#HauntedHotel Entry Seven - H.U.S.H.

It was 11pm and light was at no man's side.

I was with the gang, my three brothers with their girlfriends each looking for what to feed their eyes on in the ancient ruins of a lost town in the creeks of Benin, Ibe my eldest brother told us to tag along for this road trip around Nigeria in his words, Apparently we weren't planned to stay fixed at a location for long, traveling around Nigeria by road allows you carry only the amount you need and a little extra just to avoid robberies.

In times like this the country goes through trials and tribulations my best friend Bode told me the idea of the trip is completely pointless, nonsense! I spoke in outrage, being raised with my brothers we've always had a flair for the abnormal, far from the usual basic life of our surroundings and its people, this is a once in a life time adventure I spoke back convincingly as I tried effortlessly to convince Bode to accompany us, I mean who wouldn't want an all expense paid experience to tour the ancient Benin city which holds artifacts not known to the average man, relentlessly I give up.

We set off on our journey, Michael my second brother, the power house of the three plays his so much anticipated boring playlist for the crew to enjoy, obviously "I'm not from this planet", "I say in my mind " plugged away from this world I listen to my very own music while the gang discuss loud but trying not to disturb my third brother Justin who's behind the wheels on this journey to Benin.
Nevertheless we arrived Benin quite early, thumbs up to Justin Stephane remarks, ibe's girlfriend, a dark skinned Coke bottle shaped lady in her early 20's.

Justin parks the sienna close by a fast food restaurant where we all come out to stretch and thus feast on jollof rice with beef for lunch, tired with wearily legs we decide to stay at the main city of Benin and resume our tourism expedition tomorrow and surely leave at the weekend as planned.

Oluedo disagrees to this, obviously still filled with energy most likely from her ancestors I wonder how she wants to move about in this hot sunny day, ibe teases her "as you yellow like this you no like am abi" she replies with a Hiss, pfft! What do you know ? Justin calms his chubby light skinned lady, being a romantic he makes the approach smooth, with little effort he tames this wild beast in ibes eyes of course.

Michael shrugs, looking unconcerned sharing a drink with Ife his most priced possession at that time, from my young age I could tell she was the prettiest out of the three with a body like a goddess ,I snap back to reality as the sun reaches for my bare forehead, all this I observe from a distance being just 16years old it was very obvious I was a loner at that time with no girl by my side so I watched it all like a movie failing not to laugh at the expense of the scenarios I witnessed.

As planned, we checked into a hotel booked already at Lagos where we all got our individual rooms, I was surfing through Facebook shuffling the music with the junk I could get my hands on stuffing every in my mouth, I was quick to fall asleep being without any major activity unlike my brothers behind closed doors.
Early hours of the morning, I heard this silent bang at my door, I jolted up not surprised no light, how messed up can this be, I reached for my glasses swiped the hotel card to the door my brother Justin told me we were out in 15" I quickly rushed to the shower cleaned up met with the gang to begin our trip, Michael explained the villages were quite far from the town so we had to leave early, I nodded my head in agreement.

After hours of driving we arrived. Staring at nok arts, old abandoned slave routes, rusted chains left to hang, rusty metal holding buildings barely hanging, this was like me being stuck in an adventure story mode game in my head, I was bemused at each photograph I took, we were together exploring the terrain, to my surprise the guard allowed us explore freely after ibe tipped him off with an amount I had no idea of.

At a part of the section I saw bush rats bigger than both fist combined running along a bushy path filled with more chains as I observed, Justin and Oluedo were beyond eyes reach as they wandered into the bush to do what they do best behind closed doors, or eyes reach in this case
While Michael and ife came running distortedly at this strange pattern I was trying to take note off, Ibe and Stephanie were at my back at this point the only pair I could see around, deeper we got into the narrow path the more I thought how strange this is than I ever thought I could imagine, it was getting dark, Ibe blew whistles the tourist guide gave us for us to gather back at the entrance, minutes later we all arrived. After a day of exhaustion and wild eyes seeing wonders, we were on our trail back to the hotel, Ibe decided to drive this time, I was so hungry at that point, we stopped nearby to eat what tasted like palm oil mixed with vegetable and salty rice, I shrieked in the havoc my bowels will go through, 9pm we knew we were late and had about 1hour 45minutes to the hotel, Ibe was racing the sienna, all relaxed at the car, suddenly this strange creature comes running out the bush, in an attempt to maneuver, Ibe hits a solid standing tree and the car halts to a stop, we all rush out, surprisingly no injures were sustained, after checking if everybody was okay, he tried to make the car work again but to no avail, with no reception there was no calling for help, I tried to make out what caused the accident, ife was shouting , how'd you be asleep on wheels they argued and made noises but it all didn't last long because it wasn't making anything better so we decided to walk with what we can make out from the car, We walked a distance of 8miles before we realized we were lost.

It was 11pm with light at no mans side, the girls already panicking holding their man close almost etching in on their bodies for fear of robbery, rapist, ritualist and all other mishap they could think of, out of nowhere there it was, standing firm from the silhouette of the moon light shinning very visible in the middle of the woods, this wooden building I could feel the dust from afar, we halt, after minutes of deliberating seeking help from the residence, we decided to give it a try.

