The Chronicles X - Dead Men

A gust of wind blew through the campus grounds on a Saturday evening, picking up all manner of dead leaves littered across the academic landscape. Like some mythical spirit, it seemed to give life to the leaves as they became airborne, jetting through slight billowing clouds of hardly seen dust.

The gust became stronger and picked more strength from a quadrangle area housing a gathering of trees that stood next to where the powerful faculty structures lay in an impressive architectural layout.

As it approached one of the buildings, the gust lost its momentum and gradually died out a few meters from where three young men, Ike, Jide and Emma stood.

Ike watched the gust as it ebbed away into nothingness.

‘Evil spirit’, he mumbled, his gaze fixated on the last spot where the gust had vanished.

‘What?’ asked Jide who stood next to him.

‘That wind carrying dust and leaves…did you see it?’

‘What’s wrong with it?’ Jide asked again, propping up his face cap.

‘I was once told that it was a sign of the presence of an evil spirit.’

Jide and Emma burst in laughter.

‘You watch too much Nigerian home videos’, Emma put in.

Ike ignored the statement. He checked his watch and sighed.

‘Ike, you sure this girl will show?’ Jide asked impatiently.

‘She’ll show. She always passes this route to the staff quarters’

‘I still wonder why she chose to live in the staff quarters. No chick without a ride in her right mind would live there alone.’ said Emma.

‘Unfortunately there are many girls who are not in their right minds living there. And you know it’s all about the status; you’re a big girl if you live in the quarters.’

Jide added not surprised to hear Emma speak like that.

Emma lacked insight due to his lack of exposure. The only thing the guy seemed to have going for him was his ability to smash a bottle over someone’s head when he lost his cool. Yes, Emma was very violent when angered despite the fact that he wore a geeky pair of shades. Jide still wondered how he managed to get into their group. Maybe it was because his Dad was loaded.

‘Shhh! Here she comes’, Ike whispered.

They had been standing in a lobby leading into the faculty of arts which on a normal lecture day would have students scattered around in groups. Today being a weekend was different. There were fewer students around and only six were present around the lobby at this time – Ike and his friends, a couple some distance away, and the approaching young lady; their main objective for being there.

They watched as she cat-walked sensually down along the gangway terrace into the lobby. She wore a red cleavage-baring jumper on top of a white mini – skirt with slits on one side. Her white block high heels hit the pavement in quick calculated sequence with every step she took.

Though her strut was filled with confidence, her face, highlighted by her thickly arched eyebrows and complemented with a glossy red lipstick, bore a disturbed expression.

She sighed intermittently like she was trying to get over something. It was made more obvious by the way she clutched more tightly to her matching handbag and a rolled up piece of paper in the same hand.

The boys failed to notice her mood. They had more pressing and lustful issues on their mind.

Ike waved at the other two and they sauntered noiselessly in the direction the girl had gone.

Tola puffed as she quickened her steps. She needed to get home and just get some sleep. She wasn’t in the mood to worry. Though her mind would from time to time recall the issue that was bothering her but she was quite good at ignoring it just as she was good at ignoring the ugly looks of the loaded men she’d ever spent time with.

For her, this issue wasn’t a serious one to worry about; at least not for now.

She was the daring type; hardly afraid of anything. It was this strength that made it hard for any of her friends to tell whatever mood she was in. She knew how to camouflage it with additional body language that took your speculation off balance. She was doing that right now as she walked across the lobby. She had noticed the three guys hanging in the lobby ogling at her and it had worked on them. She never wanted anybody to catch her in a sober state.

She turned off the gangway and began walking along the sidewalk that led through the gate into the staff quarters. She could have gotten a good room at the female hostel with her strong connections but Tola valued privacy more than anything else and she didn’t mind the risks.

She had grown up in an army barracks under parents who were both in the army - a tough upbringing of which the consequence was her fearlessness.

The evening sky by now had become partially dark. Crickets resumed their nightly routine of chirping loudly from the bushes. Far away, a dog barked about three times then remained silent. From inside the wet gutters, frogs and toads began to croak in competition.

Tola slowed down her walking pace as she approached the junction that turned into her street. She popped a gum into her mouth and chewed vigorously making the gum snap.

For a moment she thought she heard a rustle in the bushes. She cocked her ear to listen for a while but heard nothing. She continued her walk into a driveway, went round her landlord’s house and made for the boys quarters where she lived.

Again she thought she heard a rustle in the bushes. She reached into her bag and brought out a dangerously sharp hunting knife – a souvenir she had gotten from her brother on his return from the NDA. She looked around, checking to see if there was anything out of place near her dwelling.

Everything seemed okay.

She brought out her keys, opened the door and entered her mini flat. She locked the door, groped in the dark for the light switch and flicked it on.

She froze as the light picked up a scary spectacle before her. Her throat suddenly went dry and the scream that struggled to come out of her was so choked to death by fright that all that came out through her lips was just a loud gasp.

The knife dropped from her hand and hit the floor with a tinkling sound that seemed to echo into the dead of the night…

To be continued...