TRAFFICKED- ALL EPISODES

EPISODE ONE

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.

EPISODE TWO

“You see what I did just there?” He calmly said over Amina’s screams. “That is the least of all the things I could do to you. You will find that I take more pleasure in breaking those who think they are unbreakable.”

Amina looked into Isaac’s eyes, hers red, his clear. She was almost as tall as he was and as she looked into his eyes, she dared him to do as he had done to her sister to her. But instead Isaac eyes moved unto his goons. They immediately let her go. When they did, she quickly rushed to her sister’s side. She peeled the last man who was having his fun with her off of her sister and slapped him. The guy made to punch her in the face.

“Don’t you dare, Pious.” Isaac’s cool voice immediately had his goon retreating from Amina. 

She knelt by her sister. Blood had just began pooling. Amina clutched her lips to stifle a cry. She shook Fati but she was not responding to her call. Her eyes were closed shut, tears staining her innocent face. When Amina lifted Fati’s hand they limply fell back. 

“No! No! What have you animals done?! She was only fourteen. What have you done?” She roared wildly. 

“Bury that one somewhere.” Isaac commanded.

“No! No!” Was all that could come out of Amina’s lips as they bound her with rope, dumped her unto one of the motorbikes and drove off into the night.

And she looked on as they carried her sister’s limp body away until she could see no more.

Isaac personally threw her back into the room she had run from a few hours ago. The other girls in the room huddled together in fear.

“Welcome back.” Isaac said as he shoved her into one of the walls.

Amina just began to laugh. Her laughter quickly turned hysteric. “You have nothing over me now...”

“Or so you think." Isaac interrupted, "We know where your mother is remember? And if we have to kill her too, we’ll just have to get you pregnant and threaten the life of your child over and over. Maybe, actually kill that child, then get you pregnant all over again.” He smiled as Amina’s face turned pale and stricken.

“And that goes for all of you. Any act of disobedience will not go unpunished!” He yelled at them.

“Why?” Amina collapsed against the wall unto the floor.

“Because Amina, many a great men in this great world have many great desires. Wait, did I say great desires? No, no. They have greatly evil desires. And you my lady, have enough fire within your bosom to help them fulfill those desires.”

And as he left he said, “Keep it up, Amina, and you will go places.”

In the night, demons came to feed on her conscience. That she was left alive when all that had happened was her fault, no, her demons had to have their fill of her.

Her demons took her down memory lane to where she had returned home from her Senior High School to find the handsome devil in a meeting with her mother. Her heart was both elated and dejected. She had seen his car outside their house. There was no way, her mother was going to say no to this marriage proposal.

“Amina, if you have come then sit with us for a while.” When Amina looked at her mother’s face, the hopelessness of the entire situation hit her hard. 

Her mother, now thirty years old, had had her when she was only fourteen, the tenth wife of the richest Fulani herdsman in their entire village. Two years later when he suddenly died, his family and some of his wives grabbed all the property they could lay hands on and threw my mother and some of the younger wives out. They had told them that they were young enough to hitch a ride on another woman’s husband.

Her penniless and heavily pregnant mother went back to her family house and had a painful delivery that almost killed her. Although it did not kill her, it left her frail. Near starvation in her family house did not help. She later found a kind maize and millet farmer who took her in, but few months after their marriage, he also died. That millet and maize farm had barely kept them alive and had barely put her sister and herself through school. Life and living was getting harder by the minute, so the only solution was to marry one off. She was old enough, two years older than her mother when she got married.

“But ma, I thought we agreed that I would finish school first.” Amina said weakly as she sat on a stool by her mother. But she knew that for her mother to entertain this very man, he had presented a very good proposal.

“He said he would take you and your sister to school.” Her mother said calmly. “He said he will wait till you have finished secondary school before he even marries you. Then he will even let you further your education.” Her mother added.

“So mama, would he let us stay here and finish our schooling.” Amina asked hopefully. 

“No. You will come to Tamale with me.” The young man said, “By the way I am Isaac, Isaac Abilla.”

She knelt before him. “Please I am Amina Abdul Kaadir.” 

