Ruth's pov
Saturday started slow.
I washed the plates, swept the compound, and cleaned every corner I could find. By noon, we headed to church to sweep and tidy up.
Afterwards, I rushed home to get ready for our home-to-home visitation. I had just finished tying my scarf when my phone rang.
"Sister Ruth, I can't come… I'm so sick," Brother Johnson's voice sounded weak over the phone.
"Oh no! Brother Johnson, the Lord is your strength. I'm so sorry. Please rest, okay?"
He muttered a weak "Amen" and ended the call.
I stood by my door, holding my Bible, torn between going alone or staying back. Should I go home? I shouldn't go alone… But something inside me nudged.
"Go."
So, I did. I picked a few houses on my list and began knocking, greeting, and sharing God's Word. It was peaceful… until I saw David.
"Brother David!" I smiled, surprised. "How are you?"
"Fine oh," he replied, slightly reserved.
I asked, "Hope you've gone for your own visitation?"
He scoffed, "No joor. Besides, I don't have Jessica's number."
Excuses.
"Okay then, come with me. I'm doing mine."
He raised a brow, clearly considering the escape.
"I don't even know how to preach. What can I say?"
"Don't worry," I reassured him with a smile. "I'll do the talking."
After some hesitation, he shrugged.
We started walking together. I talked, he watched. We had just finished at one house when suddenly—
A black SUV swerved and stopped in front of us.
Four huge men jumped out.
"Hey! Enter!" one of them barked.
David's face turned pale.
"Tayo please," he pleaded. "Give me time. I'll pay."
I froze, confused.
Before I could step away, one of the men grabbed me roughly.
"Let her go!" I shouted.
"Shut up and move!" he growled, shoving me toward the car.
"What?! I didn't do anything!" I cried, trying to resist.
But my hands were weak. My Bible fell to the ground as I was forced into the backseat.
David tried to stop them, but they pushed him in too.
The door slammed shut.
My heart was pounding.
What had David gotten me into?
Where were we going?
God, help me.
Here's a continuation of your story in Ruth's POV:
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They kept driving for what felt like forever.
The car finally screeched to a stop in front of an abandoned-looking building. The door flung open.
"Get down now!" one of them barked.
We were shoved out roughly and dragged into a dark, musty room with a single flickering bulb overhead.
"Kneel down!" they screamed again.
I fell to my knees, trembling. My heart was thudding so loud, I was sure they could hear it. I kept muttering under my breath,
"Jesus, please… Jesus, help me…"
"Ok Ruth, you'll be okay… just stay calm… just stay calm…"
Then the door creaked, and another man stepped in — taller, colder, dead in the eyes.
He stared directly at David.
"David. Where is my money?"
David's voice shook. "Please… I'll give you. Just give me time."
"I don't have time," the man growled. "I need my money now."
Then they began hitting him.
One slap. A kick. Another punch.
"Pay the money!"
I tried to crawl away, my arms weak from fear.
Then one of the men — the huge one who'd dragged me earlier — turned to the leader.
"Why not let him pay with his friend here?"
His eyes trailed over me like a predator.
"Let her be for me… and then you go. All debt off your head."
My head snapped up.
"No… no!" I screamed.
"Answer fast, David," the man said coldly. "It's either the money… or the girl."
David looked at me.
Right at me.
Then he said, "Okay."
Just like that.
I stared at him, my eyes wide.
"David…?"
I whispered, my throat dry.
He didn't look away. He stood up… and smiled.
"At least I'm free from my debts," he said.
I felt like my heart cracked open.
"David! No! Don't do this—please—"
But he turned his back.
He walked to the door.
And he left me there.
Alone.
With them.
Tears ran down my face. Not just from fear… but from betrayal.
I had once prayed for this boy. I had called him Brother David.
Now I was just the payment.
God… where are You? Please… don't let this be happen
I don't know how long I was out.
But when I opened my eyes, the room was dim. My head was heavy. My limbs, weak.
Something wasn't right.
Where am I?
I tried to sit up my hands trembled. My mouth was dry. The walls around me were bare.
Then I heard footsteps.
The door creaked open.
A woman entered first, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. Then a man walked in behind her.
The woman smirked,
"Na she be the virgin wey you talk about?"
The man grinned.
"Yes now, na why the money high."
My stomach twisted.
"No problem," the man said.
The woman turned and left, shutting the door.
It was just me and him.
He stepped closer, slowly, like a hunter cornering prey.
"Fine girl… relax. I go treat you well."
I backed away, my whole body shaking.
"Please… please don't…" I whispered.
But he didn't care.
That night…
was when the nightmare truly began.
That night stripped something from me.
I became something I didn't recognize. I felt… ruined.
Dirty.
Alone.
God… where were You?
Tears soaked the pillow they gave me. My voice was gone from screaming. My soul bruised.
But even in the deepest darkness, something inside whispered,
"You're still mine."
I am not what was done to me… I am still Ruth. I am still Yours, Lord… aren't I?
It kept happening
Present Time: And That's How I Got Here
The butterfly fluttered again, and I blinked back the tears threatening to fall. In that brief moment, I almost felt like that girl again the girl who was whole, who had dreams, and who thought the world was good and just. But that was before everything changed.
The warmth of that memory, of my faith, and the simplicity of those moments, slowly faded away like the last rays of sunlight at dusk. That girl, the Ruth of the past, the one with hope and love in her heart, was no longer here. I couldn't go back to that.
I looked around the cold, barren room its walls dark, the air heavy. The same heaviness I felt in my heart.
And that's how I got here.
The rape kept happening. For a long time, I no longer cried. I had cried enough to empty the tears from my soul. The pain had become a part of me, like the air I breathed, cold and suffocating. I became numb, existing but not really living. The girl I used to be, full of dreams and hope, was just a distant memory now, a shadow of the past that felt almost like someone else's life.
I was no longer that girl, and the world that had once felt so full of possibility was gone, replaced by this endless nightmare.