Charles
The stabbing pain in his feet restricted his running. It didn't help that the boots were about two sizes too big either.
"Darn shoes of a dead man," he scoffed out loud.
Charles was angry. It wasn't supposed to go down like this. He loved his job and over the years had more than his fair share of hair-raising expeditions, but this? This one set the bar. It was a question of life and death; death in Izzy's case. His mind wandered with every step Charles took as it produced all the questions that had been torturing him for years. Was all this worth losing her life over? A ridiculous quest for a lost city that might never have existed in the first place. But his wife believed with all her heart that it was real and in his heart, he believed it too.
If only he hadn't left her and Alexandra alone. For years he tried to make sense of why they took Izzy. Her kidnappers must have known another piece of the puzzle and needed her to solve it. Everyone was well aware she was the brain behind the ciphers.
Charles stopped and leaned against a tree. He had to stop torturing himself. It wouldn't bring her back. Nothing would. But finding Rhapta and completing her dream would bring closure and set her soul free forever.
It was dark among the dense trees as the leaves blocked the moonlight. He had no idea of direction and could have been running in circles for all he knew. The tall grass and bushes were thick and not easy to navigate. Aside from that, he smelled of blood, which, out there in the African jungle, meant he was any carnivore's easy prey. He had to move quickly and quietly and get to safety. His feet hurt and he could barely see through his swollen eyes, but he was alive and that was all that counted.
Charles was exhausted but he kept running. Every couple of yards he made a small carving into a tree to mark his route. That way he'd know if he was running in circles. He managed to run a fair distance into the bush and was pretty sure no one was following him. He heaved heavily. His lungs were taking the strain and a sharp burning sensation caused him to gasp for breath. He wasn't as fit as he used to be.
The thought crossed his mind as to whether the rebels were aware of his escape or if they assumed their rivals took him as their prisoner. With any luck, they were all dead. Shot by the same sniper that killed the giant. His body ached in places he never knew possible. Moving, much less running was harder to do with each step he took. He had no idea how far he had run or how far he still had to go. He stumbled a few times. Partly due to the clumsy shoes and partly because he couldn't see much. But Charles kept running and never stopped or looked back.
He couldn't safely assume they weren't on the hunt for him. They needed the key. A key that didn't even exist. All he knew of was the cipher code, nothing more. And now, because of his fabricated confession of Izzy being alive with a key, they would hunt him down until the end of time, more so now than ever before. He regretted calling Alex when they were under attack. He wasn't thinking clearly and now he might have put her in harm's way too.
He stopped for a brief moment to catch his breath and leaned against a tree trunk. His body ached all over. As he panted in a desperate attempt to get air into his strained lungs, he heard a loud hissing sound in front of him. It was quite dark under the tree, but the moonlight broke through the trees about half a yard in front of him. It was a cobra! Its head was pulled back revealing its broad, flat hood and yellowish underbelly, almost glowing in the faint moonlight. Its fangs were the size of a crocodile's teeth. There was no mistaking the breed. It was an Egyptian Cobra; a massive one too.
Unable to breathe or move a muscle, he stared into the glowing eyes of the snake. Cobras were known to move as fast as lightning, and he'd be dead in thirty minutes if he got bitten. From the corner of his eye, Charles caught the sudden movement of a rat close by. Much in the same way he did, the rat stopped dead in its tracks as he came face to face with the predator. Somewhat relieved, the rat was Charles' perfect distraction and it became evident the snake was now weighing up his options, swinging from side to side between rat and human. Charles transferred his thoughts onto the snake to choose the rat instead and when the rat thought he could outrun the snake, the cobra struck.
As the cobra was occupied with its catch, Charles slowly stepped aside and once out of reach, started running as fast as his two lacerated feet could manage. When he was far enough away, he tried gaining his bearings and stopped for another brief second making sure not to lean against any trees again. The moonlight was stronger as it burst through the trees. It was safe to say he was out of the woods, so to speak. He needed to think logically. The rebel camp couldn't have been too far away from water. They captured him in the late afternoon and he had full sun on him while he was in their vehicle. That meant he faced west and they might have traveled north up the river.
So then, it was likely he was somewhere north of Dar es Salaam and the village was south. He might be way off and sorely lacking any sense of direction but it was his only shot.
