After a while, Ego excused herself to answer the call of nature. She picked up a burning piece of firewood from the hearth to light her way and walked a short distance from the hut until she found a secluded spot.
As she crouched, something rushed past her.
She froze.
The movement was so sudden that she scarcely had time to breathe. She strained her ears, but the wind sighed through the trees, carrying only the rustle of leaves. It must have been a frightened bush animal, she assured herself, or perhaps only the wind playing tricks on her mind.
She had barely risen when a faint glow caught her eye.
Far beyond the hut, several flickering torches bobbed through the darkness. Their bearers were still too distant to make out, but from the hurried rhythm of the lights, they were moving with purpose.
One... two... three...
There were many of them.
A chill crept down her spine.
"Nne!" she called. "Nne! There are people coming this way, and they don't look friendly!"
Only silence answered.
She called again, louder this time.
"Nne!"
Still nothing.
Unease tightened around her heart.
Clutching the burning brand, she hurried back to the hut.
It was empty.
The old woman was gone.
So was Ogologo.
Ego stood rooted to the spot, staring at the deserted room. Only moments ago the hut had been warm with conversation, laughter, and the crackling of the fire. Now it felt abandoned, as though no one had lived there for years.
She rushed outside, searching behind the hut and calling into the darkness.
"Nne!... Ogologo!"
No answer came.
Her breathing quickened.
Where could they have disappeared to so suddenly?
The voices drawing nearer shattered her thoughts.
Harsh.
Angry.
Mostly men.
Panic seized her.
She darted back inside, snatched up her wrapper and the raffia basket resting on the bamboo bed, then paused.
The torch.
No.
Its light would betray her.
She dropped the burning wood but stuffed a handful of dry tinder into her basket. If she survived the night, she could make another fire.
Then she slipped into the forest.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
Without the torch, the world vanished. Her eyes became almost useless, but every other sense sharpened. The whisper of leaves sounded like footsteps. The snapping of a twig echoed through the trees. Damp earth, rotting wood, and decaying leaves filled the air so thickly she could almost taste them.
Fear transformed the forest into a living thing.
She ran, forcing herself to move quickly yet quietly, weaving between roots and thorny bushes until she found a great Ugba tree. Pressing herself against its broad trunk, she crouched beneath the hanging branches, hidden by the darkness but close enough to watch the hut.
The night was merciless. Mosquitoes and other tiny insects feasted on her exposed skin. Strange cries drifted from unseen creatures hunting among the trees. Somewhere in the distance, something growled.
Whether beast or something far worse, Ego had no desire to find out.
She only prayed to survive until dawn.
The wind shifted.
With it came the sickening stench of decay.
Human or animal, she could not tell.
The smell churned her stomach, yet she dared not move. Even the towering trees seemed alive, their twisted branches stretching like skeletal arms while their dark trunks stood silently watching her.
She wished she had never entered Ajọ́fịa that morning.
The men soon reached the hut.
Without hesitation, they burst inside.
The fragile thatched door crashed to the ground. Clay pots shattered one after another. The bamboo bed was flung outside, followed by baskets and cooking utensils. Though Ego could not clearly see their faces, their rage was unmistakable.
They tore the hut apart as men determined to leave no hiding place unchecked.
"Where is that witch who murdered our brother?" one of them shouted.
"Does she think she can hide forever?" another growled.
"We'll find her, no matter where she runs!"
"Our brother will never know peace until justice is done."
The others answered with a chorus of angry agreement.
"Let's split into pairs," someone ordered. "We'll search every part of this forest."
A woman's voice rose above the others.
"When we find her, she will swear before the gods. If she is innocent, they will judge her."
"Exactly," another man replied. "Spread out! No one leaves this forest until she's found. Whoever finds her first should raise an alarm. Tie her up if you must—but don't let her escape again."
Hidden beneath the Ugba tree, Ego's pulse hammered against her ribs.
She replayed every moment she had spent with the old woman.
There had always been something unusual about her, yet she had shown nothing but kindness. She had shared her food, offered her shelter, and loved her dog with genuine affection.
Could such a woman truly have murdered someone?
Or was there another story waiting to be told?
Ego had heard only one side.
Until she heard the old woman's own account, she could not bring herself to condemn her.
If the old woman was still alive somewhere in that forest, Ego resolved to find her—and Ogologo—before the mob did.