Death-Trap

I can’t describe every single detail and all that happened to me after I saw Awero slump to the ground in the silence of death. All I could think of was a quick way to leave the scene, I wanted to flee but had no clue what part of Lagos I was. I kept asking myself,  'who is this woman who stood powerfully before me? A woman who commanded respected with every fiber of her being. As soon as I looked up at the face of the woman who stood before me, I felt fear and dread snake up my spine, this woman, I thought, had no time for child’s play.

“What is your name?” The woman asked me quietly. Her voice sounded like a deathly whisper.

I just kept starring at her as my stomach growled angrily in protest as it heaved up another bout of coke from it’s depth and threatened to spill it out.

“Don’t you dare throw up again! What are you? A child?” The woman warned me.

I stared at her in fear and the vomit which was formerly at the tip of my throat found its way back into my stomach.

“What is your name?” The woman asked again.

“Se… my name na Senorita…” I heard a hoarse voice say, which I recognized as mine.

“Don’t you speak good English?” The woman asked.

“I…dey try.” I replied meekly.

The woman muttered irritably under her breath, pulling out the bell from the pocket of jeans trouser she rung it. The girl who opened the door for me and the 'now' late Awero stepped out from one of the rooms.

“Do you think she’s potential?” The woman asked.

“Every girl is potential, Madame.” The girl answered meekly.

“She can’t speak good English and I am tired of training girls who after they are trained do not impress me. I spend lots of money training them and after that, what do I get? Wasted time, money and efforts. This girl can’t utter a sentence in good English.”

“I remember that my English was really bad when I came but you helped brush me up.” The girl told the woman.

“Hmm…” The woman murmured absent mindedly and kept staring at me.

I looked at the two of them, the woman dressed like a modern day queen and the younger girl dressed like someone I recognized from the short time I spent in front of the television set.

“You will take her to the room and help her get something decent to wear. If she wasn't this pretty, I might have been tempted to send her down the same path as her late friend.” The woman spoke quietly.

My eyes widened in shock, I didn’t want to believe that she just threatened to have had me killed.

The girl nodded and beckoned to me to follow her but I was having none of that, I shook my head vehemently and took a few steps backwards.

“I nor dey follow you go anywhere lai lai….since Oga landlord hause na so so waka waka I dey do. Abeg find transport give me make I dey go my own.” I said to them.

The woman stared at me in shock, the girl looked at me in warning but I decided to be stubborn.

“Please follow me…” The girl said.

“Who dey follow you enter dia? You wan kee me abi? I nor fit die like Awero ooo…I nor kukuma collect any money from una hand. Abeg free me make I dey go joor.” I said sounding bolder.

“Call one of the men to take her in…and lest I forget, I am not receiving any visitors today, please tell anyone that’s looking for me to see me tomorrow.” The woman said.

“Wetin she dey yarn? Madam or wetin dem dey call you…abeg find transport give me, I dey go.” I continue.

“What did she just call me? How dare you?” The woman raised her voice at me. She was obviously baffled at my outburst.

“I don talk am say una nor serious for dis place…if una nor get change for transport, talk am now. I sure say one pesin get one thousand naira for hand, una fit give me, make I go find change.” I said.

The woman stared at me sharply and in a high-pitched voice she called out a name. The door opened in heavy thuds and two men hurried towards me.

“See wahala oo…if pesin nor wan stay for place, na by force?” I asked in wonder.

The two men lifted me up like a sack of weightless grain, I struggled and fought hard but the men were really strong. They took me towards the room that was at the far side of the sitting room, I screamed and lunged for one of the men’s ears. Clamping my teeth hard on it, I sunk in on the flesh with all my strength and pulled off skin. To my surprise, the man didn’t flinch. My mouth was filled with his blood and I stared incredulously at the iron men who held me captive in their arms. They had a far-away look in their eyes, a look that was some-what abnormal. There and then, I knew that I was in deep trouble. Throwing my head back, I screamed and said.

“Chai…Senorita your tori nor get part two!”