Ijerked awake at the sound of beeping and the source was nowhere in sight. My head reverberated with pain as I moved my hands in the dark to locate the source and shut it off.

I couldn’t see and the sound further aggravated me. My whole body ached, a reminder of the horrific events that had transpired the previous night, and then it clicked. In the darkness, I was finally reminded of how I ended up in the unfamiliarity of this strange room.

I was walking back home from school with my most trusted friend Hannah, and we were both talking about something silly, and laughing uncontrollably. Hannah and I have been quite close due to our very similar personalities.

“Umamah, I’m so scared about my result, but it makes me feel better since yours will probably be worse,” Hannah said, a huge grin appearing on her face.

“Come on, at least my legs weren’t trembling during morning speeches,” I teased Hannah, and we both burst out laughing.

We must have gotten too carried away and didn’t realise we had passed our homes and were in an unfamiliar part of the city. The sun seemed to be setting too, casting long, dark shadows that scared Hannah and me even more.

“Oh Gosh, how could we be so nerd and keep talking without realising that we have passed our houses. Hey, have we been here before?” Hannah asked me, her smile now replaced by a look of worry and fear.

I was sure we could find our way back or at least find someone who could help us. Currently, we were in some dark alleyway. We just had to find our way out to the main road and I was sure I could find my way back from there. Though the growing darkness was scaring even me, I assured Hannah we’d find our way back.

“Where do you girls think you’re going?” a raspy voice questioned from right behind us.

As we turned around, I saw a group of men carrying weapons and with looks of steel. I was frightened. Who were these people? What did they want? Was I going to leave here in one piece?

One of them started to step towards us and Hannah swiftly ran away. I was dead meat, even my best friend had left me to fend for myself!

“I wonder if her parents are wealthy; maybe she could prove to be useful after all,” a voice said from the group.

I was going to resist, no matter what. The man approaching me had a huge frame, but I was determined to escape. His hand had a strong grip on my arm and I promptly bit him, which allowed me some time to run as the man let go. I began running through this maze of alleys, desperate to find someone who could help me as the group followed. There were about six people, but I was sure I was faster than them.

After about 15 minutes of running, I’d lost all of them except one. I kept running straight ahead ... until I couldn’t. It was a dead end and the man I’d bitten was sure to beat me to a pulp. My life began to flash before my eyes as the other five members of the group caught up too. I was exhausted; I could run no more, and they all lunged at me and began to attack. I am sure some bones must’ve broken.

At this moment, I was reminded of my loved ones, even Hannah, with whom I shared some of my most cherished memories.

“This is it,” I thought to myself.

Maybe I had started hallucinating, but I could hear the sound of police sirens and, right before I slipped into unconsciousness, the group of six dispersed and I saw Hannah approaching me, reassuring me everything would be fine.

My head hurt as I remembered all this. The beeping was probably a monitor. The smell of sanitiser and alcohol wipes indicated I was at a hospital. My family came rushing in as they realised I had woken up, and so did Hannah, who was sobbing.

“I-I ran so I could dial the police. I was so scared, but I didn’t think they would hurt you this much. I’m so sorry, Umamah, please forgive me,” Hannah whispered as tears rolled down her face.

I was so glad Hannah was well and I was still alive. This incident was a lifelong lesson for both of us to be more careful when we are on our own.

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 31st, 2024