“O get up Amina,” He helped her up as he also stood with her, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Amina.” He held unto her hand for a second longer than necessary.

Amina, pulled her hands out. He was young so at least she was glad that she was not being forced into marrying an old man who already had many wives. But there was something about him that repulsed Amina. She could not place her hand on it then but now she knew exactly what it was. He was too smooth, like he had done it a hundred times before.

He went into his car and brought out several gifts. That night was the first time she had seen her mother look so happy.

“He will come for you and your sister tomorrow.” Her mother had told her.

“But who would help you with your farm?” Amina had asked.

“I won’t have to farm anymore, Amina. Every month he will send money. Look at the phone he gave me." Her has held up her first phone, "He said he will send mobile money at the end of every month.” Her mother beamed.

“But where does he come from, Ma?” Fati had chimed in then. She had taken her mind of the fineries that the stranger had brought long enough to ask a crucial question.

“I don’t know. But it is rumoured that he is related to the chief.” Her mother had replied.

And that was the last they had discussed of the stranger from Tamale. They had spent their last night together happily for the future had looked brighter than it ever had.


EPISODE THREE

That morning they said their goodbyes. No tears had been necessary, not when the future in sight was so bright. And indeed the future lived up to expectation, for like six hours, then it was not so bright.

On their way to Tamale, he had stopped at a restaurant were they were stuffed up with all that they could eat and more. Ice cream had been packaged after their meal and they continued their merry journey oblivious to the fast changing scenes behind their tainted windows. They had been too sated to be concerned when at a police check point, he called them his sisters and slipped a big wad of cash to the police officer who had stopped them.

The journey had been long and torturous but mile after mile their little town, Pusiga, was left behind and onward they journeyed to their new fate in Tamale. 

“Welcome to your new home. For now.” Isaac had said when he finally parked his car in front of a large but mostly dilapidated house. 

When they had stepped out of the car, they had been surprised. It was as though they had stepped out of their little town and headed straight back. It was almost a spitting image of their little town. The house they had entered was large but old. It looked as though it had been deliberately left to deteriorate

“Is this how Tamale looks like?” Fati had asked in shock.

“Of course not. This is some outskirts in the Upper West region. Here, we will groom you, then decide if you deserve better than the local prostitutes.” Isaac said coolly after they had entered the house. Some man locked the door.

“What?” Amina and Fati had asked in unison. That was when they saw them; the other girls. They had come out of their rooms to peer at them. They looked scrawny and unkempt.

“I see the local prostitutes are quiet taken with the new arrivals.” Isaac had joked, then turned his attention to the men who had come to meet him. “Take these to the other room. They have had some education so we can look forward to upgrading them to city prostitutes, or not.”

He laughed as he was leaving. That laughter had stuck with Amina and what he said after sealed the moment shut in her mind.
“Two birds, with one stone. Doesn’t get better than that.” He had mocked as he walked away from them to some other room at the corner of the house. For the first time Amina knew what it meant to fear the unknown. The men had shoved them into a room in another corner of the compound. There, they had seen other girls too. Some of the girls were older. And some were just too young.

When the men left them alone, they all let out a deep sigh of relief. Amina began to look for an escape.

They can’t stay here a moment longer.

“Fati, we must get out of here.” Amina had whispered into her sister’s ear. “But how?” Fati had whispered back.

“Time for supper.” A man’s voice cut Amina short when she was preparing her answer.

After their measly supper, most of the girls had gone back to their rooms, they had spread themselves on the floor and slept. But Amina and Fati were taken aside and injected with something painful, they were then escorted to a dark room and with two clicks they were locked in. 

“What is happening?” A frightened Fati had asked. “I don’t know. But maybe we should start looking for a way to escape out of here instead of asking unnecessary questions.” Amina had snapped. 

Maybe she should have been kinder.

On the first day it was easy to not give up hope. But on the second day when they had combed every inch of the room to find no other exit, they had begun to despair. By the third they realized they were being starved to death. 

By the time they heard the two clicks of their salvation, they were either shaking or too weak to move towards the light.

