Chapter 3: Horror Unleashed

4

Tunde collapse for ground. At some point, the stairwell mirror don break.

Person post video—mirror for corridor don shatter, glass pieces everywhere, as if fight break out.

Big glass piece dey inside Tunde belle, and e hold another shard, blood full him hand.

E dey use am like knife, scraping body. My eye dey blur, but I no fit stop to look. Seyi dey cry, Femi dey tremble.

Tunde fit talk small, but e still dey craze.

The way e dey mumble, e sound like person wey dey dream or dey under spell.

E use the glass dey scrape wound for him body:

"Scales, I no want scales. I must scrape all of them commot."

"Scrape all of them commot."

E repeat am, voice dey thin, eye dey roll. The thing get as e be. Chuka whisper, "Wetin be scales?"

Tunde voice dey low—e dey die.

The way e talk, na last energy e dey use. The blood for ground dey form small pool, e dey slide hand inside, as if e wan wash something off.

Blood dey pour like palm oil for market, the smell dey choke person like gutter for rainy season.

Dem post the video for group chat, everybody body cold.

Once video enter, some people begin shout, some dey cry. Person drop, "Na so zombie dey start for film."

Wetin we see, na something wey pass our power to understand.

If not be say na live video, nobody for believe.

Person talk:

"E fit be say e offend something? Like…"

One guy from Kogi ask, "Una sure say e no collect wrong food from canteen?" but e no finish talk. The spiritual talk start.

E no finish, but northern juju talk don start fly.

Some dey talk about village people, others dey mention mad spirits wey dey hunt students. Even my own mind dey wander, but I dey fight am.

Even my own roommates dey reason am, small believe, small doubt.

Everybody dey do as if dem no believe, but deep down, fear dey work.

Seyi ask me:

"Oga, you think say Tunde really…"

E dey hope make I give comfort answer. For Naija, once leader show small confidence, others dey follow.

I shake head:

"I no believe. All those stories we don hear, but nobody don ever see am for real."

"No be just me—even for this whole school, who don see juju with eye before? Na coincidence jare."

I try laugh small, but my voice no strong. I dey use logic fight fear, but spirit inside room thick pass ordinary.

Everybody gree.

Chuka smile weakly. Femi say, "True true, na just unlucky day."

Na only Musa dey fear:

"This one bad o. If na disease, see as e be—everybody don finish."

Musa begin dey shake, e dey wipe sweat. Some dey vex for am, "Abeg, no dey talk negative."

Others just hiss, no answer am.

Person drop, "If disease kill all of us, na school dem go blame."

That one sabi make things worse.

For every group, na Musa type dey make panic rise. Chuka just side-eye am, say, "Abeg, close mouth."

Small time, supervisor drop message:

"Make una no come out. I dey go check the madman condition."

E dey try form brave, but you fit read the shakiness for the text. "I dey come with hammer," e add, like say na comic book.

That one calm people small—nobody dey abuse staff again.

People dey drop "God protect you" for group. Some dey use prayer cover the supervisor.

Supervisor waka from ground floor reach third floor, claw hammer for hand.

E dey record with phone, show for group. The video dey shake, but you fit see hammer, hand dey tremble.

Within minutes, Tunde don die, nothing fit save am again.

As supervisor dey approach, Tunde no dey move again. Some dey ask, "E sure say e no dey pretend?"

Him corpse just dey middle of corridor.

E lie flat, intestine outside, blood dey spread like small river. Hostel girls dey cry, boys dey mute.

People dey drop update for group as dem dey peep.

Some dey risk am, open door small to see. Video dey enter group back to back.

Supervisor reach third floor, e waka near the body gently.

E dey do cross sign, dey recite short prayer. "God abeg o," e dey mutter. For Nigeria, even agnostic go remember God for this kain moment.

E hold the hammer tight, fear say the corpse fit move.

E stand well, dey balance as if e dey ready for fight. Eye no blink, e dey sweat like goat for Sallah, body dey shake. Even the hardest boys quiet—fear grip everybody.

But before e reach am, supervisor begin vomit.

Na that kain heavy vomiting—sound like person wey dey purge. Everybody hear am, group chat dey blow up.

The blood smell and everything too much.

You go think say supervisor strong, but e lose composure. Some dey shout, "Uncle no die for us o!"

Normal person never see this kain thing before.

Even for Nigeria, na only for village story or accident you go see this type. Hostel never jam this kind thing since school start.

As e dey vomit, the whole hostel dey hear the sound.

Some dey laugh nervous laugh, others dey fear say e go collapse. Femi whisper, "If uncle craze now, na finish."

For us students, e even hard more.

We dey inside room, rope for hand, door dey shake, everybody mind dey scatter. I dey pray make nothing extra happen.

Supervisor shake head, but still force himself go near.

E strong mind—wipe mouth, spit, move forward. For Nigeria, sometimes na pride dey push person.

Even though na early rainy season, the blood smell don already bring mosquito and fly full everywhere.

You fit hear mosquito buzz, fly dey land for blood, supervisor dey wave hand, dey slap neck.

E dey slap him neck, dey chase insect.

The scene nasty—nobody go fit chop for two days after this. Hostel corridor don turn to abattoir.

We dey watch supervisor and the corpse well.

Femi dey try record from window, me I dey pray make nothing jump from body.

But next second, supervisor freeze.

You go know when cold catch person, e just stand, body no move. For phone, video dey shake small.

I press my face for peephole, dey try see wetin happen.

The angle tight, but I see supervisor bend near body, then e just stiff. Seyi hold my shoulder, whisper, "Abeg, shift make I see."

Suddenly, supervisor face fill the peephole—him eyes roll back, foam dey come out for him mouth—e don craze join.

The way e face show for peephole, na like horror film. Eyes white, saliva dey drip, head dey shake. For group chat, person type: "Na wah o! This one don pass normal wahala!" My hand dey shake, my chest dey vibrate. For that moment, I believe—juju truly dey this hostel. If anybody survive this night, story go spread reach every street for campus.