CHAPTER SIX

Tom Mwabili, a 28-year-old man, sat his gazed fixed on his mates as they devoured the remaining pieces of meat that was now burning on the almost dying fire. The fire illuminated their weary faces that were filled with determination. Tomorrow would be a great day. It would be his first day in the interior of Somalia. Being a soldier in the army, Tom had encountered his fair share of dangerous assignments but this one felt different. The commander of their troop had received a report that the bandits that had been attacking villages on the north eastern villages in Kenya, had made a camp in one of the interior villages of Somalia. The terrorists, who were known for their brutality and cunning tactics, had been causing mass suffering by pushing women and children out of their homes.

He watched his comrades with a mix of emotions as they had together forged through experiences and unwavering trust. They had relied on each other for support in the darkest of times. Fear lingered in the surface as they waited for the unknown. But against all odds this was just but another test and they were all going to make it alive together.

Tom was prepared for the day. Being a patriotic man, he would do anything for his country. He let his mind to drift back home. He missed his family. His mother who was his most favourite, was closest to his hand. He remembered her warm hug has he bid her goodbye the day he was recruited to the army. Despite it being a hard job, she supported him and promised to keep him in her prayers. He thought of his two sisters, who to him were very much alike. He smiled when he remembered the day when he chased them around the house, with a lion's mask, threatening to eat them. They ran arms together and hid themselves in their parents' bedroom. Angel being the eldest of the two, shouted from inside, "Tom we do not like your games, please stop it you are making us scared."

He smiled to himself at how scared they were. "Did they think that he could actually eat them?" He thought to himself. He was however interrupted by his father, "Tom, can you please man up, come help me clean the car." He never liked his father. His commanding aura always made Tom hate him more. Today, as he thought of his family, his heart ached. He hated himself for staying away from them. With communication cut short he found himself wishing to go home.

"Tom, could you please escort me to relieve myself?" He looked up to see his friend Stephen. He stood up and followed closely behind him. In the camp, whenever someone wanted to relieve themselves, they had to have company to watch over them. This is because some terrorists often took advantage of this situation and killed one whenever he wondered alone. Tom stood at a distance and watched over. Stephen was taking longer than expected to he came nearer and called him out.

"What is taking you so long?" Before Stephen could answer, a sound of an explosion hit the camp and he bend down to cover his head. He felt a burning sensation on his back as he slowly looked up at the now flames claiming all the souls that they had left behind at the camp. Tears filled with fear covered his eyes and his vision become blurry. He looked over at his friend who was now standing in front of him.

"Why did you do this?" Tom asked with his whole body shaking from shock.

"I saved you, run and do not look back. They will be here to make sure that everyone is dead." Stephen replied with intensity.

Tom turned on his heels and sprinted away from the camp, his heart pounding in his chest. The deafening sounds of explosions and screams echoed in his ears as he pushed himself to run faster. His adrenaline fuelled his every step with no clear destination. One thing was stood in his mind, "He had to run." He ran with all his strength.

As he ran, Tom's mind raced with a mix of fear, confusion and anger. He couldn't comprehend how Stephen, someone he had trusted, had orchestrated such a devastating attack. He tried to weigh out the possibilities but arrive at no answer. The images of the burning camp threatened to take all his breath from him.

He ran and dared not to look back. He passed through the most dangerous trains of North Eastern parts of Kenya. The place was scarce of any signs of human settlement. Occasionally he held a tree to regain strength and then continued to run. Even with all his military training this situation sucked out all the courage from him. The moonlight was his torch in the nomadic landscape.

After hours of running, the now rising sun, brought into vision the village in front of him from miles away. He slowed his steps as he neared the camp of the nomadic communities. His eyes were wet with tears as one of the men came hurriedly to support him to one of the tents. He drank the water offered to him as he narrated the events of that night. After consolidations from the community members, one of the young men offered to walk him to a nearby market centre. From there he would be able to board a pickup to Marsabit town.

When Tom stepped into the bus, he was met by the army escort of six men. He kept his gaze low as to escape any questions that would remind him of what lingered in his mind. As the bus started, he thought of possible lies he would reply to in the event those suspecting eyes required answers. Revealing his escape would be unwise as they would ask how come he was the only one who had survived.

"Comrade, what brings you to board the bus?" One of the soldiers asked.

"I am under official leave, I just lost my mother," saying these words almost chocked him. Something so strong sat in his chest. For a moment he felt like he could not breathe. He looked through the window and wondered what was this that choked his gut. "Was it what had happened to him or was it the statement he had just said."

If only he would know that the statement, he had declared was a reality, the only thing wrong about it was that his mother had been dead for a month now and his sister did not know how to inform him. His father who was the reason for his mother's death, had warned Angel against sending a letter to him. With the internet gap, he was left to know the truth or half of the truth on arrival.