STARRING INTO THE LONG NIGHT

Amuchalat

I have been running for what seems like an eternity, my heart pounding in my chest, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Behind me, the gnarled creature growls and snarls, its twisted form illuminated by the moonlight.

I can feel its hot breath on the back of my neck, its claws scraping against the pavement. I don’t know why it’s after me, what I’ve done to deserve this.

For a moment, I wonder if I’m already dead, trapped in some twisted afterlife where this creature is my tormentor. But the pain in my legs, the burn of my lungs, tells me that I’m still alive, still fighting for my survival.

Today was supposed to be a day of celebration, a day filled with laughter and love. But now all I feel is fear, the gnawing realization that I may never see my loved ones again.

“No, this can’t be happening,” I whisper to myself, the words feeling hollow and meaningless.

I try to convince myself that this is all just a terrible dream, that I’ll wake up any moment now. But the reality of the situation is all too clear, the danger all too real.

I saw what the creature did to Kivu, my fiance’s driver. It was a sight that will haunt me for the rest of my life. The way it carved out his eyes, the way it feasted on them before slitting his throat with its long, razor-sharp nails.

“Oh no, Andrew,” I think to myself, my heart heavy with the thought of losing him too.

But I can’t give up, not yet. I have to keep running, keep fighting. Maybe, just maybe, I can make it out of this alive.

It’s mid-December, and the festive break has finally arrived, giving most of us a well-deserved rest from work. However, Andrew won’t be able to fully enjoy the break as he has a scheduled operation next week for a patient in Nairobi with a cerebrospinal fluid leak.

My heart goes out to him, knowing how hard he works and how little rest he gets. Hopefully, this mini-vacation will provide him with some much-needed relaxation.

Nalla, being Nalla, has planned an unforgettable couples’ retreat for us. She’s promised loads of surprise activities that will leave us all breathless. Knowing her, I expect nothing but FUN!

We’ll be spending the next four days in Jinja, hosted at Nalla’s husband’s country home in Nytil, which is situated on 10 acres of land in the middle of nowhere, with a beachfront and surrounded by a beautiful natural forest.

This is my first time attending a couples’ retreat. Previously, invites were only extended to couples, and I was chronically single, so I never got to experience it.

The theme for this year’s retreat is “A Perfect Union: 7 Needs of a Wife and Husband,” which sounds uneventful to me. If it were up to me, I would have suggested something a little more exciting.

Unfortunately, I was away on a work mission in Lewa and couldn’t engage with the girls in planning. Otherwise, I would have flipped the script on this theme. I can’t believe these girls!

We’d been driving in circles for what felt like hours. Despite sitting at the back with Andrew, I could still sense Kivu’s mounting frustration in the driver’s seat. Admittedly, I hadn’t been much help with the directions. Nalla’s instructions had seemed simple enough, but she’d left out crucial details. Which turn was it again? Was it the second or the third? I couldn’t remember, and Kivu’s seething impatience wasn’t making things any easier.

“Why didn’t Nalla just share the location with a pin like a normal host?” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.

“Security reasons,” Andrew replied, his voice barely audible. He’d been quiet for most of the journey, lost in his thoughts. I envied him for that.

Kivu shot me a sharp look in the rearview mirror. “So which turn is it?” he demanded.

I hesitated, suddenly feeling the weight of his annoyance bearing down on me. “I think it’s the second one,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I snapped, annoyance and nervousness bubbling up in equal measure. “Why don’t you just trust me?”

Andrew placed a hand on my shoulder, and I felt a wave of gratitude wash over me. I could always count on him to be my anchor in choppy waters.

Honestly, I couldn’t stand Kivu. He was a misogynist of the highest order, and I only tolerated him because of Andrew.

“So, what are they like?” he asked, referring to my friends whom we were heading to meet at the couple’s retreat.

I smiled, grateful for the distraction. Andrew was nervous about meeting them, but I knew they would love him. “They’re annoying, playful, and family-oriented,” I joked. “And we have a ten-year relationship that has survived several ups and downs.”

“Sounds like a close-knit circle,” Andrew commented.

I felt a pang of anxiety when Andrew mentioned meeting his family.