He looked up at the stars between the tall trees. He'd have to get to a clearing with a better view of the constellations. On a clear night, he could find better direction and navigate his way out of there. Happy with his conclusion, he started running again. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up the pace. His body was close to collapse but he kept going.
What seemed like hours later, he finally got to a large clearing of grassland. In the full moon, he saw it was yellow and dry not green and lush which meant he most probably ran too far off course. Despondent, he heard lions in the distance. He wasn't the only creature seeking out clearings. Lions and rhinos liked them also. Charles walked out into the clearing with caution and looked up at the stars.
They were incredibly bright and clear, and he recalled the last night Izzy and he spent together under the stars before he left for London the next day. She didn't want him to go. Perhaps if he had listened to her she would still be alive, and Alexandra wouldn't have fallen ill. His heart was heavy, gripped with deep sorrow for his wife and daughter. He would never see his wife again and there was a distinct possibility he'd never see his daughter either.
A single tear rolled down his cheek as he searched the stars for answers. Orion's bent torso shone brightly in the sky. And then he found it, Mintaka. The rightmost star in Orion's belt that set within a degree a measure true east or west. He stacked his fists hand-over-hand from the horizon until he reached Mintaka. He carefully calculated the degrees of angle measure. A flicker of hope filled his heart as he established his direction. At peace with his conclusions, he set off at a more relaxed pace in an attempt to give his aching feet and body a slight bit of relief.
Somewhere deep into the night, the conditions of his escape pushed his badly dehydrated and exhausted body beyond his limit of endurance. All the while, Charles kept his eyes peeled for wild animals and his focus on taking one step at a time. He needed to stay alert and not stop. There was no point in giving up now. He'd come too far. He had a daughter to think of. As long as he had breath in his lungs he was determined to not have her lose another parent.
His thoughts were all that kept him going. Along the way, he spotted several rhinos under a tree. It piqued his interest, as he knew full well that animals only hid under trees if they expected bad weather. Charles looked up at the heavens. There was not a cloud in the sky, but there they were, huddled together under the tree. Their horns looked like beacons in the moonlight. Charles stopped to admire them and thought it sad that poachers felt the need to slaughter them just to sell their horns on the black market. He also knew that he needed to keep clear of them. They looked peaceful but turned on you quickly if threatened.
The grasses grew dense in some places and Charles had trouble walking through them. It most certainly proved he was close to water. He needed to rest and wondered if he still knew how to climb a tree. The image of the cobra entered his thoughts. The Savannah was prime habitat for all sorts of poisonous snakes and there was a firm chance he'd encounter some of the tree-climbing ones. With not many options for where to rest, he decided to continue a little farther. He should be close. He had been walking for hours on end.
A sudden lightning bolt flashed above his head, illuminating the entire horizon. Moments later another bolt flashed and then another and another. Several loud thunderous rumblings in between more lightning bolts confirmed that the rhinos were on the mark after all. It wasn't long before Charles felt raindrops wet his face and out of nowhere, the heavens opened up and dumped bucketloads of refreshing rain over him.
"Hahaaaaa! Yes! Open your floodgates!" he shouted out loud, as he tried to find shelter.
Dehydrated and exhausted, he stuck out his tongue, desperate for some water to moisten his parched throat. The rain soothed his drought-stricken body and stung his still swollen and bruised face but he didn't complain. It was sheer bliss. He was conscious of the fact that he should run for cover from the lightning, but he just couldn't help it. His body was overriding his logic, hands down. He needed more water and fell to his knees. With outstretched arms, he threw his head back and opened his mouth as wide as he could. The rain was like a river of pure gold flowing over him and down his arid throat. He never knew rainwater could taste so good. It was medicine to his defeated body—and mind.
The last time he danced in the rain like that was when Izzy and he first started dating. They managed to get a booking in a fancy French restaurant in Covent Garden. He had saved all his money just for that dinner with her. They hit a downpour just as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. Izzy wasn't like the other girls who squealed at the slightest drop of rain ruining their hairdos and fancy clothing. Instead, she opened her arms, much like his were now, and danced pirouettes around him. They were soaked, but it was one of the happiest times of his life. That's when he knew he needed to spend the rest of his life with her. And now, he stood there exposed in the rain barely alive and she was dead.
"Is this you, Izzy my love? Is this you opening up the heavens and helping me through?" he shouted to the heavens.
