SASABONSAM

Chapter 8

In the morning, Mayra slowly walked out of her tent yawning and stretching. It was early in the morning the sun struck her by the strong sunrays. It was usual for her to wake up before everybody in the camp but the camp was in a horrific silent. Wanting to know what triggering her instincts she turned right and left hoping to find anyone walking.

After scanning the place and she was not contempt she slowly walked round the area looking for people. Making her instinct truer as she was walking she could see patches of blood on the ground which astonished her.

At a distance, what caught her attention is where she saw people had gathered. Quickly Mayra rushed to the place where people were gathering where she squeezes herself up to the front. She was shocked to see Andrej’s body that was lying dead on the ground.  She turned to a man beside him and asked,

“What killed him?”

“I don’t know I have just come right now too.”

“And is there anybody else missing."

“I don’t know.”

Mayra turned back to the people sharing leadership traits as her father she shouted, “Who else is missing?” one woman from the crowd shouted,” My husband is also missing,” Mayra responded by shouted, “We need men to find that guy coz he is one of us.” When four men walked out as volunteers she kneeling beside body to have a close look as the men walked away. As she was looking, she noticed there were two holes on Andrej’s neck. She asked the man who was standing beside her, “Do you know of an animal that only sucks blood from its host.” The man responded, “No and why are you asking that?”

Mayra she was a woman who always prepared for anything she took a dagga of her back and without hesitating, he sliced Andrej’s vein in his arm. The man curiously asked Mayra, “What’s that for?”. Mayra ignored the man and closely looked at the vein where she noticed the body had no blood. Mayra then stood up and said to the man, “The body has no blood whatever killed him it sucked out all of his blood.”

Then Mayra walked away leaving the man besides her exclaiming, “What is the hell was that!” Mayra had not only had leadership traits but everybody in the camp respected her as the Barrett’s daughter. As she was walking she meets up with two men that were carrying a headless dead body where Mayra stopped them and asked,

“Is this the man?”

“Yes!”

“And where is his head?”

“We have no idea.”

“Ok prepare for the insinuation of the bodies.”

After those words, Mayra walked back to her tent. In the next moment, the Portuguese were around a raised wooded place. On top of the raised wooden place there Andrej’s body and another man were lying.

A man walked forth to the wooden raised place while carrying a flaming torch.  When the man was closer to the bodies, he stopped and said, “May their souls rest in peace,” then he dropped the flaming torch on the bodies and walked back watching, as the raised place was flaming up. They believed it was better to burn their bodies in a foreign land than because of witchcraft myth.

It was at noon when Mayra was seated on a rock drinking tea quietly looking at people were moving up and down. She was stressed up about her father because it was growing evening and she had no signs of her father. After the attack, the fear of missing her father raised. People in the camp had all grow fear if they had finished trade with other communities they would leave at once.

 Suddenly at a distance, she saw her father walking towards the camp. The fear of losing her father dropped to zero and she was full of joy. She could not leave to Portugal without her father because she would be forced marry to a person that she did not loved by her relatives that her father stopped. She kept the cup of tea down rushed to her father and hugged him.

Mayra with love and care of her father she asked, “Are you alright?” Barrett not knowing what had happened but had a feeling something was odd about her daughter he asked still in the hug, “What’s wrong my daughter?” Mayra pulled of the hug, faced her father and said,

“There were some killings last night.”

“How many were killed.”

“Andrej and another one man.”

Shockingly Barrett asked, “Is Andrej dead?” Mayra as she was nodding her head she responded, “Yes he is dead and we don’t know what killed him.” Andrej death was a dead end for Barrett, Andrej’s family was one of the royals in Portugal and his death would be heavily questioned to Barrett. His reputation of trade would be brought down and also his family reputation and trust.

Immediately Barrett walked away, leaving Mayra had sat on the rock. As he was moving away he meet up with a man where he stopped and asked him, “Do you know what killed him?” In the sail, Barrett and Andrej were not the ones used to the place there was also others who were also considered as advisors. The man responded by nodding his head and walked away leaving him hugging.  Barrett then rushed to the next man and asked the same question where he still nodded his head.

Barrett stopped and asked himself, “Why nobody don’t know what killed him.” Then he walked and sat beside where the two bodies were insinuated. Mayra walked to him and sat beside him and took his mind off stress by said,

“He had two small holes on his neck and he also had no blood in his body, the other man his head was snapped off.”

“Was that a human?”

“What kind of a human sucks blood of two holes on the neck?”

“In this word, there are many things that you don’t know my daughter.”

People not knowing what to do next they all walked and gathered where Barrett was with his daughter. At the time, he was the only leader that people saw and for guidelines to what to do next, they gathered round him. He stood went to them to where the ashes of the dead were lying pinched some ash where he said some short prayers silently. It was just some few meters from where he seated. He turned to them shouted to make himself audible, “Am sorry for the mess that happed last night and I am sorry for not being there with you. We are the Portuguese nothing stands in our way and I promise you that within a week we will be done with what brought us here.”

