“Hurry, they’ve definitely heard that!” Nawa said standing up leaving the door broken on the ground. Chilala and Shamende to pass through before Nawa lifted the door up with bricks holding the door up for support.
Chilala followed Shamende and Nawa with her mouth hanging open in surprise as they found a shrub of bushes to take cover.
“Who are you?” Chilala asked Nawa with shock once they had settled into a bush watching the grounds over look all the commotion. Police walked around, arresting some and comforting others. Some were chasing prisoners bath and forth as they feared for their lives.
“What do you mean?” Nawa asked in between deep breathes.
“I am usually the one using brute force as you watch, and now, now you’re not afraid. I feel like I’m turning into you and you don’t seem bothered” Chilala asked inspecting herself and Nawa as if for the first time.
“Shhhhh” Shamende said holding Chilala’s mouth closed eyeing two police officers running towards their direction. They all held their breathe as the police slowed to a walk with the biggest putting his gun into his holster.
“Ah, tsk just here, apa” The big muscle man said undoing his zipper to pee in the bushes Nawa was hiding inside on his belly, this forced Nawa’s hands to his mouth stifling his screams of disgust. The smaller guard ran up to a shrub away from the muscle man and Chilala and Shamende who sighed their relief.
When they were done the two police started running back towards the commotion in the distance.
“You okay?” Chilala and Shamende asked in unison as Nawa crawled out from under the shrub.
“He peed on me. I need to take a bath and soak into Jik! I am not okay!” Nawa shrieked ripping his clothes off his body in a frenzy only leaving his red boxers and socks he grabbed a metal rod off the ground using it to lift his soaked clothes.
“What are you doing? Get back in here” Chilala whispered from inside the shrub.
“I’m not getting back in there let’s find a different place, please!” Nawa said eyeing his pee covered clothes. Shamende crawled out from the shrubs with no second invitation.
“You too!” Chilala sighed crawling out in resignation.
“I can’t say I’d be as calm as him, and I don’t plan on finding out so, let’s move.” Shamende said directing the trio further away from the noise towards a thick bush of forest with plenty of trees and places to hide. Shamende directed the duo deeper into the bush stopping once the commotion was no longer in view.
He looked around for a place to hide but there were no shrubs or covering besides the trees themselves. Looking up into the trees Shamende noticed how the brunches crossed each other with many leaves and branches further up providing covering from the sky and the ground.
“Let’s climb” Shamende said not waiting for a response as he sprinted towards the tree using the trunk as a springboard jumping and holding onto one of the branches. He swung his dangling legs back and forth until he hooked his legs an adjacent branch and using his arms to throw his body forward clutching the trunk for support as he stabilised himself on the branch.
“Nawa hoist her towards me I’ll grab her and you’ll push her up.” Shamende said encouraging Chilala with his out stretched hand. Chilala stared at Nawa wide eyed with shock as he bent over ready to give her a boost.
“Are you okay?” Nawa asked noticing the shock painted on Chilala’s face.
“What’s the hold up you two, the sun will be rising, GET MOVING!” Shamende yelled frightening Chilala who put her leg in Nawa’s hands, hoisting her off the ground with ease.
As soon as Chilala was safely sharing her branch with Shamende, Nawa jumped for the next branch hoisting himself with his arms swinging his leg onto the branch sitting comfortably.
The light slowly poured through the forest trees accompanied by loud whistles and commotion.
“No time to soak the sights, we need to climb higher where there is more covering.” Shamende said getting to his feet, laying his hands on the closest branch and climbing forwards. Chilala followed Shamende’s path foot for foot and hand for hand climbing higher out of sight with Nawa close behind.
Shamende stopped climbing as the branches thinned out above giving him no space to manoeuvre. He got on his belly spreading his entire body across many branches crawling over allowing Chilala and Nawa to follow closely behind.
“Do you think they can see us if they look up?” Nawa asked seeing the forest more clearly as the sun shone light around. The trio saw a bunch of police armed at the entrance of the forest.
“Search carefully! Pick everyone, we’ll sort it at the station!” A voice barked orders as the police walked below holding their guns and moving around with extreme caution. The trio held their breathe as the police past them going deeper into the bushes.
