Episode 5: The Ride That Changed Everything
382 Words
The rain was pouring in Masajja.
Hard.
I stood at the stage, drenched, clutching my books inside a kaveera. No taxi. No Uber. Phone battery at 3%.
I called James. No answer. Again.
“Eh, lady, where are you going?”
I turned.
Brian.
His boda was parked under a mango tree, jacket soaked, helmet in his hand. But his face wasn’t smiling like usual. He looked serious. Tired.
“Brian? You’re still here?” I asked.
“I saw your post in the class group,” he said. “Said lectures ended late. Figured you’d be stuck.”
My chest did something weird. James never noticed things like that.
“Can you take me home?” I asked. “Please?”
He nodded once. “Get on.”
The ride was quiet at first. Just rain hitting the jacket and the roar of the boda. Kampala lights were blurry through the rain. We passed the stage in Kibuye, then turned toward Masajja.
Halfway there, he slowed down.
“You shouldn’t be walking alone at this time,” he said over his shoulder. “Especially not with what happened last night.”
I frowned. “What happened last night?”
He didn’t answer.
“Brian?”
Still nothing.
My phone buzzed. James. Again. 5 missed calls. I ignored it.
Brian’s phone buzzed too. He pulled it out with one hand while riding. He glanced at the screen.
And his whole body went stiff.
“Get off,” he said suddenly. “Now.”
“What? Why?”
“Get. Off. Now.”
His voice was low. Urgent.
I looked behind us. A black car was following us. Slow. Too slow. It had been behind us since Kibuye.
“Brian, what’s going on?”
He stopped the boda under a streetlight. The rain dripped off his helmet.
“I can’t explain right now,” he said. “But you need to go inside. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t open the door for anyone except me or James. Okay?”
My heart was pounding. Why was he scared? And why was James calling me 5 times?
The black car stopped 20 meters behind us.
Brian looked at me, and for the first time, I saw fear in his eyes.
“Run,” he whispered.
- Writer
