“A woman should not be alone, spying on another’s village. You disgrace your husband, where is he? Is he spying too?”
“Nothing like that, good sir. I am alone. The infidels raided my village many miles from here. My people were all taken captive. Only by our God’s grace did I escape.” Chidi felt the sting of the spear retract. He turned around, fell to his knees, and looked up thru the thin veil.
The man appeared to be in good health, indicating this village still had a steady source of food. His eyes were weary, though. The constant struggle to survive had transformed all who were left of mankind into something just above wild animals.
The man turned his head from side to side, as if trying to see Chidi’s large, pleading eyes behind the veil. “I should end your life now so you can gather together in Heaven with your husband and the rest of your village.”
Chidi retracted one of his arms unnoticed back inside his burqa. His hand held a knife concealed within.
“But sir, the will of God was for me to live. He sent me here. I am young and still of strong mind and body. I have born no children and would still prove to be an excellent wife.”
The man hesitated, perhaps letting the silence test the patience of the interloper. “Women are a gift of God but not all women are gifts to men.” He un-parted the layers of his apparel and exposed his penis.
Chidi moved his arm outside of the burqa. He lifted the veil under his chin slightly, took his captor’s limp cock with gentle fingers, and licked it softly while blood engorged it to full erectness. Chidi sucked it slowly, with a rhythm that offered no hesitation, bringing the man to orgasm.
The man shivered and uttered a moan of pleasure, bending slightly at the knees. He pulled away and covered himself. Chidi remained kneeling, with eyes looking up.
“I see why God has spared you. Truly you are a prize among women. I will receive you as my gift from God for my obedience to him. Stand—come with me to meet the elders. It is nearing time for us to pray. You will pray with me and my family.”
Chidi stood and followed two steps behind. The plan was in full motion now.
*
Chidi went by the name, Kagiso, a common name to the people of the region. Kagiso meant peace in African, and would aid in the deception necessary for survival. He was now under the lordship of Tau, replacing two concubines in his family who recently died from unknown causes.
After the evening prayer, Chidi was introduced to the family. Tau had a younger brother and two older sisters. The sisters were both widowed, with each having a surviving daughter. The younger brother had two wives and one concubine. Tau’s wife had been getting more than her share of the food, carrying more weight that the other women. She and Tau had two living daughters and one living son. The son had a wife and a newborn who was struggling to survive.
Chidi was received without much fanfare or any overt jealously. The members of the village acted mechanically returning to the regiment of daily task after Tau’s brief introduction.
Dada—Tau’s youngest daughter—twenty years in age, took Chidi down by the well to gather water for the goats. The village set in the bottom of a valley. Its physical location gave it a reprieve from the harsh, direct sun, being shielded by the terrain above.
But the saving grace of the village was the artesian well located on the west side. It was the supply of fresh water that had carried the village this far.
For two hours straight, the two filled buckets of water—one for each hand—and refreshed the goats. The goats had grazed for the day and herded into the bamboo pen for the coming night. Few words were exchanged between Chidi and Dada, which suited him just fine. Dada treated Chidi like any other beast of burden in the village. Perhaps she considered herself nothing but a beast of burden too.
“We are finished here. It is time for us to help in preparing food for the evening meal,” Dada said, placing the water buckets in a storage area near the pen. “Go and check the gates to make sure they are secure and hurry back to the hut.”
Chidi, with head lowered, and without faltering, walked the perimeter of the pen to check the two gates. The first was securely latched, as was the second. Looking around, ensuring no one was watching, he unlatched the rear gate, and pulled it open a small amount.
*
Chidi’s mouth watered at the smell of chickens roasting over the fire. The last thing he had to eat was bark from a pine tree. Red beans and wheat cooked in pots nearby, and would be severed with the chicken to stretch the meal for the village.
A stray goat made it almost to the middle of the village before it was discovered. A young male warrior approached it with curiosity, looking around for an explanation as to why such a precious commodity was allowed to wander unattended. The goat trotted away as he neared, and then other goats appeared without a shepherd.
He bellowed out an excited warning. The activity in the village came to an abrupt halt, and most everyone rushed to aid in herding the stray goats back into the pen. The villagers, who Chidi estimated to be around sixty in count, lined up side by side, forming a large semi-circle, turning the goats back toward the pen.
Dada didn’t leave her duties as cook, but did turn her back to Chidi as she watched the somewhat comical antics of her people try to outsmart the freedom-seeking goats.
He silently made his way behind Dada, reached underneath his burqa, and pulled out a foot long blade. He put his free hand over her mouth, and silenced her surprise as he cut her throat.
He tore off the burqa and threw it next to her body. He removed an empty sack from around his neck and hurriedly stuffed five of the roasting chickens into it, then hung it back over his neck. He grabbed the last chicken, biting into the hot flesh and swallowing it down. If he hoped to escape, his body needed fuel. He was going to take in nourishment while running for his life.