He had met all my family members. My parents, older brother Martin and younger sister Amani.

But i hadn’t met his parents and older brother. So the pressure was on.

I was lost in thought when Andrew’s voice interrupted me. “Babe, your phone is ringing.”

I fished it out of my purse and answered it, realizing it was Nalla. “Hi Nalla, we seem to be lost,” I said, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.

“Urgh! What? How?” Nalla’s response was equally irritated, and I knew we were in trouble.

“We are currently parked at the Lakescape Supermarket in Jinja.” I lied. We had already passed that place and were parked at the Total fuel station, about five minutes ahead.

“Babe! I told you to take the first turn on your right when you reach the Jinja-Nytil T junction,” Nalla scolds.

“Noooooo, we actually took the left turn,” I admit, disappointed in my lack of navigation skills.

“Who is driving? Is it you or Andrew?” Nalla asks, implying that Andrew should be the one driving.

“Okay, put him on the phone for directions,” Nalla demands, and I hand the phone to Kivu.

He puts the call on loudspeaker so that both Andrew and I can hear the directions. As he receives the instructions, I hear the sound of chilled buzz and Afro house music playing in the background, which adds to my excitement.

“Everyone is here except you and Andrew,” Nalla complains.

“Yes, you better hurry up. We are waiting for you guys to start the whole thing,” Nalla urges.

“Apologies, Mrs. Elimu, we shall soon be there,” Andrew apologizes.

“Just know, two shots for you and your girlfriend for coming late,” Nalla warns, and Andrew chuckles, knowing that he is a light-headed drinker.

“Does she want to put out my man or what?” I tease.

“Bye,” I say, trying to change the subject.

“We are just a late couple,” Andrew jokes.

“No! Don’t say that loud. It will stick,” I warn him, but before I can finish, Andrew plants a kiss on my lips, and I can’t help but feel giddy.

“You know I am going to wife you up after this trip,” Andrew declares, and I can’t contain my excitement.

I unbuckle my seat belt to get a better view of his handsome face. Finally, I will be Mrs. Okinyi.

It’s already 6 pm, and we seem to be on the right road to the Elimu Residence, according to Kivu.

Another phone call comes, this time from Penda.

“We are already on the forest drive, so we should be closing in on the residence. Right, Kivu?” I ask.

“Yes, we should actually be pulling up in a minute or so,” Kivu confirms.

Suddenly, a blue trailer charges into our lane, swerving left and right, heavily loaded with electric poles. The driver tries to flash his lights and honk for us to leave the road, but there is nowhere to go. His truck spins out of control and heads towards us.

We are helpless as the road is narrow and surrounded by thick trees on both sides. The feeling of being in danger engulfs us.

Kivu slams on the brakes to reduce speed, but it’s futile. Andrew somehow manages to hook my seat belt back, and we brace ourselves for the impact.

I close my eyes, and with a loud bang, everything goes dark.

I recognize the song, it’s my ringtone. I reach to touch my head, feeling a throbbing headache. My hands are bloody, and I realize I must have banged my head during the crash. Andrew and Kivu are nowhere in sight, and I realize the car must have rolled over. I’m trapped, with my legs anchored up and my upper body facing down. The window glass is all cracked up, and I call out Andrew’s name for help, but there’s no response.

The song seems to be playing from a distance, and I remember that I was on the phone with Penda before the crash. I’m stuck and bleeding, with no emergency response services nearby. As it gets dark, I can’t see Andrew anywhere, and I’m scared of dying alone in the forest. But I refuse to give up and start to gather my strength.

I manage to eject the seat belt and kick the left car door, which falls off easily. As I crawl out of the car, I see my phone still ringing, but it dies before I can answer. With my last hope of rescue gone, I search for Andrew and Kivu’s phones and spot Andrew lying unconscious a few meters away. I run towards him, scared that he might be dead, but when I reach him, I hear a faint cough.

I try administering CPR, but I’m not sure what I’m doing, as I hadn’t paid much attention to Andrew’s emergency lifesaving teachings. I panic and start making chest compressions and rescue breaths, until my hands tire out and I realize that my entire body is sore and in pain…

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