“Wakey, wakey.” That was Isaac’s voice. The bright light had blinded them from seeing him but they did not need to see him to know it was him and that it was his voice; the voice of one who took everything from them.

Some cold hands picked them from the ground and as they were being taken into the bright light, Isaac mocked, “This is what we do to you when you’ve done nothing wrong.” He had laughed, “Just imagine…” More laughter.

They did not need to hear the rest as they were being carried away. They could imagine.

EPISODE FOUR

After bolting all windows and doors they were left alone. They both pretended to sleep. After a while Amina woke Fati.

“Wake up. That window is open. Let’s crawl out.” Amina had told her.

“Don’t do it.” A girl had warned when they got up to escape. “They will find you. They always do.”

“No, you should join us.” Fati offered.

She shook her head in so much fright and covered her head with her cover cloth.

“Come on, let us leave.” Amina dragged Fati and helped her through the window. She followed next. Their only consolation was that at least their escape had been easy enough.

****************

Amina relived the worst night of her life over and over. In her mind she was still watching them defile her sister. Before long dawn broke without her batting an eye.

“Amina. Amina Abdul Kaadir.” A man’s voice came to call her. She would be damned if she responded.

But he got closer and grabbed her like she was paperweight off the floor and literally dragged her to the other end of the house.

“You are going to enjoy this one.” The big man said as she dragged her across the compound. “As for us we make sure your first client is your best client.  He will teach you the business secrets. He will teach you well well.”

The big man shoved her into one of the rooms at that end of the house and closed the door behind him.

“Boss I have brought her.” He called out. Isaac immediately emerged from an inner room with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Hold her please.” The big man immediately held Amina’s hands to her back. She tried to wriggle her way out of his reach but when he saw that Isaac had taken out a syringe she froze.

“What are you going to do to me?” She asked.

Isaac just broke an ampoule and drew out the drug with the syringe that he had unwrapped.

“It is just something small to make you relax.” As he approached her he let few droplets out of the needle.  Amina had never known any greater fear than that for needles. “Don’t struggle.” Isaac cooed, “You will only hurt yourself. As for this advice you must never forget.” Isaac shared a laugh with the big man.

In a second, he had injected the drug into Amina’s bicep. Before long she was feeling oddly calm and limp.

“You can go now, Wahab.”

“Yes boss.”

Isaac passed the back of his hand lovingly across her cheek. She immediately felt lightheaded but before she collapsed onto the floor he swept her off her feet. He took her to the bathroom and laid her in the bathtub.

She was not unconscious, no, just stuck. Amina remembered how the clean enamel white tub, conflicted the peeling paints that scarred the walls. Then she thought of how odd that thought was.

“Isaac is a lover not a fighter. He won’t be able to say so for your other clients but trust that in your darkest hours you will find some solace in the fact that it was not painful right from the start.” He said as he removed her clothe.

The early morning dryness chilled her exposed skin. He put on the tap and prepared the bath for her. The water was that flowed from the tap and touched her cold toes was warm and comforting. Before long the warmness had covered her body to just above her breasts. It soothed her and made her relax further. He poured the soap in the bath passed his hand in the warm water to make it lather.

He hanged his towel on a rack and stood stark naked before her. Amina was not afraid. It all felt ethereal, like it was not happening to her even though it was. Isaac joined her in the tub from behind her and had her lie on his chest. He unwrapped a new sponge and started to bathe her.

“You see. Isaac is a lover.” He kept on saying. He bathed her from her head to her toe. He drained the tub and rinsed her under the shower. He wrapped the towel around her and carried her off unto the bed.

By then the sedative was beginning to wear off. But she did not want to fight him off. He touched and stroke. He caressed and kissed. Every part of her he touched was fired up. Before long she was needy. By the time he took her, she was practically begging for him to take her.

That was when she started to weep.

As he took her to the heights, she peaked. But then came the fall. It shattered her. And he just held her in his arms securely like there was no tomorrow. So right there in his arms, she found her comfort. She did not want to but she did. So she curled up, a treacherous whore, into a ball when he started to hum a song. Then lulled her to a peaceful sleep.



