TRAFFICKED-PART ONE

PART ONE: RECAPTURED

Dust bit into her eyes. She tried rubbing them out with her fingers but only succeeded in pushing them deeper. She also tried to force some tears into her eyes and failed miserably. 

She was not one given to crying. Her mother had told her that when she was born she did not give the midwife the courtesy of hearing her cry. Not even after being smacked once or twice.

Right now, she wished it. She wished she could cry. The very moment in time she was stuck in demanded nothing less.

It had been a week since… since the world as she knew it had crumbled all around her. 

“Mama. Mama.” A girl beside her cried. She was grateful for the distraction. She had tortured herself enough by reliving the past over and over again.

“Fati, Fati!” She shook the girl awake and when she woke and the girl woke startled and confused. “Mother is not coming to save you.” Amina confirmed the girl’s worst fears.

“Amina? But are we…are we really out of that place?” Fati asked incredulously. 

“We have to keep moving. Let’s make it to the next village before they find us.” Amina stood up and helped Fati up.

They had not taken ten steps when the sound of motorcycles approaching hit their ears. Fati and Amina exchanged terrified looks. They both very much wished that the earth could swallow them alive than to meet the fate that was coming. 

They looked around frantically for a place to hide but they were surrounded by sand and some few shrubs. Fati began to wail so frantically that Amina had to slap her to get her out of it.

“Stop that! I am going to cover you in sand and distract them. You better keep quiet to avoid being discovered.” Amina’s eyes filled with tears. “I won’t let them take you, sister. Lie down quietly.”

Amina covered her sister with as much sand as she could and crossed to the other side of the dirt road. 

“I have seen one.” One of the riders shouted to the others. Amina kept running as far away as she could in the opposite direction. But before long the riders were circling her like vultures who had discovered a carcass.

“Please, let me go.” Amina begged. But one by one they got off their motorbikes with the same dirty look on their faces.

“Where is your sister, Amina?”  That was Isaac. He was tall and handsome as hell. And he was their leader. “Tell us and save us the hustle of having to look for her ourselves. Then maybe, your punishment will be swift and merciful.”

“Isaac please. I don’t know…”Isaac threw a slap across Amina’s face with the back of his hand. 

Blood. 

Amina’s hands trembled as they touched the blood on her lips. Her teeth had cut her lips during the assault and her hands that trembled did not tremble out of fear but out of rage.

So she threw a punch right back at him. He easily dodged. 

“Bad move, Amina. Bad move.” He looked at one of his guys and commanded, “Hold her please.”

He took out his phone and tapped a few things on the screen. “O what do you know, Fati is right here.” He turned back, “More like right there.”

“No!” Amina screamed, “Fati run.” 

Fati wanted to run. She knew she needed to run, but her legs will not allow her. She was frozen beneath the sand and was still frozen when they laid hands on her and carried her to their boss.

“Have your fun with her before I change my mind.” Isaac said. “And hold that one, would you? She tends to get violent.” 

Amina screamed and struggled as they held her back. With all her strength she tried to get out of their grip. But three men held her and made her watch. One grabbed her hand and the other grabbed her other hand. The third guy held her neck with one arm and the other was wrapped around her waist as he pressed his hardness into her. 

“Make sure she watches everything.” Isaac added. And watch she did as they took turns with her sister. Amina could only watch as the men plunged into her sister. They were ravenous. And before one could have their fill with her sister, another will tear the one off and plunge away.

“Stop. Stop. Please stop.” Amina screamed out, “I am so sorry. I caused this. I am so sorry.”

Fati on the other hand was still frozen. She could not let it in. It would overwhelmed her so she had to step outside her body. Even in such a state, still she could not block the pain. So she allowed herself break into a thousand million pieces as they tore her insides on the cold hard ground.