CODE RED; the memory protocol.

2

The gold chain killings had turned Lagos into a city that forgot how to breathe at night.

Clubs were loosing more female customers by the  week. Bars closed earlier. Bolt drivers stopped accepting late night trips. Even the mainland_usually loud and untouchable, had grown silent after sunset as if the city itself was afraid to make noise.

I watched the latest news on AIT sitting uncomfortably on my couch, the anchor's voice flat and clinical as they described the latest victim. Her name was Darasimi Bello. Twenty-two, final year student. Found behind a lounge in lekki phase 2 with a gold chain embedded so deep into her neck that it left an imprint of the links on her skin.

The sight of it, the picture flashing for only a second on the screen, made a cold tremor run down my spine.

I didn't know her. At least, I didn't think I did. But there was something about her face, the familiar mark on her neck, the sharp brows. That tugged on something on my chest_I sighed.

I quickly looked around in fear. "Why am I even living alone in the first place?" I mumbled to myself. I shook when my phone rang and then I picked up the remote, tuning the volume of my TV down. The anchors still talking over a table.

"You've heard right?" My friend Aisha asked through the speaker of my phone. Her voice sounded tight, nervous. "That's the second one in two weeks. They are saying it's the same person_the gold chain killer." She heaved a heavy sigh.

I changed the channel quickly to reduce the fear that was beginning to creep up against me. "Second?"

"Yes na, you don't remember the first one? The girl from Surulere?"

I hesitate as I try to think for a second. "No..I..I don't think so."

"Ahh, you must have!" She argued. "It was all over twitter, the chain was the same thing_gold, twisted into her neck. The officers even said the guy might be using chloroform..."

"OMG! Aisha please stop!" Now I was full blown scared. Afraid. A cold shiver ran through my body. Why didn't I move to London when I had the chance?

She went silent for a minute. "I know, me too I'm so scared. This is not good at all."

I started feeling cold all of a sudden, I search around my couch and found the AC remote and turn it off immediately. "Yes, please stay safe baby. I don't know what's going on."

Staring at the reflection of the tv light flickering across the window, I stood up immediately and turned on the light. "You too my love, don't stay out late. If it's late, sleep at the hospital please." She said almost sounding like she was pleading with me.

Aisha had known me long enough to know that I sleep on traffic on some days or got home way after midnight. The beds at the hospital were uncomfortable and some days I just enjoyed driving or looked forward to drinking a glass of that Andrea wine in my fridge waiting for me patiently.

After she hung up, I couldn't shake the unease, I turned the channel to 'Tom and jerry', don't judge me it's my comfort show and it's anything but scary. I couldn't remember hearing about the first murder. Not a deadline. Not a tweet. Don't a whisper. And I wondered why.

I picked up my phone and looked up 'first gold chain killing.'

The photo of a girl on a blond full frontal showed up on my screen, Nengi Peters. Nineteen, second year in the university of Lagos.

"Jesus" I say in shock as I scroll and a picture of her, half naked, laid on the back seat of the hospital car, gold chain embedded in her neck. "How the hell did I miss this?"