Seven Ways To The Abyss

AN AIMLESS WONDER

Sofia wandered through the maze of the scrapyard, navigating between towering heaps of rusted metal and discarded machinery. The air was thick with the acrid smell of oil and dust, and intrusive thoughts made her wonder what would happen if the heaps of precariously balanced cars came crashing down. The midday heat bore down relentlessly, turning the place into a suffocating oven, and every step seemed to sap more of her energy. Hunger clawed at her insides, a gnawing ache that refused to be ignored. She was used to hunger—had lived with it for as long as she could remember—but it was worse today, amplified by the relentless sun and the absence of Elaina.

Elaina, who usually shared the burden, was silent, lost in one of her mysterious slumbers. When she slept, Sofia felt more alone than ever, as if half of her very soul was missing. There was no one to take over, no shared strength to lean on. Every breath, every heartbeat was her own, and it felt like a weight she could barely carry. She was on her own. She always had been, but Elaina had made the solitude easier to bear.

Sofia wiped sweat from her brow. She knew she needed to keep moving. Food, shelter, a plan—these were her immediate concerns. Staying hidden in the capital was risky, especially with the level of security here. She couldn’t afford to attract attention, not now, not ever. She paused, taking a moment to let her eyes adjust as she stepped out of the scrapyard's shadowy confines and into the open. A narrow dirt road stretched before her, flanked by high concrete walls smeared with graffiti and old, peeling posters. Beyond those walls, the city hummed with life. Sofia could hear the faint roar of traffic, the honking of horns, and the distant murmur of countless voices.

Following the sound, she slipped through the scrapyard gate and found herself on the edge of a busy highway. Cars sped by in a blur, leaving trails of cool wind in their wake, a refreshing contrast to the sweltering heat.  For a brief second, she considered walking along the highway, letting the wind cool her burning skin. But a child wandering alone would attract attention, and attention was the last thing she needed. She had to blend in, disappear into the background.

She turned away from the highway and followed her instincts, letting the sounds and smells of the city guide her. The narrow road twisted and turned, leading her deeper into the urban sprawl. Sofia's senses were on high alert; every noise, every shadow could mean danger. Eventually, she found herself in a bustling market. Stalls lined both sides of a broad street, overflowing with fresh produce, second-hand clothes, and various trinkets. Vendors shouted to attract customers, their voices mingling with the blaring music from nearby shops. The air was thick with the scent of spices, grilled meat, and ripe fruit.

*This will do,* she thought. The market was noisy, chaotic—the perfect place to disappear.

Keeping her head low, Sofia weaved through the crowd. Her clothes, though smeared with dirt, didn’t stand out here. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry, too preoccupied with their own business to notice a skinny girl with tired eyes. She eavesdropped on conversations as she walked—snippets about politics, the weather, football scores. They sounded so normal, so mundane, like a life she had never known. Cities were always like this: bustling, overflowing with people and energy. It was overwhelming. The sheer number of people, the crush of bodies, the mix of scents—it was too much. She focused on her hunger, using it as a shield to block out the noise.

I need food she reminded herself. But food required hunting, and hunting meant killing, which would attract attention. And that, she could not afford right now. Her eyes scanned the stalls. She needed a more sustainable plan.

Shelter. That was the other problem. She doubted there would be any uncompleted buildings lying around uninhabited in a city this crowded.

As she made her way deeper into the market, Sofia kept her ears open for any useful information. Her attention was drawn to a stall where two women were engaged in a heated conversation.

"Wallahi NIMC is just doing rubbish" ("I swear, the NIMC is cracking down,")one woman said, her voice sharp with irritation. "Ordinary ID card way I wan do  dem dey use me play for two days  straight" (“I had to go there twice last week to sort out my ID card.”)

"Abi my sister no be small thing oo" (“Tell me about it,”) the other replied with a sigh.  "They go dey use new system wey even dem no sabi,  even my husband Don tire for their matter ma sef"  (“Ever since they got those new biometric systems, everything takes twice as long. My husband works there; he says they’re swamped with requests and audits.”)

Sofia's ears perked up at this. The National Identification Management Commission, the NIMC. A place where records were kept, where information about everyone in the city was stored. If she could somehow gain access to the NIMC, she might be able to find out who lived alone, who wouldn’t notice a squatter, and whose identity she could potentially steal. A husband who worked at the NIMC could be a valuable contact, a link into the city's underbelly of data and secrets. Sofia made a mental note of the woman’s appearance—the distinctive red scarf she wore, the brown braids that fell over her shoulder. If she could track this woman, follow her to her husband, she might have a way in.

For now, Sofia loitered around the market, careful to keep her distance while maintaining a clear line of sight. She moved from stall to stall, pretending to examine the goods while keeping one eye on the woman with the red scarf. She watched as the woman finished her shopping and started heading toward a bus stop. Sofia trailed her at a safe distance, her heart pounding with each step. She couldn’t afford to lose her.

The woman boarded a bus, and Sofia slipped in behind her, finding a seat near the back where she could watch without being seen. The bus conductor called out each stop, and Sofia listened carefully, memorising the names and landmarks. When the woman finally got off, Sofia followed, staying far enough behind to avoid suspicion. They walked for several blocks through a quiet residential area. Sofia took in every detail—the layout of the streets, the types of houses, the position of streetlights and trees. The woman entered a modest-looking house with a small garden out front. Sofia watched from the shadows, her mind racing with possibilities.

She waited for what felt like hours, hidden from view, until the woman left the house alone, heading back toward the bus stop. Now was her chance. Sofia crept closer to the house, peering through a window. Inside, she saw a man in his late thirties, dressed in a suit, sitting at a table covered with papers. He looked tired, his shoulders hunched as he scribbled notes and shuffled documents. He must be the husband who worked at the NIMC. Sofia’s mind buzzed with ideas. This man could be her ticket inside, a way to access the information she needed.

But she couldn’t make her move now, not without a solid plan. She needed to know more about him—his routine, his habits, his vulnerabilities. She’d have to come back later, maybe follow him, learn his schedule. For now, she turned away, making her way back toward the city. She moved quickly, retracing her steps until she was back in the market. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, calculating the risks and rewards, formulating strategies.

She had a lead, and that was more than she’d had when she woke up. It was a start. Sofia felt a flicker of hope, a small spark in the darkness. She had a plan, a goal. Soon, she’d gain access to the NIMC, and then she could find a safer place to stay. She’d learn everything about this city’s inhabitants, find the perfect target, and blend in seamlessly. Until then, she’d survive one day at a time, just as she always had. She slipped back into the market crowd, disappearing into the throng of people, one more civilian among many.

HEY GUYS!  I HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THE STORY SO FAR, THE SOFIA AND ELAINA DUO WILL BE BACK FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER SOON, SO TILL THEN DONT FORGET TO VOTE AND COMMENT

LOVINGLY PENNED BY YOUR BELOVED WRITER~~~ BARAKALLAH