SITA
They opened fire on the tree, but the tree took the rounds while we ran deeper into the forest taking cover by the massive trees as we fled to avoid being hit by bullets. On a normal day, I wouldn't have fled from mere bandits because the forest, with all the trees, was a perfect place to purge the neighborhood of its biggest problem.
The shooting stopped after we had gone deep into the thick forest. It seemed no one had stepped foot in the forest for quite a long time because there was nothing that showed human presence in it.
"Gosh, we are lost." He went down on one knee like he wanted to study the earth beneath his knee. "We are fucken lost in this damn forest."
"But we are alive is that not the most important thing?" I asked.
He looked up at me and shook his head like he was utterly scared of something. "We need to find our way out."
"What if they are still in there?" I asked.
"I don't care where they are, but I don't like this place, not one bit." He stood up.
"We have to devise a means to find our way home, then," I suggested.
He paced around like he was pregnant. he had been the one playing the hero just a moment ago, now, he was pacing like a pregnant woman, but I had no issues mocking him for being desperate.
"We have to wait a while in hiding to ensure no one was trailing us before we do the next good thing." I came calm, but he wasn't taking it.
"I could have lingered over there without being sighted if not that you showed up," he snapped, "You should have stayed with the other guys and we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Do you blame me for coming for you?" I asked.
"I don't blame you for risking your life unnecessarily because you are just too kind to be obedient." He lamented. "Can you beat them if they stand in your way, can you stop them when they come for you?"
That was too much query for just one day.
"Nagging is not a part of the things we should do, now," I made to the large roots of a massive tree and sat on one of them. "Such great sight we have in here, don't you think we should take a stroll deeper."
He laughed, but not long. "Did you say stroll?"
"Yes, to find a place to hide," I said without blinking.
He scoffed and joined me. "Let's wait for a while before we go in search of a house, we have no business strolling deeper to explore this cold habitat of trees and many wild animals that might or might not have seen us.
"We should first find a hideout deep in the forest," I demanded.
"I don't agree with that," he retorted.
"That's the best thing we should do," I replied.
"That's not the best thing," he countered, "I understand forests more than you do."
I laughed. I knew I wasn't supposed to argue with him this time, but I wanted to go on and argue and disagree with him on a series of things.
"How long have you been living in one?" I asked, because I was sure I had more survival skills like finding my way out of a forest when I was lost in one, and by the way, I was trained in a secret military facility in a thick forest by an ex-KGB agent, so, I can boast of knowing better.
He looked around and smiled. "I just have to protect you, Sita."
"You already did." I rested my head on his shoulder. "Let's lay low till tomorrow, just to be sure they are not lodged in this forest in search of us."
I nodded. "Do you feel cold?"
With his query, I felt the chilly weather of the forest on me, and just then, I realized I had taken off my white shirt and relied on my black singlet so I would blend with the thick bush while I was dealing with the bandits.
"A little," I replied, but I also realized we'd both been awake from last night till morning and now, another evening was coming up on us and we had not eaten a thing.
It was as though my memories just popped back, because everything seemed to happen in a flash, starting from the moment of the attack till this very moment.
"How long have we been running around?" I asked.
He checked his wristwatch. "The whole day."
***
Night came faster than usual. We had neither eaten nor made fire because we wished not to be noticed till early morning. On my own, I could have delved into looking for a way out, and by now, I should be back in the camp, but Alessandro, he is worth protecting, and if there was any other reason, it might be the fact that once in that camp, we won't have the time and space to cling to each other and talk like we were now.
***
"You know, I used to have this Nigerian friend who taught me something." I was already in his shirt, while he had just his white singlet.
"What did a Nigerian friend teach you?" he asked.
"How to release hormones that do exactly what we want them to do," I said. "He is a guy, so, he said something about men releasing testosterone to kill stress and induce rest when they were super stressed or sleepless." "Through masturbation and sex, women do that, too." He finished what I wanted to say.
"We are both cold, mere clinging will not help keep us warm," I whispered.
He chuckled. He had been feeling me all the while, but he was just being the gentleman who wouldn't start anything without knowing if I was in the mood.
"What do you want us to do?" he asked.
"You are a doctor." I ran my hand around his thigh and didn't stop till I felt his hardened dick. "You know better."