I open my eyes to pitch darkness; there was no one in sight. The environment feels cold but I feel sweat dripping down the side of my face. There’s not a single sound, the silence is deafening. My breathing is heavy and I can’t breathe properly because my mouth is covered with duct tape. I try to move but my hands and legs are tied together behind my back, like a goat about to be slaughtered. I lay still on the floor and at this point, my heartbeat is louder than the sound of a bass drum in a marching band. I try to get a hold of myself, to catch my breath, to no avail. I can’t recollect how I got here, I try to remember but I cannot fully grasp all the quick flashes of memories that cross my mind. I only remember bits and pieces of it, the rest are frozen.
I remember leaving the house in the evening at about seven to meet up with Ade at the bar by the corner of my street; I also remember drinking and having conversations with him before leaving in his car to an event’s after party. When we got to the party, we were both very tipsy as usual and the last thing I recall is the altercation that resulted in bottles flying through the air. The bouncer for some reason refused entry to one of the organizer’s guests, who didn’t take it lightly. I also remember, earlier, Ade flying through traffic like a crazy lunatic in his European sports car which almost gave me a heart attack. The rest of that night is a blur and has somehow been wiped from my memory. Could it be the codeine and pills I popped earlier in the day kicking in?
Still bound and lying on the ground, fear has crippled me. I’m really confused, where am I and how in the world did I get here? Have I been kidnapped for ransom or have I fallen into the hands of ritual killers who are going to dissect my body and sell its parts to the highest political bidder? In my mind, I desperately hoped I’ll soon wake up and discover that this was all just a bad dream. My terror isn’t just from the dreary situation I’m currently in, but the fact that I had watched this scene in Nollywood movies many times and it usually never ends well for the victim.
Then I remembered God and how I had lived a very sinful life for a very long time, I knew for certain that if this was to be the end of my life, hell would be my lot. “Oh my God! I’m going to hell!” My heartbeat pounded faster as my emotions plummeted into regret. I used to be a very prayerful Christian back in secondary school, but my relationship with God now is nonexistent. I said a silent prayer to God in my heart and asked him to forgive and save me, promising to turn my life around for good.
The thought of me lying helplessly on the floor was gut-wrenching and from the look of things, unless God intervenes, this night was going to be my last on this earth. Seconds passed like minutes and minutes like hours, I had completely lost the measure of time when suddenly I heard the creaking sound of a door open as a ray of light filtered into the very dark room. I couldn’t see who it was but I could see the form of a huge, manly figure walk in. His footsteps quaked as he walked towards me until he stood above me. “This is it. I’m going to die now.” Terror seized every fibre of my being. I fainted.