Chapter 2: No Escape

2

Ring ring ring—

Seyi and Tunde na padi. Tunde no come back since, but we no too think am serious.

Normally, Seyi and Tunde dey move together—read, chop, even bath sometimes dey gist. For hostel, if person never come back by midnight, e still dey normal, but Seyi get that padi instinct.

But as Seyi talk am, cold catch all of us.

I look Seyi face, him lips dey tremble. Nobody wan believe wetin e just talk, but the fear dey loud for everybody body.

Seyi call Tunde phone, na the ringtone wey dey outside madman body we hear.

As Seyi press call, we hear that familiar ringtone—Tunde favourite Burna Boy song—dey play faintly from the corridor. Everybody heart drop. "Omo!" Femi whisper.

I look well—na Tunde cloth e wear.

That red hoodie wey Tunde dey use form big boy, the joggers with stain. As torchlight shine for body, e confirm am.

But… Tunde just go fetch hot water na. How e take turn madman?

Tunde talk say e dey go fetch water for garri, na just thirty minutes ago. All of us dey reason, abeg, na play be this?

Na just half hour pass, e don turn like this.

The speed shock all of us—nobody fit talk again. Seyi just dey bite lip, dey shake head, as if na bad dream.

Everybody just mute, fear dey rise for our mind.

You fit feel the chill—nobody wan talk, even to breathe loud dey hard. Na this kain moment, person go remember village story.

If as supervisor talk, na disease—

Tunde na our roommate o. Wetin if we sef don catch am?

The question loud for air, but nobody wan voice am. My mind dey run, dey check my own body, dey pray say make I no begin itch.

We just sit down, dey look each other.

E be like say time stop—everybody dey do silent calculation for mind: who go first show sign? Who I go trust?

Nobody know who fit don get am already, so everybody dey guard body.

Chuka even shift go corner, dey avoid body contact. For Nigeria, if wahala like this happen, suspicion go spread pass virus.

If person just craze suddenly now, wahala go burst.

That silent agreement dey air—nobody trust anybody reach now. I dey look Seyi hand for scratch, Femi dey eye me. Tension dey climb.

Noise from corridor no stop—Tunde dey howl.

The sound dey cut through all our bone. Na that kain animal cry, like say e dey beg for help, or e dey curse the world.

Every shout dey make my body cold more.

E be like say the more he shout, the more the air inside room dey freeze. Femi even begin recite Hail Mary, small small.

Everybody dey look each other, tension full everywhere.

Musa dey sweat, him dey wipe forehead with sleeve. If pin drop, everybody fit jump.

Finally, Femi no fit hold am:

"Oga, abeg talk something. Na you be our chairmo."

Femi voice crack, e dey beg for leadership. Even me, my chest dey heavy, but I no wan show say fear don catch me.

I reason, then sigh:

"I know say everybody dey fear, but na all of us dey here."

My voice calm, I force small smile. "If anything wan happen, na together e go reach all of us." I add, "E no get as we go run, door dey blocked. Na our guy dey there, we no fit just forget am."

"If wahala dey, na all of us together."

I look everybody eye to eye. "Nobody go run leave padi. Na so e suppose be."

"Besides, we no get where to run. Tunde dey outside—we fit just leave our guy for there like that?"

My voice low, but I see say e touch everybody. Seyi wipe him face, Femi nod. Chuka sigh, say, "True talk."

Everybody nod.

Musa voice join, "E be like say na only us fit handle our matter."

Na Musa bring idea:

"I still get rope wey I use for class. Make we tie one hand each to bed."

Musa always dey carry all sort of items—rope, tape, anything. E dey proud say him dey prepared. E pull the rope from bag, show us.

"E be like say once person craze, e no dey reason again."

E talk am like person wey don witness before, maybe for village. "If craze enter, e fit strong pass two people."

"If we tie like that, even if person craze, e no go fit loose am."

Musa demonstrate as e tie one hand, show knot wey dey tight well. Musa tie him own knot tight like police handcuff, but Femi get sense—e arrange slip knot wey e fit loose sharp sharp if wahala burst.

Everybody gree.

We dey see sense inside, even if e funny. Na better than make person wake up see roommate dey bite ear.

But as we dey tie rope, I notice say Femi dey do smart—e tie slip knot for himself.

E dey act like say e tie normal, but if you look well, e fit pull hand commot fast.

E dey fear say if another person craze, e fit escape.

Femi no talk, e just dey look eye, dey monitor everybody. Seyi dey pretend say e no see, but him eye sharp too.

I no talk, I just change my own knot too.

I no wan carry last—this life na survival. E dey good to dey sharp.

Me and Femi look each other, we understand.

We just nod, no need for words. For this Naija, sharp guy no dey dull.

Bang bang bang—

Tunde dey knock again.

The banging loud, like say e wan break door. All of us jump, rope dey shake. For my mind, I dey beg God say make door no give way.

E really wan enter come meet us.

That kain determination, e be like say na only our room e want. Chuka whisper, "Why e no go another room?"

I lean for door, shift small.

I dey try peep through, but something dey block the hole. My heart dey race, sweat full my palm.

But the peephole block.

I dey use eye find why e block. Maybe person fit push am small.

