Chapter 1: Blood Rules for Lagos Mall

While I dey waka for inside the mall, na so loudspeaker just burst, begin announce one kind mad rule:

Anybody wey no reach the first-floor lobby within three minutes go die.

My heart fly enter my throat. Sweat just break for my forehead, palm dey slippery like when NEPA seize light for exam hall. Na wetin be all this one? Na prank dem dey play for us? For Lagos mall, person no fit get peace again? The announcement come with one kind heavy voice, like say na juju priest dey talk from shrine. I glance left and right, everybody just pause, eyes big like ogbono soup.

At first, everybody think say na joke, nobody send am.

People dey waka slow, some dey laugh, others dey record with their phone, dey do like Instagram comedian. Even the security guards just dey look, dey yarn for corner. E no even shock them reach, until one woman wey dey sell gala talk, "Na wah o, dem don dey do April Fool for June?"

But after three minutes, na so people begin climb railing one by one.

As the time reach, one small boy just waka go near the railing, his eyes empty like zombie. His mama dey shout, but the boy no even hear. Na so everybody just dey watch, mouth open, fear grip us. Before I fit shout, he leap over, crash land for ground, blood splash everywhere. E shock me. People begin dey shout “Blood of Jesus!” Some kneel for ground dey beg, others just dey freeze like statue. Na so, like say na code, others begin follow. Some dey cry, some just dey stiff. The whole place scatter.

Their eyes just dey empty, dem fall land for ground for my front.

As dem dey land, I fit hear bone dey break. E heavy for ear. Nobody fit help, na everybody dey run for their life. One man wey try hold him pikin from jumping, the boy drag am join. Both of them fall together. My legs weak. I wan shout, but my voice lost.

Everywhere for the mall just smell blood, scream full everywhere.

The scent choke my nose—like ogiri wey spoil. The scream loud pass church crusade speaker. Small pikin dey cry, women dey beg God. The mall, just now wey dey full of laughter and music, don turn to another thing. My legs dey shake. I nearly piss for body.

As I dey look people dey fall like rain for my front, my body just freeze. Na wetin be this?

I never see this kind thing for my life before. Even film no dey real reach this one. My mind just dey blank, fear wrap me like wrapper. If not say my mama pray for me every morning, I for believe say na my village people finally catch me.

Mall wey dey bubble just now, don turn to real hell.

Before, music dey play from the speakers, people dey snap selfie for Christmas decoration, Jollof rice dey smell from the food court. Now, na only blood and wahala everywhere. If you see the way one man hold him belle, you go know say trouble don wear coat come.

Apart from those of us wey lucky reach first floor, almost nobody survive for the whole building.

We stand dey count ourselves. E no reach twenty. The other floors empty, nobody fit even shout. Some people dey pray, others dey sit for ground dey cry. Tears dey roll for my cheek small, but I clean am sharp sharp. Man no fit weak here.

Dead bodies full ground like mountain, fear grip me.

For where I dey stand, the corpses just dey pile up. Some get school uniform, some dey wear suit, even one old woman wey tie two wrapper dey among. My hand dey shake. I begin reason if to just close my eyes make everything disappear.

I pull out my phone to call police, but not even one bar of network. I even try WhatsApp my cousin for help, but MTN no gree work.

I try switch sim, even Airplane mode on and off, nothing gree. I curse MTN, Glo, even small Airtel I get, all of them useless. E be like say network spirit sef run.

No matter the number wey I dial, na only that cold, mechanical beep I dey hear.

That sound weak my bone. I tap 112, 199, even try call LASTMA, but na the same dead beep everywhere. Person go dey die, na so Nigeria own always be. I fit see others dey try their own phone too, everybody dey shake head. One aboki for corner smash him Tecno for ground.

Wahala still dey. The doors for our back don lock, heavy iron sheet don seal all of us inside.

I see as the big glass door for entrance just slide, then iron sheet like trailer back come down, gbam! The sound loud, scatter my ear. One agbero run go try push am, e no even shake. We all dey inside like danfo passengers for Third Mainland Bridge hold up—no escape.

Mall just quiet like grave—na only escalator dey move, dey make one kind creepy noise.

The escalator dey whine krrr krrr like old generator. The silence heavy, only the hum of the escalator dey give background. I fit hear my own breath, e dey quick like say I run relay race.

I sharply draw breath.

My chest tight. Na so I hold my mouth make I no shout. Everywhere just dey strange, cold breeze dey blow small from AC. My skin dey crawl. I rub my arm, as if say I fit rub fear commot.

I just come out to relax for weekend—how I take jam this kind wahala?

I just dey reason my own, I for stay house watch EPL. Na this my friend Kelechi drag me come mall say make we see fine babes. Now see where I dey, inside another film.

Before I fit reason am, the strange loudspeaker burst again.

The loudspeaker get that static noise, e be like thunder. Some people jump. One woman hug her handbag like say she dey hold Bible. My heart nearly jump commot.

This time, e begin read new set of mall rules, wey even worse:

[Attention o! Make una hear the rules for this Blood-Red Mall!]

The voice now deep pass before. E resemble those masquerade wey dey do festival for our village, as if the mall itself dey talk.

[1. No try comot from the mall without permission, or you go kpai instantly.]

[2. The mall get thirty shops. If you buy for any shop, dem go give you one receipt. If you no collect four receipts within two hours, na die be that.]

[3. Each shop get him own way of doing things, some get risk, some fit help you survive. Make you shine your eye.]

[4. No buy twice for the same shop.]

[5. If you don join queue or collect number for any shop, no leave halfway or change position.]

[6. No try fight other customers or shop staff, or you go kpai instantly.]

[7. If you don buy finish, no leak shop secret give people wey never buy; if you do, na die.]

[8. After two hours, dem go open the exit. Na only people wey submit four receipts fit survive.]

The rules heavy for ear. As the speaker dey talk, some people dey jot am down for phone. I dey try memorize all, but my brain dey twist. My mind dey turn turn, like say na mathematics jamb question.

As I dey hear all the warning from the speaker, I bite my lip sharp sharp.

The taste of blood enter my mouth. I dey shake, dey sweat. I dey reason my mama for Aba, dey beg God make this thing end quick.

I look up, see all the different shop signboards wey dey shine everywhere—some like Mama Kemi’s Puff-Puff, Okoli’s Suya Spot, and even one Christian bookshop.

The signboards dey shine, but now dem resemble coffin sign for my eye. Even the bookshop wey always look gentle dey carry one kind red light for door. Puff-puff aroma still dey smell, but na fear dey hungry me now.

I follow the broadcast, begin find shop wey I fit buy something.

My eye dey scan everywhere, dey calculate which shop go safe. One woman dey drag her small pikin, dey whisper prayer under her breath. For my mind, I dey pray too. No be only her God dey hear.

That bloody scene still dey my mind, I know one thing for sure:

Break rule, na die.

My leg almost stiff. For Naija, na only rules wey get consequence people dey fear. This one, na real kpai. My village elders no fit warn pass this one.