Williams was already asleep when he overheard their raised voices; that of Prisca his wife and Fransisca his mother whom he usually called ‘Mama’.
“They’re at it again” he muttered; an indication that this wasn’t the first time they were falling out with each other.
If it wasn’t over a pot, left half-open; then it would be over spilled water on the kitchen floor; or over leaving the back door unlocked, overnight.
Mama always called Prisca his wife “A Gen-Z” babe who needed to learn a lot. Right from when Williams knew his mother, she was a no-nonsense lady who frowned at carelessness, therefore that of her daughter in law wasn’t going to be an exception.
“Mama what is it again?” He asked as he stepped into the kitchen.
“Your wife left the pot of soup half open, now a wall gecko has died inside the food”
“Ah!” He said and rushed to take a look.
He saw the animal floating lifelessly on the egusi soup which they had just eaten from, that afternoon. He sighed in discomfort at the thought of such food being condemned and disposed of.
“Okay mama, I’ll talk to her” Williams said to his mum.
“Better do o!, I wonder if this is what she wants to pass on to Georgia”
She was referring to their 4-year old daughter who was already asleep.
On hearing her daughter’s name, Prisca opened her mouth to speak. She could tolerate every other excesses of her mother in law, but not anyone involving Georgia her only child. She was restrained by Williams; he gripped her hands and won’t let her move a muscle not speak. “Ssssshhhhhhh” he whispered into her ears, as he placed the back of his palm over her mouth.
“Mama don’t worry, she’ll adapt and become more responsible okay?” He said, trying to restore peace. Prisca only stood, and watched them with pain and anger. “Only if he would let me speak” she said in her mind.
After speaking with Prisca about taking responsibility and being more careful, Williams also spoke with his mum and assured her that his wife would change. That had always been the usual dispute resolution routine in the family for the past three months since His mother came around. And after the pep talk, the whole matter will die down and everyone will go to bed. But that night was different.
That same night Prisca forgot to lock the back door, and coincidentally, they all fell victims of the attack which took place in their area that night.
——————————————————————-
He was asleep with Prisca when he heard the door to his room being pushed open. Every where was dark, and he wondered who would be moving around in the house by that time of the night.
“Mama is that you?” Williams asked as he tried to get up. But he couldn’t move a muscle. He felt weak and nauseated because he had been inhaling a substance he didn’t know about and it had filled up his system.
One of the kidnappers had infused Halothane gas into the whole house, while the other tried to break in, only to find out that the back door was unlocked. Easy; A very smooth operation.
Williams couldn’t move a muscle, he tried to get up but felt weak. He fell into a state of unconsciousness, and that was the last thing he knew until he opened his eyes later that morning in the medium sized room where they were kept.
“John are you here too?” Williams asked in shock on seeing John his neighbor. Mr John lived a stone throw away from him, and they usually drank together at mummy Amaka’s shed every evening.
“Williams did they break into your house too?where are we? How did you come here?” John replied him with a question, as several balls of sweat trickled down his face. The expression of fear was written all over him. He was so paranoid.
“I don’t know where the gas came from, but I’m sure I inhaled so much of it while I was asleep with Prisca in my room. It made me unconscious” Williams explained.
On mentioning Prisca, his thoughts shifted to his wife, Georgia his four year old daughter and Francisca his mother. Were they alive? Where were they? His heart raced with so much speed? What exactly was happening? Was he the only one kidnapped or were they all there with him too?
If he was the only person, things would be better a bit. He had read books on abductions and the number of abductees. The books always explained that “the lesser the abductees, the lesser the pain” so that’s why he wished that he was the only one kidnapped.
He was brought back to reality when the door to the medium sized room was flung open and more people were pushed into the room. It was a room full of men. Only men. With their hands and legs tied together. And he was part of them. Part of those held hostage. Part of the unlucky few who had been abducted unconsciously that morning.
A figure walked into the medium sized room few seconds later, and a sudden quietness took over the atmosphere. He wore a black robe with a black hat and a face-mask which concealed his entire face. He also held two riffles in his hand. Bloodthirsty riffles. His demeanor signified that of business. Serious business.
“I love watching people die, it’s my hobby” he began.
There were some murmurings. “What does he mean?” John whispered to Williams.
“If you don’t play the game, you will be killed” he said.
“Ehrm Mr. Man, I don’t know about others, but please get me out of here, I’m not interested in any of your games; I’ve done no wrong to deserve this” one of the men summoned enough courage to speak.
That was the moment which everyone had been waiting for; a moment to know how serious the masked man was; a moment to test his limit. But who would dare risk it if not the man who just interrupted him while he was speaking?
There was silence as everyone shifted their gaze from the man who said his mind and back to the masked man.
The masked man walked up to the man and kicked him hard in the belly thrice. It was just blood and more blood that he coughed out. Then he pointed the riffle at him and released two bullets. Boom! Boom!
He walked back to his position and continued, while his guards came and carried the corpse away. One could hear a pin drop during the silence that followed afterwards.
“For this game, you must kill one and save one”
“What do you mean?” Someone asked.
The masked man paused again, turned to look at him, then he continued.
“You’re not alone here. Your family is here with you. Williams heart sank into his lungs. He solely wished he hadn’t heard this.
“Each one of them has been bound the same way as you; with family tags on their necks, and are in different rooms just like you. One for the kids, the other for the women.”
So, Prisca, Georgia, fransisca, were also here with him? What kind of calamity had befallen his family. Balls of tears rolled down his cheeks, and for the first time he felt a great chill through his spines. He looked at his chest and noticed the tag hanging down, from his neck.
“On each tag is written a number and letter, which will be used to identify you and your family members”
The masked man stopped speaking again; he had heard some noise, so he looked around to see if he could trace where it was coming from. He sighted a man sobbing. Williams knew the man sobbing. It was Mr Theophillus a neighbor who lived in the same street as him. Right from time, he had always known him to be a soft man. He usually cried in front of his family for so many insignificant things like during a misunderstanding with his wife or kids. So it wasn’t new seeing him in such state.
(Continued in part 2); Link below,