ENSHROUDED

19

24th May 2015

Makera Motels, Katsina

10:27am

As I parked my car in the driveway, I've never felt this heavy all my life. I thought it was something that happened to Madina, and I rushed towards the room. I had the key with me because she said I should lock her up, she was afraid someone might intrude into her room without her knowing. I rushed to unlock the door and entered the room.

I found it-empty, there were no traces of her, only her suitcase that I dropped myself yesterday night. I looked around the room and still, I wasn't hallucinating, Madina wasn't there. I rushed down to the reception and asked him whether a lady had gone out, but he shook his head as a no. Panic surged through my heart, where is Madina?!

I rushed back to the room and looked around again as if waiting for a miracle to happen. "Madina!" I called out, in a voice that spoke my panic. I waited, even for the walls of the room to answer me, but there was no answer.

Where had she gone to? Who might have possible broke into the room and took her away? I rushed to the windows and checked, they were totally fine. Nothing in the room seemed okay, it looked as if she had gone out on her account. "Madina!' I called again, this time with a loud voice that spoke perfectly my fear.

Just like a dream, I heard a voice, as faintly as it might sound; from the bathroom. And that's when it all occurred on me, I haven't checked the bathroom. I rushed to the bathroom and tried to open it but it was locked from the inside.

I knocked on the as roughly as I can, trying so hard not to scare her. "Madina, it's me, unlock the door please." I pleaded, and it took sometime before she was able to unlock the door.

The moment we stood in front of each other, she fell on me and broke into even more painful tears. She hugged me tightly as if she was deadly afraid and now had seen her saviour. No matter how I tried to rip her off my body, I couldn't. I had no choice but to hug her back even more intensity than the one she used while hugging me.

"It's fine, I'm here, you'll be fine, Madina." She was crying bitterly as if she had no one in this world but only me. I wanted to know what happened that she locked herself in the toilet.

I guided us to the bed and I sat down and helped her sat down too. She was still holding to me as if her life depended on me. If only Madina know the kind of effect she had on me already, now that I felt my body clasped to her's, I had no choice. I lifted her face and cleared her tears away.

"It's fine, I'm here, Madina. What happened?" I asked, and she looked directly into my eyes, and the look I saw there was what made all worse on me.

She looked at me for some time, her tears making a mess of her cheeks. "I heard a gunshot yesterday night, and when I slept off; I dreamt about my uncles trying to kill me. I saw my Mom and Dad being brutally killed in the dream, I was the next one to be killed when I woke up and I found myself in this strange place. It's so hard that I had to lock up myself in the bathroom. I thought I would be killed."

I brought her to my chest once again, making some soothing circles on her back. "It's fine, Madina. I'm here, and I will never hurt you. You trust me, don't you?" She nodded her head innocently and I found myself staring at her lips.

It was wrong, I know it. But I had no other choice when she's glued to my body like a gum. She read my plea through my eyes, I wanted to kiss her, so bad that I've never wanted to do anything in my life. Silently, she nodded her head, as she wanted me as well to kiss her as well. It might be the best way for her to feel safe.