Saurayi took a deep breath, wanting to say something, but Sajida’s words had already made everything clear, so he remained silent. Seeing that they were settling in to rest a bit longer, she looked at them and said, “What do you mean? There’s no use in procrastinating. A bad dance is better than no dance, and it’s better to keep moving. Resting doesn’t help if you’re not making progress. Let’s not ruin our dance with unnecessary moves, and let’s not waste our efforts. If we relax now, those chasing us won’t relax either, they won’t stop until they’ve caught us. If they don’t rest in their pursuit, we have no reason to rest. We’ve been on this journey for a long time, and I believe we’re close to our destination.”
They got up in the middle of the night and continued their journey despite their hunger, with their bodies still strong. Sajida was at the back, with Saurayi leading, and Bilkisu in the middle.
They kept walking through the forest, enduring the cold and darkness, surrounded by dense vegetation. The only sounds they could hear were the cries and noises of birds and insects in their nests. Eventually, they saw the light of a fire in the distance, indicating there were people nearby. They continued walking, debating whether to approach the light or take another path to avoid potential danger. Hearing the voices of people, Sajida instructed them to approach but hide when they got close to observe what was happening. If they were Boko Haram members, they would change their route; otherwise, they could ask for help. They all agreed.
They crawled on the ground until they were close enough to see the gathering without being noticed. They found a place to hide, where they could see and hear everything happening.
In the middle of the clearing stood a man, who appeared to be a braggart. Despite the cold, he was shirtless, revealing the charms and amulets around his neck, arms, and waist. Nearby, others were kneeling, shivering and trembling as if being incited. The man was chanting praises to himself. On the other side, a musician was playing drums, encouraging this show of bravado while the man continued his chants, heightening his own spirits.