I knock the door well, the thing wey block am fall commot.

Instantly, cold catch me.

I see as the thing drop, light from corridor enter. Wetin I see make my hand weak.

Tunde dey peel him own skin.

Tunde dey use finger dey drag skin from arm—blood dey pour like palm oil for market, the smell dey choke person like gutter for rainy season. Flesh dey open. I blink twice, e no be movie.

3

Tunde low growl dey echo for corridor, everybody body dey pepper.

The sound be like animal wey dey pain, like hyena wey wound for bush. Femi grip rope tighter, Seyi dey pray, "God abeg, God abeg."

I see am with my korokoro eyes—Tunde dey scratch himself everywhere.

No be small scratch—e dey dig finger inside flesh. E dey act like person wey dey fight with own body.

Blood full him body, flesh don tear everywhere.

Floor don red, wall don stain. Nobody fit talk, just dey watch with shock.

But for him face, na one kain wicked smile—like say e dey enjoy am.

That smile no get joy—na grin of person wey don lose sense, or maybe demon dey inside. The way e dey look door, e dey shine teeth, blood dey drip for gap.

Chuka wey no dey talk much, come talk:

"E fit be say e dey scratch because e dey itch."

Chuka voice dry, but sense dey inside. "Na so my cousin craze that year, e scratch till e wound self."

We pause, listen as Chuka explain:

"Sometimes, the way body dey itch fit make person run mad. To stop the itch, pain na the only way."

"Mosquito wey get poison, if e bite you, e go itch well well."

Chuka use hand demonstrate for leg, as if e dey act the pain. Seyi nod, say, "True, e happen for village that year."

"To stop am, na to scratch till wound come out."

Old woman for my street dey do am that year—once e start, e no go stop till blood come out. The matter serious.

I remember that year for village, when one woman begin craze after picking snail for bush—dem say na spirit enter am.

E make sense.

Everybody dey reason—e fit be say na medical wahala. Or spiritual?

Tunde just dey scratch, like say e wan comot him skin.

E scratch arm, neck, even for face. Na only small small flesh dey hang, as if e dey try remove something inside.

No single part of him body remain wey never wound.

E resemble say if e get mirror, e for scrape eye join. The pain no dey show for face, just that wicked smile.

Blood and pus just dey drip, e even use am rub wall.

Corridor don turn abattoir—red everywhere, hostel tiles dey shine with stain. Femi dey hold nose, me I dey swallow spit.

How the thing dey itch am reach like this?

Nobody fit answer. Seyi just dey shake head, say, "E pass malaria, na strong thing."

Me I no fit imagine.

In my life, I never see this kind wahala. E be like say something dey move under skin.

But na just our guess be that.

Everybody dey hope say e go just faint.

No be only us dey see am.

Other hostel people dey see am too, dem begin complain for group:

"Uncle, you sure say na ordinary disease be this? This thing dey fear person."

One boy drop picture for group—na Tunde leg wey skin don tear. Caption: "I swear, juju dey inside."

Supervisor just drop official message:

"Abeg, make una stay inside. School go handle am."

No be today school dey use "official" talk do nothing. Na so dem do when generator burn last semester.

But na then one senior from Room 503 talk:

"This thing don too fear me. E be like say juju dey inside this hostel."

Room 503 people dey always reason deep. The senior, Olamide, na Yoruba, e sabi all those old school stories. Once e talk, everybody go pay attention.

Na so everybody begin talk:

"E fit be! Maybe something really happen, school just dey hide am."

Another person say, "That land wey dem build hostel, e no pure. Old mama for junction talk am."

"This school sef, to collect money dem quick, but if wahala show, dem no send."

Some dey drop prayer, others dey talk say make person call pastor. Everybody dey para.

As danger dey near, who go calm?

You go know say fear don catch everybody when even the hard boys for final year dey drop prayer hands.

Supervisor come threaten with official talk:

"503, no dey spread rumour. Make una believe science."

Supervisor voice dey shake small. Maybe e dey fear say management go blame am if story spread.

"If you continue, school go punish you."

Everybody hiss—na so dem dey always use threat hold person for Nigeria.

503 just drop bitter smile emoji:

"Na just talk I talk—everybody use your sense. I still need my NYSC slot, no wan collect punishment."

The group burst laugh emoji, but na nervous laugh. Olamide sabi say for Nigeria, if dem cancel your NYSC, na big wahala.

People support am:

"Senior, no fear. If dem cancel your slot because of this, we go help you drag them."

One person even drop, "Na human rights wahala be that."

But 503 no talk again.

Olamide just ghost. For Naija, once wahala don reach government hand, everybody lock up.

Suddenly, everywhere for corridor quiet.

The quiet loud—no voice, no knock, nothing. I hold breath, my own heart dey knock.

I peep—Tunde don tear him belle, intestine don fall for ground.

I sharply @ supervisor:

"Uncle, abeg go look! E dey die—intestine don commot!"

I type like say I dey beg for my life. Other people dey drop "Jesus!" "God!" "Ah!" for chat. Nobody fit believe.

Tunde dey howl. The sound no be human again. For my mind, I dey pray say make morning quick reach, but night just dey drag like NEPA bill.