Into the Darkness

Tade turned restlessly as something hard poked his back. “Who dropped something on my bed?” He thought, shifting in a bid to get comfortable. He felt his movement restrained like something was holding him down.

He jerked suddenly, surprised to find himself tied up on the floor in a strange room. He shook his head groggily to clear his blurry eyes, and could see faint shapes around him in the darkness. He recoiled back in fear, the feeling taking over him not unlike that of finding oneself in a nightmare.

It’s just a dream, I’ll wake up soon he thought, sitting as comfortable as the ropes binding him allowed, awaiting the nightmare to pass away. He raised a brow as he sensed one of the shapes shift in the darkness, reaching for him.

“I’m hungry,” its voice croaked.

Tade recoiled sharply feeling fear begin to creep on him.

Another tiny voice giggled softly, “You eat my hand, I eat your head?” It said.

“Is this really a dream?” Tade thought as the other shapes around him began to stare. He felt something cold touch his head and fear took over him.

“Leave me alone! Don’t eat me!” He screamed struggling against his bonds to free himself. He suddenly remembered the Sunday school teacher he had when he was little who taught them to recite bible verses if demons or spirits sought to torment them. He could not remember any verses, but decided to just call for help.

“Get away in Jesus name! Don’t eat me! I bind you in Jesus name,” he shouted hoarsely, fighting against the shapes.

“Fish, I want fish…” Another voice whispered, this time close to his ear.

“I’m not a fish! Jesus help me!” Tade screamed, beating against them.

He suddenly felt an awkward feeling as he fought blindly, beating the air and sensed the shapes had receded. He opened his eyes and was nearly blinded by the light which had filtered into the room. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see that the shapes that had been reaching for him where men and women, young and old who were bound in ropes just like him.

They were all looking umkempt and dirty, with their clothes in near tatters.

“So as you can see, it is getting worse, I need around twenty thousand to get some herbs for him,” he heard a voice say.

He turned sharply to see his Father and mother at the entrance of the small room with a strange man holding the door. His mother was weeping bitterly assisted by his father, both of them looking at him wide-eyed. He stood up slowly and darted suddenly towards them, and they recoiled sharply.

The man used a stick to beat him back, tripping him on the floor.

“I thought you said he was getting better,” his father said gruffly, as his mother’s weeping increased.

“He is,” the strange man replied. “He is only in the early stages of madness which is very easy to cure.”

“I’m not mad!” Tade shouted as he struggled on the floor. His words came out incoherent.

Thoughts began to rush to him. Just yesterday he could remember he was at a party, or was it yesterday? They had made a bet, mixing codine, tramadol and refnol, and he had taken it in a show of prowess. That was the last he remembered.

“Save me!” he shouted again hoarsely staring fixedly at his mother.

She held his gaze for a moment, and hurried away, unable to see her son so.

He struggled to his feet again, gathering momentum to rush forward. The door slammed into his face, throwing him in darkness.

By Olofinnika Omobolaji.