Chapter 6

He squeezed her hand. “We need to go!” She stood frozen, watching the creatures advance. He pulled her by the hand and gripped her shoulders tightly, turning her to face him. Her eyes gaped wide in terror, her whole body shaking in place.

“Come on!” He took her hand and pulled her after him. This unfroze her.

They ran through the crowd without looking back. Their hurried walk escalated into a full sprint, each step burning the air from their lungs. Every second felt like an eternity.

He spotted a small, abandoned wooden shop ahead and, hoping it might offer refuge, pushed through the panicked crowd, ignoring the stinging scratches on his skin. His breaths came shallow and ragged as he fought against the mass, his eyes darting around in fright.

Summoning every ounce of strength, he yanked the shop’s door open, which groaned in protest. He pulled Doreen inside, locking the door with trembling hands. They huddled together in the darkness, seeking solace.

Inside, the air thickened with the rancid odour of decay, amplifying their dread as the monsters lurked just outside. The odour clawed at Chinua’s throat, making each breath a struggle. The silence was heavy, punctuated only by their ragged gasps. He couldn’t see Doreen’s face in the pitch-black room, but he could sense her fear.

“Doreen,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not, Chinua,” she replied, her voice cracking. “I’m in some dark store, and I just saw monsters appear out of nowhere. Did you see them eating people, or am I losing it? They looked like zombies. I’m so scared… I don’t want this to be the end.”

Chinua hadn’t seen the creatures eat anyone; he had been too focused on fleeing. However, their appearance suggested they could be capable of anything. “I don’t know what they are or what they want, but we’ll get through this,” he declared, though his voice wavered. “Just trust me. When this is over, we’ll go watch that Igbo movie you love. The one with the talking snake and the poor farmer who falls in love.”

“She’s a snake princess. Don’t make fun of my life choices. At least I don’t watch those white-washed movies with black villains. Why can’t people like us be heroes?” Doreen pondered, her voice fading quickly.

Chinua signed, hearing her laugh was a relief, even if fleeting. Inside, his mind raced with thoughts of escape. He knew they needed to lay low; perhaps the danger would pass if they waited it out.

A pin could have dropped and echoed like a gong in the silence. Chinua’s heart pounded in his chest, his mind desperately wishing for the nightmare to end. Sweat mingled with dust on his panicked face.

A sickening crack pierced the quiet, and Chinua’s head whipped around. Decaying hands clawed through the flimsy wooden door.

Glimpses of light pierced the darkness, dragging strands of fog into the shop, revealing the ghastly creatures outside. Doreen’s terrified moan cut through the silence, sending Chinua’s breath into a panicked rhythm.

How did they find them? His questions were drowned out by the relentless pounding of the monsters. Fear squeezed the air from his lungs as the door groaned under their weight, barely holding firm.

Chinua sprang into action, pushing against the door with all his might as the stench of decay assaulted him. He strained against the weight pressing in, every ounce of his strength focused on holding it shut.

Then a scream pierced the air—sharp and full of agony. For a moment, Chinua thought the scream came from him. But it came again, heavier this time. He recognized the voice—it was Doreen’s.

Chinua turned, bracing against the door, his heart sinking at the horrific sight. Doreen was ensnared by the monstrous creatures, their teeth and claws tearing into her. They must have breached the shop through the flimsy back walls.

Her face mirrored his own terror, her screams a horrifying sound that shattered the silence. Chinua froze for a heartbeat, paralyzed by the fear of watching her die. He was overwhelmed, gripped by the realization that there was nothing he could do to save her.

The thought of her dying flashed before his eyes. Adrenaline surged through him. He lunged forward, grabbing Doreen’s leg, trying to pull her away from the monsters, but they held firm, refusing to relent.

With a tight grip on her shoulders, they yanked her body in different directions—one dragging her toward the back, while the other pulled sideways. The monsters’ fangs sunk deeper into her flesh, and all Chinua could do was watch in despair. He stumbled to the ground in tears, seeing defeat in his girlfriend’s eyes. He had failed her.

He thought it was too much, and he needed a break. But no, the door he had left unguarded swung open, collapsing to the ground. Monsters flooded through the doorway. Chinua knew he was done for; he admitted defeat. He wiped the tears from his cheeks with dirtied hands. If he was to die, he wanted to die like a man, with dignity and courage.

He could see them clearly now, their crooked teeth stained with her blood, spikes protruding from their bodies. They looked like zombies.

He spun around and ran toward the door, pushing the monsters away from him. His heart surged with the instinct to escape. Scratching fingers scraped his skin. He twisted and writhed, the weight of rotting flesh pressing down on him from all sides. Gasping for air, he felt the cold bodies closing in like a vice.

“Help!” he croaked to no one, his voice barely a whisper. He thrashed against the decaying mass, their cold skin slick beneath his frantic hands. The scratching grew frantic, like a hundred nails clawing at the dark.

He pushed against the decomposing weight, his fingers trembling as they searched for an escape. With every shove, the stench of decay overwhelmed him, bile rising in his throat.

“Come on, come on!” he urged himself, gritting his teeth as he wrestled free of the dead weight. His heart pounded in his chest, urging him to fight.