Each step to this oddly placed building I could feel my heart gulp into my stomach, almost at the verge of pinching myself to wake up from this dream I dare not blink to get caught or lost in the sight, the noises the night time has to offer did not help in its role to soothe things out for us,

Michael Knocks at the wooden door, the third knock the door opens with a creek noise, I could feel ife's warmth on my skin with hairs I was sure was it raised up in fear for dear life, Ibe stammers is anyone he- here .. ?
Suddenly this old lady comes speaking. Are you looking to spend a night ?

We'll sure sure, finding courage Ibe replies,
Okay good she says it'll be 3,000 Naira per head that's the hotel fixed price.
Hotel! Stephanie exclaims, the old lady retorts why yes of course, tourist gets stranded along these roads every time sure they'll need a place to sleep now won't they ? Why yes of course, every singly time ? Justin replies, I was left wandering in my head how can she speak English this good when everyone here barely even speak pidgin English, Ibe quickly brings out the money gives it to her paying for four separate rooms, she hands each of us lanterns emitting carbon slowly, she points to an old stair case that leads to the top, we move without arguing.

1am I couldn't sleep, at this point I wanted to be with someone, anybody but if only, I tried to shut my eyes, this wasn't working so I took the lantern I walked downstairs trying not to wake anybody, I walked to the dusty reception seeing if I could grab on something to eat, the old lady wasn't in sight, I walked back slowly I was completely sure I stepped on something not sure i turned to my left to check then I heard a "meow" I unconsciously dropped the lantern the light went off immediately.

"I stood there 6foot of fright", my heart racing faster than the feet of Hussein bolt not knowing how but in the darkness I quickly figured my way to the stairs to my own room locking the door still trying to be as quiet as I could be.

Soaked in complete darkness I could have sworn the moon gave up on me, I was shivering like I was left to die In a rainy cold night without clothes, this was enough I had had it, I was going to sleep with any sibling I set eyes on first, I came out my room in total darkness all I could see downstairs was a brisk colored eye of somewhat black coated in white, at this sight I almost gave up the ghost, "it's just the cat eyes, it's just the cat eyes I said to myself"

I was supposed to be the well behaved mannered boy out of all my brothers, I knew I was raised right, but at this point all that manner was out with the lights, i stormed my way into the next room without knocking, matter of fact I had no idea you were supposed to knock before entering someone's room, I rushed in to tell my brother if it was okay to sleep in his room all in a sentence, behold the room was empty.

Immediately I was down on my knees, pinching myself so hard, no! "Jeffery", you're still in Lagos, come on boy! Wake up, you're in Lagos this is just a bad dream!
"Krr krr" the door creaked behind me, I took to my heels to the next door, it was also empty, I could not phantom what I could not imagine because I was blank, completely blank, at my last trial I went to the last door, it was worse than I felt, this door had refused to open, I killed the silent treatment I started banging at the door screaming Ibe! Justin! Michael ! Ife !

Silencing my calls was the swift breeze that came rushing through a window that bust open with the winds making it colder than a winter that'll make Santa Claus retire from the North Pole.

I rushed back to my own room, the wall was solid frozen, completely sealed like it never was there in the first place.

My head was banging with this immense pain, how can all this happen so fast, I couldn't comprehend my realization, my eyes were bulging out of my head, I fell to my knees I reached for my glasses it was brighter than any day I have seen before. It was like a 12pm Midday in Lagos, I removed my glasses once more I was soaked in the darkness, I wore it back, I removed again, I gasped then I wore it back, I saw ife tied with the same chains I saw back at the abandoned tourist site, bleeding from her nose, her wrist and her thighs, Beside her was this creature pulling out her hair and eating what felt like her scalp at that time with flies all over its mouth with a dog like that of a hound eyes sewed together barking in silence, with three heads, to the left was Oluedo with a creature that appeared to me in negative, I could only see this "thing" in negative with my glasses he was consummating in her roughly she was stack naked at that point laid flat in a bed that appears to be filled with sharp edgy stones bleeding in a dark thick colour her eyes also sewed with her thighs severed beyond damage, by the far right was Stephanie left at the mercy of the hounds now unleashed at her by the first creature I set my eyes on, it was feasting on her so fast I could feel her screams but couldn't hear a word, I was searching for my brothers I couldn't see any, I tried to stay static without moving or uttering any sound not even breathing I was holding my breathe, a third creature with the eyes of a raven only appearing on his head without a nose or a mouth, it started to sniff towards my direction he spoke in this language that made my head pound, I couldn't hear a thing but as it spoke my head banged I could feel the liquid in my brain drying up, then he stopped as another person entered, this was a man, I tried breathing slowly with my hands covered against my mouth so I couldn't utter a sound , he spoke in this voice that came trembling to my ears, it felt like an earthquake "I have the heads of the boys but I feel another flesh in range", the others spoke back but this time I couldn't hear a thing!

He said before he went with the wind, "when you are done return the stolen arts to the abyss of the one"
He said I will search the terrain for the foul flesh I perceive!
Then my body jolted as I adjusted my glasses, in front of my face! The old lady was staring, I fainted immediately.

The hiss of a snake trying to catch a bush rat woke me up, I quickly rushed up, I found myself in the middle of the woods, it was so bright now I was sure it was day time and all I experienced was a bad dream. I searched for my glasses I couldn't find it.
I rushed to the nearest exit, the building was lost in the middle of the road with nothing in sight, I could feel my stomach drop and my heart fall to the place of my stomach, quickly I left the scene with the little money I had in my pocket, I entered a luxurious bus I stopped by to Lagos.

This very day I still see the old woman, telling me to hush!

• Written by Okorie Ryan