"Its just a holiday, mum. I'll be back soon"Ify consoled her mum who wept sorrowfully. They were in the sitting room;her mother was sitted on the sofa while she was sitted on the floor at her mother's feet, her head on her lap.
"I know." her mother replied tearily but her sobs didn't decrease, it rose higher.
Ify sighed. Raising her head, she looked up at her mother.
"You're worrying yourself over nothing. Whats the big deal in me going on a holiday?" She reprimanded.
"I'm just..." her mother covered her face, her long hair coming to the front.
"I'm scared." Her mother continued, "That it won't be just a holiday. I'm scared you'll never come back."
**************
Ify opened her eyes, her head was pounding. She felt like there were tons of bricks holding her down, she felt weak and lifeless.
She hated having these dreams; she hated seeing her mother and being tortured with the knowledge that it was all in her head, that she may
Naeto stumbled around haphazardly, his vision hazy. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, it seemed like he was drunk but he was sure he had not taken any drinks recently; the last time he drank, he had…He grunted, getting up from the floor, this was the fifth time he was falling.His head was pounding; his mouth was dry with thirst; his stomach seemed like it would give up on him very soon; his legs and hands were on fire like they had been tied for hours but he couldn’t remember being tied. He could barely remember anything!He could remember being dragged into a van that fateful night; he could remember something being pressed against his nose; he could remember passing out; he could remember being locked up in a room along with some other strange people; he could remember hearing a gunshot but he couldn't remember how long her had been there or how he ended up in a corridor in a house he didn't
Pleasure is found in different ways; usual and unusual. The need to please ourselves even to the detriment of others. That selfish part of us humans that desires our good before others cannot be ignored. But being acknowledged doesn’t take the problem away.Some people speak of a way; GOD; but then not everyone acknowledges the existence of GOD.Neither do those who take evil pleasure in stripping their fellow human beings of their freedom; all types of freedom acknowledged by man. Those termed as ‘Kidnappers'. But in this case,people much worse, more dangerous, more brutal.And so,these children; all teenagers, with the exception of one, nicknamed the bully; fell into the hands of those who seek this evil pleasure.Not just to be stripped of their freedom but to become live players unknowingly. Their lives,an entertainment to their benefactors.And so,the horror of their lives began.-THE BONDAGE TRILOGY"Cameras are ready, sir Auctor.
“You and your cheesy words.” Aisha sighed, rolling her eyes at him.Then Aisha said to her, ”We’re here for you but you have to sharpen up. We don't know how much time we still have here.” Aisha advices and their moods dampened. The reminder that any of them could be taken away or killed at anytime was always a huge blow.They ate the little food silently, each taking turns to drink water from the cup after they were done.“Best meal ever.” Aisha sighed, moving to rest her back against the wall, closing her eyes.“You don’t have to be sarcastic always, you know.” she said to Aisha.“Its part of my recipe for happiness here.” Aisha responded. She shook her head, tearing a little piece of her blouse then sprinkled little drops of water from the empty cup on it. She turned to Naeto; taking his right arm, she began to clean the fresh cuts on it. There were older ones, all from fighting to ge
A week passed and nobody was taken out or brought in.It left them in a state of calmness and anxiety.“Whats that smell?” Aisha asked,wrinkling her nose while looking around. Naeto and Ify chuckled.“Are you really asking that question?” Naeto rhetorically asked as Aisha’s eyes zoomed in on the culprit.Obviously, their ‘defecationaire’ as pronounced by Zubi, one of their female mate.Locked in the room along with them, the ‘defecationaire'; a bucket with a lid, given to them by their captors to answer nature’s call; was a constant source of irritation and odour. It was kept at a corner of the room as far away as it could be from everyone.It was a circular room, not small but not big enough either.“Who’s the next person to take the 'defecationaire' out?” Aisha asked, a bit too loudly for the rest of their mates benefit.“Who else?” Philip threw back.Aisha na
“How could you!? How could you!? How could you let my child go!? How!?”“Mum?” Ify called surprised, watching her mum and dad argue. It was a rare sight that made her uncomfortable. Her mother turned to face her with tear-stricked, pain filled face. Her look of sorrow turned to that of confusion. Both mother and father stared at her with confused faces.“Who are you?” her mother asked.Ify blushed in embarrassment, ”What? It’s me.” she replied, taking a step closer.“Don’t come closer!” her mother shrieked.“Its me!” Ify shouted, fear crawling up her veins, ”Ifunanya, your daughter!”“Daughter? We do not have a daughter.” her father replied calmly a suspicious look on his face as he held unto both her mother's arms.“Liar!” her mother shrieked again, ”Get away from me! Get away from me!”The look on her mother&rsq