He couldn't help but wonder if she was behind all that beautiful rain, reminding him of the good times they had. What he wouldn't do to dance in the rain with her again.
When the rain soaked his body enough for him to come to his senses, Charles decided to risk the storm and keep walking toward the dense trees in the distance. The night was a cold and certainly wet one, but at least the rain contained the predators and quenched his body.
It had been almost twelve days since he had been captured and tortured. At least that's the number he came up with. He had lost count. But his body was not as strong as his mind and when his knees caved and he fell with his face into the muddy grassland, he stayed down.
He had no idea how long he lay face down in the rain, but when he finally managed to lift his head off the ground, the rain had stopped and the sun had popped its head up just beyond the horizon. He lived to see another day and now the sun's rays were proof that he was heading east. His cracked lips burst open when he smiled. Izzy would have been so proud that he used the stars to navigate his course.
'Mark my words, Charles Benjamin Hunt. One day you'll need those stars to show you the way' she once said to him when he argued the purpose of learning the constellations. And as always, she was right.
Somewhere between the hallucinations and dreams, Charles slipped off into a deep sleep. It was the incessant prodding of a stick and children's laughter that eventually woke him. It was hot and the sun's piercing rays forced him to shut his eyes again. He sat up and shielded his eyes. It wasn't a dream or a hallucination. Kids laughing and dancing surrounded him. They offered him water and tried to help him up.
"Take me to your village. Please, take me to your village!" he repeated in broken Swahili. It was only when he mentioned the chief's name that they stopped dancing.
"Your village chief help," he tried again.
One brave boy, about school-going age, pulled him by his hand as the others pushed him from behind. In unison, they pulled him across the sweltering Savannah, and even when his feet shot stabbing pains up his legs, Charles was overjoyed. He had made it through the predator-infested African Savannah and survived against all the odds. And up ahead the cheery cries of his village welcomed him home.
"Charlie-boy! We think you dead. You okay! You safe, Charlie-boy? We so happy," the chief yelled as his tribe carried Charles in and lay him down on a cot.
"Charlie-boy, I'm so happy you're safe."
"Hello, Chief. I never thought I'd be this happy to see you."
"Where you been, Charlie-boy?"
"The darn River Rebels were behind it. They think I have the key. Or more accurately, Izzy has the key."
"Izzy? What you mean old friend? Izzy with gods."
"Of course yes. She's not with us."
"So why you talk crazy? Izzy got the key. What you mean?"
"It was a little white lie that's all, nothing more. I needed to buy myself some time so I lied to the rebels and told them Izzy was still alive and that she had the key. If they thought she was alive and had the key then they would need me to get it. I bargained for my life in exchange for a key that doesn't exist. They were going to kill me, and it was all I could think of telling them at the time."
"So they make you go?"
"No, no, not a chance, they'll be after me more now than ever. A group of rivals attacked them. I think they fought over territorial rights, so I managed to escape."
"You like James Bond, Charlie-boy," he said, laughing.
"Are the crew and Jelani okay?" Charles asked.
The chief looked at his feet and shook his head.
"Jelani with gods. He no make it, Charlie-boy."
"What? Jelani is… Jelani is dead? Those brutes! I'll get them for this."
"No, Charlie-boy, not River Rebels. He die in car crash with Alex."
Charles thought he had heard wrong. Either that or he was hallucinating again. He smacked his cheek and shook his head vigorously before speaking again.
"Say what now, Chief? I don't think I heard you right. Alex? She's… she died with him?"
"NO, Charlie-boy, she not die. She with Jelani in car. Jelani, he dead. Alex, she alive."
Even the chief's second explanation couldn't clear his confusion.
"Wait, Chief. My Alex is here? In the village?"
"Yes, Charlie-boy. She come with Daktari. They special friends."
"Doctor? Dr. Jones? Why did she come with Dr. Jones?"
"No, no, not Jones, Quinn. Daktari Sam Quinn. She come with Quinn."
Charles scratched his head. "Who on earth is Sam Quinn? Special friends? What? She doesn't have any 'special friends.' In fact, she doesn't have any friends. She never left the house after Izzy died."
"Yes, special friend. She fine, no worry. She go to Dar es Salaam to find you. You rest for night, Charlie-boy. You tired. We give food and tomorrow we go find Alex."