07:31 am, September 18,
Enugu, Enugu State.

Everywhere was so bright. She was surrounded by glary, white light. It seemed to envelope her vision. Some people in white were moving around in the background. Her forehead creased slightly, where was she? Was she in heaven? And if she was, did that mean she was already dead?

If this was heaven it was disappointing. Apart from the people in white, everything else was plain. The room was now less bright and was sparsely furnished with contraptions with trailing cords and ugly displays.

And then there was the pain, it was all over her body. Even her throat was raw and her mouth dry. Why was she in heaven?

Her eyelids started to feel weighted and she felt exhausted all of a sudden. She wanted to keep her eyes open and fully access her surroundings but her body had different thoughts. She wondered where her mommy was in all this. She really missed seeing her.

A dwarf in dark clothing started to advance towards her (were there dwarfs in heaven?) then stopped short on having a closer look.

'Doctor, she's awake!' he shouted and started moving faster towards her.

Eniiyi tried to frown, confused. Why did he say that? Wasn't she in heaven? Her body felt more tired from trying to think...

The angels in white rushed towards her.

'She's loosing consciousness,' someone said.

'Nurse Nzube, check the read out for her brain waves...'

She very much wanted to open her eyes and ask questions but her body seemed to have a will of its own. Their words became a distant blur that swirled around so that she caught random words that made no sense to her. Then the blanket of unconsciousness slowly lifted up and she found herself falling under it.

05:52 pm

It was still bright light when she woke again. The pain was still there. Her whole body felt clumsy and heavy. The angels in white were nowhere to be found as everywhere was still and quiet.

She tried to move her body but found it difficult. She breathed heavier at this, trying to move her body seemed to have used up the little energy she had.

Someone in white came into her line of vision and she sighed, starting to smile.

An angel.

But then she got a closer look at his face and the smile washed off her face.

The decorated bull!

Her heart started to race. What was he doing here? Was he coming to torture her again? Was that why she was in pain?

The man grinned from ear to ear on seeing the fear on her face and Eniiyi shuddered.

He started coming faster towards her, his whip raised high.

She started to pull at the cords attached to her body. She had to get out of here, wherever that was, she had to leave! She had to go and find her parents and make everything alright. Her brain kept sending one signal: she needed to get out now!

'Eniiyi,' the decorated bull started to say, he was now almost on her. 'Calm down. . .'

She wasn't listening, she turned her attention to the confining cords and continued to pull at them. He was coming to harm her. She had to get out now!

The cords started to stretch longer and became hissing snakes. She gave a scream and let go of them. She started to jerk against the bed, lurching from side to side in a bid to escape her restraints.

Panic rose in her throat, the native doctor was now on her. He grinned evilly and raised a wicked matchete dripping bright-red blood. A  fat bead pooled at the end of the metal and plopped onto her forehead.

Eniiyi started to scream.

                                •°• °•°

'Shit!' someone said and started to shake her. 'Nurse!'

She continued to jerk against the bed, her eyes screwed tight shut.

'Wake up! Hey! Hey, it's okay, it's just a bad dream, wake up, you're alright now.'

The words managed to penetrate somewhere through her hysteria and she stopped shaking at that, reduced to taking huge gulps of air.

It was a dream?

No! The man was trying to trick her to open her eyes! But why wasn't she matchete-dead already?

Slowly, slowly, with her heart beating away somewhere in her throat, she opened her eyes, afraid of what she'd see.

An elder man was seated beside her bed worry written all over his face. He smiled when her eyes landed on him and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

'You're alright now, my daughter.'

She blinked in confusion, where was she? Where was Lastborn?

Wait! Lastborn! Where was he?

She remembered they had escaped those bad men on the highway and gotten lost in the forest but she could remember nothing after that. How had she ended up here?

She tried to move her body to sit up but she couldn't even push herself up. She gave up the attempt and tried to speak instead. So many questions making a highway of her thoughts.

She opened her mouth and tried to form speech but nothing came out.

A man in white rushed in, followed by some other people in white.

'Chineke mo*! She's bleeding, what happened?' someone asked.

She still tried to form words but her mouth muscles felt too heavy to be moved at all.

Someone was touching her body but she didn't know who. Why couldn't she move? Who were these people and why did they have her here?

'M—Mommy,' was all she managed to force out of her mouth.

*My God!