Mmeso Inspires: Room 5

When I got admission into the university, I was drunk with happiness.

My happiness, I must say, reached to the highest

 crescendo when I was given my dream course, Journalism. My mood dropped when Father said I will be staying in the school hostel.

I have always wanted to live in my own flat(lodge), maybe with a friend as a flat mate but staying in the school hostel was never an option.

Three weeks later, I was accompanied to my school with my parents, after registration and other filings, I was allocated a room in the hostel.

Looking at my hostel card, it was boldly written “Room 5”. We were directed to the room by the hostel attendant, where my parents helped me pack my things inside my room before they left.

My roommates was not around at that time, but I knew they were within the school premises because their properties were scattered all over the room.

After unpacking my bags and arranging my things, I sat on my bed thinking of what next to do. I thought of how my roommates might look like, beautiful or ugly, tall or short, light-skinned or not, slim or plumpy. I thought of how boring or interesting my first lecture will be like.

I thought of Frank, my new found love. We had met in the Jamb centre and it was love at first sight for both of us. Frank got admission to study medicine in University of Starland a first class university while I got admission to study Journalism in University of Alphabreed.

I thought of our first hug and how awkward I had felt all through that day. I remember he asked me to text him if I get to school, I wouldn’t have called him in my parents presence so I texted him instead. Few minutes later, I dialed his number and called him but he was not picking up, so  I started scrolling through my phone watching the pictures we had taken together before I slept off.

I felt the touch on my legs, slowly it moved to my laps, it was a cold wet hand. I don’t even know whether I was dreaming or awake because the room was very dark. I screamed immediately the hand moved to my stomach and squeezed it so hard as if to hurl out my intestines.

I stood up but bumped into a wall, I fell down but quickly staggered up, and fumble for my phone but it seems to be in a different direction. I started shouting for help, the hand come again, squeezing my throat so hard as if to kill me. I struggled but the hand tightened it’s hold on my throat, and I struggled to breath. I tried screaming again before someone quietly entered the room with a bright torchlight.

I quickly run out of the room but was intercepted by the girl who entered.

“Hello girl, why are you shouting? she asked, she was a pretty skinny dark-skinned girl.

“Something tried to strangle me”, I said amidst sobs, I can’t stay here”.

She burst into laughter, but holding my shoulders, she calmly said. ” Nothing tried to strangle you love, you were just sleepwalking, we have had cases like that with new intakes”, Anyways my name is Tiana, a 300 level student of History and International studies, I am your roommate.

I look at her, a kind of scrutinizing, beautiful and dark but skinny as if she is malnourished. She also has a good body structure and slightly bow-legged, some of her teeth has black stains and was broken. I noticed my phone was lying on my reading table but I could remember vividly I was actually holding it before I fell asleep.

“I don’t think I can sleep here,” I said sobbing bitterly, “It appears so real, I have to call my parents” I said and rushed back inside the room to get my phone. It was around 10 in the night, I wonder how long I must have slept.

Tiana was quietly watching me as I dialed my parents numbers but they were both switched off, when she offered her phone I politely declined. There was something about this girl that seems strange to me. Though she sounds nice, I don’t really like her appearance.

“What is your name”, she asked while moving to her corner to arrange it.

“Cynthia, I answered shivering.

“Cynthia, trust me, you will be fine. I felt the same way during my first week in the hostel but I have acclimatized to it. Calm your nerves and go back to sleep, I am staying here with you”.

“Where are the other girls, I asked her referring to my other roommates”, because we are meant to be four in the room.

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“Sharon and Nkemdilim travelled for weekend” she quickly answered avoiding my eyes. I was outside the door thinking of what next to do.

“It seems we hardly have light here? I asked.

She kept quiet and I repeated the question again fixing my gaze intently at her.

“We do have lights most times she answered flatly.  She continue making her bed. I noticed she has marks on her hands and on her neck was a chain with a bold cross.

Other girls were chattering at every corner of the hostel, my next door neighbour was cooking stew, the aroma filled my nose and my stomach churn.

