You Can See Them

7

I woke up 1pm.

In the middle of the night, my mum came in and screamed, eyes flashing and mouth snarling like a feral cat.

"STOP THAT!! STOP THAT! YOU'LL GET TIRED SOON, YOU'LL SEE, YOU'LL GET TIRED SOON! STOP IT! STOP ITTT!"

Yes. She did.

I didn't bother answering her, instead I screamed back my psalms at her till she quieted down, hissed and abruptly left the room.

She didn't touch me. I don't think she was able to.

Thank God

I won't bother going outside. Why bother? All I'll see is girls who according to Fiyin, I shouldn't be seeing.

I've been saying my psalms nonstop since. I think I even said it in my sleep. Maybe that's why mum came in.

I don't think I've eaten in days. I don't feel hungry either. I'll keep saying my psalms.

Lord protect them.

Protect mummy,

Protect Daddy,

Protect grandma,

Protect favour,

Protect aunty Bolanle,

Protect the girl upstairs,

and Please Lord Jesus,

Protect me.

**

6pm.

I'm tired of staying inside. I would later wish I didn't go outside, but I still do.

My mum is staring into space again. There's no television for her to stare at, so it's the wall.

I sigh and squeeze the papers in the pockets of my hoodie.

I sit on the step outside. Staring up at the sky. It's getting dark by the time I come to. I don't see any of them today. Not Fiyin, not the parasite and host, not even the girl they're holding captive.

I doze off where I'm sitting.

10pm.

I wake up, the dead night is broken by a noise. I look left and right and can't figure out where I hear it from. Since I can't pinpoint the source, I shrug. I'm not going to be stupid and wander around.

For the first time since I got home. The dreadful creepy low orange lights aren't on. It's actually peaceful. The compound is bathed in a silver glow that can only come from an orb God created.

I look up at the sky. The moon.

The moon is there. For the first time. The moon!

And I smile, for the first time in days, I smile genuinely up at the moon.

I sit there looking at the moon for what seems like hours.

I check my phone.

Almost 11pm. I don't want to go inside and find my mum staring at the wall or laughing at Fiyin's jokes which I can never hear.

Phone in hand, I decide to stretch my legs to the end of the compound. I haven't been close to the front of the compound since the book incident.

The BQ is creepy and dark, but it's way better than the front, and in this silvery glow, it actually looks better.

I walk down and turn left.

Nobody is prepared for Fiyin. Nobody is.

Fiyin is sat down on the concrete rim enclosing the tap where we wash clothes, standing beside her are the girls.