EPISODE FIVE


There is one thing in the land of the living that can be compared to the hopelessness of being dead. And no, it is not sleep. 

Wise people have often been fond of saying that if one wants to know death he or she should look at sleep. Obviously those wise people have not experienced having their eyes open, their will taken from them only to be controlled by those who stand against everything they have ever stood for.

And as these thoughts plagued Amina, she embraced them.

Death is better.

She would not think of the what-next. No.

My reality must be what hell feels like. 

She thought that maybe she could give herself a break for getting her sister killed. Back then, she had thought that it was the best option. But finding comfort in the arms of the man who all but actually put his hands around Fati’s neck to snuff out her life? That... she believed, that was twisted, evil; she very well deserved the fate that will come to her after...

She smiled to herself then and hoped her death will be every bit as painful as her sister's.

She walked towards the main gate. It was still ajar although the men who trooped in and out of the house had long stopped coming in. Two guards  hovered over a board game by the gate.

One-two-three... 

She counted the moments till she was discovered by the guards. A tear provoked by bitter-sweet emotions of total surrender to imminent death streamed down her face. Yet when her bare feet touched the sand right outside the door she could not help herself. She hoped that maybe she could really escape this life.

When one guard looked up the board game to discover her walking  out of the gate it took a moment to register in his dull mind, or was it just that imaginable; the unfathomable things that Isaac was going to do to her if she was truly trying to escape.

He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Many times he had seen the crazed and resigned look on many girls’ faces. He knew that he would need back up.

When back up came they surrounded her. She turned willingly back to the compound.
Immediately, red eyes locked with her clear eyes.

“Are you crazy?” Isaac was failing to keep a tighter rein on his rage.

“Do what you must.” A broken voice, hardly recognized as hers said back.

His face froze. Then an expression that his face was not accustomed to broke through the freeze to mar his pretty countenance.

Hurt.

“It meant nothing to you?” He asked before he could help himself.

Amina’s heart almost blew up with the wave of guilt that filled it.

How could I?

She wondered how could she have spent not one night, not two but a whole week being caressed and kissed by the same man who took and commanded the life out of her sister.

She wanted to crumble unto the floor but she held herself up. Even when he started to approach her and her legs turned to jelly she willed herself to stand. She will die with dignity.

All the girls were out now. They looked at the entire scene as though it was a TV show. It was happening but not really happening. And like any TV addict, they could predict how this particular scene was going to end.

It was going to be a bloodbath.

As Isaac began to reach his hands towards Amina a car approaching at full speed stopped him before he could execute his murderous intent. The bright light from the car blinded them and exposed the dim lit house with its revealing glare. The half naked girls run back to their rooms as the car parked. The engine was silenced and the  lights came off then they were back to having the moon, stars, a  few lanterns and the one bobo on the table with the board game as their only source of light.

Following the eerie silence that ensued was the driver stepping out of his car.

“Benjie!”  Isaac suddenly burst out and laughed.

“Boss.man.Ike” The man replied with equal enthusiasm.

“Benjie!” Isaac said again and held him in a hug. They patted each other's back before breaking off the hug.

“What brings you to our end?” Isaac asked.

“What else?” He said lightly.

“Oh! Pious is already up for his promotion, huh? I wonder who they've bumped of the food chain this time” Isaac joked.

“I'm afraid I have bad news boss man.”

Isaac’s smile suddenly vanished. “No.” His voice dropped dangerously low. “Tell that...”He stopped and simply repeated, “No.”

“He knew you would say that so he asked me to show you this.” Benjie took a phone from the pocket inside his suit and showed it to Isaac. He grabbed the phone from Benjie’s hands and crashed it on the floor.

“No!” Isaac screamed into  the night sky.

“Pious, you are now in charge.” Benjie said while taking another phone from his other pocket. “Falconer is on his way.” He said into the phone.

Isaac looked angrily at Benjie who avoided his glare.

“She is coming with me.” He finally  said.

“Who?” Benjie asked.

Isaac turned and pointed at Amina.

“Falconer wants to bring a falcon.” Benjie said into the phone. Amina did not know if she should run or cry. Somehow she knew that real hell was now going to break loose and that all the while she was only playing with dying embers.