“Cynthia love, come inside and close the door, we have a lot of mosquitoes in this place she said with a soft smile”.

“The hostel attendant told us that we always have light here, but it is almost 11pm and there is no sign of light. I think I should go downstairs and meet her “I said, still shivering.

“Why are you still behaving like a child ?, she asked laughing. “Yes we always have light but not all the time, besides the hostel attendant does but stay here in the hostel, she leaves after school hours”.

I entered into the room and closed the door, I  dialed my parents numbers again but it was still switched off. I dialed Frank’s number, it wasn’t switched off but he was not picking up. I noticed that Tiana was stealing quick glances at me as I tried desperately to reach my people. I ignored her.

All of a sudden, I felt the urge to pray, so I took my bible and began to read silently to myself.

“Do you believe in that? she asked pointing at my bible.

“I don’t understand”, I replied.

“I mean did you believe in the bible? She repeated rolling her eyes.

“Of course, I do I answered while concluding to ignore her if she ask me further questions.

I wondered why this girl act so strange.

“Did you believe it can save you? she asked rinsing her pot. I noticed she want to cook noodles.

“Of course yes, and it can save you too” I answered sharply. My reply seems to take her unawares because her pot fell off her hands which I noticed was trembling, but she quickly picked it up and continue rinsing it. I noticed she was muttering something under her breath but the more I strained to hear her, the more difficult it seems.

 Then I kneel down and begin to pray, I prayed fervently for half an hour and when I open my eyes, she was standing in front of me with a plate of noodles.

“No, thank you”, I politely declined. “I am not really a fan of noodles” I answered.

“Really?, but you brought it with you “she said pointing at my carton of noodles.

“Oh, my father insisted that I should carry it along with me, I don’t want to disobey him so I obliged”, my stomach churn again reminding me how hungry I was, but accepting food from my strange roommate was never an option.

“Just like the way he insisted you should stay in the school hostel” she said mockingly while moving back to her corner.

I was startled, “How did you know about that?, I asked surprised.

“Isn’t it obvious?, my father did the same thing, he insisted that I should stay in the hostel even when my best friend has an apartment very close to school and she pleaded that I should come and stay with her, but that is parents for you” she said.

I lay down on my bed again feeling relieved after saying my prayers. I moved my torch light closer to my self and turn it on in case Tiana decide to turn off her own.

The touch came again, this time it was intense, like it was determined to strangle me to death. I reached out for my torchlight but it was not an inch close to me, I opened my mouth to call my roommate Tiana but the hand covered my mouth. It was a wet hand, I shivered. Then I noticed it was drizzling outside.

I struggled in the darkness with an unseen force, tears pouring down my cheeks.

The hold to my throat grew tighter and I struggled for breath,  then I thought of my parents and my little twin brothers. Then I thought of Frank and how devastated he will feel when the news of my demise get to him. All of a sudden, a new strength surge within me and I  begin muttering some words of prayers. Just like a flash, the hands released it hold on me and I let out a loud scream that can wake the dead before fumbling for the door, luckily I get hold of the door handle, I slammed it open and run outside.

By then , some girls has gathered outside. I  noticed there was light outside my room.

“They  want to kill me I said, breathing heavily and sobbing.

“Who?” one of the girls asked, I noticed that she was my next door neighbour who was cooking stew the previous night.

“I don’t know, they were inside the room”, I answered, still sobbing.

They entered inside my room with their torchlight and search everywhere.

“Girl, there is no one in the room, who tried to kill you then? one of them asked.

“My roommate is inside there, I don’t know who tried to kill me I said, sitting on the ground and sobbing bitterly. I was trembling, one of the girls hold my hands consoling me.

“Which of them?, my next door neighbour asked bewildered.

“Tiana ,I answered wiping my tears.

“Tiana? she repeated looking puzzled.

“Girl, three of your roommates travelled yesterday morning to their respective homes, that is why they dropped the door key with the hostel attendant, and none of your roommates bears the name “Tiana”. I know of Sharon, Nkem and Uju, but not Tiana”.

