CHAPTER TWELVE

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     "It's going to be quick and fast. No worries". Nurse Muja's assistant, Khadija, whispered soothingly to me, looking for a vein to insert the syringe as I lay on the bed.

She was one of the people here that I could boast of as being different, in a positive way. The hate everyone else apart from captives carried in their hearts couldn't be found in her. Kindness graced her like the thick blanket you'd wrap yourself with on a cold winter night.

Her lips had this permanent smile, the fixed smile all baby dolls had on faces. Hers was genuine. She looked like she was in her middle twenties, close to 5'6 in height, dark skinned, ampled at the right places, her hair tied up in a bun. As I noticed her features again, I couldn't help but wonder how on earth she ended up here.
She's the person you'd imagine on first sight working as a manager at the Central bank of Nigeria. Living in one of the biggest estates in Gwarinpa or imagining she graduated from Harvard's University. That's why I didn't even realise I blurted out my question.

"How and why did you end up here?" I asked when she finally stopped slapping at my wrist  so my vein could show.

Khadija didn't reply till she was sure the syringe had been inserted. "You should be getting ready for your surgery instead of asking life stories".

"Okay". I turned my face the other way to hide my disappointment. We were the only ones in the room, so it was easier to speak loudly.

Given her propensity for neatness, she walked over to the surgery equipments on the slab to arrange them, equipments that looked shiny and impatient to cut through me.

"I'm doing this to get money, that's all I can say". Khadija stated quietly.

Money? Who would work in this horrible place for money? Paper! "There are better places to work".

"I know, but I didn't get a proper education. I stopped after I wrote my junior Waec, my parents couldn't send us all to school". She paused, as if hesitating to tell me the rest but continued. "The first day I saw my menses, my marriage to Mansur took place. I am his fourth wife. He constantly sends money to my parents but on the condition that I would work for master. Master at that time, needed assistants for Nurse Muja. His pay was attractive".

I waited a while for her to say more but she didn't. Mansur is one of the guards constantly  around master, I had seen him a couple of times. I thought of what to say since I was the one who prompted the question.

"Do your parents know about this?" My curiosity not quite satisfied.

"No, they would never forgive both of us if they do".

"I don't think I'm ready for this surgery, what if we're caught smuggling these drugs? And why did he have to choose me?" I questioned again, this time switching topics.

"Don't be scared dear, the drugs will be well hidden in your body. The only way you could get caught is if you expose yourself. No one would suspect a teenage girl on a trip with her so called father carrying cocaine in her system". She sighed deeply. "As for why he chose you, it's penalty for messing with him the other day".

"I fear something might go wrong. Has that happened to anyone you know?"

The silence that followed afterwards was enough answer for me to keep shut. Khadija inserted a second syringe in me and I knew I wouldn't be awake much longer.

I dug my tongue in my teeth so my cries won't be heard.

*                                     *                                         *
   I had mixed feelings as I buckled my seat belt preparing for the flight's take off. First, my happiness stemmed from that fact that the air outside the quarters was so refreshing. It didn't have the coarse and acrid nature of air I was used to, so I kept on sucking deeply because I couldn't get enough.
 
    However, knowing I was on a life assignment, my fears wouldn't stop creeping into my heart like spiders walking steadily to an insect trapped in their web. I was left to heal for a week before the other five captives including me, who were transporting drugs in their bodies, came on this flight. I never knew them personally and we were blindfolded throughout so we wouldn't be able to know our location, though it was removed when we got on the private jet.

Now, as I watched houses and trees getting smaller and smaller by the second, I wondered why I never noticed such a thing like this happening in the quarters. My mind was totally oblivious to this method of drug trafficking happening around me. I overheard Nurse Muja saying some days before that the drug in one person would fetch master more than $30k. Greedy individuals! I almost screamed that out but comported myself remembering a guard was seated by my side.

I suddenly wanted the superheroes I was crazy about when I was much younger to come rescue me. I know it's all fantasy, but I allowed myself to believe for once it could be real. I loved Marvel superheroes more. Captain marvel would use her super strength to fight these guards at a go, black panther would use his genius intellect to know our home locations then finally Iron man will fly us back to our parents.

*                                         *                                               *

  The violent shake woke me up as my brain struggled to make sense of what was happening. There was a bit of chaos on the jet in addition to the guards running helter skelter. Though I have never been on air in my entire life, I had little knowledge to know that something had gone wrong.

"Mayday! Mayday!" An unknown voice kept repeating.

"I told you ensure everything about this jet was in order! How could you leave that vital part out?!" Danladi looked ready to burst as he yelled at a gentleman. I refer to him as a gentleman because I've never seen him, he isn't a guard, he had this debonair atmosphere and he was dressed like a gentleman.

The gentleman dabbed an invisible sweat on his face with a handkerchief. "Trust me, I can fix this. We just need to..."

A loud bang sent everyone standing sprawling on the floor. I would have also if my seatbelt hadn't held me back. I don't know why but for some reason I wasn't scared, maybe because I expected the worst to happen.

"The parachutes, get them!" Danladi ordered no one in particular, attempting to get back on his feet. There was no sign of master on the jet, Danladi was leading this operation.

Guards came rushing with parachutes in their hands, throwing them at each person. I caught one swiftly, freed myself from the seatbelts and wore the parachute. Other captives were struggling with theirs and I quickly went over to help.

"It's only 3km to our destination if we jump down from here. Let's hurry". The gentleman said to Danladi.

"Is it just me or I hear words like 'we', 'let's'?" Danladi was now attaching his parachute to himself, trying his best to maintain his stand as the jet was already on fire.

Guards were now jumping out, I waited for them to tell we the captives when to jump out. We were trained to follow orders no matter the situation, but it seemed they had forgotten us. I said this to the rest captives who took the hint and jumped out.

"Please don't do this". Tears filled the eyes of the gentleman. Even in that chaos, the African part of me was ashamed of that gentleman. Men weren't supposed to be weak or cry, especially in times like this. But thinking back, I wouldn't blame him.

A laugh escaped from Danladi.

I braced myself to jump, and I will never forget the terrified look on the gentleman's face when Danladi shoved him into the jet.

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