School Of Horrors

Come to Mama

  Amara's eyes glistened with tears, completely shattered.
"She killed herself...."
The realization hit harder than the feeling of emptiness she had suffered for so many years.
She sobbed harder slowly wiping off her tears.
She had thought of returning home several times but she could never bring herself to take that one step.
The caretaker shrugged and stood from his seat.
" More like escaped....."
He moved to the window and looked out his bloodshot eyes searching through the night.
Amara paused at his words.
" Escaped..."

Temi held on to Henry as she took a pee looking around agitated. The toilet was quite small so Henry had to squeeze himself in a corner.
Henry began.
"That old man's stories doesn't just add up,  like how he knows so much or how all the students in his story seemed to commit suicide . Plus there's very little information about the deaths from the police"
Temi sighed, all she wanted was to leave.
"the only thing that doesn't add up is how we are still here this late. I thought we agreed to leave by 8”
Henry smiled understanding her fear.
" Once we get back to the principal's office we would leave"
Temi stood up and buckled her jeans. And in a  few minutes they were heading back to the principal's office.

But just then the gate swung open.

Temi  screamed and rushed to Henry's side fear stricken.
Henry stood still struck with terror.
Temi hid at his back grasping his clothes. She could  only cry regretting her every decisions. They were a few metres from the gate and a short distance from the principal's office . They could make a run for the principal's office but Henry was to scared to move.

Henry squinted his eyes. He could make out a figure at the gate now. A tall lanky figure.
His heart began to throb and with quivering lips he announced.
" Temi! There's someone at the gate"
"Why are you telling me? " Temi cried out not daring to take a look.
It was slowly approaching, its pace steady.  Henry had had just enough. He would make a run for the principal's office with or without Temi.
He turned slowly to his side and looked straight ahead at the principal's office.
He made to run but a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Wait!"

Temi was the first to take a look breathing a sigh of relief seconds later.
" Good evening"
A tall lanky young man stood in front of them equally surprised to see them.
" Who are you?"  Temi questioned.
" My name is Teju, the son of the former proprietress of this school"
Temi and Henry looked at each other.

The sudden scream from outside the office made Amara jolt from her seat .
" Temi and Frank...." She gasped.
The caretaker remained quiet.
She looked back at him now worried.
" What did you mean by escaped?, What did she escape from? Tell me!"
The caretaker turned back quickly with a smile stretching down from both cheeks.
" From me!"

Amara moved back slowly direfully.
" What are  you talking about?" She cried out. Her heart was racing and her breaths faster.
" What am I talking about?" He screamed.
" It wasn't just any war, you see. Our land, this land!  Was taken from us,ripped apart and extorted"
Amara was baffled.
" I don't understand what you're talking about"
He frowned ,his anger now evident!
" I worked her for several years ,I came to claim a land that belongs to me,this land belongs to me! But Abioye would not budge"
He scoffed and wiped the beads of sweat off his head.
" I worked and toiled for years till I struck her with terror. Every year for a death or two till it was her turn"
Amara clasped her mouth in shock.
" So it was you..all the deaths...the killings. You killed them"
He moved closer the evil smile back on his face .

Amara looked at the door fearfully contemplating how fast she could get to it.
" Those years were torturous , I must say. I had to deal with your mother's constant whining , her never ending tales of misery and regrets"

The pain was back again along with the regret.
She bursted into tears not holding back any longer.
" What did you do to my mother?"
He chuckled menacingly.
" I'll show you! "

She made a run for the door but he dashed towards her pouncing on her like a deranged beast .
She screamed struggling to break his grip.
He sat on her drooling with excitement.
" Your mum was indeed a hard one to kill"
He took a quick glance at his contorted finger.
" She nearly took this one finger on her way down from the roof"
Amara cried out , the horrors and pain her mother must have passed through clouding her mind.

He grabbed her by the throat, squeezing her neck with all his might.
She struggled for air hitting his bony hands as hard as she could. With a quick blow across her face , Amara was bleeding and weakened.
Suddenly like a quick glimpse of a movie ,she saw her mum's bright smile. She could hear her mother's cheerful laugh.
"Ama...."
Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes as her life flashed before her eyes. She slowly let go and stopped fighting.

The darkness that she had resorted too ever since she left home was quickly replaced by light now. She could hear her mother's voice now, she could see her face.
"Ama..."
Amara stretched her hands to reach for the one thing that greatly mattered to her the piece of her she had lost for so long and this time she would never let go.
" Mummy.."