I did not wait for her answer. I turned and walked away. I only stopped when I heard footsteps behind me. There was a baobab tree nearby. I hid behind it. I could not take any chances. The robbers, who were known as amagumaguma were still out there. I heard the shuffling of feet, slow soft foot falls. It was Sekai. I waited until she was about six metres away. I took a few strides and touched her shoulders. She tried to jump away in fright.
“It’s me,” I said. She almost collapsed in my arms. This was trouble for me. I was breaking every rule in the book.
A few galaxy stars lit the earth. My main worry was running into the robbers. There was a game reserve nearby. Sometimes wild animals escaped from the fenced game reserve. Now I was stuck with Sekai, a grieving woman I had just met. She could be the end of me if I was not careful. At some point I had to get rid of her. Our journeys were not the same.
I looked around.
The land on the other side was not welcoming. It was dry, open, and watchful. The kind of place where even the trees looked like they were keeping secrets. Thin acacia branches clawed at the sky. The ground was loose underfoot, fine dust rising with every step.
We stood behind a small bush.
“Where exactly are you going?” I asked.
“Pretoria. My husband is waiting for me there,” she said. Her voice was halting. It was dark, but I was sure tears were running down her cheeks.
Pretoria was too far away.
“How do you plan to get there?” I said.
Her silence filled the air around us for a few seconds. She kept looking back at the river which was now out of sight.
“My husband told me before to board buses in Musina,” Sekai said. The greatest danger lay between here and Musina. There was heavy police presence. The Border Patrol Authority mounted numerous roadblocks on the N1. Private cars, buses and taxis were flagged down and searched. For border jumpers, avoiding the N1 was a safer way to avoid being caught. I had planned to move by night and reach Musina under the cover of darkness.
I was still not sure about Sekai. I could not leave her in the woods alone. She was going to slow me down.
“Where’s your bag?” I quizzed. She was not carrying anything. She was startled.
“I gave one of the women to hold my bags just before crossing the Limpopo River.” Sekai said. She continued.
“I don’t know what happened to the woman. I did not see her after the crossing.”
“Do you have any money with you?” I said.
She was silent for a moment and then she shook her head. I groaned.
“With what has happened to you, I think it’s best you head back to Zimbabwe,” I said. It was dark, but I could not miss out the strange look she threw at me.
“I can’t ,” she said. I shrugged my shoulders.
“You know I can’t help you,” I said. I regretted it the moment I said it.
“Do you have another way of contacting your husband?” I asked her.
“I lost everything including my phone,” she said.
“I can only allow you to walk with me up to Musina town. After that, you’re on your own,” I said. She did not respond.
“I hope we can make it,” I said.
I made up my mind that the sooner we reached Musina, I could get on my way. Sekai should know what to do.
“Let’s go,” I hissed in the dark. I took huge footsteps. I had lost a lot of time trying to help Sekai. She ran behind, struggling to keep up.
The trees were gazing down at us. There was a heavy silence between us. It was just as well. We almost walked into an ambush.
There was a clearing ahead. A group of border jumpers lay on the ground. Four amagumaguma stood over them.
I grabbed Sekai’s arm.
“Don’t move,” I whispered.
I pointed.
“Give us everything you have,” one of the men barked. “Or you pay with your blood.”
His voice was cold. Sharp.
Five people lay face down. They must have been the ones who disappeared while I was helping Sekai at the river.
One of the robbers held a gun to a man’s head.
I felt a wave of nausea.
Beside me, Sekai’s breathing grew heavy.
Slowly, we dropped to our knees.
And waited. Sekai started breathing heavily.
We had to get away from this place as soon as possible. If we lingered longer, we could also get caught.
“Let’s go,” I whispered to Sekai. We retreated stealthily into the woods. Sekai trailed quietly behind me. My mouth felt dry.
A gunshot cracked through the darkness. Sekai’s hand found mine. Not out of fear.
Out of instinct.
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