One
The Escape
Jerry was tiring out. He knew they had to make the peak before nightfall. But one troubling predicament he had not foreseen was Sarah. Or perhaps he had overestimated her strength when they had all started.
Now that he turned to look at an exhausted Sarah, her hands to her knees panting out of breath, he felt pity. Regret even. "Things one does for love," he thought. Sarah would never have followed him if it were not for her undying feeling for him all these years. He had known this all along. And even though they had not gotten so personal, when the time had come, he had decided to use that weakness to his advantage.
The sun had already sunk beyond the great mountains, leaving behind a steady amber glow of beauty. The only illumination Jerry hoped to use to survey the other side. But Sarah's exhaustion did not promise this possibility. And leaving her behind was the most heinous thing he would do to her now.
He took out his digital compass and pressed a button to illuminate the blue screen, trying steadily meantime to control his panic. If they didn't see what was out there with proper eyes, they would run a risk of getting caught on the other side. A dreadful possibility!
"Come on Sarah, you can do it," Jerry shouted, muffling his voice a bit, in case someone was out there listening.
He was checking the compass now perhaps out of habit. A habit he may have cultivated out of panic. He had checked the compass twice earlier already and under thirty minutes.
Sarah looked up, she formed her lips as if she wanted to say something, but she just took the next step. A tired, heavy step she was not sure of. But was propelled by necessity to get away from danger, or perhaps to see the next chapter of her life.
Looking up at Jerry now, she savored the expectations of how it would feel like to have him all to herself when they finally got to the Cameroons.
Jerry put his compass back in place, took out a twine from his backpack, and threw it over at Sarah.
"Hold onto that," he said.
Then he tied the rope around his waist and started the upward climb again. Better to make it in time than get caught.
The weight of his backpack heaved in. But he was glad. Remembering its content, he realized he finally had his freedom. What can someone not do with two million dollars? That was plenty of money to start something going for a lifetime. Just a little more climb and he was sure of his freedom. And Sarah too. She deserved some good life for believing in him.
If they were caught, however, it was over. Everything!!
They were sure to be court-martialed and sentenced! Or worse… if the superiors decided to treat them through the backdoor. They were not just deserters, but bloody criminals. And they would be treated as such.
Somehow, his thoughts now gave him a renewed energy. They had been lucky three days already. But there was no guarantee that luck was going to be valid eternally. They had to get to safety.
Besides, the marvelous contents of his rucksack seemed to resonate some kind of invisible fuel through his being that he began to increase his pace, unrolling the long twine rope behind for Sarah, or Lt. S.E Ade, as she had been officially known just a few days ago.
Jerry soon got to the top. Unfortunately, the setting sun had waned out. There was no light enough to scout. He turned and sat down on his bottom and began to pull Sarah up towards him.
When Sarah finally joined him, she felt a renewed sense of purpose. she sat down close to Jerry and they looked out down the steep climb they had just done. This was the last of the five mountains they had been trekking and climbing for the past three days. The very last one that stood between them and their freedom. Down the other side was the upending country of Cameroon.
There was nothing they could see now. Just shrubs and outlines of trees and sharp rocks.
Sarah took out her drinking can. Her water was almost running out, and there was no promise of an oasis anywhere near now until they could find one by daybreak. She took a few sips and saved the rest.
"Baby, luck is still on our side I think?" she said.
Jerry just nodded.
There was a distant look in Jerry's eye that suggested worry. And it bothered Sarah now.
"What are you worried about? We could make it down even in the dark," Sarah said.
"I know," Jerry said dreary, still looking down the steep. "But Captain Dati will not give up until he finds us." After some more thought, he added, "We should have killed him."
Sarah knew all he was saying was true. But she didn't want to say anything to cause more anxiety. So she just heaved a sign and lay on her back.
As the darkness began to gather more, Jerry turned around and looked out to the Cameroonian side. He saw a steady light at a particular spot.
"That must be a security post. Immigration or Customs perhaps… it could even be military," he said.
Sarah too turned and lay on her stomach to look out to the direction Jerry had just spoken of.
"We should find a way around it. Let's just rest for now," she said with a determined voice. "I am exhausted."
***********
Jerry woke up with a start. He didn't remember when he had drifted into sleep. But what he saw now caused a cold chill to travel up his spine. He shuddered with panic as the blinding light he saw just a few meters away from where they lay remained steady.
"They had been ambushed," he thought. It was all finished! All their efforts it seemed, had come to naught.