Next morning Carla and Habib had breakfast, and went to the prison.
Its outer wall was about 4m high and topped with razor wire; but in any case, the rough stone used to build it offered no tangible foot or toehold.
Carla passed through the large dilapidated timber doors in the outer wall, as they creaked open. They were symbolic of the misery and injustice that lay beyond and positively screamed that humanity did not exist in here; this was hell on earth from a westerner’s perspective.
The guards were slovenly and leered lustfully at her angelic face and fragile body. It was like offering fresh cut prime steak to a pack of hungry wolves, the more the blood dripped from the steak the more they held back to enjoy the salivation.
The walk across the compound to the inner entrance was sweltering, but Carla felt like ice inside, resigned to the imminent violation of her body. Habib was quite jittery as well, he feared what her reaction would be if they touched her. She was with him, so he too would suffer their wrath if she did not comply.
They approached a single door leading into the prison building. The guard lurched away from the wall, rifle at the ready, across his body. He shouted a command to someone inside and the heavy door creaked open. It was too dark to see inside, after the glare of the sand and the light colored walls in the compound.
Several seconds elapsed before Carla could make out any shapes in the shadows, but the guard pushed Carla and Habib forward, sniggering as they both stumbled and felt ahead with their feet. He saw this with every visitor, but there was nothing else to amuse him, and it was a highlight of his day.
Up ahead, another guard stepped out from the shadows and called them forward. Like a shark sensing chum in the water, he waited until they came closer and blocked their way, directing them through the doorway from which he had stepped out. This was the search room.
Another guard, just a young boy, had to pat down Habib. Satisfied that he carried no weapon, drugs, or mobile phone, he waited outside with Habib and closed the door.
Carla and the older guard were now alone in the search room. Her eyes gradually became accustomed to the gloom and she could make out a solid wooden chair and a very tired, stained leather examination couch, in the otherwise empty room.
The grit on the dirty stone floor crunched underfoot, and the sound echoed off the bare walls.
“Remove your clothes, all of them; on the orders of the Commandant, I must search your body for weapons, drugs, mobile phones and any other items you are forbidden to bring in here.”
“Fine, but only if a woman searches me,” retorted Carla.
“There is no woman here to do it,” the guard snapped, irked that a girl would challenge him. He would take considerable pleasure in humiliating her now.
“Then I want the man I came with, in here as well,” she demanded.
“No, he has to stay outside. If you don’t cooperate, you will be arrested and kept in prison; you don’t want that, do you,” he sneered.
Carla turned away and removed her clothes, draping them on the chair. When she was undressed, he came over and ran his rough hands over her firm, smooth white skin. He gripped her shoulders and turned her to face away from him. With his hands cupping her breasts, he pulled her close whilst forcing his pelvis firmly into her pert buttocks.
“You won’t find anything there,” she shouted loudly.
He let her go and told her to lie on the couch, on her back. Grabbing her by the ankles he dragged her bottom to the end of the couch. He bent her legs, pushing her knees apart and told her to remain in that position, while he fingered her private parts. Finally, he jabbed his wet finger in her anus making her shout out in pain.
“You’re done” he said sullenly, disappointed she was so passive.
She threw her used wet wipe on the floor, and quickly got dressed.
Carla turned and stared hard into the man, fixing every fact and feature in her mind. She would be able to pick him out even in a crowded stadium; he could disguise himself but still she would find him.
He shifted uncomfortably, and commanded her to go. He would remember her also!
Habib looked very relieved to see her coming out of the room. The young boy guard ushered them across a small quadrangle, into the actual prison cell area.
The receiving guard looked up Anita’s name and the cell where she was being held, instructing another guard to take them to Anita.
The cell door was solid, except for a small-hinged door at head height, which covered the small viewing opening with closely spaced bars. Carla noted the cell door was particularly tall, about 0.5m taller than a typical westerner’s door, and above that was a large opening with more widely spaced bars, to let light and ventilation into the 3 meter square cell.
Anita was huddled in the far corner, in a dirty state and obviously badly treated. Three other women were in there, and a small naked child. The bare stone floor was filthy, there was no sign of any furniture, just a squat toilet. A change in air movement wafted the stench of the confined room to Carla’s sensitive nostrils. Bile rose up in her throat, and she had to swallow hard to keep it down.
“Anita! Anita!” Carla called out, urgently.
Slowly the woman looked up to see who was calling her name, or was it a dream? It must be a dream, and she looked away.
“Anita!” Carla shouted, again. “My name is Carla Day. Sam Leighton sent me to see you.”
Anita looked up quickly this time; she made a supreme effort to stand and walked over to Carla.
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice quavering as she forced herself to think and speak. “What do you want with me?”
“As I said my name is Carla, do you remember? Sam Leighton spoke to you recently, he asked me to accompany you back to Italy.”
The realization of what Carla had said startled her and she became agitated. “Don’t say any more, I have to get out of here before I can help Sam. Is there anything you can do about that?”
“I am working on it,” said Carla, “I will get a message back to you when I have a positive solution.
“You are sick, aren’t you?”
“I am in considerable pain; I think there is some inflammation in my abdomen, probably something I have eaten. I have asked for medical attention, but they have ignored me.”
“I will see about that as well” assured Carla, “I will try and deal with that now.”
They said their goodbyes and Carla asked to speak to the Commandant. The guard refused her request out of hand, and forcibly escorted her back to where Habib was waiting.
Carla was furious and hissed “let’s get out of here, quickly!”