Then after his speech, one man from the crowd shouted to Barrett, “Tell us what killed our men?” Barrett for some second he paused faced at Mayra who was among the crowd. He had no clue and he was not ready to ae before her daughter. He responded to the crowd, “I’ll ask my friends but highly it might be a leopard.”

He had no solid answer and as a leader is better tell a lie than to give a non-solid answer. He walked quickly into his tent before any other question. As he was relaxing in his tent a man entered his tent and said to Barrett, “Can I talk to you?” Barrett responded by nodding his head the man then walked and sat beside him. Then the man said,

“Can this be caused by what we did last time?”

“Patrobas I really don’t know.”

“I can only advice you now that we should leave at once.”

“Tomorrow I want to go back to the village and ask for help about this matter.”

“Help and we don’t know what we are dealing with.”

“Barrett our people have many things to trade and this is our first journey since we arrive here we have others to go.”

Patrobas angrily stood up while facing Barrett and said,

“Barrett please don’t be a fool what we did last time is now hunting us and we don’t leave now there will be more deaths and it will be your blame.”

“Mohamed just leaves I need to rest.”

“Just think about your daughter.”

Then Patrobas walked out.

It was late in the evening the sun had already set and darkness had already start to fall on the land. The sounds of the cricked were crocking all over the grassland. Barrett slowly walked out of his tent silent. It was after his long nap that was due to overthinking the situation. He stood at the doorstep of his tent and watch people as they were starting bonfire to warm themselves because of the cold night.

Other people were walking which was unusual for people to walk up and down during that time. Due to the tension people did not wanted to sleep early to keep on watch of the killer. Barrett walked towards Mayra’s tent that was just beside his. Barrett silently peeps into her tent where he found Mayra was dead sleeping.

Barrett then walked into Mayra’s tent sat beside her and softly called Mayra. Mayra woke up while she was rubbing her eyes due to the sleepy eyes turned to her father and asked, “What’s wrong father?” After the conversation with Patrobas he was ready to open his heart first to his daughter, he responded, “My daughter I have done many things wrong.”

Mayra wanting to cut the long story she responded to her father, “You are a good man father all you have done is to stand with me as your daughter.” She was sleepy and she did not wanted to lose sleep of her eyes, at the time she was not into long stories that seamed her father wanted to say to her, she added,

“Father I am sleepy we talk tomorrow.”

“My daughter, just give some of your time now please.”

“Father will talk tomorrow because now I even barely understand what you are saying no.”

“Ok, my daughter good night.”

Then after those words, Barrett stood and walked towards out of Mayra’s tent as Mayra was looking at him as he was walking out. At the exit of the tent, Barrett stopped faced Mayra, and said, “Mayra have choose to be the best father in the whole world so just continue to do what you are best in.” Quickly Mayra responded, “Father go will talk tomorrow.” Immediately Barrett walked out Mayra bouncing back to her blankets.

Barrett because of guilt he walked into the tent that was previously of Andrej. Inside the tent he sat on Andrej’s mat where he started crying while saying, “I know am the cause of this all am sorry Andrej.” At the furthest corner of the tent, he noticed a wooden box inside Andrej’s tent.

Barrett curiously reached to the box and without thinking any further, he broke the box where he found a bottle of alcohol. He opened the bottle wanting to shut down his head from the thousands things that were flowing he started drinking the alcohol in it while sited.

After a time of continuous drinking the alcohol, he stood up and walked out of the tent, as he was staggering. Due to his slow continues drinking time had passed where people were in their tents sleeping. Outside the tent, there was already a deep night and no one was out at that time. Still, as he was staggering he walked into his tent.

Immediately Barrett walked in his tent he found Ofori was standing beside the mat silently facing him. He smiled and said, “I once did not believe in the prediction of your coming.” Ofori still as he was facing him he lightly roared making his long canines visible to him. He pounced on Barrett’s neck and sucked his blood.

Mayra in her tent, on the mat that she was sleeping on she uncomfortably turned several times making her unable to sleep. She angrily woke up walked out of her tent and walked to her father’s tent. As she was walking she bummed to Ofori who moving in the opposite direction to hers. Due to the darkness she could not noticed this was new person in their area nor it was a dark man.

Mayra paused curiously and turned back towards Ofori who was still moving away. Watching the man was not in her concern a bell rang in her head and she quickly rushed into her father’s tent where she found Barrett was lying dead on the ground. Mayra also noticed the two tiny holes on her father’s neck.

Quickly Mayra ran out of the tent while shouting, “He is the killer! He is the killer.” As he was pointing at  Ofori who was moving away. But it was too late because when people walked out their tent Ofori was long gone.