
William hesitated. "A motorcycle? Are you insane? We’ll be torn apart by Gall before we even get halfway!"
"It’s either this or die trying!" James revved the engine. It sputtered but roared to life. The sound cut through the chaos, turning heads their way. "Get on!"
With no time for arguments, William swung his leg over the back of the bike. The two of them sped off, weaving through the frozen traffic and debris. Behind them, Gall’s roars grew louder as the creature rampaged through the city, smashing everything in its path. Cars exploded, and buildings crumbled, but James stayed focused, dodging burning wrecks and fallen power lines.
James gritted his teeth, pushing the bike to its limit. The streets ahead were littered with obstacles, but somehow, they managed to swerve through them.
Now, all that remained was one desperate hope: that they could reach the book in time, and that James’s wish, if it even worked, could undo the nightmare they had unleashed.

Author's Note

Thanks for past reviews. I'll appreciate your thoughts on this new piece
Akinlolu

Reviews

[Davidgeo]

Good and Evil are only reflections... they are the same thing. Only we are different.

[Akinlolu]

Hi David. I really appreciate your opinion on this. Thanks for taking time to comment on my story.