ON THE RUN (EPISODE 23)

She had a saurian eyes and they were festering with hatred for them. This really was a bad idea. Their hearts pounded against their rib cages and their neck hairs felt like pins with the terror of it all. The nosy woman, wearing a cream hijab on a long pitch-black jalamia, shuffled her gazes between Sanmi, the General and Dinah, inching closer to them.

“Hi.” Sanmi said, to fill in the awkward gap of silence.

She squeezed her curious face to a frown, squinting her eyes at him. Even though he summoned little courage amidst the ache he felt in his bleeding thigh, Sanmi couldn't help but imagine what had be going through her mulish mind.

“We mean no harm.” He said, then limped towards her. “I swear we mean no harm.”

The General stood, with his bulbous eyes, wondering what Sanmi was up to.

“She doesn't understand English.” Dinah said in a very low tone.

Oh! That’s true, Sanmi quickly recalled his experience with the rebel that captured him to the suburb. Now, her ignorance pricked her curiosity, she needed to know what the whispering and the eye gesture was all about. And seeing that there was no way she could stop being an ignoramus at the time, she decided to flee and call for help. She never trusted them anyway.

Pow!

The sound came out from the General’s rifle and the nosy woman fell freely to the dusty ground. Confusion rent the air as the dreadful sound had called more nosy attentions. Their faces shimmered like the morning sun, but it was a marrow-freezing moment. The deed had been done, no retreat no surrender.

Snooping faces began to show up at the scene, but then Dinah and the duo had taken to their heels, heading north, towards the thick chancy bush. The wind blew danger into their nostrils and their sensitive ears could pick from afar the hue and cry of the concerned neighbours that chased after them.

Ah! It hurt.

Titian-red blood spurted from his wounded thigh. Sanmi had strained the leg and it couldn't take him any further. He crouched on the spot.

“A little more endurance soldier...A little more.” Dinah finally took off the scarf covering her head, which the plucky breeze had tried removing, then she reached for his thigh and stopped the bleeding with it. “Better now? Okay, come on get up.”

The scream became louder and closer.

“Captain! Get up now!” The General frowned. “We are in the open. Let’s at least get into the bush which would better camouflage us.”

“Just try. Yes soldier, come on.” Dinah helped Sanmi up to his feet, threw his arm around her neck and they surged forward.

The rebels had quickly been hinted by the suburbia who lacked the physical strength to chase after Dinah and her friends. They caught every second of the time to get their ammunition ready. Retrieving the traitor and the runaway prisoners was a feat they wouldn't want to fail, as they hopped into five different SUV, each holding six angry rebels. They sped on, towards the only escape route out of the desolate suburb.

“I need to rest now sir.” Sanmi hitched to a giant tree and sat on its sprouted roots. “I have lost a lot blood. I am scared.” His voice deepened and his throat swelled with tears.

She shuffled to him. “I know how you feel. You won’t die.”

Mild and soothing was her voice, not only to his ears, but also to his heart. Her pointy cute nose, the perfect lining of her eyelashes, her supple jewel red lips and her long curly hair, knitted to form two ponytails, captured Sanmi’s sense of reasoning in a jiffy, and he could do nothing than to feast on her.

“I’m a nurse back in the US and a military attache, so I know and can tell you firsthand that you won’t die.”

He smirked.

“Oh no, I mean you won’t die because of this injury. All you need is a quick medical care.” She smiled.

The General’s teeth chattered and his spine tingled with fear as he saw, far afield, the troop of radicals alighting from their vehicles. “Let’s go! They are here. Now!”

They looked and saw what he saw. Quickly, Dinah pulled Sanmi to his feet, then they scurried to catch up with the General, who paced faster ahead of them.

Bratatat! The rebels fired into the unknown. Then, they saw a fuzzy visage of them running, some meters in front. The rebels ran faster, shooting rapidly at the escaping trio.

Thud! They jumped over a 5ft wall, built as a barricade in time past by some peacekeeping soldiers. She wiped away the beads of sweat formed all over her pretty face. She threw a wink at Sanmi, who slouched behind them, urging him to hurry. Dinah amazed these two troubled military men with her unwavering tenacious spirit, they just couldn't believe how brave a woman, of her colour and gentle demeanour, could be this strong.

Yet, Sanmi limped on, still very tired. The resonance of his heartbeat was earsplitting and his bones creaked with fear. Dinah paused, waiting for him to catch up with her, but that wasn't the case of the General, he moved on.

“I don’t think I can make it. My breathing is hard and my leg is heavy.” Sanmi bent, placing his hands on his kneecaps.

She got scared this time. “Just a little more please. Okay, take this.” Dinah took off the tiny silver bracelet she wore on her left wrist, and gave it to him. “This is a reward for you... for pushing pass the pain. Chelsea will sure be glad you had it.”

“Who’s Chelsea?” He stared into her blue eyes.

“My daughter...my only child.” She said after a short pause. “She gave that to me six years ago before I left home.” Her eyes saturated with tears as her heart raced very fast.

Sanmi closed the gap between them and lent her a hug. “I know how much you miss her. You will get to see her soon...I promise.”

The least he could give a woman who was ready to give him all was a little word of encouragement. But, promises should only be made by those who could actually bring them to pass.

Dinah’s tears dropped on Sanmi’s dirty shoulder and the tepid breath from her nostril graced his neck. Sanmi thought he’d do anything to get Dinah back to the US, to reunite with her daughter. Those wishes were only strong in his heart, but they weren't strong enough to face the reality life kicked at him.

Pow!

Titian-red blood slipped down Dinah’s nostril.