TAKEN

[4]

"Steven."

He shut the door after I walked into the room like a robot, clutching my oversized pants.

"Call me Steven. And make yourself comfortable." His hands flew across the room. " Ask for whatever and it will be yours."

A huge flat-screen TV stood across the gigantic bed. I'd never seen a bed that big. A couch was positioned by the window which was closed. A reading table was right by the door.

NTA was on and the news presenters were talking about prevalent kidnappings in the country. My mouth moved silently praying. Maybe, just maybe, they could see what was happening to me through that fancy television and come to my rescue.

Soon I sighted the bathroom. I glanced from him to the bathroom, and he nodded. "Go ahead."

The pills that Ifechi gave me rolled in my pant pocket. I didn't know what they were for but she said it would keep me safe.
After easing myself, I contemplated taking the drugs but thought against it.

        "Are you okay?" Steven was at the door. "We need to get started."

I hurriedly opened the door and bowed to him. "I'm sorry sir, I just needed to empty my bladder."
He nodded understandably. "Is this your first time?" He asked.

I gapped at him in confusion. "First time? I don't understand."

He had changed out of his long kaftan and was tying a white towel around his waist, his protruding stomach almost disagreeing with that confinement.
Holding my hands, he gently pulled me out of the bathroom and sat me down on the huge bed.

         "You seriously don't know why you are here?"

My head shook before my words started flowing. "No. I was only told to meet the General and be nice to him."

He simply shook his head and flashed that brown teeth again. "I don't know why these people do these things. I expect the girls to be prepared, lectured before they get here!" His voice rose in anger.

My knees went to the floor again. "I am sorry if I have offended you. I still want to live!"

He was on his feet now pacing. His eyes lingered on my body for a while before he commanded me to stand. "Get up and sit!" Those words came out forcefully out of his mouth.
Minutes went by before he moved away from the window where he was leaning. "How old are you?"

          "Fifteen," I answered, my head lowered in respect.

A grunt left his mouth and he whooshed out air as though they'd been trapped there for centuries. My fingers twisted within each other as I waited for whatever my mission was.

          "Virgin?"

I lifted my head in surprise. Mother warned me to be on alert whenever a man starts discussing my womanhood.

        "Why would you ask me that very personal question?"

His eyes shone in surprise. "And what has that got to do with the mission?" I continued throwing questions at him ignorantly.

He busted out laughing. "My goodness, you know nothing!"

I didn't bother to dignify him with an answer. I went back twirling my fingers. Soon, room service was at the door with massive food I had never seen in my lifetime.

          "Eat." He said.

I guess he must have seen the amazement on my face.
I didn't wait for him to say more. I quickly bounced on the food and ate voraciously. After having my fill, I ran to the restroom and finally took the drugs. If the food was poisoned, maybe it would save my life.

I met a naked General lying in bed with his left hand calling me to come. I ran back into the bathroom, shutting the door.

        "Ogwu! (Bone) Come out here now!" He roared. I ignored him and sat on the bathroom floor, door locked.

I hated that name, Ogwu. Mama gave me that name when I arrived at the camp. She claimed it was because I was skinny and had a bone in her neck. And how he pronounced it was even more annoying. It sounded more like Ogu than Ogwu.

           "I will inform your Mama of your behavior!" He stormed away from the door.

Ifechi warned that Mama must never get a bad report about me from the General. He was one of her heavy financiers and a very big connection to her business.
She even showed me shallow graves that housed the dead bodies of the stubborn ones.
I hastily unlocked the door and ran towards him with my knees kissing the floor.

"Please!" His fingers were already punching numbers on his phone. He glared at me and pointed at the bed.

         "And take off your clothes!"

I whimpered at his touch on my skin and the disgusting grin on his face almost pushed me to murder him right there. But how? With my hands tied and his bare hands on my neck, how could I fight this big man?

When he landed on me, I felt my world shattering into tiny painful pieces.
In minutes, I'd lost my virginity most brutally. There were lines of belt on my back and lines of the General's fingers on my neck.

After the rape, the man had tied me up and belted me from head to toe. With my mouth gagged, my scream was reduced to a muffle.
Then he turned around and raped me over and over again. My mind was numb and my body was gone to oblivion.

I laid where he left me and prayed for death. I'd failed my mother and the pact I had with my siblings. If I ever found my way home, I wondered if they would ever see me in the same light again.

The next morning, Dozie and his men came and took my beat-up body. Every bone in my body was wrecked. I couldn't bring myself to move a limb, everything hurt like hell.
By the time I recovered and found my senses, I was back in Mama's camp, back in Ifechi's room. I wasn't even aware of how I got back home. The last thing I remembered was Dozie's face.

I ran my hands around my head, there were bandages and plasters all over my head and face. Every part of my body had a bruise or an open wound.

         "Eat up and regain your strength." Ifechi placed a bowl of yam pepper soup in front of me. " You'll be back in rotation in another two days."

I winced at her words. Rotation meant another man would be on my body again. Tears fell off my eyes and I stifled the main sob.

          "It will do you no good to cry. Every one of us has been there. And more will follow".

          Can't you people just return me to my Mother, please? I want to go home."
Ifechi swiftly covered my mouth while looking over her shoulders. "Please don't say it. Mama is now your mother and this is home. If these words leave this room, you'd be six feet down."

         "Isn't that better than this?" I pointed to my body, looking it over.

I caught Ifechi swallowing a sob or something. "Pray to be alive. That's all that is important." She gently rubbed my head and wiped my tears with her fingers. "Now eat up and regain your strength."