Elhaam!

chapter 2

6:15AM, outskirts of Gombe state, 2000

"Leave us alone. Don't you understand, I said leave us alone!" Ayan shouted at the men for the thousandth time. They killed his parents, what more could they possibly want. And besides that, his sister was too distressed to take in more violence.

"Kai sani, take the girl Raba su. Gambo finish the boy kashe shi" a man who stood by all the time the drama occurred stated. From one look, one could tell he's the leader of their small group.

"No one is going to touch my sister! Non of you can get her without going through me" he yelled, if possible cuddling his sister more into his side. The poor girl was shivering out of fear. 

"Walaal I don't want to go anywhere with this men" she whispered.

"Afaaf you won't go anywhere without me got it?" He reassured with a soft glint in his eyes, specifically using her middle name, specially picked out by their mom.

"Walaal, you called me afaaf? Does that mean everything will be fine?" Her innocence unconsciously driving her fear away.

"Yes afaaf. In shaa Allah everything will be just great"

"Sani janye yarinyar mana" the leader scolded out of irritation

Just like that, Sani tugged, towed, and hauled at the child, but Ayan was persistent. Throwing sand in sani's eyes and stomping on his feet, that got the man release his sister.

Sani let out an agonizing yelp out of pain resulting from his feet and eyes
simultaneously.

The leader watched everything that happened, surprised at how the boy put up a fight for his sister. In his year of practice, no one has ever put up a fight, especially after their parents were killed right in front of their eyes. He knew many kids in their position will just give up hope, but the twelve year old didn't. The child was a keeper, and that makes his sister also worth living. He's boss will be so proud of him for finding a child like that to groom to be like them some day.

"Ku bar su. Mu je zuwa. Ku tabbata kun tawo dasu "
(Let them be. Let's get going. Make sure you come along with them)

And just like robots programmed to certain orders, they sautered forward, pushing along the siblings and their tadded bags.

They walked to what seemed like a truck, they never noticed earlier. Even if they noticed, they won't be able to remember with their little brains.

"Walaal, Aabe and maa died there right?" Elhaam asked, clearly afraid of the answer that'll be given to her.

He went stiff from her question. How was he to explain to his sister they are dead without being blunt to the girl? He had absolutely no idea. Heaving a sigh, he managed a curt nod.

"But Aabe said dead bodies are to be buried after nanne's death. Why did we leave them there?"

"Because...because... I don't know elhaam" after not knowing anything to say further, he let out a defeated sigh.

"Walaal, how are we escaping this men? we don't understand their language, and I don't think they understand English either"

Ayan reasoned for a while. What she said was entirely true. So how would they manage to escape the men. From what he can see, they are traveling to another place, town, city, state, or even possible, country. They don't know anyone in Nigeria. Maybe they could look for their family they initially came to visit?

But how?

"As far as we are together, nothing will harm us in shaa Allah" he muttered the words he's been saying.