Each time a hooting sound was made, it reminded Lara that Deji and her fetish oldman would be there any moment.
Slowly she walked to the window, peeped outside- there was light enough for her sharp eyes to see clearly. After several attempts, she jumped out through the window- escape on her mind.
She tip toed gingerly away from the main building...
"Not so fast"
she felt a gun noozle on neck.
She froze for a moment, different plans flooding her mind.
"so you want to escape? Ehn?" a masculine man asked, his gun still on her neck.
"No" she whispered turning to face him.
"I actually came to see you..." she said quitely.
"See me?" he chuckled.
"yea, I..erm..erm...need..to talk...to ...to..you." she stammered.
"hmn." he grunted
"you are not smart, get back inside!" he ordered.
"please..." she edged closer to him, making the gun slip off her neck.
"I..errm...you know...I might be killed tonight..." she said slowly placing a hand on his shoulder.
He pushed her hand away, but she brought it back to its place.
"I just want one thing from you." she said sweetly.
"I'm sorry...I don't 'do' pregnant women." he protested trying to push her away.
"Don't mind my bulging tummy, just...let's..just...savour...some...you know...." she let her fingers run on his broad chest.
Lara smiled to herself as his breathe became faster, she edged closer to him, her protruding belly pushing against him.
He held her close,their face touching.
Lara held him with one hand while the other hand worked out her plans,caressingand weakening him as his heartbeat increased.
Cunningly, she let him drop his gun, she kicked it far away from them with her legs.
Just before he recover from his gust, she gave him a sharp jab between his legs, her knee cap devoured the 'position'.
He collapsed with a yelp.
Lara turned swiftly, and ran as fast as her pregnancy would allow her.
She ran blindly into the forest, she knew one way or the other she would escape.
She heard several gun shots, they were coming after her, she increased her pace.
The gun shots came closer, she knew they would overtake her, so she decided to hide.
She looked around her, no where to hide.
She scrambled up a tree not minding the sharp pains on her waist.
Just as she relaxed on the tree, she saw them, many of them.
"That daughter of a b-itch!" one of them cursed.
"I'll kill her with my barehands.!"
Lara held her breathe, she put her hand around her mouth. Her Baby was fluttering violently, it kicked hard against her that she felt like screaming.
A sharp pain below her abdomen almost gave her away.
"Ouch!" she said.
"Did you hear that?" the kidnappers asked themselves,
"She's around here, disperse and look for her, I'll wait here" one of them suggested.
They all dispersed in different directions, except for the one standing beside the tree.
Lara's eyes widened with terror as she felt something crawl on her legs. She sat still and bit her tongue. Snake! She almost fainted.
"Haaaaa!" she screamed as she fell off the tree.
She landed on the man under the tree, he served as a cushion.
"Snake o! Snake!" the man screamed in terror as the snake wrapped round him.
That gave Lara the oppurtunity to crawl away under some bushes to hide. She was in deep pains, she wondered if she would die.
The pains around her waist increased in momentum.
"Wetin happen?"
the group asked rushing back.
"e be like say that girl don turn snake o" the man exclaimed in terror.
The whole group stared at the dead snake in fear.
"Make we go call Baba" they said before running away.
Lara hid herself properly under the bush, her face washed with tears.
"God please help me." she wept silently.
Thunder rumbled loudly with lightening flashing.Lara looked at the sky with fear, it was dark and pregnant with rain.
"Yekpa! Rain? Not yet please." she muttered.
The rain poured heavily, Lara thought she would die. She wept and prayed as long as she can.
"God please, not for my sake...but for this baby...please."she shivered under the rain.
It seemed God answered her, the rain stoped.
Lara began to crawl farther into the forest in pains, she could no longer stand up.
She wondered what part of the world she was.
"help will come" she muttered to herself. She had faith in God.
Somehow, she suddenly felt; she won't die in the forest...
Lara lay-sprawling on the ground till daylight came, she remained fixed to her position too weak to move. She was surprised she survived the night.
She felt her belly; the contractions on her pelvis had stopped. Maybe her baby ls dead-she thought.
"God forbid" she thought aloud.
She won't go through all this troubles in vain.
With difficulty, she sat up to survey her surroundings.
She was sitting in what looked like a small farm, behind a house.
She held her breathe; was she back to square one?
She saw a young boy walk out of the house to empty his bowels. She shuffled behind some cassava plants...
The shuffling sound got the boy's attention, he looked around, walked towards the farm.
"Who be you?" he asked angrily.
Lara kept her eyes fastened on his, too scared to speak.
"I say who you be?" he asked again.
Lara kept mute,what would she tell him.
Her abdomen contracted painfully, she let out a shrill
The boy looked scared. He ran towards the house.
"Maami...maami...come and see o, one woman like that." he shouted as he ran.
"Obirin-woman? What is she doing there? Ehn?" a fat woman ran out of the house.
"Who be you?" she asked bending to peer at Lara.
Lara couldn't reply, she kept pointing at her abdomen as she writhed in pains.
The woman got the message.
"Jide! Jide o! Go and call your father." She shouted at her son
"Yee! Mo ku!" Lara screamed as she battled.
"So you be yoruba?" the woman asked quitely.
"My waist! My legs...my....yeee!" Lara screamed. She was in labour.
