TWISTED DESTINIES
EPISODE 6
Abasiama walked under the cover of darkness to the marina, where she hoped to board a boat that would take her away from the village. But she had no money; neither did she have any possession to trade for money. She saw the light of the speed boat; it was anchored by the bank of the river. She walked discreetly, not making a sound, towards the boat. She could hear the voices of the passengers waiting to board; she knew no one would take pity on her, so Abasiama decided to bootstrap. She was determined to get to Akwa Ibom at all cost. She edged closer to the boat, she would not be able to go through the gangplank, so she walked gently into the water as the waves crashed at her feet. Where the water rose to her thighs, she sneaked into the boat. It was dark instead, probably because people were not boarding yet. It was a perfect cover for her, she went into the recesses of the boat and curled beside a sack, so that she looked like a parcel, not a human being. The water had seeped into her clothing, and now she felt cold. Her teeth clattered against each other, her heart beat faster in her chest, she did not mind. All she thought about was finding her children. Soon the light in the boat came on, so she crawled more into the shades as people began to board. Twenty minutes later, the boat was sailing down the river.
Abasiama had slept off, after having so many thoughts in her head. She was having a dream, in which her husband was alive and they were by the river bank, kissing and hugging each other
Obong: “I love you so much; nothing has changed my feelings for you. Not even the persecutions we have faced. Ata ataufan mi” he said, calling her his personal friend.
Abasiama: “I will bring our children back to the soil of their birth; they must see their father land. I do hope that by the time I am back, our town would have received light and leave the Stone Age” she replied as she caressed his face.
Obong: “I am in support, I will go with you on this journey” he said and a white light came on and blinded her eyes, she could not see her husband again.
Abasiama: “My husband, my husband” she shouted as she opened her eyes to reality. A beam of light was pointed at her face, and she could make out the form of a man. He flung the cloth she was covered in and started down at her, menacingly.
Man: “Who are you and why are you on my boat?” he barked. Abasiama began to whimper.
Abasiama: “I am Queen Abasiama” she replied in a small voice. The man burst into laughter.
Man: “Oh her royal majesty, how may I be of service?” he asked in a mocking tone, and proceeded to call the boat crew. They got angry that Abasiama had got into the boat without paying, they pushed her from one man to the other.
Man 1: “What do we do with her?”
Man 2: “Since she could not pay in cash, I say she pays in kind” one said, exposing his tobacco colored teeth.
Man 3: “What pleasure would I derive from such a woman as this? Her punani must be sagged and shriveled.” He spat in disgust.
Man 1: “Then I say, we throw her overboard, let the fishes have an early Christmas” he said, grinning wickedly.
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Nadia wanted to be the hero, so she played a risk card. She called the police. She hoped that the police would get to the house when it was too late to rescue Kaylah. She ran into the hallway to call her parents but stumbled on Malcom, who was passed out on the floor.
Nadia: “Oh my God, oh my God Malcom” she went on her knees and began to shake him. When he wouldn’t stir, she rushed to the master bedroom and banged on the door.
The police van was close to the house when the vehicle in which the militants were being conveyed drove past them. They were too much in a hurry to notice that the occupants of the SUV looked absurd. Mr. and Mrs. Assanga were awoken by the insistent banging on the door, and the noise of the siren outside their gate.
Mrs. Assanga: “What is going on, this cannot be good. Where are my children?” she jumped out of the bed and rushed to the door. But Mr. Assanga intercepted her, holding her firmly. She flayed her hands asking to be freed.
Mr.Assanga: “I will go find out what is going on, stay back” he said curtly and walked to the door. He opened the door and Nadia stumbled in.
Nadia: “Sir, Kaylah has been kidnapped, Malcom is injured” she yelled frantically. MrAssanga heard a thud and turned; behold, his wife had collapsed on the floor. He rushed to his wife and ran back to his son, then rushed to his wife again.