The baggy burqa had hidden a tight fitting belt strapped across his chest. The belt concealed the knife holding it closely against him. It also held two rubber bladders filled with water and a small plastic bag containing the musk glands from a fox. He smeared the glands on the burqa, ensuring the pungent odor would mask his natural scent. He tossed the plastic bag in the fire, careful to keep the scent from touching his hands. With his head lowered and biting a mouthful of chicken, Chidi walked hunched over at a slow place toward the route of his planned escape. He was unnoticed by villagers as they scampered about chasing down the goats.
Chidi’s heart pounded in his chest. His legs ached to run as fast as possible, but his mind told him to not to make any unnatural moves to call attention to himself.
He neared the clearing of the village’s center, the cover of the woods not more than twenty steps away, when the energized voice of a child pierced the normal hum of the village.
Chidi was too far away to make out the words, but he knew Dada had been discovered. Without breaking his contrived pace, he slowly looked over his shoulder just as he entered the tall brush, reaching the outside of the village’s perimeter. Members of the village hurried toward the cries of the child and to Dada’s lifeless corpse.
Chidi entered the brush and was soon out of sight of the villagers. He picked his feet up and put them down as fast as he could, putting distance between himself and the people he’d tricked. Having eaten most of the meaty parts of the chicken, he now scraped any remaining flesh from the bones with his teeth and tossed the remains aside.
In the distance dogs barked. They were on his trail. The race for his life was on. With the sun setting in the opposite direction of his destination, it would be several hours before the cover of darkness would be there to aid in his escape.
Chidi hesitated for a moment when a large warrior guarding the village came into view, then pulled his blade from the belt and ran straight at his opposition.
The guard was a good six inches taller and outweighed him by eighty pounds. He carried a two-foot long blade and a spear. The warrior let the spear fall to the ground and raised his blade to meet Chidi
as he rushed toward him.
Chidi took the offense and raised his blade high in the air. He brought it crashing down toward the warrior’s head, but the warrior deflected the blade with his own.
Chidi dropped to one knee, punching him in the solar plexus, just below his breastbone, breaking the bone at its tip.
The warrior made an oomph as the wind was knocked out of him and a lung was punctured by the fracture. He fell onto his back.
Chidi was immediately on him, smashing the man’s nose with the heel of his foot. As the mighty warrior writhed in pain, Chidi slit his throat, and left him for dead as he hurried toward the higher ground leading out the valley.
The barking dogs trailed off in the distance, leaving Chidi with relief that his plan so far had worked. His joy ended abruptly when an arrow whizzed past his head and embedded itself in a tree.
The villagers must have split up, he thought. If so, it would give him better chances of surviving. He didn’t know how many were behind him, but for now, speed and evasion were his only hopes for making it out of the valley alive.
Chidi started running in a zigzag pattern, cutting swiftly when changing directions. The arrows fell in the brush to either side, but he didn’t dare slow to look back. For now, the trees acted as shields as he darted behind them for cover. But up ahead, the trees thinned as the hills leading out the valley fast approached.
He had to quickly decide if he would go for it all and take the direct route out, or double back into the woods and try to lose the group giving chase. Doubling back would also give the other group of villagers a chance to find him.
He decided it was now or never, and picked up speed as the brush and trees gave way to the smooth rocky incline leading out of the valley.
Chidi was nearly three quarters of a way up to freedom when the first arrow landed a few inches from his right hand. He was crawling now, careful not to grab or step onto any loose rocks as he made his fast accent.
A quick look behind found two archers at the bottom of the hill with bows drawn and arrows ready to fly. The rest of the group climbed up after him.
He estimated his pursuers to be not more than ten. Worse though, Tau was among the group, and he was driven by more than just defending the honor of his village. He was also out for revenge. It was personal, and Chidi knew that would only make his escape more difficult.
Another arrow landed a few feet in front of him. Chidi turned and waited for the other archer to release his arrow, and rolled to the side. The arrow stuck deep where Chidi had been just moments before. He knew if he wanted to escape he couldn’t keep playing this game of dodging arrows. The villagers were almost to the halfway point of the hill, and Chidi could not afford any delay. Another arrow launched and he again rolled to the side before continuing his climb upward.
The arrows started to fall short just as Chidi finally made it to the freedom of the flat land, bringing him closer to his home. The land above was more desolate than that of the valley. The drought and harmful rays of the sun damaging the brush and trees to the point it looked like nothing was alive at all. The only green to be seen was from small plants living under the shade of the dying leaves of trees.
Chidi looked down at the approaching villagers. They were up past the halfway point now, the two archers climbed up the hill to join the chase. Chidi took a bladder of water from under his chest belt and took a long drink, resting for a brief moment. Rubbing his sore hands, he squatted on the edge of the ledge looking down at Tau and the rest that wanted to separate him from life.
When he thought the group was close enough, he started pushing the larger rocks over the edge down toward them. It was no mistake that he’d ended up on this part of the ledge with a nice supply of rocks. He’d marked the spot the day before, even moving some rocks into position.
The noise the rocks made brought questioning looks to the faces of the villagers, which turned to terror as the first rock connected with one on the chest. The man tumbled backward. Chidi pushed another two larger rocks before picking up those of throwing size.
