C4 FOUR

later woke up and it was extremely dark,I kept crying and calling his name thinking he might hear and free me, and that was how I slept in that cage with the dogs barking, sniffing and licking my body.

It was only Allah that saved me because those dogs looked very dangerous and from all indications they do bite.

Later that night the sky got angry and the sound of thunder echoed through the night, the lighting started striking and in some minutes the rain came down heavily.

I started feeling feverish, my breath started seizing and I started coughing hard, i was feeling very cold, it was my pneumonia attack

I'm a pneumonia patient,the hospital-acquired type of pneumonia which is one of the most dangerous type of pneumonia.

You get this type during a stay in a hospital, there was a time mama was very sick, she's a diabetic patient and a very chronic one, because she doesn't abide by the rules ,she eats what ever comes her way even the food the doctor stopped her from eating.

Papa bought many drugs for her from a small pharmacy in our village but she still wasn't getting better, we had to go to a small hospital though he didn't have enough money for the expenses. That was where he met Aliyu's father who paid the hospital bills for him,he came to visit a distant relative and since then they became friends

I was the one that stayed with mama through out her stay in the hospital.

She stayed in the hospital for almost 3 weeks, and that was where I got this sickness from.

I didn't know I was living with the sickness in my body till after two years, at that time, it have turned to something serious.

Papa have looked for medications from different places, even herbal medicines but things weren't getting any better. It can be serious because the bacteria causing the pneumonia can be resistant to antibiotics.

I don't know how long the rain lasted because I passed out again.

THIRD PERSON POV

The old gate man named Malam Garba went to the mosque for the morning prayers, he came back to continue his duty when he remembered what happened last night.

He quickly rushed to the cage to check if his master's wife was still alive because, he knew those dogs will surely eat her raw.

On reaching the cage his inner voice started warning him not to go anywhere near the cage for the sake of his job because his family were all relying on this job. Both his siblings,his wife and children relied on him.

He knows how wicked and inhumane his master can be, he doesn't regard the poor nor the old and he knew going to that cage can be the end of his job.

Nevertheless he made up his mind to check up on her even if it will end his job, he is still human.

It's better he save a soul than let her get injured or die because if she dies, he will never forgive himself. He will live to remember that everyday.

"Madam" he called out full of uncertainty.

When she didn't answer, he thought she was sleeping so, he knocked the cage a little but audible enough for her to hear, still there wasn't any respond.

He then became scared, he didn't know what to do next.

So he decided to run and call Aliyu. He was about to turn and execute his plan when, he heard Aliyu's voice.

"What are you doing there old man!"

Aliyu started walking majestically to where Garba stood. "I said what the hell are you doing here?"

Mr. Garba was already shivering because of the way Aliyu shouted

"She isn't moving" he said with a shaky voice.

"And what's your business with that? Is she your daughter?"

"No sir"The old man replied with tone of fear.

"What is your concern even if she dies, huh! Is she your wife or mine? She didn't come here for fun, she came to suffer. If I ever see you talk to her again, you are done for. Don't even dare go close to her ever again, do you get me."

Garba was very shocked, if not for how life turned out, why will he even come to his house working as a gateman.

"I don't deserve this humiliation" His inner voice said to him. Garba went back to his room.

"Hey get up! Get up village girl" Aliyu kept shouting but she didn't answer.

He was very annoyed, so he opened the cage door and kicked her with his leg and kept shouting

"Get up!" but no response came from her, he hissed and dragged her inside.

He opened the front door and entered the parlour, he threw her body on the couch.

"If you like don't wake up, Die" He said before leaving for his room.

He got ready for office and came down thinking she would have waken up by now, but she was still laying unconscious.

He hissed and went over to her lifeless body to hit her, but immediately he layed his palms on her face, he felt her body so cold.

"How did I not notice this when I Carried her in?" He uttered to himself.

"Wait is she dead! No way! Not in my house, she haven't received enough torture. No,she can't just go like that" Aliyu said.

He carried her lifeless body to a different hospital because if he takes her to his Father's hospital he will be in for it.

On reaching the hospital, he handed her to the nurses.

"Make sure you save her life, if not, you are all dead" he threatened.

It's not like he loves her, he just don't want to be blamed by his parents, he feared them especially his mother.

No matter all his bad behaviours, he still love and respect his mother and he fears being on her wrong end. The story was different when it came to his father, they were never on good terms with his father since when he chose the type of life he lives in now.

It all started when he clocked nineteen, he haven't been in good terms with his father and now when his father brought the issue of his marriage with a village girl from a poor background for that matter, their relationship got worst, but he couldn't go against his mother who always supported his father. It was then that he promised himself to make the village girl's life a living hell.

He remembered the night before he got married, his mother called him and adviced him not to do any harm to his wife to be.

But see what he has done, it's not up to a week to there marriage yet, He just imagined how disappointed and angry his mother will be if she find out his wife slept in the rain and fainted

"Don't make her angry, it's bad for her" the doctors always told Aliyu's Father,Aliyu and his siblings whenever his mom is brought to the hospital.

He imagined how his father will deal with him if he finds out but, that doesn't mean he's going to stop torturing the stupid girl.

All he wants is for her to wakeup so that his mother won't be disappointed in him or even suffer an attack.

After about an hour or two the doctor came out with a sad and sorrowful face, Aliyu walked up to him and asked him how she is.

"I'm sorry, we did our best..." The doctor said.

"She's dead?" Aliyu cut in

"Yes" the doctor said.