Dedicated to oshikemeh

"DO YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED?" Tina asked Chinyere.

Chinyere nodded as she zipped up the bag.

It was already Monday night. Tuesday night would mark two weeks of her living with the Okos.

It was unbelievable how two weeks had already gone by and also unbelievable how so much had happened in just two weeks.

Chinyere had avoided Mr. Oko throughout the past week. She would not be present during breakfast, lunch and supper. She fed on whatever remains Tina would bring her.

Chibinobim had also not returned home since the incident the previous week had occurred, but it didn't bother her. It was better that way.

"Have you packed all you need?" Chinyere asked.

Tonight was the night that they planned their clean escape.

They had stayed up all night the previous week, studying the actions of everyone in the house at night.

They discovered the following:

Mr. Oko locked the house doors after all the maids had gone to bed. He usually did this between 21:30 and 22:30.

The security guard always went to sleep after he'd confirmed that Mr. Oko wasn't awake, usually between 23: 00 and 23:15.

The servants stayed awake till 01:30 before retiring to bed. The servants stayed up as extra security guards.

Amadi and Chibinobim were no problem as Amadi was a deep sleeper and Chibinobim was not at home.

"I have packed bottles of milk, diapers and clothes for Solomon," Tina responded.

"And I have packed a change of clothes for the both of us and some food and water," Chinyere said. "Do we have any money for lodging and transport."

"I do," Tina said, "I collected some from Amadi's suitcase. I just hope he doesn't find out."

"What's the time?" Chinyere asked.

They were currently in Chinyere's room. The door was closed but the light was on.

Solomon was in the room that they had prepared for him while Amadi and Mr. Oko were asleep.

Tina glanced at the clock in the corner, "Thirty minutes past eleven PM."

Chinyere placed the large travel bag where she had packed their things a meter away from the door.

They had opted to use a Ghana must go bag but they couldn't find any in the house and they settled for one of Chibinobim's bags.

"Only two hours remaining," Chinyere sighed and Tina nodded.

"I hope you remember the plan?" Tina questioned.

Chinyere took a deep breath and nodded.

They were to escape using the back door.

Tina would sneak into Mr. Oko's room to get the keys while Chinyere would get the bag ready.

Tina would then come to Chinyere's room and knock on the door a total of five times at 01:45. That would indicate that Tina would have already unlocked the back door and had Solomon ready to leave. Everyone would also have been asleep at that time.

Tina closed her eyes and said, "Lord, be with us even as we escape this hades. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

She then handed Chinyere the small bag that contained Solomon's things and Chinyere put it in the travel bag.

"Take a bath or get some rest," Tina said. "But be very alert. Remember, I will knock five times."

"Yes, I remember," Chinyere said. "Now go before we wake up the others."

Tina snuck out of the room after giving Chinyere a hug.

After Chinyere closed the door behind her, she turned off the light and walked to her bed in the darkness.

She lay on the bed for a while, staring into the darkness. She was both nervous and excited.

Nervous because she didn't know whether or not their plans would succeed and excited because if all things went well, they would be free.

Chinyere lay in bed for a few more minutes before getting up and making her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

She was in the middle of brushing her teeth when she heard a click from outside the bathroom. It sounded like the door was opened.

She slowly turned off the tap after washing her mouth and the toothbrush.

She dropped her toothbrush in the sink and switched off the light in the bathroom. She then peeked through the slightly ajar bathroom door, only to see the silhouette of a person.

It wasn't Tina but someone who she wasn't expecting.

It was unmistakably Chibinobim's silhouette.

What is he doing here? Chinyere started to jump up in panic. He's not supposed to be here. He wasn't part of the plan.

Chinyere watched as Chibinobim dropped an empty bottle of beer on the floor and collapsed on the bed after shutting the door.

At least he's drunk, she thought. By the time that Tina comes he will be dead asleep.

Chinyere sat Indian style on the bathroom floor and stared into the darkness. Soon, the room was filled with soft snores that came from Chibinobim.

Chinyere was not certain how long she had sat on the floor but she knew it was more than an hour because the next thing that she heard, amidst Chibinobim's snores, were five knocks on the door.

She immediately rushed to her feet and ran to the door.

She slung the travel bag over her shoulder but immediately she opened the door, it was shut by an opposing force.

Chinyere slowly turned around. She couldn't see anything properly because it was dark but she suspected that it was Chibinobim because she and he were the only ones in the room.

The strong smell of alcohol and cigarettes confirmed her suspicion.

"Where are you going?" Chibinobim's speech was slurred.
"T-to the kitchen," Chinyere lied.

"With a bag?" Chibinobim asked and tore the bag off Chinyere's shoulder.

Chibinobim threw the bag across the room and yelled, "I'm not stupid, don't lie to me!"

Chinyere was about to speak when Chibinobim landed a painful slap on her face.

The slap wasn't as painful as the one he'd given her the previous day but it was still painful.

She didn't have the time to react as Chibinobim sent more slaps her way.

While in a daze, Chinyere fell to the ground and Chibinobim started to kick her.

He then knelt down on one knee and wrapped his large hands around Chinyere's neck as he tried to strangle her.

Chinyere could feel the oxygen leaving her.

She was about to die but she didn't want to die in the hands of this monster.

With one hand trying to tear Chibinobim's grip off her neck and the other feeling the ground for anything to help her, she felt herself slipping out from existence.

Her hand finally felt something hard on the floor. She slowly wrapped her hand around it and picked it up. Then with all the strength that she could muster, she smashed the object on the back of Chibinobim's head.

She watched as Chibinobim's grip on her neck slowly loosened, followed by his body falling on top of hers.

She frantically pushed Chibinobim's body off her and rushed to her feet.

She looked for the light switch and turned it on.

Chibinobim's head was covered in blood and and so was her hand.

She had hit him with a glass bottle and some of the broken glass had penetrated deep into her skin.

Her body wash shaking and her face had become white as snow.

Was he dead? Had she committed murder?

She shook those thoughts away. It was either me or him.

Chinyere ran to where he had thrown the travel bag and carried it like a baby in her arms.
She then dropped it by Chibinobim's side as she checked his pockets for anything that could be of help to her.

She found some money and a phone.

She threw them into the bag and ran out of the room to the kitchen.

Tina was standing by the door with a sleeping Solomon in her arms, "What took you so long?"

"N-nothing," Chinyere stammered.

"Your hand is bleeding," Tina said.

"Do you want us to leave first before you ask your questions or do you want us to get caught first?" Chinyere asked.

"Sorry," Tina apologised and opened the door. "Are you ready?"

Chinyere nodded and the both of them walked out.