Locked In

By Opemipo Omosa

Cynthia Davis finds herself in a challenging situation as a deadly virus forces her into an unexpected lockdown in Abuja. To her surprise, she is forced to share an apartment with David Olarenwaju, a man she once loved who also left her with deep wounds.

David regrets his past actions and realizes the quarantine is an opportunity to make amends for his mistakes and possibly rekindle their love.

As they navigate the lockdown together, she is torn between the bittersweet memories and the pain he caused. His presence reignites old feelings and reopens old wounds. Is she willing to allow him into her heart again and heal from the past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Love Africa Press
• Release date: Mar 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798215712160

Opemipo Omosa

Opemipo Omosa has four published books, including her latest book, Locked In. She is a storyteller who loves writing about complex and flawed characters. She was born and raised in Abuja, Nigeria and has been writing since the age of 8.She has always felt passionate about writing as it serves as an outlet to express herself. In her words, 'I write to bring to life the imaginary people in my head'. You will find her buried in a good book or spending quality time with her family and friends when she's not writing.

Book preview

First Published in Great Britain in 2024 by

LOVE AFRICA PRESS

103 Reaver House, 12 East Street, Epsom KT17 1HX

www.loveafricapress.com

Text copyright © Opemipo Omosa, 2024

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

The right of Opemipo Omosa to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Blurb

Cynthia Davis finds herself in a challenging situation as a deadly virus forces her into an unexpected lockdown in Abuja. To her surprise, she is forced to share an apartment with David Olarenwaju, a man she once loved who also left her with deep wounds.

David regrets his past actions and realizes the quarantine is an opportunity to make amends for his mistakes and possibly rekindle their love.

As they navigate the lockdown together, she is torn between the bittersweet memories and the pain he caused. His presence reignites old feelings and reopens old wounds. Is she willing to allow him into her heart again and heal from the past?

Locked In is a gripping, heartfelt tale of love, forgiveness, and second chances.

Chapter One

…Instructed everyone to self-isolate and stay at home. All borders and airports have now been closed since the virus is most likely to spread in these areas. As a result, the authorities have currently imposed restrictions on all flights throughout the country until further notice…

Cynthia Davis looked up from her phone where she was chatting with her best friend. On The TV, a light-skinned reporter with half-shut eyes had a dull appearance. She looked from the paper put before her to the screen, presenting the words from the paper as though she was eager to be done reading.

She reached for the remote control and turned up the volume on the television.

With this significant upsurge in Covid-19 cases grappling the country, the Federal government in its bid to curb the spread of the deadly virus, has also issued a directive. The curfew takes effect from Monday next week. Therefore, citizens are advised to adhere for their best interests.

Cynthia sighed as she slumped on the cushion, wishing it was all just a bad dream. She heard of the Corona virus known as Covid-19 in January. Back then, it was a deadly disease in Wu Han, China, so there was nothing to be afraid of. However, it started spreading across countries and killing thousands of people. Nigeria faced a fast-spreading situation, which required people to isolate and take necessary measures.

Cynthia had not seen the virus as anything serious. She partly blamed it on people making funny videos and memes misrepresenting the virus like it was not a deadly virus which could be contracted from an infected person. Scary because it did not manifest until about two weeks after infection.

She turned down the volume of the TV and grabbed her phone, which she had dropped on the couch while listening to the news. Then she called her best friend of ten years.

Hello? Joy’s soft voice came through.

Babe. I just saw the news.

Wait oh. We were just chatting on WhatsApp.

Ehen?

What is so important you could not type?

I’m not joking Joy.

Me too. What if I was with one handsome bobo with huge muscles and he was about to steal a kiss and your call interrupted us?

Cynthia chuckled. That’s not possible.

What’s not possible? She imagined Joy frowning.

You would be with a hunk, and you still have time to chat with me in the first place.

True.

Of course, it’s true. Whenever you are with a guy, you forget all of us.

I have to. A girl wants to get married this year.

Grinning, Cynthia shook her head. How is your side?

My dear, everyone is on lockdown here o. Stores are closed, and the streets of Lagos are empty. I never knew a day would come when I would say this.

It even sounds weird in my ears.

But it’s true, the thing shock me, sef. This virus has scared people and now everyone is staying at home.

Who wants to die?

Abi?

So, you were talking about the news?

Yes. All airports are closed.

So, I heard o. I was even going to ask you about how you plan on coping.

I don’t even know. This is my last week and my flight is booked for Saturday and today is just Wednesday.

I don’t think it’s possible for you to travel, hon.

I don’t think so too, Cynthia sighed. My rent for this place is due on Saturday.

I am sure they will understand. No one is too wicked.

Cynthia rented a furnished apartment in Abuja instead of staying in a hotel during her holiday. Joy connected her with an agent who secured a good deal for the place.

I don’t have enough money to stay one more day here, so I really hope they will understand.

I think you should call Samantha. She will be able to help you out. At least you are in an apartment, not a hotel. Imagine if you were stuck in a hotel and all the staff ran away because they were also scared for their lives.

It would have been terrible.

You see? There is always something to be grateful for!

Thank you so much for introducing me to Samantha. She is such a darling. I can’t believe she is your ex’s cousin. I mean, Gideon was a huge jerk!

I agree with you. He has tried to break our friendship. Very petty nonsense. I wonder what I saw in him.

I wonder too. Thank God for Samantha.

I know, right? She really likes me and besides, she knows it was his fault we broke up.

Was it really his fault? Cynthia teased.

Of course. Oya, leave my phone.

Cynthia laughed as Joy hung up the phone. Her worry about the virus was surpassed only by her concern of being trapped in Abuja, far from her residence in Lagos. She had spent her three weeks’ leave away from the office on a getaway trip in Abuja under the influence of her best friend, Joy Adamu.

She worked as a customer service agent at Diligent Trust Bank in Ikoyi. She had been craving a break from complaining customers. Especially those who took it upon themselves to disrupt the peace of the bank by shouting and threatening to sue the bank.

Once, a customer complained about the bank deducting money from her account without her permission, Cynthia had asked for her ATM card. The woman, dressed in an Ankara top of a completely distinct pattern and colour from the wrapper she tied, could not bring out the card.

Her card might have been stolen and someone was withdrawing from it. But to the woman, Cynthia was speaking Spanish. She got agitated,