Africa (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Night befell the small tribe of Jesus-worshiping survivors. Kam and Tau waited like a couple of tigers in the tall grass, stalking their prey. They studied the group's habits, behaviours, and routines — seeing who was in charge, where they slept, where they kept their food, how many weapons they had, who had them, if they had lookouts, and so on.

Eventually, the members of the tribe went to their separate huts while one person stayed up to keep the fire alive and keep an eye out for any threats that may come wondering into their camp. As more time passed, Kam was getting sleepy as well. He even nodded off a few times. Jolting himself awake, Kam looked over at Tau who had passed out. With no awareness of time, Kam decided at that moment to make his move.

The tribe hung their food in a tree so Kam needed to sneak into their camp, lower the food, and get out, all while avoiding detection. He stood up and stretched out his stiff legs and back. He then tiptoed forward, pushing through the thick leaves. The assault rifle dangled from a strap that hung over his shoulder and draped across his back. He only wanted to use it as a last resort.

The crackling fire provided enough noise to mute his footsteps. He inched forward, staring intently at the lookout, who was passed out against a tree. The sound of Kam's heartbeat was deafening, reminding him of the Spanish family on the boat. One hesitancy nearly got him killed and sent his and Bill's lives down different paths. He did not want to make that same mistake again. He didn't want to be captured, imprisoned, or killed, but he also didn't want to die of starvation. He wrestled with the morality of his actions before clearing his mind and focusing on the task in front of him.

With each step, he became closer to the prize. A flood of adrenaline filled his bloodstream and fueled him. He had come too far and had been through too much to just keel over and waste away like some discarded piece of fruit.

Another step.

Severely dehydrated, he desperately wanted to cough to clear his sandpaper throat, but fought through it, swallowing the less than a teardrop amount of saliva that was in his dry mouth.

Another step.

He had competed and won at the highest level in athletic competition, but in this moment, he could not seem to settle his nerves. His legs twitched and his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

Just then, a heavy footstep, a snapped twig, and the lookout shot up, ready to defend.

It was as if time had slowed to a crawl. Kam was acting on pure instinct. He grabbed his rifle, spun it around, and aimed it at the man.

There was an intense standoff, both guns aimed at each other, but no one said a word. Kam's breathing had increased to the point where he thought it may wake the rest of the tribe. The guard looked at this unknown threat who had wondered into his camp and knew he had a job to do, which was to keep everyone safe. Kam was dirty, smelled like death, and had the look of a killer in his eyes.

"Hey!" the man said, waking the rest of the tribe.

Kam knew he had to act fast. As people stumbled out of their huts in a half-awake slumber, Kam saw an opportunity and took it. A little girl had wandered out and was within an arm's length of Kam. In one swift movement, Kam snatched her, pulling her in close, and aimed his gun at her head.

"Nobody f#*king move!" Kam shouted. "You, right there, step into the light. Slowly. Show me your hands. You, put down your weapon. I want to see hands. Let's go! Everyone put your hands up. I swear I will paint the forest with this girl's blood if anyone tries anything."

The tribe, roughly twenty in total, had all lined up around the fire. With a fist full of pajama fabric, Kam held onto a scared and crying girl. The situation had escalated beyond his expectations. He was in too deep and there was no turning back.

"I want food, as much as I can carry," he said. "You, bring me your food and set it down in front of me. Come on, hurry up! I'm not playing around. I will kill all you people if I have to, every last one of you. Let's go, move! That's it, bring it to me, nice and slow, don't you even think about trying anything or this little girl is going to die. Set it down right there. Now walk away. All of you, keep your hands up. We have you all surrounded. If anyone makes any sudden movements, my men will open fire."

Kam walked toward the backpack full of food and then made a swap. He let the girl go and picked up the bag, now aiming his gun at the group. He slowly walked backward, disappearing into the night.