Chapter 16

I looked puzzled at him, but since he was piggybacking me, he didn’t see my expressions.

“how are you sure we’ve been travelling towards the wrong route?”

He’s creeping me out with the way he’s behaving, one minute he’s all I know the way, we are traveling in the right direction and another minute, he’s telling me we’ve been walking towards the wrong direction for hours, hours not even minutes, but hours.

I started wriggling on his back, his odd behavior ringing warning bells in my ears.

“put me down!”

he shook his head “no I wouldn’t." He stubbornly said as he held me tightly for fear I might fall and hurt myself.

“I said, put me down!” I wriggled the more, hitting him on his back, he didn’t wince to show he was affected by my hittings.

“stay still," he admonished a he readjusted my weight.

“if we waste anymore time, they will be on us any moment from now and you wouldn’t what they might do to you."

Hearing about my captors made me loose the fight in me.

ok, only for now.

I mentally agreed, forgetting the wise saying “the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know."

I know my captors sole motive, but I can’t say the same for this handsome familiar young man.

“Good, now we’re on the same page, let’s proceed." I can feel the smugness in his tone.

“you win for now, but it won’t always be the same." I can’t allow him take the final words.

He ran for hours with me still on his back, for once his breathing don’t escalate, an indication of his overexerting, it’s as if he was taking a casual walk on the beach, instead of running for his life or in this case my life.

“We need to rest." I wasn’t talking about myself.

I was concerned for his sake, he must be tired from the run and coupled with the fact that he was Carrying me as he ran.

“We need to cover lost ground before the hounds discover that the plans have been thwarted."

if youll thought I was confused before, his words made me more confused.

“ which plans? who are the grey hounds?”

he stopped for a moment I thought my pursuers have finally caught up with us, since he have a very keen sense of hearing_ few minutes back, he told me of the approach of his so called hounds before we heard their voices_ but when he changed direction, he didn’t run back to the initial direction.

He took a right turn, making me more puzzled . I think puzzled have become my new favorite words, I have spoken the words enough time that I began to question my sanity.

“Why did you change direction? and before you speak, don’t tell me you just realized we’ve been travelling towards the wrong direction again, am really tired of your twist and turns”.

I almost felt sorry for him since he’ve been carrying me for hours nonstop and for once he haven’t taken a rest, but that his payment for taking us towards the wrong route over and over.

speaking of that

 “where is the compass?” the last time I saw the compass was minutes before we heard Bulky’s voice.

“I lost it while we were running for der life, but not to worry I know where we are heading to.

I happen to know this forest like the back of my hand."

oh sweet baby Jesus, I don’t want to make to make more use of my new favorite word puzzled, but it’s what seems to fit my current predicament.

“I thought you told me earlier that you got lost because of your inability to navigate through this forest?"

he nodded.

“then why is it by some miracle you now know the same forest like the back of your hands?"

he shook his head at that " I didn’t mean I really know this forest like that, remember this isn’t my first camping trip neither is it my first hiking trip.

I’ve been on camps almost round the world, there was a time I got lost in the Sambisa forest in Nigeria and am still alive to tell the tale.

What I meant to say earlier was, I’ve gotten a hang on the direction we are to take.

I’ve promised your safety and I will fulfill my promise if it’s the last thing I do." he vowed.

it’s quite odd hearing him vow like that as if my safety is his main priority and not his camping trip which was the exact reason he was lost in this endless forest, come to think of it, he haven’t talked about his trip since we started our survival run.

“Ok, I believe you."

he nodded once, turned and resumed his running.

“I need to rest my aching feet,"  I tried for the umpteenth time to get him to stop, all to no avail.

Am not trying to make him stop for me, am doing it for him since he’ve not had a rest since he started running and coupled with the fact that he had to carry me the whole trip.

Earlier when I told him I’ve regained enough strength to run on my own, he protested, that I might delay our trip.

“and carrying me wouldn’t delay our journey?"

I  looked smug, but unfortunately he couldn’t see my expressions since he was still piggybacking me.

“You weigh the same as a feather, I don’t feel it."

my cheeks turned red in embarrassment and I wiggled the more to get him to drop me, but he tightened his grip on my legs, not giving me a chance to jump myself.

“Stop wriggling, I might be given the wrong impressions of what you’re doing."

my cheeks blazing red, I sighed in defeat with him chuckling like the devil he is.

“We’re almost there." he smiled in triumph and I couldn’t help but smile with him.

“Don’t be so sure about it."a familiar voice countered.