VICTIM. CHAP 4

A stinging pain at the back of her hand soaks through the layer of the fog surrounding her mind. Bimpe stirs, trying to scratch the burning spot until a throbbing pain radiates into the back of her hand again. Squinting her eyes at the sudden bright light, she halfway expects to be back in the underground prison where she was kept and her heartbeat accelerates. When the brightness of the daylight burns Bimpe’s eyes again, she squeezes them shut.

The scent in the air reminded her of the day of her rescue; how they took her to the hospital and conducted those dreadful tests. In some ways, it was almost as bad as her getting raped all over again, strangers dug around her insides and probed her privates; trying to scrape up any possible DNA evidence before taking pictures of all the bruises on her body. The nurses had stared at her with pity as they gossiped and talked about her with their hands shielding their mouths.

But what eventually happened? The evidence was ‘lost’.

She turns her head with great effort to examine the rest of the hospital room. A nurse is sitting next to her bed, busing typing a on her android device. She almost looks like a statue save for her moving fingers and roaming eyeballs. When Bimpe clears her throat, the nurse’ head snaps up.

“Oh, you’re awake.” A smile that doesn’t reach the eyes spreads across her lips.

‘How observant.’ Bimpe internally rolls her eyes.

“Your parents found you unconscious in your room this morning and they had to rush you down here.” At first she doesn’t elaborate further but a questioning look from Bimpe makes her spill the rest of what she intends to say. She tells Bimpe that her parents are still meeting with the doctor and they should be back any minute. She drones on and on about the kinds of treatment they administer. The nurse sounds like a broken record with her continued assurance. The smile doesn’t leave her lip and Bimpe internally concludes that she should win an award for the longest fake smile in the world.

After that, she keeps her mouth shut. With a sigh, Bimpe closes her eyes again, utterly exhausted but her mind doesn’t remember the events between last night and the present. She doesn’t try to remember either. The blanket pulled over her weighs a ton but still protects her from the mosquitoes buzzing around the hospital ward. Her legs are tingling from the tension. She wants to get up and walk around. The stillness becomes nerve-wrecking; a hot shower the only thing on her mind. It has always had a calming effect on her.

Her mind drifts to the morning after the longest and worst night of her life. Every bit and inch of her body throbbed, her insides on fire whenever she moved. Yet it was so cold and her body shivered; she was naked and unprotected with her arms and legs tied to the bedposts in a spread-eagle position. A blindfold blocked the light. She strained her ears for any sound; other than her own breath and rhythmic heartbeat, there was absolute silence.

Her bladder was so full it almost burst. She felt so sticky in her privates but she was determined not to soil herself. When she was just about to give up, Bimpe heard the key in the door turn and her body tensed, half expecting her tormentor to have returned to even torment her more.

When warm fingers stroked her belly, she winced, her heart pounding hard and fast. The hands moved alongside her neck and up her cheek before stopping under the blindfold. Heated hands removed it with one pull and she gazed into Kunle’s almost black eyes; who in turns stares at her with a mixture of curiosity and hunger. There was a wide grin on his face.

“Enjoyed your night?”

She turned her head when her insides revolted at his disgusting cheerfulness. “Can you please untie me? I need to pee.” Her voice was so hoarse that the words were barely audible.

“You promise not to attack me? I don’t want to have to knock you out again.”

She nodded.

He loosened the ropes enough for her wrists and ankles to slide out before pointing with his chin to a potty on the floor. “You can pee in there.”

Bimpe froze for a moment, but her urges were overpowering. When she tried to stand, she wobbled and his hands slid around her waist to stabilize her. His touch brought tears to her eyes. She recoiled, which only tightened his grip. Her feet stumbled forward until she was next to the potty. Wish blurry eyes, she gazed at Kunle. “Can you at least turn around?”

He hesitated before giving in and facing the wall. Adebimpe went down on her knees, the potty between her legs. As her bladder emptied, a sigh of relief escape her lips, yet the per burned terribly as it left her body.  When she stood up, she realized Kunle did not keep his end of the bargain and was watching her intently. She instinctively covered herself with her hand and wrapped the other hand around her chest. Her eyes dropped to the floor.

“You look different.”

Bimpe’s stomach clenched hard. She had always wanted her first time to be special. A few hot tears dripped to the ground, splattering on the dirty floor. His friend destroyed everything pure in her. 

“Can I cleanse myself?” she asked in a small voice.

His gaze wandered to her thighs and she noticed they were smudged in blood.

“Later,” he said. “I have to make sure the house is secured first so you don’t run off on me.”

She asked for water and food next.

