ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA.
Layla felt so embarrassed the whole time in the bathtub so she decided to leave the house to go and spend sometime in her own apartment all by herself. On her way out, her phone rang inside her hoodie pocket. She removed it and checked who it is only to let out a small smile knowing it's about time, she's been expecting Aslam's call since yesterday but he is calling just now.
"Aslahu Rasheed Babaganna..." She called the name in her Canadian voice that she used the first time they were introduced. She couldn't call his name and many others, only one person's.
"Layla Abd Al-Tunaij! I can't believe you did this without telling me. I'm seriously so hurt right now." Straight to the point, something she adore about him. If he wants something, there is no need hitting around the bush while painting the leaves white.
She smiled, kicked a stone in front of her with her worn out sneakers. "Getting married? I had to due to some medical issue and it shouldn't be delayed. I'm sorry you had to find out from someone but I told no one about it till now. So you're still the first person I'm telling this."
"I can't believe you really got married and that too to Zayd. What the hell, Lay? What are you up to this time around?" His voice swerved to that of teasing and understanding, it's something she's always loved too about him.
"I'm up to nothing. His mother proposed to me and I accepted because there was no other option. Enough about me though, what's up with you there in England? Anything interesting going on with your life?"
"I've been great here. Things are going smoothly but I'm thinking about coming back home for a long annual break." He sighed from the other end as though there is more he wants to add but cannot do so.
Layla immediately traced the despair in his tone. "What's wrong? Is it your mother again on your neck or it's something new?"
His mother who happens to the Teems mother, Nayla Fayyadh is a woman that is not easily pleased. No matter what you do, you can never please her and she hardly appreciates anyones effort especially her children's. Layla noticed that the only person that doesn't tolerate any sort of nonsense from her is Fatima Musa Babagana, she never does. And even Nayla respects herself whenever she is around her sister-in-law knowing just how fierce she is and how she can shamelessly strip you down in front of anyone.
She's heard Teems complaining about her time and time again but never interfered since there is no use getting in between mother and children, you will still be the outsider anyway. She is just always there to comfort Aslam whenever he feels depressed about it because why not? She wants to help him just like that. Even though she doesn't know how it feels to have one's mother not appreciating them just being by her side.
Aslam chortled a little before answering in a different tone. "Oh this is not about her. I'm just tired of this place but still don't want to come back and stay in Nigeria. Being around my mom makes me want to go crazy but I still miss home a lot. My siblings, dad, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins, I want to see them."
"You are doing amazing just in case no one is telling you that. Just few more years and you will be promoted. Think about why you want and just go for it, forget about every other person but yourself. You deserve it." She blinked her eyes thinking about where the hell those words came from.
"Whoa! Who the hell is this? Is this Layla or someone else?" He laughed loud, really taking joy in jeering her up because hell, this isn't the Layla he knew. Advising him like a mature person with full sense? Oh no.
Married to Zayd for a day did that to her or is this some sort of prank she is trying to play with him? He should do what he wants without thinking of anyone else? What the fuck! Oh flying pigs, Layla is changing into another person he definitely won't like. She is not going to be a new vibe anymore.
Her face heat up at that since she could feel the change going on down below her but not in her head. The only change she could feel is physical now that she doesn't feel any pain in her lower abdomen. Her stomach is fluttering hysterically as the memory she's covet to erase from her head keep on replaying every second. She cannot even walk few distance without recalling how he'd kissed each part of her body like an expert.
Oh fudging fuck! Was that really Zayd or her imagination? Because the Zayd she knew wouldn't even look at her years ago in the eyes but yesterday he did more than looked at her. He was inside her and—
"...at are you thinking about now? Lay, come back here." Aslam's voice startled her off memory lane but she went right back in before she could reply him albeit walking down the empty curb.
It had seemed that he was trying to brand her with his kiss, imprint her very soul with the force of his fierce passion. His arms were hard as they closed around her, she didn't want to respond, but the wildness that rose inside her overwhelmed her until she submitted with a sob of despair. How is it that he had so much power over her? It should be the pill, yes, that's the only answer to this sudden eagerness to grovel and genuflect to each of his whims.
Aslam's voice again cut through her head and she hit her head with her palm in hopes to stop the images from sprouting out again. "Something weird is happening around me. Some men are fighting here so let me watch, I'll call you later. Okay, bye!"
She sighed and sat down on the sidewalk, her eyes filled up with fiery furious tears. What is going on with her? She hates when things don't go the way she wants them to, she despise that. She's definitely attracted to Zayd now just after he got her to bed. This isn't right. She should leave as soon as possible before things get out of hand. She's already contemplating thinking about leaving her friends, there shouldn't be any atom of that in her.
As she sat there quietly thinking about how to sheaf some money and fly, something hard hit the back of her head from behind. There was no time for her to turn around to see what it was, she collapsed on the floor with her leg twisting to another side. She damn well knew that leg is broken along with the arm she fell on. In a few seconds she started seeing black dots and then she is unconscious.
Layla's eyes cracked open, the left hand that isn't hurt tried going straight to the back of her head where something hit her, it was not possible. She winced through gritted teeth and tried sitting up but no luck only for her to realize that she is tied to a chair. A frown settled itself on her face because just what on earth is going on? How is she tied to a chair and that too in a— a dinky empty lot in God knows where!
