prologue

    In the fading light of dusk, shadows danced along the worn walls of the school hallway, reflecting the fear that griped his young heart. His ragged breaths echoed through the narrow doors of the empty classes he zoomed through, running, jumping and darting between crates and boxes filled with books, desperate to outrun the relentless pursuit of the bullies.

     Even as he ran, he heard their laughter fill the air, mocking his effort. His leg burned from fatigue but memories of what happened the last time they caught him passed through his mind…

   ...He gasped...

    "Big head, where is your hall pass money?"Daniel the tiniest member of S.T Olufemi's own bully fraternity asked. The three boys who made up the gang where all misfits, Daniel; a fifteen year old,  Benson; a seventeen year old and Jimi; a nineteen year old.

   "How many times have I told you not to pass these halls without our cash?"  Benson asked. He looked like his usual self: chipped tooth, pimply face and his ever dirty uniform.

      Tayo could not think of a lie fast enough and he could not say he had not been warned. Two days ago, Benson and Daniel had cornered him had cornered him in the boys bathroom. Daniel had held him by his arms while Benson delivered powerful punches to his stomach. 

       "Better not forget our money tomorrow," Benson had said with a stupid grin on his face when they had finished pummeling him.

       "Look at how weak he looks," Daniel said ironically. He was 5'4 and was as fat as a twig could be. Most kids at S.T Olufemi's high school came from rich families, but Daniel's family was richer than most, his father's influence followed him everywhere he went  and his fellow bullies were smart enough to see that. Benson was his personal bodyguard and happily slaved it out for him. Daniel's gang hated nerds and always tried to pick on them, but their favorite victim; Tayo Adeleke, was the biggest nerd in their school. He was frail, sickly and very easy to beat up.

            Benson grabbed Tayo by his shirt and brought the boys face close to his pimple filled own. "you'll get worse tomorrow if you forget to pay up nerd."

      "I-I wil..i will…I p-promise." Tayo could hardly get the words out of his mouth, his stomach screamed with a thousand different voices, and none of them sounded happy.

          "You better, if you know what's good for you." Benson said as he and Daniel walked off laughing.

        That was two days ago and Tayo still didn't have his money. It was not like Tayo did not want to pay, but he was an orphan with no money and the only things his scholarship covered were his feeding, tuition and medical bills. He had tried to avoid them but it was impossible. He could not make extra money from anywhere but his bullies did not care. And now they had found him.

     "Act cool." He thought to himself. "it wouldn't do for them to know I don't have the money."

       "Hey guys, wassup? I was just on my way to look for you." He said awkwardly. He smiles awkwardly at Daniel, but the other boy sneered at him in return. 

      "Is that so?" Bensons asks while shoving him. "Pay up then."

     "Are you guys sure you need my hall pass? You've got like eighty thousand naira from other…"

       "We don't care twerp." Said Benson "give us your money." He gave Tayo a look he was all too familiar with. Tayo gulped.

  "The thing is…I .. I don't really have your money right n….."

   "I told you Benson, he's playing with us." Daniel said.

  "You don't learn twerp." Benson looked really angry. "I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson."

  "W-what…. kind of less…on? Tayo asked.

  "The kind your dead parents should have thought you."

  And just like that Tayo was angry. Part of him told him to keep his anger in check, but it was rising fast, too fast.

"Keep my parent's out of this." Tayo snapped.

         "So you've grown balls?" Benson asked "The little worm has grown wings."

         "What are you going to do, huh?" Benson kept on "Are you going to send your rotten, worm infested parents after me?" he roared with laughter and Daniel joined him.

     Tayo's hand felt around his surroundings. He grasped something cold and he swung it at Benson. Benson ducked and dodged the initial strike but he did not see the small rod come back. It caught him on the ear and he fell to the ground screaming in pain.

      Daniel charged at Tayo, swinging his fist awkwardly at him. Tayo ducked under the punch and countered with a strong uppercut. Daniel reeled backwards but Tayo caught him by the wrist, dragged him towards himself, yanked him up and threw him down to the ground.

          He saw Benson too late and he was already on the floor before he knew it. He tried to get up but he could'nt, his ears and his head screamed in mind numbing pain.

        "Get him up!!" he heard Daniel tell Benson. Tayo felt arms lift him up. Daniel had a crazy look on his face, "you're going to pay for that." He looked at Benson, "Bring him."

     They carried him to the chemistry lab. Benson looked around uneasily, "what do you want to do?" Daniel turned around and said "you'll see."             Daniel walked towards the cabinet where the chemicals were stored. He opened one of them and selected a jar from it. He looked back at Tayo and said "You probably already know what this is because I don't, but I intend to find out."

    Benson looked very uneasy "I don't think this a good idea."

   "Don't be a pussy. I'm just going to stick his fingers in it."

   Tayo had seen the jar and he knew what would happen if Daniel got his way, his eyes widened as he begged, "PLEASE DON'T…..PLEASE …DON'T!

     "I don't think this is a good idea." Benson said uneasily. Daniel stared at him and asked coldly, "Do you want all the little twerps in the school trying to mimic this fool?.. that's what I thought. Stick his hand out."

    Tayo was already in tears as Daniel carried the jar closer.

...He to find a way, he had to escape, he could not afford to let the bullies catch up with him, not after what happened the last time. Tayo looked behind him and saw Benson catching up to him, the only place that could offer asylum was the old school party hall and that place had been closed down for years. He looked to his right and to his left but none of them offered a good hiding place, leaving Tayo only one option.

        The old party hall had been closed for years after a student had fallen through it's floors at a school ceremony some years back, and it had been closed ever since. The school had refused to fix the issue so they closed the building down and made it off limits for students. Several stories about the halls started to make rounds in the school after that incident; demons, ghosts, everyone had a story to share about the place.

        The squeaking sound of Tayo's shoes echoed throughout the empty hall as he ran farther into the darkness. He stopped for a second to rest. Sweat dripped down his face and his heart pounded as he looked around, desperate for a place to hide.

      "Where did he go?" Daniel's voice echoed from outside the hall.

   "I think he went in there." Benson replied.

           Tayo no longer cared about hiding, he ran towards the darker part of the hall. He did not know how far he had run, he was only aware of the sounds his shoes made as they hit the floor. And then he stopped, petrified and confused. Confused because he did not know why he stopped and petrified because he could no longer move.  A feeling of dread filled his soul and he sensed evil around him, but his body was fixed to the spot.

     "what  is happening to me?….I can't move..". A chill ran down his spine and he was suddenly aware of the fact that the darkness had begun to close in around him. Tayo went crazy with fright, he tried to scream but could not make a single sound and his breathe began to shorten as he felt the darkness come closer until it drowned him.