Present day
I couldn’t believe who I was seeing in front of me right now. How did he get here? How did he know where to find me to begin with? And the million dollar question in my mind was, out of everyone I have ever known, why him?
“Are you going to stare at me like that as if I’m some kind of a ghost?” the man before me asked.
I didn’t know what to say. In fact, what was I going to say? I had been chased in the bush by some dark shadow for what felt like hours and now I realise that the person who helped me out back there, happened to be the person I least expected.
And it was my childhood school mate and family friend, Mutale.
He also happens not to like me very much due to a number of past issues.
I wouldn’t like to dwell so much on our past encounters when we were children. Our parents always told us not to fight with each other whenever we met because we always did in one way or another, especially at school since that seemed more like our battle field when no grownups were around.
After completing Grade 7 and we both went to boarding school, we stopped seeing much of each other even during the holidays. There were rare times we would meet and usually that would be when our families would get together for a family party or a church function. Mind you, he and his parents were also Catholic. We didn’t fight as much as we used to as we grew older. We would rather not talk to each other whenever we met. And to be honest, I was surprised that we even grew so mature that we didn’t fight anymore.
“Hey! What’s wrong with you?” he asked as he waved his hand across my face, bringing me back to reality.
“Huh?” I was still a little confused.
“Are you okay?” he asked me slowly.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re here.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t start. I just saved your life back there.”
“I don’t want to argue with you. I’m just surprised that you’re here. And as much as I wanted to say thank you, you wouldn’t allow me to because we are not yet out of the woods.”
Mutale continued to look at me and I bet he was wondering in that head of his why I hadn’t changed these past few years. That’s if I did. Well, it didn’t matter now. For the time being, we had to get out of the forest quickly before that shadow came for us again.
“Let’s go,” he said, as he held my hand. “We can talk later.”
We continued walking in the open area of the forest. The moon still shone brightly above us. I looked up at the sky and I realised how lovely it was tonight, with the stars shining bright alongside the moon. If I hadn’t been running for my life from the shadow, I bet I would have been gazing at the stars like I usually do whenever I came here to my grandmother’s village.
I stopped when I finally remembered.
Mutale looked back at me when he realised that I had stopped walking.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’ve just remembered,” I said as I looked behind at the forest of trees. “I need to go back.”
“Go back? Where?”
I looked back at Mutale. “My grandmother’s house. I need to go back there right now.”
I forced my hand out of his grip as I turned my body around, heading back the way we came. But Mutale was fast enough to get a hold of my hand, again.
“Are you mad? We can’t go back. That ‘thing’, whatever it is, is looking for you.”
“But I left my grandmother and my cousins behind at her house. They might be in trouble and it’s entirely my fault. I shouldn’t have left them.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“I was already dead a long time ago, Mutale,” I said as I pulled my hand away from his grip, again. “You don’t know what’s going on.”
“You’ll be surprised at how much I know, Diana,” he said. His tone was gentle.
“Who sent you here?” I asked as I folded my arms. “Who told you I was here with my grandmother?”
He didn’t answer, but instead he looked down at the grass below his feet. Something was up and he wasn’t telling me what I needed to know.
“And you expect me to believe that you’ve good intentions,” I said breaking the silence.
“If I didn’t I wouldn’t have saved your life back there,” he defended himself as he looked up at me.
“Then tell me who sent you? Out of all the people I know of, you show up right out of nowhere and worse off in this remote area. I wouldn’t mind if it was any one of my family members but you and I are nothing but friends, if not just acquaintances.”
“But aren’t we family? You know the relationship our parents have with each other.”
“But it doesn’t go as far as you think. Besides, you and I don’t talk much like we used to when we were younger. Instead, all we ever did was argue.”
“And we are doing so right now when we are supposed to be going to safety.”
“No, what we should be doing is going back the way we came. My grandmother and cousins might be in danger and I need to know if they are alright.”
“You’re not going anyway, Diana. We’re getting out of here whether you like it or not.”
“Oh, then watch me walk away because I’m not going anywhere with you.”
I quickly turned around to leave. I wasn’t going anywhere with him as long as I knew my family might be in deep trouble. If he wasn’t going to understand, then it was best going back alone even if that shadow were to show up again.
“No! Diana,” Mutale held my hand from behind and he quickly pulled me back. I almost lost balance but I kept steady so as not to fall to the ground on my side.
I had my back leaning on his chest and his arm was wrapped firmly around my waist to stop me from going. I quickly kicked his leg with the back of my heel. He screamed out in pain. He still had his arm wrapped around me, but this time, his grip loosened a little. I quickly took his hand around my waist and made a 180 degree turn, stepping away from him as I took the arm with me, stretching and twisting it in the process. Mutale cried out in more pain as I held his shoulder and pushed him forcibly to the ground on one knee.
“Aaah! Diana, you’re hurting me, said Mutale. I could tell on his face that I really twisted his arm badly.
“Why can’t you understand that I need to go back there?” I asked. I gave his arm a slight twist again and he winced in pain. “You left me no choice but to hurt you.”