“I have a feeling the same fate will go to anyone that opposes me.” Philip bragged, later in the day.Nobody responded. The food man had come and gone already and the fight for food had begun and ended.It was obvious that no one had the zeal to fight, well except Philip, but that was the only food they would get for the rest of the day, so they struggled; surprisingly with even more ferosity. Naeto returned with more marks as proof.“Less people, more space.” Philip continued, stretching his legs and cracking his knuckles. He had marked out a spot for himself and no one was allowed to trespass.“Shut up!” Ebuka barked with visible anger.“What kind of person are you?” A situation like this and you’re talking nonsense.” Blessing reproached, irritably.Blessing was someone you could term as ‘mother nature'. In schools, the mother nature award was given to the person with a big heart; the g
“We’re free!” Ify laughed happily, pulling Naeto’s hands and jumping about.Naeto laughed, a happy smile on his handsome face as he watched her. Everywhere was bright like they were encircled by the sun's dazzling light.Ify felt a presence behind her and she turned, still holding onto Naeto’s hands.“Aisha!” she exclaimed happily, ”We’re free!”Aisha stared at her expressionless. Aisha seemed faraway, like she was not part of the light.“Aisha?” Ify called again, her happiness inching a tone down.Aisha raised a brown, ”Free?” she responded.“We’re not free, we can never be free.”“What do you…” Ify stopped short, noticing the change of environment. They were no longer in the light, they were now like Aisha, dark.They were back in the hostage room.Ify gasped, tears filling her eyes. She turned to face Naeto and
“I’m sorry.”Ify glanced at Naeto. They had not spoken since the incident earlier in the day. The incident that left him with a broken nose; Aisha with bruises on her face; Philip with a black eye and split lip and Jide with minor bruises.She wasn’t even sure how the fight had started. One moment Philip's shoe was flying over Aisha’s head, the next he and Aisha were engaged in a physical combat with Naeto the mediator.And then later trying to solve the problem, Philip and Jide ended up in another fight.How could they even fight when she was feeling so weak due to insufficient food?!And then during the course of the fight when she had tried to help Naeto who was pushed down, he had rudely brushed her off; hence the apology.She did not reply.He sighed, covering the distance she had kept between them.“I’m sorry. I was…I was angry.” he apologized as she fiddled with the torn edges of he
Naeto stumbled around haphazardly, his vision hazy. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, it seemed like he was drunk but he was sure he had not taken any drinks recently; the last time he drank, he had…He grunted, getting up from the floor, this was the fifth time he was falling.His head was pounding; his mouth was dry with thirst; his stomach seemed like it would give up on him very soon; his legs and hands were on fire like they had been tied for hours but he couldn’t remember being tied. He could barely remember anything!He could remember being dragged into a van that fateful night; he could remember something being pressed against his nose; he could remember passing out; he could remember being locked up in a room along with some other strange people; he could remember hearing a gunshot but he couldn't remember how long her had been there or how he ended up in a corridor in a house he didn't
"Its just a holiday, mum. I'll be back soon"Ify consoled her mum who wept sorrowfully. They were in the sitting room;her mother was sitted on the sofa while she was sitted on the floor at her mother's feet, her head on her lap."I know." her mother replied tearily but her sobs didn't decrease, it rose higher.Ify sighed. Raising her head, she looked up at her mother."You're worrying yourself over nothing. Whats the big deal in me going on a holiday?" She reprimanded."I'm just..." her mother covered her face, her long hair coming to the front."I'm scared." Her mother continued, "That it won't be just a holiday. I'm scared you'll never come back."**************Ify opened her eyes, her head was pounding. She felt like there were tons of bricks holding her down, she felt weak and lifeless.She hated having these dreams; she hated seeing her mother and being tortured with the knowledge that it was all in her head, that she may
Ify's hands shook, her heart pounded in her chest, her mouth, dry but her facial expression remained calm. Naeto's eyes stayed locked on hers from across the room. He was obviously doing better than her. His hands didn't shake, his pose was confident and sure and his eye sharp and alert.She could see Aisha and Ebuka on her right through her peripheral vision but she didn’t dare look at them; she was too afraid to even look away from Naeto.He had told her not to.“Whatever happens.” he had said, when they were being led away from the room, "Try not to act on impulse. Look at me.”The room was silent except for the sound of the heavy boots of the man she assumed to be the leader, who moved slowly around, examining each of them.They seemed like professionals, their captors; the boots, the clothes, the masks and headbands, their measured footsteps. They were all heavily built men that she feared a single blow from them would
