EFE (Book 1 in The N. A Series)

Chapter Three

Previously:
"Now let's put that awfully loud voice of yours to work" She winked at the injection now in her hand then at the shaking doctor.

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1:49pm

Efe wiped the blood off her hands with the doctor's bloody white coat, then went to clean up and change into something else in Ngozi's office and private bathroom. She gasped at her bloody reflection "What am I doing? What is going on?" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Why doesn't this feel new to me?" She sat on the cold bathroom floor, with her hands on her head in between her knees, she curled. "What is this familiar feeling?" Efe gripped her hair harshly. "Efe why are you embracing it?" She cried.

Something was taking over her and oddly enough, she welcomed it.

After minutes of scrubbing, Efe took Ngozi's wallet and left the hospital. Since the doctor already told Efe her pin, it wasn't hard to find the nearest Zenith bank and withdraw some money, with that money she opened a new bank account under her name and transferred all Ngozi's money to herself with the help of some extremely friendly Zenith bank staff. "I guess money really solves everything" she breathed.

'This stuff is really easy. Maybe stealing could be my thing' she applauded inwardly, leaving the air conditioned bank and entering the outside sun.

Efe stood awkwardly at the side of the road, monitoring how things were done by others. People yelled to get things done; a dirty boy selling donuts passed in front of her. Hungry, her stomach grumbled.
"Umm.. Excuse me, can I have some of those?" She tapped the child, still feeling awkward about everything.

"How many ma?" The child brought down the half empty transparent container of donuts.

"I.." How could she decide? She had never done something like this before.. "I will take… Four. I think.." Efe bent over the container.

"Take ma" he handed the nylon to her.

"Thank you" Greedily biting into one, she moaned in delight. "This is so good" she stuffed more of the large donut into her mouth.

"Aunty.. Moni!" The boy eyed her.

Efe exclaimed "Oh! Sorry" Her hand pulled out a 1000 naira note. "Take is it enough?"

"Ehn?! No oh! Remaining five hundred.." The boy eyed her again, skeptical about the odd girl's behavior. When she pulled out a five hundred naira note and gave him, he smiled, running away quickly before the girl's senses returned. "Mommy go happy oh! Ah!" He laughed praying to catch another mugu.

Kekes and bikes piled past the damage road yelling at each other, a bike seemed like what she needed right now. 'Hmm..' She tucked the empty donut nylon in her back pocket, feeling too bad to litter the dirt caked road.
"Bike!! BIKE!!!" Efe yelled at every bike until a flimsy looking man stopped in front of her with a dust kissed once black ladies bike.

"Fine girl... Wey you dey go?" He spat in the mud close to her feet. Efe subtly glared then shook her head, ignoring the disgusting man, she needed to get to Benin. To get answers and maybe her brother.

"I need to get to Benin, can you take me to the nearest car park?" Memories from movies, told her what to say, she just prayed they were accurate.

The man ran his yellow eyes over her body, the jean short she borrowed from the hospital was surprisingly her fit and the white top was a little tight around her big breasts. The man's eyes lingered on her chest, she was about to smack him when he spoke up.
"Ehh... I know the place, e dey front. Enter make we dey go"
Efe released a sigh of relief and hopped on the bike. She was too focused on getting to where she needed to be that she didn't see the juju doll charm hanging loosely underneath the passenger's side of the bike.

As soon as the bike started moving, she felt like a blanket was thrown over her; She felt heavy, everything gradually became blurry and her eye lids drooped lower and lower. Efe spotted the large sign signifying her destination at the Benin Park but no words left her mouth, she felt like noodles soaked in water.

Tarred road faded under them replaced by sand and green bushes on each side. The bushes grew taller as the bike man drove deeper with difficulty. An uncompleted building was just up ahead masked with algae, grasses and a huge mango tree which grew from one of the rooms of the house.
Streaks of tears stained Efe's beautiful face as two men came to carry her into the partially roofed building. She only just noticed what was going on.

"Ah Lanky! The girl fine die... Omor you no get conscience oh, see the kin fine girl you wan use take do ritual" A retarded looking individual said to the fake bike man.

"Charles leave that thing na money i dey find, I no dey look face" The bike man, Lanky, replied then spat again.

'Is he pregnant?' Efe chuckled, feeling high on something.

"Dominic, tie am. She suppose sleep soon, then we go go Edo with am" He spoke to the other man. The biggest among the three.

"Make I do am?" Dominic smacked his black lips at the snack, Efe.

"No!" Lanky frowned at him "I will be back soon with another girl or boy for you to play with... This one belongs to me" He kicked Efe in her belly, marking her with his shoe, he turned to leave. Efe gasped for air, uncurling on a dusty aged mat. Her hallucination seized.
'Is this how I'm going to die?' She thought.

Once the sound of Lanky's bike faded and Dominic made sure he wasn't lurking around, he advanced on her, rubbing his hands all over her full chest.
"I go make the most of awa small time" He licked his lips.

Hot tears were streaming down her face as she struggled to get up or scream or do anything that would stop him from assaulting her. She shook on the floor, while Dominic unbuttoned her jean.
Efe cried out, not loud enough though, she was losing control of her body. It was like she was taking those drugs all over again and she hated it. Anger spilled through her.
Dominic stopped unzipping her, distracted by her resistance to the juju.
"Stop to dey fight am! E no go better for you!"
With his distraction, she had a slight chance to get away. She raised a foot and slammed it into his lap, since he was kneeling, then when he fell forward, her other boot made mad contact with his ugly face.