The woman's husband came out, and they both helped Lara into the house.
::::::*********:::::::
Tony gazed at their mini-gardem from his bedroom window. Another day without any news from Lara.
He's been having nightmares lately, everything was filed with bad omen.
"I wonder why that girl is so ill-lucked." he said aloud.
He hoped to see her alive.
Some noise coming from the parlour jolted him back to reality. Some people were quarelling.
"so after all your son did to my friend, he still had to use her for rituals!" Deji screamed
"Useless Igbo people! Weere! Awon Olori buruku!" Funke clapped her hands.
"Mum? What's going on here?" Tony asked his mother.
"These people just came in and..." Amara tried to explain.
"Useless impotent eediot!" Deji spat at him.
"Produce my friend for me oooo!"
"What's this chaos all about? This shouldn't be happening." Tony tried to be calm.
"May Sango strike you down! Oshi! Who is chaos? If you know what is good for you, produce my friend o!" Deji shrilled.
"Yes o! Deji omo mi! Show this useless Igbo people that Yoruba's are not cool!" funke gingered her up.
"Please, for the sake of peace, you should leave now." Tony said authoratively.
"Leave where? I'll show you, I grew up in Ajegunle! It seems you don't know me wella, I'm the 'Deji toh badt', the female version of an agbero!" Deji demonstrated before them.
"Mum please go inside" Tony told his mother who was shedding tears.
"You are not going anywhere o! Produce Omolara o! Dead or alive, we want her now!" Deji ranted.
Tony felt his head spin, he was too weak to face such trouble. To think that Lara isn't there to support him..
He slumped slowly to the ground.
"Tony...To..." Amara rushed to her son.
"you've not seen anything yet, Sango will strike you down, one by one." Deji clapped.
"Lets go!" she told Funke who followed her out of the house.
"Tony, are you okay?" Amara shook him.
He shook his head slowly in pains, sobbing silently. He just hope his greatest fear won't surface.Lara lay-sprawling on the ground till daylight came, she remained fixed to her position too weak to move. She was surprised she survived the night.
She felt her belly; the contractions on her pelvis had stopped. Maybe her baby ls dead-she thought.
"God forbid" she thought aloud.
She won't go through all this troubles in vain.
With difficulty, she sat up to survey her surroundings.
She was sitting in what looked like a small farm, behind a house.
She held her breathe; was she back to square one?
She saw a young boy walk out of the house to empty his bowels. She shuffled behind some cassava plants...
The shuffling sound got the boy's attention, he looked around, walked towards the farm.
"Who be you?" he asked angrily.
Lara kept her eyes fastened on his, too scared to speak.
"I say who you be?" he asked again.
Lara kept mute,what would she tell him.
Her abdomen contracted painfully, she let out a shrill
The boy looked scared. He ran towards the house.
"Maami...maami...come and see o, one woman like that." he shouted as he ran.
"Obirin-woman? What is she doing there? Ehn?" a fat woman ran out of the house.
"Who be you?" she asked bending to peer at Lara.
Lara couldn't reply, she kept pointing at her abdomen as she writhed in pains.
The woman got the message.
"Jide! Jide o! Go and call your father." She shouted at her son
"Yee! Mo ku!" Lara screamed as she battled.
"So you be yoruba?" the woman asked quitely.
"My waist! My legs...my....yeee!" Lara screamed. She was in labour.
The woman's husband came out, and they both helped Lara into the house.
::::::*********:::::::
Tony gazed at their mini-gardem from his bedroom window. Another day without any news from Lara.
He's been having nightmares lately, everything was filed with bad omen.
"I wonder why that girl is so ill-lucked." he said aloud.
He hoped to see her alive.
Some noise coming from the parlour jolted him back to reality. Some people were quarelling.
"so after all your son did to my friend, he still had to use her for rituals!" Deji screamed
"Useless Igbo people! Weere! Awon Olori buruku!" Funke clapped her hands.
"Mum? What's going on here?" Tony asked his mother.
"These people just came in and..." Amara tried to explain.
"Useless impotent eediot!" Deji spat at him.
"Produce my friend for me oooo!"
"What's this chaos all about? This shouldn't be happening." Tony tried to be calm.
"May Sango strike you down! Oshi! Who is chaos? If you know what is good for you, produce my friend o!" Deji shrilled.
"Yes o! Deji omo mi! Show this useless Igbo people that Yoruba's are not cool!" funke gingered her up.
"Please, for the sake of peace, you should leave now." Tony said authoratively.
"Leave where? I'll show you, I grew up in Ajegunle! It seems you don't know me wella, I'm the 'Deji toh badt', the female version of an agbero!" Deji demonstrated before them.
"Mum please go inside" Tony told his mother who was shedding tears.
"You are not going anywhere o! Produce Omolara o! Dead or alive, we want her now!" Deji ranted.
Tony felt his head spin, he was too weak to face such trouble. To think that Lara isn't there to support him..
He slumped slowly to the ground.
"Tony...To..." Amara rushed to her son.
"you've not seen anything yet, Sango will strike you down, one by one." Deji clapped.
"Lets go!" she told Funke who followed her out of the house.
"Tony, are you okay?" Amara shook him.
He shook his head slowly in pains, sobbing silently. He just hope his greatest fear won't surface.
TBC.......
