A Night To Remember

"Faustina!" I call again, but there is no response.

Where did she go? I wonder, a shiver running down my spine.

"Where are you?" I keep sweeping my flashlight across the bushes and trees, with hopes of finding her in my mind. But I don't see any sign of her.

Should I go back in and inform grandma?.

"Boo!!"

"Ahh!!" I scream, my heart pounding heavily in my chest.

"Umuaka sef ehn, ama na chi eji Wego?" (these children, don't they know it's late?) I hear my grandma complaining, then soft murmurs of agreement from my mom.

"Faustina," I call her in a more gentle tone.

She's standing right in front of me, then suddenly bursts out laughing, my phone's flashlight shining directly on her face.

"Why did you do that?" I ask, my brows furrowed in annoyance.

She's too consumed by her laughter to realize I am talking to her.

"Sorry, s-sorry," she waves apologetically at me, her laughter subsiding, then she stands up straight.

"Where did you go?" I ask.

"Take your flashlight off my face First," she says, her eyes squinted.

"Okay," I redirect my flashlight away from her face, pointing it downward to her shirt.

"So?, Answer my question," I sounded a bit annoyed.

She chuckles, "I was just trying to scare you."

"Scare me?, What if I had gotten a heart attack?"

"Well you didn't."

"But what if I did?"

"I just noticed how terrified you looked, and I simply wanted to add to the tension by scaring you."

She still has a smile on, and it would be wrong of me to turn her happy expression into a regretful one. But still, she really did get to me.

"Don't do that again?" I say, turning around to step into the hallway.

"Fine, fine," she responds.

We begin walking, my phone's flashlight guiding us out of the hallway and into the bright entrance hall, where my grandma and mom are sitting and discussing something, their used plates piled on a chair next to them.

I make my way to sit at the corner of the entrance hall which wasn't far from my mom, but faustina remains close to the hallway entrance, gazing at my grandmother. Isn't she gonna sit?.

"Je weta crayfish han, kai ke," (go get the crayfish, let's package them) my grandmother instructs faustina, standing up from her seat.

Faustina exits into the hallway, with the aid of her phone's flashlight, guiding her into the living room.

My grandmother also steps into the hallway, leaving me with just my mom, who's staring at me with a smile on her face.

I blink continuously, "uhm..."

"I can see you're already liking it here, right?" She asks.

"Uhm maybe. Only because there's someone I get to talk too."

"You guys are now friends?"

I shrug, "I don't know, not quite sure."

She lets out a big yawn, "You should know."

I smile, revealing me teeth, "And you should get some rest, or else you might swallow us whole!"

She chuckles, "you're not okay."

"I'm okay," I say, turning off my phone's flashlight and embracing that of the pole light that's standing next to the burglary gate.

Why is it so close?, Shouldn't it be outside the compound?.

The sound of something being pulled on floor diverts my gaze to the entrance of the hallway way.

It's faustina, and she's holding a lamp in hand, and also pulling a big transparent bag of crayfish out of the hallway.

I observe as she carefully places the bag of crayfish on the floor and retrieves a wooden table that is at the other end of the entrance hall.

She returns and positions it nearby, accompanied by a chair.

My grandmother then appears from the hallway, dressed in a simple black sleeveless top and a wrapper, her button phone grasped in her hand.

She takes a seat in the chair Faustina had placed.

Not only mine, but also my grandma's and mom's eyes are fixed on Faustina as she sweeps the floor in front of the table.

She then sets the broom aside and sprays a large black nylon sheet on the floor.

With her fingers, she tears open the crayfish bag and begins pouring its contents onto the nylon sheet.

Memories come flooding back of similar moments during my last visit.

Grandma would always have us package crayfish every night, and we'd often get nipped by them, laughing it off together.

But now, the atmosphere is different, it's just the four of us: me, my mom, Faustina, and Grandma.

"Oya wete ya," (bring it) my Grandma instructs Faustina, snapping me out of my reverie.

Faustina seems to be a nice and hardworking young woman, with how she obeys my grandma's instructions, carrying out every assigned task.

I wonder if she's even related to us.

I watch as she scoops the crayfish into a big plastic container and pours it on the table, then my grandma begins spreading it out with her fingers. Doesn't she feel the nips from the crayfish?.

My mom suddenly stands up and pulls her chair to sit in front of me, her back turned to face away from me.

And soon, faustina also joins, she's sitting opposite my grandma, and I can tell that they are about to start packaging the crayfish.

I'm bored sitting by myself and not helping, but I'm sure I'll also get bored if I join, so it's best I just wait for them, with my phone clutched in my hands.

....

I'm starting to feel a bit sleepy, my head is rested against the burglary gate, and I feel the cold night air seeping into my skin.

It doesn't look like they're almost done, as there are still a lot of crayfish on the nylon sheet, and the light from their lamp is dimming due to excessive use.

The sound of the cricket filling my ears isn't helping either, I just want to sleep, but where?, Grandma didn't mention where we would be sleeping since we came.

"Brughhxyrgrhbx!"

My heart skips a beat as the sound of the gate startles me, sounding like someone is shutting it.

Their footsteps grow closer, but then suddenly fade into the distance, as if they're heading in a different direction, likely towards the next house.

I release a deep yawn, and my eyes instinctively widen, as their heads are turned in my direction, their attention now focused on me.

