You Can See Them

5

I go on google.

I type in keywords. African vampires. African vampires holding hands. Vampires holding hands. Vampire predator and prey. Vampire's pet. Do vampires hold pet hands all the time.

I come up with nothing, except what the voice keeps telling me.

Predator and prey.

But, if one is prey and one is predator, why the hell are they always holding hands. Why is the prey holding hands with her predator?

Why is prey bigger?

I decide to write this down in red pen. Maybe this would help, and to make it better, I said the psalm while writing them down too.

The predator is smaller. Just like a parasitic relationship. The smaller one is always the parasite. While the host, the one who is harmed or dies in the relationship, is larger.

Prey is host. Predator is parasite.

Then who's the one I see in windows, and who carried the host in last night.

I'm scared to sleep. I try not to, but I'm human. I have to sleep. So I write the Psalm 23 in a drawing sheet and hug it to my chest.

**

That's how I wake up the next morning. With both papers besides me and my memory intact.

I know I can't meet mum, she's utterly under whatever evil this is. She won't listen.

I pray for her. I pray for myself. I pray for dad. I pray for favour. I pray for grandma. I pray for aunty Bolanle.

Outside

I do all the necessary things I should before going into the living room. My mum is there with her. I can't even bear to say her name again. I greet them both with a forced smile, the smile on mum's face breaks my heart. She has no clue and with the look on her face, the infatuated look on her face she has as she looks at Fiyin, I know there's nothing I could say that she would listen to.

I walk out of the house sadly. I look up at grandma's window. I'm not stupid. Ritual or not, I'm not about to start shouting stupidly greeting someone I know that's not there.

p there. Nor am I going to try to see what's in the other rooms in my house or what's in the stupid boys quarters. Don't want to find a portal to hell in there. I'm not gonna be the stupid teenager in a horror movie. I have sense. Plenty sense.

I look at the big black gate, and something tells me I shouldn't bother. I can't leave. Even the voice in my head doesn't tell me otherwise. I squeeze the 2 folded pieces of paper in the pocket of my hoodie. They gave me a small sense of comfort. I was finally gaining a bit if control on my life. Those two pieces of paper were that bit of control. They hadn't cleared off.

I sit on the step again. But this time far away from the door so I have no contact with the demon when she steps outside.

I have nobody. That's why I'm cool right now. Lord knows I want to scream and scream and confront her. But I have no bible. I'm not a big christian. I pray like once a week when I go to church. After this, I'm definitely going to go live in the church and sign up to become a nun or something.

That's if I survive this.

I can't remember past yesterday to be honest. Everything is blurry. Only yesterday is so clear in my head.

I sigh and pull out my phone. No bars. No internet. There was yesterday night, but then the Google search was pointless.

I try to amuse myself with videos or photos, but there's Nothing. There's nothing on the phone to signify that it's mine. Absolutely nothing.

How didn't I notice this before.

I want to cry, but I can't find the tears. The confusion is real. I walk to the backyard, the space between the duplex in front and the boys quarters at the back that I now know I should be living in. I sit there on the floor. Just looking at the dead grey sky and the tank and the small enclosed area that held a tap, which was where we came to wash clothes.

I stand up and walk back down to the house. As I'm about to enter, I see the girl. The one who's alone. The one who I haven't seen before. She looks creepy yet she wants to talk to me. Her face looks blurry. Like I can't see her. I don't know her. I should know her.

It's coming back again. Whatever the the thing is, the veil they put on my mind. The one that makes me just like mum, that makes me not care about what is happening, that makes me less suspicious and makes me forget.

"The Lord is my shepherd!"
She keeps walking towards me.

"I shall not want, he made me to lie down.." I keep chanting and my head clears up. I can see and think clearly.

She keeps walking towards me, and now I see her face. I don't know her. I'm not sure. But for now I don't think I do. And I say this with a clear mind. I chant the psalm louder and with more conviction hoping it make her stop, but it doesn't stop her.

When I see her face more clearly as I chant, I realize why. She's not them. Her eyes are wide and creepy but the look on her face is one of fear. Not one of confidence or false innocence.

"Please-" She says. I don't say anything. This is the first time any of them are saying anything to me. I keep saying the psalm silently. The psalm is all I remember from the bible. I wish I knew more.

She stops when she's about 6 feet from me.

"Thou prepareth a table before me-"

"You can see me- Oh G-" she stops mid-sentence and winces.

"Please help-" She's cut off as she's pulled back by something. I look up immediately just as the two girls holding hands pull her back. They both smile at me as if apologizing for the "inconveniences" their "little sister" just caused me.

I can't look at the smaller one. I'm afraid. Instead I focus my eyes on the host. They say something rapidly to her while I stand there like a fool. I've stopped saying the psalm as I watch them force-drag her away and they take her with them. Before they round the corner, she manages to look at me one last time, tears in her eyes. Pleading.

Now I know what you expect me to do. Be a heroine. Go up there and fight for her.

Sorry nope. Fat chance. I wasn't born with super powers. I pray God saves her but nope. Not me. No thank you. Nada. Nuh-huh.

I have to find a way out of here first. After that, I will get pastor Michael and the police, and they'll come save her, but I'm not playing hero. People die in real life. They don't die in horror movies that's why those stupid people enter the forest that says "dark forbidden forest".

I've entered one dark forbidden house. I'm not doing it for anybody. Ever. We weren't born together. Sorry bro.

"You reeeally can see them" Fiyin states behind me and chuckles. I jump, but I didn't dare look at her. After a minute of me not giving her a response. She walks away.

I let out the breath I've been holding.

I put my hand in my pockets and squeeze the folded papers as she walks away, her IV stand stomping along with her every step.

Stomp

Stomp

Stomp

"In the presence of my enemies..."

Stomp

Stomp

**

1300 words
4.9.2021

Like I said. Determined to finish this book lol. I really hope it's giving you the chills.
Cuz it's 4am here and I can't sleep 😐

Love,
LA