“Let’s go.” Benjie said to Isaac who stood there motionless. “Come on. What are you two waiting for? Let’s go!” Benjie said hastily as he started towards the car.

A firm arm enclosed around her waist and led her into the car that immediately sped off into the night.


FOOTNOTE:

1. Bobo- A lantern often made by burning a wick in a metal container filled with kerosene.

EPISODE SIX

She held on tight. She felt like she was going to die. She wondered why she had survived the death of her sister only to be killed by a white gigantic bird. And that was when Isaac held her hands. 

“It is just some slight turbulence. You will be fine once we get in the air.” Isaac reassured her.

She snatched her hands from beneath his and clutched her knees. The seatbelt did not permit her to curl into the ball that she wanted to curl into. And as she clutched her knees she felt her chest tighten. 

This must be what death feels like.

He rubbed her back as the plane took off till all was quiet and calm.

“I told you you’ll be fine.” Isaac tried to clasp her face with one hand as he unbuckled her seat belt.

She slapped his hands away from her face. He smiled, grabbed her hands by force and kissed it.

“I know you are angry because of what happened earlier. But it was necessary. I did not want you getting any ideas, dear.” Isaac cooed.

“Don’t worry. I got the idea that you wanted to pass along. I do what you want, my mother gets money and goodies. I do not do what you want, you kill her.” Amina could not disguise her sadness, anger, and resignation. 

My destiny is set in stone. 

When she saw the police men and other uniformed men at the airport, she wanted to go to them, run to them and scream out that she was being held against her will. But her legs kept putting one foot in front of the other. Fear told her to take the path of least resistance, the consequence otherwise would be devastating. So she did.

“Yes. And once you are at it, you can throw in being nice. Trust me, dear, you do not want to see the other side of Ike.” After he said so, he threw himself into his seat, trying to relax and get more room for his legs at the same time. He later succumbed to the fact that his legs were not going to get any more room.

Before long Amina’s more than willing eyes were shut close. Sleep had already clawed its way into her hyperactive mind. The last thought that she carried into her sleep was the smile on her mother’s face. 

Amina had seen on Ike’s phone how her mother had carried her new phone like some priced possession to one of their neighbors to read the message that had appeared on it. Her mother had screamed with joy when her neighbors daughter, one of Amina’s classmates and closest friend, informed her that she had received a sum of thousand cedis in her mobile money account. 

“How come I can see her like this?” Amina had asked through tears.

“We put a rat in her phone.” Isaac said.

“A what?!” Amina blew up in rage.

How dare he mock me?

“We know things, Amina. And not only do we know things we do things with what we know. We do some very bad things dear.” Isaac finally said, “So when we get to the airport, don’t listen to that voice that will tell you to talk to the police. Just don’t”

So she didn’t. Instead she is now sleeping tight right by the side of the snake who is threatening her mother’s life. 

She immediately woke with a start. She looked to her left to find Isaac staring at her.

“Wow! You must have some serious trust issues if you can sleep for only 30 minutes when you have not had any sleep all night. But you can trust me, Amina. I don’t bite… hard.” He laughed softly then added, “Eat something will you.” He pointed at a meal that was in front of her.

“I am not hungry.” She yawned and tried to fight of the sleep that was crawling its way back into her system.

“I said eat.” He said with less zest this time.

Amina opened her platter to find rice and stew with some fried chicken. She smelled it first. She hoped rather uselessly that she would smell some poisonous substance but all she could smell was the amazing aroma that caused her stomach to growl in response. It took her five minutes to wipe the bowl clean.

“Good! You will need it.” Isaac said. She wondered what he meant.

Upon disembarking the plane, they were whisked away from the airport by two  men in black suits that looked like bodyguards. They left in a lexus for the mall where Amina was poked and prodded until they were able to tease out every last essence of beauty, as defined by most in today’s society, and maturity from her young face and body.

Isaac bought a red revealing yet classy dress for her, which she was made to wear in the car. Knowing she could not handle heels, he bought her some sandals. Her natural hair was relaxed then braided into corn rolls. When they put a wig atop her hair and brought her a mirror she had a hard time resigning herself to her new look.