“How did you get so strong? You were a fighter when we were younger but you could never outmatch me with so much strength.”
That was true. I was a fighter during my primary school years, but that was because a lot of people used to bully me a lot. I decided to stand up for myself, even if it meant throwing a few punches here and there. But Mutale was right. I wasn’t as strong as I am now. A lot had happened during the years, especially at boarding school where it all started from that had made me this way. It’s one of the reasons why that shadow was chasing me, for my strength and other special abilities.
“Are you going to let me go now?” Mutale asked as he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth together. I was really giving him a hard time.
“I will until you agree that you’re coming with me back to my grandmother’s house,” I said.
“Okay, you win. You’re going to break my arm.”
I hesitated for a few seconds before letting go of his arm. For a moment there, I was wondering whether he was going to keep his word or not.
Mutale slowly stood up from the ground as he checked out his arm, hoping that I didn’t break it. I was cautious enough not to. He turned his arm round in its socket, bringing back some feeling into it.
“You’re really strong,” he said. “For a moment there I thought you were going to break my arm.”
“We can talk about my strength later, right now, I’ve to go back. Let’s go.”
I turned around and started to walk back the way we came to the dark wooded forest. I could hear Mutale behind slowly following suit. But I couldn’t help but feel that something behind me was terribly wrong.
My instincts never seem to fail me nowadays. As much as having special abilities was a curse on my part, others would say it’s a gift. I had the strength and the speed. That was why it wasn’t so easy for the shadow to catch me in the first place, though I am still grateful for Mutale’s help. But what I liked about my gift was my sharpened improved instincts. Though it never comes when you really wanted it to.
In a flash, I quickly turned around. I caught Mutale unaware. He was just about to wrap his arm around my neck and who knows what he would have done. Strangle me, perhaps. Can’t be too sure about that, but I quickly took hold of his arm that I twisted before, midway from wrapping around my neck.
He looked at me, surprised. He didn’t know what I was capable of just yet. But right now, I needed some answers.
“What were you just about to do?” I asked.
“Nothing, nothing,” he said quickly, still shocked. “I thought I saw something on your shoulder like an insect and I wanted to remove it, but I don’t know how you were quick to stop me.”
“Mmmm, for a moment there, I thought you were just about to wrap me into an arm lock on my neck.”
There was silence between us as we continued to look at each other. With the light from the moon, I looked into Mutale’s eyes to see if he was lying to me.
In a flash, I saw what I was hoping to see. A red flash of anger shone in his eyes as he roared out and tried to punch me with his other good arm. I let go of his arm I held and deflected his other arm from punching me. I gave him a kick in the knee. The kick was so hard he fell to the ground on one knee, just like before. Before he could do anything, I gave him a hard punch in the face and he fell to the ground, moaning in pain.
“Answer me, Mutale,” I said. “You were just planning to strangle me, weren’t you?”
He held his cheek on where I punched him and when he turned to look at me, I could see where I tore his skin. It looked more like he had been sliced by a sharp knife when it was actually my iron fist. A trickle of blood fell from his cut cheek.
“That’s one good punch,” he said as he placed his fingers on the cut on his cheek. He soon looked at his fingers that now had blood.
“Answer me,” I said. “You were planning to choke me to death, weren’t you?”
Mutale looked at me before he started to laugh. I had to admit, he was laughing like a crazy person because his laugh was delirious. And in such a situation, I didn’t expect him to laugh at all.
He sat up comfortably as he continued to laugh. Something told me that it was best to run away and go back to my grandmother’s house in search for her and my cousins. But another part of me wanted to know what was really going on.
“You know, they warned me about you,” he said as he looked at me and pointed his bloody finger at me. “They told me you were something and I shouldn’t do anything to arouse your suspicion or you might just have me killed.”
“Who’s ‘they?’” I asked.
Mutale smiled at me this time and my eyes bulged when I realized the gold neck chain on his neck that glittered in the dark under the moon. The necklace he wore bore the medallion that a special secret elite group wore if you were a member. I didn’t see the medallion hidden under his shirt, but I recognised the design of the neck chain from anywhere. Why didn’t I see this sooner? He was part of the elite group that was set on capturing me because of my unique abilities.
“The Golden Elites sent you, didn’t they?” I asked.
Mutale slowly stood up and he spat out blood from his mouth. I flinched at the sight of the dark red spit on the ground between the two of us. It was quite clear that he wanted to spit at my feet. It looks like he had never changed with those childish manners after all.
“How did you join them?” I asked him, looking up from the ground at his face.
“Does that matter?” he asked with a grin, his mouth bloody. “I was sent on a mission.”
“To bring me in.”
“Of course, now that I know what I’m dealing with, I think it’s time to bring out a few toys I came with.”
“We can’t fight here. Not with that thing around.”
“Don’t worry,” he said with a corky smile on his face. “I’ll handle it later.”
