12/4/2024
The sound of a phone ringing echoed through the dimly lit room. The abandoned building smelled of dust and decay, with broken windows letting in weak beams of moonlight. A large anaconda slithered across the cold concrete floor, its scales glistening as it moved toward a table cluttered with maps, a flickering lantern, and an old phone vibrating against the wood.
As the reptile reached the table, its form began to shift. Bones cracked, muscles reshaped, and within moments, a naked girl stood where the serpent had been. Gift—or Wonda, as she preferred—picked up the phone, her fingers shaking slightly as she pressed it to her ear.
"There is trouble," the voice on the other end said impatiently.
Gift didn't need to ask what they meant.
"Makinde wants his money. Fifteen million naira. You have one week, or he kills Matthew."
Her breath hitched. Her fingers tightened around the phone as if she could squeeze the problem out of existence.
"I... I just need more time—"
"No more time. He's done waiting."
The line went dead.
Gift slowly set the phone down. Her hands clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms as her chest rose and fell with uneven breaths. Then, as if something inside her finally broke, tears began to slip down her cheeks. She had one week to come up with an impossible sum—or her brother would die.
One Week Later
20/3/2024
Saturday
The restaurant buzzed with life, laughter, and the clinking of glasses. Bright lights, neon signs, and the smell of grilled suya filled the air. At a corner table, Sunmi, Tolu, Moses,Adunni, and Eamon sat together, their plates half-eaten as conversation flowed.
Sunmi leaned back in her chair, watching her friends.
"This is nice," she said, smiling. "Just us, relaxing, being happy for once."
Tolu scoffed. "What are we celebrating exactly?"
Sunmi waved her hand. "That we're alive?" She shrugged. "I don't know, I just thought we should enjoy ourselves. Life's too short."
The truth was, she had brought them out to cheer up Tolu. Ever since Tolu lost her magic, she had been… different. Sunmi saw it in her eyes—the frustration, the loss. She knew what it was like to feel powerless.
Tolu, however, had barely touched her food. Ever since her magic disappeared, she had started hearing talking drums in her head.
At first, she thought she was imagining it. A lingering effect of the magic she once had. But it wasn't going away. It wasn't stopping.
With a sigh, Tolu excused herself. "I'll be back. Just going to the washroom."
As she walked down the dimly lit hallway toward the restroom, the sound of the talking drums grew louder.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
Her heart pounded along with it.
She splashed water on her face at the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Was she losing her mind?
The sound of a faucet turning made her glance to the side.
A girl stood next to her, also washing her hands.
Tolu frowned slightly. There was something… off about her.
Then it happened.
The girl's eyes flickered—pupils shifting into thin, slitted ones, like a cat.
Tolu stiffened. A shapeshifter.
She turned sharply, ready to react, but before she could move, the girl lunged at her.
Tolu fought back—she was still a trained fighter, even without magic—but her opponent was faster. The shapeshifter twisted, using unnatural flexibility to dodge Tolu's punches. They crashed into a stall, breaking the door.
Tolu snarled, slamming her elbow into the girl's ribs.
Wonda stumbled back, annoyed. "You're stronger than you look."
Tolu didn't respond—she just kept fighting. She refused to be taken down so easily.
But then, before she could react, a cloth pressed against her nose and mouth.
Her struggles slowed.
Her vision blurred.
The last thing she saw before everything faded was the shapeshifter's cat-like eyes staring down at her.
Then—darkness.
Sunmi tapped her fingers on the table, her eyes flickering toward the restroom hallway.
Five minutes had passed.
Then ten.
Then fifteen.
Tolu should have been back by now.
A strange unease curled in her stomach. Something was wrong.
Finally, unable to shake the feeling, she stood up. "I'll be right back," she told the others, forcing a casual smile before making her way toward the restroom.
The moment she stepped inside, her breath caught.
The mirror was cracked. A stall door was broken. A faint, lingering scent of struggle hung in the air.
Her hand trembled as she reached out, fingers brushing against the cool sink.
Then it hit her.
A vision.
Images slammed into her mind like a tidal wave—
Tolu struggling. A girl with shifting eyes. A cloth over her nose. Darkness.
