Karma
(Episode 9)
I was sure Fiona must have been tempted to tell her it served her right but for the present situation. I hissed, and when I turned my attention back to the swamp, the don and Shola were on the abandoned raft, already sailing across the water. I squinted when I noticed a stealth movement in the water. I held my breath.
All of a sudden, two great jaws emerged from the water and grabbed Shola. I gasped. His shouts drew the attention of Biggie and the others who quickly turned to the swamp. It was horrific how the crocodile rolled him a couple of times in the water before pulling him underwater. His screams became muffled. Blood diffused over the water, turning it red. The smell of blood drew the other crocodiles towards the frail raft. The don’s guts left him in an instant. He turned frantically in all directions firing sporadically into the water. The once-troubled water suddenly became calm.
He began to steer the raft back to shore. He did it as quietly as possible, even afraid to breathe. The look of terror hung over his face. He looked over his shoulders several times. The raft didn’t look like it would hold for long. Just as he was about to get to the shore, the water began to ripple. A crocodile glided under the water towards the raft at an alarming speed with its scaly back barely visible above the water. The terrified don noticed the movement and intensified his effort to get to shore before the reptile caught up with him.
Unfortunately, his panic response rocked the raft too hard that it gave way. He fell into the water. The agitation stirred up the crocodile, and several others joined the pursuit as the don swam frantically to the shore. He got to the bank, but before he could climb ashore, one of the ferocious beasts bit his leg and tried to drag him into the water. He screamed and quickly turned around and pumped the remaining bullets into the crocodile’s head. The predator grunted and sank to the bottom of the water with a piece of the don’s leg—from the knee down—hanging in its mouth. He scampered to the shore, holding the limb from which blood gushed out. His scream travelled beyond the swamp far into the woods.
I felt the urge to run to him and help him up, but we were still tied up. While he was still struggling with the pain, another crocodile leapt out of the water and grabbed him with its powerful jaws. His eyes bulged, and blood gushed out of his mouth. He clutched to a stalk. He looked straight into my eyes, imploringly. The more he opened his mouth to beg for help, the more blood gushed out. There was nothing I could do. Finally, he lost his grip, and the croc dragged him into the water. My heart bled. Moments later, the water turned red, and its calm returned. I turned back and saw Fiona and the others in tears.
* * *
I kept praying to God for help in my head, and I was sure others were doing the same too. Sister Elizabeth was too distraught to shout her usual ‘Blood of Jesus!’ or ‘Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus!’ Yet I knew she was praying in her mind too. So many things bothered me as we sat helplessly in the open. Apart from the elements, we had ferocious animals, dehydration and hunger to contend with and the emotional wreck of watching Amaka’s lifeless body right in front of us. There it was curled like the letter ‘S’ with her hand tied behind her back and staring eyes that saw nothing. If God didn’t answer us in time, any of these was sure to kill us.
We remained in that position for about forty-five minutes, having as companions the eerie sounds the forest produced. We could only hope for the best as the morning gradually crept along. My body ached, and my wrists burned with pain. My heart sank when I saw the pain in Amitabh’s eyes. I cursed Shola a thousand times although he was now dead. I didn’t know that Fiona too was paying attention to Amitabh until I heard her call his name.
“Amitabh … Amitabh … Stay with us, right? We will all be fine,” she encouraged him in a hushed tone, apparently being careful not to draw the attention of any wandering beast to us.
I held back tears when I saw him replying with a nod. His face was pale with pain and fear. The time should be about five o’clock by now. The leaves close by parted, and a figure emerged. We didn’t see him coming or hear his footsteps until he emerged from the thick. He was armed with an AK-47 rifle and carried a rucksack on his back. Immediately he saw us, he charged towards us.
To be continued … Watch Out for the Next Episode!
