The occurring gun shoot war appeared no less than an open conflict as if involving direct military engagements. It was a horrifying experience to come face to face.

Benson was smart enough to know that it’s not safe to run in either direction. If they did, there was a chance of them getting shot by a bullet. So he decided that the best option would be to swim in the lake. He knew if they jump into the lake with the heavy box, the weight could cause them trouble.

Antony pointed to the small holes on the top and sides of the box, and they wondered why. They decided to open the box and divide whatever the contents were inside into three parts and then jump into the water. But nothing could’ve prepared them for what they saw in the box. When they opened that heavy silver box, they saw a half-folded baby stroller inside, and Benson pulled the zipper of the cover.

“Jesus Christ!” All three of them exclaimed simultaneously. Inside the silver box, instead of money or drugs, they found a baby.. Four or five months old baby securely fastened to the belt attached to the box stared at them with big green eyes.

Liezel smiled at the baby and picked it up in her arms. Benson wrapped the bundle of money, envelope and the letter in a plastic cover and tucked it inside his shirt. He decided, they would discuss what to do with the baby later, but for now, they’d to escape this terror first.

Two bodies dropped at their feet as a car blew, and Liezel screamed in horror.

“Lizzy, wake up. You’re having a nightmare. Open your eyes. Wake up, Lizzy.” Benson shook his wife’s shoulder roughly, trying to wake her up from her nightmare. He heard her screaming, loud enough to wake him up from his deep sleep. She was still screaming in her sleep, thrashing and turning in the bed. He searched for the little bedside lamp, but in his haste attempt to switch it on, he accidentally knocked it off.

He saw Liezel flinching and bringing her hands up to cover her face at the sound of the lamp crashing to the floor. The light coming through the window hardly illuminate the room, but he could see her eyes closed shut, squeezing the eyelids in absolute fear. Cursing at the mess he made on the floor, he carefully walked to the window, avoiding the pieces of glass as best he could in that hardly illuminated room.

Opening the windows wide, he switched the lights on and hurried back to the bed. Lightly tapping on Liezel’s cheeks, he called her name loudly. Her body covered in sweat, and her cheeks were wet with tears when she opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to come out of her fear.

“It had almost been five years, Lizzy. You still dream about that incident. It’s time you get over it, Lizzy,” he said, stroking her hair in a comforting manner. The sweating had made her hair a damp mess. “I tried, Ben, you know it. But it’s hard to forget. This time it felt so real, Ben. I’m so scared,” Liezel said. He sighed, wiping her tears. She hugged him tightly, still sobbing.

“Don’t you think it’s time to share the truth? Hera will turn five tomorrow, Ben. We should tell her,” she said in a suggestive tone as she stared at her husband, pleading him with her teary eyes, only to find him narrowing his eyes in warning. “And tell her what, Lizzy? That she’s not related to us in any way? That so many people died because of her? Or that we’re hiding to protect ourselves from being killed?” He yelled, walking away from her.

He was tired of having that same conversation over and over with his wife. Every year on Hera’s birthday, she would become an emotional mess and try to guilt-trip him. It irked him that she refused to see the logic. It wasn’t like he’d any choice. She knew very well that he was as helpless as her.

“It’s not her fault, Ben. We never delivered her to the said address,” she snapped angrily, and he looked away to hide his guilt. “We were petty criminals, Ben. We got involved in pickpocketing, alcohol, drug peddling even. But never in kidnapping and murder. Nevertheless, you were greedy enough to steal that newborn infant,” Liezel said accusingly. She covered her face with her palms, crying her heart out.

Helplessly, Benson walked back to her and pried her hands off her face. Palming her face, he tried to smile. “I did it for you and Danny okay. You know I never meant any harm. I only wanted to make some money for us, to have a better life. I thought her family was loaded and we could get it out of them through her,” he confessed, and her gaze softened.

She noticed his tired face and guilt squeezed at her heart. He had dark circles around his eyes, and she could tell he was physically exhausted. He’d travelled day and night for the goods delivery and hadn’t slept a wink.

She held his hands and tried to convince him. “We can still make everything right, Ben. Let’s find her parents. I’m tired of running. I want to stay in one place with my son. Our only son’s childhood is suffering because of our sins, Ben. Please, let’s make it right for him,” she said with a pleading tone, wiping her tear-stained cheeks.

Benson scoffed in return. It wasn’t that easy for him to digest the truth. That day when people were dying to save that baby, he only thought of her wealthy parents and the money he could extract from them. He didn’t know then that the baby belonged to Alexander Hunter. “You know the truth very well, Lizzy. Alexander Hunter is not some petty criminal or a gang leader. Even Mafia leaders are afraid of him. He’s that powerful and dangerous. He’ll kill us, Lizzy. We can’t go to him,” he said with finality trying to put some sense into her.

He didn’t wait for her to react and went inside the bathroom to avoid further conversation before she had a chance to respond. Liezel sighed in defeat. “End of the conversation, I guess,” she murmured to herself.

Her thoughts drifted into the past, reliving the day they saw Hera for the first time. She remembered everything, even to this day.

On that horrible day, when all the cars blew to ashes and dead bodies littered around them, their first instinct was to jump into the lake to save themselves. But something stopped them from abandoning the baby. Liezel was concerned for the baby’s life while Benson and Antony had different motives. The baby was a ticket to a new refined and better future they could have if they save the life of that baby for now.

Hastily, they dragged the stroller out of that box and secured the belts around the baby in it. Liezel put her son’s waterproof Jacket around the baby. They prayed that the Jacket and the plastic cover of the stroller would keep the baby safe in the cold water. Antony removed his shirt and tore it into two parts. Benson tied the stroller on Antony’s back using the torn shirt pieces like a rope. Without wasting any more time, they all jumped into the lake.