Isaac helped her get in the dress.It took a bit of shuffling at the back of the car to get it done. He was finally able to zip her up. After he did, he allowed a finger to lightly brush the hair at her back. She immediately gasped. She had not expected to react so unexpectedly again to her unexpected assault. She had honestly believed that it was all out of her system.

And when his soft lips joined his assault on her back, she moaned treacherously before she was able to tear away from his sexual hold. Turning her back to the door, she looked him squarely in his eyes.

“I love it when your body disobeys your will.” Isaac mocked.

“You…" Isaac snatched her hand and drew her close.

“I put you in those clothes and I can easily take you out of them. And as I can easily do that I can just as easily rip your disrespectful tongue out of your mouth.” He whispered into her ears. “Let this be your last.” He threw her into the door.

Then the car suddenly stopped. Amina started to panic.

“Get out,” Isaac said, “We are here.”

When Amina got out of the car she was stunned by the lights and sheer size of the building that towered over her. 

Moving Places Hotel. She read the name of the hotel in her head.

Before she could get over the size of the hotel she was lead away rather threateningly without them saying a word. She knew that one wrong word from her could lead to devastating consequences, even her imagination could not fathom.

They entered the kitchen through a back entrance. Then they entered directly into a dark room by taking one door on their left. She had no idea where she was going but with one step in front of the other, she ended up hitting her head into something metallic.

One of the guards sidestepped her and unlocked something. When he pushed back the metal, bright lights blinded her, and loud music pulsed through the room, deafening her. They immediately stuck a needle delicately into her neck. 

Before long a feeling of euphoria rushed through her entire being.They threw her into a room surrounded by glass and locked her up. The room was empty except for a queen sized bed and some wardrobe. Ike later came in and he also locked in with her.

He was gentle at first. And at his touch all the nerves in her body fired up. Then he became rougher and rougher with her. That was when she realized that there was a crowd surrounding the glass she was locked in, men and women wearing strange masks.

Amina saw some men shot up their placards. After doing so Amina saw that they stepped forward towards another man who had no mask on. He was in an all white jumpsuit. He collected their placards with the shiny gold and black cards they removed from their pockets. Each of them said some thing to the guy who simply nodded and handed them masks with the different colors of the rainbow. The one to come up last got a white mask.

The guy in the jumpsuit opened the door to the glass enclosure and eight men stepped in. The one with an all white mask approached her first. He threw a slap across her face with such force that it threw her unto the bed.

He jumped on her and tore her clothes open. A cheer exploded from the crowd.

“Cowards! Cowards!!” Amina screamed. That immediately silenced them. Then the man in the white mask started to laugh. 

“Show your faces if you are not just some scared cowards. Hiding behind masks to perpetrate such atrocities! Bloody cowa…” She continued. 

Blow after blow rained down her face till it stopped abruptly. The man behind the white mask took down his mask. Then the others in the glass room followed and so did those in the crowd. Then they all stripped.

Amina screamed. She did not want to imagine it, but the single thought rang loud and clear in her mind.

They are going to rape me.

Two men held her at a time as they plundered her. She screamed till her voice could not express her pain any longer. As the men pushed themselves into any hole they could find or make with her body only one thought rose above the myriad of thoughts that plagued her, and it was the last on her mind right before she blacked out.

I WILL SURVIVE.

FOOTNOTE

1. What a Ghanaian dish of rice and stew might look like.

stolen from http://www.empowerplaygrounds.org/blog/2011/6/4/im-done-im-done-im-done.html ;)

EPISODE SEVEN

She curled into a ball, her back to him as she gently rocked herself. Underneath his sheets she was stark naked, having had any semblance of clothing torn off of her when she was being defiled. No words were exchanged between them for a long time. Then suddenly Isaac spoke up. The rich and mocking timbre that he always had in his voice had turned sombre and sad.

"You are sixteen, yea?" He asked not expecting a reply, "I was ten." He sighed deeply.

Amina stilled.