In a quick flash, Mutale came towards me with so much force. I was caught a little off guard and instead of stepping aside I was dragged to the ground by his heavy weight. Before I was conscious of what was going on, a heavy blow came over my face. It felt like a sting on the cheek. Mutale had punched me and this time, it hurt like hell. It was then that I realised that he was wearing golden brass knuckles, curtsey of The Golden Elite. If any ordinary person was to be hurt by any of their weapons, they would die instantly or if they are lucky, might be bedridden for nearly a year. They were deadly. These weapons were specifically designed to harm the supernatural. And apparently, I fell under that list.
Another blow came and this time on the other side. As much as the second one dazed me, it was time I took action. Just as Mutale was about to punch for the third time, I held his fist in a quick flash. With all that I had, I screamed as I pushed his powerful arm aside and gave him a punch under his jaw. Mutale didn’t budge away like I expected him to, but I did daze him and I completely took the opportunity to lift him off me, slightly throwing him in mid-air to the side.
I quickly stood up before he did and just when I was about to kick his head as he tried to stand, he quickly took my foot and I quickly landed onto the ground. I screamed upon the impact I felt on my back.
“Nice one, Diana,” said Mutale, still holding my foot as he was now up on both feet. “But I saw that coming.”
With my other free foot, I hit Mutale in the knee. I probably popped the bone out of the socket because I heard his bones make a weird noise upon hitting him. He let go of my foot as he screamed in pain and fell to the ground on his other good knee. He held his badly broken knee as he continued to scream in pain.
I quickly stood up from the ground and looked over at Mutale. I realised that I had hit him pretty badly and I couldn’t help but look on with remorse.
“Sorry,” I said as I winced imagining the pain he must be going through.
He looked up at me with anger. “You’re sorry? You just broke my leg and you’re saying you’re sorry?”
“I know, but you’re the one who is my enemy here and I was just trying to defend myself. Besides, your bone isn’t broken, it’s just dislocated. You can put it back in place if you’re strong enough to do it. ”
“Ouch!” Mutale screamed out. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, but there was nothing I could do and this was felt like my cue to leave.
I turned around and started walking in the direction we came from when we met in the forest. I felt bad leaving him behind but he was the enemy and I didn’t realise it till later. We stopped being friends a long time ago so our relationship was weird to even explain up to this point.
“Hey!” he called out to me after I took a few steps away from him. “Are you just going to leave me here?”
“You’re The Golden Elite, aren’t you?” I asked as I continued to walk away.
“You’re can’t leave me like this. You’re better off killing me.”
“I don’t kill people.”
“But you can’t leave me like this. Help me out.”
I stopped and turned to look at him. He was still kneeing on the ground and I had to admit, seeing him was a sorry sight.
Before I could reply, I felt the hairs at the back of my head raise. It was here.
The tree leaves behind me and all across the open space started to sway as a strong breeze came past. People would have thought of it as a cool breeze of fresh air on a hot summer night. But Mutale and I knew otherwise. The shadow was close and it was making its presence felt.
I looked at Mutale and he looked at me, terrified. If I left him, he might be able to defend himself with the weapons he has, but with a badly broken leg, who knows what the shadow would do.
I quickly went over to Mutale and before I could help him out, I took his hands and removed the golden brass knuckles that he wore and threw them aside in the grass.
“What are you doing?” he asked looking confused.
“Saving you,” I replied. I quickly searched his pockets of his trousers for any more weapons and anything useful. I found a small cotton sack tied with a cotton string. It was exactly what I was looking for.
“Hey, you can’t take that,” he said as he tried to grab the tiny sack away from my hand but I was swift to put it out of his reach in the pocket of my jeans trousers.
“It’s surprising how much I know about your weapons and the little charms you carry around. The golden dust in the sack is what warded off the shadow when you saved me in the forest.”
“But it’s not enough to ward it off for long. The golden dust will lose its shine soon and that’s when it’s least effective.”
“I know that’s why we have to be quick. Come on.”
I quickly put Mutale’s arm over my shoulder and I wrapped my other arm around his waist and lifted him off the ground. Surprisingly, I was able to support his weight. Though I was able to lift him, he was pretty heavy.
We started our long trek into the forest, with Mutale hobbling on one foot and with me as his support. We had to be quick and I knew the long walk back to my grandmother’s house was far, but we just had to make it in one way or another. The trees branches over us still continued to sway from side to side.
After a few minutes of walking, Mutale asked: “Why are you helping me? You know after this, I might just kill you.”
“Unlike you, I have a conscious and leaving you here to die in the hands of that shadow will give me nightmares. And don’t try to thank me yet, I might just leave you here if I want to.”
“You’re really aren’t as bad as they say you are.”
“Being bad isn’t on my résumé. Enough talk, we need to get out of here quick. Something tells me the shadow is a few feet away from us and the only thing that’s keeping us away from it is the gold sand.”
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I looked behind me and I realised that I was right. A few feet away at a reasonable distance behind some trees, I could make out the shadow staring at us. And I prayed the shine in the gold will last till we made it to our destination. I had a feeling that if the shadow catches us, it will show no mercy.
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