A/N
I'm on fire yo!
****
Saddam was wheeled into the emergency room. I was so scared I couldn't cry. Sani has killed my brother as he promised. I should have stayed quiet. I should have.
Fahad was pacing nervously. Making me twice as worried as I already was. He will be fine right?
I watched the clock in the reception tick and tock. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. Two hours. The doctor came out with sweat on his brow. I was instinctively pulled towards him.
"He will be fine. We are lucky, the cut barely missed his jugular. If it hadn't, it would have been a whole different story " he laughed nervously. The relief that washed through me could not be quantified. I thanked him and sat back in my chair, my consciousness dwindling.
****
We got home in five days. They kept him to make sure there were no complications or infections. Now he had a bandage round his neck and he winced when he spoke. It broke my heart to see him like this. It broke my heart more to know I caused this.
"What did you tell your friend Saddam? You promised not to tell him my business " I asked. He became shifty and I instantly knew he had said too much to Sani.
"What did you say to him?"
"Nothing. I just told him we were looking for a man that hurt you in the palace that's all" I wanted to smack him. He was older than I was and definitely dumber. Fahad listened to our exchange, carefully flipping through the morning newspapers.
"It was him. It was him. He raped me"
"What?!" Fahad snapped while Saddam paled.
"At the palace, he promised to slit your throat if I ever told you"
Saddam paled further, putting two and two together. Fahad also realized that Saddam's big mouth and bad habit of trusting people easily almost cost him his life.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Saddam asks. I point to his bandaged throat. That's why.
"Besides, how are we going to sue an emir? Who will believe us?"
"We have to find all the other girls. You said it wasn't just you right?"
"Yes" I said and I saw Fahad wince from the side of my eye. Probably imagining what I went through.
"Tomorrow we go to the police "
"No! He will kill you then he will get to me" I cried shakily.
"Nothing is going to happen to anyone " Fahad said.
"I'll die before I let that bastard put his carcass hands on you again" I could recognize rage anywhere. And the rage dripping from Fahad's tone was venomous.
"I don't want anyone to die" i cried further. Don't they understand??
"Nothing like that will happen" he doesn't know. He doesn't know who Sani is. He doesn't understand that Saddam just put all our lives in danger.
****
The unkempt police man laughed in our faces. His oniony breath was repulsive.
"Where is your evidence?" He asks, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"We don't have any at the mome-" he burst out laughing again. I wanted to cry. I knew this would happen. I just knew it.
"Why didn't you report it since? Na now wey you see say the man don enter power and money. I know your type. It is bribe you want" he says wagging his finger at us. Fahad walked out of the station.
"We did not have evidence then. But know we can get the evidence" Saddam says, annoyance lacing his tone.
"Eh when you get the evidence, you come back. For now, follow your brother " they burst out laughing again. I turned and started to leave also.
"I suppose put una for cell sef for this kind rubbish talk" I ignored him and walked out. Moments later, Saddam followed.
Fahad sat in the seething.
"You really need to keep your anger in check bro, you get all irrational and dumb when you are angry and we don't need that" Saddam scolded. Fahad closed his eyes in an attempt to cool off as we rode off. This is going to be hellish. No, its going to be outright hell.
The Palace was were we went first but we weren't allowed in. So I went through the abandoned gate we use to sneak out through.
Habiba was sitting on a low stool, washing vegetables and humming. She looks emaciated and unwell. Is this how I used to look? I whispered her name twice before she looked up. Her brows scrunched up momentarily before they shot up in awe.
"Yasmeen!" She shouted and ran towards me, engulfing me in a hug. She was among the ones that never liked me and was quick to report me to Sani. Imagine my shock when she hugged me.
She smelled of sweat and charcoal smoke.
"You came back!" I winced at her words, imagining coming back to this hell hole.
"No, I came to ask for your help" I whisper to her. She frowned a bit.
"Me?"
"Yes. Who else is around?"
"Everyone is here. You are the only one who managed to escape. He won't let us go" my brothers exchanged glances at the word "escape".
"Where is Kubra?" I asked, getting excited to see my friend. Habiba's face grew solemn and my heart picked up speed.
"She got pregnant just like you. She hid it for months. When he found out, he beat her. Then he took her to the doctor. She never came back.
Last month, the doctor was here and he told us she died while he was trying to takeout the baby"
My gut twisted. Anguish flooded my veins and water filled my eyes. I sincerely hope Sani burns in the deepest parts of hell.
We snuck Habiba out and we asked her a few questions in our car. Fahad recorded everything. We didn't want to risk her getting hurt by taking her with us to the police in person. If he finds out, we are all dead.
The other girls wouldn't talk at first. They all denied everything at first saying the emir never even spoke to them untill I managed to make them understand that we were trying to get them justice and freedom.
One of the girls opened her back, showing the horrible scars she got from Sani's whip. The second followed, then the third... After they finished taking pictures of their backs, Fahad looked at me. His eyes secretly begging me to not have the scars also.
I showed them the mesh work that was my back. Long whip scars all over my back and upper arms. He closed his eyes, unable to stop the tear that slipped through the crack of his eyelids.
"Its okay, I'm fine now"
We gave the girls some money and they were all still shaking.
"Please hurry Yasmeen " Habiba said, breaking my heart. I really need to fight this monster and win.
*****
"For all I know, these are random slave pictures from the internet " the Adamant police officer said regarding our pictorial evidence.
"The recordings?"
"Staged I'm sure. Your fellow con artists helped you" I was getting fed up. The man was barely giving us a listening ear. I ripped off my jacket and showed him my upper back and arms. He went quite for a while .
"Okay maybe these are true. It takes more than one girl with recordings and scars to summon a royal to court! Not to talk of a sitting emir. He will strip me of my office and i will go hungry!"
"So you won't do your job and bring justice because of your selfish reasons?!"
"Its not like that. I have children to take care of!"
"So you are going to watch him continue abusing people's children ?!" Saddam asked appalled.
"No, I'm going to look away" I could not believe what he was saying. Is he even human?
"Do you have daughters?"
I ask him.
"Four!" He said with a tinge of pride. I smiled.
"I really hope they never have to go through what I went through when you are burning in hell"
*insert dramatic music here*
A/N
Double update 💃💃
I have a test on Monday. 😂😂
Pray for me.
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