It was getting dark. I was driving in a deserted patch of the highway.
There were no houses on both sides of the road. As I descended a steep slope, I was met with heavy torrential rainfall. The wipers were failing to clear the sheet of rainfall on the window screen.
I could barely see a few metres ahead.
I was coming from Chokodza, my village. A few kilometers from the village, a herd of cattle had crowded me on crossing the Mbowo Bridge. It was a terrifying experience.
The cattle had seemingly come from nowhere and almost pushed me to the rails of the bridge. I had to stop the car and let the cattle cross to the other side.
And now I was faced with torrential rainfall on a stretch of the road that was known for muggings of motorists.
I was about to park on the shoulder of the road when the rain subsided. I was much relieved and continued with my journey. And then ahead of me, I saw a a car on the side of the road. The bonnet was open.
There were two men by the side of the road and a third man ran on the road and desperately waved me to stop. It all looked innocent like a breakdown and they wanted some assistance.
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I slowed down so that I could give them help if possible. The man waving desperately on the road suddenly stepped aside as I slowed down to stop. As I was about to stop, my eyes suddenly rested on an ugly axe lying carelessly beside the car. This activated my sixth sense and I hit the pedal very hard as I accelerated the car.
I heard swearing behind me as the three men waved their fists angrily at me. The sight of the axe unnerved me. Over the past few months, news had circulated of an axe killer wreaking havoc on motorists and pedestrians in the area.
About five murders had been reported in this area over the past year.
I met three vehicles almost in a convoy travelling in the opposite direction. The road was getting bumpy due to the numerous potholes.
Some of the potholes were like mini craters. I had to negotiate my way carefully to avoid hitting a pothole . To make matters worse, it was difficult to see the potholes as the road was awash with water.
After a while, when I thought there were no more potholes ahead, I hit one of the big isolated ones. I was travelling at a modest 80 kilometers per hour. The car almost overturned but I did not stop.
A few metres further down the road, I realised that something was wrong with the wheel that had hit the pothole.
I halted by the side of the road.
I was still in the danger zone. I think I had travelled about only four kilometers after passing the three men with axe. I quickly got out. I feared the worst. It was just a flat tyre. Luckily I had the spare wheel as usual.
I had to change the tyres quickly before those men or the axe killer found me. But before changing the wheel, I had to take care of my valuables like the laptop, my wallet and phone. I looked desperately around me. Just about tenetres away from me, there was a small bush. I took my valuables there and placed them on the ground.
If anyone with sinister motives came, they would never find them. I had learned this trick before from my friend’s uncle.
It took me about ten minutes to change the tyres. This was a record for me. In the face of danger, one has to act fast. Danger itself sometimes is a great motivator.
As I ran to the bush to fetch back my valuables, I saw headlights of a car heading my way. There was no doubt, it was the axe killer or those three strangers I had earlier on passed by.
The lights swept the whole perimeter.. It was too late for me to go back to the car in time. I took my valuables and moved further into the wooded bush. My heart was beating fast. The car halted just by my Nissan truck. My hair stood on end as the three men jumped out of their car. One of the men was swinging an axe in his hands.
Since my doors were unlocked, they quickly opened the doors.
I heard one of them say angrily, “There is no one here and there’s nothing.”
As fate would have it, my phone suddenly rang at that awkward moment. The ringtone was distinctly clear.
“Did you hear that, he’s here nearby,” I heard one of them exclaim. I took a plunge into the woods. I could hear them shouting as they came after me. The chase had started.
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*Onie Ndoro
X@Onie90396982/[email protected]