He reared back and hurled a rock at the warrior now in the lead. It hit the man in the shoulder. He let out a yelp. Getting a feel for it, Chidi launched missile after missile. The entire group came to a complete halt.
One of the archers made the mistake of loading his bow. Before he even lifted his head to take aim, Chidi’s rock found its target and split the archer’s head wide open. The man instantly fell backward, tumbling down the embankment like a toy doll, finally coming to rest at the bottom, unmoving.
The rocks had taken down five targets. Chidi counted only four remaining.
Tau signaled to the others to retreat to the bottom.
Chidi picked up a larger rock with both hands and held it high above his head. He aimed and sent it crashing down, bouncing off the ground, and landing square in the back of a fleeing warrior. The warrior let out a dull moan as the rock sent him rolling down face first on the hard, dry ground.
Tau and the two others had reached the bottom and glared up at Chidi with a scowl so ferocious it sent chills up his spine. Chidi was not a violent, evil man by nature, but the instinct of survival numbed feelings of compassion—even right and wrong itself—from his conscious mind. His breathing slowed as he took a moment to rest, waiting for Tau to make the next move.
He couldn’t wait for long though, there was less than two hours of daylight left. If Tau decided to follow him, he needed the light to aid in his escape. Chidi removed a bladder from his belt and drank more water.
Minutes passed, with Tau and his warriors waiting patiently and the bottom. Chidi knew the next move was up to him. His large rock supply had been depleted, and he didn’t feel he could trick them to come back up after him to take them out with the remaining smaller rocks he still possessed. He stood on the edge and looked down at Tau, pointed at him, and laughed as loud as he could.
Murderous anger burned in the eyes of Tau. Chidi turned and ran away from the edge into the dying jungle. Tau and his warriors began to make the climb back up again.
*
Chidi waited a safe distance away from the valley’s edge. He could clearly see Tau and the other two as they emerged from the climb.
Tau scanned the surroundings while one of the warriors removed his bow from his chest and shoulder—where he’d secured it for the climb—and adjusted his quiver full of arrows. The only other weapons Chidi could see was Tau’s spear and a machete that the other warrior carried.
Chidi’s heart beat faster again. He had no hopes of out running or out fighting his well-nourished enemy. He could only defeat them by using his brain.
Tau spotted Chidi and dashed for him. The other warriors were startled by his sudden action and followed. They then saw why Tau had left so abruptly. The interloper that took advantage of the kindness of their village and killed one of its daughters and five of its mighty warriors was just ahead, and running with a limp. The evil man was wounded, and soon he would be in their grasp.
Chidi waited for them to get nearer so their confidence would override any feelings of caution. He changed directions and led his pursuers though a more dense area of the jungle. The three followed him, picking up speed as adrenaline from the hunt surged through their bodies.
They were faster than Chidi thought. Fatigue had set in him quicker than he expected. The brush crashed behind him and knew they were gaining. Panic set in. He had to make it just a little farther if he had any chance of surviving.
Tau now could see Chidi through the brush. His rage grew so that his face darkened in color. He gritted his teeth at the memory of his daughter Dada, lying on the ground with her delicate neck sliced wide open. So beautiful, so young, all the memories of her childhood replayed back through his mind. The fond memories turned his anger to sadness, and with the sadness, some of his rationality returned. Something about the chase gave him pause, but the other two warriors didn’t even realize that he dropped behind them as they ran.
&n
bsp; Chidi zigged and zagged, being careful where he stepped, but not slowing down his pace.
That was when Tau realized what was wrong with the situation. Chidi no longer ran with a limp. Before he could cry out a warning, the two warriors stepped onto ground covered with jungle plant debris. The covering gave way and the two fell into a crevice and disappeared from sight. Tau stopped abruptly at the edge and looked down. Sharp pieces of wood and bamboo of various lengths had been placed in the bottom with the tips pointing up to the sky. His two warriors were a bloody mess, impaled on the deadly trap.
They were too far down—and the crevice sides too flat—for Tau to aid them. He was forced to watch them shiver in agony and listen to their moans of anguish, awaiting merciful death from blood loss or the toxins from their punctured intestines to give them peace.
Chidi was no more than thirty feet away when he stopped running, hearing the men scream. His heart sank when he saw Tau standing by the crevice’s edge. He had hoped to catch them all, but the smartest and strongest remained.
With the speed of a leaping jaguar, Tau lifted his spear and hurled it directly at Chidi.
Startled, Chidi turned and dodged. The spear grazed his right side but left him mostly unharmed. He ran into a low hanging branch as he turned to flee, smashing the bridge of his nose between his eyes. Darkness and uncertainty filled his mind. He lost his balance and stumbled to the ground as tears and blood clouded his vision.
Tau was on Chidi’s back in an instant. He wrapped his strong arm around Chidi’s throat attempting to smother the life out of him, but the sack full of chicken still hung around his neck. It prevented Chidi’s windpipe from being crushed effectively.
Chidi managed to get on his hands and knees, and then flipped over on his back, and on top of Tau, who still struggled to strangle him. Tau had moved the sack out of the way enough that Chidi was getting very little air to breathe. He was losing the battle with Tau.
Apocalypse³ Page 5