EHI

CHAPTER-TWO

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She opened her eyes as pain erupted from her stomach, a subtle reminder that she had not eaten the previous day.

Ehi tried to sit up, but the chains around her neck and legs made it difficult.
She was about to scream for the tenth time since the attack when she noticed, she wasn't alone.

There were men, children, and women all chained up like her. She also noticed most of the girls were her age-mates.

The chains were linked together, and they all lay in a row. It was so old and rusty, it restricted their movements to laying and standing.

Ehi knew, immediately, that the chains were going to leave terrible bruises on her dark skin.
The women and children sobbed silently, the stench of fear evident in the air.

She had to find a way to escape, she thought.
The pale-faced men stood around them with watchful eyes, as a predator would its prey.

"Shut it!!!"
"No noise or your heads will be severed from your body", a guard yelled.

Grunts of pain could be heard as they tried to stand up with the chains pulling at their flesh.

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They walked and walked for days, only stopping once a day for food and toilet needs. Although water and stale bread once a day is barely fit to be called food.

Ehi was shocked by the distance they covered in such little time, but then again, whoever slowed down was whipped brutally to make sure they weren't delayed by a "mere prisoner" as one of the pale-skinned men called them.

She looked down at her feet and whimpered, dried blood stuck to her toes from walking through thorns and bushes for days.

The chain was pulled roughly, an action that Ehi had come to understand as a signal to stop.
She closed her eyes as she thought about her iye.
Her kinsman told her earlier that the older people were killed in the fight, including her iye.
She wept bitterly as the night slowly faded.

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People were yelling in the background as her eyes flew open, it was total chaos.

The pale-skinned men ran in different directions with their weapons, as prisoners struggled to break free of the chain that bound them to each other.

Ehi tapped the girl in front of her and asked,
"What is happening?"
"Are we being rescued?"
The girl looked at her wide-eyed and panting as she tried to pull the chain off her neck.
"Those men", she whispered as she pointed at some guards.
"Tried to whip the chief's wife and a fight broke between the prisoners and the guards".
"Some of our kinsmen managed to break the chains and everyone started to flee," the frail-looking girl explained.

Ehi spaced out as the girl continued to struggle with the chains, no doubt trying  break free, but she knew better.

If she escaped now, she would be caught in no time.
She was too weak from eating so little to run at that time of the night in a strange forest.
Ehi also knew if she was caught, they would not be as merciful as the last time she ran from them.

Ehi sat still and prayed for a time when she would be healthy and strong enough to make a clean escape without anyone noticing.

She forced her mind to a place safe from the pain and torture.

A time when she wasn't bound in chains and a home where she felt safe from the deadly hands of the "pale-skinned men".

For the first time in days, she relaxed, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she let her imagination provide comfort.

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Gunshots were released into the air, the sound jolting Ehi awake.
The man who was the leader marched forward, holding a girl who was screaming and pleading for mercy.

Ehi instantly recognized the girl, as the man pushed her to the ground roughly.
Onose was the chief's daughter.
Although, she did not know her personally, Onose always had a smile on her face and was loved by everyone in their village.

Ehi felt utter terror, knowing she was about to witness something that would haunt her forever.
"This is a warning to you lot, especially those of you who have plans of escaping from our clutches," the leader shouted out.

He instantly pulled out a knife and signaled the guards to hold Onose down.
Her screams could reach the heavens as the knife was put on her tongue.

Blood gushed out of her mouth as her body trembled in pain.
Ehi immediately looked away, she couldn't bear to stare anymore.
She wept and prayed for Osanobwa (God) to come to their aid, but it seemed like he had turned his back on her people.

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Warning: Mature theme ahead

"Take her to the bushes and let the men take turns on her until she stops breathing" the leader yelled.

The guards came, lifted, and dragged out her limp body.
No one said a word or rose to defend her. Everyone was terrified by what they had just witnessed.

Onose's screams and the awful grunts and moans of the guards that were defiling her could be heard not too far from them.

Ehi put her hands over her ears and tried to block it out, but the action proved futile.

After a while, there was silence, only the low whispers of the pale-skinned men.
In that instant, she could tell that Onose was no longer in this world.

Ehi wept as quietly as she could.
Praying for her soul to find peace as she ascended to the heavens.

NOTE

Yayyyyyyyyy chapter two and the real fun has only just begun.
Please anticipate the next chapter.
NOTE: All the mature scenes will be very detailed, I tried to make this one as vague as possible to sort of ease you all into it.
So if you are triggered by scenes like that, you can skip to the next chapter when you see the warnings.
Please do not forget to leave comments and votes, and you can also ask questions.
Thanks for reading.

So Ehi was ranked #14 in the racial category, and I'm super thrilled because this book was published less than 48hrs ago.
This chapter is a bit short, but I promise the next chapter will be longer.
Anticipate the next chapter ☺️