Eye Am : The Watcher Within

Chapter 1: The beginning of the end

Gasping, sweating, and disoriented, I sat up in bed.

"What the fuck?" I whispered to myself, trying to shake off the familiar sense of dread. Another night, another recurring nightmare. But what did it mean?

I glanced at my wall clock: 2:45 AM. The same eerie message echoed in my mind: "Wake up, Damisa! Darkness is here!!" Who was that strange lady, and what did she want from me?

These nightmares started after my 33rd birthday, like life wasn't complicated enough already. My eyes stung, a painful reminder of the terror I'd faced in my dreams. It was a sensation I hadn't experienced since I was eight, when seawater accidentally got in my eyes during a beach trip with my foster parents.

A shiver ran down my spine as memories flooded back. Those years were ones I'd rather forget. My foster parents were kind, but I never truly connected with them. Maybe these nightmares were my punishment for being ungrateful.

But that life was behind me now. I'd left that town, reinvented myself in the city. Here, I was Mimi, Creative Director of Ricas Fashion Company, one of Eko's leading fashion houses. I rubbed shoulders with the elite, attending fundraisers, balls, and galas.

Yet, despite my success, an eerie feeling lingered. Like being watched, studied. I shook it off, focusing on the day ahead.

The clock read 6:12 AM. Time to hit the gym and start my day.

Sitting behind my mahogany desk, I gazed out at the city skyline, lost in thought. Lucas, my diligent assistant, burst in, chattering about an upcoming schedule. "Should I reschedule your appointment, boss?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

I looked up, confused. "Appointment?"

Lucas approached my desk, his brow furrowed. "Are you okay? You seem disoriented since arriving at the office today."

I forced a smile, grateful for Lucas's dedication. His passion and work ethic made him an invaluable asset. I had plans to promote him to co-director soon.

"No, Lucas, don't reschedule. I should head out now, actually." I declined his offer to drive, grabbing my keys instead.

As I drove to meet a high-profile client, a familiar sense of dread crept in. My vision blurred, and the world spun around me. "What's happening?" I panicked, struggling to maintain control.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

"Damisa! Damisa, wake up!"

A distant voice pierced the fog in my mind. My eyes snapped open, and I jolted upright. Where was I? The damp earth beneath me felt like a swamp, a far cry from the sleek city streets I'd been driving through just hours before.

My memories were hazy, but I recalled heading to Lekki for a client meeting. How did I end up here? Was I dead?

Before I could process my surroundings, a cloaked figure grasped my arm, yanking me upward. His staff, adorned with ancient druidic symbols, gleamed in the faint light.

"Run, Damisa! It's not safe here!" he urged, pulling me into a frantic sprint.

I had no choice but to follow, my heart racing. What were we running from? The pounding footsteps and guttural growls grew louder, sending shivers down my spine.

Suddenly, the stranger halted, etched a circle on the ground with his staff, and leaped into the air. The thumping intensified, and I thought my end was near.

But the stranger landed with precision, striking down our pursuer with a mighty blow. The impact sent me flying across the clearing, and everything went black.

"Wait!" I screamed, jolting awake in the emergency unit of St. Thomas Hospital. Lucas flinched, rushing to my bedside.

"Boss, thank God you're awake!" Tears filled his eyes. "You were in an accident, in a coma for two days."

"Two days?" I thought to myself. Well that's not right.

Ten days had passed since my accident, and I was grateful for the minor injuries. The doctors attributed my passing out to stress, prescribing me Librium to ease my anxiety and ordering a month of bed rest.

Strangely, the nightmares ceased after that vivid episode with the cloaked figure. But was it just a nightmare? The memory lingered, hauntingly real. And there was the mud on my feet when I woke up in the ER... How did it get there? I distinctly remembered wearing my $3000 Jimmy Choo stilettos that day.

Lucas had been steadfast in managing the company, but I needed to return to work, to distract myself from these unsettling thoughts.

And then, it hit me – a sudden burst of recognition. The clearing from my nightmare... I knew it. It was in Agura, my old town, the place I'd left behind 15 years ago.

Why was I being haunted by memories of Agura now? The question sent shivers down my spine.

"I have to pay a visit to my old town and get to the bottom of this!"