“I’ll get you food and water too.” He chuckled. “After all, you need your energy. It is my turn next.”

His words went straight to her core, all her muscles clamping together. Tears trickled down her cheeks again as he gave her a final once-over before slamming the door shut behind him.

 The day she gets out of the hospital is the day they tell her she will be moving to Ibadan with her aunt. No one mentions a thing about why she was rushed to the hospital in an unconscious state and apparently, her mind has blocked every memory of it off her mind as she can’t seem to remember anything other than entering her room for the night that previous day.

“You need a break away from Oyo. We think everything here is bringing up memories of things you don’t want to remember. We are worried about you and we think you are getting worse. Kunle being back in town might be just the thing that will tip you over the edge.”

She adamantly shakes her head. “No, I won’t go,” she raises up her chin. “And I will not go. You cannot force me to do what I don’t want to do.”

Her stepfather jumps in at this point, delivering the final blow. “You don’t have a choice in this matter. We cont watch you lose your sanity over an event you refuse to move on from.”

Tears pool her eyes. She has never felt more alone. They just decide to abandon her when she needs them the most and send her away like an unwanted kitten that has become an inconvenience. “For how long?”

“Four months or more, depends on how long it takes you to have a reality check.” He mother responds.

That sentence is like a punch to her guts and a wailing sob escapes her lips. Dele lowers himself onto the bed beside her. “Trust me; it’s for the greater good.”

Bimpe’s anger flares up suddenly. They all have no clue what they’re talking about. It’s already bad enough that she feels trapped in her own mind more than half of the time but now, they’re even going to take away her freedom and ship her away to Aunty Taye’s house. Her words are muffled by her tears as she tells them that she hates all of them and will never forgive them for forsaking her.

At that moment, she wishes she had died. She gasps for air. The still burning pain of the drip that was attached to her arm numbs the feeling of rejection. Bimpe’s lungs burn as she tries to retain the oxygen in her lungs, yet, she body shakes uncontrollably from the tears that keep pooling her eyes. She’s having an anxiety attack.

She has no idea when she fell asleep but when she wakes up, the house is quiet. Nature is calling and she makes her way to the bathroom. She does her business and decides that she needs a shower. A hot one. Bimpe enters the kitchen, unconsciously thanking NEPA for giving them electricity just when she needs it the most. She needs the get rid of the fuzziness of her brain so badly and a hot water bath will do the magic; it always works. Bimpe undresses and steps into the bathroom floor, scooping some water with the bowl. Today it burns her skin. Back then, it was so cold it hurt.

Adebimpe remembers how hard her teeth were chattering while she desperately prayed to God to make some warmth descend on her. Foam lathered her body and she scrubbed so hard with the sponge until her skin threatened to tear off her bones. The ultimate feeling of cleanliness was still not there, and she violently scrubbed between her legs over and over again. She felt so dirty. The hand of Kunle’s mysterious friend kept touching her in her mind and she vomited; her body wracking convulsively. Bimpe’s stomach was so empty that she only heaved out water and nothingness. She choked dryly; her skin still wet and freezing cold. Shivers ran through her body as she went down on her knees. When she was done, her face was streaked with tears-not only from the cold but from the ultimate revelation of what she had lost. 

She felt a towel drop on her and felt Kunle’s presence even before she lifted her head. “Why?” she asks softly. “Why me?” the second question came out a lot stronger. “What did I ever do to you and your friends to deserve this?”

His eyes were fixed on her as he reached out and gently stroked her cheek. She flinched away. “You’re beautiful, Bimpe. We both wanted to date you for so long but you felt like you were too big for us: too pretty for the ugly boys. You looked down on your nose at us. So, you deserve this and every other pain that comes your way.” He pulled her up and claimed her lips; biting down on her lower lip and drawing some blood. She didn’t struggle; her body was still frozen to the bone, so she didn’t bother. His arousal pressed into her inner thigh and she pulled back and grinned at her sardonically. Kunle grabbed Bimpe’s chin and forced her to look at him. 

“Don’t fight this and it can be fun for both of us.” Her palm connected with his cheek, flinging his head to the side. Bimpe continued breathing heavily; her breath the only thing tainting the peaceful stillness of the atmosphere. A huge contrast to the violence she had endured.

The bliss didn’t last long. He pulled her roughly out of the bathroom into the hellhole where she was tied up before getting the bathroom break. The room was dark and menacing. Kunle shoved her into the room and the edge of the door’s catcher cut roughly into her arm, the darkness closed in.

Kunle closed the door behind him and fumbled for his shirt. With a wide grin, he dropped his trouser; his manhood erect.

“Ready for some more rounds?”