My ordeal in the hands of SARS

Episode 1

I just graduated from the University with a good result, well I think. I couldn’t wait to get cleared from school and at the same time missing school actually the life in school not the school itself lol, I rushed back to school. My lodge mates were happy to see me, they cheered me “Graduate!” I loved the feeling. I smiled at them and walked into the compound, my room was so dusty and messed up. Laziness struck me like a thunder bolt, but I had nowhere else to lay my head. I got to work. Few people I know walked passed me while I was sweating, sneezing and suffocating but no one volunteered to help me, me the latest graduate. Lol, yeah am full of myself I know. The next day, I went inside school campus for clearance, met up with my course mates, teased ourselves about NYSC (National Youth Service Corp), then clearance began. To be honest, I planned to stay just two days in school but I found out I had to stay a week. Was disappointed. On the third day of my arrival, I met a friend of mine in who also came for clearance. He accused me of dodging him (I was dodging him actually) he asked me to hang out with him that evening by 7pm, I wanted to decline but I said to myself “Come on it’s just this once, you won’t see him again after all”  I accepted. I regret that decision, this is why.

We arrived at the bar by 7:32pm and ordered some drinks with chicken barbecue. We talked about old times, already tipsy but was enjoying it. I was on my third bottle awaiting the second plate of the chicken barbecue when I heard someone shout “Everybody stand up!” I thought it was my head messing with me until the table beside ours was scattered, I stood up immediately. Still tipsy and confused I noticed men with guns dragging and pushing people, one of them cocked his gun and that was when my eyes cleared. “Enter the bus fast!” commanded one of them. Feeling so scared, I rushed to the bus with my friend beside me. We got squeezed into the tiny bus, I noticed a girl lapping a guy, it wasn’t funny at that time. A particular lady in front was ranting about how one of the men kicked her, she was cautioned by the armed man beside her but she raised her voice and said “If I don’t shut up nko? You can’t just come and arrest me when I didn’t do anything wrong, on top that you kicked me on my waist, you don’t know am a woman eeh? It seems that’s something wrong with….” Before she could finish, the armed man beside her slapped her. Then, I realized shit just got real. I started crying. My friend kept consoling me that everything was going to be alright that they are SARS that their station was at the next town. How is everything going to be alright when am being carried in a bus by armed men to a place I don’t know by 9:15pm? I blamed him for this. I thought of what explanation am going to give my parents if eventually we are to call our parents at the station, Jesus what have I gotten myself into? I thought as I cried. Tony, that’s the name of my friend secretly texted the situation to his friend using my phone. We drove for about 20mins and came to a halt in front of a terrible looking bungalow with an abandoned bus by the side. “Oya come down, fast. In a single line enter the house”.  We entered the building, about 4 armed men were present, young and old. The room was vast, with some missing glass louvre windows, I could see footprints on the wall and a dirty torn couch.  Trying to get control of my tears I cleaned my eyes. “Sit down on the floor all of you” one huge armed man said. “Ah sir, on this floor?” asked one of us. “No, on this air. Come on sit down before I break your head, criminal” replied the armed man. We sat reluctantly on the dirty floor, among us a girl kept nagging and ranting about how one of the armed men assaulted her blah blah. She was just irritating me because she was making matter worse. I hugged my knees and sobbed, someone tapped me and asked me to stop crying. “E yaa, this one dey cry. E be lyk say na ajebota but na good girl, she never talk since unlike this mumu ugly one wey dey make noise here since” said the elderly armed man. “Am telling you fine gal just keep quiet o na this ugly shapeless thing dey make noise for here. I tire o na until I slap am again she go comport” said a younger armed man. One of the armed men maybe in his late 30’s or early 40’s caught my attention, he has this cute face got me thinking why he would choose this field of work. A voice in my head told me he’s going to be my way out of the mess. His voice gave me chills, his body build up made me drool, I can’t believe am tripping for my captor I thought as I shake my head. “Make una dey come one by one make I write una details. And the guys go remove una clothes” said the ugliest armed man as he sat behind a desk. “Ah sir, even singlet? The weather cold” said one of us. “Your father there!” replied the armed man. I made to stand but was asked to sit down that the guys will go first. After a while there was commotion behind me, a guy was accused of peeing on himself. A lot of liquid was found surrounding him and his boxers was soaked which implicated him that he peed on himself. “Chai I don die, this people no go kill me for here o. the guy fear so tey he piss for him body” said an armed man laughing and everybody laughed including me seriously. “I dey tell you, he no get liver. Guy you suppose dey show these girls say you strong o, you just dey fall hand” said another armed man laughing. “Sir, am not the one that urinated here, it’s not me sir” the accused fellow said with watery eyes. “But why na only your boxers soak for there? This shows you are the one. But wait o how you piss reach like this, go check for diabetes when you commot here” said the elderly armed man and this got everyone laughing again. It was turn to give my details, “What’s your name?” asked the ugliest armed man. “Ellen John” I replied.