I hear faustina chuckling, and I turn my head in her direction to see that she has already returned to what she's doing.

I shift my gaze to grandma, "Uhmm..."

"Go sleep na" (go to bed) she says.

But where?

"Mma, ebe Kai ga no?" (Mom, where are we gonna stay?) My mom asks, her head now facing grandma.

"Roomu Ada," ( Ada's room) my grandma responds, returning back to her crayfish packaging, and my mom does the same.

They begin discussing, their voices soft and gentle, more like whispers, as if they're gossiping about someone.

"Bang!"

My eyes widen to its fullest, my heart racing. That was a gunshot, like the one me and my mom heard in the hotel.

I immediately get up and lie flat on the floor, holding my phone tightly.

My grandma and faustina don't look fazed by the gunshot at all, or else they'll be reacting to it or mirroring my action, but my mom is clearly puzzled.

She's already up from her seat, and rushes to close the burglary gate, the sound of her bolting it, putting me at ease a little.

"Bang!"

I notice her flinch.

She hurries back in our direction, taking longs strides, and settles down in her chair.

"Unu just ne me ka inuru ihan," (you guys are just acting like you didn't here that) she says, her voice low and shaky.

"Ayi digo used to it, ewe ihen he me" (we are used it, nothing would happen) I hear my grandma responding.

I slowly stand up from the floor and carefully take my seat, trying not to make a sound.

"Bang bang!"

Oh Lord of mercy, what's going on?.

"Gbam gbam gbam!"

My eyes widen in fear, my heart pounding faster in my chest, my breath coming out shaky and slow.

The sound is coming from our gate, somebody or some people are banging it.

"Mepe uzo!" (Open the gate!) A voice yells, sounding like a man.

My mom is already up from her seat, her gaze outside.

"Mma kai je nime, benie benie," (mom, let's go in, stand up, stand up) she says.

"Mm ga counterie to ten, oburuna e mepe uzo, umadu ga wuon!" (I'll count to ten, if you don't open this gate, somebody will die!) the voice yells again.

I instantly stand up, feeling my palms sweaty, stiff and cold, my hands shaking.

My grandma and faustina also stand, looking terrified. This must have gone beyond their expectation.

"Packie ihen, kai ba nime," (pack these things, let's go in) my grandma instructs.

Faustina swiftly grabs the nylon sheet, scooping up all the crayfish at once, while my mom hastily clears everything from the table.

"6!" the voice booms on.

I'm paralyzed with fear, my body stiff, my mind consumed by the terrifying thought of death. We're going to die! They'll kill us! I might succumb to fear before they even burst in.

"Amanda!" someone yells, but who? 

"Amanda!" Another voice joins.

"8.5!"

"9!," The voice at the gate continues.

Why can't I move?, I feel I should be moving, but the fear that grip my heart is making it difficult to do so.

Suddenly, I feel a hand grasping mine, pulling me urgently, my leg colliding with something as I'm yanked away.

I'm convinced I'm going to die, my chest throbbing in agony, my breath escaping in short, shaky gasps. 

Somebody should help me, please!

"Ow!"

I suddenly feel this sharp piercing In my brain, like as if the pain from my leg just transported to my brain, bringing me back to the present.

"Ou...hmm," someone covers my mouth tightly, making it difficult to say something.

I'm no longer stiff, but fear still grips me.

Who's holding me?

I glance around, trying to locate myself.

The hand holding my mouth slowly pulls away.

The darkness surrounds me, but I feel someone's arms encircling me, their breathing slow and steady.

"Stay calm, Amanda," a voice whispers, sounding like my mom's.

I nod, clutching my phone tightly.

My eyes widen as footsteps echo through our compound.

"Bang!"

"Who dey there?" (Who's there?) a voice asks.

"Go check back," (go and check the back) another voice instructs.

I can't help but gasp, my breath trembling with fear. What have we done? Why are they here?

Footsteps pound the ground, getting closer.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

What's with them and shooting those guns?

"Calm down, Amanda. Calm down, okay?" My mom whispers in my ear.

I raise my hand to my mouth, trying to stifle my panic. This has never happened before. Why now? I wonder if our neighbors are safe.

The gunshot draws nearer. "Bang!" It sounds like it came from the backyard, but where are we?

The footsteps begins receding, their voices fading into the distance.

"Take deep breaths and calm down, Mandy. We'll be fine, we'll be fine," my mom reassures me.

"Bang!"

I flinch, but her arm holds me steady.

The footsteps grow fainter, and I hope they're leaving.

"Bang!"

"Make we go!" (let's leave!) a voice yells.

I hear the gate slam shut, my heart rate dropping, they're gone!

My mom suddenly releases me, and I see the home screen of her phone as she turns on the flashlight.

I look around, taking in our surroundings. We're in a room, with a bed against the left wall. My mom had been holding me tight against the door.

"Let's go to bed, don't make a sound," she whispers, her finger on her lips.

I nod, getting into bed and sitting down. All I want is to go home. What's happening? This is the first time something like this is happening.

I lie down, my mom joining me.

She turns off the flashlight, and an uncomfortable silence follows.

How can I sleep after this?

My mind races with thoughts of what just happened.

What if we...?

I stare into the darkness, fear gripping my heart once more.