They stayed silent, watching and waiting for the officers to sweep back. Chilala had her hands covering her mouth in fear of being heard by the police who swept back with five others moving at the front of the barrel of the police guns.
“Move it, HURRY!” One officer shouted as the captives started to trot back towards the base where the sounds of commotion had long been silenced.
“Three are missing, Bwana will be pissed” The officer continued once the captives had travelled out of ear shot. The officers walked back not bothering to check further.
Once the police were out of ear shot the trio sighed collective relief, watching the direction of the compound for their moment to get down from the trees.
Shamende’s phone read twelve zero three when the trio finally got down from the tree. Chilala dusted the leaves caught in her hair and clothes after she descending from the tree.
Staring and Nawa and Shamende as they casually made their descents. With Shamende and Nawa standing side by side Chilala was certain something was off with Nawa causing her to choke on the realisation of their predicament.
“Nawa when did you become taller? And how has your hair grown so much” Chilala asked wondering how a skinny weak boy such as Nawa over night became strong, and even grow in height.
“Taller? Its hard to tell with only his bamba on” Shamende chimed in eyeing Nawa with amazement and disbelief.
“I’m very exposed, could you give me some space please” Nawa said covering his underwear with his hands and stepping away from Shamende who smiled at the unfolding scene before him.
“Even before we got here I felt you get stronger and witnessed you defend yourself, albeit with words. When we escaped I was taller than you and now I’m looking up at you” Chilala said staring at Nawa in disbelief.
Nawa stood side by side with Shamende having grown almost six inches in forty eight hours. His hair too was growing furiously locking itself as it shot past his ears. With no clothes on Nawa didn’t look anything like the skinny weightless boy who left Mama Mary’s orphanage.
His body developed muscles consistent with an athlete. The trio walked in silence back to the camp both for fear of being caught and also because no one knew how to answer the questions surrounding Nawa’s strange predicament.
They got to the edge of the forest leading back to the main base and they could see the entire base looking deserted. With police tape wrapped around the different containers they had been kept in, and a mansion they had been unable to see when they were brought in at night.
“This place is huge!” Shamende said taking note of the grounds that lay hidden in the night time.
“Can we at least find me something to wear” Nawa said still covering his exposed privates over his now tight boxers.
“Yeah…the trailer we were caught in, those boxes, I saw clothes. Then to the mansion, hopefully we can find a ride out of here” Shamende said laying out the plan for the trio. Nawa took off as soon as Shamende finished talking visibly uncomfortably by his lack of attire.
“His fast” Shamende said watching Nawa run diagonally out of the woods and towards the trailers.
“What else is new?” Chilala murmured running after Nawa leaving Shamende alone on the edge of the forest.
Shamende pulled out his smart phone dialing a number with intense focus.
“Hello! Shamende! Is that…”
“Be quiet. I don’t have time to explain just know I’m safe I’ll tell you more when it’s safe. Okay.” Shamende said interrupting the female voice on the other side.
“Okay.” Came the reply from the voice.
“Gabriella, tell me what I’ve missed” Shamende asked still watching the compound from the edge of the woods.
“We’ve reported you missing but our radio and TV ads are being blocked everywhere. Our Facebook videos keep getting shut down. Are you okay?” Gabriella asked with a hint of concern in her voice.
“So they orchestrated everything, interesting. Gabi keep making noise, they need to believe I’m missing. I’ve got to go, remember only you have this number. Be careful.” Shamende said as two figures appeared in the distance.
“Don’t you dare hang up!” Gabriella shouted through the phone.
“What?” Shamende asked staring at his phone in surprise.
“I. Asked. You. Are. You. Okay?” Gabriella said stressing every word.
“Ah, yes. I wouldn’t be if I didn’t find these two strange kids. I’ll tell you about it later.” Shamende said watching the two figures, a fully dressed Nawa in blue Jeans and black hoody with Chilala changed into blue shots and a bright pink hoody.
“Okay be safe” Gabriella sighed her resignation.
“Idiot. You’re the one in danger. I’m missing remember.” Shamende said cutting the call, and walking out to meet Nawa and Chilala.
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