24/08/2024
In the heart of Nigeria, deep in the forests of the Eastern region, there lay a village called Akuko. The name meant “story” in Igbo, but the tales that lingered in Akuko were not ones of joy or laughter. They were stories of fear, of terror, and of unspeakable horrors. Yet, like every year, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) posted seven young women to serve their fatherland in this village. Each was from a different part of Nigeria, brought together by fate and duty.
The village was remote, far from civilization. The journey there was treacherous, the roads narrow and winding, with thick forests on either side. The corpers had heard stories about Akuko before they arrived, but they dismissed them as mere superstitions. After all, they were educated women, products of modern Nigeria. What could possibly scare them?
When they arrived, the villagers greeted them with uneasy smiles and whispered welcomes. The village chief, an old man with eyes that seemed too dark, welcomed them personally. He spoke slowly, his voice gravelly, and his words hung in the air like a bad omen.
“Welcome, daughters of Nigeria,” he said. “Akuko is pleased to have you. But be warned, this village is not like others. Respect our customs, and you will be safe. Disrespect them, and you will meet the darkness that lurks here.”
The corpers exchanged glances, unsure whether to laugh or take the chief seriously. Nevertheless, they thanked him and were shown to the corpers' lodge, an old, dilapidated house on the edge of the village, surrounded by the forest. The lodge was eerily quiet, its wooden walls creaking with every gust of wind.
As they settled in, the corpers—Ngozi, Aisha, Amaka, Funmi, Bisi, Kemi, and Zainab—felt a sense of unease growing among them. Ngozi, the oldest, was the first to speak up. “This place doesn’t feel right,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s too quiet. Too…still.”