26/02/2026
The power went out at exactly 3:17 a.m.
I know the time because my alarm clock froze there — red numbers glowing in the dark like open eyes.
At first, I thought it was just another blackout. Lagos has those. The fan stopped spinning. The fridge went silent. The whole house felt like it was holding its breath.
Then I heard it.
A slow, deliberate knock.
Not at the front door.
From inside my wardrobe.
Three knocks.
I told myself it was wood expanding. Old hinges shifting. Anything but what it sounded like.
Another three knocks. Louder.
My throat went dry. I live alone.
The wardrobe door began to rattle gently, like someone testing the handle from the inside.
“Please,” a voice whispered. My voice.
“Let me out.”
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
The clock blinked.
3:17 a.m.
And from the darkness beside my bed, something whispered back—
“You shouldn’t have opened it the first time.”
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The words hung in the air like a thick fog, suffocating every breath. My heart thundered in my chest, a chaotic drumbeat echoing in the silence. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even blink. The air was cold, too cold, and I could feel the weight of something unseen pressing down on me.
"Who...?" I croaked, my voice betraying me with its tremor.
There was no answer. Just the sound of a slow, deliberate exhale beside my ear. The heat from the breath grazed my skin, sending chills down my spine.
Don't look. Don't look.
The warning repeated itself in my mind like a mantra. But my body—betrayed again—moved of its own accord. Slowly, reluctantly, my eyes shifted toward the shadow that lingered by the edge of the bed. I couldn't see it clearly. It was as if it was made of the same dark matter as the room itself, blending into the void, hiding in the absence of light.
But there it was.
UP NEPA 😶🌫️🤏 NA ONCE I FIND TOUCH HOLD