"When they took me from my family, I am sure my family did not even notice anything amiss. In fact, I was the third to vanish without a trace. And as it was for the other two, life continued. My mother did not weep, my siblings did not care. I guess with a household of 35 children, and seven wives..." He stopped again. This time he let out a shaky sigh. It was getting more difficult for him to speak. "No one wanted to bother my father with news of the loss of replaceable children. The night that I was taken on my way back from school, I was defiled."

Amina turned to him then, red eyes opened wide.

"How?" Isaac scoffed, "through any hole they could find or make do with. Seven men. Seven full-grown and buff men. They left me on the cold hard ground as I slowly bled out. You know something," Red eyes stared into redder eyes. "All the time that I lay on the ground, I just had one thought." He caressed her cheek then.

"I am a survivor."

"I will survive."

They said simultaneously. That was when she allowed the dam to break. She did not hold herself back.

Tears broke through her will to stop them. "But I don't feel like a survivor, Ike. I-I feel b-broken a-and... a-and..."

"Empty." Isaac finished for her.

He pulled her into his hard bosom and soothed her. She wept some more until she started to get angry.

"Then why are you still here" She screamed as she pushed him away. "Why have you who was oppressed become the oppressor? Tell me! Why haven't you ran away?" She was on her feet drawing further and further away from him. 

And.his.lies. 

"Because I can't. Newsflash Amina, no one can run away from this. You can't run from the evil in the hearts of men."

"THAT IS A STUPID THING TO SAY!" She yelled at the top of her voice. She refused to accept that as her truth. "YOU CAN..."

Isaac shut her up with a slap. "Get a grip."

The sting of the slap shut her up for a minute of two. "Come with me. Let's escape from this place this very night. All we need to do is try." Amina said calmly.

"You can't." Isaac held her then. "Don't make this hard for yourself."

As she tried to listened to him, the decision to leave silenced his voice. As she stood limply in his arms, she knew that she had to run away before his truth became her truth.

I will escape from this hell.

Isaac held her face tenderly and kissed the darker areas that were starting to form on her dark face. Amina winced. She knew that the only way to escape was to have him deep in sleep. So sore and aching she gave in to him, sated his needs until with a groan of release he collapsed on top of her. It took a second before he moved off her and soon she started to snore restfully.

She counted to hundred, picked a shirt of his and took to her heels. She ran and ran. No matter what, she had to feel the rough stone of the pavement instead of the smooth tiles beneath her feet. And for every door that did not open to her during her escape she ran harder to find another door. Finally one door gave in and soon her feet touched something other than tiles; grass. She looked into the heavens and breathed then continued running. She ran and ran till she bumped into a man in a blue uniform and a cap.

"Officer, please take me away from here, please!" She pleaded with tears in her eyes.

MOVING PLACES HOTEL

"Sir. Sir!" Isaac opened his eyes to see two of his men standing over him and calling his name. "She is leaving."

He sat up then. He grabbed his morning coat and followed them to the camera room.

"What should we do?" One of the bodyguards asked.

"Let her go." Isaac replied and pressed a button. One locked door just popped open right in front of Amina. Isaac smiled when she did not hesitate to run through the door.

"Everything is going just as planned." The smile touched his eyes when she was able to find her way out of the hotel and she was visibly elated. 

EPISODE EIGHT

There were times that she had to remind herself to breathe. It could all become overwhelming sometimes. Amina had just ended a call with the minister for gender, child and social welfare. The ministry had recently collaborated with her foundation to bring down yet another trafficking ring in Ghana.

The last time she had heard of such good news was ten years ago. 

Yes, that long ago!

 But seeing the children liberated from the jaws of wicked people was worth the wait for her. Ten years ago, escaping from that hell hole led her from one blessing to another. 

When she escaped, she was able to bring down the whole trafficking shebang with the help of Isaac whose effort was crucial in exposing all the top players in their warped game.

Another blessing which was so unexpected was that her sister was alive! After making the news worldwide, she was approached by Fati and a kind benefactor.

By then she Isaac had suddenly vanished off the surface of the earth and she was going through a very delibitating case of post traumatic stress disorder. 

