The Escape

Hours later, Ali and Muktar arrived at Ali's mansion. Aminat was looking at the compound from their room when they arrived. She watched closely as Muktar came out of the car and opened the trunk while her husband Ali went into the house. She saw Muktar drag a woman tied up in the trunk. The woman could barely move because she was tired and weak. A tear rolled down Aminat's cheek. Her heart was broken and felt betrayed

"I thought he had changed," she thought to herself. She then slowly walked back to their bed and sat down. Minutes later, Ali walked into the room looking stressed out. Before he could say anything, Aminat started hurling questions at him.

"We talked about this, didn't you say you will quit, who is that woman, what have you done?" Aminat walked up to him and looked at Ali straight in the eye waiting for him to reply.

"Calm down!" Ali yelled. He then took a deep breath.

"She is a visitor here and I assure you we are not going to harm her. She will be staying here for a little while," Ali added after composing himself

"That is exactly what you said when you brought the other women. You made them our servants and their children your bodyguards" said Aminat.

Ali looked into her eyes for a while. He knew he has lost the argument already so he sighed and was going to the bathroom.

"I'm tired and hungry please, can we talk about this later?" said Ali when he reached the bathroom door.

Aminat went back and sat on the bed. The thought about her husband betraying her made her to start sobbing. Ali could hear her crying. He looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. Ali slowly opened the door, walked and sat beside her.

"You are right," said Ali while looking down at the floor. Aminat slowly looked at him

"What?" Aminat asked

"I started this organization so I will protect our people from the corrupt politicians in our country. Now I am part of the corruption. I just don't know how to quit. What will I tell my boss? You have met the man. He is very cunning. He can turn the whole of my men against me. I regret ever meeting him," said Ali in a sad disappointed and depressed voice. He then looked at her

"I'm sorry I failed you," he added. He then stood up and slowly walked back to the bathroom to take his bath. Aminat didn't know what to do. She just helplessly looked at her broken husband.

Later that night Aminat was worried about what Ali's men would do to that poor woman she saw that day. Aminat slowly stood up and wore her shoes. Quietly, she went to the table in their room, picked up the bunch of keys Ali kept earlier, and went out of the room. She snuck around the house searching the stores and empty rooms before going out the backdoor through the kitchen. She went to a smaller house in the compound and peeped through the windows searching for the woman she saw earlier. Aminat found the woman; she was sitting in a corner of an empty room. Aminat looked around to make sure no one was there before softly knocking on the glass window. The woman inside quickly turned and saw her Aminat then waved at her and told her to open the window. The window was bugler proofed so Chess could not escape

"Hi, is anyone in there, I'm going to get you out of here" Aminat whispered softly before looking around again to see if any of her husband's men were close

"No, the house is empty but it is locked." Chess whispered back.

Aminat then quickly pulled out the bunch of keys, a loaf of bread and a bottle of soda she took from the kitchen while coming.

"Here, hurry up and eat," said Aminat while giving her the bread and soda

Aminat went to the front door of the house but the light at the veranda was still on which means someone could see her if she tries to enter the house so she went back to Chess through the window.

"You have to escape by yourself; the light in the front of the house is on so you have to turn it off before coming out then you meet me here" whispered Aminat.

Minutes later, the light in the front veranda turned off. A guard noticed the light go out but choose to forget it "stupid country, even the light bulbs are substandard," the guard mumbled to himself. Chess quickly snuck out of the house and met Aminat who was waiting behind the small house as she said. With Aminat leading the way, they both were able to dodge the guards with narrow escapes. Minutes later, they were at the wall of the house.

"You have to go this way when you climb out there is a small village there," Aminat said pointing south of the house. "From there you should be able to find a refugee bus to Azraq or maybe phone for help," Aminat added.

"How do you know that and why won't you come with me?" asked Chess

Aminat bowed her head in sadness, "just go, it's a complicated matter" She then replied.

Chess did not want to leave without her but Aminat insisted. Aminat helped Chess climb the wall and they nodded each other goodbye.

Minutes later, Aminat snuck back into the house and to her room, laid on the bed thinking of what she had done until she fell asleep. Few hours later, there was chaos in the compound. Ali's men were running up and down the compound shouting. Ali woke up and picked the AK 47 he hid under their bed and hurried out to check what was going on. On his way out, he met Muktar coming to meet him.

"What's wrong?" Ali asked Muktar

"al-saeda the woman has escaped!" replied Muktar who was panicking

"What?!" Ali exclaimed. "Send some men out with the trucks. She is of foot so they should not come back unless they find her!" Ali added.

Without wasting time five trucks with three men in each one zoomed out of the compound one going in different directions. Ali went back to his room furious he swung the room door wildly. Aminat stood up terrified.

"Wh—what is wrong?" Aminat asked stammering

Ali only looked at her without saying a word. There was silence in the room. Ali sighed and walked to his side of the bed and kept his rifle.

"The woman we brought in the afternoon has escaped," said Ali in a calm voice breaking the silence. "I'm sure you have nothing to do with it right?" Ali added

Aminat still did not say a word. She only stood on the opposite site of the bed frozen. "Why?" Ali asked her again. This time Aminat tried to speak but she was shivering. Moments later, Muktar walked into the room. He was surprised to see Aminat frozen like a child scolded by her father.

"Al-saeda, no one has confessed. We tried all we could but the women were still denying it," said Muktar

Ali kept quiet for a while and sighed "take her away" Ali said pointing at Aminat

Her eyes widened and her heart beat increased "put her in the same room as you did the woman" Ali ordered. Before Aminat could say anything, Muktar grabbed Aminat by the arm and dragged her out of the room. Ali stood by the door and watched Muktar take her away while she begged. Muktar looked down the corridor and saw their son Mubarak looking at what was happening.

Meanwhile, Chess had already reached the village Aminat told her about before she left. She was walking weakly after hours of non-stop running. On seeing the village from afar, she increased her pace and a smile of relief filled her face. On reaching there, she found herself in the village market so she searched for a place to sleep. Minutes later, she heard the voice of men approaching. She quickly stood up and hid behind a stall evading the men she wanted to go and ask them for help but changed her mind when she looked closely and saw they were holding guns. "It's that bastard's men," she thought to herself. She hid behind the stall until the men left the market.