Then the scene shifted—Tolu, tied to a chair in a dimly lit building, her breathing ragged, her eyes furious.
Sunmi yanked her hand away from the sink, gasping.
This wasn't just an accident. Tolu had been taken.
She had to act fast. If she panicked now, the others would catch on.
Taking a deep breath, she walked back to the table, keeping her face neutral. "Tolu wasn't feeling well," she announced smoothly. "She decided to head home early."
Moses raised an eyebrow. "She didn't tell us?"
"She didn't want to make a fuss," Sunmi lied, her voice even. "And honestly, I'm tired too. I think I'll call it a night."
Adunni shrugged. "Fair enough."
Sunmi signaled for her driver and gave quiet instructions. "Drop Adunni off first, then head home."
Her driver nodded. "And you, Miss?"
"I'll be going with Moses," she said, forcing a small smile. "I need to pick something up from his place for my dad."
Moses side-eyed her but said nothing—not yet.
Once they got to his car, however, the moment the doors closed, he turned to her sharply. "Alright, what's going on?"
Sumi exhaled. "Tolu was kidnapped."
Moses' grip tightened on the steering wheel. "What?"
"I had a vision." She shut her eyes, recalling the images. "She's tied up in some abandoned building. I don't know where, but we need to find her. Fast."
Moses cursed under his breath. "Do you think it's the same person behind the zombie mess?"
Sumi shook her head. "I don't know… but we're going to find out."
---
Tolu jolted awake, a dull pain throbbing at the back of her head. Her arms ached, tightly bound to the chair she sat in.
The air smelled of dust, damp wood, and something vaguely metallic—blood.
A shiver ran down her spine. Then she felt it.
Something crawling.
She glanced down.
A tarantula skittered up her arm.
Tolu flinched, shaking it off. The spider tumbled onto the table, landing next to a pile of clothes.
Then, horrifyingly, its form began to shift.
Legs stretched into arms. The small, round body elongated into a human figure.
And then, standing before her, fully naked, was Gift—or Wonda.
She reached for her clothes without sparing Tolu a glance, pulling them on lazily.
"Ugh," she muttered, brushing off imaginary dust. "I hate spiders."
Tolu barely paid attention. She was already working on freeing herself.
Her wrists ached as she twisted them against the ropes, the fibers digging into her skin.
But she kept her expression neutral, kept her breathing steady.
"Y'know," she started casually, "for a kidnapper, you're surprisingly bad at keeping your hostage tied up."
Gift snorted. "Nice try. I've been doing this since before you were wearing designer diapers."
Tolu kept the conversation going, buying time.
"You've got skills," she admitted, watching the shapeshifter's movements. "But I have to say… you don't really strike me as the criminal type."
Gift raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Tolu tilted her head. "You're desperate, not evil."
Gift stiffened. Just slightly.
Bingo.
Tolu smirked. "So, what's the sob story? Someone you care about in trouble?"
Gift scoffed, but there was an edge to it. "Shut up."
"That's a yes." Tolu flexed her fingers. The ropes were loosening. Almost there.
Gift leaned against the table, crossing her arms. "You talk too much."
Tolu smiled sweetly. "And yet, you're still listening."
Gift rolled her eyes. "Ajebota girls like you always think you're so clever."
Tolu chuckled. "Ajebota, huh? You think I don't know how to fight?"
Gift smirked. "Oh, I know you don't. You probably learned self-defense from some overpriced martial arts classes."
Tolu shrugged. "Not quite. Fighting skills were just one of the perks of having a werewolf boyfriend."
Gift's smirk faltered. "You dated a werewopf wow, that's nice . What happened y'all broke up ?"
Tolu's voice darkened.
"Nope,I killed him."
Gift blinked. "Wait—"
SNAP.
Tolu's ropes broke free.
In a blur of motion, she grabbed a wooden plank from the floor and swung.
CRACK.
The blow connected, sending Gift crashing to the ground, unconscious.
Breathing heavily, Tolu stared down at her, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Ajebota my ass."
She exhaled sharply, stepping over Gift's body.