“She might be a squatter, one of the girls chirp in.

“And she is not in the room , one of the girl immediately answered.

“This Tiana girl, was she in the room with you throughout yesterday, my next door neighbor asked still puzzled .

“Yes, I answered, “though, she returned in the night but she was in the room before I fell asleep I said concealing the part that I was  initially attacked.

This is really strange, one of the girls exclaimed. “I had a cousin sister who died five years ago and she was allocated this particular room. Before she gave up the ghost , she told me that when she entered the room, she met a dark pretty skinny girl who goes by the name “Tiana May”, the girl was so nice to her that she even prepared noodles and eggs for her that same night, meanwhile the other girls were not around, according to her, they travelled for weekend. After eating, she slept off, only to wake up struggling with unseen forces. She said this unseen person tried to strangle her to death but she fought so bravely but the room was very dark and some hands covered her mouth to prevent her from shouting for help. At a time, she became very weak . In the morning, she fell sick and was rushed to the hospital but she gave up the ghost. I was at her bedside in the hospital, that is how she get to tell me this before giving up the ghost, one of the girls said sobbing.

 “She is the one, I said clinging tightly to my next door neighbor. “She was acting all strange yesterday night and  even offered me a plate of noodles but I rejected it, I can’t stay here anymore” I said crying.

“What else did she said or do to you? they asked.

“Nothing, but I had an attack when I slept off in the afternoon only to wake up in the night, when I shouted for help she entered into the room with a torchlight and introduced herself to me as my roommate, she even moved to a particular corner and begin to arrange it before preparing noodles.”

Few minutes later, the girls departed to their various room and my next door neighbour took me inside her room but I was scared to sleep again. I checked the time, it was 3am.

In the morning, my parents rushed down to my school immediately I called and narrated what had happened. When they arrived, we met the hostel attendant who allocated the room to me.

“Why are you little girls so daft? can’t you see? she said holding up my card to me.

“I allocated room 50 to you and you went elsewhere, we don’t have anything like room 5 here she said avoiding our gazes.

I looked at my hostel card and it was boldly “Room 50″on it, I was very shocked. 

“It was boldly written room 5 on it yesterday I said looking puzzled, I looked at the hostel attendant and then to my parents, my mother was already fuming.

“Mind the way you talk to my daughter ,woman!, I can’t sit here and watch you insult my daughter you old careless woman, were you not the same person that allocated room 5 to her yesterday or you think we are as blind as you are , you shameless hag my mother thundered.

My father tried to calm her down but she flare up. “Thank your stars that nothing happened to my daughter or you will be in the police custody now, she shouted. Turning to my father she said, “Ndukwe, did I not plead with you that I never wanted my daughter to stay in school hostel but you refused, now you see!. Thank your stars ooh that nothing happened to my only daughter because I will make sure you regret it all the days of your life”.

Even as mother vibrated with anger, I keep on looking at my card pondering on the mystery of “5” and “50”. I looked at the hostel attendant and she looked away muttering incomprehensible words.

“Is this woman diabolical?, I asked my self. I quickly stand up and rushed back to that same room to confirm it and to my greatest surprised, I saw “Room 50” boldly written on the door. I was dumbfounded.

“What is happening here?”, I asked no one in particular.

My supposed roommates came out from the room smiling and waving at me, I ignored them.

Then I saw my next door neighbour hurriedly preparing for lectures, I moved closer and greeted her. Her door was boldly written “Room 51”, unlike 6 that was clearly written on it yesterday. My next door neighbour has something to tell me but she just wave and hurriedly rush down the stairs because she was already late to class.

 I stood there perplexed, all of a sudden I remember that it was the hostel attendant that showed us that particular room yesterday and I quickly rush down to confront her.

I bumped into a girl when I was rushing down the stairs. “I am sorry, I apologized.

“It’s fine she said, our eyes met and she smiled revealing her broken teeth.

I quickly recognized her… “Tiana May”.