NOT DEAD YET… (VII)
I firmly stepped on the gas with every ounce of strength I could muster and the truck took off through the pathway, galloping against the thick wet shrubs that stood in its path. And as I advanced headlong, the rest of the bags lodged behind began to fall off.
I hadn’t really gone a distance before bullets began raining on the truck like pebbles, making thin holes on every part of the vehicle’s skin. The windscreen soon shattered, tiny fractals falling on me in the process. The men didn’t retreat, giving me a hot chase while firing ceaselessly.
I was lucky to had scaled through without getting hit.
The deafening sporadic gunshots soon died behind me, the pattering footsteps of the gunmen also fading in the distance. I kept on driving, taking every turn that the pathway led. The morning sun was now up and sitting shyly in the clouds, a sign that hope could be rekindled once again.
As I traveled farther from my assailants, the wind came and the tall trees swerved, praising my acts of bravery. I soon encountered what resembled a crossroad in front of me. The lone pathway I rode on diverged into three directions. I slammed the brakes at once but the truck had refused to stop.
“Oh my God!” I voiced out in panic, slamming the brakes repeatedly, but the vehicle didn’t flinch. All my efforts to bring the truck to a halt proved abortive. My heartrate grew rapid, beads of sweat forming in my brows and racing across my face. I kept on, taking one of the three directions before me, deep into the unknown.
The path grew darker as I advanced, the ride becoming bumpy with the truck swaying this way and that. I didn’t see a huge tree stump standing in the way and I rode straight into it. The truck took off on it’s own, made a swift detour and came somersaulting in the air.
I fell off the wheels in the process, and passed out on the green grass.
I woke up several hours later to find myself lying on a wooden bed in a dark cozy hut. I had white bandages wrapped around my head and ankles. I was in severe pain.
I tried to move but couldn’t, I laid still instead and began to observe the room. The interior was dark, save for the faint illumination emitting from a burning lamp hanging somewhere above my bed. I could also hear the snorting of pigs in the background.
The door soon creaked opened and someone walked in. I couldn’t see his face but felt his presence. I shut my eyes and exhaled.
“How are you feeling, young lady?” A faint voice asked. I opened my eyes and turned to the person standing beside me.
His face soon came into light. He was a middle aged man.
“My name is Patrick, I live and operate a pig farm here” He introduced himself “I met you unconscious somewhere in the forest when I had gone to pick herbs for my sick piglets”
“Thank you…” I mumbled and winced in pain
“I had to take you in seeing how badly injured you were” He continued “What actually happened?”
I watched him sit on the edge of the bed as he gave me listening ears. I swallowed hard and began to recount my bitter experience up to the latest incident. He was very quiet and attentive all the while.
“Really brave of you, I must confess. Now you must rest a while and heal fully before continuing your escape” He admonished me
“I haven’t got much time, sir” I replied him “Those men are likely to track me down here”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’ll rather be on my way…”
“On foot? you can barely walk”
“Okay.. can you hide me in your farm? At least for the meantime”
“Alright…”
The middle aged man got up at once and helped me to my feet as we began making our way to the pig farm. There he made me lie on the wet ground as he proceeded to cover me up with dry grass. I watched him return to his hut afterwards as I lay still and prayed silently. I soon fell asleep in the process.
I had woken up moments later to raised voices. I turned to whence the voices came and spotted several armed gunmen around the vicinity. I also spotted the farmer on his knees while a gun was pointed to his head.
Soon, one of the gunmen emerged out of the hut bearing my mask. He handed it to his Boss who collects and sniffed it.
“You bloody liar!!” He barked at the farmer “You told me you had no clue what I was asking about…”
The farmer remained quiet.
“Now tell me where they are or I blow your brain out!” He yelled further, cocking his gun.
Fear gripped me.
“Don’t f-k with me!” He threatened “You have got five seconds or you die!!”
The farmer remained still and unperturbed.
“One!”
“Two!”
“Three!”
“Four!”
“Five!”
The trigger clicked and the gun went off. A deafening bang ensured, echoing across the farmhouse and into the wild.
The farmer’s body fell to the ground amidst slow struggles as blood spluttered about. I watched on in horror and burst into tears.
To be continued…
Úncle Nnamdi wrote it ✍️