Screams resonated round the room. Ify covered her ears, still on the floor, her heart beating wildly in her chest. The noise and the screams kept resounding in her head and she squeezed her eyes shut, tears pricking her eyes.“Ify.”She raised her head to see Naeto and Ebuka's faces looming over her.“Its over.” Naeto spoke, pulling her up gently.She looked around, noticing that everyone was on their feet, talking in fear filled voices; a few looking in her direction.“What happened?” she asked.“I don’t know. It sounded like a gunshot." Ebuka responded slowly, looking her over. She had suddenly leaned against the wall. She looked away from his probing eyes.“A gunshot? It was too loud and terrifying to be a gunshot.” she responded, looking away from Naeto’s eyes as well. His eyes were no less probing.“A bomb?” Ebuka suggested, "But the building doe
“Aisha!” Ify shouted, her eyes and mouth wide open. “Aisha, calm down.” Ebuka and intervened, coming closer to them. “Or you want to hit me too?” Ebuka asked, a mocking scared look on his face as Aisha turned to him with angry eyes. Ebuka was one guy. He wasn’t too tall, fair in complexion, prominent facial features and acted smartly. He and Naeto were mostly similar in bodily characteristics and even in attitudes. “All bark and no bite.” They all turned to Naeto who was staring expressionlessly at Aisha. He had uttered the sentence again. If it were possible, Aisha got even more angry. “All bark and no bite.” Naeto repeated. Aisha shouted, rushing towards Naeto. Ify and Ebuka tried to hold her back but Naeto signalled them to hold off. They did reluctantly. Aisha punched and punched, scratched and slapped but Naeto did nothing other than stare at her, occasionally shielding his face from her physical insults. “
“I’m sorry.”Ify glanced at Naeto. They had not spoken since the incident earlier in the day. The incident that left him with a broken nose; Aisha with bruises on her face; Philip with a black eye and split lip and Jide with minor bruises.She wasn’t even sure how the fight had started. One moment Philip's shoe was flying over Aisha’s head, the next he and Aisha were engaged in a physical combat with Naeto the mediator.And then later trying to solve the problem, Philip and Jide ended up in another fight.How could they even fight when she was feeling so weak due to insufficient food?!And then during the course of the fight when she had tried to help Naeto who was pushed down, he had rudely brushed her off; hence the apology.She did not reply.He sighed, covering the distance she had kept between them.“I’m sorry. I was…I was angry.” he apologized as she fiddled with the torn edges of he
“We’re free!” Ify laughed happily, pulling Naeto’s hands and jumping about.Naeto laughed, a happy smile on his handsome face as he watched her. Everywhere was bright like they were encircled by the sun's dazzling light.Ify felt a presence behind her and she turned, still holding onto Naeto’s hands.“Aisha!” she exclaimed happily, ”We’re free!”Aisha stared at her expressionless. Aisha seemed faraway, like she was not part of the light.“Aisha?” Ify called again, her happiness inching a tone down.Aisha raised a brown, ”Free?” she responded.“We’re not free, we can never be free.”“What do you…” Ify stopped short, noticing the change of environment. They were no longer in the light, they were now like Aisha, dark.They were back in the hostage room.Ify gasped, tears filling her eyes. She turned to face Naeto and
“I have a feeling the same fate will go to anyone that opposes me.” Philip bragged, later in the day.Nobody responded. The food man had come and gone already and the fight for food had begun and ended.It was obvious that no one had the zeal to fight, well except Philip, but that was the only food they would get for the rest of the day, so they struggled; surprisingly with even more ferosity. Naeto returned with more marks as proof.“Less people, more space.” Philip continued, stretching his legs and cracking his knuckles. He had marked out a spot for himself and no one was allowed to trespass.“Shut up!” Ebuka barked with visible anger.“What kind of person are you?” A situation like this and you’re talking nonsense.” Blessing reproached, irritably.Blessing was someone you could term as ‘mother nature'. In schools, the mother nature award was given to the person with a big heart; the g
“How could you!? How could you!? How could you let my child go!? How!?”“Mum?” Ify called surprised, watching her mum and dad argue. It was a rare sight that made her uncomfortable. Her mother turned to face her with tear-stricked, pain filled face. Her look of sorrow turned to that of confusion. Both mother and father stared at her with confused faces.“Who are you?” her mother asked.Ify blushed in embarrassment, ”What? It’s me.” she replied, taking a step closer.“Don’t come closer!” her mother shrieked.“Its me!” Ify shouted, fear crawling up her veins, ”Ifunanya, your daughter!”“Daughter? We do not have a daughter.” her father replied calmly a suspicious look on his face as he held unto both her mother's arms.“Liar!” her mother shrieked again, ”Get away from me! Get away from me!”The look on her mother&rsq