Mr. Assanga: “Oh no, I am so confused” he said with his hands in the air.
He rushed to his wife and carried her from the floor to the bed. By this time, the police had entered the compound, with their guns aimed, and the crackers under their boots giving out a creaky sound as it connected with the ground, they climbed up the stairs.
Inspector: “We received a distress call from this house. Chief, what happened here?” he asked with his shoulders high up girded in shields. Looking at him, one would think he was deploying soldiers to the Sambisa forest.
Mr. Assanga: “My son, my daughter, my wife, ha Abasitua mi mbom” he said asking God to have mercy on him, in Ibibio language.
Nadia: “Kaylah has been kidnapped, and Malcom is unconscious, he was brutally beaten by the kidnappers, Mrs. Assanga is unconscious.”
The Inspector called the emergency response for an ambulance, while he tried to get a semblance of a statement out of Mr. Assanga. But the latter was incoherent; he was falling apart in the face of crisis.
Immediately the ambulance arrived, the paramedics rushed to attend to Mrs. Assanga and her son. While the police set up an incidence booth in front of the house.
Unknown to everyone involved, Nadia had phoned the pressmen. She was certain that the police would not be able to apprehend the kidnappers, so she decided to use the incidence to get some camera time. So, while Mr. Assanga had followed the ambulance to the hospital, Nadia took charge of the situation. She acted the hero, she acted the heartbroken friend.
Nadia: “May her soul rest in peace” she wailed into a journalist’s microphone.
Journalist: “Ha madam, she is not dead na”
Nadia: “Oh yes, the kidnappers will die if they don’t bring my friend back” she cried and fell on the journalist’s chest. The latter looked at his other colleague for help; he did not know how to handle a female who has gone haywire. Nadia went ahead to continue the show even though some of the performing artistes were reluctant to continue the event.
Nadia: “It is what Kaylah would have wanted. She thought of the children in all she did” she said and this was the excuse she said to all who asked her reason for continuing the show.
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The militants had reached their hideout in the Qua Iboe area of Ibeno, they had a sack bag over Kaylah’s head throughout the whole trip. As they alighted from the vehicle, Kaylah began to throw her bound fists about, she was scared and her fear was fueling. She needed to fight for her life; there was so much she had to do. She thought of the children that were promised a Christmas show, how were they faring.
Stinger: “Don’t make me hurt you; you have been a good girl so far, continue on that track and you may yet live” he said, but Kaylah wouldn’t hear that, she kept struggling and flailing her hands, trying to hit whoever was holding her. Stinger was so vexed that, he threw forward his clenched fist and it connected with Kaylah’s mouth. Blood spurted out and splayed on her Lavini tee shirt.
Stinger: “Now see what you made me do” he pulled her by the hair and dragged her. They walked a few distance on a deserted, sandy path before they got to a spot. Kaylah could see, but she could hear the waves, and knew they were close to water. Stinger opened a cap on the ground and stared down the long distance into the ground. They were going to hole up in an underground bunker. He entered first, using the iron ladder, and when he was below, asked that Kaylah be thrown in, for him to catch her. Stinger who had been small bodied in his childhood, had grown into a burly man, with ripped stomach, and muscular biceps. When Kaylah was thrown down, he caught her to his chest. Kaylah felt the hardness from the strong chest, in better circumstances;
she would have swooned over this, being cradled by a muscular man. But, this was her abductor, her assailant, so she began to push herself away from him. She whimpered behind the gag when he refused to put her down. Stinger felt his loins react, when her warm supple skin touched his. She had probably worn a perfume to bed; he could smell it on her skin, and he knew it was something the rich indulged in… or perhaps, it was the soap she had used to bathe before bed, or perhaps she had scented bathwater. He thought as he inhaled the sweet smell, it was intoxicating, and he felt like having her right there.
Stinger: Hey come here
Kayla: Please let me be please!” She begged
Click 7 below to read episode 7
