I was all alone as I ran.
My feet hit the hard, empty street over and over. I didn't know where I was going. I just really needed to get away. My chest hurt a lot. It wasn't just from being tired, but from feeling like I had lost everything. The city was quiet, but I could hear a low noise from far away. It reminded me of the life I was trying to run from, a life that now felt strange and mean.
My legs hurt badly, but I kept going. Each step felt like a win against how tired I was. I couldn't see clearly; everything was blur with faint lights. But I kept running because something stronger than just my body pushed me. I had to get away from the bad feeling of being ashamed and the bitter feeling that someone had betrayed me. I felt like something was being hunted, and the only comfort was to get far away from the person hunting me. My body couldn't keep going even though I wanted to. My knees felt weak and wobbly.
Finally, I couldn't take another step. My legs just gave out. I fell onto some grass that was long and soft. It felt good under me. I was next to a big stone wall that looked like it went around a large place.
The ground felt cool and soft, and it gave me a strange feeling of comfort. It was like the ground was just watching me fall, not taking sides. My heart was beating really fast in the quiet night. I curled up in a ball, feeling tired and sad, and held my arms around myself because I hurt. My mind told me it was stupid to sleep outside where bad things could happen in the dark. But I was more tired than I was scared. Whatever will happen will happen, I thought. It was like giving up for a little while in a world that had become very cruel to me. For the first time in a long time, I let go of my fear and just let myself fall asleep in the dark. It felt like a relief.
A loud, sharp noise woke me up suddenly. I blinked because the morning sun was bright and hurt my eyes. My body felt stiff and sore from sleeping on the hard ground. I felt confused when I heard voices. They were deep voices that I didn't know, and they were right above me.I tried to sit up, but my arms and legs felt like they were made of heavy metal. They wouldn't move."Who is she?" one of the voices said quietly, making me shiver.
"She looks… like she doesn't have a home," another voice answered. He sounded a little unsure.
"No, she doesn't look homeless. She just looks… lost. Really lost," a third voice said. He sounded like he felt sorry for me.
The talking got louder, and the voices sounded more worried. I tried really hard and finally opened my heavy eyes. What I saw made my heart almost stop.
There were four—no, five—men standing in a circle around me. The sun was coming up behind them, so their faces were dark, and they looked even bigger and scarier. I couldn't tell what they were thinking, but the way they stood made them seem powerful.
A cold feeling of fear went all through me, making me freeze. But my body was so tired it could only shake a little. This is it, I thought. Obinna must have found me. Just thinking about it made me feel like I couldn't breathe. Had he sent these big, scary men to take me back to that fancy prison? Back to the life where I was a secret, just a shadow, someone he could use to keep warm at night?
I really wanted to scream and fight with all my strength. But my arms and legs wouldn't move. My head felt dizzy because I was so tired and hungry. It felt like I had chains on me that I couldn't see.
One of the men, with the sun shining behind him, knelt down next to me. He looked at my face closely, with a worried frown. He touched my forehead gently with his fingers, and I jumped because I didn't expect it. It was a natural reaction to anyone touching me in this scary world.
"She feels very hot," he said, his voice low and concerned as he looked at the other men."Take her inside," another man ordered. His voice was strong and sure, like no one would argue with him. I didn't have the strength to say no as strong arms, surprisingly gentle, lifted me off the ground. My head fell against his chest, and the rough cloth of his shirt scratched my cheek. The world went dark and blurry again. The last thing I saw was the tall, fancy gates of the place I had slept in front of without knowing what it was.
Where am I? The question popped into my head, like a small, scared bird in a storm of fear. But I couldn't think anymore. The darkness took over again.
I was in a strange place, not really awake and not really asleep. My mind felt like the ocean, with waves going back and forth. I could hear soft voices talking around me, like quiet waves, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. My body felt light, like I was floating in a place where time didn't exist. I didn't feel any pain, just a strange feeling of being far away from my own body, like I was watching myself suffer. Then, a different kind of darkness started to come over me, a darkness I knew and didn't like. It was the same heavy darkness I had felt every night in Obinna's house—the feeling of being trapped, completely helpless, like I was just an object to be used.
Maybe this is just how it's going to be, a sad voice in my head said. Maybe I'm meant to go from one man to another, and they will all just see me as someone to use for what they want. I didn't have any fight left in me. I just felt empty.I didn't have any more energy to be scared, or angry, or hopeful. Whatever happens… happens. It was like giving up completely. I sank back into the darkness, letting it take me over, quietly accepting whatever was going to happen next.