Chapter 3: Blood for Corridor

Everywhere quiet.

Na graveyard kind silence. Nobody fit move, nobody fit talk. Some dey sweat, even cold still dey outside. One person clear throat, but e no talk.

Three years don pass; nobody ever mention that girl name since then.

After Amaka die, her matter turn forbidden gist. Even for group chat, if person try type her name, dem go quickly change topic to football or NEPA wahala.

“Nobody wan talk?”

Musa voice for loudspeaker come sharp, dey mock us: “Hehe. Okay, make I add small something for una.”

The mocking tone sting. The way he drag the ‘hehe’ make my skin crawl. For Naija, this kind tone na person wey don lose patience.

Just like last night, words flash for my eye again.

Na so my spirit just dey waka. My head dey pound like generator wey no get oil. As the words flash, I dey reason say this na real-life wahala.

E be like say voice from another world dey mock us—inside my head, I dey hear...

[Barrage]

“Sofa, sofa, show don start.”

“The poison gas wey Musa prepare no go fit kill all of them. How many una think go die within one hour?”

“I bet ten.”

“Only ten out of forty-seven? Abeg. At least make half of them die—na then e go sweet.”

[End of barrage]

As fear dey catch me, na so one kind strong smell begin spread.

Na chemical smell wey pass the usual lab odour. E hot for throat, eye begin tear. I wan shout, but voice no gree come out.

Others smell am too.

Some dey shout, “Who dey boil chemical? Abeg, I no wan die!” Even boys wey dey gym their chest, their voice dey crack now.

Na so wahala burst, people begin shout.

The noise reach market level. Some dey run, some dey push, even shoe fly. Somebody break beaker, the thing scatter for floor.

For Naija, if you hear chemical smell, na to run sharp-sharp or cover nose—nobody wan become headline.

One person shout, “Find water, wet your cloth, cover your nose and mouth!”

As per Naija survival sense, that one na sharp idea. For chemistry lab, we dey always get stories of people wey survive by quick action.

But as the building go soon demolish, water no dey run for the lab again.

Tap dry like Lagos government tank. One guy slap tap, curse, “NEPA and waterboard don finish us!”

Two girls rush bring out bottled water, but as dem wan open am, other people snatch the bottle from their hand.

E turn pure water riot. People dey drag, shirt dey tear, even one girl slap boy because of last drop. The bottle fall, roll under table, two boys nearly fight because of am.

Na so everybody dey drag, push, fight—before you know, more than half of the water don pour for ground. Nobody really get any.

Na so Naija dey—if small tin dey, e go finish sharp sharp when everybody dey drag. Nobody gree lose, everybody dey hustle for head.

Me, I just hold my backpack, step back, dey remember say I carry one bottle of water from the reunion. I no talk anything, just dey quiet.

I hide am for my back, dey press am for armpit. As I dey see the wahala, I just dey pray make nobody reason my side.

At least for now, I fit endure.

As I dey swallow spit, my mouth dry. I dey look my bottle like say e be gold.

E be like say voice from another world dey mock us—inside my head, I dey hear...

[Barrage]

“E don start, e don start, see as dem dey fight themselves.”

“I dey enjoy this kind wahala. If I dey go hell, all of una dey follow me.”

“Hahaha, I dey support una.”

[End of barrage]

The big sports guy no fit hold am again.

Na bouncer for class—if e no shout, wahala never start. Now, as e stand, sweat dey drip for him face. Even as e talk, e chest dey vibrate.

“Musa, you dey craze! No be because of wetin happen between you and Amaka all this wahala start?”

The tension high. Everybody stop, dey look big guy and speaker. Nobody fit talk back, nobody fit stop am.

“You carry this matter for head just to ask question? The girl don die, why you no do something since? Even if I sabi, I no go tell you!”

He dey shout, spit dey fly for him mouth. He cross hand, chest dey pump. One girl try drag am back, but e no gree.

“Free us abeg! You know say them go demolish this building soon, you wan make all of us die with your babe?”

Boys begin murmur. The way big guy dey talk, some dey nod, some dey avoid eye, one girl dey whisper prayer. But fear still dey their eyes.

Before he finish, one loud screech just blast from loudspeaker—

The kind sound wey fit wake dead man. Everybody cover ear, one babe fall for ground, dey roll. The screech drag, like okada wey get brake problem.

Everybody cover ear, pain wan kill us.

Na real pain. I press my ear so tight, I think say blood go come out. Small Seyi dey shout, “God abeg, make e stop!”

“You dey mad? Free us make we commot!”

The big guy voice no dey quiver. He still dey shout, but this time, voice dey break. As e try talk, e leg dey shake.

The big guy no gree, just dey shout.

Nobody wan challenge am. Even the stubborn boys keep quiet. The girls dey hug themselves, dey shiver. One babe dey sob, “I no wan die, I never marry!”

Truth be say, na after Amaka die people begin talk about Musa and her.

Na so school rumour dey run. Everybody dey talk, but nobody gree carry truth for mouth. Some say dem dey see Musa and Amaka for back of library, others just dey add salt to story.

Nobody sabi who first carry the gist.

E fit be one of those SS1 girls, or maybe na housemaster. That time, rumour just dey fly like mosquito for rainy season.

Dem talk say the innocent girl don follow one big man pikin sleep.

For school, once person get small beauty, people go dey yarn nonsense. The gist sef no get head or tail. Na so Naija secondary school dey be.

As for why Musa papa suddenly get money six years ago, nobody fit talk true.

Dem say e win contract for local government, others talk say na Yahoo. But nobody fit point finger. Even that time, Musa no dey talk plenty.

The big guy spit for hand, curse, go try open classroom door by force.

He rub spit for palm, curse under breath, “Thunder fire this door!” For Naija, if you wan use extra power, na so e dey start.

Biology lab get two doors: one na wood, one na iron.

The wooden one old, paint don peel, the iron one heavy, black like night. E dey always get one loud squeak if you touch am for normal day.

He open the wooden one, but as he touch the iron, spark just fly—him whole arm black like charcoal, he fall, dey roll for ground dey shout.

Everybody shock! The spark na like NEPA transformer. The boys jump back, some girls scream. The smell of burnt flesh hit us—like when suya burn for grill, but this one bitter. Some people rush, but the shock dey fear dem.

E be like say voice from another world dey mock us—inside my head, I dey hear...

[Barrage]

“Chai, see mumu. If dem lock una inside, you no know say trap go dey? If you dey act like this, how you wan survive?”

“Guy, you don lose. Send the money sharp sharp. Who go guess the next trap?”

“I bet say next one go kill person. Who wan bet?”

[End of barrage]

Some people dey laugh inside fear. But others just dey shake. As for me, my mind dey travel—who set all these trap for us?

Musa voice for loudspeaker come soft, dey pity us.

The tone change. You fit hear small tears for the voice. But that kin pity, e no reach my bone. Everybody just dey look speaker.

He ask the forty-seven of us wey remain: “Anybody still wan commot?”

The question hang for air, nobody answer. All of us dey fear. Even those wey form hard guy before, their body cool.