[]Chapter Five
The Bridge
(Episode 10)
The person was John Doe. Oh! Did I say charged towards us? Sorry I meant to say he ran towards us. On getting to us, he dropped his gun and brought out a dagger to cut us loose.
Surprised, Lilian, the fair-complexioned lady with full lips, asked John Doe, “why are you helping us?”
“Well, I’ve not always wanted to be part of this. I am only a victim of circumstance…” He paused as he cut Ubong loose. “Anyway, that does not matter now. What matters now is that we get out of here before Baba God sends down the rain.” He pointed skyward.
We all watched him open his rucksack and brought out his water bottle and handed it over to Amitabh. Amitabh collected it and gulped down the water; he didn’t remove the container from his mouth until it was empty. He heaved and thanked John Doe. We were all happy to see the glow in his eyes return. John Doe smiled and tossed Amitabh a loaf of bread.
“That will give you some strength, boy.” He bent low and rubbed Amitabh’s cheeks. “Boy, when next death stares you in the face, look straight into his eyes and tell him, ‘not today!’ Can you do that?” He held out his knuckles.
Amitabh hit the knuckles with his, smiled and nodded.
“I love this boy!” John Doe picked up his rifle and got up. “Guys, we’ve got to move.”
Minutes later, we were on our feet again. Biggie carried Amitabh this time. I saw Fiona looking at her wrists and biting her lips. It reminded me of mine that were now red with blisters and were still burning with pain. John Doe was in front with his gun at the ready. We got close to the swamp and saw Shola’s shoes and the don’s boots and strips of his camouflage trousers floating on the water. What a sad souvenir of the horrible death that consumed them! We discovered a faint path along the swamp. The track must lead somewhere and could be our map to getting out of this jungle.
John Doe told us his story as we moved on. His name was Michael and had taken to armed robbery as a result of misplaced loyalty. The don had taken him and his sister, Matilda, in when they had nothing and no roof over their heads and no one to turn to for help. They had become orphans when stray bullets killed their parents. The don had seen to their needs ever since and even sent Matilda to school to become a lawyer. When the don eventually introduced him to the underworld, he felt too indebted to him to turn him down. He had always looked for the best opportunity to pull out, but none presented itself until now.
“Hey, look!” Amitabh squealed with delight, pointing to a wooden bridge some distance away.
The sight brought us deep relief and great joy. It meant we were on the right path. We heard a mild rumble in the sky. That wasn’t a good sign, so we quickened our steps.
To be continued … Watch Out for the Next Episode!