Around her is an empty parking lot that hasn't been used for ages with cracked pavement, weeds and grass growing through it, tufts of dead grass choked with litter of cigarettes butt, broken glasses, broken curb pieces, hardy dandelions adding dabs of yellow beauty, an old rubber bike tire twisted into a figure eight, drug needles, pothole right next to her leg filled with water and. . .a condom right inside the water. Layla turned around to keep down the nausea slowly creeping up her mouth.
The place smells like rotting garbage, urine, dust, feces, grass and sweat. If she spends more time here, she will definitely throw up nothing as her stomach is more empty than anything she's ever known.
The place looks like it was once a popular and stylish parking lot, now it was a dangerous island where the lights from the street didn't quite reach, ignored by the cops. With a field of wild grass on one side, swampy woods on another, and the crumbling wall of a demolished grammar school on the third. There is no hope of anyone finding her and whoever it is that brought her down here is the only person that knows about the place. She cannot even see any door around her nor windows.
Then she thought, is it her longtime kidnapper stroke serial killer? If it is then they should be on their way out of the country in a private jet or something like that as the person looking for her is enormously rich. Why is she in an empty parking lot though? And that too in Nigeria because there are so many things written on the wall for her to know which country she is in. Could this be someone else?
Her heart started beating hundreds per second, her breath coming out rushed. Tendons stood straight at the back of her neck, veins started beating a visible pulse beneath the skin. She gripped the arm rest so hard that her knuckles yawed ashen but that is the least of her concerns. This cannot be possible. She's been running away from this person for years only for her to be found so easily? Where had she gone wrong?
She badly wants to place her hands on her chest to stop it from beating too hard that causes pain in the chest but she is tied to the damn chairs. Her stomach feels rock hard, she cannot keep anything down and even the cereal she took in a haste before leaving the house is trying to get itself out of the safety of her belly. Now what? She should think about something soon before whoever it is that captured her comes back. She's taken classes for incidences such as this but at the moment, her head is as blank as white canvas before a painter arrives.
Before she could think about anything, a loud noise startled her already hypersensitivity. Her eyes trailed to her left to see three men walking inside the place with their faces closed with white and red clothing. She frowned knowing this is definitely not that person that's been looking for her for years but another group of terrorists. Her brow raise instinctively as they neared her because even with their faces closed, she could see the youngness oozing off of them. They shouldn't be older than thirty.
She kept quiet and waited for them to talk but when they did start talking, they were talking in a language she doesn't understand and that is Fulani. She knows it is Fulani because many people in Adamawa State use it as their mother language. They will look at her then continue talking like she isn't there. None of them addressed her at all, it's as if they are shooting film and she is asked not to say anything in the scene. Why isn't it funny though?
While the men were arguing. "She looks familiar but I don't know why. Don't you think she is someone famous around here?" One of them asked, his eyes looking at Layla from head to toe as if waiting for an answer to pop up.
"She looks familiar but in a dangerous way. She isn't even scared of being somewhere unknown, look at her. She is way too confident and I don't know why." Another one frowned, hating her guts and the fact that she cannot hear what the are saying.
The youngest one amongst them contemplated quietly before asking innocently. "Or she is also an army officer?"
Both of them glared at him for talking like a fool, he's always been one. "Stop talking like you don't have sense. She is definitely foreign and that is why she isn't afraid of being with unknown people. She looks rich too which means more money for us."
"I don't think so—" The youngest one was cut off by the first guy who's talked.
"Hey! Stop thinking about money because she works for the IGP Al-Hafiz's wife, Fatima Musa Babagana which means she's got the entire police behind her. We cannot afford to get caught by him. If we ask for ransom, he will find us and we won't make it out alive." He stood very still as he stammered and stuttered.
All their lips went dry instantaneously. No one wants to hear the name Ahmad Hakim Al-Hafiz if they are doing anything illegal. He's made it to the history record in Nigeria of being the first police officer that leave no stone unturned in disciplining the citizens of Nigeria. They needed someone sturdy and firm and when he started working as assistant commissioner of police, everyone was blown away. He was professional, disciplined, diplomatic, persistent and workaholic and it's paid off.
Everything that was needed and in between for a good leader.
"What? Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. I just remembered where I've seen her. You know I worked as a cleaner there few months ago, she is Layla." He explained in rapid Fulani, adjusting the clothing closing his eyes to make sure she doesn't recognize him at all. She shouldn't, she never paid any attention to anyone but herself anyway.
"What should we do now with her?" All their stomachs are now filled with heavy rocks.
"Let's just leave her here and run. No one knows who did this and she doesn't know our faces either. It's better to leave our first mission undone than to fail and get caught." The younger one suggested already preparing to flee away from the room the second he closed his mouth. He will if they won't, their legs aren't tied together.
"Bu-but can't we at least do something with her before leaving? She is really pretty."
The other duo stared at him as though he's lost his mind. When IGP Al-Hafiz is mentioned you still want to crack some nonsense? "You dumb ass, if we don't leave right now, we are going to be doomed. It's been two days already. I'm sure they are searching all over the world for her so the sooner we flee the better."
Layla watched as they hastened out of the room only for one of them to come back to untie her rope then groped her breast before leaving. Stunned and astonished, she stared after him as he ran away in full speed, she couldn't even hit his hand away, too galvanized to think of what to do.
Now that they've untied her, what is she to do with broken leg and arm? She cannot walk neither can she shout knowing no one will hear her. She slumped down again and sleep stole her away for more hours. Maybe they drugged her with something for she cannot think of any reason why she would sleep while she was in danger.
When she awoke, she doesn't know how long she's slept or how long she's been there but the place is now darker than before. Someone should save her from this dark place or she lost it all!