TAKEN

[7]

Boom!...

I hit the floor like a pro, waiting, watching.

Dorcas dropped her basket of dirty laundry on the floor and before I could pull her to the ground, she took off.

With more and more gunshots, I quickly hid closer to the grown grass. Minutes later, everything died down and went back to normal as though we were not in any form of battle.

          I managed to get to the laundry room to find them pretty busy. Eight people were doing the laundry while another eight were rinsing and spreading them on the lines outside. It didn't even look as though they heard the gunshots. Everyone went about their business as if nothing happened.

           "Why are you always afraid?" Dorcas startled me, taking an empty seat by the laundry lines. "We don't bite you know?"

I looked her over and wondered where she manifested from. The way she ran, falling over herself, I'd thought she may have broken a leg or two.

I simply shook my head at her question. "See who is talking, Better go take your laundry basket at the entrance. I managed to help you bring it over.

She smiled and nodded. " Nice. Thank you. In case you were wondering, there was no invasion, just normal combat training."

           "Oh," Came my coded gasp. But in the event to hide my suspicion, I involuntarily rolled my eyes in my head. I knew she was watching my every move, every reaction.

"Or what did you think it was?" She baited, waiting for a response. I simply smiled but didn't find enough words to give her.

She got up and stood before me. "You don't believe me?"

I was at this point getting angry at her intrusive attitude, so I got up and walked away.
Dorcas was like a slimy two-timing detective, more than ready to catch A mole. And Ifechi was right, we were been watched by ourselves. Thank God she didn't bother to call me back or I would have yelled bloody Mary.

Back in the kitchen, I worked silently with Ifechi and the other girls. Aroma who was almost the same age as me was drying off the plates across the fire. I didn't understand why she did that.

This was Nigeria after all and we didn't do those kind of fancy stuff. There was no time to wash and rinse plates when ninety percent of the population lived in absolute poverty.
Even if you ate off the floor or stored your food in a dirty bowl, no one was going to question you. The reason being that some couldn't even afford food, how much more storing them away.

And the water factor was another thing. More than half of the population didn't have drinking water, how much more water for washing dishes and all.

Aroma caught my eye on her and gave me that gentle smile. I was about to say something to her when I heard the cry of a baby.
I spun around to find Dorcas holding a newborn. My heart melted as the baby sucked its thumbs.

          "A girl?" I shifted to where she stood, rocking the baby. "Yes, how did you know?"
I smiled. "The hair. They usually come with so much hair."

Eyebrows raised and gaze on me, she asked the most intrusive questions no one had thought of asking me. "How many sisters?"

I gapped at her as though she fell off the sky. When words couldn't form fast enough in my brain, I walked away.

Joining Ifechi at the back where she was removing a pot of jello rice off the fire, I took the long-turning spatula off the shelf and helped her stir the rice.
We worked in silence for a while before she spoke.

             "Those gunshots," I gazed up at her in fear. And with the way her eyes couldn't meet mine, I knew instantly it was bad news.

             "It was the execution of ten kidnapped victims whom their relatives couldn't pay ransom." My heart sank and a dizzy spell followed. I gripped the spatula tighter for support.

When I found my voice again, I dished out my opinion carefully. " Thought it was combat training.

         "Ifechi scoffed. "Combat training on who? You need to think deeply about that. Mama doesn't waste ammunition on useless training."

             "I want to leave." I blurted out.

It was her turn to give me the 'Are you crazy' look. "Then be prepared to die!"

Gliding my eyes away from hers, I simmered on her words for a while and swallowed any more conversations. After we were done serving lunch and cleaning up. Mama made me go clean up the arrivals hall.

Four little girls were running around in circles playing. Their mothers clustered together talking. I paid them no attention and began sweeping the large hall.

             "Don't worry, they will pay." One of them whispered.

The other looked lost. "My family won't." Tears went down her face in clusters. The rest rubbed her shoulders comforting her. "God's willing, we will be out of here soon." Said a tiny lady seated towards the wall.

            "But how?" The sobbing one asked, picking up her face to gaze at her. "Can't you see, can't you see how well guarded this place is?"

         "This place is more fortified than a prison." Another interjected. She was the youngest of them. "Moreover, there are more militiamen here than the whole federal government. So I don't see how we'd be able to escape."

Silence fell in the room as the women moped into space. Even I knew that there was no hope here. Especially if their ransom wasn't paid. I quickly rounded up my chores and headed back to my room.

         "Did you hear anything?" Dorcas cornered me as I exited the big hall. "What were they whispering about?"

I didn't bother to turn around. She'd become the shadows lurking in every corner, stalking me.  I kept walking until the closed door that stood between me and Dorcas. And yes, I slammed the door in her face. Ifechi was resting on her bed, having finished her shift which was roughly twelve hours.

Her brows rose immediately when she saw my face. "Be careful of Dorcas, she's a snake." Gently, she turned her back towards me, ready for bed.

Kicking the boots off my foot, I sunk into my mattress and rested my head on the pillow. By all indications, I should be sleeping since I haven't even slept a wink since we got here and it had been three days already.

I wanted to ask Ifechi about leaving the camp, but I thought against it, remembering her own words. 'Trust no one.'

For the past three days, I'd been trying to see if there were loopholes in the change of shifts or secret pathways to ensure my escape. The truth was that I didn't even know where we were. Apart from knowing we were in Emekuku, I didn't know what part.