Chapter 2 Chaos

Raging fire with thick black smoke was billowing from the bus-stop. People were running helter-skelter for shelter, some people were staggering away from the bus stop with deep gashes dripping with blood all over their bodies.

A man who had clearly fainted with half of his right leg gone was carried hurriedly in a wheelbarrow, probably to the nearest hospital which was down the road.

"What could be the problem? I just came in through there just now" she asked towards the rest of the staffs that was standing with her on the balcony. They were all panic-stricken, fear for their lives clearly written all over their faces.

"I will go and find out said a male colleague who quickly rushed towards the staircase before anybody could stop him. They all saw him went out of the gate, running towards the bus-stop.

He soon came back after like ten minutes that he left, he was crying hysterically, even as a man. He sat on the ground inside the gate and started recounting what he saw...

"Oh my God! This is terrible! How could some people be this wicked!? Somebody detonated a bomb in a fully loaded 60-seater bus that was heading towards Lagos. It is horrible! Burning bodies hung from the windows, separate people's parts strewn everywhere.

Oh my lord!" That poor, poor woman selling snacks at the bus stop..." he couldn't continue again as he put his head in-between his legs and bellow out a heart-wrenching sob.

They were all looking down at him from the safety of the balcony where they were standing, silently crying. Who would console who? They were all in it together, the terrible society they found themselves living in.

Somebody suddenly banged very hard on the gate and shouted "run for your lives, someone said they are targeting all Christians again!"

Hearing this, the image of her daughter flashed through her muddled up mind " oh God! Please no! I need to get to my baby, her creche is located inside a church"

She said to no one in particular as she quickly grabbed her handbag and ran like she was being chased by demons down the stairs.

When she got to the gate, the security men stopped her from going out since they believed the staffs were safer inside than outside, the building was owned by a retired military man. No hoodlum would dear come near it.

"You heard that didn't you!? Please open the gate, I need to go get my baby, her creche is located inside a church" she shouted at the security men with anger.

"Please open the gate for her so she could go get her baby" A female colleague who was a Muslim interjected. She quickly removed the long Qimar she was wearing leaving only a small scarf covering her hair and handed it over to Julianna.

"Take, wear this to cover youself from their evil eyes, may Allah be with you"

Another Muslim male colleague who owned a bike offered to take and drop her halfway because he had to go see to his own family too.

He took her on high speed through shortcuts, roads she was not familiar with before stopping the bike on a secluded dirt road.

"This is as far as I can go..." he said with his heavily assented Hausa English. "May Allah be with you"

"Please wait...where is this place? I'm not familiar with this road, how do I find my way to where I'm going?"

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Badariya-Church"

"Okay..." He paused for some seconds like he was considering something, then he bent down and removed his shoes, then the socks he was wearing underneath before handing the pair of socks over to her.

"Wear this, your bare legs are visible under the Qimar. Women don't dress like that in this part and you have to blend in if you don't want to draw attention to yourself."

"You have to be brave, do not let them see fear on your face because this route..." he pointed to another dirt road by her left "...is faster to Badariya, but filled with all this uncultured almajiri boys.

They might stop you to ask you to go back home, just tell them you are looking for your son whom you sent on an errand. How's your Hausa?"

"Very fluent"

"Very good then, go straight down, it's about ten minutes walk and it leads to the major road that links Badariya. You should be able to find your way from there. May Allah's protection be upon you"

"Amen, thank you very much"