d that an emergency came up and they needed to leave but Madam Nk didn allow it because the car available was limited. For whatever reason known to them, they didn include the fact that they suspected that he was a ritualist. After listening, the man called one of his boys and asked them to drop the women off. The women suddenly seemed reluctant to go with the driver. The man grew suspicious.
”Is there a problem? ”, he has asked.
”No, not at all ” Ann had replied.
”Then, go ”
They reluctantly followed the driver and left. The man apologized and we continued with what we were doing.
Few minutes later, everyone had already moved on and forgotten what Ann had said. Then we heard a scream which sounded faint, we didn think much of it because music played. It was the second loud scream that made everyone stop what they were doing in fear. I felt horripilation of dread tingle down my spine.
What was that scream?
We stepped out to see what was happening and saw one of the girls trying to escape from a tall, hefty man with his face smeared in blood and a butchering knife in his hand. She had blood on her and right there, before our eyes, he killed her.
I fainted.
I don know what happened next but I opened my eyes to see the women all around me. Madam Nk pulled me close and wiped the tears that wet my cheeks.
”Oge, right now. We need to stay calm. We can let them know that we know ”
She turned to the other four women, ”We have to act ignorant. Pull yourself together. Its food we came to prepare for them. They won hurt us, at least not now ” her voice was breaking off, she didn even believe her own words.
”Madam Nk, why did you doubt Ann and Mrs Ilo? ” I asked.
”I didn doubt them. Right from when we got here and didn see meat, I knew something was not right. I just knew that if we shouldve acted on it, they would know that we know who they were. So I just wanted us to be ignorant because they still need us to cook. They won hurt us as long as we act ignorant. ”
We calmed ourselves down and cheered up as I was asked to sing. Then four men entered carrying a huge tray of meat. Blood was dripping from one side of the tray. I felt the urgency to retch but Madam Nk pinched me so hard and I regained my composure while she thanked them for the meat. I looked to the tray and saw blood all over the supposed meat. It triggered a painful memory.
I remembered seeing the pictures of my parents from the auto crash. My both parents were dead. That was why no one had come looking for me. The vivid images of blood and fire and their bodies disfigured gave me a hard time breathing.
Madam Nk pulled me in against her chest and held my head.
”Now pull yourself together at once. ”
”I remember my parents Ma, I remember now ” I continued.
”What about them? ”
”They are dead. They are dead. They
e dead and that is why no one has come to find me
”
”Oh, Im so sorry Oge. I really am but right now isn the right time for you to mourn them. You have to stay alive. Now pull yourself together ”
We started washing in complete silence and soon we were done and cooked and spiced. By the time we were done, it was past 7pm. Madam Nk instructed everyone to get into the car quietly. Once we were all in the car, she zoomed off. She didn bother telling anyone we were done or not. We used the opportunity when they were all relaxed and drinking to leave, giving us enough time ahead of them incase they did want to try something with us. And they did want to try something with us as we noticed a car drive out from the compound behind us, racing us.
The women kept screaming as Madam Nk sped up. I tried to calm them down because she needed to focus and drive us out of this mess. After sometime, we didn see the car again as we came up on a high way leading to the city. The one of the women spoke up.
”Is that the cloth Mrs Ilo was wearing today? ”
We stopped and behold it was her cloth with blood stains all over it. Her bags and Annas shoes were scattered around the road. Then we saw the headlight of the car behind us again and we all rushed into the car with Madam Nk zooming off without caring if the doors were shut or not. We were speeding so fast and it was dark. We all just wanted to survive. They stopped following us but we kept on speeding
Unfortunately, we didn see a hole by the road and the jump crashed the car flying the doors open and I saw myself flying out of the car and hitting my head on something very strong.
Everything blacked out and I didn feel anything anymore.