They took her under a loving roof, cared for her and nursed her back to a better state of mental health. Fati's own story of survival was an inspiration to her elder sister. 

Fati had prompted her sister to get married when the time was past due. Amina knew her sister wanted what was best for her but marriage was not the answer for her.

Amina felt damaged. She did not feel worthy enough to hand over herself to someone else. She felt like second-hand goods that was to worn to be sold. It had to be discarded. So she discarded herself into advocacy, throwing her all into what she believed was her calling. In advocacy, she found her solace.

She became very vocal concerning gender issues as she had already gained the grounds in the nation after busting the trafficking ring that had captured her. Before long she was running her very own foundation. 

A sudden ring cut through her reverie.

"Hello." Amina said.

"I knew you could do it. Took you long enough though." The voice said simply. It took Amina a while. It was more worn and husky but she could recognise his voice even of it was strangled out of him.

"Isaac!" She exclaimed in joy, "Where have you been?" 

"Everywhere and nowhere."

"You should come around, Ike. You have been in this longer than I have. We need you here at No Child Left Behind Foundation."

"You know that was never my thing."

"But you did it with me. It could be our thing, you now?" Amina laughed self-consciously.

"No. You know what could be our thing though?" He asked.

"Tell me." She replied.

"We can ride this enterprise to heaven and back, Amina. Join me. You have done this thing beautifully, monopolising the industry to my advantage. You even got rid of the competition. Don't you want to ride this to the end?" He sounded hopeful yet there was this tone in his voice that mocked her.

She stilled. Her mind began to race.

"I know you are a smart girl. It will click in a minute. Hope your answer will come in that same minute."

"I will bring you down! I will rip you out of your den of evil and cast..."

"Save it for your dawn prayers. Or is it evening these days?"

She touched the scar from where they had buried their microchip, an overwhelming storm of stress cramped her shoulders.

"So I was just a pawn in your grand scheme of things."

"No. You were always the Queen. My most important piece. Join me and take your side by me. We will feed the evil of men till they can't feed anymore then we will find new holes to feed them through."

"Never! But mark my words. I will find you..."

"You can't. I am that police man you run to. I am the driver you run to. I am the food vendor you beg for help. I am everywhere and I am everyone."

"I will destroy you like I did the others."

"How can you destroy me. I exist solely to aid in the fulfilment of men's evil desire. If you kill me a hundred other me's will come after me. I am the pimple you burst and turn into a full blown rash. To destroy me, you have to destroy all people. And I have not heard of you owning a nuke, baby. Endure me. Do what you can. Scratch at the surface of the canker while I fester inward. People will remember you for that and go back to their evil ways."

"Liar!"

"Fool." That silenced Amina. "You are a fool for having hope in humanity." Isaac added.

"I am a fool for having hope in you, you who have sold your humanity for a few gold coins, coins you will die and leave behind. I will leave behind people who will root out your canker one scratch at a time." She took a shaky breath to steady herself.

"This is war, baby. And you lost it before we even started fighting." Isaac said sadly.

"I will like to stay on and banter. But I have an itch to scratch." She was about ending the call when she heard him say, "Wait!"

She could not stop herself from wanting to listen to what he had to say. 

"Let me do you this favour, baby. Let me help you quit while you are still ahead. Don't you know, once I have marked you, you will always be trafficked. You will always have that mark on you. Every though, every word, every action, it will be me in there. Plus your news will be  a sensation. They will know that a new boss is in town."

"What are you talking..." Amina asked.

Isaac pressed down on the red button that was largely displayed on his tablet.

It started as a small shock then it began to grow in her body.

"You cowar-r-d." She tried to force out more words. She wanted to tell him that he knew that he was no match for her. She wanted him to know that he had taken the cowards way out. But alas her last thought died on her lips as she slumped backwards and breathed her last.

"Goodbye baby." He finally said, cut the line and threw the disposable phone away.

The next day, the shock of her death hit the world. The world mourned after they got over their outrage. The cause of death was said to be a cardiac arrest but the world knew that there was foul play.

In a week, the world moved on to another wave of sensational news.

THE END.

('Cos sometimes it is not so obvious)

*********