DESIRES.

CHAPTER SIX.

I managed to get to the road which was merely but an empty stretch. Not a single car was visible and this dampened my already high hopes. I felt hungry, weak and tired. There was a huge stone lying close to the road and I moved towards it and placed my weary body on it. My eyes could hardly keep open and I knew I had to be alert in case a wild animal happened to wander in my direction. The sun was already at its peak and I was thankful for the shade provided by the tall trees. As anticipated I fell into a deep sleep which to be honest I very much needed.

The dream was nice and soothing and I wished I could remain there forever. However the flying creatures of the forest could not let me enjoy my slumber in peace. By the time I woke up it was well past midday and still there was no sign of a car in sight. I checked my already broken watch and was disappointed to find out it was no longer functioning. My phone had been damaged beyond repair and it was no different from a scrap of metal. It was then that I heard the soft humming of a vehicle and I quickly jumped on my feet. At first I couldn’t see clearly and then I could make out the front view of a car. It seemed to be travelling at a fast speed as it drew closer every passing second. I moved all the way to the center of the road and waited for it to come close.

It was soon close enough for me to know the make of the car as well as the number of occupants in the car. I was already more than overjoyed and I waved both my arms in the air. They had definitely seen me but the car did not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Suddenly the car began to accelerate and an alarming look formed on my face. The distance between me and the car was barely a few meters and my legs began to wobble.

I had to think fast and before I knew it I had thrown myself off the road and was just but a few inches from the car. The bushes at the side of the road broke my fall and once again my gun flew out of my hand. I then heard the loud screeching of tires and the car seemed to be coming back.

“Did you see what I just saw. It was him! God damn it he is alive!”

“There is no way he could have survived that explosion. ”

“Well apparently he did and now we are doomed.”

“The boss doesn’t have to know about this otherwise all hell will break loose. Let’s just get him and finish the job.”

There was a brief silence in the car as both men stared at each other. If it was discovered that I was still alive then their lives would be at risk. The driver reversed and they got back to the place they had spotted me.

“He must have taken cover in the forest. Let’s go fish him out.” They got out of the car and made their way into the forest. The place was quiet except for the occasional chirping of birds. The dry leaves on the ground also broke the silence as the sound of their steps filled the air. I could hear them from my hiding spot and remained perfectly still. I was hiding behind the trunk of a huge tree which provided a perfect camouflage.

My gun had disappeared into the leaves that covered the forest’s ground and there was no way of getting it. “Let’s spread out. You take that direction and I will take this one. There is no way he could have gotten far.” I heard one of the men disappear onto one side while the other was slowly coming my way. His steps drew closer and my eyes were quickly scanning around for anything that I could use against him. I then spotted a log that was just within reach and began to drag it closer with my feet. Once I had it in my hands I began lifting myself up while still carefully leaning on the tree trunk.

It was a very intense moment for me as I struggled to keep my breathing in check. The minute the steps were close enough I swung the log with all my might and a deafening shot rang out. At first I remained there motionless as I believed my end had finally come. My eyes were shut and it was after some few seconds that I opened them again. It was then that I saw the figure of a man lying on the ground. The log was lying next to his head and blood was gushing out of his forehead. His gun was still firmly held on his right hand and I took possession of it immediately. Suddenly I could hear fast footsteps coming my way. Things were now going to get hard. In haste I made my way up towards the road and the car was now in my sight. The other guy soon caught up and was not pleased on seeing the body of his dead colleague. A gruesome look formed on his face and with it came a determination to eliminate me. He guessed that I had made for the car and came after me. He found it just as it had been left and there appeared to be no sign of me.

This puzzled him and he made another sweep around the place with no luck. I had simply vanished into thin air. With a dejected look on his face he moved to the boot of the car and opened it. There was a huge bag and his eyes were fixated on it for a while. Luckily he had not checked under the car and I slowly got out of my hiding spot. He could hardly hear me approaching and he took notice of me after I had placed my gun on his neck. This was not what he expected and his body froze. I took a look into the boot and noticed the bag as well.

