Chapter 1 Wake me up

EXCERPT FROM STORY.

Now throw them all back on the ground and do your job.” Lanre ordered. He did as they said. The oranges went rolling and bouncing all round the alley and then he bent and began to pick them up again. 23, he counted them.

“Again!”

He did. It remained just one more time, one more time and he would be free.

“Again!”

He threw them back and picked again, the last time.

“Run! Run and don’t look back!”

He ran out but he was smarter. He knew the direction the orange seller had run and he went the opposite way.

Just as he began crossing the road, the last orange landed on his head. It had been 24. He had made the mistake, the costly mistake the orange seller had also made. He looked back too, another mistake and he caught the evil smirk Lanre threw him just as the car, the red sports car, hit him and ran over him. He died but the rest of the events played out anyway.

The oranges went flying, the tray with it. His blood splattered all over and then people gathered. The police siren came minutes later and his body was packaged and taken to the morgue, declared dead by them without the doctor’s confirmation.

The unfortunate death of the orange seller, the newspaper read the next day.

Poor him, people commented.

Lanre and Obi drank wine, cross as they read the news of his death.

He hadn’t been smarter after all.

CHAPTER ONE

Pleasure is found in different ways; usual and unusual. The need to please ourselves even to the detriment of others. That selfish part of us humans that desires our good before others cannot be ignored. But being acknowledged doesn’t take the problem away.

Some people speak of a way; GOD; but then not everyone acknowledges the existence of GOD.

Neither do those who take evil pleasure in stripping their fellow human beings of their freedom; all types of freedom acknowledged by man. Those termed as ‘Kidnappers'. But in this case,people much worse, more dangerous, more brutal.

And so,these children; all teenagers, with the exception of one, nicknamed the bully; fell into the hands of those who seek this evil pleasure.

Not just to be stripped of their freedom but to become live players unknowingly. Their lives,an entertainment to their benefactors.

And so,the horror of their lives began.

-THE BONDAGE TRILOGY

"Cameras are ready, sir Auctor."

Sir Auctor looked up from the computer system he was operating, his eyes sharp and bright.

"Yes,Mr Sam?" he questioned in his barely audible voice.

"The cameras are ready, sir." Mr Sam repeated.

Sir Auctor's face broke into a wide grin, an unusual occurrence that stunned Mr Sam.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, clasping his hands together.

"Just wonderful!" he repeated, staring at the computer's screen as a live footage began playing.

"And sir...Sir Auctor..." Mr Sam called but Sir Auctor as expected was already engrossed in his activity, the rest of the outside world tuned out.

"If you need anything, sir..." Mr Sam offered helplessly, shaking his head as he turned away.

"Oh well" Mr Sam muttered as he walked away, "Another story begins"

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"Wake up." a voice whispered.

"Wake up...wake up...wake up." It kept resounding in her head. She opened her eyes and saw a figure staring down at her, she blinked to clear her vision and it was her mother, smiling.

"Mum?" She called surprised. She looked around, she was lying on her bed in her room. She looked back to her mother.

"You have to wake up." her mother whispered, leaned down and pecked her forehead. She closed her eyes, feeling, then opened them again.

She was lying on the floor in the middle of a lonely road and her sister was staring down at her with a frown on her face.

"Ify, you have to wake up.You've been sleeping for too long." her sister scolded, arms folded.

"What?"she asked, all confused, sitting up.

She was now sitting in front of a table facing her private tutor. He was laughing, looking at something on his phone. He suddenly looked at her, face blank.

"Wake up."

**********************

Her eyes shot open. Someone was shaking her vigorously, there was shouting and sounds of scuffling all around her.

“Finally! You’re awake!”

She looked at the person who spoke; it was Aisha, her friend and fellow captive. She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“What’s going on?” she asked looking around.

“What's going on is that the food was finished while I was busy trying to wake you!” Aisha exclaimed in her thick northern accent.

“Food?” she asked confused. She then took in her surroundings and remembered where she was. Locked in a dirty stinking room along with 19 other captives in an unknown building.

They had all been kidnapped and were now being held hostage to eventually either be killed for rituals or sold to the highest bidder.

There were both boys and girls in the room, 8 boys and 12 girls. Day by day, the number increased and decreased respectively as more people were brought in and more were taken out. They were all teenagers between the ages of 14 to 19. The only exception, a boy that was brought in 16 days before, he was 20 and also a big bully.

She had been there for twelve days and she still didn't know her fate. Aisha, who was 18, was one of the oldest captives; she had been there for 60 days. Naeto, also her friend, 17; had been present for 28 days. She was 16.

“Yes food! Food that we eat to survive! You know what that is?” Aisha sarcastically asked, hands on hips. Ify rolled her eyes, hitting her lightly on the arm as she sat up.

“Of course. I know what it is. Where's Naeto?” she asked.

“Scavenging for food for us and… there he is.” Aisha announced and she followed Aisha's gaze to see him with a plate surely filled with Akara, bean cake(an African meal) the, and a cup surely filled with water, held tightly to himself; dodging attackers and hurrying towards them. Aisha quickly got up to assist him, bringing the plate half filled with Akara and dropping it on the floor beside her.

She looked up at him to see him breathing heavily,his chest heaving up and down, then looked at the fresh cuts and bruises on his arms. He sat down beside her, resting his back on the wall.

“I’m sorry.” she said to him. He glanced at her, closing his eyes after.

“Why?” he asked.

“For not being there to help. I wasn't awake.” she apologized, looking from him to Aisha, who just sat in front of her.

Naeto opened his eyes, facing her fully“Its okay. As long as I’m with you, I’ll always be there for you” he reassured, giving her a tired smile.

She looked away.

He was always so brutally honest with her; always looking her in the eye.