Information is Power

I had been wandering the desert for four days now. 

Sometimes, I could see the shadows of the vultures high in the sky circling me probably anticipating that I would drop down dead and provide them with a meal. 

The journey on the smugglers' truck had taken almost a day. I had been following the tracks back and I imagined four walking days would lead me to the tarmac. At this point, it was a matter of hours. 

"Why had this happened to me?" I lamented. "How had I gotten kidnapped?"

Twice, I attempted to enter the sim card password. I failed both times. I only had one attempt left the popup message said and was determined to get it right. I remembered the first three numbers correctly. They followed each other numerically. 456 was easy to cram. What had been the last number? 0 and 9 had not worked. I was crossing my fingers and hoped to try 8 successfully. 

The scorching sun was not making things any easier. It left my mind feeling foggy making it hard to correctly remember the last number. I struggled to stay focused on the goal. My limbs were frail and were attempting to collude with my mind to have me give up. 

" Release the spirit and let the body rest," they seemed to say. 

I only walked during the day as nights were too dark. Sometimes in the silence, I could hear hyenas laughing. My skin would crawl as I knew if they found me, I would be no match to their greedy pack. 

When I closed my eyes, all I could see were monsters around me. 

And even though I needed them to survive and finding them on my way was a true miracle, my system was beginning to reject the cacti and prickly pears I had been eating. 

A few nights earlier, while the smugglers were sleeping, and the one on watch was struggling to stay awake, four of us had slipped away and wandered into the unknown in the dark night. We had exchanged looks and all of us knew exactly what each of us had been thinking at that time. 

They had already stripped us of all our valuables. And now they still wanted to sell us to the highest bidder? We would not allow it! As long as there was still breathe in our lungs, we would fight for our freedom. 

After we had run to a safe distance at least an hour away from the evil, we sat down and discussed the plan. We were to walk to the nearest tarmac road and there we would stop a vehicle and ask for help. Hopefully, if the connection was strong, we would contact the police and they could help us rescue the others. We wouldn't have to wait. 

The smugglers could not afford to turn back and look for us. That was clear. They already had the remaining kidnapped people to transport. And chances were we wouldn't survive the desert alone and on foot anyway.

Harvu had managed to have hidden the feature phone in his locks which we would use to call for help once we reached an area with good reception. Unfortunately by the second day of the escape, he had been overwhelmed by the desert heat and his two friends decided to stay with him. I would continue on the journey alone. 

They gave me the phone in it his sim card and an emaciated Harvu had scribbled the password on the sand which I had memorised - incorrectly it seemed. 

I needed to enter the last number correctly. That way, once I found the tarmac and a place with good reception, I could call for help on the police hotline and in turn lead rescuers to my three new friends. 

"Stay strong! Don't quit! Don't give up!" I kept telling myself. 

I had already come this far and was determined to make it. 

Early on the fourth day, I could see what seemed like a long clearing that seemed to emit heat. That must have been the tarmac! I walked faster in its direction, excited that I was finally going to make it. 

It didn't take me too long. The road was long and dark. In the heat, it seemed like it was melting. I sat by a thorn tree and waited for a car that could be passing. I knew it would take time but I hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be more than a day. If I called, it would be faster. I needed to check the reception. 

I took out the phone from my pocket, restarted it and entered the number 4568. 'Your sim card is blocked. Reset your password' came the error message. 

My heart sank. I had lost all my chances. What to do? I had no option now. I was going to wait for a passing car. No matter how long it took. I still had some cacti I could nibble on as I waited. I crossed my fingers and hoped that my three friends had been hanging on tight too. 

Each day as the sun set, I wondered whether this was it. Was it my last day on earth? Would I die all alone beside a deserted road in the desert and would my friends be reduced to meals for vultures in the desert? I couldn't reconcile with my looming fate. 

It is until three days later that I was awoken by the shaking earth. I summoned the strength, quickly ran to the road and stopped what happened to be a military truck on patrol which rescued me. 

After telling them my story as they shared their energy drink with me, they informed me that I could have called an emergency line using just the phone without the use of a sim card. 

Knowing this would have saved us time and energy and me the agony of trying to correctly remember one number while struggling to stay alive. Luckily, the military contacted their base who brought out their helicopter. With me on board, we followed the tracks in the desert and found my three friends loosely hanging on to life. Harvu even though enthusiastic could not even manage a smile. 

The helicopter took us to the military base where we were treated and fed. After a few days of recovery, we recorded statements about the kidnappers before they sent us home. Hopefully, our information could help rescue the others or help curb the smuggling. 

My encounter still gives me nightmares. And to this day, I still beat myself about not knowing about the phone hotline. Had I previously known about it, I probably would have saved everyone. 

Information is truly power.