“What’s in the bag?” He completely ignored my question and simply continued to stare at it. I pressed the gun harder on his neck and ordered him to take out the bag. From the way he looked he was weighing his options and he finally decided to take it out. Whatever was in it did not seem to be any type of normal package. After he had placed it down I told him to open it and my fears were confirmed by the sight of a dead body. What troubled me most was that the dead man was Ben. He must have been in some serious trouble for this to happen to him.

Questions were filling up my head but no answers were forthcoming. “You don’t remember me now do you?” The question broke my line of thoughts.

“As far as I am concerned you are just another crook. I can make a good guess who you work for.”

“That’s very good inspector. To make matters simple you and I have met before. Sadly it was not under good circumstances. ” He looked back at me with his hawk like eyes as he said this.

“What were you going to do with this body and where were you taking it?”

“To dispose it of course. That was until we came across you.” I didn’t like this guy one bit and nothing would have felt better than to drill a hole in his neck. However he was the only one who could help me find Clarissa and hopefully the Governor. I closed the boot and with my gun still positioned on his made him roll the dead body into the forest. We then got back into the car and I gave him an offer he could not turn down.

“If I take you there I am a dead man as well. It will not end well for the both of us.”

“If you don’t take me there now then your death will come much more quicker than you think.” We now looked into each others eyes and he could see that I meant every word I had said. I had already taken away his gun so there was no trick he could pull up his sleeve. We were now both seated in the car and there was an air of tension between us. He was seated on the driver’s seat while I sat at the back. That way it would be easier for me to kill him with a clean shot.

After a while the engine roared to life and the car went back the way it had come. If he tried anything at all I was more than willing to shoot a bullet through the back of his head. He kept staring at the rear view mirror and was wise to keep both his hands on the steering wheel at all times.

I began to interrogate him and was bewildered at the sinister plot that was actually taking place. It took me a while to take it all in. If what I was being told was true then things were about to get extremely ugly. “I know I won’t come out of this alive since I have told you everything. ”

“I could work something out for you due to your compliance. ”

“I’m afraid that is not necessary. This thing is far much bigger than both of us. Death is inevitable and I can assure you there is no stopping it.” To be honest I began to feel sorry for him but it was already to late for he was deeply involved. “Do you remember that night inspector. I nearly had you but your lucky stars were with you.” I was perplexed as I tried to recall what he was talking about.

“You don’t remember? You escaped in that old man’s truck and I only managed to shoot the windscreen. My partner died that night after you killed him in cold blood.” The tone of his voice was a mixture sadness and anger. It suddenly came back to me as a vivid image of that night crossed my mind. My fingers tightened their hold against the gun as my eyes fixated on him. This man had tried to kill me before and failed something that made me conclude he was far much more dangerous than he seemed.

“I remember you now. Your name was Abdul. The two of you had kidnapped me.” He kept his eyes on the road and nodded his head to show that he understood what I was saying. “Were it not for the mishap that occurred that night you would have been dead already.” This sent a cold chill down my spine.

We had been on the road for close to two hours and dusk was fast approaching. I asked him how far our destination was and he told me we were not that far. Very soon the sky had grown dark with the moon glowing over the horizon. Just then Abdul began to slow down and finally the car came to a halt. “Why have we stopped? ”

He looked back at me and his face had a strange expression. “Get this car back on the road right now!” I had already lost my cool and aimed the gun on his face. We stared into each others eyes before he finally spoke. “Its dangerous for me to go back with you. I just can’t do it.” What happened next was too quick for me to comprehend. He got out of the car in a split second and he started running into the forest. I got out of the car as well and ran after him yelling at him to stop.

His figure moved through the still night like a ghost as his shirt was blown behind by the wind. I aimed my gun at him and a loud shot filled the air. His body fell down just by the side of the road and he became motionless. Once I got to him I turned him over and he now looked up with his eyes nearly popping off. The bullet had gone through his back and had come out through his chest. Breathing was now a problem for him as he struggled to take in large gasps of air. My hands were already placed on his chest as I tried to control the bleeding. He was trying to say something and I moved closer towards his mouth to find out what it was.

“When…when you go up…up ahead there is a…a murram road. Fo…fo…fo…follow it until you see a metal silver gate. That’s…that’s…where they are…” With those few words he lost his voice and his head tilted to the side to show that he was no more. My heart went out to this dead man who had definitely been through much irrespective of the fact that he had once made an attempt on my life.